Introduction

Now, you will like this game. It's sort of like all those other falling-block games, but with the inclusion of small fluffy animals and circular saw blades (yes, it's that much fun). It uses a super-dooper multi-colour rainbow generator, and do turn up those marvellous beeper sound effects.

You don't need instructions. Just play it. It'll all become clear within a few seconds of starting. There are 10 levels of difficulty, and you can start on any of the first five levels once you get the hang of it.

Okay, there are instructions, after the legal stuff...

Versions

The following versions of this game are indicated both on the game menu screen and vary in the colour of the spatter when eliminating a creature:

1. Buzzsaw+ (Foxton Locks Mix) - Green spatter.
   This is the version which may be downloaded and played for free.
2. Buzzsaw+ (Box Deluxe Mix) - Red spatter and unique Level 10 sprite.
   This version may be purchased from media distributors which I have licensed to act on my behalf. Free downloading of this version is not permitted, and may lead to future releases not being made available in a free version.
3. Buzzsaw+ (Competition Edition) - Magenta* spatter.
   This includes several versions adapted for particular contests, and will only be supplied to the contest organiser. Further distribution is not permitted. (*colour may be subject to change)
4. Buzzsaw+ (Dim Sun Edition) - Cyan* spatter and no colour effects.
   This version contains simple ZX Spectrum colours and character movement, for use on emulators and compatible computers that do not support the colour effects. This version may also be downloaded and played for free. (*colour may be subject to change)

Source Code

Buzzsaw+ (Box Deluxe Mix) is supplied with the entire Z80 assembly language source code for the game and graphics, plus extra features.

This code and all the extra features are Copyright (C) Jason J Railton and may only be used for your own educational purposes. You may not re-use the code in part or in whole in your own developments, and you may not compile and distribute the game from the source code, or any adapted version of it.

This distribution also includes the original Atari ST version of Buzzsaw. Although this can also be obtained for free, the author retains the same rights and copyrights as with the free version of Buzzsaw+ (Foxton Locks Mix).

Loading

LOAD"" (ENTER)

On 128K and later models, use the tape loader menu and play the tape. You do not need to be in 48K mode, although there are no extra features (graphics or sound) in 128K mode.

In ZX Spectrum emulators, load the .TAP file. Make sure that full colour-cycle-accurate timing is turned on. 'Gigascreen smoothing' (anti-flicker frame blending) is not required.

On divIDE devices, select the .TAP file from the file system, then follow the cassette loading instructions above.

Starting The Game

O - Left, P - Right, A - Move Down Faster, M (48K) or SPACE (128K) - Fire/Rotate Anti-Clockwise

H - Hold / Pause (H again or Fire to Un-Pause), CAPS SHIFT + SPACE (whilst paused) - Quit Game

When the game has loaded, it will continue to display the loading screen and play the title theme. Press any key to go to the menu screen.

On the menu screen you may select control by Keyboard, Kempston Joystick, or Sinclair Joystick Port 1 (keys 6-0). You may also redefine the keyboard controls. Default controls are:

Press 'Fire' (the 'Rotate' control) to start on Level 1, or press keys 1-5 to start on the corresponding level. In your next game, Fire will start you at the level you last reached, up to Level 5.

There is also a hidden control on the menu screen. Buzzsaw+ uses some advanced timing to achieve its multi-colour rainbow effects. It will try to determine what computer it is running on and adjust its timing accordingly, but it may get it wrong for some home-modified machines or hardware clones.

The very first time you see the menu screen, you can press 'C' to see the colour mode it has selected ("48K", "128K/+2", "+2A/+3" or "Pentagon"). You can press 'C' again to change mode if it is wrong. You may only do this the first time you see the menu screen. Once the game has started, the timing is locked in and cannot be changed again.

Gameplay

Playing pieces consist of Crates, Creatures, and Weapons (bits of machinery) that fall from the top of the screen into a hopper lined with Crushers. Guide the pieces into place and stack them up.

Make whole rows of Crates to have them removed by the Crushers and score points.

Use the Weapons (particularly the Buzzsaws) to annihilate the Creatures.

Once enough Creatures have been eliminated (according to the gauge on the left) you move to the next level.

Try to get the highest score, or, failing that, the highest single-move bonus.

Hints

1. Look closely at the Buzzsaws until you learn to determine whether they will start running to the left or to the right.
2. Although there is no 'next piece' indicator (I don't like them, I've never liked them, and never used them, so there), listen out for Buzzsaws.
3. Make more than two rows of Crates at a time by eliminating Creatures and letting Crates fall into place.
4. Learn the extra secret of ton weights, and use them wisely.
5. Eliminating Creatures scores more the more are taken out at once. In one move, the first scores 5, then 10, 15, 20 up to 25. So one row of 6 scores 5+10+15+20+25+25=100 Two rows scores that plus another 6 more lots of 25, making 250 points in total, etc. Similarly, crushing one row of Crates scores 100 points but more rows scores more per row. So set up spectacular cascades for big scores.
6. Learn how to force a Star-Bomb. I've already told you how.
7. Try to learn the sequence of Critter Crates, or not.
8. The game increases in difficulty over the first five levels, reducing the regularity of Buzzsaws and introducing other features. For Levels 6-10, it just gets faster. Although with more Goits.
9. Watch out for Goits.
10. Relax, it's only a game.

Story

Seriously, some people expect a plot.

As a night watchman in a packing crate factory you thought may have had to deal with the occasional intruder, but the last thing you expected was to be in the middle of an alien invasion. Now you are. A ship full of squads of miniature marauding mis-shapen aliens chooses your first night at the factory as their night to invade the Earth.

Fortunately for the human race, a malfunction on their mothership causes it to drift dangerously low and crash into the side of the factory where you are on duty. Power surges from the stricken craft activate the damaged factory machinery, trapping the hordes of Creatures in their collapsing craft. As they try to evacuate, they are pulled away by the conveyor belts to the storage bays of the factory.

Rushing to the first storage bay, you see it filling up with Crates, manufactured at a phenomenal rate by the super-charged machinery, now tearing itself apart with the added strain. Amongst these Crates are the malevolent Creatures from another world. Your only hope is to trap the fiends in the disposal hopper, and annihilate them using any bits of the disintegrating machinery that should come your way.

You know that the disposal hopper automatically crushes any rows of Crates placed within it, but the despicable extra-terrestrials confuse its simple detectors and remain immune from its powerful jaws. You must eliminate them for the Crushers to function on the remaining Crates.

Should the stacks reach the top of the hopper, the alien army will spill over the top and escape into the unsuspecting world outside. Only you can save the Earth. How long can you hold back these evil forces?

Blimey.

Jason J Railton, 3 October 2011

Game Credits

Game written by Jason J Railton, for the Sinclair 48K, +, 128K, +2 and +3 ZX Spectrum, and Pentagon.
Game code, sound and graphics Copyright (C) Jason J Railton, October 2011.
Music by Mister Beep, used with permission.

Licence

I, the author, retain all rights and copyrights over this game under prevailing law. If you have obtained this game as a download at no cost, the same terms apply to it under the law as if it was a purchased product. The game, sound and graphics may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

A download of this game gives you, the downloader, and members of your family and household the licence to play this game on any of your home computers. You may not pass on or distribute copies of this game to other parties. You may only refer them to where they may obtain their own legal copy.

A purchased copy of this game gives you, the purchaser, and members of your family and household the licence to play this game on any of your home computers. You may make a copy for personal use or to transfer to other media so long as those copies remain in your possession, and you destroy them should you choose to gift or sell your original copy of the game to another party. You may not pass on or distribute copies of this game to other parties.

You may modify this game in accordance with local law where necessary to enable it to run properly on any of your machines. You may also pass on just those modifications to other parties. However, you may not pass on or distribute the full modified version of the game.

If you wish to distribute this game, please contact the author (Joefish) at the World of Spectrum forums for permission. It may be possible to produce a unique version for your distribution. If you wish to convert this game to another platform, please contact the author to agree terms.

http://www.worldofspectrum.org

The following parties are authorised to distribute this game, besides my own websites (Joefish.co.uk, Railtron.com and Railtron.co.uk). Other parties may be authorised at a later date:

1. "World of Spectrum" - http://www.worldofspectrum.org
2. "Cronosoft" - http://cronosoft.orgfree.com/