IMPORTANT PC SNOOD BETA VERSION INFORMATION (Read Me)
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PC SNOOD BETA TEST README Beta Version 0.9 
Thank you for testing PC Snood. This document contains information 
about this version of PC Snood and about what I intend to add to future 
versions. If you have any questions or wish to report your experience 
with the beta version, please send e-mail to: dob@kagi.com

DISCLAIMER: 
You test PC Snood at your own risk. This is a beta testing version; 
bugs, glitches, crashes, system freezes, etc., are par for the course 
and should be expected. I offer no warranty or claim that PC Snood will 
work correctly or meet your needs. 

SPECIFICAITONS:
To run PC Snood, you need to have the following: 

An IBM-compatible computer with a keyboard and mouse 
A video card capable of displaying 640x480 pixels and 256 colors (VESA)
A recent version of Windows 95 or 98, 3.1, or MS-DOS

NOTE:  THIS VERSION DOES NOT RUN ON WINDOWS NT!!!
A previous beta version (0.2) did support Windows NT, but the DirectX 
libraries I was using made the game way too slow for many people.  I am 
now using DJGPP and the Allegro game library (version 3.0).  
Unfortunately, this library doesn't support Windows NT.  I'll try to 
get an NT compatible version out, either by improving the DirectX 
version or by getting this version to work under NT.
 
WHAT WORKS:
The game plays reasonably well on most fast PCs.  I have not been able 
to test this version as extensively before releasing it as I did with 
version 0.2, so I don't know exactly how it will fare.  The speed seems 
to be much better -- it is about 10-15 times as fast on my PC as 
version 0.2.  Unlike version 0.4, which ran as fast as your CPU would 
allow, this version includes a braking feature which imposes a speed 
limit for less frenzied play.
 
The Child, Easy, Medium, Hard, and Evil, and Puzzle difficulty levels 
all function exactly as they do on the Mac version. The Custom and 
Puzzle difficulty settings do not work yet without the program being 
registered.  You can start a new game, play it, be awarded bonus points 
if you win, and get an entry on the high score list. Win/loss 
statistics are calculated, and high scores and other information are 
saved to the disk and restored each time you run Snood.  Version 0.4 
sometimes wouldnt save the scores; this should be fixed in version 
0.9.

There are menus (albeit homely ones), and most options work.  Notable 
exceptions are the Pause feature which is meaningless since you cant 
suspend Snood and go back to Windows.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK NOW BUT WILL SOON: 

Nothing that I know of, but Im sure you will find things!
I dont yet have a level editor, but that should come soon.

TIPS:
Snood takes over the whole screen.  Because it runs under DOS, it is 
impossible to suspend Snood temporarily and go back to Windows.  You 
have to quit out of Snood entirely to get back to Windows.  If your 
computer has one of the funky new Windows metakeys, that key will 
probably get you to Windows, but Snood will probably crash.

You can quit by picking Quit from the Game menu.  If you're in the 
middle of a game, hitting Q should quit the program. In a pinch, Ctrl-
Alt-Del usually allows you to terminate the game as well (pick End Task 
for Snood).

REGISTERING:
If you feel like registering this beta version of Snood, dont let me 
stand in your way!  As far as I know, it will do all of the things the 
registered version of the Mac does (e.g. Custom difficulty levels, 
Tournaments, alternate puzzle levels when I get a level editor going).  
There may well still be bugs in this version, but I will fix those as 
soon as I learn of them.  Ive provided a URL to register it, or you 
can go directly to:

http://order.kagi.com/?UD

E-mail me if you have any questions at dob@kagi.com
 
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME:
I would love to hear your experience with and suggestions for PC Snood. 
If you write me, please include the following information: 

* What kind of computer you have, including your processor speed and 
memory 

* What version of Windows you use 

* What your frame rate is. To figure this out, hit "F" while the game 
is in progress. You should see two numbers appear briefly down by the 
score. Snood is generally playable when the top number is less than 
about 10, and the speed limit should keep these numbers from getting 
below 3-4. The second number will be smaller than the first and is also 
helpful to me. I don't need to know all the decimal places - just "3.4" 
or whatever will do.

* Any other problems or difficulties you found. 

* Any suggestions you have for improvements to the game

PLEASE, PLEASE, write me even if it works fine.  For the first few 
versions, about 99% of the letters I got were from people for whom it 
didn't work right, but I know from other sources that it wasn't nearly 
that bad.  I'd love to know that Snood works for you.

Send any info or bug reports to:
dob@kagi.com
Thanks!

