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The Bandit 2001© Gary Steven Rigg |
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The Bandit 2001© Gary Steven Rigg |
If you've gotten this far, it's safe to say
you've unzipped the game. Now, double-click on the PRC file from
Windows Explorer. Click "Done" on the windown that appears.
HotSync your device and that's it... you're good to go!
The Bandit 2001 requires Palm OS®
v3.5 or greater. I repeat - Palm OS® 3.5! I
had numerous emails regarding The Bandit v1.11 asking why it didn't run
on OS 2, OS 3.1 (etc.). Well, the reason is simple - the game was
compiled for OS 3.5 and takes advantage of features only present in OS
3.5.
If you don't know what OS you're running, click the Info tab from the main Palm menu. From there click Version and your device will tell you what OS it is running. The game itself will tell you if you are not running OS 3.5 (along with details of where to obtain it from) but it is recommended that you determine your OS before-hand rather than making a 3.5 program tell you the bad news.
If your device is not currently running OS 3.5, take a trip to http://store.palm.com OS 3.5 is available for $14.95 and, in my opinion, is well worth the price (after all, that's less than the price of a large Pizza thesedays!). The web page referenced gives details as to what OS 3.5 offers above earlier releases along with a list of devices which can take the update (not all devices are upgradable in this way).
Title Bar: Well, it's a title bar, what else can I say? Actually, if you tap your pen down on the title bar it'll reveal a menu like this...
In a nutshell, "About" will bring back the game welcome screen, "Win Lines" will tell you the various wins, "Tips & Tricks" will give you some friendly advice, "Sound Toggle" turns the sound on/off & "New Game" starts a new game. Simple!
Info Icon: Tap this for a concise summary of the game instructions.
Balance Info: Tells you how much money is in your pocket & how much money you have won/lost so far.
Money In: Takes a dollar from your pocket (or less if that's all you have) and pops it in the machine.
Machine Balance: How much money is in the machine. Must be above 25 cents to play.
Available Nudges: If you have nudges, you can nudge! See "Feature Buttons" below for more on this.
Money Out: Cash your winnings - takes all the money in the machine and puts it safely back in your pocket.
Spin Button: Spin them reels! It'll cost you 25 cents per spin.
Feature Buttons: Ok, every once in a while you'll be awarded a "hold" or "nudge" feature post-spin. If you can hold, use the 1,2,3 buttons to hold individual reels. This means that the next time you spin the reels, the reels which are held will not budge. If you get awarded nudges, use these buttons to individually spin a reel - just one fruit at a time - in an attempt to bring home a win.
Cancel Button: Only applicable to the hold feature. If you hold a reel and then change your mind hit cancel to reset your selection.
Win Line: Ok, that there centre line is the only one that matters. The rows above and below are there to help you hold/nudge strategically. Any three of a kind on the win line results in a win. But, beware that any combination of lemons and sevens results in the dreaded "Lemon Seven" which'll steal all the cash you have in the machine (but thankfully leave your pocket cash well alone). So, with that in mind, here are the winning lines...
Number Bar: Notice how some of the fruits have numbers on them? Well, numbers on the win line are added to the number bar. When you spin the reels, the number bar is reset to zero (unless you were awarded a hold feature, in which case the number bar is automatically held). If you manage (via luck or good use of holds/nudges) to get the number bar above six the screen will scroll up, revealing the feature board...
Ok, how does this work? Simple really, hit "spin" to spin the dice. The dice dictates how many moves are made (remember snakes & ladders?, same deal...). If you land on a win, choose to either collect it (hit the collect button, suprisingly) or continue gambling in a hope to win more. Beware, however, that the feature board is one hell of a mine-field. Land on a skull and it's game over, land on lemon seven and you can probably guess what will happen.
Well, The Bandit 2001 has been tested to hell
and back. But, as with any software out there, it'd be foolish for an author
to claim their software is 'bug free'. What I can tell you, however, is
that my testing coupled with feedback from beta testers has led to a piece
of software that is of incredibly high quality. If you have any concerns,
if you need any help, or if you just want to provide feedback or vent in
my general direction, please feel free to contact me at the addresses below...
The original Bandit 2000 (v1.11) was freeware.
I received a large amount of email asking for changes, improvements and
so on. I tried to listen and I tried to add all the other features I thought
players might like. The result? The Bandit 2001 is a million miles away
from The Bandit 2000. Unfortunately, all of this effort has taken large
amounts of my time and I'm forced to request a registration fee. The Bandit
2001, Shareware Version, is completely functioning and playable. However,
the shareware version will not allow you to play the Feature Board. Entry
to the Feature Board is for registered users only. You may register for $12.50 via
visiting either of the sites below: