Maelstrom Manual
This release is part of the "Alpha" series
Version 0.4

-------- Table of Contents --------
|                                
|  I. Introduction and Installation
|  II. The Basics                  
|  III. Lightsaber Combat          
|  IV. Defending                    
|  V. Saber-Lock                    
|  VI. Force Powers                
|  VII. Special Abilities          
|  VIII. Advanced Tactics          
|  IX. Custom Character Creation  
|  X. Patch Notes                  
|                                  
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 I. Introduction and Installation
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Welcome to Maelstrom!

Maelstrom is a Tactical Turn-based Dueling Game (TTBDG) in which two players face off in a duel against one another until one player's health is depleted.

Maelstrom is based on the Java programming language, so please ensure that you have the latest version of the Java installed.
If you do not, you can download the latest version of Java at...
http://www.java.com/getjava/

Please note that a common error preventing Maelstrom from running is having .jar files associated with an unzipping program, rather than Java itself - despite the latest version of Java being installed.
You must use "Open With" and locate "javaw" if that's the case.

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 II. The Basics
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In Maelstrom, you play a Jedi/Sith character wielding a lightsaber - so does your opponent. Your goal is to defeat your opponent (by bringing their health to 0) before they're able to defeat you (by bringing your health to 0).

(ALPHA NOTE: Your opponent is currently unable to do anything - so you'll always win)

Every round, when it's your turn, you will receive a number of "points" to use for attacking, defending, and using special abilities. By default, you will receive 10 points. These 10 points are known as your "Active Points"

(ALPHA NOTE: Since your opponent cannot attack you, you never use points for defending. Your opponent doesn't even get a turn.)

If you do not use all 10 "Active Points" before you end your turn - they will be LOST. They do NOT carry over to the next round of combat. However, you do have the option to convert "Active Points" into "Bank Points" by pressing the "Add Bank Point" button on the lower left side of the screen. These "Bank Points" DO carry over to future rounds of combat.

However, this is not without cost. You must convert TWO Active Points to receive ONE Bank Point. It may seem pointless to convert Active Points into Bank Points due to this, but this is not the case. See "Section VIII: Advanced Tactics" for more details.

In addition to the 10 "Active Points" you receive when your turn starts, you also receive a number of "Force Points". By default, you will receive 2 Force Points. These Force Points can be spent on using Force Powers during your turn. Force Points are NOT lost if you do not spend them during your turn; they can be saved for future rounds of combat. However, they will stop accumulating at a certain cap. By default, this cap is 15 Force Points. See "Section VI: Force Powers" for more details.

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 III. Lightsaber Combat
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(ALPHA NOTE: Final lightsaber rules are not in place yet)

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 IV. Defending
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(ALPHA NOTE: Defending is not in place - your opponent cannot attack)

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 V. Saber Lock
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(ALPHA NOTE: Saber Lock is not in place - part of final lightsaber rules)

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 VI. Force Powers
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(ALPHA NOTE: Force Powers are partially in place, but could change too much before the next release to make it worth typing this up now)

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 VII. Special Abilities
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(ALPHA NOTE: Special Abilities are not in place)

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 VIII. Advanced Tactics
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(ALPHA NOTE: Section to be added later)

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 IX. Custom Character Creation
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(ALPHA NOTE: Your character's name is requested each time you start a new battle - this is temporary. Full custom character creation will be supported in a later release)

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 X. Patch Notes
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4/26/08: Alpha v0.4: Public Alpha Release
- Player 1 custom naming added
- "New Battle" should now reset to a new battle properly
- Fixed a bug that could allow the match to start improperly
- Minor graphical changes

4/24/08: Alpha v0.3: Public Alpha Release
- Initial Public Release

4/22/08: Alpha v0.2: Internal Release
- Force Choke and Push added

4/21/08: Alpha v0.1: Internal Release
- Initial Creation

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"Maelstrom Tactical Turn-based Dueling Game" © 2008