Incoming! Release Notes



Incoming! )1993 Gravity.  All Rights Reserved.



Incoming! is released as freeware, but is not public domain.  



This release is 0.99.0b.  



Incoming! was created as a design and programming test on the Newton.  Basically what we wanted to do was see what kind of things could be done with arcade-like animation.  This game is more of a programming demo for us then anything else, but we thought other people might find it entertaining.



Premise:



Based on Missile Command, your mission is to defend your cities from waves of ICBM's.  This is accomplished with the defense missiles you have.  Because of tracking stations already destroyed in the war, you can only track two of your missiles at once.  This means you'll have to choose your shots wisely.  You can't let the enemy missiles get too close, or you won't be able to detonate one of your defense missiles.  Enemy missiles are intercepted by being caught in the nuclear cloud formed when you detonate one of your defense missiles.  Anything caught in these clouds is evaporated.  The enemy has ICBM's and Smart Bombs in their arsenal.  Smart Bombs know how to avoid the nuclear clouds, so unless your shot is timed correctly, you won't destroy them.  Your mission is to defend your cities as long as you can.



Instructions:



The Incoming! package must be downloaded to the Newton.  Once on the Newton, the Incoming! icon will appear in the Extras Draw.  To start a game, click on the Incoming! icon.  This will open the base view of the application.  To start a new Game, click the button labeled New at the bottom of the view.  At the top of the view are the score and your defense missile count.  Your missiles get replenished after each wave has been completed.  After each wave, you are awarded 100 points for every city remaining and 10 points for every defense missile you have left over.  To destroy an enemy missile, tap where you want your defense missile to be detonated.  A nuclear cloud will be formed where you tap, and this cloud will destroy everything it comes in contact with.  To destroy an enemy missile, you have to catch the head of it in a cloud.  You can only have two nuclear clouds on screen at a time.  As the game progresses, your tracking systems get worse, and the radar "ceiling" starts dropping.  When this happens, you'll have less and less time to react to missiles and smart bombs.  Occasionally a bonus 

target will appear.  If you catch this in a cloud, you will be awarded a random  number of bonus points.



Possible future enhancements:



% Add support for storing high scores.

% Add Intelligent Assistant support i.e. "Play Incoming"

% Add user preferences.

% Decrease file size.

% Increase speed.



Comments on the design:



As one would expect, the Newton doesn't seem to be designed for arcade-like games with high-speed animation.  We found that it could only keep up with so many things on the screen at once before things got too slow, this is one of the reasons that we limited the game to only two clouds at a time, and only 5 enemy missiles or smart bombs on the screen at a time.  Any more targets then this and things kind of got unbearable.  All of the animation was done in the appropriate viewIdleScripts.  Maybe future Newtons will be better for games of this type, but the MessagePad can't really handle it.  Well, it wasn't meant for games anyway, but you have to at least try to do it...



Send comments, suggestions, bug reports to:



Internet:

   dupuis@ctron.com

   cleaves@ctron.com

   gravitydevs@aol.com

AOL:

   GRAVITYDEV

AppleLink:

   GRAVITYDEVS



WARNING! Do not run Incoming! on battery power.  Gravity cannot be held responsible for dead Rayovacs. :-)



Watch for future commercial applications from Gravity, coming soon.







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