
   MatchPatch by Stephen Winstanley

   Copyright  1991 Amiga Computing
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

   The instructions for this game can be found
   in the February 1991 issue of Amiga Computing.


   Programmers
   ^^^^^^^^^^^

   The source code for MatchPatch is on the disk in the MatchPatch
   drawer. It has been crunched (and can be decrunched) with PowerPacker.
   To view the listing simply double click the MatchPatch.S icon.

   Be warned that the decrunched file is just over 200,000 bytes long.

   Jeff Walker,
   December 1990.

--

MatchPatch is Copyright  1991 Amiga Computing.

"MatchPatch was written in assembly language (Devpac 2) by Stephen Winstanley.
It may be offered for download on bulletin boards provided it is made
available as a free download." (Amiga Computing #33, Feb 1991, p.32)

--

MatchPatch

MatchPatch is a 24 level platform game in which you have to destroy all the
aliens on each level, or get to a bonus screen to progress to the next level,
To prevent you from achieving this goal there are deadly aliens that kill on
contact, plus a timer which will take one of your lives if it expires. There
are five different aliens to overcome, all with individual characteristics.

The stone men walk slowly around the platforms, moving from the top to the
bottom of the screen. Icebergs on the other hand. can jump up to higher
platforms suddenly, as can the fire balls, which move around very quickly.

Watch out for storm clouds &ndash electricity &ndash; which can change
direction just when you think you're safe, and the light bulbs which bounce off
the platforms at an angle.

Which aliens will be on which screen and their order is shown at the top left
of the display. This order is important because it controls the types of bullet
you can fire. An arrow under the order of the aliens at the top left of the
display indicates which type of alien your bullets will kill.

If the arrow is under the iceberg alien for example, this is the only type you
can kill. Any other aliens you hit will be transformed into the next alien in
that level's order, but not to the type you can kill.

To enable you to kill all the aliens there are holes in the bottom platforms.
Over the holes ore arrows that indicate which type of bullet you can collect if
you lump down the hole.

Jump down the hole with the Fire button pressed and not only do you collect the
indicated type of bullet but you also cycle the arrow over the hole to the next
bullet in the level's order. After jumping down the hole you'll appear at the
top of the screen, so look before you leap! As you'd expect, the aliens can
jump down the holes as well. After doing so, they'll be transformed into the
type of alien indicated by the arrow, To help or hinder, there are various
bonuses to collect.

Cakes get you an extra life and the glass boosts your fire range. Moving over
the clock stops the clock and if you get the egg timer, you'll win extra time.

The coin is a score bonus, the bomb kills all the aliens on the screen, and the
tap drowns all the fire balls. An on/off switch gives you mega bullets that
keep going after killing an alien. But watch out for the herbs, they're deadly!
If you collect the flower bonus you will go to a maze level where you must
reach the exit at the bottom of the screen before the timer expires, succeed
and you get extra points. You then go to the next level of the main game.

There are 16 maze levels and movement between them is controlled by a joystick
in port 2, left and right to run left and right, up to jump up, fire to shoot
bullets. At any time during the game the left mouse button will pause the game
and the right mouse button will restart. To start the game after loading, press
fire.

At the end of the game, if your score is high enough, you will be able to enter
your name in the high score table. The whole program loads into memory so the
disk can be removed after loading. Don't worry about the disk drive light
staying on, it's just a bit of sloppy programming.

Hints

After dying, you'll be invulnerable until the timer restarts. On the title
screen hold the joystick right then press the fire button for a extra life
every 10,000 points, instead of the usual 20,000 points. Again on the title
screen. hold the joystick left then press the fire button to start on Level 10.

If the timer is getting low on a level and there are a lot of aliens left, use
the bonuses if possible.

The flower bonus ends the current level without loss of life even if you do not
complete the maze.

Try to set all the arrows the same. This limits the types of alien on a level,
making it easier to kill them.

Find a safe platform area where you can shoot the aliens as they run by. The
on/off switch bonus lets your bullet pass through on alien after it has been
hit, allowing you to shoot more than one at a time.

On the maze levels, time is limited, so start to run immediately and work out
your route on the move, Failing to do this will probably mean no extra points.

MatchPatch was written in assembly language (Devpac 2) by Stephen Winstanley.
It may be offered for download on bulletin boards provided it is made available
as a free download.


(Excerpted from Amiga Computing #33 (Feb 1991), p.32.)
