SOFTWARE LOADING INSTRUCTIONS ROM CARTRIDGE With your computer off, plug the cartridge into the cartridge slot in the back, making sure the label with the name of the product is facing upwards. Then turn the power switch on. Plug your joystick or paddle controllers into Control Port 1. INTRODUCTION RACK'EM UP! is the perfect way for you to show off your skills as a poolroom pro. It's also the ideal way to show off the amazing ability of your computer to simulate the complex physics of a pool game. Many months of sophisticated machine language programming have gone into making this one of the finest hi-res graphics games ever designed for the Commodore 64 computer. GETTING STARTED Please take a few minutes to read this booklet before playing RACK'EM UP! Your enjoyment of ther game will increase with your understanding of how to use all of the functions built in. As your read through these instructions, try out the various functions on your computer. Press START to begin playing RACK'EM UP! Your computer will ask: HOW MANY FOR POOL (1-4)? You may enter the "Demo" mode by pressing "D." To leave the "Demo" mode, press START. At this point you should decide the order of play, because the program will cycle through the players in the order in which they are entered. Press a number from 1 to 4 and give the name(s) of the player(s). The computer now lets you choose the type of game you want to play. You can choose from four games: 1. Eight Ball 2. Rotation 3. Straight Pool 4. Nine Ball The computer supervises these games and, to a minimum extent, enforces basic rules. This is to allow some variation for personal preference. If you are not familiar with the rules for these game, instructions will be given later in this booklet. For now, Straight Pool is recommended, since it is the easiest to learn with. MODES OF PLAY You can play RACK'EM UP! from your computer keyboard or by using either joystick or paddle controllers. The game is set to begin the the "Keyboard/Joystick" mode. To switch to the "Paddle" mode, press the "K" key. This key is actually a toggle key that lets you switch back and forth between the two modes of play. When using paddle or joysticks, Paddle/Joystick #1 will be used if there are 1 or 3 players. If there are 2 or 4 players, then each player (or pair of players) will use a separate game paddle/joystick. FIRST BREAK The player who goes first will be offered the chance to position the cue ball (the white one without any markings). This is the ball you will shoot with. Positioning the cue ball is done as follows: Joystick Mode 1. The joystick controls direction of movement. 2. Pressing the joystick button causes movement in the selected direction. Keyboard Mode 1. The "+" and "-" keys control direction of movement. 2. Holding the "S" key down causes movement in the selected direction. Paddle Mode 1. The paddles controls direction of movement. 2. Pressing the paddle button causes movement in the selected direction. During the positioning, a "ghost" ball will appear and move around the screen. This is the cue for aiming. It tells which direction the ball will go for positioning and shooting. Once positioning of the cue ball is completed, either press F7 or push the joystick down to prepare to shoot. NOTE: When you attempt to position the cue ball too close to the other balls (i.e., too far to the left), you will hear a beeping noise to inform you that the position of the cue ball is illegal. You now have control over: 1. AIM 2. SPEED 3. ENGLISH AIMING THE CUE BALL You will begin i AIM mode with 128 directions available. The "ghost" ball shows where the cue ball will go if shot. (Sometimes there isn't enough room between balls to show the "ghost" ball, so you will see a flashing "+" mark instead.) The purpose of the "ghost" ball, once again, is to project how the cue ball will hit the target ball. Seeing the geometry of the projected moment of impact will help you decide how to aim. NOTE: The "ghost" ball shows you all possible shots; it doesn't allow you to set up an impossible shot. The "ghost" ball will even indicate when you can barely make it between two other balls. Very rarely, in a tight situation, the cue ball may interact with ont of the balls as it grazes it. Fine Aim - After positioning the "ghost" ball approximately where you want the cue ball to hit, switch to the "FINE AIM" mode to get a precise position. To do this, simply press the joystick down or hit F7. If you are satisfied with the position of the "ghost" ball without using FINE AIM, you can skip this option. However, FINE AIM does give you 32 finer directions from the last coarse position. SPEED Striking F7 or pushing the joystick down puts you in the SPEED selection mode, Push your joystick left or right, rotate your game paddle or use the keyboard to select a speed from 1 to 8. Speed 1 is just a slight nudge, barely enough to make it across the table. Speed 8 is a very strong hit, the kind that often results in balls jumping off the table in real pool. ENGLISH Pressing F7 again (or pushing the joystick down) now gives you the chance to add "english" to your shot. The sense of the "english" is where you strike the cue ball with your pool cue. For example, TOP LEFT "english" would be equivalent to striking the cue ball on the top, near left, as seen from behind the ball. Again, "english" selection is accomplished with the paddle, joystick or keyboard, depending on the mode in which you are playing. SHOOTING You may shoot at any time by pressing the joystick/paddle button or by pressing the "S" key in keyboard mode. SCRATCHING If you accidentally hit the cue ball into the pocket, it is called a "scratch". RACK'EM UP! allows the re-positioning of the cue ball anywhere on the table, but if it is placed (in violation) too far to the left, there will be a beeping sound as a warning. COMMANDS Several commands built into RACK'EM UP! make the game more enjoyable. These are single letter keys struck from the keyboard during the game without hitting RETURN. They are used in any mode - keyboard, joystick or paddle. B = Begin Allows you to play the same game again, play a different game or select new players. This key (or START) must be used to begin a new game after any game has ended. C = COLOR Toggles between colored balls and numbered balls. This can only be done when the pool table is visible. Some games, like Rotation, require seeing the numbers. For other games, where the numbers are not important, you may prefer seeing the balls in color. F3 = SCORE Pressing F3 will display the scoreboard. Pressing F3 again returns you to the game. The scoreboard display containts game totals, players' names and a summary of the various commands available. F = FRICTION This determines the rate at which the balls decelerate. FRICTION = 1 would be like playing on a table with no cloth at all. FRICTION = 3 is normal. FRICTION = 5 would be like playing on a pool table covered with a carpet! K = KEYBOARD-JOYSTICK/PADDLE Toggles back and forth between the Keyboard/Joystick and the Paddle modes of play. M = MOTION Determines the speed of the action. It is Fast, Normal or Slow motion and is independent of the FRICTION value. Think of it as a clock that determines how fast things happen, but not now they happen. The ball interaction and the physics remain the same. This can be changed at any time. N = NEXT PLAYER This is used to skip a player's turn if he relinquishes his turn either by the rules or voluntarily. The option to re-position the cue ball is offered. R = REPLAY Repositions all of the balls to just before the last shot and allows a replay of the shot. (When practicing, use the key to make slight adjustments until you finally "sink" the ball you're shooting at.) You can use this key as often as you like, and you can even watch your last shot in slow motion if you desire. T = TERMINATE This key stops all action and stops the balls at the point where they are when the key is pressed. They loose all energy motion. Control is returned to the same player. BALL PHYSICS The simulated motion of tbe balls has been made very realistic. Some examples are: Bowling Ball Effect - When a moving ball strikes a stationary ball of the same mass with no "english," all of the energy is transfered to the ball at rest. This can happen if a cue ball strikes several balls in a line which are touching. Only the ball on the far end of the line moves. Pocket Bounce - It is possible in real pool to have a ball strike a pocket slightly off-center and bounce back out. This can also happen in RACK'EM UP! A ball can also strike a corner pocket parallel to a bumper and bounce back out. Replaying the same shot at a slower speed (via the "R" key) may allow the ball to stay in the pocket. DESCRIPTION OF GAMES For those not familiar with the different games of pool, a short description follows. As mentioned earlier, RACK'EM UP! supervises these game and enforces basic rules. Straight Pool Turns rotate among the players until all of the balls are sunk. As long as a player sinks a ball, he may continue to shoot. On the first miss - or after a scratch - the next player's turn comes up. After all balls are sunk, the player having sunk the most balls wins the "game." Play can continue by pressing the "B" key. The last person to sink a ball will break the new rack. You'll have to decide ahead of time how many games wins the match. Rotation The lowest numbered ball on the table must be struck first by the cue ball. This ball is the "object" ball. If you strike the object ball first, you get points for ball balls pocketed regardless of pocketing the object ball. The number of points earned is the sum of the numbers on the balls sunk. A miss - failure to pocket a ball or a failure to hit the object ball first - retires that player and the turn is passed to the next player. If balls are pocketed illegally (i.e., the object ball was not hit first), the program will provide a chance to return them to the table. Each game is won by the player having the most points. Eight Ball (Stripes & Solids) If the first player pockets any balls on the break, his group of "high balls" (9-15) or "low balls" (1-7), is determined by the number on the first ball sunk. He must then pocket all balls in his group before he is entitled to shoot at the eight ball. If the break is unsuccessful, the next player has high or low choice until the first ball is sunk. A player's turn continues as long as he sinks one or more balls from his group. When all the balls in his group have been legally pocketed, the player may shoot at the eight ball. While shooting at the eight ball, if the player scratches, he automatically loses. The player also loses of he sinks the eight ball before pocketing all of the other balls in his group. NOTE: This game is also known as Stripes & Solids because all of the high balls (9-15) are striped and all of low balls (1-7) are solid. Nine Ball Nine ball is very similar to Rotation. However, only nine balls are used in this game. One point is scored each time the nine ball is sunk. When this happens, the nine ball will be automatically returned to the table. All other rules of Rotation apply.