Hello, Mercenary!
=================
Welcome to MDDClone, the retro-gaming experience of Mercenary, Damocles
and The Dion Crisis.


Requirements
============
- The better the PC the better the experience, although it should run on
  older PCs too.
- Any Windows version, with a recent DirectX.  It's worth updating to at
  least 8.1 if you can - not just for this game.


Files
=====
- MDDClone exists as a single executable (.EXE) file
- It creates a configuration file MDDCLONE.INI MDD_ll.INI in the Windows
  directory where ll is the language identifier (e.g. EN = English).
  You can modify the configuration from the game, or edit the various
  settings.  If you get stuck with this, restore defaults by deleting
  this file and starting over.
- Game saves are also stored in the Windows directory as MDD_ll_XY.INI
  where ll is the language identifier (e.g. EN = English), X = game ID
  (1->Targ, 2->2nd city) and Y is game save number.


FAQ
===

Q: Does Window resizing work?

A: Window sizing does not occur on a per-pixel basis like regular windows.
Instead resizing occurs on multiples of the original 320 x 200.  So
the X widths possible are 320, 640, etc. and the Y heights 200, 400 etc.
If you put the window in the top left hand corner, and resize the window
towards the bottom right, you should see at least the 640 x 400 window
kick in once you've moved the mouse sufficient right & down.


Q: The compass on the Benson heads-up display for Targ displays 200,
310, 220... why?

A: This graphic bug was present in the original.  In the configuration,
turn on the option that corrects original bugs.


Q: The Second City sky isn't the same as the original.

A: Only the Commodore version of the Second City had a blue sky.  MDDClone
follows the majority of the others, which had an orange/yellow feel to them.


Q: My game save from a previous version of MDDClone doesn't load in
the latest version.

A: Yes, this feature is not supported, sorry about that.  The file format
has had to change recently to accomodate multiple languages and multiple
games.  It should be reasonably stable in the future.


Q: The craft operate at a different speed to the original version.

A: Depends on which version you mean!  MDDClone models the flight system
as it was implemented in the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga versions.


Q: When is Damocles going to be available?

A: We have received much feedback asking when MDDClone will include Damocles
and The Dion Crisis.  The short answer is: in several Targ months, just like
the original ;-)  Seriously though, the project for V2.1.1 is so well
advanced that there are now at least three translators also working on
bringing the Gamma System alive in languages other than English.  Hang in
there, we'll get there!  In the meantime, thanks to all those providing
encouragement and devoting testing time.




Thanks
======
A few people deserve a special mention for testing, e-mails and
information.  So a particularly big thank you is owed to the following - in
no particular order: Alex, Mike, Simone, Chris, Istvan, and Simon. 

Thank you too for the dozens of e-mails of encouragement received from all
around the world.

Of course there are plenty of ways this can be improved e.g. help, testing,
translation... so serious offers of help gratefully received - just drop me
an e-mail: mddclone@hotmail.com


History
=======

V1.5.1
======
It's been a while since the last version, but again there have been several
significant improvements and a few bug fixes.  This should be the last minor
version before Damocles is introduced in V2.1.1.

Fixed:
- The maths model is improved, as are graphics elements such as line drawing
- Taking an object no longer causes flicker
- Craft are drawn in the correct orientation
- City roads are no longer drawn in the sky
- Quit now stops Novadrive correctly during introduction
- Initial stars are drawn as in original, and without flicker
- Flight system improved
- Run/walk indicator updated on game load
- Second city drawn correctly when exiting door on colony craft
- Load/save sometimes crashed
- Second city lock pick object now works
- Second city trading mechanism including the prices

Added:
- Full screen support (ALT-Enter to toggle)
- Animation smoothing
- Autostart on to a particular game
- Optional correction of known bugs in original e.g. compass, graphic
  perspective, load/save in elevator, and others

Changed:
- The menu layout is simpler
- Window moves managed better e.g. when in elevator
- Keyboard management to avoid keys getting stuck & auto-repeat as original


V1.4b
=====
Fixed:
- Occasional screen "tearing" where graphic corruption would occur 
- Basic sound capabilities now checks for 16-bit support not 8-bit
- Run/Walk indicator now correctly changes to black (walk) and white (run) 

Added:
- International support and French localization
- Cheat now makes 2nd city monochrome rooms two-tone
- The 'O' key represents OK, equivalent to 'Y' for 'yes' as used in Damocles

Changed:
- Removed the keys 'j' & 'k' for power up/down , use + and - as in original


V1.4a
=====
Fixed the following:
- Windows minimize crash issue
- Basic sound capabilities now checks for 16-bit support not 8-bit


V1.4
====
It's been about 6 months since the last version, but there have been several
significant improvements and a few bug fixes.  Playing them side by side,
there is just no comparison!

At the heart of this new release is a new graphics subsystem that supports
the palette functionality required for all the games.  Consequently the
various animations, such as the transporters and the attack indicator, mimic
more closely the original.  The underground complexes are now prettier.  The
game window can now be resized, and is generally more user and computer
friendly.  The menu option "frame skip" can be selected by those with slower
PCs.

Significant effort has been invested in the new sound subsystem, in
particular the YM2149 emulation which has been completely rewritten.  This
component has been the main reason why we've been in beta testing for so
long.  Under the covers, there is chip cycle emulation, significantly
reduced latency, and much other geeky stuff.  The point is that it's way
better, with explosions sounding like explosions.  There are a few extra
menu options here which you can use depending on your PCs capabilities and
whether you encounter problems such as jitter (clicking noises) caused by
under/over-runs.

- Try using 44.1KHz as this is the clearest but processes the most data.  If
this is too much, 22KHz is OK or 11KHz is better than nothing.

- If "exclusive" is selected, no mixing is required however this blocks out
the sound from other applications.  Otherwise it does its best to cooperate
with existing applications.

- "Stereo" creates a simulated stereo effect.  This sends twice much data to
the PC sound system and requires some additional processing.

- The "Ghetto blaster" option performs the same little ditty heard in
Damocles during the game.  It was actually used for testing, however has
been left in for the fun.

There was a lot of feedback about game timing.  Every effort has now been
made to mimic timing from the original, in everything from the stars, planet
approach, Prestinium descent, walking, flight characteristics, attack
sequences... you get the idea!

There have been a few control improvements.  Flight power is now on 1..0
(reverse on shift 1..0, not the F keys), as with load and save.  There is
also joystick support.

The configuration file and game save files have changed, both content and
their names.

V1.3 contained a few bugs: negative city LOCREFs are now displayed in red
and the occasional digit corruption has been corrected, the scaling ratio
has been corrected so the roads don't disappear into the sky, and the ship
engine noise now reflects the power selected.


V1.3
====
First public version of MDDClone.