    Ŀ Ŀ Ŀ Ŀ Ŀ ڿ   ڿ   Ŀ Ŀ Ŀ
       Ŀ     Ŀ     ô ô ¿ Ĵ   ô      
      Ŀ                             
         Ŀ                                    
                                          ͻ
                        
                                                               
    A VIRTUAL REALITY ARCADE EXPERIENCE                                  
 ͼ
                                                           design+code+art:
  [ official site: porta2note.itch.io/gridfighter-3d ]        jay hammer
                                                         
  [ RELEASE NOTES ]       [ version 1.2 / 28.10.2017 ]      additional code:
                                                               hellmood
   Thanks for trying Gridfighter 3D! At the moment,      
   this can be considered a tech demo or proof of           for OrcaJam 2017
   concept. A full game based on this is coming soon.       Victoria, PNW
                                                         
   FILES IN THE ARCHIVE                                    DSR ^ P2N ^ 2017
   --------------------                                     

   GRID3D.EXE  - the game itself                               (55 769 bytes)
   SETMODE.COM - utility to initialize the Forte VFX1 3D mode      (13 bytes)
   GRID3D.TXT  - you're looking at it
   FILE_ID.DIZ - file descriptor for BBSes since it's clearly still 1992
   GRID3D.HI   - high score record; this will be automatically generated
                 after the game is run.

   GRID3D_LINUX } Native binaries for Linux & Mac OS/X. These are statically
   GRID3D_OSX   } linked and should run on most recent distros & versions
                  (x86_64 only.) By default they start in a rather small
                  window, ALT+ENTER will cycle through full-screen modes.
                  Note that these executables are not included in the DOS
                  archive.

   REVISION HISTORY
   ----------------

   Ver. 0.F - initial OrcaJam public demo                       [ 15.10.2017 ]
   Ver. 1.0 - first release. Slightly rushed.                   [ 17.10.2017 ]
   Ver. 1.1 - fixed major rendering bug resulting in ~20-100%   [ 18.10.2017 ]
              speedup on most platforms
            - tweaked game balance & difficulty curves to cope with higher
              framerates
            - added 7/8/9/0 keys to adjust playfield X/Y position
            - fixed playfield position not being reset on player spawn
            - added native OS/X & Linux ports
   Ver. 1.2 - MAJOR restructuring update to decouple player     [ 28.10.2017 ]
              and enemy movement from screen updates. Player,
              enemies & laser fire now operate on independent timers.
            - thanks to the above, speed cap removed on DOS & set to 60 FPS
              on Linux & OS/X. There should be NO more framerate dependencies
              in-game.
            - moved video page flip to immediately after render update for
              snappier feel
            - removed many IF/THEN/ELSE code branches for better performance
              on pipelined architectures
            - many small rendering bugs & anomalies fixed. Player & enemies
              no longer "disappear" until moved in certain cases.
            - OS/X & Linux ports should NEVER, EVER peg the CPU at 100% on
              modern systems anymore (oops!)
            - changed reticle to a crosshair & shadows back to red
            - improved balance & difficulty curve (again!) to work with new
              timing

   NOTE: As of version 1.2 I am unlikely to make significant changes to the
   gameplay or mechanics. I consider "Version 1" of this game complete. :)
   That said, bugs will still be fixed & support for more headsets will
   GLADLY be added as I get my hands on them.

   Please report any bugs you encounter on itch.io, Facebook, Pouet, etc.
   Web addresses are at the top & bottom of this readme.

   RUNNING THE GAME
   ----------------

   Gridfighter 3D supports a wide variety of Virtual Reality headsets
   including the Forte VFX1, Oculus Rift DK1 or compatibles, Android-based
   devices and OSVR HMDs. It runs in a DOS environment (FreeDOS, DOSBox,
   MS-DOS, PC-DOS, etc.)

   If you are using a Forte VFX1 on a real DOS machine, the VIP card MUST be
   installed and the headset connected that way. Run SETMODE.COM before start-
   ing Gridfighter 3D in order to activate side-by-side stereo mode.

   IMPORTANT: DO NOT run SETMODE.COM if you don't have a VFX1!

   To use an Oculus DK1 on a DOS machine, you must have a video card that
   supports DVI under DOS. Connect the DK1 video box to your machine's DVI
   port and select DK1 when starting the game. Do not connect any other
   VGA or DVI monitor to the machine! This has been tested and found to work
   with Nvidia Quadro2 and FX1000 cards but theoretically it should work with
   many others.

   If using DOSBox under Linux, Mac OS/X, or Windows, any headset that
   operates in extended desktop mode should be compatible. Make sure full-
   screen scaling is enabled and aspect ratio correction DISabled in
   dosbox.conf, and set the fullscreen resolution to your HMD's native
   resolution. It is generally convenient to have the headset mirror the main
   display.

   On Android-based devices any port of DOSBox should run Gridfighter 3D. It
   was tested with DOSBox Turbo on a Galaxy SII which works reasonably well.
   You will need a bluetooth or USB keyboard to control the game as it only
   accepts keyboard inputs.

   Theoretically a 286 with a 256kB EGA card can run the game, but for an
   enjoyable experience, at least a 200-500 MHz Pentium I/II or K6-2 is
   recommended. It has been tested on a everything from a 386/25 to a
   1GHz PIII. Unfortunately the game has some issues with FreeDOS on VIA
   chipsets so if that is your setup you may need to make a boot disk with a
   different DOS; on Intel (e.g. i430TX or i440LX/BX) -based systems it will
   run under any typical DOS including FreeDOS with no drama. Disable EMS
   memory managers (EMM386, QEMM, JEMM386/EX, etc.) for a decent performance
   boost. For DOSBox you will likely need a modern system such as an i5 or
   i7. What can we say, it's unoptimized game-jam code.

   Fun fact: Gridfighter 3D runs in an EGA 640x350, 16/64-colour mode with
   full double buffering AND software Z buffer!

   PLAYING THE GAME
   ----------------

   Gridfighter 3D features a 6x5x8 playfield. You may move your triangular
   player piece to any grid space. Up to eight disconcertingly-square enemies
   will start at the rear of the grid and follow you around in three
   dimensions. If an enemy rams you, you die, so it's probably wise to shoot
   them before that happens. Your shots will always fire along the Z axis
   (into & out of the playfield) in both directions and will destroy all
   enemies they contact.

   The following keys control your triangle:
                                                                 
            Move along      A   Move IN and
    <   ->  the X and Y         OUT along      [ SPACE ]  Shoot      
            axes             Z  the Z axis

   In addition, you can press the following keys to change the 3D geometry
   in-game. You may need to do this to adjust the display to suit your
   headset.

    . ,  Zoom in / out      [ ]  Eye spacing    ( )  Stereo balance        o

             7, 8, 9, 0  nudge display left/down/up/right           o

             (note: text fields will not render correctly if
             you move the display completely off the screen.
             It should be obvious not to do that.)                 .
                                                                      
   ...or ESC to quit at any time.                           
                                                                         o
   We hope you enjoy this 3D action experience!                  o

   --------------
   GRIDFIGHTER 3D was almost entirely written in 48 hours at OrcaJam 2017
   by Jay Hammer (jmph) of DESiRE & P2N. Some additional code for SETMODE.COM
   was provided by Hellmood / DESiRE.                 .
                                                                 .
   GREETINGS fly out to Orby, Ramon, Starchaser, Sigflup, Alterus, Dya, cTrix,
   Sacha, Dr. Claw, Nom de Nom, everyone at OrcaJam, all our friends in the
   scene, AND YOU!                 
                                               
                                                                          o
  o             o           
         o                           &       o
            o     o               o            o
                                                                              o
      o             o
 o                                        
                                             
     
                      o                o                         o
                                                         
                         o                  o                       
     o                                                    0  1
                                                          2
       cc-by-nc-3.0                                             7
 .                                                                        .
                            .  get more prods at:        .
        .
                               porta2note.itch.io                    .
                             facebook.com/porta2note
                                 wemakedemos.nl
                              topsecretdebugkeys:`!
