Twitch - a GPL arcade game for windows and linux.
http://www3.telus.net/futility/futility/twitch.html

by David Clark
silenus@telus.net

Version 1.0

Twitch is an overhead 2-d shooter, reminiscent of games like Robotron or Tron:
Deadly Disks. The player has entered the fortress of the evil Hippopoticus, 
and is trying to rescue the fair Lady Penelope from his clutches. I wrote
Twitch as a proof-of-concept: namely that Python, properly written, is fast
enough to create a playable, cross-platform arcade game.

INSTALLATION:
-------------

Twitch requires the SDL multimedia library from www.libsdl.org, and the optional
SDL_Image, and SDL_ttf modules. It also requires version 0.9 or later of pygame,
Pete Shinner's SDL wrapper for python, available from pygame.seul.org. Finally,
Twitch requires Python version 2.0 or later, available from www.python.org.

Linux:

Untar the tar.gz file somewhere like $HOME/games or something. Putting it in
/opt/games or /usr/local/games would work too - as long as everything stays
together. cd to the twitch-1.0 directory and run the game by typing:

./twitch.py

Windows:

Unzip the zip file wherever you like, and run twitch by double-clicking on 
"twitch.py".

COMMAND OPTIONS:
----------------

Type "./twitch.py --help" to view the various options. You can run twitch
fullscreen or in a window, with or without sound, using two different mouse
modes, and with a variety of cheat/god mode options.

GAMEPLAY:
---------

You need to progress through 10 rooms, defeating Hippopoticus's robotic army
as you go. You enter the first room, and the gate closes behind you. You can't
leave until you kill the monster with the key.

Monsters will warp into the room - some will carry ammunition or health packs.
Kill them using the seven weapons at your disposal, and they will drop
whatever they're carrying.

You can move using the arrow keys, the asdw keys, or the keypad keys
8,2,4 and 6. You aim with the mouse - moving the mouse will move the aiming
crosshair. Fire by pressing the left mouse button. You can switch weapons
by hitting any of the following keys: q, e, right shift, right ctrl, keypad +
and keypad enter.

In the bottom left corner of the screen, your weapons are pictured. The
currently selected weapon is outlined.

In the bootom center of the screen, the ammo remaining for the current
weapon is displayed. Weapon # 1, the shotgun, has unlimited ammo.
Each weapon has a corresponding maximum ammount of ammo you can carry - if
you already have enough ammo, picking up more won't help.

The bottom right corner of the screen displays your health bar in red - it
shrinks as you are damaged, and grows as you touch health kits.

If you reach level 10, you will face Hippopoticus himself. Defeat him, and
you rescue the fair Lady Penelope!

