Shareware Info
--------------
Gems 3D is a shareware 3D puzzle / board game.
Unregistered version is time-limited (7 minutes).
Registration is $14.
To register send check or money order to:

Max I. Fomitchev
3814 S. Cincinnati Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74105

or register on-line using secure credit-card processing at
http://www.gems3d.com

Installation
------------
The software does not require installation.
Simply unzip the archive and start playing!


Idea Behind the Game
--------------------

Gems 3D is a game of order, chance and organization.
The game is played in turns. With each turn three
new gems fall on the 9x9 playing board, and a player
has a chance to move one gem on the board to another
empty location. The goal is to play as long as possible
and to earn the highest score by forming vertical,
horizontal or diagonal lines of five or more gems
of the same type. Once aligned to form a line gems
disappear, and free board space is gained. The game
ends when the entire playing board is full.

To Move a Gem...
----------------
To move gem select a gem first by clicking on it.
Then click on an empty board cell where you want it to go.
If nothing happens and the gem stays where it was then
there is no clear path between its original position and
the destination cell.

Scoring Formations
------------------
To score points and gain free board space one must
form vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines of five
or more gems of the same type. Combined formations of
vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines are also accepted.

Scoring
-------
Bonus for scoring formations depends on the number of
gems in formation. The more gems are information, the
higher is the bonus.

Tricks
------
Tricks help playing the game longer. A trick turns a
semi-scoring formation (i.e. a formation that looks
like a scoring formation except for a single gem of
a different type) into a scoring formation by altering
color of the blocking gem. All it takes is a right-mouse
click on the blocking gem. Tricks are awarded every 50 points.

General Information
-------------------
Gems 3D is a true three-dimensional multimedia game with
real-time 3D rendering and shadow casting. The game
features realistic graphics accompanied by never-the-same
music and sound effects. Since the game uses 3D environment
it is fairly CPU-intensive and requires reasonably fast CPU
and good graphics accelerator card.

System Requirements
-------------------
Operating System: Windows 95, 98 or 2000    
DirectX: Version  6.1 or higher  
CPU Speed: 266+MHz or higher 
Graphics Card: AGP with 8Mb of RAM 
Sound Card: Any 

The game's performance depends mostly on CPU type and
clock speed and on the type of installed graphics
accelerator card and video drivers. The game will work
on computers with lower clock speed and PCI graphics cards.
However for the best performance an AGP graphic accelerator
and Pentium II/III or AMD K6-2/3 or Athlon CPU with 300+MHz
is recommended. The amount of video memory determines the
maximum resolution the game will run under. Typically 8Mb
is enough for the game to run at 800x600 with 16-bit
(65536) colors. 

Software Features
-----------------
* Windowed or full screen rendering  
* Window resizing  
* Resolution and color depth selection  
* Rendering target selection for systems with
  multiple graphics cards  
* Normal / perspective game board view  
* Alternative mouse pointer support for older graphics
  card drivers that do not handle well standard Windows
  mouse pointer  
* Bilinear or mimap-bilinear texture filtering  
* Alpha-transparency and specular highlight  
* Software-synthesized (DLS) never-the-same MIDI music
  and sound effects
* Top ten high score list  
* Current game is automatically saved when program is closed,
  and restored when program is loaded next time  
* Multi-resolution gem shapes  
* Flat or gouraud shading modes 

Keyboard Reference
------------------
Key Function 
F1  Quick reference / about screen 
F2  Start new game 
F3  Toggle music and sound effects 
F4  Toggle normal / perspective view 
F5  Top ten highs cores list 
F6  Toggle windowed / full screen mode 
F7  Toggle flat / gouraud shading mode 
+   Increase gem resolution (face count) 
-   Decrease gem resolution (face count) 
Ctrl+M  Toggle Windows / alternative mouse pointer 
Alt+X  Quit the application 

License Agreement
-----------------
Skipping the legalese, the Gems 3D game software is not
accompanied by any warranties or guarantees. The developer
provides no warranty, and correct operation of the software
is not guaranteed. The developer is not liable for any
damage (hardware, software or psychological) that the
software might create. 
The unregistered version of the game can be copied and
distributed freely as long as its integrity is preserved.
Registration key issued to a registered user shall not
be distributed by the registered user to any third parties.
  
Contact
-------
Max I. Fomitchev
E-mail: maxf@webzone.net
http://www.gems3d.com
 
