This game involves shooting spheres as they bounce around a 3D box.The spheres move in all three dimensions.You control a ship with cannons that can fire up,down,left and right.The ship is moved about using the mouse and the cannons are fired using the mouse buttons.As you progress the spheres display different patterns of movement.
The game is based upon a sphere drawing routine published in Risc-User,the routine was for drawing shaded spheres.So I adapted it to draw spheres of different sizes.The game was adapted before being put on this disk,now it is merely awkward,before it was down right impossible to play.Perhaps this is best seens as an interactive demo.
NOTES
Perhaps the most interesting part of the game is the routine that is used to draw the lettering for the title page.This 'scribbles' text in lines rather than drawing it as a bitmap.An adapted version of this routine was used for all the text messages in 'SHADOWFIRE'.
COMMAND
An adapted (enhanced?) version of the old classic Missile Command ,it is based on the game that appeared on the Dabs Press compiler demo disk.This game is also mouse operated,it features three different levels,which can be selected by clicking over the required level.The mouse pointer represents your sights,and missiles are fired by pressing the appropriate mouse button (SELECT-left base / MENU-centre base / ADJUST-right base).The number of missiles remaining in each base is shown at the top of the screen above each missile centre.
Both the speed and the number of aliens increases as you progress through the levels.
NOTES
The game differs from the Dabs version in a number of ways,sound,extra aliens/sprites,high scores,different levels,etc.The game is relatively simple to follow,and since it is based on a Public Domain Program this version is also Public Domain.
SHADOWFIRE
A multi screen shoot-em-up incorporating quite a few different aliens with different move patterns.And a few obstacles to negotiate.The ship is controlled with Z and X and RETURN to fire.Q and S control the sound,while P and O will pause the game and restart it.The game includes music and a proper high score table.If you are killed during a wave then you will reapppear back at the start of that wave (ie. a wave must be traversed without getting killed if you are to get to the next one).As the game progreses the aliens speed up and other effects (Asteroid fields/Hyperspace tunnels) appear.
NOTES
Not an entirely succsesful game,it really needs to be that little bit faster ,this can be achieved by removing the background starfield routines.However the game then looks a little dead and lacks depth.To be honest I think that the game tries to do that litle bit too much for the way that it has been written.A lot can be achieved in BASIC (look at Multiway for example) but to increase the speed any more (If you think this version is slow you should see versions below 1.4) the program needs totally rewritting.
'PAC-MAN'
A version of Pac-Man with a new twist (well not much of a twist to be honest).The Pac-Man is controlled using Z,X,',/ as per usual.When a power pill is munched sound will indicate the amount of time you have left to munch the Policemen (yes policemen not ghosts).When the maze has been cleared you must go into the policestation and stand on top of the safe to get moved to the next level.The policemen are not very bright but they are quite capable of trapping you if given a chance.As with Shadowfire the game includes both sound and pause controls.
NOTES
The movement routine for the Police is not entirely perfect but the game plays quite well and can be quite challenging.Now before I get letters of complaint I know the game deals with Acid-House which is a touchy subject,but it is a cult enjoyed by a good many people.And an Acid-House version of Pac-man seems less harmless than many games.Could E-Type persuade you to drive really fast round the M25? Computer games shouldn't have too much read into them,after all most of them are really reaction testers (of a sort).
ZTRAX
A game of sliding tiles around the screen in order to make a solid track so that a spark can travel along it.I am sure that many people are familiar with it.The game is totally mouse controlled,at the title page clicking over the play area starts the game,clicking over the level indicator increments the level (basically the speed of the spark),and clicking on the word PLAY takes you into the designer (WHOOO!),of which more later.
Once the game has ben started the play pieces drop down and now must be arranged to give a solid track for the spark.Pieces are moved by holding down a mouse button over the piece and them dragging the piece to the required spot and realising the button,the piece will then slide into place.However pieces can only be moved into a blank space and cannot slide over each other (play the game and see what I mean).Each screen has a pass number so that once a screen has been completed it can be bypassed.The game can be ended early by pressing ESCAPE which returns you to the title page.
ZTRAX-DESIGNER
This allows ZTRAX files to be created containing up to 99 screens.The existing screns on this disk are held in the file DEMOS.This can be examined in order to gat a better idea of the designer.To design a screen the pieces must be laid out so that the track is completed (no breaks).Pieces are selected using SELECT and ADJUST to go up or down throught the available pieces.Only one START is allowed and one space must be left blank (so that tiles can be slid about).One the screen is designed press MENU.The start tile is then highlighted,press SELECT on the end you wish the spark to start from.The computer then runs throught the route to check it's length.Now the tiles may be slid about (in the same way as the game),but remember someone else is going to have to unscramble them at some point,press MENU to finish the screen.
NOTES
The program autoloads the file whose name is found in the data contained in the file STARTFILE,whenever the game is reloaded this file is reset to load up with the file DEMOS.However when returning to the game from the DESIGNER the game will load with whatever files where last in the designer (if they have been saved).This should all become quite apparent from having a look at the files,and loading the game.
MULTIWAY
Based upon the Repton series of games,this involves going round the mazes munching up the gold bars and avoiding the skeletons.The muncher is controlled using the normal Z,X,',/ keys with the normal sound and pause controls.At the title screen pressing P allows you to input a password , thus allowing comleted screens to be jumped.Pressing D will take you into the screen designer.
The screens include features such as blocks that can be slid(green blocks) by moving up to them pressing a direction key and pesing RETURN.Spheres will fall if there is nothing underneath them,so both you and skeletons can cause spheres to fall.Teleports will carry you to another location if they are touched,so be careful.The game includes sound and a high score table.
MULTIWAY DESIGNER
This allows screens to be created,the sceeens supplied are in the file DEMOS .To create a screen a password needs to be set first (careful this cannot be changed).Now a screen can be designed,select a piece by clicking over it's small icon,this can now be dropped into place on the plan of the screen by clicking the mouse.However only 20 dropping spheres,4 skeletons and 3 sets of teleports are allowed.
To place teleports click over the teleport icon,place the first teleport in the pair,then place the second,the machine will beep and the teleport icon will be deselected.WARNING- once teleports are placed they cannot be moved or deleted.A maze needs both START and EXIT locations.Once designed click on the done icon and the machine will check the maze and report any errors(but remember the maze may still not be solvable).Up to 20 mazes can be designed as a set.
NOTES
The game autoloads the file DEMOS in the same way that ZTRAX does,so that whatever was last in the designer is reloaded,except when the game is restarted.
Thats it for this compilation,any ideas or comments contact me
