


About The Game
Game Features
System Requirements
Player Names
Player Status Display
Energy System
Energy Sharing
Weapon Powerups
Bosses
Laser Beams
Scoring
Achievements
In Game Keys
Controls
Graphics
Sound
Game Speed ( fps ) Problems
Gameplay Tips
Contact
trinosis@hotmail.co.uk
http://www.trinosis.com


Zytron II is the sequel to my 1990 shoot em up for the Commodore 64 home micro, Zytron Megablast. Sold through the classic UK magazine of the time, Zzap64.
The game is typical of scrolling shoot em ups of that era and will be familiar to anyone who's played such classics as, Armalyte, R-Type or Gradius ( Nemesis ).
The aim of the game is simple enough, blast anything and everything in your path to make your way to the last level and destroy the end of game boss.


Neon Glow Graphics
Supports Any Combination Of Mouse , Keys And Joysticks ( including Xbox 360 controllers )
1 - 4 Players Co Op ( players can join the game at any time )
32 Multi Directional Parallax Scrolling Levels
Auto Firing Player Ships
End Of Level And Mid Level Boss Fights
Meteor Storms
Ufo Swarms
Player Smart Bombs
Optional Player Energy Sharing System ( players can keep each other alive by sharing energy )
Balanced Gameplay
Auto Saves Allow For Pick Up And Play Gameplay ( resume play from the last level you played )
20 Achievements
13 Soundtracks
In Game Instructions And Gameplay Hints / Tips
Backstory ( sets the scene for the game )
Unlockable Game Complete Sequence
Multiple Detail Settings
Multiple Screen Resolutions ( 1024 x 768 - 1680 x 1050 widescreen )
Fullscreen / Windowed Modes
16 / 32 Color Depth
Multiple Monitor Refresh Rates


Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7
2Ghz Processor
128MB Graphics Card
512mb RAM
155mb Disk Space ( Full version )
110mb Disk Space ( Demo )
Direct X V7.0 / Open GL


When a new profile is created the player can optionally enter a name for each of the four players associated with that profile.
These player names can be changed at any point in the game, via the profiles menu and are automatically entered into the
high score table after each game.

Player names default to
player 1
player 2
player 3
player 4
Clicking on the name you want to change takes you to the 'Change Name' screen.
Type in your new name and press 'Enter' to confirm.
All relevent menus will now display the new names.
Clicking 'Back' quits without saving the new name.


The status display for each player consists of the players ship ( in the corner of the screen ) and next to the ship is the player’s
energy bar.
Below the energy bar is the player’s score and score multiplier.
And the bottom row displays any collected smart bombs ( maximum of 5 at a time ) displayed as small rings.

As well as the player status, there is a level progress meter at the top center of the screen. This meter, via a marker, displays how far through the level the players are.
With the start of the level being the left side of the meter and the end of the level being on the right.
This is to give the players a quick reference as to how far from the end of the level they are.

The game uses a color coding system throughout to distinguish between players and each player can choose the color of their ship via the 'Graphics Menu'.



The game uses an energy system for each of the players ships, with the players ship blowing up when it's energy gets depleted to zero, at which point it's game over for that particular player.
Dead players can retry the same level as many times as they like until that level is completed simply by quitting the game and selecting 'Continue Game' from the main menu. All dead players take no further part in the game once a level has been completed by another player.
Player energy is depleted on contact with scenery and enemies and is displayed in the player status as a colored bar next to the players ship.

Player energy is also displayed as an energy ring surrounding each player’s ship, which gives a quick visual reference without having to glance up at the player’s status, which can be tricky when the action heats up. The smaller the ring, the less energy the player has. When the player’s energy drops below 50%, the ship starts to flash.
The energy rings can be turned on or off via the 'Gameplay' menu.



The game also supports an optional energy sharing system between players ( default on ).
This system shares the energy between any player ships that come into contact with each other.
Example
If one player is low on energy and another has full energy, then moving both players into contact with each other will share the energy between them. Averaging the energy of both ships.
The player which was low on energy will get his energy increased and the player who had full energy will have his energy decreased.
This system allows for co-op play allowing players to keep each other alive by sharing energy when needed.

Player’s energy also regenerates at a slow rate until it reaches 100%.
Players can restore their energy by different amounts by collecting weapon powerups and crystals.
Weapon powerups immediately restore a player’s energy back to 100%, whereas crystals restore varying amounts of energy, depending on the size of the crystal. The larger the crystal, the more energy restored.

Collecting 50 crystals also grants the player a bonus smart bomb.


There are two types of weapon pickups that can be collected by the players.
A standard weapon pickup.

A smart bomb pickup.

A standard weapon pickup adds extra firepower to your ship and a smart bomb pickup adds a smart bomb to your inventory.
Up to a maximum of 5 smart bombs at a time.
Pressing the players, assigned smart bomb button, activates a smart bomb and blows up everything on screen.

Although certain enemies are immune to smart bombs, such as bosses, their firepower isn't. Smart bombs can be quite effective at clearing a screen of all boss firepower, which can give the players some vital breathing space.
Player weapons also deplete over time, so constantly collecting weapon pickups is vital to keep your ship at maximum firepower.


Whilst progressing through a level you will come across various bosses which need defeating in order to continue.
There is always an end of level boss which needs defeating in order to complete the level and many levels contain bosses at various staging points.

The bosses also use an energy system, displayed by a colored pulsating orb at the center of the boss.
The lower the boss energy, the faster the pulsing of the orb.
The orb also changes color from green ( max energy ) to red ( lowest energy ) and when the boss energy is depleted to zero it blows up.
The bosses all contain gun turrets of varying types which shoot at the players and blowing up all of the gun turrets will destroy the boss.
Bosses can either be destroyed by depleting all of it's energy or by destroying all of it's gun turrets.
Sometimes it's quicker to deplete a bosses energy and at other times to destroy it's gun turrets.


Most levels contain laser beams of various colors and sizes.
These cause the players a lot of damage if touched and drain large amounts of energy.

However, they can be destroyed, but not directly.
Each laser beam has an associated energy base, separate from the laser beam and blowing up this energy base will destroy the laser beam and allow safe passage through.



For every 40-attack wave enemies killed, the players score multiplier increases.
Shown as a number besides the players score.
This number multiplies all scores the player receives and defaults to one.
Any damage the player receives reduces the score multiplier by one.
There is no upper limit to which the score multiplier can reach and a bonus score ( score multiplier X 1000 points )
is awarded to the player everytime the score multiplier increases.
Using smart bombs and collecting pickups also awards the player with extra scores.


There are 20 achievements in the game for each player to unlock.
Achievement 1
Score 1,000,000 Points
Achievement 2
Score 10,000,000 Points
Achievement 3
Score 20,000,000 Points
Achievement 4
Score 50,000,000 Points
Achievement 5
Reach Level 5
Achievement 6
Reach Level 10
Achievement 7
Reach Level 15
Achievement 8
Reach Level 20
Achievement 9
Reach Level 25
Achievement 10
Reach Level 30
Achievement 11
Collect 250 Crystals
Achievement 12
Collect 500 Crystals
Achievement 13
Collect 1000 Crystals
Achievement 14
Collect 500 Powerups
Achievement 15
Use 50 Smart Bombs
Achievement 16
Get Hit 500 Times
Achievement 17
No Hits For 4 Minutes
Achievement 18
Get 5000 Kills
Achievement 19
Kill 10 Bosses
Achievement 20
Destroy 200 Gun Turrets
The player gets a special title when all 20 achievements are unlocked.
Achievements are only saved when a level is completed.
Achievements unlocked on the same level that a player dies on are lost but can be unlocked again upon replaying the game.
The achievements can be checked in game via the 'In Game Menu'.


There are two reserved keys in game.
Escape, which brings up the in game menu.
F12, to take a screenshot. ( saved in the screenshots folder of the zytron 2 installation folder ).
All menus can be navigated with either keys, mouse or joysticks.



The game supports mouse, keys and joysticks and any combination of mouse, keys and joysticks can be assigned to the controls, but the same control cannot be assigned to multiple players.
To assign a control in the 'Controls Menu', just click on a control you want to assign.
Example
Left mouse click on 'Move Left'
Move the joystick left to bind the control.
Backspace unbinds a control when highlighted.
If you get the message "unavailable" when binding a control, it means you are trying to bind a control that is already assigned to another player. You will have to unbind the control for the other player first before you can bind it to the new player. Go into the 'Controls Menu' for the player who has the controls already assigned and highlight the relevent control with the mouse and press 'Backspace' to unbind it. Then go to your original players controls and bind the controls you want.
The 'Joystick Setup' option in the 'Controls Menu' lets you set the relevent 'Joystick Deadzone' values. These values define how much a joystick can move before it registers a movement. The higher the value, the more the joystick has to move before it registers a movement. This is necessary because most analogue joysticks do not centre without registering movement, which can give twitchy sensitive controls.
The 'Test Controls' option in the controls menu lets you test your newly assigned controls to verify that everything works ok.
Important
All joysticks must be 'Calibrated' in 'Windows' to work correctly in the game. Consult your 'Windows' manual or do a quick Google search for instructions on how to Calibrate Joysticks for your version of Windows.
All joysticks must be plugged in and Calibrated in Windows before the game starts in order for them to register in game. Plugging in a joystick after the game has started will not register the joystick in game.


The game supports multiple screen resolutions from 1024 x 768 up to a maximum of 1680 x 1050 wide screen.
16 or 32 bit color depth.
Windowed or full screen modes.
Multiple monitor refresh rates.
Direct X V7.0 and above or Open GL graphics drivers.
There are multiple graphics detail levels ranging from minimum, low, medium, high and max.
The background grid and stars can also be toggled on / off.


The game supports multiple sound drivers.
If you experience sound problems, it's recommended that you change the games sound driver.
This can't be done in game but only via the setup.exe programme in the zytron 2 installation folder.
You will have to quit the game, run the setup.exe programme and select a new sound driver via the audio settings tab.



To Increase Frame Rates.
Open GL gives higher fps than Direct X.
Lower the detail levels and screen resolution.
Turn off the background grid and stars, all via the 'Graphics Menu'.
Fullscreen modes give higher fps than windowed modes and multiplayer will always be slower than single player.
The game update speed is locked at a maximum of 60hz ( 60 frames per second ) regardless of the display refresh rate and cannot update any faster.
The game speed can be verified in game by the fps display ( enabled via the graphics menu ) which is shown in game at the bottom center of the screen.
It's recommended that a full screen mode with a refresh rate of 60hz should be used where possible, as this will provide the smoothest scrolling, as it syncs with the game update speed. Other refresh rates may produce a jerky display.
The game can also toggle V Sync on / off, for compatibility and may give speed increases on certain systems with low framerates.
V Sync off will cause screen tearing ( lower quality looking display ) but may help some users with video or speed problems.
For this option to have any effect, V Sync must be enabled on the graphics card. Some users may need to do this via their graphics card setup utility.


Using the mouse gives the fastest and most accurate controls possible. Since a players ship can move at the speed the mouse moves, dodging enemy fire is much easier than using either keys or joystick, where movement speed is constant for keys and joystick.
When attempting the 'No Hits For 4 Minutes' achievement, it's recommended that players wait for a 'Deep Space' level and these occur every 5 levels. A 'Deep Space' level will not have any background scenery graphics, thus making for a much larger play area. If players still have problems getting this achievement then another option would be to change to a much higher screen resolution. Which will provide a much bigger play area to dodge enemy fire.
The bosses are a little more difficult to defeat when the game is being played in a low screen resolution. This results in a reduced play area and the bosses take up much more of the screen. Again, it's recommended that a higher screen resolution be used if players find a particular boss difficult to defeat. A higher screen resolution provides a bigger game play area.
It's usually wise to try and save some smart bombs for the bosses. Although the smart bombs don't affect the bosses directly, they will destroy all boss firepower, clearing the screen temporarily which can allow the players to move into safer areas of the screen or to collect pickups
Always keep an eye on how many smart bombs you have. If you have 5 smart bombs already collected, then collecting another smart bomb would be a waste of time, since only 5 can be carried at one time. Therefore, either leave the smart bomb for another player or fire off a smart bomb before collecting the new one. Unless of course, you need the full energy collecting the pickup would provide.
Make it a matter of course to collect crystals. Remember, collecting 50 crystals grants a bonus smart bomb and each crystal tops up your ships energy. Crystals are also needed for several achievements.
You will also need to constantly keep collecting standard weapon pickups as your ships firepower decreases over time. You will not lose any weapons when in a boss fight though, only before and after.
There are several tactics that can be used when playing multiplayer. Enabling and using energy sharing makes for an easier game. Keep an eye on your teammates energy rings and regularly share energy when the going gets tough.
Since an energy system is used throughout the game, contact with the background scenery doesn't immediately destroy your ship, but instead depletes its energy upon contact. This means that it's possible to fly over the scenery to avoid laser beams and enemies or to reach pickups in hard to reach places. Sometimes it's advantageous to hide from enemies in a corner of the level, out of immediate danger if you are low on energy, waiting for a safe time to return to the main play area or for another player to come and share some energy with you.
Always keep on the move. Except for homing missiles and bullets, enemies and gun turrets always fire at your current position. So keeping on the move means the enemy fire should always miss you.
An effective tactic to use against homing missiles and bullets is to position yourself so that some scenery is between
you and the homing missile. This will cause the missile to explode on contact with the scenery as it homes in on you.This can be a very effective technique if you find yourself swamped by swarms of homing missiles. Effectively steering the homing missiles to collide with the scenery.
When you have collected enough weapon powerups you gain multiples ( small versions of your ship, up to a maximum of 5 ) which trail and fire in the same direction as your main ship. For concentrated firepower, it's best to line up the multiples so that that they are positioned one after the other, all firing along the same axis, where each multiple bullet hits the same target as your main ship. Sometimes you only have enough time to take out an enemy using this tactic.
If you lose sight of your ship amongst all the mayhem, then fire off a smart bomb to not only show where you are, but to destroy
all on screen enemies, making your ship safer and easier to see.
Try to avoid camping at the screen edges, but stay central as often as possible. Camping at the screen edges often means you'll get hit by enemies coming onto the screen so fast that you don't have time to avoid them.
A level select mode will become unlocked once the game is completed. This mode allows you to replay any level via the 'Continue Game' main menu option. Any players who haven't completed all of their achievements by the time the game is completed can carry on playing via this mode to unlock any missed achievements and to amass even higher scores.
The game complete sequence will become unlocked once the game is completed and can be viewed at any time via the 'Game Ending' main menu option. Don't forget to turn the music volume up if it's been muted in game as it adds a lot of atmosphere to the sequence.
Have Fun ...
For technical support please e-mail
trinosis@hotmail.co.uk
http://www.trinosis.com