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        ³³ ³ÀÁ´³ ³³³ÀÄÙ³ÀÄÙ³À¿   (Version 3.1, Jan `96)
        ÀÙ ÀÄÄÙ³ÚÄÙÀÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÁÄÁÄÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ
               ÀÙ   (c) by TOM-Productions, D-61184 Karben
                        Hessenring 107
                        Tel        : +49-6039-44842,
                        FAX/BBS    : +49-6039-3064

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   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
   [-1-] Introduction
   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

   With the purchase of FlipOut you acquired one of the first games
   truly supporting "SVGA-High-Resolution-Action". FlipOut will support
   up to 32768 colors, if your graphics card is able to display this
   (in the so-called "HiColor-Mode")!

   This may sound great, but unfortunately we are not able to guarantee
   you, that FlipOut will display this brilliance on your computer...
   the required graphic modes are, unfortunately, far from standardized.
   Every graphic card producer has, at least in the past, produced
   hardware according to his own standards. Even though VESA-standards
   have been around for quite a while, you still can't assume that every
   VGA - Card is performing to this standard. Even if VESA is, supposedly
   supported, we found cases, where this is not absolutely true. To make
   things even worse, we found graphic cards of the same type, which
   showed different behavior.

   None the less, FlipOut will run perfectly even with VGA-cards without
   HiColor-Mode, or any card incorrectly determined by the software -
   either in 256-color mode, or - if nothing else will do-, in a 16 color
   gray scale-mode.

   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
   [-2-] Installation and selection of the graphic mode
   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

   After the installation of FlipOut, a rather coarsely dithered,
   "Graphic-Mode-Window" will appear, which should be visible with
   every VGA-graphic card! This window allows you to choose and test the
   graphic - mode, which will give the best results on your machine,
   before you enter the game. You only have to do this once, since
   FlipOut will remember your settings.

   The red arrow highlights the mode, which you can test by activating
   the "Test-Switch". Up to three different modes may be tested in
   sequence:
   640 x 480 Pixels with 32.768, 65.536 or 256 colors. Depending on the
   installed graphic card, all three or less of the above modes will be
   offered. If none of the modes is shown, you should at least have the
   chance, to play FlipOut in the gray scale-mode. If this happens, the
   program was unable to recognize your graphic card.

   Simply activate the "Test-Switch, and see what happens. If the window
   is displayed in same colors but smaller size in the middle of the
   screen, everything should be fine. Confirm via the "OK" switch or
   button, and begin the brilliant action.

   If nothing, a "mixed" or "cut-up" screen is visible, the
   selection of the graphic - mode was unsuccessful. In this case hit
   Esc and try out the next mode - if available. If none of the modes
   work, the current version of FlipOut can, unfortunately, not be run
   on your graphic card.

   In case weird effects turn up (like incorrect recognition of graphic
   card or the test looked good but the game causes problems), please,
   read the sections below.

   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
   [-3-] Now for the fun part!
   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

   When the selection of the graphic resolution caused no problems, you
   are now ready to start the game. On the right side of the screen you
   see the "List of players", you may add your name to this list by
   clicking at the first red button with the mouse-pointer. After you
   have entered your name, you can immediately begin with level 3. If
   you interrupt the game with the ESC key, your name and your score will
   be displayed in the list.
   You can reenter the game anytime by clicking at your name and then
   pushing the "Start" button. The rules of the games and other information
   are available from the online-documentation. Enjoy it!

   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
   [-4-] The game action.
   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

   There are 15 game levels to be mastered in FlipOut. Envision them
   staged on top of one another. The levels are numbered in sequence.
   You will start in level 3 (instead of 1!). Your task: "Flip out all
   GeoMex", required to reach the next higher level! "GeoMex" are in
   general geometrical objects, floating around and obstruct permanently
   the flight path of the colored sphere.

   The latter you have to keep as long as possible in the game using the
   racket at the bottom of the screen to hit all GeoMex if possible.

   If all important GeoMex are removed the upper barrier will vanish and
   the sphere is free to reach the next higher level to flip out there
   for a change.

   This game idea sounds familiar. No wonder FlipOut is a mixture of the
   familiar pinball and the classical "Breakout". although one thing is
   different. Throughout the entire game you have only one ball or sphere,
   you will never loose.

   If you loose it through the bottom of the screen you will have to play
   in the lower level. Not until you have solved this level again you may
   continue in the previous played level. For this 'dropout" not to occur
   to frequent we have installed 'safety blocks' below the racket which
   will catch the sphere.

   Unfortunately the safety blocks are not particularly stable and will
   resist only a couple of ball hits, finally vanish and leaving a gap
   toward the lower worlds. So watch out!

   Using the mouse you can move the racket left and right. To execute a
   better control over the racket, you can use the two mouse buttons to
   tip the racket to the respective angle. Applying both buttons in quick
   succession enables the pro to achieve a fine precession in the racket
   angle.

   All that is left is wishing you a lot of fun. The remaining rules you
   will find out as you progress. (for example certain GeoMex can influence
   the game at a different position in the game-level). So go and Flip out
   without flipping out.

   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
   [-5-] Technical data
   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

   FlipOut requires at least a 386-DX-40 MHz PC-AT with 400 kBytes
   free base memory and at least 1.6 MBytes of additional memory
   (XMS/EMS or Extended Memory), a SVGA Graphic card and a mouse.
   AdLib or Soundblaster are recommended (no sound - less fun).

   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
   [-6-] If you flip out - because FlipOut doesn't flip....
   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

   FlipOut demands a little more from your computer. This is true for
   the PC itself, as well as for the installed graphic card.

   ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
   º Problem 1 º Not enough free memory.
   ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ¼

   FlipOut does not require a whole lot of conventional memory. 400
   kBytes are sufficient.
   It does, however, require about 1.6 MBytes of additional memory, -
   either XMS/EMS or Extended Memory. If FlipOut displays a message
   concerning the availability of memory, the following changes in
   your system configuration might improve the situation:

    a) Decrease the amount of memory reserved for SMARTDRV, NWCACHE
       or other Hard-Disk-Cache-Programs. On a PC with 4 MBytes (and
       more) performance will not be decrease dramatically, when you
       limit the cache to 1.5 MBytes. Please, consult the documentation
       for your computer to make these changes.

    b) If this doesn't work, try to start FlipOut under WINDOWS! This
       might help, since WINDOWS creates a special memory - environment
       for DOS tasks.

   All these attempts are doomed to fail, when you try to run
   FlipOut on a 286 processor. FlipOut definitely requires a 386 or
   better.

   ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
   º Problem 2 º Nothing to see on the screen that makes sense
   ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ¼

   If FlipOut doesn't work for reasons related to the graphic card,
   try the following two things:

    a) Look for a VESA device driver on the disk that came with your
       graphic card. If you find one, copy it to your HD.

    b) If you don't find a suitable driver, try to start FlipOut with
       the batch file FLIPOUT2.BAT.
       This batch will attempt to load an universal VESA-driver, which
       could solve the problems. If it works, FlipOut will be started
       automatically,- and should run with at least 256 colors in
       640x480 resolution (assuming that your graphic card has at least
       512 KBytes of memory and can display this resolution).

    c) If FlipOut does not recognize your video card or its on-board
       memory, although it is supposed to do so, you may correct this
       with two command parameters.

       If the chip of the video card is not identified correctly please
       check the VGACHIPS.TXT data to identify the ID of your card.
       Enter this after calling the FLIPOUT.EXE using the parameter
       -C. Thus, for example for the paradise-card use: FLIPOUT -C769

       If the memory size if not determined correctly use the -M switch.
       The value following the switch should be equivalent to the memory
       of your card in kBytes. Thus, -M512 for 512kB and
       -M1024 for 1 MB or 1024 kB.

   If FlipOut does recognize different modes after these alterations, but
   the image will display strange points and strips you may be facing some
   timing-problem with your card. Especially if the same card will work
   flawless with high resolution and plenty of colors for other programs
   (especially under WINDOWS). The problem may be eliminated by resetting
   the timing-behavior of the card using the setup-program of the video
   card for the 640x480-pixel modus. This problem mainly arises by the
   more expensive cards. If re-adjusting the timing does not help either,
   FlipOut may be run under other certain circumstances at higher resolution.
   To do so certain tricks are required. We recommend these step only to
   those with experience in these matters.

    a) Use an ASCII-Editor to edit the file FO_SVGA.DEF containing
       all adjustable modes. Towards the end you will find the
       adjustments for the VESA:

          [VESA]
          0066 C32K   640  480
          0064 C64K   640  480
          005F C256   640  480

       Change the resolution parameters (640 and 480) to the new
       resolution (800/600, 1024/768, 1280/1024 etc.).
       The entry for the 800x600 resolution would look like this:

          [VESA]
          0066 C32K   800  600
          0064 C64K   800  600
          005F C256   800  600

    b) Erase the file FO_SVGA.CFG and restart FlipOut using the
       parameter 2500, therefore the memory required for the higher
       resolution will be provided:

            C:\ > FLIPOUT 2500

   If all those efforts remain fruitless you still have the option to play
   FlipOut in the 16-color-modus. This is not as nice but has the advantage
   to work on ALL  cards.
   You still have the possibility by defining a color-look-up table at the
   start of FlipOut to make the image appear to your liking.

   Therefore you start the program using:

       C:\ > FLIPOUT -p ORANGE
    or
       C:\ > FLIPOUT -p KALT
    etc.

   You may even develop our own color look-up tables by either, modify the
   existing PAL-file or creating your own. These files are constructed
   quiet simply. They consist of 16 rows each containing one of the
   available "gray-levels". Each row contain three numbers ranging between
   0 and 63, for the red, green and blue contributions. From row to row an
   increase in brightness is assumed. Thus, the first row assumes
   'completely dark', while the last is 'completely bright'.

   ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
   º Problem 3 º The message "No mouse installed" appears.
   ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ¼

   Well, well now, so you don't have a mouse installed. This sounds
   somewhat unlikely these days. If you mainly use WINDOWS, this might
   happen, however. The reason is, that WINDOWS uses it's own mouse
   driver, which need not be linked to the config.sys or autoexec.bat.

   To solve this, use the mouse driver supplied with your mouse (named:
   MOUSE.SYS or MOUSE.COM, GMOUSE.COM, MSMOUSE.EXE etc. -
   depending on the mouse) and install it to your DOS system. Better yet,
   simply include it in the autoexec.bat or config.sys.

   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
   [-7-] The program "GSPAL"
   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

   As added bonus you will find the DOS-Program GSPAL.EXE inside the
   FlipOut directory. It serve as an utility for the interactive development
   of the before mentioned PAL-file. It is started by typing

       GSPAL <PAL file>

   where <PAL file> is the name of the file to be altered. Using the left
   and right arrow keys you can select the different 16 gray values by
   increasing or decreasing the 'r','g','b' color contribution in increments
   of 1. 'Esc' will terminate the program and save the altered PAL-file.

   The rows "Hell." and "Soll" describes the actual brightness of the
   selected color and the intended value. When you are developing your
   own color look-up table and want to retain the bight- and darkness
   (light and shadow), take care that the "Hell" brightness value does
   not differ to much from the intended "Soll" value.

   If absolutely nothing of the above works, you can at least use the
   16 color-gray scale-mode. This isn't quite as pretty, but has the
   advantage of running on all VGA-cards.


   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
   [-8-] TOM-Productions: Member of the D.S.
   ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
   "Deutschsprachige Shareware, Autoren and Haendlervereinigung" (German
   speaking shareware, authors and retailer association).

   Address:

   TOM-Productions
   A.Tofahrn and C.Maennchen
   Softwareentwicklung und Beratung GbR
   Hessenring 107
   D61184 Karben

   Phone   : +49-6039-44842 (Mon/Wed/Fri 4-6 pm EST+6)
   FAX/BBS : +49-6039-3064
   e-mail  : 100330.2720@compuserve.com
   homepage: http://members.aol.com/tomprod1

   Registerable via CompuServe GO SWREG, ID : 11107

   We will provide:
   - custom software development (including advertisements)
   - conception and support for software projects in the trust areas,
     entertainment/games multimedia applications (including CD-ROM-Prod.)
   - customer GUI-Design, windows and DOS based programming, database and
     networks (including networking).

