
[ The original 1995 readme.  I preserve it mostly as it was.
  Deleted the shareware plea for money.
  Deleted reference to the level editor, which is lost.
   http://noreason.ca/?file=software    
]

 'ARROWS'

  which is a game by
  J.S. Day and
  AXIS COMPUTER SYSTEMS         
                               
 October, 1995  
   version 1.0.2b


 INTRODUCTION

  ARROWS is a really cool game that I invented while drawing on my
   desk in math class in grade 10 or so.  I programmed it a few days
   later in BASIC, and the game became a great hit and was as widely
   distributed as the entire grade 11 computer science class before the
   teacher found it on the hard drives and deleted the only (known)
   remaining copies, as my floppy had gone bad.

  Well this new version is somewhat faster and more interesting to
   play.  It may seem difficult at first.  Once you get good at it,
   you will enjoy it.

  Oh yeah, and I should mention that this program was in its entirety
   conceived designed and written by Jeremy Day (also referred to as
   'me'), and I did it for no good reason at all, considering that I
   have more important projects to work on.


 INSTRUCTIONS

  Starting the Game

     Install all the included game files (see FILES INCLUDED) in
    a directory.  Make that directory the current one.  Type
    'ARROWS' and press ENTER.

    Note for OS/2 users:  Dos settings - set HARDWARE TIMER = ON

  Playing the Game

     There are a few basic instructions included which you can get
    by pressing 'I' at the title screen.

     The idea is, you have to follow the maze of little arrows which
    will appear on the screen, collecting points as you go.  Points
    are those little flashing spheres.  Once you've collected what
    you feel is enough of them, move on to the next level by heading
    for the exit, that funny-looking thing in the lower-right corner.

     When you start out, you'll notice a little timer bar at the
    bottom of the screen.  It is counting out the seconds you are
    given as a head start.  The thing over which you are given a
    head start is a nasty little rotating thing which follows 'you'
    around the maze, duplicating your every move and slowly catching
    up.  If you collide with it, you lose.  This should provide you
    with some incentive to finish each level reasonably quickly.

     One trick which may make things easier is the fact that you
    don't always have to follow the maze of little arrows.  You
    can also create your own arrows - by pressing SHIFT-direction,
    you will turn towards direction even though there's no arrow
    around.  Now, you can't do this just any time you feel like
    it, if you could the game would be pretty trivial.  Once you've
    created an arrow like this, you can't do it again until you've
    passed through an arrow that's already there.  This will make
    sense when you try it.

     The object of the game is to collect points, get through the
    many levels of mazes, and become clever and proficient in finding
    paths through two-dimensional mazes of arrows.  This is much
    more challenging and interesting than your ordinary two-d maze
    game, trust me.

     Most levels are randomly generated by an algorithm I invented
    myself and don't understand at all.  Every five levels you'll
    find one that isn't randomly generated, but cleverly designed
    to be tricky in some way.


 FILES INCLUDED

  README       - this file
  ARROWS.EXE   - the executable
  ARROWS.BIN   - some binary data
  ARRFL.?      - ?->[0,5] more game data
  EGAVGA.BGI   - the video driver file


[2003 update: changed email address, elided address.]

 Send your comments, snide remarks, job offers, etc. to:

       AXIS COMPUTER SYSTEMS             | E-mail:
       xxxx Memorial Ave., Suite #yyy    | nor@noreason.ca
       Thunder Bay, Ontario, CANADA      |
        P7B 4A3                          |

