Zero Ballistics Open Beta v1.1
Copyright 2008 QuantiCode

Release Notes
This release of Zero Ballistics does not represent the final quality of the product, and you should expect to encounter program behaviour that does not meet your expectations (a.k.a. bugs). We at QuantiCode appreciate any feedback you give us to make this game better!

Zero Ballistics is a purely multiplayer-oriented game, and does not feature a single-player part. When you host a game, your local server will try to contact our game master server and publicly list your game.

Log files and configuration files can be found here:


VISTA: C:Users(Username)AppDataRoamingQuanticodeZero Ballistics
Win XP:C:Document and Settings(Username)Application DataQuanticodeZero Ballistics
Linux ~/.config/Quanticode/Zero Ballistics


If your desired monitor resolution is not listed in the options menu, you can change the resolution directly in config.xml.

Don't try to run ZeroBallistics on a dual-monitor setup with 3d-acceleration enabled for both displays, or you will experience choppy motion.

System requirements
2.0 GHz CPU, 512 MB RAM
128 MB graphics accelerator
Internet access

Zero Ballistics requires Shader-Model 2.0 and GLSL 1.2 to run. Please download and install the latest driver for your graphics card if you run into any trouble playing the game.

Version history

v1.1 (23.04.2008):
Changelog:
Most important: a new level! For you guys who complained about too many FPS: reflections are completely unoptimized!
Gameplay changes:
Improved ram damage
Improved score calculation for collision
Different armor at the front and rear of the tank
MG overheating
Mines slowly recharge
You can now hear when an enemy drop a mine
Fixed mixed-up colors bug in Team-Deathmatch mode which caused happy confusion and teamkilling
Lots of network optimizations
Improved NAT-punchthrough code. If you host a game behind a router and do not forward your port, chances are better now that people will be able to connect to your server.
Improved in-game messages
Additional resolutions to chose from. If your desired resolution is not present, drop us a line and see the section for manually editing config.xml
Key autorepeat in main menu and when chatting
And of course, too many small bugfixes to list them all here!


v1.0 (31.03.2008):
The first release. Includes Deathmatch and Team-Deathmatch modes, as well as an assorted selection of maps, weapons and skills.

Game Help
Main Menu
Tank handling
Weapons and Skills
Scoring
Upgrades
Default Controls
Contact

Main Menu (up)
After installing and starting the game the main menu comes up and offers a range of possibilities that are explained in detail here:

Host Game: Starts a local server with the specified settings and immediately connects to it. Other players can join this server on the specified port. When hosting a game, your local server is automatically registered with the game master server.

Join Game: Allows to connect to other servers that are currently running Zero Ballistics. You can either list the public servers on the internet, LAN servers which are listening on the default port, or directly specify an IP address to connect to.

Options: Provides a wide range of settings that are related to the game. The settings are divided into 5 categories: Game, Video, Audio, Graphics and Keys.
With the graphics settings the game performance can be adjusted to the power of the hardware provided. If you experience any performance problems, first try to lower the settings for graphics quality here. Currently, the game has to be restarted for video and graphic changes to take effect.
Customize your controls by clicking on the "Keys" tab, and change your player name in the category "Game".

Credits: A list of everybody who was involved in creating this game.

Quit: Escape route to the real world.

Tank handling (up)
The tank's body is controlled with standard keys W,S,A,D to drive forward, backward, left and right. The turret is controlled independently from the body and follows the movement of the mouse. Dragging the mouse to the left or to the right results in rotating the turret, while pushing the mouse forward or pulling it back controls the vertical alignment of the cannon mounted on the turret.

The tank is equipped with three different weapon systems. The main gun (default: left mouse button) fires projectiles that follow a ballistic trajectory, therefore it is necessary to lead the target and aim higher if it is farther away. This weapon does a fair amount of damage but the projectiles move with low speed.
The secondary weapon is a machine gun (default: right mouse button) that fires high-velocity rounds which have a limited range but follow a straight line so you should aim directly at your target. The machine gun does a rather small amount of damage.
Depending on the chosen skill, tanks are also equipped with a small amount of mines which are dropped at the rear end of the tank's body (default: F). Mines do a high amount of damage if another tank runs over them, but can be destroyed by shooting at them, and have a limited lifetime.

Your tank also is equipped with a stealth device so you can only be seen by your enemy's radar when you are firing your main gun!

Weapons and Skills (up)
You can select the equipment of your tank in the equipment menu (default: E). Equip your tank with the weapons and skills that best fit your playing style! Changes you make here will take effect only after your next respawn.

Scoring (up)
The score table (default: TAB) shows each player's score, kills, deaths, level and ping. Your accuracy and efficiency are displayed as well. For each kill you are awarded two upgraded points, substantially weaker or stronger opponents give one or four upgrade points, respectively.

Upgrades (up)
During the game it is possible to upgrade the tank in the three categories weapon, armor and speed. Each category has three levels that can be unlocked consecutively by spending upgrade points. Upgrade points are earned by killing opponents, or helping somebody else kill an opponent.

The upgrade menu (default: U) shows a short description of each upgrade, together with upgrade costs that need to be spent to activate an upgrade. Upgrades can also be activated via hotkeys (default: 1,2,3). Choose your upgrades wisely to gain an advantage over your enemies!

Default Controls (up)
W,S,A,D
Accelerate, brake and steer

Mouse movement
Turret control

Left mouse button
Fire main cannon

Right mouse button
Fire machine gun

F
Lay mine

E
Show equipment menu

U
Show upgrade menu

1,2,3
Shortcuts to upgrading a category

H
Show help screen

Space
Tank handbrake

J
Flip the tank (after getting stuck)

TAB
Show scoreboard

ESC
Return to main menu


Contact (up)
Should you experience any problems when running the beta version of "Zero Ballistics", don't hesitate to contact us at support@quanticode.com. You can also post into our forum. Comments are always welcome!