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                      An entry into SpeedHack 2011
                        www.speedhack.allegro.cc
           Copyright (C) 2011 Ben 'Bruce "entheh" Perry' Davis


                            ~ Introduction ~

Yes, I entered a competition called SpeedHack 2011 and submitted a game
called SpeedHack 2011. It's not just a game that I couldn't think of a
proper title for. If you run it, all should become clear.


                             ~ Compiling ~

If you downloaded a version that includes an .exe file, then you can
skip this section. Otherwise, read on.

First, you need Allegro 4. The game was written against version 4.4.2,
so that's a good version to start with. Note that 4.9.* or 5.* are not
compatible, although they can be installed at the same time.

http://alleg.sf.net/

Matthew Leverton made an amazing makefile for the competition, and it
is included. If you have no luck with it, then you could try something
like this:

g++ src/*.cpp -Iinclude -o sh2011.exe -lalleg44


                               ~ Rules ~

SpeedHack is a 72-hour game programming competition. Some rules are
always released when the competition starts. They make it interesting
and ensure that people don't start early. Here is what I have done to
follow each rule.


                         ~ Genre requirements ~

                           ~ E for Everyone ~

SpeedHack 2011 does not contain any minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild
violence and/or infrequent use of mild language, apart from "stinks".
Of course, it does contain large amounts of powerful propaganda, but
the message delivered should only cause parents mild concern. And only
if they're hopelessly traditional.


                       ~ Technical requirements ~

                           ~ Random Playing ~

Here is a list of things that are random:
- Positions of the things you can collect;
- The players' colours;
- The players' starting positions;
- Which player you control;
- The pitches of sound effects;
- The subheadings on the menu screen;
- The player participation;
- The messages concerning player participation;
- The artificial intelligence;
- Elements of the ending;
- The perturbations of the grid;
- The severity of bugs;
- The sky.

                              ~ Laziness ~

This rule was all about detecting lazy people who aren't playing
properly and letting them win anyway. I couldn't bring myself to let
them win, since it devalues the game for those who do play properly;
but you might just find that if the good players don't have any
competition from you, they exhibit some participation issues, leaving
you slightly less shafted.


                       ~ Artistic requirements ~

                      ~ Brainwashing Propaganda ~

It is my goal to bring all the little boys and girls of the world into
SpeedHack. Think of me as Santa Claus. If you don't like SpeedHack, you
don't get a present. *<#;D##>

In order to come up with the propaganda, I scoured the Wikipedia
article on propaganda. It listed a plethora of techniques, so I went
through and attempted to write at least one piece of propaganda for
each technique listed. It seems to have worked.

                          ~ Colour Symbolism ~

I decided to invoke Act of Chameleon (see below) to replace this rule
because I thought it was too easy. Even so, I seem to have given each
player a random colour which is then used to identify the player
everywhere.


                            ~ Bonus rules ~

                          ~ Act of Chameleon ~

Ah, well, I was supposed to write "I am invoking the Act of Chameleon
to replace a rule with name-of-new-rule" as the first sentence in a
blog post, but I wrote "But before I go - I don't like the colour rule.
It's too easy. I hereby replace it with: Buzz Word" as almost the last
sentence in a blog post. Nevertheless, it seems to have been picked up,
so here's the new rule:

                             ~ Buzz Word ~

"You must coin and popularise a phrase within the game! Bonus points
for a phrase which is absurd in any other situation but the game."

Take your pick from the propaganda! There must be something meme-worthy
in there.

All right, I'm doomed to failure on this one. Creating a meme is a tall
order, don't you think?


                             ~ Conclusion ~

Well, I hope you enjoy the game, and comments are most welcome! And if
you like the sound of SpeedHack, then do join in next time!

Ben 'Bruce "entheh" Perry' Davis - entheh@cantab.net
