
                               Diamond Caves

                         Version V2.9 (18.01.1999)

(C) Copyright 1994-96 by  Peter Elzner

  diamond productions 

-  Freeware -

                  A short summary of what you should know:
  Introduction 

                              Technical stuff:
  Requirements 
  Installation 
  Copyright & Distribution 

                        The game and how to play it:
  What&acute;s it all about? 
  Solid Objects 
  Things to collect 
  Enemies 
  Title Screen 

                           Need help? Take a look:
  Frequently Asked Questions 
  Level hints 

                          Past, present and future:
  History 
  Plans for the future 

                How to get and how to pay for Diamond Caves:
  How to register 
  How to get updates 
  How to contact the author 


  Credits 

                   Check out the Diamond Caves homepage at
                    http://www.diamond-pro.com

           Warning: The author cannot be held responsible
                      for loss of sleep, hair or sanity
                       caused by playing Diamond Caves


 Welcome to Diamond Caves V2.9!

 Since 01/18/99 Diamond Caves I is freeware. It is still (C) Peter Elzner
 but you can use it free of charge. If you like the program, please send
a postcard of your home town or country to   my address 

 Here is a quick overview about what to do and what to read to start
 immediately:

 - If you have a vague knowledge of what the game is about, you may start
right now, playing the 25  Tutorial-Levels. They will introduce you into
 all of the important things and extras of Diamond Caves.
 Additionally, there are 10 Easy-Levels and 25 Game-Levels.
 The Game-Levels are for advanced players.

 What&acute;s it all about?.

 If you constantly fail to solve a Level, try watching the record-file by
 Level hints.
The main menu and all of its gadgets are discussed in  Title Screen.

 - If you want to reconfigure Diamond Caves please use the Diamond Caves
Preferences program

- If you have comments, ideas or found some kind of bug, feel free to tell   me .
But before asking stupid questions :-) read the chapter  Frequently asked questions!

 - Do you think Diamond Caves is a bit slow on your Amiga? Then read
 How can I improve game speed? in the chapter Frequently asked questions.

 That's about it, enjoy the game.


 Requirements

 This game is written in an OS-friendly way, so it may not be as fast as a
 common hardwarehack would be. The game requires:

 - Kick 2.0
 - 1 MB chipmem / 1 MB fastmem
 - 68000
 - Harddisk
 - Commodore's Installer V1.24 (can be found on your Workbench-Install-Disk)

 recommended for ultimate joy:

 - Kick 3.x
 - a 68020 (or higher)
 - 2 MB chipmem (if you want to use large Levels or more colors)

 If you wonder why I decided to base the game on OS-routines and why the
game is not as fast as it could be, read the  Frequently asked Questions.

 This program has beed tested with Enforcer, Mungwall and CodeWatcher.


 Installation

 Diamond Caves comes with a ready-to-run installer-script for the Commodore
 Installer. Just click on the icon and follow the text in the window.

 Basically, the script will copy all files in a Directory, assign the name
 "DC:" to it and install some tooltypes.

 If you select update, the Installer only copys the files in the
 directory(s) with a higher version than your currently installed version of
 Diamond Caves. No old Icons, Levels, Highscores or Names will be changed.

To reconfigure Diamond Caves, use the program Diamond Prefs.


  COPYRIGHT 

  DISTRIBUTION 

  DISCLAIMER 

  FREEWARE 


 Diamond Caves, the Diamond Caves Editor, DiamondGfx & DiamondSfx,
 Peter Elzner.
 That means that you are NOT ALLOWED to modify the programs and
 documentations in any way. In particular, you MUST NOT remove the
 documentation or any other file.

 You are NOT ALLOWED to use this software or any part of it for any other
 purpose than that one mentioned in this documentation, this also includes 
 any images and samples.

Diamond Caves is  FREEWARE!


 The Diamond Caves package and all the Diamond Tools are freely distributable.
 That means you are allowed to re-distribute these packages as long as you
 follow these points:

 - Any re-distribution has to include all files in this archive, without
   any modifications. You are NOT ALLOWED to add or remove any files
   to/from the archive.

 - This package may be freely distributed via BBSs, InterNet/UseNet,
   software libraries such as Fred Fish's and Aminet CD-ROM, and other
   similar electronic channels. You MUST NOT include it on any disk that is
   sold for more than 5 US Dollar (or an equivalent in other currencies).

 - Disk magazines and services that charge extra for file transfers may NOT
distribute it without written permission by  Peter Elzner!


 By using this product, you accept FULL responsibility for any damage
 or loss that might occur through its use or the inability to use it.
 The developer of the software can NOT be held responsible.


 Since 01/18/99 Diamond Caves I is Freeware. It is still (C) Peter Elzner
 but you can use it free of charge. If you like the program, please send
a postcard of your home town or country to   my address 


 A short introduction to Diamond Caves:

 This game is based on the idea of Boulder Dash back on the good old C64. I
 added some new ideas (and some gfx/sfx) of Emerald Mine by Kingsoft and a
 bunch of my own ideas (and ideas of my friends, other user, ...) as well.

The main goal is to collect enough collect Emeralds and reach the Exit in time.

 This task may be mastered alone or in teamwork.

 You can control the player by moving your Joystick in the appropriate
 direction. Pressing the button and moving the Stick causes the Player to
 stand still and collect the item in the given direction.

 P will Pause the game
 (Note:To turn off the pause mode, you have to activate the game window
 (simply click with your mouse into it) and then press P again)

 ESC quits the game

 the F-keys change the view-area:
 F1: Focus on Player 1
 F2: Focus on Player 2
 F3: Focus on both Players (note that you can't walk out of the visible
 area in this mode).

 If you are playing on a Public Screen you can resize the Window in Pause
 mode.

 If one of the Players is controlled by Keyboard, he may be moved using the
 cursor-keys, Space or R-Shift is the firebutton-equivalent.

 How many Emeralds you have to collect and how many seconds are left
 is visible in the status-line on top or bottom of the screen.

 You can increase your score in four different ways:
 - destroying opponents with a boulder (not with an explosion)
 - collecting things (Emeralds, Diamonds, Dynamite or Keys)
 - cracking a Nut
 - achieving a bonus by having time left whenreaching the exit.

 All of the extras described below are shown one by one in the
25  Tutorial-Levels.

 A special feature of Diamond Caves is the replay-mode.
 You are able to record your
 movements and watch yourself later playing the Level. All Levels
 in the unregistered Version are already shipped with a replay-file
 showing you how to solve the Level.
 When in replay-mode, you can use the following keys:
 F9  or +: Increase speed
 F10 or -: Decrease speed (slow motion)


  solid objects 

  Things to collect 

  Enemies 


 There are many things in the game just "lying around", some are described
seperately in @{"Things to collect" Collect}.

 - Empty Space (black)
 Not much to say :-)

 - Sand
 You can walk through it, Monsters can't

 - Boulder
 Well, a rock is a rock. Be sure not to rest below one of them, they might
 smash you!

 - Bombs
 Highly explosive!

 - Nuts
 They reveale an Emerald if cracked open by a boulder.

 Rocks, Bombs and Nuts can be moved by the player!

 - Walls
 Six types of walls:
   - steel Walls - can't be destroyed
   - brick Walls - can be crushed using some kind of explosion (Bomb)
   - special brick Walls - will expand to the sides!
   - brick Walls containing Emeralds/Diamonds - use a Bomb or Dynamite to
     get the Jewels
   - magic Wall (blue) - once a Rock/Emerald/Diamond falls onto the magic
     wall, the wall starts spinning for a few seconds, changing everything
     that falls through
   - invisible Wall - looks like empty space but is very solid! Can be
     bombed away.

 - Doors
 There are two types of doors in the game:
- Doors you need a collect key for (red, green, blue and yellow doors)
     Some doors are grey, so you don't know which kind of key you will need
   - Doors you can open/close using the blue switch

 - conveyor belt
 Can be turned on/off using the green switch. Things lying on the belt will
 move!

 - Quicksand
 Boulders may sink into and out of the quicksand.

 - Exit
 a blue gate which starts flashing if you have enough Emeralds to enter.

 - Wheel
if you spin the Wheel, the enemies Robot will run towards the Wheel and not towards
 you. The Wheel only lasts for a few seconds.

 - Acidpool
 everything that falls into the Acid is gone forever!

 - Switches
   - the green Switch changes the direction of the conveyor belt
   - the blue switch open-/closes the switch-door

 - letters
 you may read, ignor or bomb them away:-)


  Things to collect 

  Enemies 


 Of course just collecting Emeralds would be very easy (and very boring) so
 there are lots of other goodies to collect in the game:

 - two kinds of Emeralds called Emeralds (green) and Diamonds (blue).
 Diamonds count as three Emeralds.

 - Dynamite to blow away walls and monsters. Ignite the Dynamite by
 holding down your firebutton for a few seconds. Then run away!

 - A Forcefield (yellow coin) to protect you. Your player-sprite will fade
 to grey while in protected mode. You will hear a special sound to indicate the
 forcefield going down because it only lasts for a few seconds

 - Extratime (green coin) that will be added to your time

 - Keys. There are four different types of keys (red, green, blue and
 yellow) which are necessary for the four different doors.


  solid objects 

  Enemies 


 You are not alone in the Diamond Caves!
 Here are the enemies you might encounter:

 - Bug
 crawling on the right wall, the Bug can be changed into 9 Emeralds and
 1 Diamond if crushed by a boulder

 - Spaceship
 always moves on the left wall

 Touching the Bug or the Spaceship is very dangerous!

 - Robot
 This one follows you until he can kill you!
Try spinning the solid Wheel to divert the Robot.

 - Eater
 This brother of Pacman will eat Diamonds and can be changed into various
 things (be surprised!) by shmashing him with a boulder

 - the amoeba
 expands through normal sand and quicksand. Beware of the drops!
 Spaceships and Bugs won't survive contact with the amoeba.


  solid objects 

  Things to collect 


 There are several buttons in the title screen which can be accessed using
 the mouse in Port 1 or (if you already plugged in a Joystick) using either
 the cursor-keys and Space or the Joystick in Port 2.

 Quit: Guess what this one does.

 Get Levels: Select a Leveldirectory. Each Dir may contain up to 99 Levels

 One Player/Two Player: Change the number of Players.

 Name: Select a name or enter a new one. The Number is your Handicap (your
   highest possible Level). It gets updated every time you solve a Level
   and will be saved automatically.

 Level/Max: The current Level and your Handicap.

 Score: Your score so far (only for this Leveldirectory)

 Games played: Number of games you played in this Leveldirectory

 Highscores: Display the Highscorelist for the selected Level.

 Play game: Play the game. If you enter the Highscorelist, the list will be
   saved automatically.

 Record game: You can play the Level and every move will be recorded into a
   file.

 Replay game: If a record-file exists, you can watch it.

 The big DC-Logo: Shows the About window containing some information.



 V1.0 (02.04.1995)
      - first public release

 V1.1 (03.04.1995)
      - fixed small bug in quicksand-routine
      - optimized player-routine
      - added tooltype "JOYMOUSE2"
      - implemented introScreen-timeout (8 sec)
      - fixed game-level 23 (way too difficult - actually insoluble :-)

 V1.2 (06.04.1995)
      - finally fixed gameport.device
      - fixed small bug in 2-player-mode
      - more optimizations

 V1.3 (09.04.1995)
      - added tooltype "STATUSTOP"
      - fixed bug in game-level 25
      - fixed bug in conveyor-belt

 V1.4 (01.05.1995) (registered Users only)
      - rewrote installer-script
      - added "normal" icons (for those MagicWB-haters :-)
      - added 10 Easy-Levels
      - included replay-files for all levels (Tutorial, Game & Easy)
      - fixed preferences-loading (reg-version)
      - fixed small bug in GetLevel-Window
        (items are now set to default after changing number of players)
      - rewrote record-routine
        (files are now 7/8 shorter than before)
      - improved loading
        (gfxfiles are now loaded once and then kept in memory)
      - rewrote Joystick-routine
        (still some optimizations to do though)
      - increased keyboard-buffer

 V1.5 (05.05.1995)
      - fixed some corrupted replay-files
      - added "Level-Hints" to documentation
      - minor internal changes
      - Overscan-prefs are now loaded correctly when running from Editor

 V1.6 (16.05.1995)
      - finally fixed replay-routine
      - optimized in-game-routines
      - changed gfx-format
        (registered users are now able to create their own gfx with up to
        256 colors, using the tool "DiamondGfx")
      - due to user-request, the game can now be run on a 68000
      - implemented delay
        (this is for reg-users playing with screenmodes like Super72)
      - removed Mungwall/Enforcer-Hit in Overscan loading routine

 V1.7 (04.06.1995)
      - completely rewrote game-timing
        (Diamond Caves now uses the timer.device and runs at the same speed
        under every screenmode. The game may seem to be a bit slower than
        before if you're useing a screenmode with a higher frequency than
        50Hz)
      - removed bug in player-movement
        (player wasn't killed under certain circumstances)
      - removed bug in explosion-routines
        (sometimes explosions didn't cause other things to explode)
      - fixed keyboard-handling in main-menu
      - had to re-record some replay-files :-(
      - fixed bug with windows on title screen
        (didn't attach to system default font)
      - DBL-screenmodes are now supported correctly
        (see "DiamondPrefs.guide")
      - optimized Joystick-routine

 V1.8 (14.06.1995)
      - finally fixed keyboard-handling (game)
      - optimized in-game-routines
      - DBL-screenmodes are *now* supported correctly
        (V1.7 didn't recognize the "Interlace" flag)
      - re-added VBI-timing
        (this is for PAL-modes, they are now flickerfree using
         VBI-timing - other modes should use the timer.device,
         see "DiamondPrefs.guide")

 V1.9 - skipped

 V2.0 (08.07.1995)
      - fixed CLI-startup
      - DC finally runs on 68000
        (removed "word-read from odd address")
      - added "move through empty space" sound
      - preferences can now be used by unregistered users, too!
        (use the program "DiamondPrefs V1.3")
      - removed obsolete tooltypes
      - Diamond Caves now runs on Intuition Screens in true multitasking
        (although you should pause the game before switching screens :-)
      - optionally Diamond Caves now runs in a window on a standard Public
        Screen! (Kick3.0 required)
      - fixed small gfx-bug with player-sprite
      - fixed bug in loading custom-samples
      - fixed overscan

 V2.1 (16.07.1995)
      - paying the shareware fee with foreign cheques is now easier
        (and cheaper!)
      - fixed loading players name
      - added "Score" and "games played" to Titlescreen.
      - optimized in-game routines
      - fixed small problem with remapping colors when running on a
        Public Screen

 V2.2 (05.09.1995)
      - fixed bug with growing wall
      - fixed small bug with sound and conveyor belt/magic wall
      - fixed small bug with acid pools
      - removed busy-wait in pause mode
      - added pause window
      - intro-screen can now be canceled with ESC
      - optimized in-game routines
      - input.device wasn't closed propperly
      - improved error-handling
        (game now runs better on write protected disks like CD-ROMs,
         and creates backups of important files)
      - rewrote GetLevels-window
        (now using listview to display unlimited number of dirs :-)
      - fixed yet another overscan-bug
        (actually a bug in intuition/graphics.library !)

 V2.3 (23.12.1995)
      - optimized intro-screen
      - changed public-screen version
        (now using a standard superbitmap-window,
         window opens with maximum size as default.
         game is faster, scrolling is slower)
      - changed scrolling in public-screen version
        (now block-scroll only)
      - dynamite, keys and shield time are displayed in status line
      - added "test again"-window (if started from editor)
      - fixed bug with fast-forward in replay-mode
      - fixed bug with saving record-files
      - Diamond Caves now works on CyberGfx-Screens!
        (Although there are some limitations in the CyberGfx Emulation)

 V2.4 (16.01.1996) (internal release only)
      - changed requesters
      - improved error-handling
      - internal cleanup
      - added request in record-mode
        (suggested by Peter Schulz)

 V2.5 (01.02.1996)
      - fixed memory bug with 1MB chipmem Amigas
      - fixed stupid bug in record/replay-mode
        (unfortunately some old replay files my be corrupt)
      - added German documentation and German installer-script

 V2.6 (14.05.1996)
      - increased number of possible Leveldirectorys
        (from 10 to 50)
      - Leveldirectory and Playername are now saved after exit
      - fixed small bug with switch-door
        (was destroyable but shouldn't)
      - fixed bug in 2-player-mode
      - fixed two bugs with forcefield
      - fixed small bug with scrolling in record-mode
      - fixed bug in score-display

 V2.7 (02.06.1996)
      - fixed two bugs with robot and wheel
      - internal optimizations
      - stupid stupid memory bug fixed!
        (DC now needs about 200K less chipmem)

 V2.8 (08.07.1996)
      - fixed bug with shield-coin
      - fixed bug with 256-color gfx
        (some Enforcer hits removed :-)

 V2.9 (18.01.1999)
      - Diamond Caves I is freeware


 Diamond Caves I is no longer supported, for more features,
 more fun, more levels check out Diamond Caves II. You can
 get a copy from http://www.diamond-pro.com or from AmiNet.


  Where is the AGA-Version of Diamond Caves? 

  Why do you use OS-routines? They are so slow! 

  Why can&acute;t I play new Levels? 

  How can I improve game speed? 

  Why are some things different from the original Boulder Dash? 

@{" Where is the blue key in Game-Level 1? " q6}

  Is it possible to use old Emerald Mine Levels with Diamond Caves? 

  The Joystick-Emulation in the Titlescreen does not work right. 

  I&acute;ve got serious problems with Diamond Caves scrolling the screen! 


 Q:Where is the AGA-Version of Diamond Caves?

 A:There will be no "real" AGA-Version because Diamond Caves already supports
  AGA-screenmodes and gfx with up to 256 colors. All you (or somebody else)
  need to do is to draw a 256 color version of the Diamond Caves gfx. This can
  be done using the program DiamondGfx. DiamondGfx already
  includes a 32-color version of the orginial gfx as well as all the
  IFF-pictures you need.


 Q:Why do you use OS-routines? They are so slow!

 A:The reason for this is that about 1987 I bought the original Emerald
  Mine by Kingsoft (which inspired me to do Diamond Caves 7 years later).
  The problem with EM is, that it refuses to work under Kick2.0 and that it
  has some problems with 32bit-fast mem and fast processors. I didn't want
  to write a game that in a few years no one would be able to play because
  of crappy coding.

  OS-routines are not that slow, part of the lack of speed results in the
  fact that I tried to make everything as configurable as possible. Where
  most EM-clones use fixed values for screen- and playfield-size, my
  program adjusts to the Amiga it runs on and supports Level from 10x10 up
  to 100x100.

Be sure to read  How can I improve game speed?.


 Q:My friend has the Diamond Caves Leveleditor but my unregistered copy of
  Diamond Caves refuses to load the new levels. What am I doing wrong?

 A:The unregistered version of Diamond Caves is not capable of loading
  other levels than the ones that came with the distribution.

 Since 1999, Diamond Caves I is freeware, just install v2.9 to get rid of
 these problems.


 Q:How can I improve the speed of the game?

 A:There are several things to make the game work faster:

  - use Kickstart 3.0 or 3.1 instead of Kick2.0. Some gfx-routines are up
  to 10 times faster in Kick3.x and under 3.x interleaved Bitmaps will be
  used, this improves gfx-speed.

  - don't use the gameport.device unless you have to, it's slower than
  directly accessing the hardware.

  - playing in Interlace is great if you have a 17" monitor but because I
  have to update 4 times the screensize than in non-Interlaced modes the
  game will be slower.

 - running a lot of programs in the background might consume important
 CPU-time.

 - the better the chipset, the higher the speed
 (ECS is not very fast, especially in interlace-modes,
  AGA is a bit faster than ECS,
  a gfx-board will give you full speed)

 - the better the processor, the higher the speed
 (you can run Diamond Caves on a 68000 but I recommend a 68020 as a minimum.
  I'm playing (and developing) Diamond Caves on a 68030 with 28MHz)


 Q:I'm a big fan of the C64-game Boulder Dash, but in Diamond Caves some
  things are different. The amoeba won't change into Emeralds when
  surrounded by solid objects and Bugs (Butterflys in Boulder Dash) can't
  be killed by Emeralds.

 A:Actually, Diamond Caves is a(nother) clone of the first Amiga-clone
  "Emerald Mine" by Kingsoft from 1987 and not a direct version of Boulder
  Dash. I don't want to change the handling of things in the game in future
  version because this might confuse current users.

  Because Diamond Caves is a 100% Emerald Mine clone, you have easy access to
  all the hundreds of old Emerald Mine Levels.


 Q:I'm new to Diamond Caves and I can't find that stupid :) blue key I
  need to enter the exit in Game-Level 1.

 A:Have you played Tutorial-Level 14 (The Return of Pacman)? In this level,
  you're supposed to learn that the Eater holds many different things
  "inside". To get them, you have to smash him with a boulder. If you've
  looked at the preview picture of the Diamond Caves Editor you may even
  have seen that the Level displayed is Game-Level 1 and in the Eater-window
  you can see that the blue key is "in" the last (the 4th) Pacman.

  Short: You have to kill all four Eaters with a Boulder, not with a Bomb.


 Q:I've got another Boulder Dash clone (insert your favorite one here) and
  I want to use previously created Levels in Diamond Caves. Is this
  possible?

 A:Yes, this is possible. Since V1.1, the Diamond Caves Editor has an
  option to import Levels from these Boulder Dash clones:

  Balder's Grove
  Emerald Mine I
  Emerald Mine II
  Emerald Mine III
  Emerald Mines CD


 Q:The Joystick-Emulation in the Titlescreen does not work right.

 A:I'm using the gameport.device as shown in the RKM Devices. The only reason,
  this can go wrong is if another program is using the gameport.device, too.
  Some Screenblankers (like BlitzBlank) check the Joystick-port as well to
  determine wether to blank or to stop blanking. For some reason, this
  interfears with my Joystick-routine. For now, please turn off switches like
  "Check Joystick" in Blitzblank.


 Q:I've got serious problems with Diamond Caves scrolling the screen,
  sometimes the left/right borders get clipped!

 A:This is a bug in graphics.library v39.x (Kick 3.0) and lower.
  For ECS-modes it is fixed in Kickstart3.1. For AGA-modes, there is no
  cure because it's a limitation of the AGA-chipset.

  Suggestion: Make the screen smaller or get a gfx-board.

 Q:Why is the scrolling not as smooth as in previous version of DC?

  1. If the program needs more than one frame to update the screen, there will
  be a very short delay in the srolling (flicker).

  Suggestion: Free some CPU-time (close other applications) or get a faster
  processor :-)

  2. If you are not running in PAL-mode (50Hz), the scrolling will flicker
  because I'm updating the screen every 1/50 second wether or not the
  VBI-frequency is 50Hz. This is because the game should run at the same speed
  under every screenmode.

Suggestion: Use PAL-modes or turn on the "VBI-timing" LINK "DiamondPrefs" Link "DC:DiamondPrefs.guide/Game" 52}.

 Q:Why is the scrolling so chunky when running under CyberGfx?

 A:If you are running on a CyberGfx-screenmode, the horizontal scrolling
  will be a bit sticky because the current version of CyberGfx does not
  support smooth horizontal scrolling. CyberGfx only scolls every 4 pixels.
  Don't blame it on me, it's the fault of CyberGfx :-)

  Suggestion: Use a screenmode that's big enough to display the whole level at
  once or wait for a better scrolling-implementation in CyberGfx and use
  ECS/AGA-Screens in the meantime.


 Since 1999, Diamond Caves I is freeware. If you still want to
 send me money, why not register Diamond Caves II? get it from
 AmiNet or from http://www.diamond-pro.comhttp://www.diamond-pro.com


 Diamond Caves I is no longer supported so there won't be any more updates.
You can get  new Levels from AmiNet or directly
 from http://www.diamond-pro.comhttp://www.diamond-pro.com


 Send your postcards to:

 My Address:

    Peter Elzner
    Grudene 6a
    58644 Iserlohn
    Germany

 E-Mail:

    peter.elzner@diamond-pro.com

 World Wide Web:

    http://www.diamond-pro.comhttp://www.diamond-pro.com


 Since 1999, Diamond Caves I is freeware. You can still send me
 all the money you want. Or register Diamond Caves II.


 The Hall of Levels:

 Currently available are the following sets of Levels:

 Tutorial Levels
 - 25 Levels to introduce new players to the game
 - Difficulty: very easy
 - included in the main archive
 - author: Peter Elzner

 Beginner Levels
 - 25 Levels
 - Difficulty: very easy / easy
 - author: Peter Elzner

 Easy Levels I
 - 10 Levels (no. 1-10)
 - Difficulty: easy / medium
 - included in the main archive
 - author: Peter Elzner

 Easy Levels II
 - 50 Levels (no. 11-60)
 - Difficulty: medium
 - author: Peter Elzner

 Game Levels
 - 25 Levels
 - Difficulty: medium / hard
 - included in the main archive
 - author: Peter Elzner

 Udo's Levels
 - 20 Levels
 - Difficulty: medium
 - author: Udo Grundmann

 Minis
 - 50 Levels
 - Difficulty: medium
 - every Levels has the same size: 30x30
 - author: Peter Elzner

 Jewels 1
 - 99 Levels
 - Difficulty: medium / hard
 - author: Jrgen Beck & others

 Autumn Levels
 - 15 Levels
 - Difficulty: medium
 - author: Damir Arh

 Blast
 - 50 Levels
 - Difficulty: medium
 - author: Peter Elzner, Jens Treger

 SLK Levels
 - 30 Levels
 - Difficulty: easy / medium
 - author: Kristin van Nieff

 JJ Levels
 - 25 Levels
 - Difficulty: easy
 - author: Julian Bolt

Each Archive can be found on Aminet/game/misc or
download directly from http://www.diamond-pro.comhttp://www.diamond-pro.com


 With some players complaining about the difficulty of some Levels, here
 are hints on what to do, where to go and how to solve the Tutorial Levels
 included in the unregistered version of Diamond Caves.

 And: watching the replay-files is always a good idea.

  1.Stones&acute;n&acute;Diamonds 
  2.Driving you Nuts 
  3.Bomb the Base 
  4.Danger ahead 
  5.The Debugger 
  6.Follow me! 
  7.It&acute;s Magic! 
  8.The key to success 
  9.Acid Folks 
 10.The Blob 
 11.Pacman 
 12.One way 
 13.Quicksand 
 14.Return of Pacman 
 15.Switch it 
 16.Use the force Luke! 
 17.Invisible 
 18.Zero hour 
 19.I like to move it 
 20.Bonus Level 
 21.The right choice 
 22.One for each 
 23.15 seconds left 
 24.Be quick or be dead 
 25.Very funny 


 1.Stones'n'Emeralds

 I think this one should not be a problem :-)

 What you should learn here:
 1. Diamonds count as three Emeralds
 2. Emeralds and Diamonds will roll down from almost anything if there is
 free space besides
 3. Boulders only roll down from Emeralds/Diamonds and broken walls, not
 from steel or normal brick walls
 4. Diamonds can be crunshed by smashing a boulder on top of them


 2.Driving you Nuts

 Should be no problem.

 What you should learn here:
 1. Every Nut contains an Emerald
 2. Nuts behave very much like other items (Emeralds, ...)


 3.Bomb the base

 Try to use bombs where possible otherwise use the Dynamite.
 Hurry up, there's not much time left!

 What you should learn here:
 1. How to use Dynamite
 2. Bombs are dangerous
 3. Some Emeralds/Diamonds are stuck in brick walls


 4.Danger ahead

 Avoid contact with the Spaceship.
 Use it to blow a hole in the wall

 What you should learn here:
 1. Spaceships are dangerous
 2. They move on their left side
 3. They explode in a 3x3 square


 5.The Debugger

 Avoid contact with the bugs.
 You have to get a 3x3 square from every bug you destroy, so be careful
 with the on on the bottom.

 What you should learn here:
 1. Bugs are dangerous
 2. They move on their right side
 3. They explode in a 3x3 square, leaving 8 Emeralds and 1 Diamond behind


 6.Follow me!

 Don't get caught by the Robots.

 What you should learn here:
 1. Robots are dangerous, although you won't die immediately when staying
 next to them.
 2. They always follow Player1 (ot Player2 if Player1 is dead)
 3. They explode in a 3x3 square


 7.It's Magic!

 Collect *all* Diamonds but no Emeralds above the magic wall!

 What you should learn here:
 1. The wall starts spinning after the first item hits it
 2. Boulders are changed into Emeralds
 3. Emeralds are changed into Diamonds
 4. Diamonds are changed into Boulders!


 8.The key to success

 This one is easy.

 What you should learn here:
 1. There are 4 types of keys belonging to 4 types of doors
 2. There are also grey doors - you can't see which key you'll need


 9.Acid Folks

 Be careful:
 Don't get hit by a boulder and don't enter the acid!

 What you should learn here:
 1. Everything that falls into the acid is gone, including you!


 10.The Blob

 Free the amoeba, get away and wait :-)

 What you should learn here:
 1. The amoeba grows through sand and empty space
 2. Bugs explode after touching the amoeba


 11.Pacman

 Just watch!

 What you should learn here:
 1. The Eater is eating Diamonds!


 12.One way

 Move in a circle because there's no way back!

 What you should learn here:
 1. There are two types of growing walls


 13.Quicksand

 Just collect all Emeralds and don't get hit by a boulder

 What you should learn here:
 1. Boulders sink into the quicksand if it's empty
 2. Boulders sink out of the quicksand if the space below is empty
 3. Other items (Emeralds,...) are not affected by the quicksand


 14.Return of Pacman

 Destroy all Eaters.
 The last Eater you destroy will reveal the red key for the door.

 What you should learn here:
 1. Eaters are dangerous if they move towards you
 2. They explode in a 3x3 square leaving different things behind
 3. The order they leave their things behind is *only* affect by
 the number of Eaters you have smashed before!


 15.Switch it

 This is easy.

 What you should learn here:
 1. There are doors you can open/close using a switch
 2. Turning the switch will open closed doors and close open doors


 16.Use the force Luke!

 Collect the Forcefield coins and use you invincibility to destroy
 all enemies simply by "touching" them!

 What you should learn here:
 1. The forcefield is great!
 2. You will fade to grey after collectig a yellow "S"-coin ("S"hield)
 and you can't be killed while beeing grey (not even by a timeout!)


 17.Invisible

 Follow "the way". You don't have to go all the way back at the end,
 simply use the Dynamite.

 What you should learn here:
 1. Invisible walls can't be seen (surprise!) ...
 2. .. but they can be destroyed!


 18.Zero hour

 You may notice at the beginning that you have only 20 seconds left. Of
 course you are not supposed to solve the Level in this time, collect the
 green "T"-coins ("T"ime) to increase your remaining time.

 What you should learn here:
 1. Time coins add time to your time :-)
 (in this Level: 5 seconds for every coin)


 19.I like to move it

 Place the boulder on the conveyor belt and activate it.

 What you should learn here:
 1. Boulders (and other things as well) can be moved on the conveyor belt


 20.Bonus Level

 This is difficult: First you have to... eh... and then... hm...

 What you should learn here:
 1. having fun
 2. one exploding Spaceship or Bug will cause other Bugs to explode as well


 21.The right choice

 Place the boulder on the right spot...

 What you should learn here:
 1. Things always fall to the left if there is space on both sides


 22.One for each

 Not as easy as it looks like.
 Remember: You have exactly one boulder for each bug and one for the exit.

 Work from the left to the right and always use the left-most boulder.
 (Or the other way round)

 What you should learn here:
 1. You can't move a boulder over empty space


 23.15 seconds left

 Release the boulder at the right time.

 (The bug should be in the corner)

 What you should learn here:
 1. Timing


 24.Be quick or be dead

 Collect from the left to the right and don't waste time.
 You must get every Emerald/Diamond!

 What you should learn here:
 1. Amoeba Drops are dangerous!


 25.Very funny

 This is easy...

 What you should learn here:
 1. nothing :-)


 diamond productions is delivering high quality shareware products
 right to your Amiga.

 Other great products of diamond productions:

 Diamond Caves II: More Levels, more features, more fun

 ManiacBall: a multiplayer Breakout clone

 MasterBlaser: The ultimate Dynablaster clone


 Diamond Caves II for Windows95


 Of course, the first greetings have to go to the creator of Boulder Dash on
 the good-old C64, Frank Liepa, and to Klaus Heinz and Volker Wertich. Klaus
 and Volker wrote the original Emerald Mine for Kingsoft back in 1987!

 normal greetings to everyone else who helped with the developement of DC1 :

 Tom Beuke
 Neil Brewitt
 Dietmar Eilert (GoldEd)
 Volker Elzner
 Peter Froehlich (VBIServer.mod)
 Udo Grundmann
 Martin Hauner (RareDiamond Icons)
 Alexander Ivanof
 Joerg Kluever
 Niels Knoop
 Michael Menzel
 Sylvain Rougier
 Ulrich Sibiller (for the EM-decoding routine)
 Mark Sorensen & Trevor Morris (MagicWB2 Icons)
 Christian Stieber (for his remapping routines)
 Stefan Stuntz (MUI)
 Albert Weinert (for additional Oberon-help)

 and to everybody I forgot...

 special thanx to Peter Schulz for his great support.

 This game was written 1995 in AmigaOberon on an A3000/28 14MB Kick3.1 CyberVision



