
August 10, 2004

Welcome to Ben's Game Release 1!

Thank you for playing the first official release of Ben's Game.
Be sure to read the End-User License before playing.

Even though this is a release version, There are likely to be a few
bugs remaining. If you find some, you can report them at
www.makewish.org/ben.

If you have questions or comments, or if you have trouble running
this game on your computer, please let us know, so we can improve
the game!


____________________________________________
Thanks to those who gave comments on previous versions!
Here are some of the changes for Release 1:

New features:
 - The game can now be played in NINE different languages!
 - The "Thank You" list now includes EVERYONE who
     sent us a bug report during Beta testing.
 - New characters! (You can still make your own...)
 - Fireworks when you win!
 - Many new sound effects.
 - Improved in-game instructions.

Bugs fixed:
 - "Spinning Ben" bug has been fixed.
 - A few auto-save bugs fixed.
 - A bunch of other bugs found and fixed, thanks to you!

____________________________________________
Here are some of the changes for Beta 3:

New features:
 - The Crossbow now "freezes" cells so they can't mutate again for 10 seconds.
 - Players can now use "/" and "Q" keys to switch weapons!
 - If you run out of health, ammo, or attitude, your shot power is reduced
 - New shield icons!

Bugs fixed:
 - Mac "trouble launching" bug should be fixed.
 - "Game gets slower as you play" bug should be fixed.
 - Small camera fixes.
 - Game now works even if CAPS LOCK is left on.
 - Missile beeps now cease after 5 beeps.
____________________________________________
Here were some of the changes for Beta 2:

 - New "triple-strength missile" added. This new weapon might be to
   powerful, but it sure is fun. Collect three missiles in a row to
   activate it, and then look out!!  :]

 - "Spinning camera" bug has been fixed.

 - Sound has been fixed for the Macintosh version

 - Some sound clicks have been removed, but not all of them.
____________________________________________


TO PLAY THE GAME:
You may simply double-click the application to launch the game!

NOTE: Some laptop computers may not have sufficient 3D hardware to run
      this game, and some older desktop computers may require a new
      video card in order to run the game at full speed. If the game
      seems slow on your computer, try going to "Options" and selecting
      "Start up in a window".

NOTE: If the application complains that you are missing opengl32.dll,
      OpenGL may be obtained from the manufacturer of your video board.

NOTE: Under Windows, if you get an error about "Ordinal 11" or
      "DSOUND.DLL", you probably need to update to the latest DirectX
      version at www.microsoft.com/directx.

Thank you, and if you enjoy our game, let us know!

- Eric and Ben
www.makewish.org/ben





