
+-------------------------------+
|     Champ Games Presents      |
|           Dino Eggs           |
|                               |
|       Demo Instructions       |
|                               |
|           (c) 1983            |
|      David H. Schroeder       | 
|                               |
|           (c) 2025            |
|        Carlos Centeno         | 
+-------------------------------+


*** ABOUT ***

This ROM file is a fully playable demo version of Dino Eggs for the Atari 2600 with the following restrictions:

- The game will end once you have completed Level 2

If you enjoy the demo of Dino Eggs and would like to purchase the full version, it will be available as a ROM file
and as a physical cartridge (includes box, manual and poster) from the Champ Games store in early November of 2025.

Thank you for your support and have fun! 


*** COMPATIBILITY ***

* TV type *

The Dino Eggs demo ROM can be played on NTSC or PAL60 systems.  Please ensure that the version you are playing matches the TV type of the monitor you are using.


* Multi-carts *

Multi-carts are special cartridges that plug into a real Atari 2600 (or compatible) and allow you to play various ROM files 
either on an SD card or via WiFi.

Here is a list of multi-carts that Dino Eggs has been tested with and the current compatibility.  
Where applicable, the version in () indicates the minimum BIOS requirement for the multi-cart.  

Multi-carts                 Compatible?         Website
----------------------      ---------------     --------------------------------------------------------
Harmony                     Yes                 https://harmony.atariage.com/Site/Harmony.html      
Harmony Encore              Yes                 https://harmony.atariage.com/Site/Harmony.html
Unocart                     No                  https://thebrewingacademy.com/products/uno-2600-cartridge
PlusCart+                   No                  https://pluscart.firmaplus.de/pico/


* Emulators *

An emulator is a special program that emulates an Atari 2600, allowing you to play ROMs on your computer.  

Here is a list of emulators that Dino Eggs has been tested with and the current compatibility:

Emulator                    Compatible?         Website
---------------------       ---------------     --------------------------------------------------------
Stella (v7.0+)              Yes                 https://stella-emu.github.io/downloads.html
Gopher2600                  Yes                 https://github.com/JetSetIlly/Gopher2600/releases
StellaDS (v7.2+)	    Yes			https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/StellaDS
Stellarator                 Yes                 https://6502ts.github.io/stellerator/#/cartridge-manager
Javatari                    No                  https://javatari.org/


* Emulator consoles *

An emulator console is a physical game system that emulates an Atari 2600.  These systems allow you to play ROMs on devices 
like HD televisions (or in some cases, on the go).  

Some of these systems allow you to play game ROMs via an SD cart and some even have a cartridge slot.  

Emulated Console            Compatible?         Website
---------------------       ---------------     --------------------------------------------------------
AtGames Flashback           No                  https://www.atgames.us/products/atari-flashback-9
AtGames Flashback Portable  No                  https://www.atgames.us/products/atari-flashback-portable-2019
Atari 2600+	            Yes*                https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus
Atari 7800+	            Yes                 https://atari.com/products/atari-7800
RetroN 77 (cartridge slot)  No                  https://hyperkinlab.com/retron-77-hd-gaming-console-for-2600-hyperkin/
RetroN 77 (SD card)         Yes+                https://hyperkinlab.com/retron-77-hd-gaming-console-for-2600-hyperkin/
Atari Gamestation Pro       No                  https://www.myarcadegaming.com/products/atari-gamestation-pro


*Requires firmware 2.0.1.5 to be installed on the Atari 2600+.  More info can be found on Atari's website here: 
 https://atari.com/blogs/newsroom/updating-atari-firmware

+requires the firmware of the RetroN 77 to be upgraded.  Details can be found at https://atariage.com/forums/topic/289929-stella-6-on-the-r77-the-eagle-is-landing/


*** HOW TO PLAY ***

THE STORY
---------

Exploring the prehistoric past via time warp... you infect the dinosaurs with common measles... accidently condemning them to extinction! Overcome with remorse, 
you devote yourself to rescuing the entire dinosaur population!

You can do it! Using the time warp, you can find and carry the dino eggs and dino babies safely into the 21st century. 
All the dinosaurs will live again -- in our future -- thanks to you -- Time Master Tim!


THE SCREEN
----------

When you start the game, you will see a time-warping animation. After that, the game-screen appears showing Time Master Tim inside a time machine. This time machine is a safe area in which nothing may harm you and where you can recharge your energy.

The screen represents a cliff face with platforms and ladders. There you will see dino eggs (rectangular white objects) and boulders (circular brown objects). They may hide stuff underneath, like eggs or pieces of wood.

You will also see some prehistoric creatures like snakes and centipedes moving from one side to the other. On top of the screen, you will see spiders moving around and occasionally dropping down. 

The green line at the bottom of the screen is Tim's energy. If an enemy touch you, it will start depleting, so you must go to the time machine to recover all your energy back.

A red line will appear when a fire is started to represent the time it will last. Be careful not to touch the fire or you will get burned. If a fire is extinguishing, take another wood and jump over the fire to restart it.

Your remaining lives will appear at the bottom right corner of the screen each time Tim is not on the screen.


HOW TO PLAY
-----------

To Walk:
- Move your joystick LEFT or RIGHT to move in those directions.

To Climb a Ladder:
- When Tim is over or under a ladder, move your joystick UP or DOWN to climb up or down.

Forward Jump
- Push your joystick LEFT or RIGHT and press FIRE to jump in those directions.

Split Jump
- Push your joystick UP and press FIRE to jump up.

Take objects
- Press FIRE and push your joystick DOWN while standing over an object to take it, except for boulders.

- When you take an egg, the counter at the left bottom of the screen will increase up to 3.
- When you take a piece of wood, the counter will change from "00" to "w1".
- You can't take an egg and a piece of wood at the same time.

Drop objects
- Press FIRE and push your joystick DOWN to drop an object you are carrying.

- When you drop an egg, the counter at the left bottom of the screen will decrease.
- When you drop a piece of wood, the counter will change from "w1" to "00".

Kick boulders
- Press FIRE and push your joystick DOWN to kick a boulder when Tim is over it.

Some objects may appear beneath the boulder.
- You can kill an enemy with a falling boulder.

Warp
- When Tim is inside the Time Machine, push your joystick DOWN and press FIRE to warp. 

If Tim's changes to red color, it means that he has no eggs in his hands and there is no baby dinosaur captured, so be very careful 
that you are not abandoning the level, or you will lose points. To cancel the warp just move Tim in any direction.

If you press FIRE again when Tim is red, you will abandon the level and move to the next one.

GAMEPLAY
-------- 

First, you'll appear on a random location on any platform. Immediately go to the top of each boulder and kick them off to reveal 
what's beneath them.

A concerned Dino Mom tends to arrive shortly after and squash Tim with her huge foot. You will hear her steps as she is approaching. 
Starting a fire keeps her away! So, pick up a piece of wood and drop it onto another one as fast as you can!

Now you can turn to your main concern, those eggs. Most of them are hidden under various boulders. Pick up a bunch of a maximum of 3 
and head back to your time machine. As you warp out, you'll be awarded with some points for the eggs.

Warning! Should you happen to touch any prehistorical creature... it will be infected with measles, and it will die! At the same time, 
a degenerative process will proceed slowly enough for Tim to head back to his time machine and reverse it. Any eggs Tim was carrying 
when he was touched will be infected and you will lose points.

And if Tim didn't have enough to do, eggs logically hatch, producing baby dinosaurs. These may fall prey to spiders. To save them, 
jump over them to encase them in a protective time-flux-cage and they'll be brought into the future the next time you warp out.

If a given level has no more eggs, boulders or dinosaurs, you can warp to the next one by warping out even if you are not carrying any eggs 
nor have caged baby dinosaurs. However, if you abandon a level that still has eggs, boulders or baby dinosaurs, you'll lose points 
for any of these still present.

There are 9 levels in the full version of this game (2 in the demo), each one with more dangers to overcome.
If you complete level 9, the game will loops on that same level over again.


SCORING
-------

- Add 2 points for each egg carried into the future.
- Add 6 points for the first baby dinosaur and 8 points for the second carried to the future. 
- Add 1 point for each snake, centipede or spider killed by you with a boulder or cutting the spider's web.
- Add 10 points for clearing a level, plus 40 bonus points each time you clear level 9.

- Lose 1 point for each egg infected.
- Lose 1 point for each egg abandoned.
- Lose 3 points for every snake, centipede or spider you touch.
- Lose 10 points for each baby dinosaur burned with fire, abducted by spiders or abandoned or touched by you.

After you have lost your 3rd life, if you have 200 points or more, you will receive an extra life.


TIPS & TRICKS
-------------

- If you are very close to the time machine you can touch any creatures in the immediate vicinity to kill them off and then return to the time machine to recharge your energy.
- Before attempting anything risky, like caging a baby dinosaur, drop your eggs close by and take them back when the baby dinosaur has been captured.
- You can kill snakes and centipedes by dropping a boulder onto them but be careful because you could extinguish your fire as well.
- On the early stages, after making a fire, leave single eggs lying on nice big platforms and wait.... Intime, baby dinosaurs will start to hatch, which you can then 'harvest' for   extra points.
- On the later stages, it is sometimes wiser to abandon a level rather than risk death.
- Choose wisely the place where you are starting a fire....
- If a spider abducts a baby dino, cut the spider's web to save the baby dino before they reach the bottom of the screen.


*** CREDITS ***

Programming: Carlos J. Centeno
Game Design: Carlos J. Centeno and David H. Schroeder
Graphics: Carlos J. Centeno and Nathan Strum
Music and Sounds: Carlos J. Centeno and David H. Schroeder
Testing: Gisselle M. Centeno, Jurgen Oster (Bomberman94), James O’ Brien (ZeroPage Homebrew), Nathan Withee (McCallister)
Packaging Illustrations: David Exton
Packaging Design: Nathan Strum
Published by: Champ Games

Copyright (C) 1983 David H. Schroeder
Copyright (C) 2025 Carlos Centeno

For more information, please visit our website at https://champ.games and follow us on 
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/champdotgames
