Gumball Gauntlet v1.0 README

Thank you for playing Gumball Gauntlet!

This readme file is designed to help new players.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  1. Installation
  2. Playing the Game
  3. F.A.Q.
  4. Troubleshooting
  5. Credits
  6. License

1) Installation

In order to install and run Gumball Gauntlet you must have Java v1.5 installed and the following system requirements:

If you do not have Java v1.5 installed please goto this website and download it.
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/download.jsp

If you already have Java 1.5 installed then you can easily play Gumball Gauntlet.

GumballGauntlet.zip (Windows only):

GumballGauntletSource.zip (Windows/Unix/Linux):


2) Playing the Game

Goal:
The goal of Gumball Gauntlet is to move all of the gumballs into some hole on the gameboard. When all gumballs are in a hole then you win, if you lose a gumball then you fail. You may find yourself in a situation where you can no longer place gumballs into holes, in this case you must restart the game.

Game Objects:
Gumball Gauntlet has a number of game objects included in v1.0. You must learn how these objects work if you wish to do well in Gumball Gauntlet. Each object is described below, but only through playing the game will you become familiar with their behaviors.

Gumball:
The gumball is the object that will be your focus during Gumball Gauntlet. Your objective is to move the gumball into a hole. You can do this by selecting a gumball and then pressing a direction you wish the gumball to move. Once moving you cannot stop the gumball. When it hits another object you can then move the gumball again.

Moveable Blocks:
Moveable blocks are blocks which can be moved in order to direct the ball. They will be your primary tool used to move the ball into the correct position.

Hole:
The hole is the final resting place for your gumballs. Once all of your gumballs are in a hole then you win. There may be many holes in a single level, if you cannot reach one hole you should try a different hole.

Turbo Blocks:
Turbo blocks force both blocks and balls to move in a certain direction. If a ball or block lands on top of a turbo block it will be moved in the direciton of the turbo block.

Ice:
Ice acts similarly to Turbo blocks, except that Ice does not change the direction of movement. Both balls and blocks slide on Ice and you will not be able to stop a block or ball while it is sliding.

Teleporter:
Teleporters move balls and blocks around the map. Teleporters do not show where they move objects too, however you can test a teleporter by selecting it with your cursor. This causes your cursor to be teleported to the destination of the teleporter.

Pipes:
Pipes act like normal blocks, but they stop blocks from moving. A ball can pass through a pipe, but a block cannot. Curved pipes can also change the ball's direction.

The Void:
The Void is the starfield beneath the game board. If your gumball falls into the void it is lost and you can no longer complete the level.


3) F.A.Q.

3.1) Why is the ball behaving strangely?
Gumball Gauntlet saves the next movement of a ball before the current movement is completed. This is an attempt to make ball movement more intuitive. If you are pressing directions while the ball is moving you could send it in a different direction after it completes the current movement.

Example: I select a ball, then press up, then press left. This will cause the ball to move up, then after it has completed its move, it will move left.


4) Troubleshooting

There is a known issue where on certain systems the game appears to be accelerated, and the timer ticks much faster than it should. As a workaround, users with this problem can download and run one of the many CPU "slow-down" programs available freely on the net. You should run the slow-down program before invoking Gumball Gauntlet.

Slow-down programs are available at: http://www.geocities.com/kulhain/


5) Credits

Dev Team:
Jeff Loiselle
Mike Matloff
Ross McClure
Christoph Otto
Erin Winter

Golden T Game Engine
Your free Java Game Engine
http://www.goldenstudios.or.id/


6) License

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.

Golden T Game Engine is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.