STICK FIGHTER III b0.90
=======================

Hello, and welcome to the third installment of that great fighting
game, Stick Fighter III. It currently stands at about 70% complete,
and is now in a state to be playable by members of the gaming
public. This game will appeal to fans of all fighting games, in
particular Mortal Kombat, for the nimbleness & precision required.

Features:
=========
 - Cool realistic fighting poses taken from many martial arts
   sources
 - Catmull-Rom spline interpolation to animate between the
   keyframes; provides *very* smooth animations and allows
   time independent animation.
 - Which allows me to have slow motion sequences; to see this
   in action try doing one of the jumping offensive moves and
   hitting the other player. Take time to gloat over your
   timely attack. The beauty of spline interpolation can be
   truly seen here.
 - True 'limb-limb' collision detection; when a part of the body
   does damage to the other player, the limb damaged will briefly
   highlight red so you can see exactly where you hit them.
   Some local deformation may result, but I plan to use this
   technique later to keep track of local damage, i.e. one can
   damage the head and the arms independently - but the player
   would only die when the head is completely damaged, but will
   only lose use of the arms if they become damaged.
 - A 'non-sticky' input engine. If you've ever played fighting
   games on a PC, you will know it is frustrating when too many
   keys are being held down and the computer cannot register the
   press. The moves and the keys have been carefully designed to
   avoid this.

How To Play:
============

The current objective of the game is to defeat your opponent a
total of 3 times. The first player to win 3 rounds will win the
match. A round is won when the other player's health (as
indicated by the bar near the top of screen) reaches zero. You
can inflict damage performing cool looking moves on them.

Player One's Keys:
LEFT		LEFT ARROW KEY
RIGHT		RIGHT ARROW KEY
DOWN		DOWN ARROW KEY
UP		UP ARROW KEY
LOW KICK ONE	NUMPAD 2
HIGH KICK ONE	NUMPAD 5
LOW KICK TWO	NUMPAD 1
HIGH KICK TWO	NUMPAD 4
RUN		NUMPAD 3


Player Two's Keys:
LEFT		A
RIGHT		D
DOWN		S
UP		W
LOW KICK ONE	H
HIGH KICK ONE	Y
LOW KICK TWO	G
HIGH KICK TWO	T
RUN		J

Move List:
==========

Both characters have access to the same moves, in order to
maintain fairness (a '+' indicates hold these keys simultaneously):

Flying Kick: forwards + high kick two.
Propel yourself into your opponent as would a poison dart.
Useful to catch an escaping opponent. Easily caught by a high
roundhouse, reverse high kick or a scissor kick.

Handstand: down + high kick two.
After being hit in a particular way, players can use this move,
and in a way similar to a rocket, launch themselves into the air.
Useful to catch a gloating player lingering overhead. Vulnerable
in descent.

Flip Up & Reverse Flip Up: forwards + high kick two.
Where the handstand refuses to function, try this. This move springs
you off the ground in the hope to take quick revenge after being
knocked down.

Backflip: away + high kick two.
A valuable defensive move, backflip will perform an extremely
powerful reverse somersault, thrusting out the legs as would a 
throwing knife. Unfortunately, this will propel the body backwards,
so it is best used as a defensive move, especially in a corner.

Cannon Kick: down + forwards + low kick two.
A forwards roll followed by a jump, cutting down the opponent with
both the legs. A very versatle move which can be used both for
offense and defense.

Jumping Roundhouse: down + low kick two.
Slice your enemies out of the air with this move: this move propels
the body high into the air, where the leg sweeps around in a half
circle, causing much damage to those unlucky to be caught in its
circumference. A valuable move that requires incredibly precise timing.
Perfect for taking out the player who prefers to fly than to walk.

Levitating Roundhouse: forward + low kick two.
Using the arcane powers of levitation, this move performs as the high
roundhouse, but closer to earth. Can inflict much damage, but also
requires precise timing.

Double Jumping Kick: forward + low kick two (whilst running).
Using more agility than that of a lemur, this move will have your
opponents fleeing like a lesser-spotted-gemsbok. Attacking with
lethal speed, this is a good opening or retaliation move.

Scissor Kick: down + high kick one.
A good move to clear the vicinity, and to rid oneself of incoming
projectiles, such as the opponent's foot. Timing may be tricky, but
will come with practice.

High Roundhouse: away + high kick one.
Sweeps the air free of obstructions near the head.
Another excellent move for catching an incoming enemy.

Reverse High Kick: forwards + high kick one.
Thrusts the foot high into the air. Performs slightly faster than
the high roundhouse, but inflicts less damage.

High Kick: high kick one.
A rapid movement of the leg in an arc. Useful for stopping a running
enemy, or lose engaged in a cannon kick, in their tracks. Can also
be used to rake up those playing dead on the ground - but beware:
the apparently dead possum can too strike with the power of the cobra
(see handstand, flip up and reverse flip up).

Low Roundhouse: away + low kick one.
Performs as the high roundhouse, but aims at the mid rib section.
Useful for stopping a fast moving terrestial opponent, but will require
practice.

Reverse Low Kick: forwards + low kick one.
Thrusts the foot into the mid rib section. This is a quicker move to
implement than the low roundhouse.

Standing Sweep: down + low kick one.
Rakes the ground, tripping up anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby.
This move is also good for waking those who prefer to bask on the
ground.

Low Kick: low kick one.
Clears the lower region with a swipe of the foot. Useful when a quick
move is required, but time is not enough for thought.

Crouch: press down.
Assumes a semi-foetal position, to avoid high attacks. Useful for
launching into the standing sweep, cannon kick, or the jumping
roundhouse with. To stand up, either let go of down, or press it
again if it is already unpressed.

If you are foolish enough to be knocked over, then resume stance by
either pressing up, or using the handstand, flip up and reverse
flip up moves to attempt to knock down the opponent. Watch out for
their attempt.

Combos:
=======

There do exist many combinations of moves; these will require some
practice to find and so will not be documented here. Suffice it to
say that to perform a combination, the move to follow the first move
must generally be either faster or aiming lower to 'juggle' the
opponent and inflict upon them unavoidable damage. As examples,
possibilities are:
	A. A flying kick followed by a high/low roundhouse. The flying
	kick will put you into slow motion, good for finding the
	correct keys and preparing yourself for timing the roundhouse,
	which you can perform immediately upon landing, to catch the
	enemy as they fall. The success of this is crucial upon who
	lands first after the flying kick: you or the opponent. Do
	not let the return to fast motion take you by surprise. If you
	miss the roundhouse, your opponent will surely retaliate - be
	ready for this. A backflip makes a good escape.

	B. A standing sweep followed by a reverse low kick. Before the
	tripped opponent collapses, thrust them out of your area with
	a damaging reverse low kick. This combination again requires good
	timing to peform, but it is an impressive one.

	C. Use the corners to your advantage. The possibilities are
	virtually endless - so go and try them for yourself!

	D. Use slow motion to your advantage. Gather your thoughts and
	use the fact that you are moving slightly faster than your
	opponent to catch them out.

Have good 'thought & reflex' combo action!

OTHER BITS:
===========

If you have any ideas about what could be done with this fun and
refreshing game, or want to help, please do let me know at r.k.v@btinternet.com.

Current Ideas Include:
	-- implement an AI - will probably be pattern based!
	-- implement limb damage
	-- more moves (groan - this really does take years :)
	-- slightly less tacky sound fx, music, graphics, scrolly star background,
	   more levels/themes/music choice.
	   (bear in mind playability is first and foremost)
	-- There is not a choice of characters in this version of SF3, and
	   these are the reasons:
		1. Different characters would imply a necessity for
		many different moves - there are not enough to farm
		out for many characters.
		2. There are already many moves for 1 character (more
		than most of the games that inspired this), but and adding
		more moves is very very time consuming. (It is done by manually
		setting the coordinates of each vertex in every frame as numbers
		- I'm a	coder, not an animator).
		3. I do not see it making the game more playable.
		If you do, and have a great idea, please drop me a line.
	-- a keyframe editing development tool :)
	-- a 'style' meter perchance - keeps track of how 'cool' you play ?
	-- combo counting: how many times you manged to hit the opponent without
	   them having a chance to escape
	-- possibly punches (they were omitted as they look less cool)
	-- if people think it is a good idea: ideas such as the ever fresh fireball,
	   or teleportation.
	-- a circular head for the stick fighters...nah.
	-- perhaps a scrolling arena...(I never really liked those - playing in a box
	   is much more challenging)
	-- whatever ideas you may have....:)

WHO AM I:
============

Thanks for making it this far - I really do hope you enjoy this game in its embryonic
state. I think it's a reminder than great gameplay is not tied up with great graphics or
fabulous sounds (not to mention I do not have access to either :)

I am an 18 year old games player, programmer, musician, and full time student, who
currently goes by the name of Rahul Vohra. I am currently extremely elated as I found out
yesterday (28th December) that I have an unconditional offer to read Computer Science at
Cambridge University beginning October 2002. And I thought I failed that interview...

If you want to get in touch with me for anything regarding SF3, my e-mail is r.k.v@btinternet.com.
I am also on MSN Messenger by that email, and amongst the GameDev.net forums as 'Fresh'.
Have fun, and good luck finding a sparring partner !