Pool
Typed by Belgarath

This is a totally accurate simulation of the classic American game
of Eight Ball Pool.

The aim of the game is simple. Play starts with fifteen balls
arranged in a triangle, of these seven are spots, seven stripes and
the last the black eight ball. You have to sink your seven balls, in
any order and into any pocket, and then sink the black. The table
is basically the same as a snooker or billiards table, though
smaller and the pockets are proportionally larger. There is no
knap on the cloth of a pool table, so no matter which direction
you play a shot it runs at the same speed.

Players take it in turn to visit the table for a break. You
continue playing shots until such time as you miss or commit a
foul stroke. If you miss your turn ends and your opponent visits
the table. If you commit a foul then your turn ends and you miss
your next visit to the table as well. Balls sunk illegally stay down
and do not reappear on the table.

The first player to sink a ball legally has the choice of which
set of balls he wants to play with, this will normally be the one
that he has just sunk.

Fouls include missing all the balls entirely, potting an
opponent's ball, hitting one of your opponent's balls before you
hit one of your own and sinking the white.

If you sink the black out of turn, or if you go in off the black
you lose the game, no matter what else has happened.

If the white is put down it is returned to the table in the D. It
must be played from the centre spot on the front line of the D.

If you are in a position after a foul where you cannot directly
see any of your balls, you are awarded a free table, and can play
any ball, you may pot any ball other than the black, though if you
pot one of your opponent's balls you are doing him a favour.

TAKING A SHOT

You first see a top view of the table. As well as seeing all the
balls, there is a ghost ball, which has a number in it. This is your
aiming point. The number is the time, in seconds, you have left
to aim your shot. The white will trabel directly through the ghost
ball, unless you put so much spin on it that it swerves off course.

If you need to play a shot off the cushions, then you must put the
aiming ball at the point on the cushion where you want the first
impact to take place. Normally you will just line up the aiming
ball with the ball you want to hit.

If you run out of time on the clock, you will be forced to take
the shot as it is lined up as the clock stops. When you are happy
with the shot you have selected press the mouse button.

SPIN (ENGLISH)

The view then changes to the cue. Just as you would see it in the
real game looking down the length of the cue at the white. To
set the spin that you require you need to position the cue so
that the tip hits the right point on the white ball. To select back
spin you must aim low on the ball, top is by hitting high, left and
right spin is added by hitting left or right of centre. The further
from the centre of the ball you play your shot the more spin you
will impart on the ball, and the greater your chance of miss
cueing.

The Display in the top left of the screen shows you in
diagramatic form the spin you are applying.

POWER

Is selected in the same way as spin, draw the cue further back for
greater ower, for delicate shots only draw the cue back a little
way. Power is displayed as the top bar of the display, it cycles
through from no power to full power. You must time your shot
to select the power you want.

Again you have a time limit within which you must decide on
your shot. If it runs out you will be forced to play the shot lined
up at the time.

The view will now change back to the view of the table and
the computer will take the shot so you will see the result of
your effort. If you have been successful you will hear the ball roll
down the mechanism inside the table and will have another
shot. If you commit a foul, this will be announced, both verbally
and as a message along the top of the screen.

Play continues until one player has sunk all his balls and the
black, when he has won the game, or until the black is illegally
sunk, in which case the perpetrator has lost.

CONTROLS

Mouse.

LOADING INSTRUCTIONS

Insert Kickstart disk if required. At request for Workbench disk,
insert program disk. Program will load and run automatically.

Typed by Belgarath