============================================
Platypus
Copyright © 2004 Idigicon Ltd./Retro64 Inc.
Presented by GameHouse, Inc.
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FAQ
---

Q. What is "Passive Resistance"?

You may notice a blimp in the background of the first level with a banner that
reads, "Special Bonus For Passive Resistance." We're not going to tell you what
it means - it's a secret! But it's worth figuring out though. Good luck!

Q. How many levels are there?

There are four areas with five levels in each, for 20 total levels!

Q. How many points do I need for an extra life?

5000, 10000, 20000, 30000, 50000, 70000, 90000, 110000, 125000, 150000, 175000,
200000, 225000, 250000, 275000, 300000, 350000, 400000, 450000, and 500000.

Q. How do I pause the game or quit?

While playing, press the ESC key on your keyboard to pause the action. Press
any other key to continue playing, or press ESC again to quit.


System Requirements
-------------------

- Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP
- 300Mhz or faster Processor
- 32MB RAM
- 16-bit Graphics Support and Sound Card


Gameplay Instructions
---------------------

THE STORY:

The vast, continent-spanning city of Collosatropolis has finally reached the
limits of its expansion. Tall buildings cover every available space. The air is
thick with smoke and poisonous chemicals. Parking is a nightmare.
 
Collosotropolan leaders have decided the simplest solution is to invade
neighboring Mungola. They don't anticipate much of a struggle - Mungolans are
simple, earthy types without much love for industry. Their entire defense force
consists of a single squadron of fighter planes - the venerable F-27 Platypus.

But how much of a threat can a few antique aircraft be?

YOUR OBJECTIVE:

Guide your ship, Platypus, through 4 areas (20 total levels), eventually making
your way into the heart of Collosatropolis - destroying everything in your path.

CONTROLS:

On the Platypus main menu, you can select which type of controller to use for
each player. There are three choices:

- Joy..: Use a joystick or gamepad to control the ship. Use any button to shoot.
- Mouse: Use the mouse to control your ship. Shoot with the left mouse button.
- Keys.: Use your keyboard's arrow keys to move. Fire with Ctrl or the Spacebar.

ENEMIES:

There are two basic types of enemies in Platypus, primary and secondary.

Primary enemies are large and take many shots to destroy. Secondary enemies are
small ships that take only one or two shots to defeat. At the end of each level,
you will receive bonus points based on how many of each are destroyed.

POWERUPS:

When you destroy certain formations of secondary enemies, you will have the
chance to acquire powerups for your ship. Collect these powerups by maneuvering
your ship over a star that has spawned when the formation was destroyed.

There are five different kinds of powerups:

- Yellow Star (Wide Shot).: Shoots a spread pattern of bullets.
- Blue Star (Autofire)....: Shoots bullets at a very fast rate.
- Green Star (Sonic Pulse): Shoots a wide and destructive energy burst.
- Red Star (Rockets)......: Launches very powerful missiles.
- Cyan Star (Lightning)...: Shoots devastating lightning bolts.

On occasion, you can shoot the stars before collecting them to change their
color and give you different powerups. When you have a powerup, there will be a
small counter in the top left corner of the screen. When this counter reaches
zero, your powerup will be gone, so make sure you get the most from it!

BALLOONS AND CRATES:

At certain stages of the game, crates will float up from the bottom of the
screen carried by balloons. Shoot these crates, and collect the special bonuses
that fall. These bonuses include:

- X2.........: Doubles the points for each enemy you destroy.
- Weapon Pods: They attach to your ship giving you extra firepower!
- Coins......: These are worth extra points.

FRUIT:

When you destroy primary enemies, fruit will often fly into the air. After
all, the Collosotropolans have to eat too! Collect the fruit for extra points!
For even more points, shoot the fruit into smaller pieces, then collect them.

CREDITS:

At the bottom of the screen, there will be an indicator showing how many
"credits" you have left. Think of a credit as a "continue." Every time you lose
all your lives, you can use a credit to continue from where you left off. When
you are out of credits, you won't be able to continue and the game will be over.


Registration
------------

Upon completion of your purchase of Platypus, you will receive a license name
and license code. You will need to enter that information into the registration
dialog, and then click on "Enter License Information."

This game can be registered by clicking on the "Buy Now!" button on the trial
dialog, or by visiting the GameHouse.com Store: http://www.gamehouse.com/store/


Troubleshooting
---------------

This software has been tested extensively to make sure it will operate
correctly for all users. If you experience system crashes, error messages or
other incorrect behavior, we suggest you first try one of the following:

1) Upgrade your computer's sound card drivers. This can be done by identifying
the type of sound card your computer is using and finding the manufacturer's web
site. Or, most drivers will be automatically updated if you follow step #2.

2) Upgrade DirectX. This is a Microsoft component and it includes special
drivers for video cards and sound cards for virtually every manufacturer. It is
therefore a very large download, but updating DirectX solves nearly all system
problems encountered with GameHouse games.

DirectX Home Page: http://www.microsoft.com/directx/

For support issues relating to the operation of this software, please use our
customer product support form located at: http://www.gamehouse.com/bugform.jsp


About GameHouse
---------------

GameHouse, Inc. develops many games for the Internet, Windows, Macintosh and
other platforms such as Palm OS. To view the full complement of games available
and play free games online, visit: http://www.gamehouse.com/


Credits
-------

Platypus was created at Idigicon Ltd/Retro64 Inc.:

Design, Code, Graphics & Sound: Anthony Flack
Additional Code: Mike Boeh
Producer: George Bray

With additional contribution from GameHouse, Inc.:

Garrett Link
Rodney Bambao
Chance Warner
Jason Katsanis
Chuck Little
Teagen Densmore
Brandon Godfrey
Kazunori Sasakura


Music Credits
-------------

Platypus music, supplied by http://www.C64Audio.com/
All pieces used by permission.

Title Screen Music:

"Wizball 2000" by Martin Galway.
Performed by Gareth "Tonka of Iridium" Dolloway.
From the CD "Back in Time 2"
(c) 1987 High Technology Publishing Ltd., (p) 1999 High Technology Publishing Ltd.

Option Screen Music:

"Flash Gordon" by Rob Hubbard.
Performed by Alistair "Boz" Bowness and Chris Abbott.
From the CD "Back in Time 3"
(c) 1986 High Technology Publishing Ltd., (p) 2001 High Technology Publishing Ltd.

Level Select Music:

"Shadowfire" by Fred Gray.
Performed by Darren "SeDi" Izzard, Chris Abbott and Alistair "Boz" Bowness.
From the CD "Back in Time 3"
(c) 1985 High Technology Publishing Ltd., (p) 2001 High Technology Publishing Ltd.

Level 1 Music:

"Comic Bakery" by Martin Galway.
Performed by Tomas Danko.
From the CD "Back in Time 2"
(c) 1986 High Technology Publishing Ltd., (p) 1999 High Technology Publishing Ltd.

Level 2 Music:

"Sanxion Loading Theme" by Rob Hubbard.
Performed by Chris Abbott.
(c) 1986 High Technology Publishing Ltd., (p) 2000 High Technology Publishing Ltd.

Level 3 Music:

"Ocean Loader 4" by Jonathan Dunn.
Performed by Alistair "Boz" Bowness.
From the CD "Karma64"
(c) 1987 Jonathan Dunn, (p) 2002 High Technology Publishing Ltd.

Level 4 Music:

"Driller" by Matt Gray.
Performed by Darren "SeDi" Izzard.
From the CD "Back in Time 2"
(c) 1987 Matt Gray, (p) 1999 High Technology Publishing Ltd.

Level Boss Music 1:

Excerpt from "Trap" by Ben Daglish.
Performed by Chris Abbott, Alistair "Boz" Bowness and Jason "Kenz" Mackenzie.
Full version on the CD "Back in Time 3"
(c) 1986 High Technology Publishing Ltd., (p) 2001 High Technology Publishing Ltd.

Level Boss Music 2:

"Armalyte" by Martin Walker. 
Performed by Fabian Del Priore, Tom Boecker, and Phil "Puffy64" Reifke.
From the CD "Back in Time 3"
(c) 1988 Martin Walker (p) 2001 High Technology Publishing Ltd.

CDs with this (and more) music at: http://www.C64Audio.com/theshop/

Thanks to George Bray at Idigicon for supporting the C64 remix community.

C64Audio.com/High Technology Publishing Ltd.


Cheats
------

If you've read down this far, we'd like to reward you!

While playing, hold Alt-F12 and your ship(s) will be invincible.
