Blob Wars

Blob Wars : Gameplay Manual 
Episode I : Metal Blob Solid

License and Disclaimer

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
See the GNU General Public License for more details.

Introduction

Blob Wars : Metal Blob Solid is a platform game, not unlike those found
on the Amiga and SNES. The object of the game is to take on the role of 
solider Blob, Bob, and play through the various levels and attempt to 
rescue as many MIA (Missing In Action) Blobs as possible. This is not 
quite as straight forward as it sounds, since the MIAs will often be not 
directly reachable and will require some extra thought. Bob also has to 
contend with environmental hazards, alien invaders and assimilated Blobs.

The Story

Bob is a solider in the Blob Army. Many years ago the Blobs' Homeworld was 
invaded by a race of symbiotic cybernetic organisms. Since then the Blobs 
have faced a lifetime of war. Recently the Blob Army has decided to fall 
back, regroup and change their offensive strategy. But some soliders did 
not regroup. They were marked as Missing In Action and left. However one 
solider was not happy with this arrangement.

Bob made it his mission to go out and "Bring Our Boys Home". There had 
been enough loss of life already and Bob wanted to bring back as many 
soliders as possible, even if he died trying.

But one thing puzzled him. The aliens could have wiped out their planet in 
just a matter of months. But they hadn't. The aliens could have taken all 
the resources they wanted and left. But they hadn't. What were they really 
after? And why?

Controls

   Title / Options
   Arrow Up / Arrow Down - Change menu selection
   Arrow Left / Arrow Right - Change menu option
   Enter / Space / LCtrl - Accept
   Escape - Back

   Hub
   Mouse - Move Cursor
   Left Mouse Button - Select Icon Option / Select Destination
   Right Mouse Button - Destination Information

   In Game (whilst on the ground)
   Arrow Left / Right - Move Left / Right
   Arrow Up - Jump
   LCtrl - Fire
   Space - Activate Jetpack (once aquired)

   In Game (whilst swimming)
   Arrow Up / DownSwim - Up / Down
   Arrow Left / Right - Swim Left / Right
   LCtrl - Fire

   In Game (General)
   Tab - Radar Map
   P - Pause Game
   Escape - In Game Menu

   Misc
   F10 - Toggle Full Screen
   Alt + Return - Toggle Full Screen

Starting a New Game

From the Title screen select "Start New Game" then choose your difficulty 
level. Depending on the difficulty you choose the game will play in a 
different manner. Below is a table of how the difficulty level affects the 
game play,

Practice
   Optionally complete various tasks
   Unlimited continues
   (This is just a training level. It does not count toward the game)

Easy
   Rescue MIAs
   No further objectives (no Boss missions either)
   Few Enemies
   Enemies spawn slowly and in few numbers
   Enemies attack rarely 
   
Normal
   Rescue MIAs
   Complete additional required objectives
   Normal number of enemies
   Enemies spawn normally and in normal numbers
   Enemies attack normally 
   
Hard
   Rescue MIAs
   Complete additional required objectives
   Large numbers of enemies
   Enemies spawn rapidly and in great numbers
   Enemies attack constantly 
   
Extreme
   Rescue ALL MIAs
   Complete ALL Objectives
   Large numbers of enemies
   Enemies spawn rapidly and in greater numbers
   Enemies attack constantly
   You must complete the mission within a set time 
   (This setting cannot be attempted until you have complete the game 
   once)

Keyboard Configuration

To change the controls select Keyboard Configuration from the Options 
screen.
The currently configured button will be displayed to the right of the 
action. To configure an action highlight the action you wish to set (using 
the arrow keys on the keyboard) and then press Return. The current button 
configuration entry will disappear and allow you to press the new key you 
wish to use. After doing so the new button will then be displayed.
Repeat this process until you have configured all the keys you wish to. 
Key configuration is saved to a file called keyboard.conf in 
~/.parallelrealities/blobwars/. Configuration is saved only once and not 
on a save game basis.

If you wish to test out your configuration and tweak the settings to your 
liking it is recommended that you start a game in Practice mode where you 
can easily tweak and buttons and test the output.

Joystick Configuration

Should you have a joystick / joypad connected then you will be able to 
configure the controls in this screen. The controls that can be configured 
map to the actions that can be performed in the game. eg - Up, Down, Left, 
Right, Fire, etc.

The currently configured button will be displayed to the right of the 
action. To configure a joypad action highlight the action you wish to set 
(using the arrow keys on the keyboard) and then press Return. The current 
button configuration entry will disappear and allow you to press the new 
button on your joystick. After doing so the new button will then be 
displayed.

Repeat this process until you have configured all the buttons you wish to. 
Joypad configuration is saved to a file called joystick.conf in 
~/.parallelrealities/blobwars/. Configuration is saved only once and not 
on a save game basis.

If you wish to test out your configuration and tweak the settings to your 
liking it is recommended that you start a game in Practice mode where you 
can easily tweak and buttons and test the output.

Options

Various options are available to the player. These options can be set from 
the Title screen, the Hub or from In Game. Highlight an option by pressing 
the Up or Down arrow keys and then the Left or Right arrow keys in order 
to change the option's value.

   Fullscreen
   Toggles fullscreen mode. Either Off or On.

   Sound Volume
   Changes sound volume. Slide the bar left or right to 
   decrease or increase the sound volume.

   Music Volume
   Changes music volume. Slide the bar left or right to 
   decrease or increase the music volume.

   Output Type
   Change the game's audio output type. You may select None, 
   Mono or Stereo. 
   The game will have to be restarted in order for a change from Mono 
   to Stereo to take effect.

   Auto Save Slot
   Selects the save slot the game will auto save the game 
   to. Choose from slots 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.

   Brightness
   Changes the brightness. Slide the bar left or right to 
   decrease or increase the brightness of the display.

   Blood and Gore
   Toggles the blood during gameplay. Either Off or On.

   Configure Keyboard
   Go to the key configuration menu.

   Configure Joysticks
   Go to the joystick configuration menu.
   (disabled if no joysticks are detected)

How to Play

Playing Blob Wars : Metal Blob Solid is very straight forward. If you have 
ever played games such as Super Mario Brothers then you will get the hang 
of the game very quickly. Blob Wars : Metal Blob Solid has game play 
elements more closely related to The New Zealand Story though, since you 
have weapons with which to attack and can do other things such as swim.
You can move Bob around the game world by using the arrow keys (see 
Controls) and using left CTRL to fire your current weapon. Due to the 
nature of the game, there are no ammunition restrictions so you can use 
your current weapon as much as you want. Also note that it is not possible 
to manually change weapons. To change your weapon you must pick up a 
weapon icon.

Remember to keep an eye on your health (the red squares at the top of the 
screen). When you take damage you will lose a red square (or more 
depending on how you were damaged!). Bob is killed when all his health is 
depleted. At this point the game ends and you fail the mission. If you 
have reached a checkpoint before this time you will be given the option to 
continue (see Checkpoints). You get health back by picking up Cherries (a 
Blob's staple diet). One Cherry restores one unit of health so grab them 
whenever you see them.

When swimming you have a limited amount of oxygen. Your current oxygen is 
represented by a set of blue squares to the right of your health. When you 
are underwater these squares are slowly removed. Once they run out your 
health will quickly begin to deplete, so don't stay underwater too long! 
You get oxygen back when you are out of the water.

Blob Wars : Metal Blob Solid is divided into various missions, each with 
their own objectives. Depending on the level of difficulty you play on the 
number of objectives will change. For all difficulty levels you will be 
required to rescue a certain amount of MIAs. Other difficulty levels will 
have other objectives that you will be required to complete. See 
"Completing Missions" for more information.

Rescuing MIAs

To rescue an MIA you simply walk into them. They will then be 
automatically teleported back home. This however is not always easy. Since 
you can only rescue an MIA by walking into them, you must first be able to 
do so. Some MIAs will be in high places, others behind doors. You may have 
to over come certain obstacles and other factors before you can rescue 
them.

Objectives

As well as rescuing MIAs, some missions have other objectives. These can 
vary from finding objects, to defeating a certain enemies or number of 
enemies. Before a mission can be cleared you must first complete all the 
required objectives. Special objectives, such as Exiting a Mission, can 
only be achieved once all the other required objectives are completed. If 
that sounds complicated, don't worry, you'll get the idea! See "Completing 
Missions" for more information.

You can see a list of objectives by pressing "P" to pause the game. This 
will also show each objective's completion status, including how much more 
is needed to be done.

Completing Missions

In order to complete a mission in Blob Wars : Metal Blob Solid, you will 
need to complete all the required objectives. For most missions this will 
involve rescuing a certain number of MIAs. The required objectives change 
depending on which level of difficulty you are playing on.

The mission "Grasslands" requires you to rescue 5 MIAs. If you have set 
the difficulty to Normal or above then you will also be required to find a 
Transmitter.

During the course of the mission you will receive checkpoints. These 
checkpoints allow you continue if you are killed during the mission. See 
below for more information.

Checkpoints

Upon completing objectives you will be awared a checkpoint. A checkpoint 
allows you to restart the mission from a certain point if you are killed 
during play. When you are presented with the Game Over text, pressing 
space will bring up the continue options. You may either restart from the 
last checkpoint or return to the title screen. If you did not reach a 
checkpoint when you are killed you will simply be taken back to the title 
screen without prompting.

Checkpoints are also awarded for rescuing half the number of required 
MIAs, all the required MIAs and the total MIAs on a mission. So, if you 
are required to rescue 12 MIAs you will receive a checkpoint after 
rescuing 6 and another for rescuing all 12.

When restarting you will restart from the location you were at when the 
checkpoint was awarded (or the last place where you were on solid ground). 
You will restart with half your full health and everything you did before 
you were killed will be the way it was (so, if you saved an MIA after a 
checkpoint and were killed before receiving another you won't have to 
rescue the MIA again). Checkpoints can only be used a maximum of 3 times. 
Everytime you receive a checkpoint notice you will be allowed to continue 
a further 3 times. The number of continues remaining is noted in brackets 
next to the Continue option.

Note that due to the nature of the game it is not possible to continue on 
Boss missions.

Game Over

The game ends when Bob is killed during a mission (his health is reduced 
to 0). At this point you will be presented with a Game Over message. If 
you have managed to receive a check point (from completing objectives) you 
will be given the option to return to this check point or quit to the 
title screen. Otherwise you will be taken back to the title screen.

Hub

The Hub is the place you will spend time between missions. The Hub allows 
you to select which mission you will next undertake and also give you 
information relating to the missions you have just done, which MIAs you 
have currently rescued and some overall game statistics.

The hub can be effectively divided into three different areas - The Map, 
the Destination Bar and the Action Bar

The main screen of the Hub is the map. The map will show various locations 
that can be visited (represented by animated red shapes). Placing the 
mouse cursor over these locations will show their name just above the 
cursor. To select a destination left click on the location. The 
Destination Bar will change to reflect the name destination you have 
choosen. Right clicking on the location will display statistics about the 
location (more on that in a minute!).

The Action Bar has 6 options - Start, Info, MIAs, Stats, Options and Quit.
Clicking on Start will allow you play the mission you have currently 
selected (as Selected Destination).

Info will display information about the destination you have selected. You 
will be shown how many MIAs you have rescued in that area and which 
objectives you have currently completed. This will be useful to you later 
in the game when you wish to revisit missions in order to complete them 
fully. A briefing is available for missions that have yet to be cleared 
and an objective summary is available afterwards.

MIAs displays a list of all the MIAs that you have and haven't currently 
rescued. The list is updated once an area is cleared. The list shows the 
MIAs names, locations and their status (Found or Missing). Like the Info 
screen this is useful for discovering what levels need to still be 
rescued. Click in the Left and Right arrows to scroll through the various 
pages.

Stats gives you some information on how you are currently doing in the 
game. Most of the information here is just for fun. There are three pages, 
giving various bits of information. One thing to note - You may notice 
that the Percentage Complete statistic fluctuates a lot. This is because 
this is a percentage of what is currently known and not an overall 
percentage. So you may notice that at one stage it says 60% and then after 
finishing a stage it says 55%!

Enemies

The aliens are now littered around the Blobs' homeworld. Most of them have 
taken over the bodies of Blob soliders and are using them for their evil 
purposes. Some others travel around in their robot housing. Most of the 
enemies are easily dealt with - A single shot will take them down. But 
what they lack in defence they make up for in weaponary. Here are just a 
couple of the enemies you may encounter,
   
   Pistol Blob
   Once a cadet in the Blob army this Blob has been 
   assimilated by the alien's nano technology. Weak and poor shots, 
   these Blobs can still cause Bob problems in large numbers. Their 
   green colouring is the result of alien's assimilation process.
   
   Eye Droid
   A floating alien sentry. Given the ability to fly by its 
   Anti Gav unit, it will attack Bob on sight. Easily downed... but 
   keep a safe distance, these suckers explode!

   Other Blobs, 
   ariel and swimming enemies exist. Keep your eyes peeled...

Bosses

During the course of them game (except Easy) you will encounter Bosses. 
These are often Blobs that the aliens have experimented on and 
transformed into hidious creatures. They are a lot stronger than normal 
enemies, attack differently and are all very dangerous. Bob will have to 
confront each other these bosses before he can move on. In some cases 
the boss's base area will also contain a item that essential to Bob's 
progress within the game.

Galdov

Galdov is the alien leader. He looks strangely like the Blobs, except 
for the fact that he is entirely robotic. He has been dubbed Metal Blob 
by the Blobs for his appearence seems to harbour a secret to the Blobs' 
past, the reason the aliens have attack their world and the myths and 
legends of "war". 

A particular times in the game you will be required to battle Galdov. He 
is more powerful than regular enemies and has more weapons available at 
his disposal. Don't linger.

Weapons

There are five different weapons that Bob can get in Blob Wars : Metal 
Blob Solid,

   Pistol
   This is your standard weapon and the weapon that 
   Bob always begins a mission with. Compared to the other weapons it 
   seems rather wimpy due to its slow during rate. However it is the 
   only weapon that can be fired underwater!
   
   Machine Gun
   Somewhat the same as the pistol except for the high 
   firing rate. This is a useful mission for clearing large numbers of 
   enemies quickly.
   
   Grenades
   Grenades bounce around and explode on contact. The explosion 
   is enough to take out a few enemies within a small radius. Although 
   grenades cannot be thrown underwater, it is possible to jump out of 
   the water and throw a grenade. Careful timing can help to take out 
   enemies in the water. The explosion from your own grenades cannot 
   harm you, so don't worry. Grenades also have other uses, since they 
   can be thrown into places Bob may not be able to normally access...
   
   Laser Cannon
   Slow to fire but has the devestating effect of passing 
   through the enemy it strikes. A single laser bolt can take out a 
   great deal of enemies. It also bounces if it hits something solid, 
   which means that it can strike enemies both in front and behind you!
   
   Spread
   A three way spread weapon. It is good for taking out enemies 
   above and below. Has a decent firing rate too!

Items

Besides the weapon pick ups there are also a couple of others you should 
be aware of,
   
   Cherry
   A cherry will restore one unit of valuable health to you. Make 
   sure you pick them up as soon as you see them. Cherries can also be 
   found in pairs or in a large bunch, restoring 2 and 5 units of 
   health respectively. 

   Keycards
   Keycards and keys are used to access doors and other places 
   in the game. Search the levels carefully to find them.
   
   Points
   These are points pods. They increase your score and come in 
   various different flavours.

Aqua Lung and Jetpack

Two special unique items appear in the game - An Aqua Lung and a Jetpack. 
These two items are both essential for progressing further in missions and 
also for rescuing all the MIAs. Some missions will require you to have one 
of these two items so you can play them properly.
       
The Aqua Lung provides the player with an unlimited supply of oxygen, so 
you can stay underwater forever. You will then be able to reach MIAs and 
areas that you were previously unable to. There is no need to activate 
this item, it is used automatically when you enter water. You will also 
notice that there is no longer an oxygen meter at the top of the screen. 
Note that the Aqua Lung does not protect you from slime and lava.
       
The Jetpack allows the player to fly for a short time when it is 
activated. Press Space and then use the directional buttons to fly in the 
direction you desire. There are two things to note about the Jetpack - 
Unlike enemies, when flying Bob will suffer inertia... that is to say, if 
you are flying left and then push right you will have to slow down before 
you can begin flying right. You can however fly one way and shoot another 
using this technique. The second thing to note is that the Jetpack has an 
energy limit. Whilst it is activated it will lose power. The remaining 
power is shown at the top of the screen (in place of oxygen). When the 
power runs out, the Jetpack will automatically disengage. The Jetpack 
recharges whilst it is not in use. Note that the Jetpack cannot be 
reactivated if it has less than 3 units of power.

These items will become available as your progress through the game. They 
are unique so only need to be found once (so don't panic if you haven't 
found them, you can't miss them!).

Misc Gameplay Information

As you progress through the game you may notice that some levels have 
objectives marked as "???????????". These objectives (at the time) are 
optional but all will be revealed much later into the game's story.
There is no need to worry about completing these objectives until you are 
prompted to by the game.

About

Parallel Realities started off writing games on the Amiga using AMOS and 
then, later, Blitz Basic 2. Games written included the BOTSS Trilogy and 
most notably TANX Squadron. TANX Squadron was awarded Amiga Format's 
contributor prize of the month in the summer of 1999. Project: Starfighter 
was Parallel Realities' first contribution to the Linux gaming scene and 
was well recieved when it was released in 2003.

Blob Wars : Metal Blob Solid is our second contribution to Linux and we 
hope you enjoy it as much as Project: Starfighter. Like Starfighter the 
game went through several incarnation before the platform game was decided 
on. The original game involved a Capture the Flag type affair whilst the 
second was centered on a Blob agent called Solid Blob and his (rather 
dopey) companion, Bob.

The game direction changed when we wanted something a little faster paced 
and with more replay value. The game changed from its top down view point 
to a platform game and the Evil Blobs became assimilated Blobs. Bob later 
became the hero of the game now known as Metal Blob Solid.
       
Blob Wars : Metal Blob Solid
Copyright © 2004 Parallel Realities
Licensed under the GNU General Public License
www.parallelrealities.co.uk