
COBRA FOREVER
=============

Version 1.02 - 24 March 2010

Remake of the 1986 ZX Spectrum game "COBRA", originally by JONATHAN SMITH

Original version released by OCEAN SOFTWARE

This remake is by Retrofingers

Requirements: Windows with DirectX7 or higher

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

THE COBRA STRIKES!
==================

You are vigilante cop Marion Cobretti of the 'Zombie Squad'.

THE CITY IS UNDER SIEGE! A New World order is beckoning. A spate of murders are
underway by a crazed cult of supremacists who believe in killing the weak and
leaving only the strongest and themselves to live and rule the world. They are
led by a ruthless maniac known only as 'The Night Slasher'.

Top fashion model Ingrid Knutsen is the only eyewitness. After witnessing
several individuals and 'The Night Slasher' himself at the scene of one of the
murders... KNUTSEN HAS BECOME A TARGET!

You have been assigned to her protection. Good luck!

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

THE GAME
========

This is where the law stops ... and you start.

Advance through three playfields.

CITYSCAPE (night-time), COUNTRYSIDE (day-time) and THE FACTORY. Use platforms
and levels to locate and protect Ingrid from her attackers in each stage.

Use the 'HEAD-BUTT' feature to defend yourself and collect weapons hidden inside
HAMBURGERS to thwart the attack, beware - each weapon only lasts a short while!

You start each life and area with one can of WHITE LIGHT. These are activated
with the CIDERNOVA function, they vaporise every threat currently on-screen.
Once you loose a life or progress to the next area, any additional WHITE LIGHT
you've obtained will be taken away.

Weapons are: INVINCIBILITY PILL
             KNIFE [TAP "MURDER"]
             PISTOL [TAP "MURDER"]
             LASER SIGHTED MACHINE GUN [HOLD "MURDER"]

Every 5th PICK-UP is a can of WHITE LIGHT. 

To move to the next section you must:
# 1. Find and rescue Ingrid (she will follow if you get close)
# 2. "CURE" all the hoodlums

Be careful, Ingrid gets upset. If you attack her, she may flee. She may also be
spooked by hoodlums. Once you have connected with Ingrid, you can't mistakenly
attack her.

A PINK ARROW and wolf-whistle mark Ingrids arrival.

The longer you remain in an area, the greater the missile firing rate.

If you are slow collecting a PICK-UP, a warning will be issued and the missile
firing rate will increase greatly until the PICK-UP is collected.

You incur a fault by getting hit, losing a life, or attacking Ingrid.

Protecting Ingrid or being armed, protects you from loss of life, but not from a
fault.

When you are hit, you will temporarily be stunned, during this time you are safe
from hits and faults.

Falling from a great height will also temporarily stun you, unless you have
INVINCIBILITY or fall on a hoodlum.

Buggies are different from other hoodlums, running into these only stuns you,
they are not damaging or fault incurring, but they can't be head-butted.

Once THE FACTORY'S hoodlums have been "CURED" you will have to face the ultimate
adversary, 'The Night Slasher' himself.

SURVIVAL GAME DIFFERENCES:

# Never progress past CITYSCAPE
# No spare lives
# No postals or faults
# Only weapons are MACHINE GUN and WHITE LIGHT
# Number of "CURES" recorded
# SKORE BONUS every 50 "CURES" ... 10000 to a maximum of 50000
# SKORE BONUS for PICK-UPS
# You have fifteen minutes before an unstoppable missile onslaught begins

CRIME IS A DISEASE ... YOU'RE THE CURE!

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

CONTROLS
========

The controls are re-definable and can be either KEYBOARD or JOYPAD.

If you use an analogue stick, the "LEFT" and "RIGHT" controls are pressure
sensitive. But I recommend using the D-PAD (HAT), it's better suited for the
quick reactions required.

DEFAULT CONTROLS:

          JUMP: W
        CROUCH: S
          LEFT: I
         RIGHT: O
        MURDER: M
     CIDERNOVA: N
         PAUSE: H

Press "MURDER" to use the current weapon.

Press "PAUSE" or ESC to pause.
  Whilst paused..
# F5 .. Brings up mini-options to change audio volumes, and graphical detail
# F8 .. Grabs a screenshot, and saves in the "pics" directory CF??.png (01-99)

Death sequence and complete sequence can be skipped with "MURDER" or ESC.

If you're using a joypad, "MURDER" and "PAUSE" double as "SELECT" and "NEXT".

The knife pointer on the menus can be controlled with the UP and DOWN ARROW
KEYS, and SPACE or ENTER to select. If you're using a joypad, "SELECT" and
"NEXT" can also be used.

The mouse can be also be used for the menus. Move it to activate.

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

STATUS AND SCORING
==================

On-screen information shows: current skore, high skore, extra life target skore,
hoodlums remaining, current weapon, postal attempt counter, multiplier (X?.?),
cider (C?), faults (F?), time, and spare lives (boxing gloves).

Follow the RED ARROW for the quickest route to the next weapon.

With the panel active, and using a firearm, the 'QUACKOMETER' is displayed in
the lower central part of the screen. This realistically indicates the time
remaining before losing your weapon.

INVINCIBILITY lasts slightly shorter than the firearms. Cobretti will flash
yellow when it is about to expire.

Hoodlums can be safely "CURED" in the following ways:
# Head-butt
# Weapon/invincibility attack
# Jump-down or fall on hoodlum (from at least half the height of Cobretti)
# WHITE LIGHT (CIDERNOVA) vaporisation

Every time a hoodlum is "CURED", your MULTIPLIER will rise from 1.0 to a maximum
of 5.0. It will be reset if you incur a fault.

When you have the MACHINE GUN, you can try for a POSTAL BONUS. You must "CURE"
30+ hoodlums, the more hoodlums "CURED" the bigger the bonus. If a POSTAL is
achieved your bonus will be added on AREA COMPLETION. Once a POSTAL has been
achieved you cannot attempt another until the next area. A POSTAL will also
immediately award you a bonus can of WHITE LIGHT. All "CURES" count towards the
total, whether they are weapon/invincibility hit, jump-down, or WHITE LIGHT. A
GONG will sound to signify the attempt is over, whether achieved or not. Whilst
trying for a postal, when you have 30 cures, every additional cure increases the
hoodlum generating rate. Higher POSTAL counts, can be achieved on higher
difficulty settings, and further into the game.

POSTAL BONUS CALCULATIONS (30-50):
10000, 10300, 10900, 11800, 13000, 14500, 16300, 18400, 20800, 23500, 26500,
29800, 33400, 37300, 41500, 46000, 50800, 55900, 61300, 67000, 80000

80000 is the maximum bonus achievable, even if you get over 50 POSTAL "CURES".

Other AREA SECURED calculations are as follows:

FAULTS (0-9):
30000, 20000, 15000, 10000, 7500, 5000, 2500, 1000, 500, 100

AREA (CITYSCAPE, COUNTRYSIDE, THE FACTORY):
5000, 10000, 30000

You begin your mission with 3 LIVES. Skore target until next life awarded is
shown as "EXTRA" on score panel.

On 128x mapsets you gain an extra life at 40000 points, and then every 80000
points thereafter.

On 256x mapsets you gain an extra life at 20000 points, and then every 40000
points thereafter.

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

CONFIGURATION
=============

GRAPHICS
Try "DirectX" first. If any graphics issues try "OpenGL".

RESOLUTION
The wider the width, the larger the possible viewing area.
Common aspect ratios are shown in brackets.
Depending on your system, width can be 640 to 1280. Try 640 first, then go up if
desired.
# PANEL ON: Height must be at least 384 (MAPSET 1 or 2) or 480 (MAPSET 3 or 4)
# PANEL OFF: Height must be at least 288 (MAPSET 1 or 2) or 384 (MAPSET 3 or 4)

WINDOWED
Selects fullscreen (and graphics depth) or windowed.
Use depth 32, if no slow down.
For best performance, use fullscreen if possible.

VIEW WIDTH
The physical area width visible. With this you can select a high resolution,
but don't have to have an incredibly wide view. This must be changed after you
have selected your resolution. I recommend using 640.

DIFFICULTY
Three settings: SERIOUS, RISKY and HEROIC. Each progressively harder.

MAPSET
There are four mapsets. They are all basically the same map, but with size
variation. #1 is the same as the Spectrum game and is recommended if using 640
VIEW WIDTH. If you play with a higher VIEW WIDTH, try the 12y mapsets. If
playing at high speeds, try the 256x mapsets. The 256x mapsets make your
horizontal running speed slightly faster, because of the wider jumps.

PANEL
How to display the in-game information. "OFF (OVERLAID)", overlays the game
information. With "ON (UNDER+DIRS)", the direction arrows are overlaid on the
playing area.

STRETCH
If using a widescreen display with a 4:3 resolution (such as 640 X 480) and
fullscreen then activate this to correct the aspect ratio of the graphics,
stretching the screen vertically. If you have a 16:10 screen then use V+20%.
If you're using a 16:9 screen then use V+33%. Even if you have a square 4:3
display you still may like to use this setting as it fills more of the screen
vertically, though the aspect ratio will be incorrect.

BLANKING
Method for blanking the borders on fullscreen. Should be no need to change it.
Default is "MANUAL". If experiencing slow down try "VIEWPORT". On other than
DirectX9, "VIEWPORT" is only selectable if VIEW WIDTH is MAXIMUM, and STRETCH is
OFF. If the borders are corrupted, go back to "MANUAL".

JOY-CHECK
If the in-game DEFINE CONTROLS option is not working correctly, try setting this
to "JOYPAD READING OFF". Now the in-game DEFINE CONTROLS option will no longer
check for any controllers, it will only check for keyboard presses.

AUDIO DRIVER
Usually best left as it is. Only change if any audio problems.
Defaults are:
# Windows XP ... "FreeAudio"
# Windows Vista (or other) ... "DirectSound"

TEST
Shows how the in-game display will look. Try this before starting.

DEFAULTS
Resets default configuration values.

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

OPTIONS
=======

SPEED
1-3
Your and the hoodlums horizontal movement speed.

SFX VOLUME
OFF-10

MUSIC VOLUME
OFF-10

SHOW SCORES
Toggles showing score when hoodlum "CURED".

SHOW COUNTS
Toggles FAULTS appearing at top-left, and MULTIPLIER appearing at top-right.

ZOOM TEXT
The large text that zooms out from the centre of the screen:
MAIN shows: GO, FAIL, POSTAL, "TOTAL", and "SURVIVAL BONUS".
COUNT shows: "POSTAL COUNTDOWN".

BACKGROUNDS
Turn off backgrounds. Useful if experiencing slow down, particularly on THE
FACTORY.

PARTICLES
Change amount and type displayed.

GFX STYLE
Switch between redrawn "MODERN" style graphics, or the original ZX Spectrum
"RETRO" style graphics.

DEFAULTS
Resets default options values.

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

DEFINE CONTROLS
===============

DEADZONE
Default is 20%
Only relevant if using an analogue controller. The larger the value, the less
responsive your analogue controller. The lower the value, the more chance of
analogue slide or over responsive control.

Some keyboards don't like multiple key presses. If you have this problem, try a
different combination of keys, or use a joypad.

If you've selected any joypad controls, these can be tested by pressing any
selected joypad function, when active the text will light YELLOW. This is mainly
useful for testing the sensitivity of the DEADZONE setting. 

If DEFINE CONTROLS is not working correctly, try changing JOY-CHECK to "JOYPAD
READING OFF" on the CONFIGURATION screen.

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

VIEW HIGH SKORES
================

There are different HIGH SKORE tables for each speed, and separate for MAIN
and SURVIVAL. Use F1/F2, UP/DOWN ARROW, or "NEXT" to navigate. ESC or "SELECT"
to EXIT.

# MAIN... displays: PLACING, NAME, SKORE, AREA, and TIME

# SURVIVAL... displays: PLACING, NAME, SKORE, CURES, and TIME

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

HINTS AND TIPS
==============

# Keep moving to find Ingrid
# Jump and crouch to avoid flying objects
# Use buggies to your advantage, running into one temporarily protects you
# Gain the high ground, then jump-down on hoodlums to break your fall
# Hoodlums can be passed safely, when on a different platform height
# Skilful use of WHITE LIGHT can increase your postal count

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

MISCELLANEOUS
=============

If you have a 16:10 screen, you'll get sharper graphics if you use a real
widescreen resolution (1280 X 800):
# CONFIG/RESOLUTION:       1280 X 800
# CONFIG/VIEW WIDTH:       640
# CONFIG/STRETCH:          ON (V+20% 16:10)

To fill a 16:10 screen with the gaming area:
# CONFIG/RESOLUTION:       1280 X 800
# CONFIG/VIEW WIDTH:       640
# CONFIG/MAPSET:           3. (128 X 12) ... OR ... 4. (256 X 12)
# CONFIG/PANEL:            OFF
# CONFIG/STRETCH:          ON (V+20% 16:10)

Try a high resolution and experiment with the VIEW WIDTH.

For a fast game, try these settings:
# CONFIG/RESOLUTION:       800 or higher (WIDTH)
# CONFIG/VIEW WIDTH:       800
# OPTIONS/SPEED:           3

If experiencing slow down, try the following:
# Try a different graphics driver
# Use fullscreen and try changing the depth
# Lower the resolution
# Try setting BLANKING to "VIEWPORT"
# Turn off backgrounds
# Reduce particles

Comments/bug reports: retrofingers@hotmail.com

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

FILES
=====

# A new SKORE file is created for settings changed in CONFIGURATION.
  Example:
  skores-w640d2m1p1.dat
  [VIEW WIDTH:640 / DIFFICULTY:2 / MAPSET:1 / PANEL:ON]

# Deleting any of the SKORE files or the config.txt file will return the
  corresponding settings to default

# The intro story is only displayed when a new SKORE file is first created

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

CREDITS
=======

Programming
RETROFINGERS

Cobra Motion Picture
WARNER BROS. INC.

The original 1986 ZX Spectrum Cobra video game
JONATHAN "JOFFA" SMITH
OCEAN SOFTWARE

Language
BLITZMAX
BLITZ RESEARCH LTD.
http://www.blitzmax.com

FREEWARE
This game is provided as freeware and at no point should be sold. It is freely
distributable, provided that it is not altered in any way, and that this readme
file is included with the game.

You run this game at your own risk - no responsibility for any damage to
hardware or software can be taken by the author.

The original Cobra game, concept, original graphics and data remain the
copyrighted property of their respective owners. This remake is purely for
entertainment purposes.

Cobra Forever  RETROFINGERS 2009/2010
Cobra  Ocean Software Ltd. 1986
Cobra  & tm Warner Bros. Inc. 1986

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

MUSIC/SFX
=========

Title music loop: "Opium"
- http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/pir/free_music_loops.shtml

Main in-game tune: "badlands1.mod" by Matt Furniss
- http://modarchive.org/module.php?34963

End sequence music: by Achim Tober
- http://www.softworxs.de

Other music and sound effects downloaded from various places.

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

HISTORY
=======

v1.00 - 26 June 2009
# Initial release

v1.01 - 26 October 2009
# Added DIFFICULTY configuration option, with two lower settings
# Added JOY-CHECK configuration option
# Added typing effect to intro story
# Some minor graphical updates
# Other minor changes and corrections

v1.02 - 24 March 2010
# Reduced the enemy generating rate for SERIOUS and RISKY DIFFICULTY settings
# Start each life and area with WHITE LIGHT
# Added tilting to the throwing knives
# Added DirectX9 graphics driver option
# Added OpenAL audio driver option
# Added overlaying direction arrows option, for when panel is on
# Different rankings
# Fixed bug with postal display counter
# Some minor graphical updates
# Other minor changes and corrections

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

LINKS
=====

Cobra Forever homepage:
- http://cobraforever.bravehost.com

Play the original Spectrum version of Cobra:
- http://myspeccy.org/en/games/cobra

Cobra: The Movie... underrated/macho/badass:
- http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/cobra

The Mod Archive - Thousands of freely downloadable MOD music files:
- http://www.modarchive.com

The Freesound Project:
- http://freesound.iua.upf.edu
