
                            ----**************----
                                Warblade v1.2y
                            ----**************----

                           A game by Edgar M. Vigdal

                               manual.txt v1.2y
                               by Simon Quincey



Warblade is a PC game. It's a shoot'em up game with the focus on great gameplay,
lot's of action, bonuses, secrets and features. The demo version has only 25
levels but the full version has 100 levels. The full version also has the
profile system enabled, time trial mode, and extra subgame and lots of other
additional features. Higher quality sounds and graphics are included and you get 
access to additional addons.

Warblade is also a shareware game. This means that you can download the free
demo, play and test the game, and if you like the game you can then order the
full game online.



Requirements for using this game:
*********************************

Minimum:
Pentium II at 350MHz, 32MB of RAM, a graphics card with 16MB RAM, approx 30MB of
free harddisk space. DirectX 8.1 or later.

Recommended:
Pentium III at 800MHz, 128MB of RAM, a graphics card with 32MB RAM or more and
3D acceleration, approx 30MB of free harddisk space. DirectX 8.1 or later.

Best:
Pentium 4 at 2.8GHz+, 512MB of RAM, a graphics card with 128MB RAM and fast 3D
acceleration, approx 30MB of free harddisk space. Monitor that supports 120Hz
refresh rate. DirectX running at 120Hz (see expert settings). DirectX 8.1 or
later.

The game supports Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and XP, but you must have DirectX
version 8.1 or later installed! This can be downloaded direct from Microsoft at
this address...

www.microsoft.com/directx

The game also supports windows installed joysticks and/or joypads and the game
can be played without a soundcard if required.

TIP !: Do not have too many programs running at the same time! This can make the
game run slow and jerky.

..and always check for newer and better drivers for your graphics or sound card!

(www.nvidia.com  for geForce powered cards)
(www.ati.com     for ATI powered cards) 



Installing the game:
********************

After you have downloaded the game, locate the directory where you selected to
store the download. You can use the windows explorer to do this. When the file
(warblade.exe) is located, you start the install process by double clicking on
the file. When the install program starts just follow the onscreen instructions.
If you keep clicking next through the whole install process, the game will be
installed to the default location and a shortcut icon will be placed on the
desktop. You can also select to add a quickstart icon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** YOUR PROFILE IS IMPORTANT ***

MAKE REGULAR BACKUPS AND ALWAYS KEEP A BACKUP FROM THE PREVIOUS VERSION.
PROFILES (once updated to a new version) ARE NOT BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE.
THIS IS TO PREVENT PROFILE CORRUPTION FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF POSSIBLE BUGS.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Starting the game:
******************

After the game is successfully installed, a shortcut icon is added to the
desktop named Warblade. You start the game by double clicking on this icon. If
any errors are reported or the game does not start, please locate the file named 
"warblade.dbg" in the warblade directory, and send this in an email to

bugs@warblade.as

 ** NOTE **

Hopefully this section will never appear on your system, but if it does, heres
what you need to know.

Theres also now a 2nd line of error trapping that comes with the game. If the
game randomly crashes to the desktop (this has been reported by a few people)
then an error report is created in Warblades dying breath. Also, Warblade will
activate the CrashReportSender.exe. This little tool will create an email to be
sent to me (Edgar M Vigdal). The created email will be sent when you click the
"send" button and the sender program will tell you if it was successful. It'll
also automatically close when you click "ok" on the success box. The information
will tell me exactly where in the game the error occurred and a few pieces of
info about your system. The crashreportsender uses an mxlookup technique to send 
the email directly to "bugs@warblade.as" bypassing your email client and if you
wish to send this manually then simply send the last created warblade.dbg file
to the above email address. The error report will look similar to the one shown
below...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**** WARBLADE CRASH REPORT ****

## CRASH ## v1.2Y
Version : FULL VERSION

Program State: 13

Game mode : SINGLE PLAYER GAME

Game screen mode : WINDOWED

**** PLAYER ONE ****
 On level: 100
    Score: 10491000
   Weapon: 8
     Cash: 650
Activ BoS: 0
     xpos: 383
     ypos: 550

**** PLAYER TWO ****
 On level: 99
    Score: 0
   Weapon: 0
     Cash: 999990
Activ BoS: 0
     xpos: 380
     ypos: 550
LI_1:SS-

Program routine number 3: 39
Program routine number 2: 201
Program routine number 1: 48

Exception: Access Violation at address 00433697 in thread:3680 
Error occurred at 12/28/2005 23:28:20.
D:\Warblade\warbladeCREDITSTEST.exe, run by Hitm4n.
Operating system:  Windows XP (5.1.2600).
1 processor(s), type 586.
56% memory in use.
512 MBytes physical memory.
225 MBytes physical memory free.
982 MBytes paging file.
740 MBytes paging file free.
2048 MBytes user address space.
1901 MBytes user address space free.

This crash report will be sent to bugs@warblade.as



************ WarBlade v1.0 Debug information ************
WarBlade class is registered...
Main window is created...
Window is updated...
ImageViewDLL is initiated...
Pixel shader is initiated...

... + loads more stuff ...

Free memory: 224600064    Total Memory: 536330240
Free video memory: 215732992  Total video memory: 263290880

*** EXITING WARBLADE ***
CLOSE PLOTTER
SHOW MOUSE CURSOR
RELEASE BITMAPS
RELEASE FRONT AND BACK BUFFERS
EXIT DirectInput
RELEASE ImageViewer DLL

Additional comments about the crash:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can add whatever you like to the additional comments box. Maybe you were
about to warp after a boss ? Maybe you just cleared a particular level.
You can of course choose to cancel this email, but please send these reports in
if you get a random crash. Sending these mails will be very helpful to everyone.

If any problems arise using this tool, then you can still help by sending the
warblade.dbg file to bugs@warblade.as as it will also contain the crash report
text.

 Thankyou.



SELFPLAY MODE
*************

V1.2y has now got a self playing mode added. We would like everyone that can to
allow this self playing version to run whenever possible. Overnight maybe, or
while you are at work. Especially if you have seen the random crashes that seem
new to v1.2x. Fixes for the random crashes have been made already but we don't
know if they are a cure. Please allow the game to play itself and if it crashes
send those reports in to us. The crash report sender has been fixed too, but
just in case it fails please send an email to bugs@warblade.as including the
warblade.dbg file as either text or an attachment. You must do this before you
start another game. (Starting another game will overwrite the dbg file)

Also, please take the time to send in crash reports from normal gameplay too, or 
report problems in the forum.

The selfplay mode is started by pressing SHIFT ALT and F1 together and it will
randomly play time trial and normal games. Profiles will be automatically closed
and scores gained by the computer will not be saved. Its not possible to save in
selfplay mode either and the collision detection is almost completely turned off
so its very difficult for the player ship to be killed. The player ship will go
for almost all bonus drops and diamonds without choice but it does start with
10,000 cash and does always seem to have a pretty good weapon. Try it out
anyway, its fun to watch the shop, memory stations and speedy gameplay.



Your first choice:
******************

The first thing you should see on a new installation is a question about testing
for a firewall. Selecting yes just makes the game open port 80 (a standard port) 
and this will hopefully make any firewall software you have open up. This will
then leave you to decide if you wish to allow Warblade to communicate with the
news server. All this is done before the game creates its screenmode so you can
see any firewall requesters that pop open. You can choose to answer no to the
test but when Warblade does try to get the latest news, your personal firewall
will still jump into action. This is a 1 time question. The reason this has been 
added is due to firewall requesters popping up behind Warblade (in the
background and seemingly invisible to the user) and these popups can make the
game seem to be locked up or crashed. We suggest allowing the firewall check to
happen so you can set up your firewall software correctly.

Upon running the game for the first time you will be given 4 options. This is to
set up the game according to the specs of your PC. This option is only given on
the games first run so any changes after this must be made on the main options
screen. However, you can invoke the initial Machine Spec options by holding left
shift while starting the game. If you choose a new option here you will have to
re-select your profile. If you enter your profile password instead, then it will
use your previously set options. Remember that no matter what choice you make,
you can alter the settings afterwards...

The options are :

     Very Old PC - P2 @ 350mhz + 16mb (3D) Video Card.
          Old PC - P3 @ 600mhz + 16-32mb 3D Video Card.
       Normal PC - P4 @ 1.5ghz + 64mb 3D Video Card.
Very Powerful PC - P4 or AMD @ +2ghz + 64mb-128mb 3D Video Card.

These are rough estimates. Once you've chosen your Machine Specs you can make
adjustments later in the main menu. Also, this option dialog can be forced to
appear by holding down either SHIFT key when the game is starting up.

A final question you used to be asked on first run was wether to allow the game
to contact the news server to get the latest headlines. This was not compulsory
and had no side effect to the game, however, allowing this to work would let you
see important news about Warblade and its development. This question was removed
for the Bigfish and Reflexive demo versions but in the full version from EMW you 
can turn this on with F11.



The menu screens:
*****************

When the game has successfully started it will be showing the menu screens. The
game logo, credits, settings and halls of fame will cycle periodically. You can
also jump to the next screen by pressing the right cursor key. Pressing the up
cursor key will take you to your highscore lists and if you keep pressing up you 
will cycle through them. Also, after a certain amount of time the game will
start to play itself. (Pressing fire exits this demo mode.) When these screens
are showing you can move the mouse to activate the menu line at the bottom of
the screen and moving the mouse pointer down on the menubar will make the menu
items appear.

 The menu items:

  START : START 1 PLAYER GAME:
          This will start a one player game using the active difficulty setting.

          START 2 PLAYER GAME:
          This will start a two player game using the active difficulty setting.
          Player one will start and play the game until he/she is hit/killed,
          then player two will get to play. When player two is killed, it will
          be player one's turn again and so on, until both players have lost all 
          of their lives. The game will remember what level the player was
          killed on and continue on that level.

          START 2 PLAYER GAME DUEL:
          This will start a duel between two players. Both players have their
          fighters onscreen at once. The players must compete against each other
          for the points and bonuses. The player that has the most points at the
          end of the game will be the winner of the duel.

          START 2 PLAYER GAME TEAM:
          ** Not implemented yet **

          START TIME TRIAL:  (Note! Only in registered version)
          This will start a time trial game. In this game mode you will play 10
          special levels and try to get as many points as possible in 3 minutes.

          DEMO GAME:
          This starts the computer playing an early random level.

  ABOUT : Clicking this will display the about screen.

  STORY : Clicking this will display the story screen.

  SETTINGS : Clicking this will display the settings screen. You can also access
             the Input Config from here.

  BONUSES : Clicking this will display the bonus info screen.

  HISCORE : Clicking this will display the highscore lists.

  HELP : Clicking this will minimise the game and display the online Help page.
         NOTE! This will open up an Internet Explorer window to show the online
         webpage containing the most updated help text.

  FAQ : Clicking this will minimise the game and display the online FAQ page.
        NOTE! This will open up an Internet Explorer window to show the online
        FAQ containing the most updated information.

  USER PROFILES : Clicking this will display the profile selection window.

  USER MANUAL : Clicking this will minimise the game and display the manual.txt.

  QUIT : Clicking on this menu item and selecting yes is an instant quit.



The options:
************

On the option screen you will find the following options:
You can either press the key listed below or use the selection arrows for some
of the options by moving the mouse and activating the buttons:

   F1        = Start one player game.
   F2        = Start two player game. (Players take turns to play)
   F3        = Start two player game in duel mode. (Players compete for points)

   F5        = Start a time trial game. (3 minutes to get the highest score)

   1         = Select easy game mode. (Only in easy profile)
   2         = Select normal game mode.
   3         = Select hard game mode.
   4         = Select ace game mode.

   P         = Pause the game. (When the game is being played)

   M         = Toggle MP3 music on and off.

   +         = Adjust music volume up. (On the keypad only)
   -         = Adjust music volume down. (On the keypad only)
   Page up   = Adjust sound effects volume up.
   Page down = Adjust sound effects volume down.
   Home      = Adjust voice volume up.
   End       = Adjust voice volume down.

   U         = Toggle voice messages ON or OFF.
   V         = Select and load the next available voice pack.

 Please note the default soundset has changed. The older original sets are now
 very incomplete and you will miss many important vocal effects by using them.
 They are retained (at the moment) for your nostalgia. Maybe they will be
 completed in the future. Who knows... Why not make your own ? See further down
 the manual.

   B         = Select border mode. (Off, Normal or Simple)
               Off   : On slow PC's this may help the game run a bit smoother.
               Normal: Use "Normal" on faster PC's. This will display a
                       scrolling border on each edge of the screen.
               Simple: For use on slower PC's. This Will display a non scrolling
                       border.
   ALT + B   = Turn on or off the background graphics. When active a slow
               scrolling 2 layered starfield / nebula will be displayed. Do not
               use this on a slow PC.
   SHIFT + B = Adjust background brightness. There are 6 levels of brightness
               and only works if backgrounds are activated.

   D         = Adjust colour resolution. Toggle between 16 bit screen depth and
               32 bit screen depth. 16 bit mode is faster, but uses less colours
               (thousands of colours). 32 bit mode can display millions of
               colours but is also slower and more demanding on the graphics
               card. 32 bit will work out best on a fast PC. Switching from 32
               to 16 bit and vice versa will require a game restart.

   N         = Adjust the number of background stars. From 100 to 3000 stars.
               Use shift + N to decrease the number of stars.

   C         = Toggle the collision detection mode.
               Simple: a faster, but not so accurate collision test.
               Normal: Uses a pixel perfect collision test, but uses a bit more
               cpu time.

   F         = Toggle flare effects ON or OFF. If switched ON and your graphics
               card has a 3D accelerator, the game will create colorful flares
               for the explosions and weapons.

   E         = Adjust the size of the explosion. Use shift + E to decrease the
               size.

   I         = Toggles the bullet mode. NORMAL for standard bullets. BRIGHT for
               LCD displays or laptops with low refresh rates. Or FLARE FX for
               normal bullets with flare trails. (A little extra eye candy.)

   Z         = Toggle the background stars mode between Flares and Point stars.
               Flare stars uses the 3D accelerator on the graphics card to draw
               flare stars. Point stars is just single bright pixels.

   F6        = Start the jukebox program. With the jukebox program you can
               create your own list of MP3's, MOD's, OGG's, or MIDI's to be used 
               in the game. You can select different music pieces for every mode
               or section of the game. Title music, in game music, meteorstorm
               music and so on... You can also create a different playlist for
               each profile in the game. So each player of the game can have his
               or her own favorite music playing.

   F7        = Take a snapshot of the current display and save an image in the
               warblade directory inside a screenshots folder. File will be
               800*600 and in PNG format. Filename will be ScreenShotXXX.png,
               where XXX starts at 000 and if it exists then 1 is added. i.e.
               001, 002 etc.

   F8        = Start the hiscore tool. With the hiscore tool you can submit your
               top scores to the online Hall-Of-Fame and compete with all the
               Warbladers in the World and try to be the best Warblade player.
               You can also use the hiscore tool to merge two hiscore files
               together and get a new hiscore file with the best scores from
               both. The hiscore tool can also be used to print out the hiscore
               lists. The print out can be customized with background, colours
               and fonts.

   F9        = Switch to the input configuration screen. Here you can select
               which input device to use (Joystick, Joypad or keyboard) for each 
               player. You can also remap the keys to be used to control the
               fighter and this can be done for each player. Both players can
               also use the keyboard at the same time! Just remap the keys so
               that player one uses the left side of the keyboard while player
               two uses the right side (The keypad ?)

   F10       = This simply checks to see if theres a new version of Warblade
               available. If there is it will allow you to visit the download
               page where you will need your login info ready.

               NOTE! This will open up an Internet Explorer window to contact
               the Warblade webpage to check for any new versions.

   F11       = Toggle the News Ticker on or off. The news ticker can inform you
               about development news, bugfixes, new releases and more. ONLY
               news is sent to the game. If this option is on and there is no
               internet connection available then an error message will be
               scrolled instead. Also, if the news server is down, then another
               error message is displayed. Neither error will stop news from
               working next time or affect the game so long as your internet
               connection is active and the news server is functional. You can
               still use the version checking option (F10) with this news ticker 
               switched on or off. There can be up to 4 different news items at
               any one time and they will scroll across in turn. If a certain
               news item has scrolled across 5 times, then that news item is
               disabled. If the news has been retrieved 8 times then that news
               is also disabled. All news items can be clicked and you will be
               taken to a warblade news page so you can read the news at your
               leisure. Clicking a news item will also disable it in the
               scroller. Turning the news ticker off and back on will reset the
               load and scroll counts. Oh, and you won't be asked about turning
               this function on until you've played 25 games or more. If you are
               using a profile that has many more games played then you should
               be asked as soon as you load this new version.

               One last thing to remember, if you use a software firewall like
               Zone Alarm, then you will need to tell it that Warblade should be
               allowed to connect to the internet. Or news will be blocked.

   ALT + T   = Choose between Double Buffering and Triple Buffering modes.
               Triple buffering will require a very good video card and changing
               this mode will require the game to be restarted. PLEASE see the
               tricks and tips section of this manual for more information about
               triple buffer mode. Now, by default, if you select double buffer
               mode then vsync will be turned off and if you select triple
               buffer mode then vsync will be turned on. You can change these
               options manually afterwards.

   ALT + V   = Toggles the VSync option on or off. PLEASE NOTE, this option
               should almost always be on for triple buffer and always off for
               double buffer modes. Turning it off in triple buffer mode WILL
               introduce graphics tearing and possible flickering of certain
               game elements and turning it on in double buffer mode could cause 
               your fps to be halved. (please see the tricks and tips section
               for more information)

   ALT + M   = This option will toggle random or sequential playing of mp3s

   A         = Show profile selection window

   ESC       = Brings up the exit game menu. You can quit to main menu, quit to
               windows or you can use the newly added "retire" option. This will
               end your game as if you just lost your last life. Your bonus
               score is then added and your profile statistics saved. (these
               options do not ask for confirmation.)

   F12       = This is another quit option available from the menu screens or
               ingame but this one only offers a Quit To Windows option.

   T         = Toggle the input (control device) between joystick/joypad and the
               keyboard.

   W         = Toggle Screen Mode (window or fullscreen) Changing from one mode
               to another does require the game to be restarted. You cannot
               switch modes during play.

               NOTE! Windowed mode is harder for your video card to process due
               to the way the buffers work, so if the game stutters please play
               in fullscreen mode. The game will also lock to your desktops
               refresh rate. If you run your desktop at 1024*768 at a refresh
               rate of 85hz, then the game will play at 85fps. The higher your
               desktops refresh rate is the smoother the game will be in
               windowed mode. Please see the tricks and tips section for more.

 WARNING !! If you play in windowed mode and use the locking feature of windows
 2000 or XP, (also the switch user feature in XP) then you MUST minimise the
 game before you lock windows (or switch user). If you don't do this the game
 WILL crash when you try to restore it. There is currently no known fix for
 this DirectX issue. Please test this function before you play a long game.

   S         = Toggles the method of playing sounds ingame. Up until v1.2f the
               game has always used software mixing, but now you can choose
               hardware mixing which utilises the very latest version of the
               FMOD sound system. The fmod.dll was replaced with the newer
               fmodex.dll but due to problems with that new dll it has been
               reverted back again. Positional audio and random frequency
               changes on some sound effects are included in the hardware option 
               to enhance audio. If you use the software mode then all the
               sounds are played using a priority system. This reduces the load
               on the software mixing code and cpu. Most people should be able
               to use the hardware option, but older soundcards may require the
               old style software mixing.

  Pause/Break will minimize AND pause the game while you play.

  Left shift + left ALT + F will display the current frame rate.

 Some of these options are also available while you are playing the game.

  

The game controls:
******************

You control the fighter with these keys (default)

   Move Left       =  Cursor Left
   Move Right      =  Cursor Right
   Move Up         =  Cursor Up     (Only in shop and memory station!)
   Move Down       =  Cursor Down   (Only in shop and memory station!)
   Fire weapon     =  Left CTRL
   Fire Missiles   =  Left ALT      (You must have missiles to fire!)
   Buy item        =  Left CTRL

You can also choose to use a joystick or gamepad so long as you have one set up
within windows. These controls can be reconfigured of course. Press F9 on the
main options page. The mouse can also be made active in memory stations and the
shop for quicker pair finding or buying. All you have to do is move it and the
pointer will appear.



How to play:
************

firstly...

***********************
***********************
**                   **
** USE A PROFILE !!! **
**                   **
***********************
***********************

In Warblade you are in control of a CryTech Delta Fighter Mk X. You move the
fighter across the bottom of the screen and you can not move up or down, only
left and right. (Default keys: Move left = Cursor left, Move right = Cursor
right) You can shoot bullets with your current weapon and try to hit the aliens. 
(Default Key: Fire = left CTRL) You only have a limited number of bullets to
shoot, so when you shoot a bullet you must wait until it has hit an alien or is
going off the edge of the play area before you can use the bullet again. You
start off with 5 bullets but more bullets can be bought in the shop or collected 
as bonuses.

The object of the game is to clean the screen of all aliens, while avoiding the
bullets from them. To gain better weapons, extra points and extra features you
can collect bonus items that some aliens will drop when they are destroyed.
There are also bonus items that will have a negative impact on your fighter. For 
a list of some of the bonus items please see the bonus screen when you are on
the menu screens in the game.

Every 4th level there is a shop where you can buy ship upgrades or new weapons.
You can also buy extra speed, autofire, extra lives, game secrets and much more.
One tip we can give you is to BUY THE SECRETS. They are integral to progressing
further in the game. Some secrets can unlock extra things as you progress.


** NEW **
Added to the shop in v1.2f is a "savegame" option. When you enter a shop now
there is an extra bar telling you how many saves you have left. You will start
with 5 and each time you save it will reduce by 1. There are 2 ways to save with 
this new system. Press F1 in the shop to save the game and immediately quit to
windows. Press F2 in the shop and you will save the game, exit to main menu and
close your profile. If you re-open your profile you will be warped straight to
the shop you were at when you saved. The same applies to loading any other
profile with a stored savegame. Activating a "default" profile when you first
load the game which has a savegame stored will also warp you straight to the
shop where you saved. Saves are limited to 1 player games only. An extra save
game will be added to your profile every 250 levels played.

 NB// You won't have access to the backup functions for a profile when a
 savegame is active in it. If you wish to backup your profile you can copy it
 manually or you must end your game to have access to the backup options again.
 A savegame is removed from your profile once its reloaded so if you save a
 game, backup your profile, reload save game and do badly, you cannot just
 restore the profile again and reload the save again.

There are also two sub games inside the game.

  Memory Station  : Here you must turn over the tiles to find a pair. If you
                    manage to find all the pairs within the time limit then you
                    will get a point bonus. If you manage to do this two times
                    then the tile grid will increase in size and the bonus
                    points will also increase. You can also earn bonuses from
                    the tile pairs such as extra bullets or speed.

  Meteor Storm    : Here you must navigate through a field of floating rocks.
                    You can pick up extra bonus points and extra cash from bonus 
                    items. If you crash into the rocks then you will be brought
                    back to the normal game. If you get to the end of rocks, you 
                    will get a big bonus. Pressing fire while in the meteorstorm
                    will act like an accelerator and releasing fire will slow
                    you down again. You will slow down faster than you speed up.
                    The meter to the right of your ship indicates your speed. A
                    new percentage indicator is also shown under the speed bar
                    to show how well you are playing (while using speed).

On each side of the screen there is a border. In this border there will be
displayed information for each player. Player one's info is displayed on the
left side and player two's info on the right side. The information from top to
bottom is as follows :

  Money           : How much money the player has. This money can be used in the
                    shop to buy better weapons, more speed for the fighter, more 
                    bullets, etc...

  Fighters left   : How many lives / fighters the player has left. You start
                    with three lives / fighters. 1 in play and 2 on side bar.

  Points multiply : x2 or x5. If the multiplier is active any points you get
                    from destroying an alien, collecting a bonus, etc.. will be
                    multiplied by 2 or by 5.  So if you have the x5 bonus and
                    get a 100 point bonus then you will instead get 500 points.
                    This bonus is timer controlled and will only last for a set
                    period of time.

  E X T R A       : By collecting the bonuses with the letters E, X, T, R and A
                    on them will spell out the word EXTRA in the border. When
                    complete you will be rewarded with an extra life.

  Rank marks      : When you destroy a big alien a rank mark will be dropped, if 
                    you catch this a rank mark will appear in the border. There
                    are 6 different coloured version of the rank marks. If you
                    collect all 6 marks and have enough money to enter the shop
                    then you will be promoted to the next rank.

  Armour          : If you catch an armour bonus or buy one in the shop, it will 
                    show in the border. You can have a maximum of 2 armours. If
                    you have an armour bonus and get hit by an alien bullet, the 
                    shield will be activated to protect you against the bullet.

  Info bars       : In the border there are also 3 bars that show the following
                    info :-

		    S: (Speed) This bar will show how much speed the fighter
		       has. Catch speed up bonuses ingame to gain more speed or
                       buy more speed up's in the shop.
                    B: (Bullets) This bar will show how many bullets are
                       available. In warblade there is a limit to how many
                       bullets you can fire and have on screen at any given
                       time. At the start of the game this limit is 5. You can
                       change this limit by collecting extra bullets bonuses or
                       by buying extra bullets in the shop.
                    T: (Bonus Time) This bar will show how much bonus time you
                       have. There are certain bonuses in the game that only
                       last for a certain amount of time. By catching the extra
                       time bonus (or buy more extra time in the shop) you can
                       prolong the time that these bonuses last. (i.e sheild,
                       scoop, multiply etc..)

 There may be extra bars or counters available later on !



The time trial mode:
********************

The timetrial mode is a special version of the game. You must try to get the
highest possible score in just 3 minutes! These special levels are very action
packed and very fast. The difficulty settings do not apply to the time trial
mode and you are given one weapon to use while playing too. Just blast away for
a top score !



The profile system:
*******************

The profile system lets you save a lot of stats, and take advantage of them as
you get better. The profile saves your hiscores, completion time, levels played, 
and a lot more. All this info is recorded in real time, so if you stop or break
out of the game then the info is still recorded. Some of the info is only
recorded after a certain number of levels are played. So you can not just start
and stop and start again to make fake updates to the info. Also, if you play a
long game and wish to exit, please use the retire option. This will ensure that
all your game stats are stored.
	
	It will save the following stats :-

	- Top score (Your best score in one of the normal play modes)
	- Meteor storm score (Your best ever meteor storm score)
	- Time trial (Your best ever time trial score)
	- Level 100 score. (Your best score ever at passing level 100)
	- Perfect bonus rounds (Your total number of perfect bonus rounds)
	  A percentage of perfect bonus rounds is also shown.
        - How many secrets you have done (found) in the game (This is not the
          same as how many you have bought in the shop!)
        - How many secrets you found in one game.
        - The fastest time you have cleared a level.
	
	The rest are pretty much self explanatory.

	As your different stats get better and better, you will open the locks.
	Locks let you start games with certain bonus features already activated
        from level 1. To see what a lock will unlock, place the mouse pointer on 
        the lock and press the left mousebutton. You will only be able to get a
        hint on the first locked lock in each group.

	And then there are the ......  ;-) Well, find these yourself !

 Please note, creating an Easy profile will mean that some ranks are unavailable
 to you. Top ranks are for top players (i.e. Play in Normal mode or above) A
 warning is included to notify you of this on the creation of an easy profile.

 THE EASY PROFILE IS INTENDED FOR CHILDREN AND SHORT GAMES. WE RECOMMEND YOU
 CREATE A NORMAL PROFILE !!

 Please also note, that all your family can have their own profiles. Use
 different names to identify them and allow each player to choose their own
 password. You can have up to 10 profiles in total numbered 000-009.

Also added to the profile system are some new menu options. You can now alter
your name or password, reset certain areas of your profile, or even reset it
completely. You can also backup and restore profiles with a simple button click.
Changing the password WILL require your old password. Changing your name will
also update your local Hall Of Fame lists too... Clever huh !

When you first run the game you will be asked if you wish to create a profile.
If you decline then no stats will be recorded from your gameplay, so we suggest
you DO make one to get the full enjoyment from this game. Once its created you
will also be asked if you wish the news ticker to be turned on. Please see the
menu section for info about the news ticker.

To create more profiles in future you can press A while on the menus to get the
profile list. Then click New to create a new profile. Give it a password and
then select "use profile". 1 profile can be set as the "default profile" so that 
you are asked for a password for it on next game load.



The hiscore system:
*******************

The hiscores are saved for each game mode. The top 20 scores are displayed
during demo mode and the following modes are currently in the game :-

	- Easy mode
	- Normal mode
	- Hard mode
	- Ace mode
	- Meteor storm (list of the top meteor storm scores)
	- Time trial

	More hiscore lists might be added in future releases.

The scores are submittable to the online Hall-Of-Fame where you can compete
against other Warblade players around the world. By pressing F8 to start
the hiscore tool you will be able to submit your scores but you can also run the
highscore tool directly from your Warblade folder. If you already have a hiscore 
in the Hall-Of-Fame and you submit a better one, then the old score will be
removed. There is only one score allowed for each player in each mode and this
is done to prevent 4-5 people taking up all the hall of fame lists. The online
Hall-Of-Fame will display the top 50 players in the world for each mode. (Easy,
Normal, Hard, Ace, Meteorstorm and Time trial)

The submit tool can also do some other cool stuff. Firstly you can use the
hiscore tool to merge two peoples hiscore files together and create a brand new
hiscore file with the best scores from both files.

Also, the hiscore tool can also be used to print out the hiscore lists. The
printout can be customised with different background images, text, colour, fonts
and even placement and style of lines. I have included 5 different backgrounds
to be used with the printout function or you could find some of your own.



The jukebox system:
*******************

The jukebox system was made to allow the user to add their favourite mp3 or
module music to the game. When you are inside the game and on the menu screens
you can start the jukebox program by pressing F6. The game will then minimize to
the taskbar and the jukebox program will open up. (You can also run the jukebox
tool directly from your Warblade folder.) In the jukebox you have options to add
the path to any music file that you would like to hear in the game. You can
change the music for every part of the game for example, title screen music,
ingame music (multiple files), hiscore music, memory station, meteor storm
music, shop music, boss level music, end music and more. Use the buttons to open 
up a windows file browser and browse through your harddisk(s) and select the
music files you wish to add. The jukebox supports a range of file formats
including MP3, OGG, MOD, s3m, IT and many others.

If you use a profile to play you can also have a different jukebox playlist for
each player. So every player with a profile can have his or her favorite music
that is automatically loaded when the profile is opened up. Non module format
music will now also continue to play after music changes for things like memory
station, bosses or shops.



The voice system:
*****************

Warblade also supports extra voice packs. So you can now have many different
voice styles to use in the game and you can even make your own. (Get ready,
money, bonus, etc.) You can switch between the voices with the V key or via the
games menu. With each press you will activate the next available voiceset.

To make your own samples open up the file 'Wv.id' in a text editor (notepad will 
do) and you'll see that it contains a list of all the available words and
phrases that can be used in the game. The list is showing the filename and what
the sample is used for. The sampled files must be placed in a new folder and the 
folder must be named within the number sequence. The default folder is named '1' 
(one) so the next folder must be '2' and the next must be '3', and so on. Each
folder should contain all the samples for a voiceset and also a copy of the
'wv.id' file. So in folder '1' there is the default female voice, in folder '2' 
is the robot voice and so on. The file 'Wv.id' must be present in each folder!!!

The samples can be in WAV, MP3 or OGG format.

So, to make your own voice set, you do the following.

 1. Make a new folder ('3' for example. If you already have '1' and '2')
 2. Copy the 'Wv.id' file to the new folder from one of the previous folders.
 3. Go through the list and record a sample for each of the commands and save
    the sample with the correct filename and in one of the supported formats.
 4. test the new voice pack in warblade. Use V to change active voice pack.
 5. If you think the voiceset should be heard by all the other warbladers out
    there then contact me about getting your voiceset added onsite. Pending some
    quality control of course. In the first instance, do not send the files.
    Email me at edgar@warblade.as

 Creation of good voice sets to share amongst the community of players is very
 much encouraged :)

 

Tricks and tips:
****************

The ultimate setup:  To get the very most out of the game you can try to follow
some of these instructions...

  NOTE!!! You do this at your own risk, and I cannot be held responsible for any 
  damaged equipment or other problems that may occur!!! If you are unsure about
  your monitor then please don't try this!!!

  You must have a powerful PC to get the best effect out of these settings!

  1. Click on start (in windows) and select the 'run' option. Then type in
     'dxdiag' and press ENTER. This will start up the DirectX diagnostic tool.

  2. Click on the last tab ('More help') and then on the button that says
     'Override'. Type in or select 120. (ONLY If your monitor can handle
     800x600x(32bit or 16bit) @ 120Hz) Then click OK. Some older monitors may
     only be able to handle a setting of 100hz here.

  3. This will now lock DirectX to a monitor refresh rate of 120Hz (120 redraws
     of the monitor image pr. second)

  4. Test Warblade and check if all is OK. If it is, the game is now running at
     120Hz. The game will not play any faster than normal!!! However, all
     movements of the objects on screen will be much much smoother.

  NOTE! Check that vertical sync is switched ON in the graphics card driver or
        set to application controlled.

  5. Use 32 bit mode when playing. Press 'D' until it says 32bit on the settings
     screen. This must be done when you are on the menu screens! Restart the
     game (exit completely and reload) to use this new setting.

  6. Use 'E' on the menu screens to adjust the amount of explosion 'sparks' to
     approximately 100. This is a nice setting but does need PC power ! This
     setting can also be adjusted ingame. Use shift + E to turn the setting back
     down.

  7. Use ALT + B to turn on the nebula background. And then adjust the
     brightness with SHIFT + B.

  8. Use 'Z' on the menu screens to turn on the flared background stars.

  9. Use 'F' on the menu screens to switch on flared explosions.

 10. There is now a new Triple Buffering option available from the main menu by
     pressing ALT + T. This option MUST be used in conjunction with your video
     cards v-sync setting or you may experience some gfx flickering or
     tearing. The game also has a vsync option now, you should use that too. If
     you set triple buffer mode then the vsync option should also be set for
     you. The same applies to double buffer, vsync is turned off automatically. 
     These settings can be altered if you wish but it is not recommended. On an
     ATI card the default setting is for v-sync to be off and in nVidias drivers 
     the default setting is "application controlled". In both cases you should
     set V-Sync to be "always on". In the nVidia drivers this can be done using
     a settings profile but remember, changing this option in your videcard
     settings can alter the way other games or applications behave on your PC.
     So please, use with caution and remember any changes you make. For best
     results, stick to double buffer mode as Triple Buffering is fairly
     experimental and is ONLY provided for those trying to resolve certain
     issues. Triple buffer mode with v-sync CAN give smoother graphics ingame
     and reduce tearing of graphics.

 11. The v-sync option is required for triple buffering to work correctly, but
     v-sync can also improve the smoothness of the games gfx in double buffering
     mode. Using it in this mode forces the graphics buffer to refresh your
     display when the video beam is off screen. This again reduces graphics
     tearing and can give a smoother display. However, by default, vsync is
     turned OFF in the game if you select double buffer mode as it can halve
     your fps if the video card is not powerful enough. You will simply have to
     test various settings.

 12. The new windowed mode opens up another way to get a smooth game. While in
     windowed mode, the game is locked to your desktops refresh rate. By
     setting your desktop to a lower resolution with a higher refresh rate, you
     could get up to and above 200fps. This still won't speed up the game, but
     it will give you super smooth graphics. Trying to play a game that runs in
     an 820*620 (roughly) window on a dekstop of 800*600 or lower simply will
     not work. (The game will detect your desktop resolution and force
     fullscreen mode if this is the case) This option is for players with good
     video cards !

 13. Finally, the ultimate way to play is by using triple buffering, with v-sync
     and a forced directx refresh of 100-120hz. You need a top video card for 
     this with plenty of memory. Be warned !
     
To see how these options have an impact on your gameplay you can turn on the
Frame Rate display. You can enable this by pressing left shift + left alt + F.
If game performance is reduced significantly then turn some options off or
reduce the amount of stars or flares to improve your framerate again. The
explosion sparks have one of the biggest performance hits. It looks great with
loads of sparks, but make sure your video card can handle it !

Please also note that if you do use these override settings then there IS an
issue with new installations of updated nVidia drivers when using dual screen
modes. It seems even if you override to 120, your refresh rate is halved in dual
screen mode. Simply disable the second screen and you should get your 120fps
again. Theres also an override refresh rates setting in the nVidia display
properties. This may need to be set to the same override setting as you use in
the DXDiag tool. Well, it seems that more current nVidia drivers have removed
the override controls. Hopefully it will work fine using just the dxdiag tip.



Credits:
********

 Programming, graphics, game design, sound fx and level design

  by Edgar M Vigdal.
 --------------------

Additional game design Simon Quincey, Joshua Wayne and SR.
Additional Ideas by Simon Quincey, Joshua Wayne and SR.
Additional levels by Simon Quincey and Joshua Wayne.
Extended, complete voice sets supplied by Simon Quincey and Vanessa Quincey.

MOD music and initial voices by Yannis Brown from the voice of Violette Brown.
Additional voice samples by Camren Harm and Angela Strauss.

MP3 music by Vandark.
MP3 Soundtrack Addon by Yannis Brown.
Modpack Addon compiled by Simon Quincey.

Other MOD musics by Drax, Manic, and Seth Peele.

End music MOD by Peter Hajba (Skaven of Future Crew)
Endgame text by Sharlene A Wade.

Original v1.0 Manual by          : Edgar M Vigdal
Updated and Maintained by (1.2y) : Simon Quincey

Manual Translations for 1.2c by  : Polish  - Miros³aw 'Miroro' Róg
                                   Spanish - Claudio 'Micro-BIOS' Estrugo
Manual Translations for 1.2y by  : French  - Francois 'Frantic Franz' Rimbert
                                   German  - Elke 'Bonitos' Rausch

 Please note v1.2c information will be slightly out of date now.

Beta testers : Simon Quincey
               Joshua Wayne
               Odd Rune Olsen
               Kieron G Smith
               Kurt Zakrzewski
               Sharlene A Wade
               Scott Bell
               SR

Additional V1.2 testers : Alan DeLaughter
                          Lisa Kirkham
 (many thanks you 3)      John Drake

Additional V1.2x tester : Roland Meinhard (Tirelessly stress-tested Ace mode
savegames for us over a rushed 2 day period, playing over 1100 levels in one
Ace mode game! Excellent reports sent back to us. Many thanks.)

Special thanks to Shane R Monroe!

Special thanks also to Simon Quincey! I think I would have given up on this was
it not for his hard work and excellent feedback. (Edgar)

Awww shucks ;-) Its been a pleasure and will continue to be so ! (Simon)



Known Issues:
*************

1. Some download managers can corrupt the game download. Don't use them !
2. Anti Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering can cause some or all of the games
graphics to be corrupted. Make sure these options are set to "off" or
"application controlled" in your driver options
3. The game can skip levels on rare occasions. No known workaround. We think
this may be due to high cpu usage by other programs. Some virus checkers or
automatic daily tasks could be the culprit. Always play after a fresh reboot and 
try not to have other programs running at the same time
4. Invisible scooped aliens. Corrupt scooped aliens. No known fixes so far
5. End credits lockup on the loop section sometimes. Press Alt Tab and wait a
while till you get to the desktop. Return to the game and it'll continue
6. Joysticks or Joypads must be set up and configured in windows before the game 
can utilise them



Version History:
****************

v1.2y Released 03.01.2006
*************************
- Added Self play mode (please help out by running this as often as you can and
  read the selfplay mode section near the top of the manual)
- Fixed Random crashes (initial fixing done, tests ongoing)
- Fixed Positioning of clickable highscore entries
- Fixed Voice volume is no longer adjusted by effects volume now
- Fixed Bosses and mini bosses no longer move too low at higher game speeds
- Changed Crashreportsender now backs up the warblade.dbg file to a folder
- Changed Crashreportsender bypasses email clients (see relevant manual section)
- Updated Crash reporter version number to v1.3
- Updated FMod to v3.75


v1.2x Released 15.12.2005
*************************
- Fixed Reverted back to older fmod.dll fixing many issues
- Fixed When changing voicepack and game tries to play a missing sample
- Fixed Current gamespeed is now restored properly after a save and reload
- Fixed X2 and X5 work after a save again and show their graphics properly
- Fixed Typo in a shop description
- Fixed Super gemdrops happen at the right times now
- Fixed Bonus rounds counted properly with savegames. Perfects stored too
- Fixed Bonus savegames after level 3000. Correct amount now given
- Fixed Games title corruption in windowed mode
- Fixed Options menu tidied up a little
- Fixed Skulls counted correctly after saves (please check this)
- Fixed Correct voicepack loaded for each profile now
- Fixed Character error in endgame credits
- Fixed A way to get extra savegames at the shop
- Added A new beta tester to the credits page
- Added Create a new profile popup on first run
- Added Flare trails to all the games bullets on the I menu option
- Updated Crash reporter routines to give more subroutine info
- Updated Crash reporter to provide entire "warblade.dbg" file info
- Updated Crash reporter version number to v1.2
- Fixed Submit tool urls used to upload. Now directs to correct page
- Updated Submit tool version number to v1.5


v1.2h Released 16.10.2005
*************************
- Fixed Super autofire being lost after a save
- Fixed Modules not continuing after pressing pause followed by alt tab
- Fixed Modules now fully pause when game is paused
- Fixed Crash for some users when showing intro screens
- Fixed Set to 0 option on music volume in menu
- Fixed Entering scores for both players after 2 player games
- Changed Randomness of birds raised a little
- Added A fix for fast game after alt tab (hopefully)
- Added A bonus save every 250 levels. Maximum 5 saves


v1.2g Released 15.10.2005
*************************
- Fixed Its amazing sound worked at all (bad bug), it should be tons better now
- Fixed Ship speeds across all modes
- Fixed Too many bonus drops in Ace mode
- Fixed Alien aggressiveness in Ace Mode
- Fixed Locking news ticker in fast scroll mode
- Fixed Savegames causing super auto fire loss
- Fixed Savegames causing alien lock loss
- Fixed Raised priority on Congratulations sound for a perfect
- Fixed Raised priority on Fanfare sound for an extra life
- Fixed Raised priority for big explosion sounds (big boss, guardian etc)
- Fixed Raised priority to high for all shop sounds
- Fixed Music not replaying after a pause or tab when fire key used to continue
- Fixed Splash screen not having its own memory area
- Fixed How all sounds work in combination with the pause mode
- Fixed Showing of rank marks in border
- Fixed A missing voice trigger (sometimes)
- Added New graphic to top of menu screens
- Added New sound for gaining extra time in memory station
- Added New sound for loss of time in memory station
- Changed A little more money from a big boss now
- Changed Skull in memory station to a -15 seconds tile instead
- Removed Some useless code


v1.2f Released 11.10.2005
*************************
- Added Savegames (single player only)
- Added New fmodex.dll (a HUGE list of code changes required!)
- Added Hardware sound mixing option on main menu (press S)
- Added Positional audio (part of hardware mixing option)
- Added Variable frequencies on sound effects (part of hardware mixing option)
- Added Boss.mp3 as a new sound for big boss movement
- Added Hit2.mp3 as a new sound when almost killing big bosses
- Added 2 new voice packs for download
- Added 2 Modpacks for download
- Added Ask to test firewall before screenmode is set on first run
- Added New hit effect for laser beast
- Added New effect for aliens bouncing off the scoop
- Fixed Many errors associated with the new savegame code (too many to list)
- Fixed Some errors found by introducing the savegame code (too many to list)
- Fixed Many errors associated with the fmod changes (too many to list)
- Fixed Some errors found by introducing the fmod changes (too many to list)
- Fixed Creating a folder for profiles when no folder is present
- Fixed Game timers running while game paused
- Fixed Speed of option changing buttons when clicked with the mouse
- Fixed Missing voice trigger (final one hopefully)
- Fixed Ship speed differences between different skill modes
- Fixed Blue particles getting stuck in bonus rounds
- Fixed Crash report sender crashing when Outlook or Outlook Express is not the
        default email client. Version number raised to 1.1
- Fixed Player 2 was unable to fire rockets
- Fixed Player 2 couldn't collect gems in a gem drop
- Fixed Correct player gets a perfect from a bomb in a 2 player bonus round
- Fixed Player 2 can now press fire when he gets a new rank
- Fixed Meteor storm meter for player 2 sometimes on wrong side
- Fixed Very fast game movement after returning from a minimised game
- Fixed Some sounds still play after a player dies and it goes to next player
- Fixed Some music still playing when game is minimised
- Fixed Flashing line on right side after alt tab while game is paused
- Fixed Ingame option keys now disabled if assigned as a player key
- Fixed Player 2 being able to fire in Time Trial mode after a duel game
- Changed Splash screen to a new one
- Changed The endgame text in 2 player mode if its a draw
- Changed Profiles for player 1 are closed if a 2 player game is started
- Changed The timing method on particles
- Changed Alt V option is no longer possible ingame. Set on main menu first
- Changed Distance bar in meteorstorm to stay onscreen longer at end
- Changed Alienattack.mp3 for a new one to remove distortion problem
- Changed Alienattack2.mp3 for a new one to remove distortion problem
- Changed Hit1.mp3 for a new one to remove distortion problem
- Changed Endgame zoom to a new smoother better looking routine
- Changed Guard.mp3 for a new sound for laser beast movement
- Changed Mother.mp3 for a new sound for hurry up ships movement
- Changed Graphic for laser beast, now animated
- Changed Made ace mode border a little darker for better visibility
- Changed Flare and particle system when an alien dies. Making the effect nicer
- Changed Engine flare on player 1's ship to be a little nicer


v1.2e(S) Released 27.03.2005
****************************
- Fixed The other big alien on level 36
- Fixed Profile bonus rounds bug
- Added Warning for newsfeed and 56k users


v1.2e Released 25.03.2005
*************************
- Fixed Getting stuck on level 98 (invisible alien)
- Fixed Animation cycle of Big Bosses - Caused invisible bosses
- Fixed Animation cycle of big alien on level 36
- Fixed Aliens getting stuck on level 65
- Fixed Game speed after a Time Trial game if set to Ace skill mode in menu
- Added More crash capture code to help find problems
- Added Check input options so 1 key cannot be used for 2 functions
- Added News retrieval message screen
- Added New profile import code for 1.2c profiles
- Added Right mouse button now speeds up the news ticker
- Changed HOF checking - now checks email address as well
- Changed News is now loaded during the show of initial splash screen
- Changed News code to add some better functionality
- Changed Meteor Storm distance meter (much nicer)
- Changed Aliens in Time Trial now also fully updated
- Changed Screenshots are now saved to a folder


v1.2d Released 18.03.2005
*************************
- Fixed Money from Big Boss (less money). Previous fix had a bug
- Fixed Missing voice trigger
- Fixed Triple Buffer mode is NOT on by default now
- Fixed A couple of Meteor Storm percentages
- Fixed Aliens WILL now speed up per 100 levels in windowed mode
- Fixed Time Trial mode playing at selected skill level fps
- Fixed An fps setting bug when loading the game and playing certain skills
- Fixed Scoop now works on both ships in mirror mode
- Fixed Both ships can now pick up gems in mirror mode
- Fixed Captured aliens now show on the mirrored fighter
- Fixed Opening of IE windows. They now open fully maximised to users desktop
- Fixed Kamikaze bonuses for player 2
- Fixed Clearing of profile on cheat detection (now fully clears)
- Added Intro animation (very nice)
- Added Flare effects to all weapons (can be turned off)
- Added Retire option in the game exit menu (press escape ingame)
- Added New particle routines
- Added Particle routine to bonus round text
- Added Particle routine to scoop (different colours for both players)
- Added Particle routine to both players ships trails
- Added Particle routine to rockets from player and hurry up ships
- Added Particle routine to Big Boss hits
- Added Particle routine to Big Alien hits
- Added Particle routine to Memory Station start and end texts
- Added Particle routine to Meteor Storm start and end texts
- Added Particle routine to Gem Drop start text
- Added Bird counter in border
- Added News Ticker (see F11 option in manual)
- Added EMV logo on startup
- Changed Hurry Up ships speeds a bit at high levels
- Changed the menu option "flare explosions" to "flare effects"
- Changed Almost all the alien and big boss graphics
- Changed Laser Beasts laser
- Changed Lots of sound effects
- Changed All sound effects are now in mp3 format
- Changed Backgrounds (higher quality, better choices)
- Changed Background stars (higher quality)
- Changed All border graphics for each skill mode
- Changed Meteor Storm distance meter is now in border
- Changed Meteor Storm distance meter swaps sides for 2 player
- Changed Game speed limiters per 100 levels have been removed


v1.2c Released 25.08.2004
*************************
- Fixed Submit tool wouldn't load if there was no default printer
- Fixed Using longnames in profile and not showing correctly in HOF
- Fixed Some other longname issues
- Fixed Bonuses from a group of aliens sometimes caused the score to go to -1
- Fixed Minimise game in windowed mode then lock the PC. Game would always crash
        when you try to restore it
- Fixed If submit is open it will now reload highscore list on next activation
- Added Some extra crash report info (window or fullscreen)


v1.2b Released 24.08.2004
*************************
- Fixed Problems with resetting the profile times (fastest times)
- Fixed Bug that gave all profiles the same serialcode
- Fixed Screenshot function for windowed mode
- Fixed Shop "lights" so they follow shop out
- Fixed Some holes in the shop graphics
- Changed speed of falling 2nd type aliens


v1.2 Released 22.08.2004
************************
- Fixed ? in game stats in highscore list entries
- Fixed Massive bonus scores in bonus rounds (requires a HOF reset again, sorry)
- Fixed A missing voice trigger
- Fixed Explosion sparks error (huge numbers)
- Fixed Game sometimes showed the wrong highscore on starting a new game
- Fixed Game wouldn't run if no internet connection was available
- Added Dialog box to say there is no new version after an online check
- Added Warning dialog to the F10 new version function
- Fixed By default it won't check for a new version of the game
- Fixed Old profiles now have the game settings reset
- Fixed Constantly spinning scooped aliens
- Fixed You should no longer see scores shown as a * or / or % any more
- Fixed Skull secret working again
- Added Extra joypad assignments for pause and profile view
- Fixed 1 sample filename was wrong
- Fixed Mouse showing in MeteorStorm after pressing escape twice
- Fixed Recorded gametime errors in profile AND highscore stats
- Fixed If no voicepacks available and user pressed V the game would hang
- Fixed No shield seen. May be fixed for some video cards
- Fixed Full install download cleaned up a little
- Fixed Bullet speed bonus points if max bullet speed is owned
- Added Big points bonus for all secrets in one game
- Fixed If default profile is deleted the game would still ask for a password
- Added New shop item descriptions
- Fixed A few other things which we can't tell you about ;-)
- Fixed Drunk meteorstorm secret fixed
- Fixed xC secret
- Added Meteorstorm percentages
- Updated Meteorstorm secrets and methods (for you lot to learn)
- Fixed Game should now always progress to level 2
- Fixed A few fps related bugs when playing with no vsync
- Fixed Possibly fixed the Boss crashes
- Added A new double/triple buffer mode option for different video cards
- Added Warning about ranks on new easy profile creation
- Fixed Champion rank re-added to easy profiles
- Added Option to choose sequential or random ingame music
- Fixed Meteorstorm gems are now worth 5 each
- Fixed Items from bonus locks are properly ordered
- Fixed Warp graphic not reloaded after alt/tab
- Updated A few sound effects
- Added A few more sound effects
- Added Some neat explosion graphics
- Fixed 1 pixel border misalignment
- Added CrashReportSender.exe (see "starting the game" section)
- Added Confirmation in shop of weapon already owned + other information
- Added Full new icon set
- Added New menu options in the profile (backup, restore, reset, change name)
- Fixed Text bonus values in gemstorms
- Added Something in Memory Stations ;-)
- Added Right mouse can now speed up the endgame credits
- Added WINDOWED MODE !
- Fixed A border error while viewing a profile in demo mode


v1.1 Released 31.05.2004
************************
- Added Quite a few new secret bits and bobs ;-)
- Added 2 new bonus drops
- Added Detection and notification of new Warblade releases ingame
- Added 10 second countdown in memorystation
- Added Accelerator in meteorstorm
- Added Numerous new voice triggers
- Added A few new sound effects
- Added New explosion sounds for bombs and cool new graphic effect
- Added New flare explosions for remaining enemies
- Added New lock in timetrial
- Added New Screenshot function - F7 in menu
- Added New meters next to ship for various timed bonuses
- Added New blinking lights on fighters
- Added New warp effects on fighter
- Added Bonus points for acquiring rockets over 50
- Added New effect during endgame credits
- Added MP3's now continue where they left off after a music change
- Added Chosen voiceset "welcome" is played when profile password is entered
- Added Preset menu at start (only first time)
- Added Possibility to view profiles
- Added Easy profiles
- Added Voice volume control
- Added Check for Welcome and Goodbye sounds in voice folder or default is used
- Added Framerate check for gamespeed
- Added Fireworks for winner at 2 player duel endgame
- Fixed Recorded gametime is now very accurate. Paused game time is not recorded
- Fixed Ending now has two modes
- Fixed Game will now be a bit faster evey 100th level
- Fixed If no 3D card was available the game could crash
- Fixed Shop items gfx was not showing
- Fixed Level 65 had some aliens that got stuck outside the screen.
- Fixed Starting a new game very quickly started on level 2
- Fixed Text for locks when viewing profile ingame went behind borders
- Fixed Catching a gemstorm in a bonus round meant losing the bonus round
- Fixed Pressing escape twice in memorystation quit game
- Fixed Being able to fire rocets after you die
- Fixed Being able to fire rockets in meteor storm
- Fixed Locks now always give best weapon
- Fixed Big bosses disappearing
- Fixed Jukebox issues (re-create your playlists)
- Fixed Shop rollover sound issue
- Fixed Memory station skull issue
- Fixed Money Ship now has an explosion
- Fixed Money going up to money ship is released on its death
- Fixed Multiple submit tools opening
- Fixed Many game gfx that had dirty masks
- Fixed After a pause in a gemdrop small gems would appear
- Fixed Certain sounds not heard sometimes
- Fixed The quiet lock remains quiet
- Fixed Large bonus messages were overlapping
- Fixed Secrets now remain in shop until bought AND done
- Fixed Esc, continue, pause bug
- Fixed Laser shooting offscreen
- Fixed Laser changing to single shot after pressing tab
- Fixed Bug on 250 million score lock
- Fixed A few rank related bugs
- Fixed Issue with xC secret
- Fixed Scores being randomly reset at 4th boss
- Fixed Modchange after bigbosses
- Fixed Looping of ingame modules
- Fixed Alt Tab issues during endgame credits
- Fixed Endgame credits not looping
- Fixed Alt Tab game icon
- Fixed Profile protection (ongoing)
- Fixed Pressing I ingame to turn high intensity bullets on and off
- Fixed Endless level 1
- Fixed Max money check
- Fixed If p1 has lost all lives in duel the voice still says get ready players
- Fixed 2 player mode, player 2 was holding his hit count in bonus levels
- Fixed 2 player mode, player 2 follows the rank of player one
- Fixed Player 2 remains ensign but at endgame the correct rank is shown
- Fixed When in the background the game was eating 98% CPU time
- Updated RNG for better and faster generating.
- Updated Bosses get tougher every 100 levels
- Updated Endgame bonuses
- Updated Screenshot function
- Updated Manual.txt
- Updated Accounts are now recoded and changed to Profiles
++ Lots of secret changes...


v1.0 Released 12.12.2003
************************
- First release of the full version 1.0
- Millions of bugs fixed. Many new features - too much to remember and list.
- Possibly more bugs created ;-)


Added in Beta 11 Release 4
**************************
- Fixed perfect bonus bug
- Fixed level pack verification


Added in Beta 11 Release 3
**************************
- Fixed shop secret bug.
- Added increasing perfect bonus level bonus
- Fixed bug with bullets bar 
- Added more locks to account system
- Better GDES
- Fixed some other small bugs


Added in Beta 11 Release 2
**************************
- Fixed warp malfunction bug
- Fixed alien disappearing from left edge of playfield


Added in Beta 11 Release 1
**************************
- Included the meteorgfx in the game
- Added Speed, bullets and time bars
- Fixed bug in duel playmode when getting to a bonus round
- Error when exiting hopefully gone
- Fixed some blt errors
- Added background to lock tips
- Added new secret
- Added Close Account to the account window
- Added Print Hiscores to the Hiscore Tool (Submit tool)
  * User can now print out a selected hiscore table
  * User can select font, color, background image and other settings for the
  print out
- Added Merge Hiscores to the Hiscore Tool (Submit tool)
  * User can now merge two hiscore files into one.
  * User can email his/her hiscore file to an email address
- Fixed Submit Hiscore
- Added Submit all hiscores button
- Fixed some levels where aliens got stuck outside of screen
- Updated all kamikaze levels, some aliens disappeared when they turned
- Updated name of bonus games mp3. Are now meteorstorm.mp3 and memorystation.mp3
- updated name of promoted mp3. It's now promoted.mp3
- Updated and added some account locks
- Added point score when full up with either Armour, speed, or bullets
- Fixed formating of score values. Now supports at least 999 billions!
- Changed some game logic
- Added check to init of memorystation to make sure there is always a pair
- Added wait to button released to showing of secret in shop
- Optimized the info showing in the sidebars
- Display meteorstorm distance meter when showing meteorstorm score


Added in Beta 11 Release 0
**************************
- Account system introduced. Very big addition!
- Collision detection with bonuses fixed
- 75 levels
- more secrets added
- web and email links added to the credit screen.
- 3D sparks added to the explosions
- Added small bullets to War.i.plasma (was missing)
- Disappearing kamikaze aliens fixed
- Scoope sound stopping fixed
- Many new ranks added
- New and very fast random number generator
- ping sound delay of missiles is now indicating distance between player and
  missile.
- new display format for numbers xx.xxx.xxx vs xxxxxxxx
- Player can now see how much extra speed, extra bullets and extra time he have
  collected.
- starting and stopping of MP3 files should be better
- switching between MoD and MP3 should be better
- and more that I don't remember ;-)


older development info is lost