
Bob the Hamster VGA

(C) Copyright 1994 Hamster Republic Productions

http://HamsterRepublic.com

This is the old DOS version. For the ever-so-slightly updated Windows
version, download http://HamsterRepublic.com/dl/bobvga-installer.exe

To play in Linux, you need the source code. Point your subversion client
to svn://gilgamesh.hamsterrepublic.com/hamster/bobvga

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Bob the Hamster is a spiffyspiffy game, inspired by old arcade classics like
`Dig Dug' and `Mr. Do' You will find Bob the Hamster to be entertaining,
addictive, and not in the least bit discombobulating.

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			[1]  Overview
			[2]  System Requirements
			[3]  Instructions
			[4]  Custom Levels
			[5]  Strategies
			[6]  Tech Support

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	Bob the Hamster offers two modes of play, Bob and Vlad. Each hero
has different levels to complete, and different enemies to fight. Additional 
levels may be created by the player using BOBEDIT.EXE . Bob the Hamster
supports both English and Japanese text modes.

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			    -SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS-

    386(sluggish) minimum, 486(adequate) or Pentium(spiffy) reccomended.
VGA or better (if you dont have this, then you probably dont even have a 386) 
 Sound Blaster or 100% compatable sound card if you want to hear the voices.
	 Sound Blaster is assumed to be on DMA channel 1 port 220
	  BOB.EXE is the game. BOBEDIT.EXE is the level editor.

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			       -INSTRUCTIONS-

	Bob and Vlad are moved using the arrow keys or keypad. The object of 
the game is to gather all of the carrots or money (depending on your hero)
and avoid touching the enemies.
	
	Throughout the levels you will find dirt, and cabbage/apples. 
Bob/Vlad can dig through dirt, as can some enemies. cabbage/apples can be
pushed to clear paths or crush enemies.
	
	When you press the SPACE BAR, Bob can spit on enemies to kill or 
stun them, and Vlad can throw weapons. the spit/sword icon in the top right 
hand corner of the screen indicates Bob/Vlad's firing status. Only when the 
icon is lit can Bob/Vlad spit/attack. Collection of sunseeds/jewels will 
upgrade Bob/Vlad's attack.

			    BOB                    VLAD
		  /---------------------------------------------|
	   start  |  spit                |  dagger              |
		  |----------------------+----------------------|
   first upgrade  |  concussion spit     |  great sword         |
		  |----------------------+----------------------|
  second upgrade  |  aiming spit         |  magic axe           |
		  |----------------------+----------------------|
   more upgrades  |  faster reload       |  faster reload       |
		  |----------------------+----------------------|
bonus completion  |  spit shield         |  mad parry           |
		  |---------------------------------------------/

	The first level attack stops when it hits something. The second level 
attack will pass through enemies as it kills them, and can destroy dirt and
cabbages/apples. The third level attack has the properties of second level
attacks, but will change directions mid-air if you press the SPACE BAR. 

	Scattered throughout the game are bonus stages. On a bonus stage,
you are given a task other than collecting carrots/money. Bonus stages are
timed, and most are very difficult. Upon successful completion of a bonus 
stage, you will gain a protective shield of your current weapon. This shield 
lasts until you die.

	A variety of enemies will plague you as you seek your carrots/cash.
each has its own nasty tendencies. This chart gives you an Idea what you are 
up against.

			       BOB'S ENEMIES
/----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| NAME        | DESCRIPTION                                                  |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Plip*       | Stupid. Spit on them or crush them with cabbages.            |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Cabbage     | Nasty little boogers. They can eat cabbages, and will chase  |
|  Beetle*    |  you mercilessly. Crushing them works, but you are better    |
|             |  off spitting at them from a safe distance.                  |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Shovelhead  | The shark can cut through dirt and cabbage like water. Dont  |
|  Shark*     |  even try to crush him with a cabbage, it wont work. Spit,   |
|             |  however, is effective.                                      |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Angry Shrew*| When the shrew is calm, he will ignore Bob, but the tinyest  |
|             |  thing can set him off. When angry, the shrew will chase     |
|             |  Bob with a vengance. Cabbages and spit only stun the shrew. |
|             |  Nothing can kill him except a Purple Widow Spider.          |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Web         | A web is not an enemy, but if you step on it, you will       |
|             |  become trapped, and vulnerable to nearby enemies.           |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Purple      | The spider is both the most deadly, and the least hostile    |
|  Widow      |  enemy. It's venom is so powerfull, that not only can it     |
|  Spider     |  kill Bob, It can kill Plips, Beetles and Shrews. The spider |
|             |  wanders aimlessly without chasing Bob- but if something     |
|             |  steps in a web, it charges in for the kill. The spider      |
|             |  randomly creates webs as it walks.                          |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Lagomorph   | The lagomorph (rabbit) is Bob's toughest foe. He will chase  |
|             |  Bob with great speed. It isnt possible to just run, he will |
|             |  catch you. Luckly, when Lago charges, he cant stop until    |
|             |  he hits something. Trick him into charging, dodge out of    |
|             |  the way, and then spit him in the back when he passes you.  |
|             |  It takes several hits to kill him.                          |
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------/
* regenerate when killed

			       VLAD'S ENEMIES
/----------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| NAME        | DESCRIPTION                                                  |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Walrus*     | The walrus slowly and mindessly chases Vlad. Just pop them.  |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Worm*       | The nasty little grub wil chase you like mad, and can move   |
|             |  just as fast as Vlad. You can slice them up easy, but be    |
|             |  cautious about tryinh to crush them with apples- they can   |
|             |  eat apples when they arent moving                           |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Pavender*   | This fish wil eat dirt and apples. Blades are the only way   |
|             |  to kill it.                                                 |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Angry Turk* | As we all know, Turks are the mortal enemies of Vlad the     |
|             |  Impaler. Turks will take Vlad's coins, and chase him down   |
|             |  if they get angry. Weapons and apples just stun them. Only  |
|             |  a Hun can kill a Turk.                                      |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Guard       | Guards are so dumb they dont even move- but if Vlad, or some |
|             |  enemies touch them, they will trap them.                    |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Hun         | The Hun wanders aimlessly stationing guards. When a guard    |
|             |  catches Vlad or an enemy, he will dash over and slaughter   |
|             |  them.                                                       |
|-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Turkish     | This buffed turk wil pick up apples, and heave them at Vlad. |
|  Soldier    |  Watch out! Flying apples can be deadly. You will have to    |
|             |  hack the soldier several times to kill him.                 |
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------/
* regenerate when killed

	In every level, is a hidden extra life. Bob's 1-ups are SPAMs, and
Vlad's 1-ups are wallachian hats. To uncover an 1-up, your spit/weapon must
impact the solid object that it is hiding under. For example, if a SPAM is
hidden under a particular square of dirt, Bob must spit on that spot to
reveal the SPAM. Learning where the SPAMs and Hats are located will give
you an all important edge in winning the game.

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			       -CUSTOM LEVELS-

	By using the program BOBEDIT.EXE, you can create your own levels.
To play the custom levels, go to the Options menu in Bob the Hamster, and
change the levels from `normal' to `custom'.

	The controls for the level editor are as follows;

	      -While editing
		Arrow keys......Move cursor
		Space bar.......Place object/enemy
		Enter...........Go to object/enemy palette
		Esc.............Go to the Data menu
		S...............Place SPAM or Hat
	      -On the object/enemy palette
		Right arrow.....Next object/enemy
		Left arrow......Previous object/enemy
		Enter or Space..Resume editing
	      -On the Data menu
		Up arrow........move cursor up
		Down arrow......move cursor down
		Left & Right....Change option
		Enter or Space..Confirm save, undo, or exit
		Esc.............Resume editing

	For a level to function, all it needs is Bob or Vlad and at least 
one carrot or coin. Bonus stages function differently, they are explained
later.

The following is a description of the options available on the Data menu.

Level: This option changes the level you are editing. There are 40 levels
       available for customization.

Extra Life: This is the only option you cannot change. It lists the position
	    of the 1-Up, if any exists.

Thick Dirt: If thick dirt is ON, the all dirt will apear to be rock. This
	    adds extra challenge to a level.

Angry Shrew: If this option is set ON, then any shrew on the level will start
	     out angry right away, rather than waiting for provokation.

Hero Select: Use this option to change the hero of your level.

Bonus Stage: If this option is ON, then the level will be designated as a
	     bonus stage. Three new option, discussed below will become
	     available.

Time Limit: (Bonus only) This is the number of seconds you have to finish
	    a bonus stage. If the time runs out, you will move on to the
	    next stage automatically.

Goal Type: (Bonus only) In bonus stages, The goal is not necisarily gathering
	   carrots. Eight different goals are available.
	     
	Gather carrots/coins --- Like a normal level with a time limit.
	Kill Plips/Walruses --- Slaughter your foes as fast as possible.
	Kill Beetles/Worms --- Slaughter your foes as fast as possible.
	Kill Sharks/Pavenders --- Slaughter your foes as fast as possible.
	Shoot Shrew/Turk --- Shoot your foe as many times as you can, but
	      watch out! It makes him mad!
	Lead Shrews/Turks to their Deaths --- Lead you foes into webs/guards
	      so that the Spider/Hun will kill them
	Save Shrews/Turks --- Lead your foes into webs/guards, and then
	      free them (by shooting) before the Spider/Hun can reach them.
	Kill Lagomorph/Soldier --- Slaughter your toughest foe.

Goal Number: (Bonus only) This is the number of times you must complete your
	   goal. The number of carrots you must eat, Worms you must slaughter,
	   shrews you must spit on, etc. before you win a bonus stage.

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			       -STRATAGIES-

	Here are some nifty tecniques strait from the programmers.

PLIP SQUISHING: A few seconds after you kill a plip (or walrus) a new one
	will regenerate. Watch where the Plip appears, and then push a
	cabbage over it's starting point. Then, if the Plip tries to 
	regenerate, It will appear beneath the cabbage, and be crushed 
	instantly!

BREAKING ROCKS: Bob and Vlad are unable to dig through rocky dirt. Shrews
	and Turks can dig through dirt, but they cant pass through rocks 
	either. Shovel-Head Sharks, and Pavenders are the only ones capable
	of digging rocks away- and they dont like to do it. The only time
	they will try to break through rocky soil, is when they are chasing
	Bob or Vlad. By letting them chase you, you can sometimes trick
	them into creating shortcuts for you.

THE SPAM BAT: Sometimes, when you lose a life, a bat will appear and fly
	across the screen. This bat knows where Bob's SPAM and Vlad's Hat
	are hidden, so watch it closely. Unfortunately, You must lose at
	least one life before the bat will appear, so really, you gain
	nothing if you rely soley on the bat for guidance.

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			      -TECH SUPPORT-

	If you have questions, comments, complaints, praise, or squeaky
noises that you want us to hear, Write to;

                         Bob@HamsterRepublic.com

				    or

                        Brian@HamsterRepublic.com

                                 or visit

                         http://HamsterRepublic.com

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