"Mean Kathleen & The Great Quack Machine"
By: Eric Ruth Games


The Summary:

This sequel to the summer 2008 title "Georgie George
& The Great Quack Machine" stands as the representative product
for Eric Ruth Games' 2009 IGF entry.



The Story:

Many years ago, a mutant breed of Vampire bats came into the
circle of life.  They ate human flesh and destroyed every
environment in their path.  The danger they represented was
fierce and unctrollable.  However, it turns out that the
blood thirsty species had one natural weakness: the sound of
a quacking duck.  Utilizing this information, mankind
created a series of machines that would continuously quack in
strategically placed regions, thus keeping humanity safe
from their ever present terror.  Simply put:  When ducks quack,
bats die.

However, these machines had one main problem: They needed someone
to go into the field and get them manually started.  This is
where Georgie George stepped up and took control with his
advanced Gear Box technology.  Creating a string of gears from a
running motor to the dormant Quack Machines, George went from
country to country ridding the Earth of the villainous creatures.
This brings you up to speed on the first "Quack Machine" installment.

At the conclusive events of the first game, the titular
character (George) successfully destory all but one Death Bat.
The remaining juvenille bat is then spared by George with the
thinking that the beast can be saved from its naturally evil
ways through a proper upbringing.  However, the plan back-fires
and the baby bat takes control of George's sanity, only to
turn the former hero into an evil, disheveled mess.

Shortly thereafter, plans of world domination via a resurection
of Death Bat hordes begins to unfold, thus reinstating the
need for a series of Quack Machines.  ...And with new Quack
Machines comes new responsibility.



The Controls:

Depending on which option you highlight on the title screen,
the control buttons change.


Control Option: PC Desktop

Left  - Left Arrow
Right - Right Arrow
Up    - Up Arrow
Down  - Down Arrow
Gear  - Numpad 1
Jump  - Numpad 3
Start - Enter


Control Option: PC Lap Top

Left  - A
Right - D
Up    - W
Down  - S
Gear  - H
Jump  - U
Start - Enter

F4 toggles between Full Screen and Windowed.



Game Modes:

Easy Difficulty- Just as it sounds.  The most basic way to play
and complete the game.

Hard Difficulty- Gives you more bats to avoid on each screen as
well as charging you 1 dollar for each gear placed.  make sure
you stock up on the cash!

Challenge- By holding -SPACE BAR- on the title screen, you will
activate "Challenge Mode."  This difficulty limits the number
of gears you can use to complete each stage.



System Requirements:

Windows ME/2000 or higher
Direct X 7 or higher
Patience- It takes about 30-45 seconds to load.


Soundtrack:

The soundtrack was composed with reason 4.0 and mixed with Sony Acid.
Special Thanks to Kurt Hunter who supplied the vocals to the title
theme: "Mean Kathleen & The Great Quack Machine"  Also, special thanks
to NYC Brass for the various samples the provided.  All arrangements
and mastering by Eric Ruth as DJ Potatoe.



"Mean Kathleen & The Great Quack Machine" was created by Eric Ruth
in 2 & 1/2 months using Yo Yo Games' Game Maker 7 Pro.

www.ericruthgames.com

ericdavidruth@gmail.com



Special Thanks:

Kathleen Rose
George Paraschis
David Riley
David Croach
Dominic Cerquetti
Brendan Becker
Mike Worth
Lou Tranchitella
GameX
MAGfest
Kurt Hunter