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This is the Supaplex Help Page
This document can be found on the World Wide Web at
http://www.elmerproductions.com/sp
Last updated: Fri Aug 2 12:45:15 1996
So you want to know how the game works? Then you've come to the right
place. You will learn all about the keys to use here. If you are
looking for help with specific levels (and you know all the keys) then
check my Supaplex Solution Page. You will find demo's there showing
how to complete each level (if I ever finished it, or someone sent me
one :)
If this document contains errors, or you think something is missing,
please email me about it. Thanks for your help!
Cast of characters
[an orange smiling face] - MURPHY
This is you, the player, named Murphy. You will have to collect
a set number of Infotrons (see below) in each level (can be
zero) before you can leave through the Exit (see below). Watch
out for the many hazards around, and make use of all the
helpful objects you can find, it's the only way to survive in
the "cruel" world of Supaplex.
[a green circuit board] - BASE
This is the most common one around. It's main function is
keeping things (Zonks, Murphy (only when there's gravity),
Orange Disks) from falling down. Murphy can freely walk through
this, doing so, he "eats" it away, leaving a void behind (where
all those nasty sniksnaks and electrons can move through).
apart from Murphy nothing can pass through this.
[a round rock] - ZONK
This is another very common obstacle (and usually a very
unpleasant one) a Zonk tends to fall down whenever possible
(i.e. there is a void underneath). Be careful, when a Zonk
falls on you (Murphy) you will explode (read: die). Murphy can
push Zonks to the side (not up and down) if nothing is blocking
the Zonk (i.e. there is a void on the other side). Murphy can
only push one Zonk at a time, so watch out when dropping Zonks
next to each other! With some good timing, you can also drop
Zonks on Electrons (see below) or Snik-snaks (see below) which
will explode (and not bother you again). Zonks have the nasty
habit of falling SIDEWAYS off Ram-Chips (see below) and other
Zonks if possible (i.e. there is a void to the side), on all
other objects the Zonks will lie steady.
[three colored ovals which are connected at the center of the picture
and extend to the edges] - INFOTRON
These are very important in almost every level. You need to
collect a set number of these before you can leave the level
via the Exit (see below). Look on the bottom of the game screen
to see how many you need to collect. To pick one up, simply
walk over it, or (when standing next to it, in any direction)
press (and hold) spacebar, and then press the arrow key
corresponding with the direction the Infotron is in.
[a pair of scissors] - SNIK-SNAK
These are your enemies. If you touch them you will die. So you
better avoid them, at all cost! The only thing that kills them
is an explosion which is close enough, or a Zonk falling on top
of it. Usually dropping a Zonk on a Snik-snak requires good
timing. All explosions create a nine-field explosion cloud
around the source of the explosion, and if a Snik-snak is
present in this cloud, it will blow up too (creating another
nine-field explosion). Snik-snaks can not move though Ports
(see below).
[an orange square with a big letter E on it] - EXIT
This is the final objective of each level. When you have
collected enough Infotrons (see above), you need to press
against the Exit to leave the level. Be careful that you don't
have any explosions near the Exit, because it can explode, and
that will leave you forever inside the level, without a way out
(read: without a way to finish the level).
[A BASE with a blue spark on it] - BUG
This is a dangerous version of the normal Base squares. If you
try to remove it while the bug is active (i.e. there is a blue
spark on it) you will be toasted (read: die). To remove these,
walk over them (or remove them with the spacebar-trick, see
below) while the bug is not active (i.e. when it looks like a
normal Base). And there's the big problem. Whenever the bug is
not active, you won't be able to distinguish it from a normal
Base, and it just might activate while you are removing it. Be
careful!
[Four blue sparks on a black background] - ELECTRON
These behave exactly like Snik-snaks (see above) until they
explode. If they do, in stead of just blowing up and leaving
nothing behind, they fall apart into Infotrons (see above).
Except for Hardware (see below) squares, all nine squares in
the explosion will yield an Infotron. This is handy for those
levels which just don't seem to have enough Infotrons for you
to pick up. The fact that Hardware squares don't blow up and
change to Infotrons, can make it tricky if you need all nine
Infotrons to be able to collect all the Infotrons needed to
finish the level. Electrons can not move though Ports (see
below).
[Three disks, with a colored label: Orange Red and Yellow] - DISKS
There are three disks, which may look similar, but behave
entirely different from each other.
ORANGE DISKS will fall down whenever they can (though not fall
off the edges of other objects, like Zonks) and when they hit
the ground (or any object in their path) they will explode in a
nine-field explosion, killing everyting within, except Hardware
(see below). This allows you to create passages in walls made
of Ram-Chips (see below), blow up Zonks (which may be blocking
your way) or annoying Snik-snaks that are bothering you, etc.
Be careful with these, because once they fall, they won't stop
until they explode.
RED DISKS can be picked up, the same way you remove a Base
square (walking over it, or using the Spacebar-trick (see
below)). Once you have one or more of these on you, you can
drop them somewhere, where they will explode. To drop one,
Press, and hold the Spacebar, until a disk is dropped. If no
Red Disk is dropped after a few seconds, you can check if you
have any of them left by pressing the right shift, and checking
the bottom right of the screen for the number of Red Disks you
still have. Once you have dropped a Red Disk, make sure you get
away in time, because you have very little time before it
explodes. Red Disks will not fall down (before you picked them
up and after you dropped them), even when there's gravity (see
below)
YELLOW DISKS will explode once you hit a Terminal (see below).
Before they explode, you can push them around all you want,
usually to a specific destination (to blow up a Ram-Chip wall
mostly). They will not fall down, even with gravity (see
below).
[A computer screen] - TERMINAL
These will allow the player to blow up Yellow Disks. Press
Murphy against a Terminal to activate (read: blow up ALL Yellow
Disks). Make sure ALL Yellow Disks are in place before using a
Terminal, or you will regret it. There is only need for one
Terminal per level, but more Terminals are allowed (for ease,
or just decoration).
[Red tubes, with gray edges] - PORTS
These Ports are an important aspect of the Supaplex world.
Murphy can pass through them, but other creatures (Snik-snaks
and Electrons) can not. The Ports with one gray side wider than
the other are one-way Ports. Murphy can pass though them, but
only in the direction of the widest to the less wide gray edge.
Ports with equal gray sides are two-way Ports. Murphy can pass
through both sides. The four-way Port is not really a four-way
Port, but rather a combination of two two-way Ports (i.e.
Murphy can only pass straight through, and can not make a turn
inside).
An important feature of the ports is that they can switch on
and off the gravity (see below, mostly used in the higher
(read: harder) levels). This ability is only available for the
one-way Ports, and is predetermined. Murphy (you) can't see the
difference between a switch and a normal Port. You will have to
try them out to find out.
[Chips, like there are so many inside your computer] - RAM CHIPS
Ram-Chips are mostly used for walls in the game. They can be
blown up, to create a passage to another part of the level.
Zonks will roll of the edges (if the squares to the side and
the one beneath that one are empty).
[Hardware, all the other pictures you see in the game. There are 10
different Hardware blocks.] HARDWARE
Hardware blocks are the most boring part of the game. They
don't move, they can't blow up, they just sit there, usually
bothering you, or just for decoration (that's why there are so
many different ones).
Important Game concepts
Yes, there are a few important "Special effects" in the game that you
should know of.
GRAVITY
This is an important feature for the higher (read: more
difficult) levels. A level begins with a default gravity
setting (either on or off) and inside a level, this can be
changed by special one-way Ports (see above) which will switch
gravity on or off when Murphy passed through them. Murphy
(=you) can't see the difference between a normal Port and a
switch Port, you will have to find out by going through them.
When gravity is OFF, only Zonks, and Orange Disks fall down,
all the rest stays up in the air when the Base (or other
objects) underneath are removed. This is usually easier than
when the gravity is on.
When gravity is ON, not only Zonks and Orange Disks fall down,
but also Murphy will fall down if he can. The only way to go
up, is to "eat" your way through Base, because while Murphy is
doing that, he won't fall (This is used in some levels to let
Murphy walk over a chasm of some sort, or to get back up high).
AVAILABLE KEYS
There are a few keys, which seem to give people a hard time
figuring them out (which is not surprizing as there doesn't
seem to be an online help in the game). Since an incomplete
list doesn't look good, I added the "easy" keys too.
ARROWS - Move Murphy around.
SPACEBAR - when pressed and held down, you can drop a Red Disk
(see above) if you have any. Also, Pressing and holding it, and
then pressing an arrow key will make Murphy "eat" in the
corresponding direction, but without moving. Make sure you
press the arrow in time, or Murphy will drop a Red Disk (if he
has any). This is a good way to get Infotrons (see above) in
tight spots sometimes.
RIGHT SHIFT - Will display the number of Red Disks Murphy
carries in the bottom right corner of the screen.
ESCAPE - Quit level (suicide) and return to menu
j - Recalibrate joystick
p or NumLock - pause. (They seem to be two different "pauses" so
you probably can't turn the "p" pause off when you pressed
NumLock to turn it on)
_______________________________________________________________________
Copyright (c) Elmer Productions
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