Trans-Icelandic Express

Update 1 contains a few small but important features:

- Control issues are fixed (still not perfect)
- Pylons and roads fall if the ice floe they are on collapses
- Zoom in/out with the mousewheel.
- Level loading screen improved, now has descriptions and shows victory conditions, and can handle any number of levels
- Scans level directory now instead of needing levels.txt
- Negative crate bug fixed
- Levels themselves are much improved
- Music is included (press 'm') (not final music though)
- Other Stuff
- Python installer (for the level editor)

Game Instructions

You are the only contractor foolish enough to build a highway across the unstable ice-floes of Iceland. Not only will you have to face supply shortages and the fierce north sea, but there has also been a recent incursion of very twitchy sheep. They are very timid, and will explode when frightened. This can damage the ice floes that they are standing on, causing even more trouble.

There are three types of levels:

- Connect all the roads to win
- Collect all the crates to win
- Kill all the sheep to win

You can press 'h' to see the help screen, this will show you what the objective for the level is.

Movement

Use w,a,s,d to move, like Quake. Press the mouse button to jump. If you are standing near a pylon (road support), then instead of jumping you will take the elevator to the road surface. Ice is more slippery than land.

If you move too close to a sheep, it will explode. Some ice-floes are stable, but some are not, and if a sheep explodes on it it will get darker blue. Eventually, it will turn red just moments before it collapses, so you'd better get off of it quick if that happens.

Roads

Roads are connected to pylons (support posts). It costs one crate to build a pylon, and one crate to build a road surface. Roads surface must be built adjacent to a supported road, or have road on two opposite side.

So in the diagram:

- The road will fall because it is not adjacent to a support.
- This road will fall because even though it has two neighbors, it they are not on opposing sides.
- This road is ok.

Building things

You need crates to build things. If you have crates, you can press 'space' to turn "blueprint mode" on and off. In blueprint mode, you see an outline of what you may build. Pressing 'e' or 'Enter' will cause the structure to be built. This may cost two crates if you are building a pylon and road surface at once.

If you are standing on the ground, you can build pylons and road surfaces. You can build a pylon on open ground. You can also build one under an existing road segment to reinforce it.

If you are standing on the road, you can build more road surface with no pylons underneath. If your road is not supported, it will fall and you will lose the crate.

Cheat Code: Press 'c' to get more crates.

Level Editor

The level editor just needs a basic install of python. Install it from here and then click on TIEedit.py to start editing. Loading/Saving is kind of weird, enter the level name in the "display" panel will be the filename.

There are some annoying bugs in the "contest version" of the level editor:

- Delete works, but looks like it deleted the wrong one. You can hit save and then load to fix the display after deleting.
- You can't select the first floe you added.
- Changing the blocksize in the middle of editing a level is bad. It will look right, but be wrong. Change the blocksize, hit apply, then Save/load before you make any changes.

After you have made a level, to try it out, edit the file .\TransIcelandicExpress\gamedata\levels\levels.txt with 'Notepad' or something and add your level's name to the file. Then it will show up on the level menu.