Backbone2
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NOTE: There are several different archives for Backbone.
Backbone_Full.Lha is the complete set of programs, examples and games.
Backbone_main.Lha is simply the main program files.
Backbone_proj.Lha is the example project files.
Backbone_games1.Lha is two of the example games premade and ready to play.
Backbone_games2.Lha is another set of two games.
What Is It?
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A game creation system that requires no programming knowledge at all.
Capable of creating various types of games including:
Side Viewed (such as Mario Bros)
Above Viewed (such as Chaos Engine)
Both Space type, Platform type, Cannon Fodder type... you name it!
You simply create the graphics (or use the examples supplied) and set the
various options (speed of player, placement of enemies etc.)
Very powerful with huge potential and will continue to be improved as
long as I get some feedback!!!
Installation and Problems
-------------------------
Read the AmigaGuide document for information on how to install Backbone as
well as solution to most common problems.
Latest Version
--------------
There have been LOADS of additions and bug fixes since the last public
release. Here is a list of them all.
-Added an option to have Panels above or below the main play screen.
-Added an option to baddies that fire back at the player. You can now
specify a distance at which they will keep away from the main player. This
is included because you may want baddies who don't kill you by touch and
thus might as well stay away and shoot you from a distance.
-Adjusted the algorithm that allows chasing baddies to 'see' so that it is
a bit more convincing when looking through platforms.
-Backbone will now make it's own directorys on startup if it finds that
some are missing. This helps with installation problems.
-Changed the registration process. Now, if someone registers by post, I
will no longer have to post them a disk with the key file on, instead I
simply send them two codes which they enter into the registration entry
form that appears at the start of Backbone (unless you have already got a
Backbone key) and this program will automatically generate your key file.
To keep hackers away, I will still send the actual Key File to users who
register over the net.
-Fixed bug where occasionally in the created games, when a new object
appeared (usually a weapon shot or dead baddie) a wrong frame would be
displayed for one frame.
-Added option to allow screen shots of your game to be taken. In the Screen
Setup menu there is now a checkbox. Activating it will mean that if you
press 'Control' during your game, a screen shot will be saved to the RAM
disk. Be careful not to do too many or to hold the key down for too long
or you'll get too many screen shots and your memory will fill up fast.
-Added option to the copper coloured backgrounds in levels. They can now be
upside down so rather than going from Light to Dark they can go from Dark
to Light. I also fixed a few problems with Copper colours so they work
better with panels.
-You can now use the same object file for different objects and they will
not be duplicated in the created game. This means that instead of having
to create a different object file for each item (or monster) you can put
them all in a single object file now.
-Added a merge option to the Image Editor. Now by clicking on Add Objects
you can select a new object file and it will be added to the bank you are
currently editing.
-Fixed Arexx bug where commands would sometimes make Backbone freeze up.
-If you load a project that has larger preferences settings than your
current ones, Backbone will now give you the option of automatically
changing to these new settings and reloading the project. This is done
through Arexx. Backbone will adjust the preferences, quit and then restart
before finally loading the project.
-Added Fill option in the level editor. Pressing the new Fill button will
fill the map between the top left corner and the the bottom right of THE
CURRENT VIEW SCREEN with the block you have currently selected. The reason
it does not fill the entire map is becuase when Backbone saves a map, it
only save as much of it as there is blocks. If you filled the entire map
with a block (unless it was the blank zero block), Backbone would save
much more data than was really needed.
-Added Auto Scroll option. In the level editor you can specify details of
how the scorlling will work. For example, for a space shoot em up you can
make the level continually scroll in a single direction.
See  {"Level Editor" link editlevels} section for more details.
-New baddie frames option added. You can now specify attack frames for any
baddie. If you also click the 'Use Attack Frames' box, these frames will
be used when the baddie is attacking the player. This means you can make a
baddie eat or claw at the player.
-Added Load/Save Panel option.
-Backbone now allows you to create {"Menus" link editmenus}. These are standard
IFF pictures
that have options attached to them. For example, you may have a main menu
where you can pick to see Instructions, Start the Game, Quit the Game,
Change Controls etc. Also you can have menus at the end of levels allowing
the player to pick where to go next. So, if they pick "Go to the Dungeon"
the game will send them to level 5 and if they picked "Go to the Forest"
they would be sent to level 10 or whatever. This allows all sorts of
special games to be created.
-Normally Control+C is used to quit out of a game. Now that Menus can be
used to quit out of the game, there is a new option in the screen setup to
disable the Ctrl+C method.
-Completely redesigned the Scene Editor. You can now view them all at once
and also move them around to get them in some sort of order.
-Added new sound effect option for the player. When selecting Powerhead
frames in the edit player section, you can now select a 'powerhead SFX'.
This sound will be played whenever the player hits a block with its head.
-Teleporting routine slightly adjusted so that it appears the player stays
still and the background changes behind him. This allows for the illusion
of going through a door to look more realistic.
-Added Cheat Mode option. Selecting the check box in the Screen Setup
window will mean that you can use special keys to cheat in your game.
Numerical Pad 1 will give you full lives and energy. Numerical Pad 2 will
complete the level.
-Completed redone all the example projects. They are now a bit bigger and
use more of Backbone features such as menus. I had hoped to get more
professional looking examples done but they are not yet ready.
-Updated manual guide so that tutorial and example sections are more up to
date.
-Made many other various bug fixes and small adjustments to make Backbone
run better.
-Added {"Arexx" link arexx} interface along with new menu options, a special
arexx window
and some sample scripts.
-Added configurable {"Controls" link editcontrols} options.
-Changed the way weapons work. In screen setup, you now only have the
option between Weapons or No Weapons. When you edit a weapon, you get the
choice there of whether it is a "left & right only" weapon or an "any
direction" weapon. Make sure you check any weapons you have in your
current projects and also check all the frames for both the weapons and the
play firing them as they may be different.
*** IMPORTANT *** If your game had left and right weapons then the frames
will certainly be wrong. You must reset the frames for the weapons bullet
travelling right and also the frames of the player firing right.
-Fixed "Save Level As" menu option.
-Fixed Auto Grab function for the Player and the Baddies.
-Added more options to the preferences. You can now set some of the default
paths to be used by Backbone.
-Shooting Baddies added. New options in edit baddie will allow you to make
baddies that shoot at you. Patrolling baddies will fire whenever and
wherever they're facing. Chasing baddies will fire at you.
-Fixed problem where the "Change to Object" option when a baddie dies was
not saved properly.
-Fixed Make Object Events.
-Added Timer to the Create Process. You are now told how long it took for
your game to be created.
-Image Editor now has a cycle gadget so you can choose the number of
colours used by your objects yourself. This allows you to see hotspots
better sometimes. Note that whatever no. of colours you view your objects
in won't make a difference to the number of colours they are displayed in.
-Improved level editor by allowing you to select and paste groups of blocks
at the same time rather than one at a time. Just hold and drag the mouse
over a group of blocks when picking it.
-Made events more useful. Instead of being confined to a single block you
can now drag an area for which they will take effect. This way you can
allow big doors on the background where the player can walk through and
teleport to another area in the level.
-The teleport event now instanly moves te screen to the point where the
player appears.
-Loading and Saving of Objects fixed.
-Baddies no longer turn around upon hitting a ledge.
-Bug fixed where the baddies couldn't kill you if optimisation was on!
-Added full {"panel" link editpanel} options. This was quite tough to do
so there may be some bugs. Let me know if you find any. You can now either
select exactly what a simple text panel will show or alternatively use a
picture panel with graphics, bars and fonts used to show energy, lives,
score etc.
-Fixed Auto Decide in the Block Maker.
-New objects added in the level editor will now be visable straight away.
-Backbone now keeps the assigns it creates after quiting. They are BB:
which is assigned to the directory Backbone is run in and BBTemp: which is
assigned to the temporary work area (often RAM:). They are now kept
because I think they are more useful to keep and don't get in the way of
anything else so why remove them?
-Backbone Preferences will now ask you if you want to restart Backbone if
it is already running. This is done through Arexx.
-Fixed various other small bugs.
Contacts
--------
E-mail me at: malcolm.murrayvirgin.net
or : pmymagmpmn1.maths.nott.ac.uk
Lots more stuff at Monolith Designs Web Page:
http://surf.to/monolith
System Requirements and other details
-------------------------------------
A reasonable amount of memory and some hard drive space.
You may also need the following librarys in LIBS: (e-mail if there is
a problem)
arp
backbone (included)
diskfont
easylife (included)
explode (included)
lowlevel (needed for CD32 joypad support)
mathieeedoubas
mathtrans
powerpacker (maybe not though)
reqtools
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