Contents
About the Game
How to Play
Screen Options
Configuring the Game
Sound and Music
Scores
World Wide High Score Contest
Registration
The Developers
Contact Us
Welcome to the enigmatic world of alchemy, the mysterious science, forbidden and nevertheless luring! The Alchemist will show you into this world choosing the easiest and most convenient path. The gloomy environment and gothic background music will add much thrill to the process of matching multi-coloured vials on the game field. The successful combination of medieval interface and easy-to-learn gameplay is to draw you to the computer screen for a long period of time, regardless of your age.
The distributable version has a limit on the number of items, while the registered one will give you an opportunity to master The Alchemist with no limits.
You can register the exciting game for just US$19.99 on its site:
www.aha.com.ua/Alchemist/Shop/shop.html
The game concept is quite simple. The crystal sphere in the bottom right corner of the main window contains a set of coloured vials inside. By left-clicking the sphere you pick up the set of vials in the bottom right corner of your window. Another click deploys the set on the game board. Rotating the set clockwise, arrange the vials of the same color to recreate the pattern, shown to the right of the board. In case you manage to do it , they will evaporate, reacting with the whole set of the same color, situated nearby. You get a few precious points, and clear the place for the coming sets. Skillfully removing copious amount of vials you increase your score progressively. No space for the coming set means the end of the game.
Click
the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON directly over the board.
Click
the MOUSE BUTTON holding down CTRL directly over
the board.Use the
RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON to rotate the figure clockwise to
adjust it on the field the way you would like to. Click the
MOUSE BUTTON holding CTRL down to rotate the figure
clockwise to adjust it on the field the way you would
like to. The game is over, when there is no space left on the field to place the next set.
To start a new game click Bellows in the top left corner of your window.
You can save your games to continue playing later. To save the
game, call the LOAD/SAVE dialog by clicking BOOK, enter the name
of your game on the entry field, and click the SAVE button.
To load a previously saved game, call the LOAD/SAVE dialog by
clicking BOOK, find the game on the list, using the ARROW buttons,
click the chosen one and then the LOAD button .
To exit the game click the red button in the top left corner and click YES in the dialog.
All game's options and controls can be easily accessed using the visual symbols on the screen. Each of them is responsible for this or that function. You can recognize it when they get highlighted as you move the pointer over an active symbol. Tips in the score windows help to identify what each symbol stands for.
PATTERN indicates the pattern you need to recreate in this game. By clicking this symbol you access the Options dialog box, where you may configure the board.
From the CRYSTAL SPHERE you pick up the set of vials for placing them on the board.
BELLOWS start a new game
Use BOOK for saving and loading the previously saved games
Click RED BUTTON in the top left corner to exit a game.
? BUTTON in the bottom right corner brings up the Help.
Click the score figure right under the board to get score dialog.
Click SCROLL to submit your results for international competition. For details, please refer to Wordwide Highscore Tables section of this Help.
By clicking WWW over SCROLL you can go to the game's site and see the Wordwide Highscore Tables. For details, please refer to Wordwide Highscore Tables section of this Help.
VIOLIN enables/disables sound effects. The test-tube sets music volume and the bar below controls the music tracks.
COMPANY LOGO in the top right corner of the screen sends you to the developer's site.
Click the MINIMIZE BUTTON in the top right corner or ESC to collapse the window.
To vary your game you can chose between different layouts which will defenitely modify the difficulty level of your game to make it more challenging. The Alchemist comes with pre-configured layouts. You may also enable and disable animation to change the way the vials disappear, and to make the figures float higher or lower over the board to serve you convenience while you playing the Alchimist.
To select a new layout for the game:
The left tap in the bottom of the dialog allows you to enable animation and to make the vials disappear in the fabulous way The Alchimist! can offer, or turn animation off.
Use the right tap to control elevation of the figures over the board.
To apply all changes, click the OK button.
You can listen to background music while you are playing. The controls are positioned on the vertical bar near the violin and are similar to those on a CD player. The game comes with a set of medieval tunes, played sequentially. When one finishes, the next track is played. When the last one is over, the first track starts again. To turn the music off, simply press the "Stop" button on the panel. You can change music volume using the test-tube near the violin. The level of the liquid indicates current volume. By left-clicking above or below the level and holding down the mouse button you can increase or decrease the music volume.
The provided music files are in MIDI format and are located in the Music folder of the program’s root directory. If you want, you may add your own music *.MID files to this folder.
Sound effects can't be modified. Click the violin to turn sound effects on/off.
The game awards the player progressively. The more vials you manage to eliminate at one click, the higher score you get. If the pattern you have arranged on the board coincides in number of vials with the one in the frame on your right, you get only one score. If one more item is affected, you are handed four scores, if two - nine and so on.
The scores are calculated according to the formula: ((X-Y)+1)^2. X here is the number of items you actually eliminate. Y - the number required by the pattern.
To see the best scores of this layout, click on the figure of the scores right under the board:
The scores dialog appears.
The Worldwide Highscore Contest gives you the unique opportunity to compete with other players. Right from the game you can submit your best results to the game's site, where they will be automatically included into our Highscore Tables.
See the Worldwide Highscore tables here:
www.aha.com.ua/Alchemist/TopLists
Each layout has its own list of results on the site.
To submit your results for online competition, click the scroll at the bottom of the screen. If you're doing it for the first time, the program will ask you to set up its e-mail preferences (in future, you can change the settings by clicking the Scroll when holding down the Ctrl button). The following dialog will come up:
The dialog gives the choice of two options: SMTP and MAPI. SMTP is set by default.
If you choose MAPI, the program will try to find your default e-mail program to send the results, and will display a message containing your results. Don't modify anything in the message, because your results won't be accepted if the message is altered somehow. Click Send in the Message Window to submit your scores on our site.
Sometimes it's possible that the game can't find the default mailer. That's where the SMTP option comes in. Here you provide all necessary data yourself, ensuring your results will be sent in any case. We recommend that you try with the MAPI first, and resort to SMTP should the first way go wrong.
If you choose SMTP, do the following:
Submitting your results is easy: click the scroll at the bottom of the screen. You will have to set the following preferances.The program launches your default mail client, displaying the message with your results. Don't modify anything in the message , because your results won't be accepted if the message is altered somehow. To post the results, click Send in the Message Window. The program sends your highest result for each layout it can find.
Right from the game you can go to The Alchemist's site and see the Wordwide Highscore Tables. Do this by clicking WWW, over the SCROLL frame in the bottom of the screen, to launch your default Internet browser and visit the site. If the program is unable to find your default browser, try to repeat the previous operation holding CTRL key down to bring up the dialog allowing you to set the path to your browser manually.
Unregistered version of the Alchemist is free for distribution. In the unregistered version the number of items for placing on the board is limited to 30 and can't be exceeded. To have REAL fun, you must register the game. Registration costs US$19.99
You can purchase the registration code on The Alchemist's site at www.aha.com.ua/Alchemist/Shop/ . On this page, click BUY NOW and follow the instructions. You'll be directed to a secure order page. After your order is processed, you'll receive a registration code via e-mail.
With the registration code, you can register the game in two ways:
1). In case you have already installed The Alchemist, you can register from within the game. Run the game and click on the large The ALCHEMIST inscription at the top of your game window. Then click the yellow REGISTER NOW button. Enter your registration key and press OK.
If registration was successful, the REGISTER NOW button will disappear from its place, and the number of items limit will be removed.
2). If you first purchased the registration code and then downloaded the game, you can register during the installation. When installing the game, in the screen named User Information in the Serial field input your registration code instead of Demo. Complete the installation. Congratulations! Your game has already been registered.
The Alchemist is from the same team of developers who brought us the rather excellent Aha!Game (see www.aha.com.ua/home.html).
Computer Systems Odessa is in software business since 1993.
Corporate History includes working with third-party publishers as well as publishing own titles. CS-Odessa focuses on software development for local and international market, development of customized software, web design solutions and other branches related with world-wide grow of computer industry.
The headquarters office is located in ODESSA , Ukraine. While situated in Eastern Europe on a beautiful coast of the Black Sea.
You can find more information about the existing products and in-progress developments on the company's web site at www.cs-odessa.com.ua
All information about version updates, Worldwide Contest and
other can be found on Alchemist! site. Here we are:
We strive to meet the needs of our customers, so if you have any suggestions on the game design or other proposals related with the game, feel free to write us to support-al@aha.com.ua
To order and purchase the game send your e-mail to order-al@aha.com.ua