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  This is the README.DOC file for Ferbal (version 1.00),
  Copyright 1995, SoftPaw Development.  This file contains important
  information which you should read at your earliest convenience.
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                                INTRODUCTION

     Ferbal is an arcade-style action game where the objective is to defend
  a planet from waves of incoming hostile forces.  As a native OS/2
  Presentation Manager game, Ferbal is able to take advantage of many of
  OS/2's features to provide fast, fun gameplay without eating up a lot of
  valuable disk space. Ferbal requires the use of a mouse (or other similar
  pointing device).

    SoftPaw Development retains all rights to Ferbal, but allows a trial
  version of it, within certain limitations, to be distributed freely.  See
  Ordering Ferbal later in this document for more information on ordering
  the 'full' version of this product.

    If you obtained a 'trial' version of this product, distributed as the
  self-extracting archive file FERB10.EXE, then SoftPaw Development
  authorizes and encourages you to give a copy of that file, FERB10.EXE,
  to anyone else you know who may be interested in it, as long as the file
  is in it's original, unmodified condition.  You are NOT authorized to
  distribute copies of 'registered' versions of this product.  Uploading
  of FERB10.EXE to Bulletin Boards is also allowed under the same conditions.

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                                HOW TO PLAY

     Ferbal consists of "waves" of incoming hostile forces.  Some will
  attempt to crash into the planet Ferb while others will shoot at the
  planet.  Stop anything from hitting the planet (and the shield) by shooting
  at it to destroy it; this is accomplished by using the mouse to aim the
  crosshairs at the desired target and pressing the left button (button 1)
  to fire.  An expanding circle indicates the blast from your shot; anything
  it hits will take damage.  Some objects are easily destroyed by a single
  shot; others will take many shots to destroy.  A direct hit does more
  damage than a "glancing" blow, so aim well.
     The white circle around the planet represents the shield helping to
  protect it; in the upper right corner of the playing area is displayed the
  percentage of shield remaining.  Once the shield is destroyed, the next
  hit by any object will destroy the planet (and end the game).
     In the lower left corner is shown the current wave number, and your
  score is shown in the lower right corner.  Points are only earned for
  destroying an object; if it "gets away" or hits the shield before you
  completely destroy it, you get no points for any damage done to it.
     Occasionally, the Ferbals who've already escaped will send back
  "energy packets" symbolized by a Ferbal symbol (cat's head).  Shooting
  an energy packet will release the energy contained and increase your
  shield by 1-3%.
     Most waves will only last for around 30 seconds (some shorter, some
  longer), but when you're busy fighting off hordes of speeding ships and
  mines, it can be a very long 30 seconds!
     You will be notified when a wave has ended, and given a "restart" code
  which will allow you to begin from that point in the game at a later date.
  Restarting places you back at that specific wave with the same amount of
  shield, but every time a game is restarted, your score will begin at zero.
  So, if you want to get a really high score, you'll need to play the entire
  game from (or near) the beginning.  Once you've copied down the restart
  code onto paper (if you want to), click on the planet to continue.
     A brief intermission between each wave (showing some Ferbals escaping
  from the planet) will give you a few seconds to relax before the next
  wave begins, and also show you how many Ferbals remain on the planet below.
  If you can postpone the destruction of the planet long enough for all of
  the Ferbals to escape (50 waves), you win the game.
     The best way to learn how to play Ferbal is to do it; Ferbal is very
  straightforward.  Note that the first few levels are extremely easy in
  order to give you a chance to get familiar with gameplay; we recommend
  that you write down the restart code for the first level where it starts
  getting challenging for you so that whenever you begin a new game, you
  don't have to sit through the first few levels if you don't want to (the
  loss in score caused by skipping just the first few levels will be minimal).

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                                 GAME MENU

     The Game submenu provides the following options:

  New - start a new game from the beginning.
  Restart - restart a game using a restart code.
  Title - display the title screen.
  High scores - display the high score list.
  Introduction - begin the introduction.
  Quit - quit a game in progress and/or exit the program.

     Note that Title, High scores and Introduction are disabled while a
  game is in progress, and that Ferbal will automatically cycle through these
  options while no game is being played.

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                               OPTIONS MENU

     The Option submenu provides the following options:

  Sound - displays the sound-control dialog where you can turn sound
    effects on/off, control whether sounds are from the speaker or a sound
    card, and adjust the volume (if supported).
  Window size - allows the size of the game window to be altered.  The
    numbers shown (400, 500, etc) are the size of the game window in pixels
    (screen dots).  Selecting Default will size the game window to the
    largest which will fit on your desktop (going back into the submenu will
    show you which size was selected).  Note that the game window is
    always square, and cannot be resized by "dragging" the corners.
  Ordering Ferbal - for those playing the trial version, this option
    provides information for ordering the real game.

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                             ORDERING FERBAL

    SoftPaw Development retains all rights to Ferbal, but allows a
 trial version of it, within certain limitations, to be distributed freely
 and to be played in order to allow you to determine if you really like the
 game or not.  The trial version only supports 10 of the 50 playing levels
 in the full version.
    Ordering the full (non-trial) version is done via the 'Ordering Ferbal'
 option in the Option menu, and costs $15 via mail or $18 (slightly higher
 than via mail since CompuServe takes a percentage) via CompuServe's
 Shareware Registration facility (GO SWREG and register #8425).
    Ordering the full version provides the following benefits:
 - the latest version of the full 50-level game on disk,
 - a small printed manual which includes playing tips and other information
   not included in the online manual,
 - 90 days technical support,
 - reimbursement for time and effort put into developing this product.

    Note that some or all of the above benefits may not apply to any orders
  accepted on or after January 1, 1998.  Anyone wishing to order this product
  on or after that date is encouraged to look for or inquire about a newer
  version of this product.

    The 'full' (registered) version of this program may be installed on up
  to two personal computers for the private use of a single individual or
  household.  This means that both you and your spouse can legally use a
  single registered version, but NOT you and all your friends.  This means
  that you CAN have it on your desktop computer AND your laptop for your own
  personal use, but NOT on the computer at work for everyone to use (unless
  you get a site-license, see below).  Please abide by the intent of this
  agreement, which is to BE REASONABLE.

    This license also applies, with the above conditions and limitations, to
  any upgrades to this product by SoftPaw Development.  This means that if
  you order version 1.00 and later obtain a copy of version 1.01 (with bug
  fixes, minor enhancements, etc.) you have the right to use the newer
  version (1.01) as a registerd user, IN PLACE OF the prior version (1.00),
  with no additional payment or notice to SoftPaw Development, but with the
  same restrictions.
     Your license does NOT automatically entitle you to 'registered' use of
  any 'sequels' or derivative works (i.e., if there's ever a 'Ferbal II',
  etc.)

     Commercial users, government offices and other institutions should
  contact SoftPaw Development for information on a site-license or volume
  discount.

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                    ENHANCEMENTS and FIXES since v1.00

  Version 1.00  (11/14/95):
    - Initial release.

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                               LEGAL STUFF

    Users of Ferbal v1.00 (where v1.00 refers to all versions of Ferbal
  from version 1.00 up to but not including version 2.00) must accept this
  disclaimer of warranty:
  "Ferbal v1.00 is supplied as is.  SoftPaw Development disclaims all
  warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the
  warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose.  SoftPaw
  Development assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential,
  which may result from the use of Ferbal v1.00."

    Under no circumstances is any program or file which is part of the
  Ferbal v1.00 'package' to be altered, distributed as part of another
  system, or distributed for any kind of remuneration, without first
  obtaining written permission from SoftPaw Development.

    By copyright law, all applicable rights to this software belong to
  SoftPaw Development except as granted by SoftPaw Development in writing.

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                             TECHNICAL SUPPORT

     SoftPaw Development guarantees technical support for this product
 for at least 90 days from the day we accept your payment, provided
 that it is received before January 1, 1998.

     Technical support is also available for non-registered users (or anyone
 else with a problem or question), but is not guaranteed.  We will make
 every effort to resolve problems or questions concerning our products, but
 in cases where resources are limited, priority will typically be given to
 registered users' problems.

     Currently, there are four ways to receive support for SoftPaw Development
 products.

  1)  You may fax us directly at (770) 998-2193,
  2)  send inquiries through the mail to:

       SoftPaw Development
       Technical Support Dept.
       P.O.Box 72846
       Marietta, GA 30007-2846
       USA

  3)  send E-Mail to CompuServe account 74654,1725
 (that's 74654.1725@compuserve.com on the internet),
  4)  or you may post a message on CompuServe in the Application Quest.
 section of the OS/2 User (GO OS2USER) forum.  Be sure to include the word
 'FERBAL' or 'SOFTPAW' in the title to insure that we'll be able to
 easily find it.

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