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C.E.T.A.S. - v0.9 BETA
An underwater shooter for the MAD-65
Release date: 2026-08-14
visit: https://mad65.codepainters.com/software/cetas.html
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ABOUT THIS RELEASE

CETAS is a complete game. Everything that was planned is in it: 6 levels with
6 bosses, the full enemy roster, all weapons and pickups, five music tracks,
a level-by-level story, a hall of fame and two ways to finish the game.

This is a BETA release. It is meant for testing and feedback: balance, timing
and presentation may still be adjusted before 1.0. It is not a demo and nothing
has been cut - the whole game is here and can be played through to the end.


AUTHORS

  Rafal Dudek       - concept and graphics
  Mateusz Matysiak  - game design, mechanics and code
  Maro Szczerski    - music


PACKAGE CONTENTS

  madsim.exe        MAD-65 simulator - the machine CETAS runs on
  roms\cpu_os.bin   MAD-65 firmware (CPU)
  roms\gpu_os.bin   MAD-65 firmware (GPU)
  roms\cart.bin     CETAS cartridge image - the game itself
  README.txt        this file


RUNNING THE GAME

  Windows. No installation. Unpack the archive and run madsim.exe.

  Run it from the folder it was unpacked into: it looks for the roms\ folder
  next to itself and loads the firmware and the cartridge automatically.
  The simulation runs at the true MAD-65 frame rate (60.317 Hz), independent of
  your monitor's refresh rate. Set monitor refresh rate to 60Hz for best results.


CONTROLS

  Either joystick port can play. The pad that presses FIRE on the title screen
  owns the game until it ends.

  Joystick 1:  Arrow keys      move
               Right Ctrl      FIRE
               Right Shift     2ND FIRE

  Joystick 2:  W A S D         move
               Left Shift      FIRE
               Left Ctrl       2ND FIRE

  Title screen        FIRE starts the game.
  In game             FIRE shoots. HOLD FIRE to charge the LFAS sonar burst
                      (when you carry it) - the whale locks in place and shakes
                      while charging; release to cancel.
                      2ND FIRE cycles the armed weapon (front gun / laser /
                      side guns) among the ones you own.
  Game over           2ND FIRE within 10 seconds continues from the same level
                      (your score restarts). Let the countdown run out to end
                      the run and submit your score to the hall of fame.
  Hall of fame        Up/Right and Down/Left pick a letter, FIRE confirms it,
                      2ND FIRE steps back.


GAMEPLAY NOTES

  - You start with 3 lives and 100 HP. One extra life every 10,000 points.
  - Weapons and pickups: LFAS sonar (charged special), laser and side guns
    (limited ammo, armed with 2ND FIRE), medkit, shield (30 s, cuts damage by
    75%), energy boost (30 s of higher speed and faster shots), extra life.
  - Some waves are announced on the bottom line - destroy every enemy in such
    a wave for a bonus.
  - Rocks are solid: hitting terrain hurts.


MADSIM KEYS

  Esc          quit
  Space / P    pause / resume
  F5           reset (restarts the machine)
  F8           cycle the display filter:
               plain -> B/W CRT -> green phosphor -> amber -> blue phosphor
  M            mute / unmute audio
  -  and  =    music/SFX mixer knob: '-' turns toward music, '=' toward sound
               effects, centre is an equal mix
  F3           toggle the CPU/GPU utilisation meter (developer info)
  F2           dump machine state to the dumps\ folder (developer info)


KNOWN LIMITATIONS AND PLANNED CHANGES

  - madsim is keyboard-only in this release. GAMEPAD SUPPORT IS PLANNED for the
    next version.
  - Audio needs a working output device; use M or --audio off if it causes
    trouble.
  - Balance and level pacing are still under review - this is what the beta is
    for. Feedback welcome.


RELEASE NOTES

  v0.9 beta - 2026-08-14
    - First public beta release.
    - Feature-complete: 6 levels, 6 bosses (the final one a two-part fight),
      full enemy roster, all weapons and pickups.
    - Five music tracks (title, gameplay, boss, level summary, game over) and
      the full sound-effect set.
    - Attract cycle: title, enemy gallery, weapon rundown, hall of fame.
    - Story text between levels, level summary screen, continue system and
      session hall of fame with initials sign-up.
    - Bundled with madsim including CRT display filters and the music/SFX
      mixer knob.

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