tdegames/doc/kbounce/index.docbook

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//KDE//DTD DocBook XML V4.2-Based Variant V1.1//EN" "dtd/kdex.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY kappname "&kbounce;">
  <!ENTITY package "kdegames">
  <!ENTITY % English "INCLUDE" > 
  <!ENTITY % addindex "IGNORE">
]>

<book lang="&language;">

<bookinfo>
<title>The &kbounce; Handbook</title>

<authorgroup>
<author>
&Aaron.J.Seigo; &Aaron.J.Seigo.mail;
</author>

<othercredit role="reviewer">
&Lauri.Watts; &Lauri.Watts.mail;
<!-- <contrib>Reviewer</contrib> -->
</othercredit>

<!-- TRANS:ROLES_OF_TRANSLATORS -->
</authorgroup>

<legalnotice>&FDLNotice;</legalnotice>

<date>2005-12-10</date>
<releaseinfo>0.5</releaseinfo>

<!-- Abstract about this handbook -->

<abstract>
<para>
&kbounce; is a ball game for &kde;.
</para>
</abstract>


<keywordset>
<keyword>KDE</keyword>
<keyword>kdegames</keyword>
<keyword>jezzball</keyword>
</keywordset>

</bookinfo>

<chapter id="how-to-play">
<title>How To Play</title>

<para>&kbounce; is played on a field, surrounded by a wall, with two or
more balls that move about in the field bouncing off of the
walls.</para>

<para>Walls are a darker color while the active areas of the field are
a lighter color.</para>

<para>The size of the active area of the field is decreased by making
new walls that enclose areas without balls in them.  To complete a
level, the player must decrease the size of the active field by at
least 75&percnt; within the time allowed.</para>

<para>With each new level, another ball is added to the field, and the
player is given one more life than in the level before.  The time
allotted to complete the level is also increased.</para>

<para>Scoring is based on how much of the field is cleared.</para>

<para>New walls are built by clicking the
<mousebutton>left</mousebutton> mouse button in an active area of the
field, at which point two walls will begin to grow in opposite
directions from the square the mouse was clicked in.  Only two walls
may be growing on the screen at any given time.</para>

<screenshot>
<screeninfo>A new wall growing</screeninfo>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="jezball_newWall.png" format="PNG"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>A new wall growing</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>When the mouse is on the field, the cursor is shown as a pair of
arrows pointing in opposite directions, either horizontally or
vertically.  The arrows point in the direction the walls will grow
when the <mousebutton>left</mousebutton> is clicked.  This direction
can be changed by clicking the <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> mouse
button.</para>

<para>A new wall has a <quote>head</quote> which moves away from the
point where the mouse was clicked.  A wall is not permanent until this
<quote>head</quote> runs into another wall.  If a ball collides with
any part of the wall except the head, before the head has run into
another wall, the new wall will disappear completely and one life will
be lost.  If a ball collides with the head in the direction of the
wall's growth, the wall will stop growing there, and become permanent,
with no loss of life.  If a ball collides with the head from any other
side, the ball will bounce off and the wall will continue to grow
normally.</para>

</chapter>

<chapter id="strategy">
<title>Strategy</title>

<para>Many players find the game becomes quite difficult by only the
third or fourth level, given the number of balls on the field at
once.</para>

<para>The trick to playing &kbounce; successfully is to build
<quote>corridors</quote>.  To build a corridor, start a pair of walls
growing close to another wall, and time it such that one of the walls
will be hit by a ball and one of the walls will not, and thus become
permanent.</para>

<screenshot>
<screeninfo>Building a corridor</screeninfo>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="jezball_corridor1.png" format="PNG"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>Building a corridor</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>This will leave a narrow corridor only a few squares high on the
field, surrounded on three sides by walls.  Wait for the balls to
bounce into the open end of the corridor, and close the corridor
behind the ball with a new wall.  Although you will most likely lose a
life for each corridor created, you can trap several balls in a single
corridor.</para>

<screenshot>
<screeninfo>Capturing balls in a corridor</screeninfo>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="jezball_corridor2.png" format="PNG"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>Capturing balls in a corridor</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>A final tip &mdash; take your time!  There is plenty of time, as
shown in the <guilabel>Time</guilabel> display on the right hand side
of the screen.  Rushing will just get you in trouble!</para>

</chapter>

<chapter id="menu-reference">
<title>Menu Reference</title>

<sect1 id="game-menu">
<title>The <guimenu>Game</guimenu> Menu</title>

<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>
<menuchoice><shortcut>
<keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>N</keycap></keycombo>
</shortcut>
<guimenu>Game</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>New</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Start a new game.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term>
<menuchoice><shortcut>
<keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>End</keycap>
</keycombo>
</shortcut>
<guimenu>Game</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>End Game</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>End the current game.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term>
<menuchoice><shortcut>
<keycap>P</keycap></shortcut>
<guimenu>Game</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Pause</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Pause or resume the game.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term>
<menuchoice><shortcut>
<keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>H</keycap></keycombo>
</shortcut>
<guimenu>Game</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Show Highscores</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para>Opens a dialog that displays different high score tables. 
<guibutton>Export</guibutton> the high scores into a file or click on 
<guibutton>Configure</guibutton> to open a dialog to customize your Nickname 
and add a Comment.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice><shortcut>
<keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>Q</keycap></keycombo>
</shortcut>
<guimenu>Game</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Quit</action> and close &kbounce;.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="settings-menu">
<title>The <guimenu>Settings</guimenu> Menu</title>
<variablelist>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice>
<guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Select Background Folder...</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Opens a dialog to select a folder for the background images.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice>
<guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Show Backgrounds</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Shows the background images in the selected folder. Only enabled, if a background folder is already selected</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice>
<guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Show/Hide Toolbar</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Shows/hides the &kbounce; toolbar.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice>
<guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Show/Hide Statusbar</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Shows/hides the &kbounce; statusbar.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice>
<guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Play Sounds</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>If checked, &kbounce; game sounds are played.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice>
<guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Configure Shortcuts...</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Opens a standard &kde; shortcut configuration dialog, in which
you can change the keyboard shortcuts used by &kbounce;.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice>
<guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Configure Toolbars...</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Opens the standard &kde; toolbar configuration dialog to customize the &kbounce; toolbar.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice>
<guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Configure Highscores...</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice></term>
<listitem>
<para><action>Opens a dialog to customize your <guilabel>Nickname</guilabel> and 
add a <guilabel>Comment</guilabel>.</action></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

</variablelist>
</sect1>


<sect1 id="help-menu">
<title>The <guimenu>Help</guimenu> Menu</title>

&help.menu.documentation;

</sect1>

</chapter>

<chapter id="credits-and-licenses">
<title>Credits and Licenses</title>


<para>&kbounce;</para>

<para>Copyright 2000, Stefan Schimanski</para>

<itemizedlist>
<title>Developers</title>
<listitem>
<para>Stefan Schimanski <email>schimmi@kde.org</email></para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>Sandro Sigala <email>ssigala@globalnet.it</email> -
Highscore</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>Documentation copyright 2002, &Aaron.J.Seigo;
&Aaron.J.Seigo.mail;</para>

<para>This handbook is dedicated to Dennis E. Powell.</para>

<!-- TRANS:CREDIT_FOR_TRANSLATORS -->
 
&underFDL; 

&underGPL;

</chapter>

<appendix id="installation">
<title>Installation</title>

&install.intro.documentation;

&install.compile.documentation;

</appendix>

&documentation.index; 
</book>
<!--
Local Variables:
mode: sgml
sgml-minimize-attributes: nil
sgml-general-insert-case: lower
End:
-->