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Tumblebugs
� Copyright 2005 Wildfire Studios Pty. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Published by GameHouse, Inc.
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For support issues relating to the operation of this software, please use our
support form located at the following URL: http://www.gamehouse.com/bugform.jsp

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

* Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
* 400MHz or faster Processor
* 64MB RAM
* 3D Accelerated Video
* DirectX 7.0

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

Upon completion of your purchase of Tumblebugs, you will receive a license


name and license code. You 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/

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/

Overview
--------

The Evil Black Bug Empire is spreading from one backyard to the next,
enslaving the Tumblebugs and threatening to take over the entire neighbourhood!

As the heroic Tumble, you must free your friends from captivity before
they're taken underground, never to be heard from again!

Tumblebugs can be played in Story Mode or in Time Trial mode. Click on "Start
Game" to launch the Story Mode, and once you are experienced with the game, you
can move on to Time Trial Mode to really test your skills.

Creating a Profile
------------------

The first time you play Tumblebugs, you will need to enter your name so your
progress and high scores can be saved in your profile. You can create
additional profiles if there is more than one person playing Tumblebugs on the
same computer, so that your scores and progress are kept separate. Simply click
on "Not you? Click here" on the main menu and enter a name for the new profile.

Game Modes
----------

Tumblebugs has a choice of Story Mode or Time Trial Mode.

In Story Mode there are four backyards where the Black Bugs have taken control,
and a total of 12 levels. The level selection screen shows all of the levels
you've unlocked so far. Each round is numbered to show where you are up to. For
example, if you're on 3-2, this is the second round on level 3.

On the Main Menu, choose "Start Game" to play Story Mode.

Time Trial Mode is a test to see how long you can last on your favourite map,
while the difficulty is gradually increased. You can choose from all of the
maps you've already unlocked in Story Mode - as you progress through Story Mode
new maps will unlock in Time Trial Mode.

Options
-------

Music/SFX Volume:

Drag these sliders to adjust the music and sound effects volumes.

Renderer:

This selects which display driver is used for the game. Only change this option
if you recognize them. The default setting is usually the best one.

Size:

Tumblebugs offers a range of screen resolutions. You can choose a higher


screen size which will make the game graphics look sharper (though too high
may cause the game to slow down). You can also try choosing a lower screen size
if the game is running too slowly for you.

Fullscreen:

When this is checked, Tumblebugs will attempt to display using the entire
screen. If not checked, the game plays in a window at the selected screen size.

Vertical Sync:

Only change this from the default setting if you recognize this option.

32-Bit Color:

This option will improve the quality of the graphics noticeably, though not all
computers support it.

Controls
--------

Point your mouse cursor anywhere on the map and left-click to launch a bug
towards the cursor. To rotate through the three bugs that are shown on Tumble's
back, right-click your mouse.

The menu and options such as volume controls can be accessed by clicking the
Menu button in the top right corner of the screen while playing.

On some rounds, you can switch between two spots on the map to launch from.
Although you can switch positions using the mouse, by shooting the blue switch-
spheres, many people find it faster and easier to use the spacebar to change.

You can hit P at any time during play to Pause the game.

Objective
---------

You must free all of the captured Tumblebugs before they are pushed into the
underground lairs of the Black Bugs. If any of the captured bugs reach the lair,
you lose a life.

You can free bugs by launching a helper bug at the captives to create a group
of 3 or more of the same color. If you launch a bug and don't create a group of
three, the bug becomes stuck itself and must then be freed as well.

Completion Bar
--------------

At the top of the play screen is a percentage indicator, and a bar which
gradually fills up as you play the round. When the bar reaches 100%, no new bugs
will be captured on that round, and the Black Bug pusher will come out to herd
his captives into the lair.

At the same time, the Superbug will come out and zoom along the queue, freeing
a number of bugs to help you reach your goal.

Once the Black Bug pusher is on the screen, he can be stunned briefly if you
free the bug he is pushing on directly. This is very helpful in slowing down his
progress toward the lair.

Powerups
--------

Occasionally, Powerup indicators will appear on bugs in the queue. If you


complete the group while the Powerup is active, you'll collect that Powerup. If
you don't collect it, the Powerup will flash quickly, and eventually disappear.

The available types of Powerups are:

REWIND: The Tumblebugs are briefly able to push back against their captors and
move away from the lair.

FAST FORWARD: Bugs move more quickly toward the lair, but 500 points is scored
which can help a great deal with reaching 100% complete.
STOP: The bugs stop moving forward briefly, making shots easier.

BALLISTIC BUGS: For a limited time, you can launch bugs right over the top of
the queue to reach the bugs at the rear which were impossible to get to before.

WILD BUGS: These multi-colored bugs match with any color they touch, even two
at once!

STAR BUG: Can bust through several lines of bugs, freeing each one it comes
intocontact with. Very useful for collecting other powerups!

BLOSSOM BUG: Bugs are freed all at once in a circle around the powerup.

COLOR BURST: In a circle surrounding the powerup, bugs are all changed to the
same color.

E-X-T-R-A LETTERS: Collect all of the letters to spell out the word EXTRA to be
awarded an extra life.

Scoring
-------

The first extra life is awarded at 25,000 points, and with each extra life you
are awarded based on your score, the amount you must achieve for the next extra
life increases by 25,000. For example:

Extra lives awarded at:


25,000 (+50,000)
75,000 (+75,000)
150,000 (+100,000)
250,000 (+125,000)
375,000 (+150,000)
...etc.

Extra lives can also be gained by spelling out the word EXTRA with letters
collected from Powerups.

Each Tumblebug freed from captivity scores 10 points.

When you free groups of bugs in a row, with each shot freeing at least one
group, you get a chain bonus. The bonus is awarded from the third shot in a row
onwards, and is scored based on how many shots you get - the longer the in-a-
row sequence the higher the score. The chain bonus goes up by 20 pts each time.

If you have a bug color at the launcher that is no use to you at that moment,
you can discard it without ruining the in-a-row count as long as it's not added
to the queue of captive bugs - you can discard it off the edge of the map or by
striking a solid object.

If more than one group of bugs are freed as the result of a single shot, you'll
score a combo. The first combo is awarded 150 points, and each subsequent combo
increases the score by 150 points.

If you create a temporary gap in the queue of bugs, and then launch through the
gap to create a group, a gap bonus is awarded. The score depends on the size of
the gap - the smaller the gap, the better the score. Scores range from 30-300.
Powerups also score extra points, but the Fast Forward powerup can be very
handy, scoring 500 points each time.

At the end of the round, a bonus score is given based on how far from the
underground lair you completed freeing all the bugs. From the point where the
Black Bug was splatted, 75 points are awarded for each bug-length, until the
position of the final captive Tumblebug is reached. From that point to the lair
30 points per bug-length are awarded.

You can maximize your bonus points by separating the Black Bug pusher from the
head front of the bug queue when finishing the round - the further out in front
of the Black Bug the first bug is, the bigger the bonus.

There is also a bonus score given for beating the goal time on the round, of
200 points per second.

Privacy Notice
--------------

After purchase, this game may occasionally communicate with GameHouse servers
to verify the license is still valid. The license may be invalid if it is shared
with third parties or if a refund is issued on the purchase. GameHouse does NOT
record any information about your machine configuration, location or how much
you are playing the game. Just the original license information that was provided
to you by GameHouse is returned to our servers for verification.

GameHouse does not share any of the information you provide during the purchase
process with any third party. GameHouse may communicate with you after you place
your order to offer discounts or information about new games, but you may elect
to not receive these updates during the order process, or at any time afterwards.

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

This software has been tested extensively to ensure it will operate correctly
on all systems that meet the minimum system requirements. If you experience any
problems such as system crashes or error messages, try one of the following:

1) Update your computer's sound card and video card drivers. This can be done
by identifying the type of sound card and video card your computer is using and
finding the manufacturer's web site where new drivers may be made available.

2) Upgrade DirectX. This is a Microsoft component and can improve the graphics,
security, and performance of your Windows operating system. Nearly all problems
encountered with GameHouse games can be solved by updating DirectX.

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

Credits
-------

Tumblebugs was created by Wildfire Studios Pty. Ltd.:

Engine Programming: Darren Baker


Game Programming..: Adrian Cook
Game Design.......: Joel Finch
Art...............: Leon McBride
Robert Gilchrist
Concept Art.......: Robert Gilchrist
Music.............: Steven Baker
Sound Effects.....: Rhiannon Phillips
Darren Baker
Special Thanks To.: Kate Finch
Bridget Cook
Kevin Collar
All the wonderful testers at RealArcade!
Testers...........: Rafal Aleksiuk
Alex Ballenger
John Bates
Sam Benson
Teilo Berquier
Daniel Busfield
Christian Canton
Nick Cilento
Kevin Collar
Bridget Cook
Rosie Cook
Emma Cook
Andrew Donaldson
Kate Finch
Paul Finch
Ben Fletcher
Sharon Gilchrist
Rob Gollagher
Michelle Gordon-Coles
Sonya Henderson Edbrooke
Susie Hickman
Melinda Hungerford
John Kennedy
Sally Kingsland
Christophe Kirch
Howard Lee
Mark Matthews
Sam McCormick
David Oram
Lachlan Phillips
Margaret Phillips
Rhiannon Phillips
Tom Plackowski
Daniel Plez
Gayle Richardson
Dierdre Ross
Margarette Smetheram
Kylie Smith
Sander van der Pol
Seona van der Pol
Thomas van der Pol
Brent Waller
Ben Williamson

With additional testing and support from GameHouse, Inc.:


Quality Assurance.: Bill Beach
Brandon Godfrey
Chuck Little
Jason Katsanis
Kazunori Sasakura
Kraig Shaver

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