******************************************************************************
****************************DETECTIVE ACADEMY*************************V.0.99.* 
*******************************************by Lachie D.(KENTAURI) 2003./2004.*
******************************************************************************

Table of Contents
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.0 - About The Game
2.0 - Running The Game
   2.1 - Requirements
   2.2 - How To Play
3.0 - Kinda FAQ 
4.0 - Credits
5.0 - Designer rambling 'bout making this game
6.0 - Contact
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.0. About The Game
===================
Detective Academy is a game of details observation and memorizing.
It features several games(modes) which test some skills that
might be detective work related although the games are not really
about deduction.

Detective Academy was completely coded in Quick Basic 4.5 with
RelLib, a library by Richard Eric Lope.


2.0. Running The Game
=====================
You run Detective Academy with DA.EXE. If you are running it 
in Windows 2000/XP you need to allocate XMS memory in order for
game to work. How? You create a shortcut to DA.EXE(right click on it). 
Then right click on the shortcut, access the memory menu and change 
the XMS amount to any above 2000 Kb. Run the shortcut.

                
2.1. Requirements
=================
You need a 386 or higher and 2 Mb of XMS memory to run this game.
      

2.2. How To Play
================
Game is very intuitive and all you need to know is inside game's
About section. 


3.0. FAQ
========
      
I run the game but I get a black screen. What should I do?
----------------------------------------------------------
Read "Running The Game" section. Create a shortcut! If you are
running it in Windows 98 and a direct running of EXE file is
not working try the same thing.

Why is details observation so hard?
-----------------------------------
Like I said in About section, it takes some time before you get
a hang of it. And trust me, you have enough time to observe
a scene. More time means more time to forget and mix up memorized
details. I made some mad scores in hard difficulty just because
I had little time to observe a scene.
Details observation includes rules, trick and decoys that
you simply must explore.

Why details observation doesn't feature more scenes?
----------------------------------------------------
Because I don't live forever. It takes A LOT of time and patience
to construct and draw a contentfull scene, polish it, crop all
the details, save them in a specific format, add the alternative
details, flag all the details coordinates and write all the questions
and answers. So you get my grip. Anyway, this game was made for a
competition so it's not 100% the way I want it to be. Neverthless it
won't feature more than 5 scenes. If I EVER get back to adding more
scenes.

Why face memorizing doesn't feature more face parts?
----------------------------------------------------
Same thing, I don't have enough time to do so much. Anyway, I'm
close to conventional memory limit with face memorizing game so
adding more face parts would mean devising new sprite storing
methods.

Sometimes my game is not saved correctly. Why?
----------------------------------------------
Trust me I tried to avoid this. But the encryption routine I used
was very doubtfull. Anyway, with the last tweeks I've done, this
should happen almost never.

Is Stu Buber dressed so badly on purpose?
-----------------------------------------
Yes.

Is the academy name also so gay on purpose?
-------------------------------------------
Yes. I'm just trying to amuse you. Laugh, you!

Why scoring in photographing game sucks so much?
------------------------------------------------
I know about that. And don't know why. No, really!
I don't understand. The code seems ok. Sometimes
it simply gives you too much points for obviously
sucky snapshot. I don't have time to wrestle with
it in infinity. Maybe I get back to it in some
newer version.

What's the maximum score in academy?
------------------------------------
54 points. 6+6 points maximum in two face memorizing games. 8+10+12 
maximum points in three details observation game. And 12 points in
photographing game.

Why I can't hear any music?
---------------------------
Because there is none. I didn't had time nor will to pick a
music for it which would only small amount of people be able to
hear anyway. And I don't think it's a music needy game.

And the sound effects?
----------------------
Yes, PC SPEAKER sounds again. They suck. Don't use them.
Leave me alone.

Why the version 0.99?
---------------------
I primarly started working on this game because of an competition
and didn't spend that amount of time and planning as with Rocket
Fuel Mayhem or Ball Blazing Fantasy. I don't find it unfinished but
it's definitely something which can and should have more content and
possibly look better. So I can't call it a COMPLETE KENTAURI product.

                         
4.0. Credits
============
Game idea, concept and design : Dean Janjic(a.k.a. Lachie Dazdarian)
Programming : Dean Janjic
Graphic : Dean Janjic
            
Thanx to...
R.E.Lope for making RelLib
Neo(Not the one from The Matrix...I think. :P) for the splendid
encryption routines
To game testers for their valuable help: Nino Van der Mark, Brendan Urquhart, 
                                         Warlord Agamemnus
Everyone in QBasic community
Everyone who ever played or reviewed any of my games


         
            
5.0. Designer blabing bout making this game
===========================================
The only reason why I've started working on this game was the
Home Of The Underdogs forum game makeing competition. Since I am
a member there for years and an amateur game designer with several
finished projects behind I felt an obligation to participate and do
something. Which is silly I know, but have in mind that I'm a sick
person. Anyway, after I've put this burden on my shoulders I've spent
several days thinking up a good concept for 6 weeks long competition.
I was looking for a concept that I'll be able to do in few days during
the winter holidays since I'm too busy during the college semester and
will still result in a good game. I also had other ongoing projects so I
didn't wanted to spend to much time on an unplanned project. First idea
was a game called Capt.Stacy Schwimmer Sunk-a-ling. Yeah. It supposed to
be a classic ship sunking game but with more content. You would be able
to pick ships, move them and aim in the same it. It would feature
different levels, made with RelLib Mode 7 map routine, and a strange
humour. After some more time of pondering on it I realized that
constructing and coding the projectile routines, like correct graphic
display of them, AI, plus the humorus cutscenes would take too much
time, will, blood and guts. So I have up on it. All that was done was a
base for one scene and some ship sprites. Next idea was Twin Lasers.
I supposed to be a simple one screen shooting game. You would control
two lasers, one moving vertical and one moving horizontaly and out
of each laser a beam would go to the opposite edge of the screen.
The beams would cross in a hot spot. The player would have to hold the
fire key for short amount of time for an explosion to happen on the hot
spot. All the sprites representing enemies near it would die. I sounded
ok, but once I code the skeleton of the engine, drawed really cool laser
sprites and so-so sprites of balls representing enemies I realized that
the concept results in very watered down gameplay. It was simply boring.
Despite the nice explosion routines I've made. To make it right, I would
have to code a lot of niffty features, well balance powerups, a lot of
levels and draw shiny graphic. Before I entirely have up on it, the idea
for Detective Academy poped in my mind. Instantly I ditched the laser game
since I thought DA is something original and won't be so demanding as Twin
Lasers. It supposed to be a game featuring numerous mini games in it as
academy tests. Still, I was aware I would have to discard a lot of ideas
due the time limit.

Details observation was the first game I came up with. I really didn't
know how I would manage the graphic at that point. I simply went for it.
With a lot of polishing, details observation scenes came out really nice.
Ok, nice. I'm satisfied with them. They took a lot of time to be done.

During the creation of details observation I came up with face memorizing
game. I was something doable. Originaly, it supposed to feature more
face parts but sadly ended up with six versions of each face part.
Original background and foreground was also different. With time it
ended up on best possible version, TV screen.

Doing all the other routines, like save/load game, highscore, academy
flow and photographing game, which supposed to be in the game from the
start, took way to much time. It was a demanding code which required
constant planing and problem solving. It was something different from
coding Ball Blazing Fantasy, where once you solved the engine all you
had to do is to design levels. Once again, I forgot how much game design
is a tedious work. At one point, on the very end, one source code DIED.
Yes, I kept a backup, but you can't be saveing a backup every second
so few hours of work were wasted. Yes, to redo that work took much less
time but it was hard to remember all the nitpicks that were made.
I also had some problems with the stupid old encryption routine. 
             
Luckily, compiling went fine but I was like one sub from "Out of memory
error". 8 full days it took me to finish something which I wanted to wrap
up in 3-4 days. So yes, I was mostly frustrated during the creation of
DA and questioned my motivation. Is this all worth of those few moments
of excitement when you start working on something new? No. But like
I said, I'm a sick man. 8 days, man! 8! Fuck.

UPDATE: Aquired new encryption routines and implemented them in the
code. Not more highscore hackings! Also, done few nitpicks on the
code. Spoted several DIM statements being reused during the running of
the programm. Very sloppy.


6.0.Contact
===========
My email : lachie13@yahoo.com
KENTAURI website : www.kentauri.cjb.net

Feel free to email me about anything concerning my games and game design
in general. Comments, bug reports and such are welcomed. You can also 
visit the KENTAURI forum if you please.

---Lachie Dazdarian, 12.28.2003.









