THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABSE

MANIC MINER

PUBLISHER
Bug Byte and Software Projects

AUTHOR
Matthew Smith

YEAR
1983

CATEGORIES
Plaform

CONTROLS
Alternating keys on Q to P row = left/right.
A-G = Pause.
H-Enter = Tune on/off.
Bottom row = Jump.


INSTRUCTIONS
Using the keys, the idea of all the levels is to collect all the
flashing objects and then make your way to the flashing potato
waffle.

Since this game was released by two publishers, there are two
different sets of inlay card text.  Below is both of them
starting off with the Bug Byte version, and then the Software
Projects version.

ORIGINAL INLAY CARD TEXT

INSTRUCTIONS

The program "MANIC MINER" its documentation and artwork are
strictly the copyright of Bug-Byte. It is illegal to make a copy
of MANIC MINER without authorisation from Bug-Byte and legal
action will be taken against anyone found doing so. It is also
illegal, and expressly forbidden, to lend or hire out the program
by way of trade.

MANIC MINER will run on any 48K Spectrum
To load MANIC MINER, simply enter:
LOAD ""
- then hit the ENTER key and follow the computer's prompts. Leave
the tape running until the game starts up automatically.

THE GAME
Miner Willy, while prospecting down Surbiton way, stumbles upon
an ancient, long forgotten mine-shaft. On further exploration,
he finds evidence of a lost civilisation far superior to our own,
which used automatons to dig beep into the Earth's core to supply
the essential raw materials for their advanced industry. After
centuries of peace and prosperity, the civilisation was torn
apart by war, and lapsed into a long dark age, abandoning their
industry and machines. Nobody, however, thought to tell the mine
robots to stop working, and through countless aeons they had
steadily accumulated a hugh stockpile of valuable metals
and minerals, and Miner Willy realises that he now has the
opportunity to make his fortune by finding the underground store.
Can YOU take the challenge and guide Willy through the
undergraound caverns to the surface and riches. In order to move
to the next chamber, you must collect all the flashing keys in
the room while avoiding nasties like POISONOUS PANSIES and
SPIDERS and SLIME and worst of all, MANIC MINING ROBOTS. When you
have all the keys, you can enter the portal which will now be
flashing. The game ends when you have been 'got' or fallen
heavily three times.

GAME CONTROL
Three keys are used to control the game:
Q,E,T,U or O          - Move left
W,R,Y,I or P          - Move right
Shift to space        - Jump

--------------------------------------------------------------

SPECTRUM MANIC MINER (SECOND EDITION)

LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Connect lead to ear socket of Spectrum
   from ear socket on recorder.
2. Rewind tape to beginning.
3. Set Volume Control to the required level.
4. Type LOAD "" or LOAD "MANICMINER".
5. Press key marked enter on your Spectrum.
6. Press play on your cassette recorder.
7. Your Program will now load.

If the program does not load first time, repeat instructions but
try a different volume setting.


TO MOVE USE KEYS:

Q, E, T, U, or O   = MOVE LEFT
W, R, Y, I or P    = MOVE RIGHT
SHIFT TO SPACE     = JUMP

MANIC MINER CAN ALSO BE USED WITH KEMPSTON, AGF AND PROTEK
JOTSTICK INTERFACES AND IS ALSO COMPATIBLE WITH INTERFACE II

Author: MATTHEW SMITH

MANIC MINER

Miner Willy, while prospecting down Surbiton way, stumbles upon
an ancient, long forgotten mine-shaft. On further exploration,
he finds evidence of a lost civilisation far superior to our own,
which used automatons to dig deep into the Earth's core to supply
the essential raw materials for their advanced industry.  After
centuries of peace and prosperity, the civilisation was torn
apart by war, and lapsed into a long dark age, abandoning their
industry and machines.  Nobody, however, thought to tell the mine
robots to stop working, and through countless aeons they had
steadily accumulated a huge stockpile of valuable metals and
minerals, and Miner Willy realises that he now has the
opportunity to make his fortune byfinding the underground store.

In order to move to the next chamber, you must collect all the
flashing keys in the room while avoiding nasties like POISONOUS
PANSIES and SPIDERS and SLIME and worst of all, MANIC MINING
ROBOTS. When you have all the keys, you can enter the portal
which will now be flashing. The game ends when you have been
'got' or fallen heavily three times.

Software Projects are always looking for new and original games.
If you have written one then why not send it into us for free
evaluation with no obligation by either party.  We pay good
royalties or you have the option of an outright payment,
whichever suits you.  Interested? Send a sample of your game
or 'phone.

Software Projects
Bear Brand Complex
Allerton Road
Woolton
Liverpool L25 7SF       051-428 7990


SEQUELS/PREQUELS
The main follow up to Manic Miner was Jet Set Willy.  A prequel
came in the form of Miner 2049'er, on the TRS-80.  This was by
a different author.  However, at the top end of the code in the 
original Manic Miner game, is a command set for the TRS-DOS,
which Matthew Smith used to develop JSW on.

SCORES RECEIVED:
Unknown by me, but probably nowhere near as high as they should
have been.

CHEATS:
The Bug-Byte version - Type in 6031769.
The Software Projects version - Type in WRITETYPER.

Both of these allow you to flick between rooms by holding down
various combinations of numbers.  Use key 9 (for the SP version)
or 6 (for the BB version) + combinations of 1 to 5, which 
actually correspond to the binary code of the room number.  
00001 [1] = The Central Cavern, 10010 [17] = The Warehouse 
etc...  Be careful though as this gives more combinations than 
there is actual rooms, so if you use a combination that does not 
exist then it crashes the game.

Note that when the cheat is enabled, a boot appears next to
the lives at the bottom of the screen, and The Final Barrier 
does not revel its secret so that people couldn't cheat at the
competition.

You can also POKE 35136,0 for infinite lives.


COMPLETING THE GAME
When you jump into the exit of The Final Barrier (and you haven't
used the 6031769 cheat) the door changes from an omega sign to
a fish and dagger, one above the other, the answer being
Swordfish.  You were supposed to quote this in the competition
(i.e. the first person to quote what happened at the end
correctly must have won, though I don't remember ever seeing who
did it, if anyone).  Then the game then starts again from the
beginning - in the true tradition of Spectrum Games.


GENERAL FACTS:
This was the first game with in-game music, namely In the Hall
of the Mountain King from the play Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg.
The music that plays during the title screen is "The Waltz of
The Blue Danube" by Strauss

This game was originally released by Bug-Byte, and then
re-released by Software Projects.  The reason for this is that
Bug-Byte originally only had a contract to sell Manic Miner, they
did not actually own it.  So when Matthew Smith moved across to
Software Projects, he took Manic Miner with him.

There are some differences between the two versions.  Obviously
the scroll-text at the start changes slightly to reflect the
different copyright in the Software Projects version.  However,
there are two subtle but interesting changes.

1. In Amoebatrons' Revenge, the amoebatrons look different
between the two versions. The originals look like Octopuses, with
tentacles hanging down, whereas the Software Projects ones look
like sort of beetles, with little legs up their sides.

2. In The Warehouse, the original game has threshers travelling
up and down the vertical slots, rotating about the screens
X-axis.  The Software Projects version has 'impossible triangle'
sprites (i.e. the Software Projects logo) instead, which rotate
about the screen's Z-axis.

It used flashing attributes to provide an animated "Manic Miner"
logo while loading. Although there was nothing clever about this
as such, it was nevertheless the first game ever to have an
animated loading screen.

For those who are interested (everybody!) the names of the rooms
are as follows:


1. Central Cavern
2. The Cold Room
3. The Menagerie
4. Abandoned Uranium Workings
5. Eugene's Lair
6. Processing Plant
7. The Vat
8. Miner Willy meets the Kong Beast
9. Wacky Amoebatrons
10.The Endorian Forest
11.Attack of the Mutant Telephones
12.Return of the Alien Kong Beast
13.Ore Refinery
14.Skylab Landing Bay
15.The Bank
16.The Sixteenth Cavern
17.The Warehouse
18.Amoebatrons' Revenge
19.Solar Power Generator
20.The Final Barrier


Eugenes Lair is a jibe at one of Matthew Smith's fellow
programmers (Eugene Jarvis?).  Miner Willy meets the Kong Beast
is a parody of the old Donkey Kong games.  Presumably The
Endorian Forest is from Star Wars.

This is how to complete what is generally regarded as the most
difficult screen in Manic Miner, The Warehouse:  As soon as the
level starts, walk right, until you're past the blue killer. 
Fall through quicksand until you can walk under the plant.  Turn
around and face the blue cat-track, falling through the sand as
you go.  Once you've fallen through the seventh quicksand, jump
straight up twice, (which brings you into time with the
cat-track,) then jump left, collecting the object, and go back
up through the quicksand to the start platform.  (This is a bit
close, but you should make it!)  Stand on the very edge of the
start platform.  Wait until both yellow and white cat-tracks have
reached the top of the screen, and are moving down again - let
the yellow one touch the bush.  (This happens almost straight
away.  If you're not quick enough on the keys, wait a revolution
before the cat-tracks align again.)  Jump right, and fall through
five blocks of quicksand.  Jump right again, which should place
you on the level so that you can either walk through the
travelator, or on it.  (If you do jump onto the travelator. 
Panic not.  Keep on truckin'.)  *Without pausing!* Walk right,
collect the object as you go and fall into the pit that the white
cat-track uses.  Fall through one section, collecting the object. 
Jump right again, which will place you underneath the next
object, and wait until you fall through a section of quicksand
before jumping to collect the object.  (Otherwise you clout
yourself on the bush...  Not nice!)  Now just fall through the
quicksand, collecting the final object as you go, until you land
on the floor, go right, and jump up through the quicksand, until
you reach the portal.  Easy when you know how!

Regarding different version across different computers, the 
following may be interesting:

1. The original Bug-Byte release on the Spectrum featured 'threshers'
   in the Warehouse.

2. The second Software Projects release on the Spectrum replaced the
   threshers with rotating Sofware Projects logos ('impossible'
   triangles), and there were other minor changes: the deadly bush
   in the Processing Plant became a ghost, the Amoebatrons in
   Amoebatrons' Revenge were different sprites, and I think some
   sprites changed in the Sixteenth Cavern too.

3. The BBC Micro version doesn't have the Solar Power Generator!
   Instead, it's got a completely different room called "The Meteor
   Shower". This has the "reflecting machines" from the Solar Power
   Generator but there's no beam of light; instead, it has meteors
   which descend from the top of the screen and disintegrate when
   they hit platforms, like the Skylabs in Skylab Landing Bay. It
   also has forcefields which turn on and off, and the layout is
   completely different. Then, the last screen (which is still
   called The Final Barrier) is very tricky (unlike the Spectrum
   version which was easy) and has a completely different layout.
   It also features the blinking forcefields.

4. The Amstrad version is effectively the same as the Spectrum
   version by Software Projects, except that (a) Eugene's Lair has
   been renamed "Eugene Was Here" for some reason, and the layout
   of The Final Barrier is again completely different (but it's
   more similar to the Spectrum version than the BBC version, which
   has nothing in common with the Spectrum version at all).

5. The Acorn RISC OS version of Manic Miner has a couple of extra
   screens after The Final Barrier, but that's not an official
   release by Software Projects (just something someone created as
   a public domain release) so it doesn't really count.

6. I heard that the Dragon 32 version had a couple of extra rooms at
   the end (i.e. 22 altogether), but I don't know if that's true.
   I believe, though, that the two extra rooms in the RISC OS version
   are copied from it (though I can't now find evidence of this).

The significance of the number in the "6031769" cheat is that it was
Matthew Smith's number at the time he wrote the game.  Please do not
phone it any mopre however, since the owners of this number are fed
up of people phoning them.


NOTES:
Probably the most legendary Spectrum game ever.  Even today
programmers have trouble matching the devious design and
incredible variety of imagination in the levels.
