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The Menus and the PAUSE-Resume Button
In the menu bar there are four menus, as well as the all-important
PAUSE-Resume button. You need this button to stop game play while you
access the menus or work in another window, though it is better to use
the Escape (Esc) key as a short-cut. That way the action will stop
immediately and the hero will not go astray as you move the mouse up
to the menu bar.
The four menus are described in outline below. Details of all the options
follow in a separate section on each menu: see
The Game Menu,
The Settings Menu,
The Editor Menu or
The KDE 2 Help Menu.
Many of the menu options also refer to and depend on
the Level Selection Dialog box.
- Game: This menu contains options affecting game play, such as
starting and finishing games, saving games, loading saved games,
showing high scores and getting a hint (if available).
The Game Menu also contains the "Quit" option and an option to start
the Tutorial game without going through the level selection dialog. You
can also quit by clicking the "X" at the top right of the KGoldrunner
window.
For those who look for a "File" menu in this position, there is an
extra copy of "Save Edits".
- Settings: This menu has three groups of settings: the choice
of KGoldrunner or Traditional playing rules (see
Scoring and Rules), the detailed list
of playing options and lastly the game-speed options. The current
selections are ticked (or "checked", as the Americans say). The settings
are automatically selected when you start playing, but you can use this
menu to vary them if you wish.
- Editor: This menu has everything you need to create your own
games and levels and maintain them, including features to help you re-order
levels or move them between games or to delete them when no longer
needed. When you re-organize your levels, the level numbers in a
game remain consecutive (no gaps) and the levels are automatically
re-numbered.
When you are using the Game Editor a graphical toolbar with tool tip
text appears under the menu bar. See
the Game Editor for more details of how to create
and edit KGoldrunner levels.
- Help: In the KDE 2 version of KGoldrunner, the Help menu
contains an option to start the Tutorial game, an option to get a hint
(if available), access to the User's Guide (this document),
About KGoldrunner and About Qt Toolkit.
In the KDE 1 version , this menu is the standard KDE 1 Help menu,
containing Contents (this document, the User's Guide), About KGoldrunner
and About KDE.
If you would like to report a problem or you have some new levels to
contribute, our email addresses are in the "About KGoldrunner" message.
- KGoldrunner Defaults: Sets KGoldruner default playing rules.
- Traditional Defaults: Sets Traditional default playing rules.
- More Enemies Slower: Makes enemies, bricks and the hero run slower, depending on the number of enemies in the level. Used in Traditional mode.
- Always Collect Gold: Makes enemies always pick up gold when they
come to it. Used in Traditional mode. In KGoldrunner mode, pickup is a
random choice.
- Run through Hole: Allows enemies to run horizontally through a
hole dug in a brick. If they fall in from above they are captured as
usual. Used in Traditional mode.
- Reappear at Top: Makes enemies reappear at a randomly selected
place near the top of the playing area when they die. Used in Traditional
mode. In KGoldrunner mode they reappear where they started the level.
- Search Strategy - Low: Makes enemies use a simple up-and-down
search strategy when looking for a way to get to the hero. Used in
Traditional mode.
- Search Strategy - Med: Makes enemies search alternately
up-and-down and left-and-right when looking for a way to get to the
hero. Used in KGoldrunner mode.
- Normal Speed: Sets normal game speed (12 units).
- Beginner Speed: Sets beginner's game speed (6 units).
- Novice Speed: Sets novice's game speed (9 units).
- Champion Speed: Sets champion's game speed (18 units).
- Increase Speed (+): Increases the game speed by 1 unit, up to
a maximum of 24 units. The "+" key is a short-cut.
- Decrease Speed (-): Decreases the game speed by 1 unit, down
to a minimum of 3 units. The "-" key is a short-cut.
- Create Level: Shows the edit toolbar and a blank playing area
with just a hero, on which you can draw a new level. When done, use
Save Level to assign the new level to a game and level number.
- Edit Any Level: Shows the level selection dialog box, where
you choose a game and level to edit. You can choose a System game and
level, but you get a warning that you can only save the edited level
in one of your own games.
- Edit Next: Shows the level selection dialog box with the game
and level set to one more than current. You can then choose to edit that
level or another.
- Save Level: Shows the level selection dialog box with
appropriate default settings for saving a new or edited level. You can
change the game and level number and achieve a "Save as ..." effect. This
dialog box has a special button, Level Name and Hint, which shows another
dialog box where you can add an optional name and hint to your level.
- Move Level: This is a two-part operation. Before using Move
Level, you must load a level to be moved by selecting it for play or
edit. The Move Level option then shows the level selection dialog box,
where you choose a new place for the loaded level. You can change both
the game and the level number to move a level to another game or
just change the level number to re-order levels within a game.
- Delete Level: Shows the level selection dialog box, where
you choose a game and level to delete.
- Create a Game: Shows a dialog box where you can enter the
name of your new game, a 1-5 character prefix for level-file names, the
default rules for your game (KGoldrunner or Traditional) and an optional
description or comment about the game.
- Edit Game Info: Shows the level selection dialog box, where
you choose a game to be edited, then shows the game information in a
dialog box where you can edit the name, rules and description, but
not the file name prefix (just in case you have saved some levels).
- Tutorial: Starts the tutorial game, without going through
the level selection dialog. At the start of each level there is a text
message telling you what to do.
- Hint / NO Hint: If the current level has a hint, this option
says "Hint" and pops up a hint message when you select it. It says
"NO Hint" if there is none. If you then select it, the message tells you
yet again that there is no hint for this level.
- User's Guide: Shows the KGoldrunner User's Guide (this document)
in a browser window similar to those used on the Internet, but simpler.
- About KGoldrunner: Shows a message about the version and authors
of KGoldrunner, including their email addresses in case you wish to report a
problem or contribute some new levels.
- About Qt Toolkit: Shows a message about the Qt GUI toolkit used
in KGoldrunner and the company which supplies it.
The KDE 1 Help Menu
- Contents: Shows the KGoldrunner User's Guide (this document)
in a browser window similar to those used on the Internet, but simpler.
- About KGoldrunner: Shows a message about the version and authors
of KGoldrunner, including their email addresses in case you wish to report a
problem or contribute some new levels.
- About KDE: Shows a message about the KDE desktop software
and project.
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