

                                   Aro II
                                    v1.0

                             copyright (c) 1997
                              John Paul D'India



                 <<use the arrow keys to scroll up and down>>



----------------
      SHAREWARE & LICENSING
           -------------

      This game is SHAREWARE.  You may freely copy the shareware version of
  this game to your friends, as long as the registration number is set to
  0.  If the registration number is NOT 0, this game is being illegally
  distributed.  The registered version may be purchased (see 'Ordering'
  below).

      This game may be sold or included on a CDROM as long as the concept
  of shareware is explained somewhere on the packaging AND the version sold
  or printed on the CD is the shareware version.  Distribution of the
  registered version is illegal!  I am not fond of constantly sending
  permission to people who want to print a shareware game CD with this game
  on it.  I will probably NOT respond to you.

      If you bought this game, you should be aware it is a shareware game
  and can be obtained free of charge from a great many places.  If you
  bought the registered version of the game from anyone but John Paul
  D'India, you purchased an illegal copy.



----------------
      ORDERING
           -------------


      The complete registered version of Aro II can only be ordered directly
  from me by mail.  The full version features 42 new levels (easy, medium,
  and hard) with new monsters and new challenges, all for only $15 a copy.
  When you register, I send you a registration number which unlocks the full
  version.  Since all I have to send you is a piece of paper there are no
  shipping and handling costs.

      You may print and fill out the order.frm file, or you may simply write
  your name on a piece of paper along with the name 'Aro II' and send it to
  me accompanied with a check or money order for $15 (cash is acceptable,
  but definitely not encouraged - I'm not responsible for lost money).

  write stuff to:
  John Paul D'India
  130 Newton St.
  San Francisco, CA 94112
  USA

      Do NOT distribute the registration number you are given!  Doing so
  is illegal and wrong!

      Some people have expressed concern about mailing lists, etc.  I do
  not keep a mailing list, nor do I sell names.  I only need your address
  so I can send you the registration number.

      Internation Orders: I realize it is very difficult for you to send
  money in a form I can exchange, so I recommend sending your own currency
  (do not send coins).  The exchange rate need not be precise.

      Post cards!  The first few people who send me postcards or letters
  _may_ receive a free registered copy of Aro 2.  Tell me something about
  where you live (I don't care about weather!) or about your interest in
  computing, the sciences, or mathematics, or even about technology or the
  Internet.  Don't forget to mention you'd like a free copy of Aro 2
  (otherwise I'll just think you're a wacko sending me strange mail)!  I may
  even throw in a registered copy of some other game, or more likely, my
  commentary on your text.  The closer you are to the USA, the better your
  letter needs to be!  I reserve the right to not respond to any and all
  letters.


----------------
      INSTRUCTIONS
           -------------


      Aro's primary objective is to survive his trip through a strange land
  in which he has found himself.  In his adventures, Aro will come across
  many dangers as well as strange phenomenon.  The land does not always
  obey the known laws of physics.

      The game's main menu can be easily navigated using the arrow keys as
  well as <esc> and <enter>.  The main menu can be brought up at any time
  by pressing the <esc> key.  The game is automatically paused if you're in
  the middle of play.

      Aro can be controlled by the keyboard or a joystick.  If you have a
  joystick, you must select it as the input device AND you must calibrate
  it.  This can be done under the 'settings' menu.

  Aro's Default Key Config:

          Player 1:        Player 2:
  jump    <up>             e  or  w (depends)
  left    <left>           s      a
  right   <right>          f      d
  duck    <down>           d      s
  run     <control>        w      q

  Be warned, certain configurations may not work on your keyboard!
  Sometimes combinations of keys pressed do not work as you'd expect (don't
  ask me why, I'm not a kbd designer).


----------------
      TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
           -------------

      This game assumes many things and may not work properly on your
  machine.  VESA BIOS 1.2 or higher is required to run this game.  The game
  must be run in the directory in which it is located otherwise it will not
  find its data files.  This game is by no means 'bug free'.

  VIDEO:
      Aro assumes mode 101h, 640x480, 256 color, but not all VESA BIOS
  support this properly (laptops tend to be tricky).  To run Aro in
  another video mode (must be 640x480 256 colors!!), run vesa.exe, find
  the 640x480x256 mode number, load config.txt in your favorite text
  editor, and change the first line 'VIDEO_MODE: 0x101' to 0xZZZ where
  ZZZ is the new mode number.

  WINDOWS (95):
      Aro should run fine under windows, however, do NOT switch back and
  forth between full and windowed screen (alt-enter).  The game will
  probably not display correctly when you return to full screen (it won't
  display at all in windowed mode).

  The ARO2 files should look something like this:

  ARO2     DCF     6,231,407  10-20-97 12:01a ARO2.DCF
  ARO2     EXE       161,595  10-20-97 12:02a ARO2.EXE
  CONFIG   TXT           549  10-20-97 12:10a CONFIG.TXT
  FILE_ID  DIZ           320  10-10-97  5:10p FILE_ID.DIZ
  ORDER    FRM         2,341  10-10-97  5:04p ORDER.FRM
  README   EXE        27,716  09-04-97  8:57p README.EXE
  README   TXT        10,724  10-20-97 12:08a README.TXT
  VESA     EXE         6,720  04-13-95 11:27p VESA.EXE

  If they don't, you have a tampered with copy of the game.

----------------
      HINTS AND TIPS!
           -------------

  Tip #1:  SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!  Aro has a save feature so use it.  To save,
           simply press <esc> while in the game.  Then select save, select
           the spot you want to save in, and type in a short description.
           Be warned, it only saves the level number and how many points
           you have so don't expect to reload and find yourself right
           in front of that last lava pit you fell into.

  Tip #2:  Points don't mean anything except the right to boast!  If you
           just want to win, then skip 'em.

  Tip #3:  For an extra challenge, try to get as many points as you can,
           and look for secret levels (usually short with quite a few
           points).  Brag to your friends about how many points you can
           get!

  Tip #4:  Have patience.  Often, you will have to wait for moving bricks
           to come before you can advance.  Wait patiently (echo this in
           your brain if you want to win)!!!  Be patient with electricity
           and slimes that are in your way and you just can't jump over.

  Tip #5:  Scan ahead.  Sometimes you will feel tempted to just run and
           jump across some great chasm.  Be warned, a quick enemy might
           sprint into view right when you're in mid-air, shrinking your
           chances of survival.

  Tip #6:  Don't walk onto moving bricks, jump onto them!

  Tip #7:  Don't press duck to jump when you're upside down.  The jump
           button remains the same, despite the reversed gravity.

  Tip #8:  Don't stay under water too long, you'll run out of air and burn
           up.

  Tip #9:  To get extra height when jumping, hold the 'run' key a short
           distance before you jump.

  Tip #10: Estimate when lava fire will flare up so you can jump over it
           before it comes.

  Tip #11: Think about what you're doing!  If you can't pass a certain part,
           take a deep breath and see if you can come up with a better
           strategy.

  Tip #12: When there are lots of switches they will be color coded!  Look
           for a colored light above the switch and above electrical
           sources.  Switches only go one way, so once you flip one, you'll
           have to look for another if it activates something you don't
           like.  Don't flip every switch you see!

  Tip #13: Don't worry about making Aro suffer by burning him up and turning
           him into slime.  You can keep pressing enter after he's died and
           force him to do it all over again!  (poor Aro...  <sniff>)

  Tip #14: Don't play too long.  Go do something else and come back later!!
           Aro is more fun when played in short spurts for 15-30 minutes.

  And lastly, the more vague hints

  Hint #1: There are 60 levels total, 20 for each difficulty level.

  Hint #2: When unsure about where to step, watch enemies.  They can
           distinguish between solid stuff and illusions.



----------------
      RAMBLING
           -------------

      This game is the product of about a year of hobby work.  After
  working on a disastrous team project (4gen), and almost going bald,
  this game proved to be a pleasant undertaking.  It is quite a feat to
  program an entire game, design 60 levels, and draw all the graphics, but
  I have found that not having to rely on other people makes everything
  go faster.

      Some of you may be wondering why there isn't any music or sound fx.
  If you knew there was a version on my HD that had music and sound fx,
  you'd probably exclaim, "What an absurd thing to do!"  Sound FX are
  extremely difficult to create, and copied sounds don't add much to the
  game's originality.  Music is also one of those fickle things - I might
  like it, you might not.  If you want music, play one of your favorite
  CDs.  I am not a musician.

      This game consists of about 5-8 thousand lines of horrific C++ code.
  Unfortunately, I started it before I knew C or C++, and learning a
  language while writing the final application code doesn't work very well.
  Thankfully it did give me lots of experience working with C/C++.  I am
  still bewildered by those who boast their app takes several hours to
  compile on a dual processor machine.  You are doing something wrong!
  This game was developed on a 486dx 66mhz.  As I am extremely disgusted
  with the 12 month computer cycle, I have begun to wonder whether I will
  ever buy a new machine.

      After recently visiting a retail computer store and checking through
  the game section (something I do not do very frequently), I can only say
  the game industry is truly juvenille.  I personally recommend not wasting
  your time with any of it.

      Internet, Credit Cards, etc.  Some of you are probably wondering,
  "What kind of a dummy tries to sell stuff without offering the ability
  to pay with a credit card?"  "Why can't I order this direct from a
  webpage?"  This game is NOT a mega-marketed business opportunity
  psychologically designed to sell a million copies, rather it is a piece
  of artwork constructed by the artist for his own enjoyment.  I have gone
  to the effort of distribution so that others may enjoy it.  I do not
  savor the task of marketing or dealing with a publisher.  To do so would
  shift the focus away from the enjoyment of development.  Been there,
  done that and I can assure you it's not worth it.  Finally, for those of
  you addicted to the Internet, I ask you to think about what it is that
  you really _do_ while 'surfing the infobahn'.

      If you disagree with me, YOU'RE WRONG!  <chuckle>  Greets to Vladimir
  Tetelbaum, Demetrius Bell, Robert Becker, Victor Putz, Patrick Maidorn,
  and everyone else I forgot to mention.

  I hope everyone enjoys this one.

  Aro II: started March 8th, 1996 and completed shortly after October
  14th, 1997.

      John Paul D'India

