Copyright: ®1996 Humongous Entertainment


Water Worries Help Contents
Water Worries

Minimum System Requirements

Installing Water Worries
Removing the Game, WinG, and Win32s
Configuring Water Worries

How to Play Water Worries
Keyboard Commands

Contacting Humongous Entertainment
Credits


Windows CD-ROM

Windows 3.1, Windows 95 or higher

IBM PC or 100% Compatible

33 MHz 486

8MB of Ram

SVGA (640x480) 256 colors

Sound Card

Double-speed CD-ROM drive

Macintosh CD-ROM

System 7.0 or higher

Minimum 25MHz 68040 or PowerPC

8MB of Ram

640x480, 256 colors

Double-speed CD-ROM drive


How to Play Water Worries

In Water Worries, you play Luther, a young green fish who gets sucked into a whirlpool and must find his way out.  Luther's search will eventually take him through 100 underwater levels jam-packed full of action and adventure.  On the way home, Luther will need to be aware of the hazards around him, while picking up worm doodles which will allow him to advance further.  Bubbles, which are constantly rising from deep within the whirlpool, will force the water level down if they are allowed to reach the water's surface.  If the water level becomes too low, Luther will have to retry the level, minus one energy level.  To prevent this from happening, Luther must use his trusty slingshot and unlimited supply of ammo to pop the bubbles before they reach the surface.  Luther also needs to be careful when navigating the whirlpool, since running into a bubble may render him momentarily trapped and unable to fire his slingshot.

Luther will also have the opportunity to qualify for a Bonus Round every five levels, starting at level 10.  In the Bonus Round, Luther will be positioned near the bottom of a canyon, with a net.  Oysters, which are positioned on either side of the canyon, spit out pearls, which will bounce down into the canyon.  On the way, the pearls may bounce off of jellyfish, making their path hard to predict.  For every pearl which Luther is able to catch in his net, he'll receive 100 points.  Black Pearls will also be dropped occasionally, and if Luther is able to catch one of these, he'll increase his energy level by one.  See The Interface for more detailed information about qualifying for the Bonus Round.

Getting Started

The Interface

Characters and Game Items

Keyboard Commands


Getting Started

Selecting a Play Mode

After the game's opening sequence, you'll be able to choose between three different play modes.  In the case of one and two player games, you'll also be able to choose whether you'd like to start a new game or continue an old game.

Single Player Mode means that you're starting the standard game.  No special rules apply here.

Two Player Mode allows a second player to get in on the fun.  Play takes place in "hot seat" fashion, with players alternating after each round.  The first player takes the part of Luther, while player two controls Freddi Fish, who has gone into the whirlpool to help her friend Luther find his way out.  Between levels, either Freddi or Luther will show up to let players know whose turn it is.  Keep in mind that most references to Luther in this help file also pertain to Freddi when playing in two-player mode.

Melee Mode allows you to really test your stamina and long-term planning skills, since there are no breaks between levels.  You start out with an energy level of one, and there are no chances to increase your energy level.  (This means no Bonus round or Extra Energy powerups)

You won't enter a name when starting a new Melee Mode game, but after the game has ended you'll be presented with a High Scores list.  If you've made it into the Top 10, you'll get a chance to enter a name which is recorded for everyone to see.

Entering a Name

After selecting either a one or two player game, you'll go to the Name Selection screen.  Here, you'll be able to select an existing name, or enter a new one.  Your progress in Water Worries is saved as you go, so if you select an existing name you'll be able to continue from right where you left off.

Click on a players' name in the list to continue a game which has already been started, or enter a new name.  In two player mode, you'll want to enter a game name, instead of a player name.

Water Worries can keep track of 75 one-player and 75 two-player games.  The Name Selection screen doesn't apply to Melee mode.


The Water Worries Interface

Controls

Luther's position on the screen is controlled with the mouse.  He can be moved anywhere, as long as he remains in the water.  You can also flip Luther, so he faces left or right, by pressing the Ctrl key on the keyboard.  To fire Luther's slingshot (when he's able to, of course), just click the mouse button.  Luther will also fire the slingshot as fast as he can if you hold the mouse button down - but be careful. This quickly tires Luther out, and he will eventually need to rest before he can fire again.

The Status Bar

Sits at the bottom of the screen and let you know how well you're doing.

Energy Level:  This number represents Luther's energy level.  It can't go below zero or he'll become too tired to go on, and will have to start the game again with a score of 0.  Luther loses one energy each time a low water level forces him to start the level over.  Your energy level can never go above 99.  Luther starts the game with an energy level of 5.

Worm Counter:  The number on the left side of the slash shows how many worm doodles Luther has captured so far, and the number on the right shows how many need to be captured before Luther can advance to the next level.

BONUS:  On every fifth level, Luther has a chance to qualify for the bonus round.  When this happens, you'll see the letters B O N U S appear on the status bar.  Originally, these letters will be "hollow", but you'll have the opportunity to free solid letters from their bubbles as the level progresses.  If you're able to capture all 5 letters, then complete the level successfully, you'll immediately proceed to the Bonus round (even in two-player mode).

Score:  Shows Luther's current score.  The score indicator can go up to 99,999,999.  Beyond that, the word "WOW!" is displayed instead of a value.  (Pretty impressive!)

Powerup:  When Luther gets a time-based powerup, this indicator is automatically activated.  The remaining time is displayed on the far right part of the status bar, in red numbers.  Luther will often comment when the time has almost run out, and you'll hear a warning tone at 1 second to let you know that the powerup is about to run out.  The powerup's effects will fade when the clock reaches 0.

Selecting a Level

After clicking "Go" in the Name Selection screen, and in-between every level, you'll be presented with a Level Selection screen.  The level selection screen displays the level number which you're about to enter, and allows you to replay levels which have already been completed (replayed levels will not affect your score, and you won't have a chance to qualify for bonus rounds).  You won't be able to replay levels in two-player mode.

Junior Helper Bubble

The helper bubble can really help to turn the tide against those pesky bubbles and icky seaweed when things get to be too much.  Always available from the level selection screen, the helper bubble offers two options.  One gives Luther unlimited energy, so he can try a level unlimited times without ever having his score reset.  The other gives Luther a permanent Codfish Commando Action Urchin Suit.  To make the Helper bubble appear, move your cursor to the bottom of the Level Selection screen.


Water Worries Characters and Items

Hazards of the Whirlpool

Lurking inside some of the bubbles may be items that will give Luther a hard time if he runs into them.

Luther will get points for popping Bubbles with his slingshot (small bubbles are worth more than large ones).  Bubbles aren't always helpful to our intrepid explorer, though.  If Luther runs into one of the large blue bubbles, he'll become trapped and unable to fire (unless he has Super Ammo, which is strong enough to break the bubble).  In addition, bubbles that reach the surface will pop, releasing their air and forcing the water level even lower.  If the water level drops too low, Luther will have to exit the level and try again, minus one energy level

Note:  Be especially careful around bubbles outlined in red - they can contain the following hazards:

Stinging Jellyfish gobble up Luther's ammo.

Shy Octopi don't want to be seen, so they fill the water with an inky cloud.

Yucky Seaweed will make Luther sick, and unable to shoot for a while.

Sponges will expand and suck up water when they are released, further lowering the water level in the cave.

A misplaced shot could start rocks falling if Luther hits the Dynamite.

Nasty Fish will hang around for a bit after being released, and will try to snatch up any falling worm doodles before Luther can get them.

Other Hazards

These guys aren't hidden in bubbles, but they can still cause problems for Luther.

Wiggler Worms can be a real shake up!

 And as if all of the other hazards weren't enough, that wacky pig, Percival, tries to drop bowling balls on Luther's head in the higher levels.

Friendly Fish

You'll also want to keep an eye out for bubbles that bulge as they move, since there are plenty of friendly fish trapped inside bubbles who would like nothing better than to be freed…

Bonus Point Items

You'll receive bonus points for picking up any of the following items:

Purple Urchin	25 points

Red Urchin	50 points

Blue Urchin	75 points

Gold Urchin	100 points

Conch Shell	200 points

Powerups

Some of the bubbles even release Powerups, which can make Luther's journey much more bearable.  Signified by a rotating HE Logo, these colored icons come in the following forms:

Dehydrated Water Pellets, which will raise the water level back up a bit.

Super Ammo lasts 12 seconds, glitters, and gives Luther the ability to shoot through multiple bubbles.  Super ammo is also powerful enough to get Luther out of bubbles that he has become trapped in.  Luther can rapid-fire without getting tired while using the Super Ammo powerup, but may become exhausted if still rapid-firing when the Super Ammo expires.

The Codfish Commando Action Urchin Suit (guaranteed to have over 300 needles per inch) makes Luther impervious to bubbles for 12 seconds

Extra Energy raises Luther's energy level by one (Green for Luther, Yellow for Freddi).

Note:	Extra Energy is not available in Melee mode.


Keyboard Commands

<Ctrl>	Changes the direction that Luther is facing from right to left, and back again.

<Spacebar>	Pauses the game, and opens the pause dialog box.  To continue, just click the Play button.

<Alt><F4>	Quit the game.  You can also stop playing by pressing the Spacebar, then clicking the Quit button .

<Esc>	Fast-forward through the current cutscene.

<Period>	Same as the <Esc> key, but skips only the current character's line -- not the entire scene.

<F1>	Displays on-line documentation.

<Shift><F5>	Toggles the game between running full-screen or in a window.

<Shift><F7>	Increases the size of the game display if your screen resolution is 1280x1024 or higher.  If the game display has already been expanded, <Shift><F7> will toggle the display size back to normal.


Credits

Design	Dave Timoney

Kris Summers

Producer	Kris Summers

Programming	Dave Timoney

Sound Effects	Dave Timoney

Level Design	Dolores Carney

Kris Summers

Art Lead	Tom Verre

Lead Ink and Paint	Jay Sopp

Ink & Paint	Michael Jacob

Casey Burpee

Bubble Animations	Scott Brothers

Greg Griffith

Erik Haldi

Colin Odell

Tim Turner

Additional Art	Sandy Spangler

Leah Verre

Scott Brothers

Greg Griffith

Erik Haldi

Colin Odell

Tim Turner

Background Art	Dale Rutter

Music Composed	Jeremy Soule

and Performed by

Dialog Writing	Tom Verre

Dave Timoney

Laurie Bauman Arnold

Dialog Editing	Laren Crawford

QA Manager & Lead	David Nixon

QA Jr. Leads	Spencer Kimmel

Ruth A. Lopez

Testing	Eric T.H. Olson

Jacob McMahon

Crash `Jason` Stiney

Kyle Casperson

Marcus King

Zenon Thornton

Patrick Wylie

Andres Mendez

Sonny Plotner

Shane Hendrix

System Programming	Brad P. Taylor

Jason King

Brian Brown

Ron Gilbert

Help File	Steve Johnson

Featuring the voices of	Mike McAuliffe as Luther

Annette Toutonghi as Freddi Fish

Marketing Management	Tom Goedde

Art Direction:  Manual, Packaging	Marci Knutsen

Design:  Manual, Packaging	Kate Woodman

Box Copy	Tom Goedde

Ross Hirai

Packaging Illustrations	Edward Pun

Ron Goodfellow

Manufacturing Manager	Joan Madson

Manufacturing Coordinator	Tim Hambridge

Water Worries

Copyright 1996 Humongous Entertainment, Inc.

All Rights Reserved


Installing the Game

Windows 95

There is no need to run Install.  To start, simply insert the CD into the drive.  When the AutoPlay window pops up, click the Play button to play the game, the Demos button to see the Humongous Interactive Catalog, or the Quit button to quit without doing anything.  To run the game again, open the My Computer window and double-click on the game icon.  The AutoPlay window will appear again.

If AutoPlay has been disabled, you can run the game by double-clicking My Computer, then double-clicking the CD-ROM icon, and finally double-clicking AUTOWAT.EXE.  Or, create a shortcut to AUTOWAT.EXE for a more permanent solution.

Windows 3.1

The Install program must be run before playing the game for the first time.  We install Microsoft's 32-bit Windows system files, Win32s, and WinG to the hard disk if they are not already present.  These files require only about 3MB of disk space.

To install Win32s and WinG, just follow these steps:

1.	Insert the game CD into your CD-ROM drive.

2.	Open the File menu in Program Manager and select Run...

3.	Type D:\INSTALL and press Enter
(Be sure to replace D: with the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive)

4.	Click Quick Install, and follow the prompts

5.	After installation is complete, click Restart Windows to enable Win32s and WinG

Install will create a Humongous group in Program Manager and add the game icons to it.  To run the game, just insert the CD and double-click the game icon.


Removing the Game
Removing the Game, WinG, and Win32s

The game, Win32s, and WinG may all be removed from within the installation program.  Because installation of the product is only necessary under Windows 3.1, you should never have to uninstall the game with Windows 95.

Note:  Removing WinG or Win32s will render the system unable to run Humongous Entertainment games, or any other programs which require these libraries.

To remove the game files, just follow these steps:

1.	Insert the game CD into your CD-ROM drive.

2.	Open the File menu in Program Manager and select Run...

3.	Type D:\INSTALL and press Enter
(Be sure to replace D: with the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive)

4.	Click the Advanced Options button in the Welcome to Install dialog box.  This will open the Advanced Options dialog box.

5.	Click on the Uninstall Options button to open the Uninstall Options dialog box.  Click Yes to continue.

6.	Check the components (Game, WinG, or Win32s) which you wish to uninstall, then click Continue.

The selected components will be removed from the system, as will the icons which they created.  The computer may have to be restarted for these changes to take effect


Making Changes to the Game

The Options Screen

Game-specific settings may be customized through the options dialog box, which is accessible at any time by pressing the Spacebar, then clicking the Options button.

Learn more about the options screen by clicking anywhere the [image] appears.


Contacting Humongous Entertainment

Order Department

Phone	(800) 499-8386

Fax	(206) 806-0480

Internet Mail	custserv@humongous.com

U.S. Mail:	Customer Service

Humongous Entertainment

13110 NE 177th Pl.  Suite 180

Woodinville, WA  98072-9965

Technical Support

Phone	(206) 485-1212

Fax	(206) 806-0480

Internet Mail	support@humongous.com

U.S. Mail	Technical Support

Humongous Entertainment

13110 NE 177th Pl.  Suite 180

Woodinville, WA  98072-9965

On-line

America Online Mail: HumongousE	WWW www.humongous.com
Compuserve Game Publisher C Forum GO HUMONGOUS 72662,1360


Win32s is Microsofts collection of 32-bit Windows system files.  These extensions to the operating system will allow a 32-bit application to be run under Windows 3.1 and 3.11.  Since Win32s does not ship with Windows 3.1 or 3.11, it must be installed prior to running Humongous Entertainment games.  We install version 1.3.


WinG is a Microsoft system component which can greatly increase display performance.  We install version 1.0.


A cutscene is one of the animated sequences in a Humongous Entertainment game which unfolds without any need for input from the player, like a movie.  A good example would be the animated introduction to the game.


Toggles between a full-screen and windowed display.  You may also toggle between full-screen and window mode by pressing <Shift><F5> from within the game.


If the resolution of your screen is 1280x1024 or greater, this option will double the size of the game to fill more of your screen.  You may also expand the screen size by pressing <Shift><F7> during the game.


Toggles the background music on and off.


Toggles any ambient background sound (like falling water) on or off.


The game may disable this option if it detects a less than optimal machine.  If you notice pauses during the game that seem to coincide with the CD-ROM light coming on, manually turning off the CD music with this option may help.


The sound card options may eliminate "skipping", static, or other sound playback problems with can occur with some hardware.


Accept changes and return to the game.


Return to the game without making any changes.


Displays system configuration information.