Roadwars - Manual

	It is the beginning of the Twenty Fifth Century and the whole of 
humanity is entering a new golden age of enlightenment and reason under the 
beneficent rule of the Galactic Federation. Democracy is flourishing. The 
planets of the Federation are held together throughout the galaxy, using the 
instantaneous communication offered by the new McIntypre Psychic Resonance 
consoles.
	These were developed following the advances in resonance theory. This
replaced Einstein's relativity theory as the dominant theory of physics, when
the work by Donald McIntyre, the Koestler Professer of Parapsychology, at the
university of New Edinburgh, on Caledonia 3, proved conclusively that telepathy
was a real phenomenon, and that it provided an instantaneous form of
communication of any distance, at the end of the Twenty Third Century.
	With the advances in mathematical physics that followed the overturn of
relativity, came rapid advances in the fields of computing, leading to trye
cybernetics and artificial intelligences. More and more of the work was being
done by computers. This left humans free to enjoy their new found wealth and
leisure. Feats of engineering reached new heights, with the computers able to
actively stabilise the most flimsy of structures, rings were built around
planets, with staircases linking them to the surface.
	The Galactic Federation has brought peace and freedom throughout
mankind's realms, with no other space faring races in the galaxy there is no
cause for confrontation. And with the advances in cybernetics and artificial
intelligence, there is now no need for any human to have to work, all the
necessary tasks are carried out by robots or computers, leaving humanity to a
life of pleasure and idleness, with the entire galaxy as its playground, there
is always something new to see, a new sensation to try, a new thrill to seek.
The whole of the universe has opened up as a great pleasure garden for all.
	Like all the other planets in the galaxy, Armageddon had prospered
under the new order of peace and prosperity. Though with the surface of the
planet blackened and seared from the last ever war, habitation is only possible
on the moons. This encounter between the forces of the Galactic Federation, all
robots of course, and those of the Tar'Sians, the only race not to welcome the
Federation.
	The Tar'Sians ruled five planets in the galactic core, they dominated
the other races on the planets in a despotic rule of violence and barbarism.
The exploratory task force sent to the sector first landed on one of the
planets occupied by the Tar'Sians in 2371. Although rebuffed by the Tar'Sians
the subservient races pleaded with the Federation for deliverance. Within a
year, the Tar'Sians had attacked five Federation planets, and for the first
time in Thirteen Decades the Federation found itself at war.
	Armageddon found itself at the centre of the conflict, even though it
had been a Federation planet for more than fifty years, under its earlier name
of Sarac. The war left its mark on Armageddon, and it will never again be fit
for habitation. Fortunately it was the only planet destroyed, this however made
the planet famous, and earned it its new name, a name based on an ancient
legend, dating from the old earth and the time before space.
	As the last planet destroyed by war, Armageddon, achieved a large
degree of notoriety. In a Universe of peace and tranquility, Armageddon was
unique. It rapidly became a major centre for tourism, the only activity left
for real people, and its future prosperity was assured. Instead of dying from
its overdose of radiation, Sarac rose like a phoenix from the ashes as
Armageddon, a museum to destruction and a monument to peace.
	With the population forced by the war to move to the moons, these were
linked together by a series of space roadways. These magnificent pathways,
provided fast and easy access between the different moons. They required all
the power of the latest developments in intelligent computers to maintain the
links between the moons, which of course circle the planet at different rates.
The computer also controlled the safety mechanisms that kept the travellers on
the roadways. These in themselves became tourist attractions, with visitors
from all over the galaxy coming to marvel at the engineering achievement of the
universe, the only space roadways to link natural moons anywhere in known
space.
	However now there is a problem! The computer has gone rogue. The
roadways are no longer safe for traffic. Some of the side panels that create
the magnetoic field that keeps vehicles on the roadways have been altered and
are now sendinag violent electric sparks arcing across the roadway, destroying
all that try and cross their path.
	You have been chosed to clear the roadway. You are to control a
battlesphere. These robot droids are highly manoeuvrable, heavily armed and
armoured weapons of destruction, tow of these are being sent out to clear the
road, of which you will control one. You must work together to clear the road,
do not take cooperation for granted.
	your battlesphere is armoured with a protective shield, you can lower
this at any time, to reveal your powerful laser canon. Use this to keep the
space-highway clear. But be warned although you can replace your shields at the
touch of the button, if you are a fraction slow you will be utterly destroyed.
If you lose your shields, and you will, you will have to rely on your skill,
speed and reflexes, mixed with a little luck to survive.
	Destroy the sparks by blasting the correct side panels, but do not be
indiscriminate, they are all that are keeping you on the road. Shoot too many
of the side panels and you, and your opponent are vulnerable to being forced
off the road and in space there is a long way to fall!
	To get as far as possible along the road you need to co-operate with
the other player. In a one player game the computer will act as a good but not
a perfect partner. Remember that in the bonus stages you are rewarded for
killing your opponent, so do not co-operate too much.

GAME PLAY
	The object of the game is to clear the road of obstacles. On either
side of the roads there are panels that serve to keep you on the road. However
some of these have turned rogue and are producing sparks. These are blue
whereas the normal panels are brown.
	For each spark there are two blue panels, one on either side of the
road. if you shoot either of the two blue panels the spark will be stopped.
	Shooting all the blue panels will open up the gateway to the next road.
When you reach the open gateway you will drop down to the next road, the number
of panels varies on every road depending on the difficulty.
	You can run through a spark with your shields up, but eventually they
destroy them. Crossing a spark with your shields down is fatal.
	On the later levels there are aliens that live in the side panels,
these should not be shot as killing these generates two new rogue panels and a
new spark.
	After every four levels you complete you will enter a bonus road.
During this you are actively competing against the other battlesphere. Bothe
battlespheres are now targets and can be shot. The gate will only open for one
battlesphere. If you are killed or forced off the road on a bonus road, you
will not regenerate until the other player dies.
	When you regenerate the energy involved clears all the aliens from the
section of the road that is visible. This gives you two seconds grace before
any aliens, spikes, barriers etc. can actually kill you.

HAZARDS
	There is a range of other hazards to impede your progress.
	Satelites appear at the side of the road shoot lazar beams. These aim
for the centre of your path. They do not always fire. you will have to learn
their fire pattern and use your judgement as to whether you need to dodge them
or not.
	The small red balls run in the opposite direction to you along the
road. If you hit these with your shield up they will destroy your shield, if
your shields are down or have been destroyed then you battlesphere will be
totally destroyed.
	Certain of the balls mutate into missiles when hit. These then head
straight for you and need to be shot again to be finally killed. Other aliens
cluster together, and what looks like a single red ball is in fact four.
Shooting these causes them to split into the individual parts and you then have
four targets to hit instead on one.
	Chevrons in the middle of the road cause the same damage as the balls.
That is, they will destroy your shield if they are closed or the whole of the
battlesphere if the shields are down or destroy.
	The red and white barriers can be barged through if you have your
shields up but destroy you if your shields are down.
	Spikes completely destroy your sphere, even if your shield is up.
	On the later levels fast aliens appear. These travel along the road in
the same direction as you but at a higher speed, so they catch up with you from
behind. Once these have passed you, they will line up a good shot. They rarely
miss so you are advised to shoot them early.

ORBITERS
	If you run over an arrow pointing towards you in the road, you will be
rewarded with an orbiter. This is a small extra sphere that orbits around your
battlesphere. They give you increased firepower, firing when you do.

CONTROLS
	You can use eithe a joystick or a mouse. There are five controls, each
selected by moving the joystick or mouse in a different direction. Fire button
on the joystick or mouse button one fires your gun. See controlling your
battlesphere at the end of this booklet for the effects of the controls.

LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
	Insert Kickstart disk if required. At request for Workbench disk,
insert program disk. Program will load and run automatically.

		     CONTROLLING YOUR BATTLESPHERE
	The control method for a battlesphere is the same whether you are using
the joystick or the keyboard.
	The control positions are as follows:

				Close Shields
	                              /\
	Move Left   <                              >  Move Right

         Aim Left   <                 \/           >  Aim Right
                                Open Shields

CLOSE SHIELDS
	This shuts the battlesphere's protective shield, protecting it from
sparks and aliens.

OPEN SHIELDS
	This allows you to shoot, shield will also open automatically if you
fire.

MOVE LEFT/MOVE RIGHT
	Moves the battlesphere across the road.

AIM LEFT/AIM RIGHT
	Rotates the gun but leaves the battlesphere in the same place on the
road. Used for aiming at specific targets.