TURN WORDWRAP ON Documentation for Savage Platforms Preview (C) 1997/98 Michael J. Berry All rights reserved. Savage Platforms Official Preview. Coding, Design & graphics by Mike Berry. Music & SFX by Dave Green. DISCLAIMER ---------- The installation and use of this program is done completely under your own responsibility. Under no circumstances will the producer of this of this product be held responsible for any damages or costs that my be incurred in the use of this program. INTRODUCTION ------------ Savage Platforms has been for the most part, a labour of love. To be honest, it is way overdue and I've been working on it now for a good 12 months longer than I had originally intended. The reason is simple, I have other more important things to do as well (such as earn a living!) and this leaves extremely little time to devote to my beloved Commodore 64. I kind of made a promise to myself to try to get it complete by the end of this year (1998) but as ever, time is limited and it looks like it is going to be sometime early in the new year before I am able to release it. COST ---- Savage Platforms will be given away entirely free. I am not writing this game to make money. It is likely to be my last ever game (not program) on the C64 and I wanted to give newcomers to the C64 'Retro-Scene' the chance to see what this fantastic little computer is capable of. I spent a few years as a commercial C64 game programmer, and got paid (just about!) for it, so this is my 'thank you' to my trust Commodore 64. CONTROLS -------- Everything you need to know for the moment is contained in the actual preview. OTHER STUFF. --------------------- Warning: If you don't like bad(ish) language, DON'T read on.......... OK, now it's time for me to have a good moan, and I make no apologies for going on a bit here as I feel that I'm due it! People who know me well know what a great deal of hassle I've been through writing this game. I'm doing it for free and it's 'my baby' so I am apt to get very protective over it. This preview was first released many months ago, and as you will read in the preview's documentation I stated that I do not want ANYONE to alter the program in any way. Specifically, I didn't want any lamer cracking groups spreading altered versions of Savage Platforms with pathetically coded 'intros' in them. Sadly, this request was ignored (big surprise) and in the lamer groups sad attempts at 'scene recognition' they did the exact opposite and added their childish intros' onto my preview; a preview for God's sake! There is no 'protection' on this preview, so the act of attaching an intro requiring no more brain cells than that of a dead flea. Let me explain: In the C64 'scene' today there are still an abundance of C64 'groups' - usually consisting of coders, graphics artists, musicians, spreaders and nappy changers - who vie with each other to be the fastest and best 'spreaders' of cracked/intro'd games. There's a points system in operation whereas your group is awarded points depending on the complexity/speed of the 'crack'. This generates a feeding frenzy among these groups who are desperate for what little attention this generates, and there is no level they won't sink to to get 'those points'. Would you believe that your group can earn point for putting intros' onto preview and PUBLIC DOMAIN (PD) and SHAREWARE stuff! Unbelievable! Just how sad is that?! THERE IS NO POINT WHATSOVER IN PUTTING AN INTRO ONTO A PREVIEW, IT IS LAME, LAME, LAME, LAME, AND AN INSULT TO REAL C64 CODERS EVERYWHERE. Anyway, one such piece of shit (this is where the bad language starts!) who call themselves ALPHA FLIGHT, were one of the groups who added their bullshit to my preview. Guys, your shitty code isn't fit to be on the same disk as mine, never mind my program. Alpha Flight weren't the only group to do this of course, but they were desperate enough for the 'points' to be the first to do it, which makes them particular arseholes which is why I am highlighting them for particular attention. Visiting their web site is a particularly interesting thing to do. The words 'up their own arses' spring to mind when I read their glowing reports about themselves! The problem is with all these cracking groups is that they are very elitist, and 99.9% of them have about as much talent and imagination as I have in my little toe. Alpha Flight are the exception in this case though - they have no talent whatsoever, other than copying and 'adding to' other peoples work. People reading this who know about the scene have surely witnessed the many raging 'wars' between these groups who are very jealous of each other. Don't get me wrong, most demo & coding groups are OK, it's just that wankers like Alpha Flight that really get up my nose. Anyway, I'll end this long moan with a message to Alpha Flight: Please try to change, don't stay a lamer group all your lives. I know you've been "going since 1970", but man, this is the 90's and the world has changed! I think you should close your group down and take up something more suited to you all... like licking out toilet bowls. That is all..... Mike berry. Mike@compunet.prestel.co.uk http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/compunet/