ANIMAL ARENA - for Quake 3
Beta Release: version 0.83

==========================
README - by RiO
==========================
Kind consumer! Thanks for downloading this, the first Public Beta of Animal 
Arena. We've been working on this one on and off for longer than we'd like 
to think about, so we're dead keen to see what you think of it. May I begin 
by warmly inviting your feedback to the following address:

phoenix@planetquake.com

Now, what do we want feedback on, you may ask. Firstly let me remind you 
this is primarily a Code Beta, not a Graphical Beta... so no whining about 
the fact that the Snake Class looks suspiciously like the Bones model, or 
that the Tiger - for a lean mean fighting machine - is a little plump. 
Graphics are an issue we can only really address when we have some artists 
again. Hate to be a bore.

Having said that, we think the code in here is pretty scrumptious since it 
is the result of over a year's hard slog and toil. Thusly we are keen to fix 
any issues you have with it. We are more interested in bug-fixing than 
creative suggestions at this point, though both are welcomed at the above 
address.

==========================
What You'll Find
==========================
In this Mod you should find the code for all six classes, and the various 
sub menus to deal with them. The weapons that belong to them, their special 
abilities, the powerups they can find and use, and several game tweaks, for 
instance the mini-scoreboard and pop up stats screen. Poison Messaging, 
enhanced Effects colours, projectiles going through teleporters, camp protection
- the list of small tweaks is endless. You'll also find several new game modes:
our version of Excessive Overkill, and a new game like Rugby only less painful,
which we call Capture and Hold. There are also team versions of both of these
modes. You'll also find reasonable Bot Support throughout.

==========================
What You Won't Find
==========================
Mainly you won't find limits on ammunition - so make the most of it while 
you can! Let's again stress that this is a beta - and graphically, we suck. 
You won't find any new character models in here, and only a few weapon 
models (though we hope you'll agree that the graphics we do have are pretty 
sexy). New Techs tend to look exactly like old one's we removed earlier. No 
new maps either: but Animal Arena is fully compatable with every Quake 3 
map, no worries there. We even enhanced the ID maps with out own Techs to 
make Animal Arena play more diverse. However our Freeze Tag, Tournament and 
Destroy the Object Game modes aren't in yet, and nor's the mp3 player. 
Patience, my friends - play what's there.

==========================
INSTALLATION
==========================
If you're reading this, then the mod's installation should have been successful!

==========================
NEW GAME MODES
==========================

::Capture & Hold (CAH)
This game mode revolves around a special object, the ball. This ball bounces
merrily around the level until a player touches it, picking it up. The person
with the ball gets double frags for any kill he makes, and every 30 seconds that
they have the ball, gets an extra 2 frags. They also move faster. Players receive
3 frags for killing the ball carrier, but score no points for killing anyone else.

::Team Capture & Hold (Team CAH)
This unsuprisingly is very similar to the above. Your individual score works as above,
however, the team scores work on a very simple basis - every second that a member of
your team has the ball, your team gets a point - so you'd better make sure its *your*
team that has it! Again, ball carriers move faster, but in the team game, they are
unable to fire - so protect them well!

::Excessive
This is the Animal Arena version of Mr Pants' mod "Excessive Overkill". All the weapons
are stupidly hypercharged to the extent that even the life expectancy of a veteran player
is reduced to a matter of seconds.

::Team Excessive
This is identical to the above, except that you're being blown to bits for the sake of
your team, not just yourself. Feel better?


==========================
GAMEPLAY
==========================
Animal Arena is very easy to get to grips with if you already are familiar 
with Quake 3 Arena. On the assumption that you are - head into the "Setup -> 
Controls" Menu at the start and make sure your controls are how you like 
them. There are only three new binds, two of them non-essential, and your 
normal controls should have been booted over from Vanilla Quake 3 for you.

We set up a web page to make it easy peasy for you to learn AA - it'll take 
less than five minutes, we promise! Here it is: 
http://www.planetquake.com/animal/convert.html

If you can't be bothered, the only thing to get into your head is the use of 
the SPECIAL key (under MISC in the Controls setup window) to activate 
abilities provided by your class. Never loose track of this button, or the 
value that goes with it, which is in the bottom right of your HUD.

==========================
ANIMAL ARENA
in 10 PARAGRAPHS
==========================
On entering or setting up a Game of any kind you should find yourself 
confronted with a Class select window. Pick a class - the one you pick is 
central to your role in the game. Every class has it's own set of advantages 
and disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses. The real way to find these out 
is to play them, but here's a quick guide anyway:

::SNAKE
The Snake is the, um, Llame class. It's the only class with any kind of 
sniping weapon - a railgun, though you'll find it lacks the punch of a Q3A 
Railgun. The Snake also has the lovely Venom Cannon, which is not dissimilar 
to a Plasma gun in effect. You'll find he makes no footstep noises and 
crouch-walks at the same speed as he walks normally. His Special attack is 
the ability to poision foes: this looks just like a Venom Cannon bolt in 
this beta, but the "infected" person will slowly loose health (they flash 
green) and may even pass the infection onto others! Spread the Snake Love.

::FALCON
The Falcon is slow, cumbersome, and a sitting duck until it turns on the 
Flight Pack which enables it to soar high above battlefields. It can then 
reign down doom upon people it dislikes with the Chaingun and Vert-Rockets 
(or Bombs) that make it lethal - until the flight pack runs out again. Keep 
an eye on how many seconds of flight you have charged and you're sorted.

::RHINO
Think CTF defence, think big walking artillery station. This guy can barely 
move but spawns with 200 armour as standard and carries easily the most 
destructive arsenal in the game, including the Mega-Rocket launcher which 
has lock on facilities (or scrap the lockon and just blow people to bits 
without the trouble of aiming - the splash on this thing is huge), and a 
not-so-formidable grenade launcher. The Rhino also sports a charge attack 
which when activated disables weapons but speeds up the Rhino and produces 
an aura around him that hurts anyone it comes into contact with. It's like 
the gauntlet, only about twice as deadly and about three times as fast at 
its peak. Enjoy it.

::TIGER
The Tiger is your "standard soldier" class, but he's definately got a few 
things going in his favour, like the Flamethrower (short range but within 
that range... ouch) and an Amplified Lightning Gun with an almost infinite 
range. As a special ability the Tiger can Drain the special value of anyone 
caught with the radius of his "drain bolt" (which looks like a railgun bolt 
in this beta). This is handy for stopping charging Rhinos, decloaking 
wolves, making falcons drop out of the air, and so forth.

::WOLF
The Wolf has his Plasma Gun and his explosive shotgun. The latter is more 
effective than the former when used in tandem with the cloaking device, which 
makes the user partially invisible when moving and entirely invisible when 
stationary (unless they have low health). But remember, whilst performing your
trickery, that one cloaked wolf can see another very clearly. You'll need to use the
Cloak little and often to survive as a Wolf because they aren't really up to
open battle - they have a maximum health of 75. However they can be hidden death
when used effectively.

::ROO
Fire up the Barbie... with many millions of Micromissiles. These small 
projectiles can pack a punch, or rather several punches, especially when 
used in conjunction with the Roo's jump height, which is mammouth. The Roo 
also has the formidable Cluster Bombs - grenades which send out smaller 
grenades when they explode. For the satisfaction of hearing the "you hit 
someone" beep about ten minutes after you fired your last shot. The Kangaroo 
also regenerates its own health in a health pool which you can then use to 
further your life.

Animal Arena is already Bot Compatable, and we've provided Bots for each 
class as well as an "Omnibot" which changes class at random every time it 
dies. These are added in the usual way through the in game UI (we recommend 
adding them there rather than in the Server Setup screen before the game 
starts). To Change class yourself in the middle of a game, use the "Change 
Class" menu in the In Game UI. Note that a server side option enables this 
option to be turned off, in which case neither you nor omnibots will be able 
to change class unless the server is restarted.

You'll come across our new Techs as well - in addition to old favourites 
like the Quad Damage and Regeneration we've added the Recycle Tech (no 
points are added or subtracted from anyone's score if you die), the 
ingenious Damage Mirror (reflects half the damage done to you on the person 
who dealt it), and the Vampire Tech, which has an opposite effect (giving 
half the damage you deal on people back to you as health). You might also 
get some new awards - the Fireworks (for a gib-kill in the air), the Leet 
award (for five consecutive frags without dying) and the Special K award 
(for killing a charging Rhino or a Cloaked Wolf, and so on).
And you can keep track of all of these things (and more) with our Stats 
screen too ("/bind <key> stats").

For more on classes, and indeed the whole game, read our website. Thankyou. 
There are other new features in the game (in fact there are hundreds) but 
that got you started - you can work out the rest for yourself. We'll release 
a proper manual when the time comes.

==========================
DEDICATION
==========================
The Animal Arena team (specifically RiO and Phoenix) would like to dedicate 
this release to Yuji Naka and Mr. Simon Stacey. Thankyou.

Also to JiM, Hoplit, Grimsheep, Fuzzy,  Glitch, Steady, TyranT, and 
NewtronSHELL, who weren't with us for the final stages of this Beta but 
whose input has certainaly helped make it into the success which we hope it 
will be.

==========================
AND FINALLY
==========================
What we release is a Mod that has been throughly tested by us to eradicate 
bugs wherever possible. However we cannot absolutely gaurantee its stability 
on your computer. The design team do not sanction the commercial use or 
resale of this product. The idea and code of this Mod is copyright the 
Animal Arena team. It's based on the Quake 3 Arena game created by id 
software and published by activision - we would like to thank them for 
making this possible and for releasing the code to us and indeed everyone.

Please send us feedback, technical or creative!

And thankyou once again...

Will "RiO" Tattersdill
Joe "Phoenix" Osborne

Birmingham, England: 26/12/01

phoenix@planetquake.com
http://www.planetquake.com/animal
