DESTRUCTION CARNIVAL Version 1.0
(c) 1997 Charles Tumino
Presented by Virtually Real

THIS GAME IS FREEWARE!

Welcome to Destruction Carnival!  As Super-Agent D.S. Troy, your mission is to battle your way through Amadeus' contest and then defeat the evil warlord himself.  The game is separated into three stages, each containing 4 waves of enemies and a boss character.  There is also a bonus stage after the first and second boss encounters, which gives you the chance to earn a 1-UP.  The waves steadily increase in difficulty, introducing new enemies and bringing them on in greater numbers.



-CONTROLS-

During the intro, to skip to the next scene, press CTRL.  Press ESC to go directly to the title screen.

The in-game controls are as follows:

To move around the arena, use the DIRECTIONAL ARROWS.

To hold your aim in one direction (strafe), hold the SHIFT key while you move.  It is VERY IMPORTANT to master this technique if you hope to win!

To fire your primary weapon, press and hold the CTRL key.

To fire a missile (if you have any), press the SPACE BAR.  

To plant a bomb (again, if you have any), press the ENTER key.  You can only plant one bomb at a time.



-WEAPONS-

There are 4 primary weapons in Destruction Carnival:

LASER PISTOL: The standard weapon that you begin with.  It has unlimited ammo, but a low firing rate and speed.
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NOTE: The following weapons are acquired by grabbing powerup icons which appear at random in the arena.  They have limited ammunition, which can be checked in the meter at the lower left of the screen.
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SPREAD SHOT: Fires blue energy blasts in two outward directions.  Great for taking out more than one enemy at a time or pounding tougher enemies up close.  It has an average firing rate and speed.

RAPID PULSE: This weapon fires a rapid barrage of energy in a straightforward direction.  The pulses move at an extremely high speed, making this a formidable weapon for cutting through crowds of enemies or taking out bosses.

FIRE WALL: A wide, powerful blast of energy that travels forward at a reasonably high speed.  This weapon's main advantage is that it cuts THROUGH enemies and does greater damage to Daddy Tentacle and the bosses.

There are also 2 explosive weapons in DC: missiles and bombs.  You begin each battle with ONE of each (they do not carry over from wave to wave.)  Grab missile and bomb icons to increase your supply.

MISSILES: They fire straight and fast, causing a nice-sized explosion which can take out multiple enemies.  Don't fire it at close range, though, as the explosion will take YOU out as well.  You can carry a maximum of 5 missiles.

BOMBS:  Plant one of these babies, then run like the dickens!  The explosion caused by a bomb is huge and long-lasting, with massive destructive potential.  Just make sure you have an escape route planned before you drop one.  You can carry a maximum of 3 bombs.



-ENEMIES-

As you battle your way through each wave, you will encounter a variety of different enemies.

MINES: Okay, so they're not alive and they don't move around, but mines are a constant threat to your life.  The number of mines steadily increases, and their placement is totally random.  Sometimes you'll get lucky and most of the mines will be placed in one part of the arena, leaving you plenty of space to move around in.

MUTANTS: These genetically engineered killing machines can be recognized by their green skin, bald heads, and brown uniforms.  They have no long-range attacks, but will charge at you occasionally.  Their biggest advantage is the fact that they are always in great numbers.

COMMANDOS: These are Amadeus' cybernetically enhanced soldiers.  They carry blasters which fire slow-moving, but deadly, energy bursts.  Keep moving to avoid making yourself an easy target.

MASTERMINDS: Brain-like creatures that float around in glass spheres which channel their mental power, allowing them to fire heat-seeking brain waves at you.  Their brain waves won't kill you directly, but instead disable your gun temporarily (you'll be flashing when your gun is disabled.)  Then they move in for the kill.  Just remember that you still have your explosives.  When you blast a MASTERMIND's glass pod, it will slither around on the ground chasing you down, but can no longer fire brain waves at you.

SLIME BALLS: These gelatinous creatures ooze their way around the arena at a relatively high speed.  When you blast one, it splits into two smaller SLIME BALLS.  Keep your distance, as they have very unpredictable movement patterns.

DADDY TENTACLE: He's a big, blue monster with tentacles surrounding his massive body.  He's not much of a threat himself, except that he takes multiple shots before going down.  The real problem is that he lays EGGS which, if you don't destroy them in time, will hatch small worm-like creatures called HATCHLINGS.

HATCHLINGS: Each egg creates three HATCHLINGS, and they constantly chase you down.  They're small and difficult to hit with your standard laser pistol.  Also, a missile will fly directly OVER them.  Your best bet is to destroy those eggs before they hatch!



-BOSSES-

Before you reach the final boss, AMADEUS, you must face his two top generals, HORACE and EDDINGTON.  I'm not going to give away any more info than that, so you'll have to see them for yourself!



-BONUS STAGES-

After the first two bosses, you will play a bonus game which allows you to earn a 1-UP (extra life.)  Instructions are given before the bonus stage begins.  Trust me, you WILL want these 1-UPs!



-SECRETS-

Hmm.  All I can say is, if and when you win the game, wait for the credits to finish.  Of course, there may be other secrets as well...



-GENERAL INFO-

Destruction Carnival was created with Klik & Play, a game-creation program developed by Europress Software and distributed in the USA by Maxis.  The game was begun on a 50 MHz 486 PC with 8 MB RAM, and completed on a 200 MHz Pentium MMX with 32 MB RAM.  All graphics were created directly in the Klik & Play graphics editor, pixel-by-pixel.  Sounds were recorded, mixed, and edited in Sound Recorder and Goldwave.  Text was created in Microsoft Paint.  This game and all graphics contained within are (c) 1997 Charles Tumino.  Destruction Carnival is FREEWARE, and must be distributed freely and WITHOUT COMPENSATION.  MIDI music is from various sources, used without permission under the condition that no money is being made from this game.

If you wish to contact me, search for the Virtually Real Klik & Play page which should contain my current Email address.  Questions and comments are welcome.