Loadstar 213/213.d81/t.cybercop

Text File | 2002-01-01 | 11.9 KB | 406 lines

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            C Y B E R C O P

            by Jon Mattson


    "I didn't join to sit at a desk,"
you remind yourself as you check your
gear for the third time -- and, for
the third time, all of the gadgets
associated with a Cybernetic Security
Officer check out fine.

    Being a Cybercop hasn't been quite
as exciting as you had originally
pictured. Stopping a servo-droid from
making salad out of someone's rose
bush or giving the cat a home
permanent isn't really your idea of
death-defying adventure. Most of the
time, you aren't much more than a
glorified mechanic, trying to make
sure that the robotic gears behind the
21st century keep running smoothly.

    But, over the last few years,
you've proven yourself to be a darn
good mechanic, and somebody upstairs
must have noticed. That's why they're
throwing you this baby -- or so they
say. Maybe they just want to get rid
of you...

    It seems that the master computer
at one of the military's top secret
research labs has decided to go on
vacation -- and take all of the local
mechanical help with it. No one's
really quite sure what's going on in
there: the first few guys (they're not
saying how many) who were sent in
haven't been seen since. They've
decided that sending in the troops is
a bad idea -- too many confidential
goodies lying around to be seen or
destroyed. Besides, nobody wants to
look like they're over-reacting or
admit to the world at large that this
problem is that bad. Nuking one's own
lab is generally considered bad form.

    So, they want one good agent to
get in and knock out the main power
supply. With that down, the master
computer will be deactivated, and the
military can move in for cleanup.

    They give you a a bit of last
minute advice as you get ready to
enter the base through a breach
they've created in one of the force
field barriers. You nod distractedly
at their words as you take a few deep
breaths.

    "There may be devices in there you
can put to use. Keep your eyes open
for power cells, scanners and so
on..." Good. You may need all the help
you can get.

    "Watch out for the Guard-
droids..." Come on, guys, that's what
they wanted you for, isn't it?

    "...especially the experimental
Seekers." Huh? Wait a second, what's
a...

    "...and try to avoid property
damage!" You smile reassuringly as you
turn to face the entrance: no problem,
guys. Casually, you brush your hand
over your pack and make sure the
Photon Bomb you snitched is still
there...

    In CYBERCOP, you will be assigned
the task of penetrating the maze-like
levels of a military research base,
trying to shut down the main reactor.
Of course, the robots throughout the
base will try to change your plans.

    When you first run the program,
you will see a title screen which
briefly notes the control system (see
below) and gives you 5 options. "High
Score" and "Quit" should be obvious:
the former lets you see the current
Top 20 which are saved to disk, and
the latter leaves the program,
returning you to LOADSTAR if it is in
the disk drive.

    "Difficulty" and "Game Speed"
alter the complexity of the game.
Pressing either will call up a
sub-menu so that you can specify your
settings: Easy to Herculean for
Difficulty, or Very Slow to Lightning
for Speed. It should be noted that
Difficulty affects many of the game's
functions, from the number of
opponents you'll face, to the degree
of helpfulness you can expect from
your gadgetry. It also determines
which level the reactor will be on:
from level 4 (Easy) to level 8
(Herculean). For your first game, try
Easy and Normal Speed or slower.  If
you're feeling adventurous, leave the
Difficulty factor low, but raise the
Speed to Fast.

    Pressing "Play" will, of course,
get things rolling. The game screen
will appear, and your various pieces
of equipment will 'power up'.  The
screen may require some explanation:

    The bar on the left, marked at the
bottom with 'E', indicates the energy
level of your power pack. Most of your
devices drain energy from this source
and will not function if it is
depleted.

    The bar on the right, marked at
the bottom with 'H', indicates your
current health. Getting wounded will
lower this bar, but time will slowly
cause it to be restored. If it hits
empty, the military will have to find
a new Cybercop...

    The control panel at the bottom
indicates a number of things,
including:
 * your current level (1-8) and room
    (1-64 on an 8x8 grid),
 * the number of Photon Bombs you have
    in reserve,
 * and the current status of your
    Blasterang (see below).
 * The left-hand box shows the device
    you are currently holding;
 * the right hand box shows the last
    device you found.

    The larger central box is the
actual game screen, where all of the
action takes place. It will display a
down view of your current room - you
are the small man to the left.

    To control your man, use the Port
2 joystick or the IKMJ-diamond of the
keyboard. Diagonal movement is not
possible. Pressing FIRE or SPACE will
activate the device you are currently
holding - the one shown in the bottom
left box. Pressing RETURN allows you
to cycle through each object in your
possession, altering that bottom left
picture accordingly. Pressing 'P' will
pause the game; while paused, press
'Q' to end the game or any other key
to continue. This is all repeated on
the title screen.

    As you travel through the base,
you will see a number of features.
Normal walls are of various strengths:
some can be blasted through, while
others are unaffected by your light
weaponry - but all look the same.
Glowing force fields are impenetrable
without the proper equipment.
Arrow-like symbols indicate elevators
going up and down between levels. And,
of course, there is the main reactor
(purple in color) which you must reach
to win the game.

    Scattered throughout the rooms,
you will also find small brown
containers holding a number of useful
devices. When you touch one, it is
assumed that you take the device, and
it will be pictured in the bottom
right box. A listing of these devices
should prove helpful. The notations
made in parentheses indicate whether
or not you begin with the device (Yes
or No) and how much power it uses when
activated (0, Low, Medium or High).

 LAZ-GUN (Y/L): Your basic means of
attack.  You will default to this
device when no other clear choice is
specified. Note that this is a light
weapon and may require several shots
to destroy some targets.

 BLASTERANG (Y/M): An unsual product
of 21st century military ingenuity.
This device has a self-maintaining
kinetic-repulsor field which will keep
it in flight indefinitely as long as
it continues to bounce off solid
objects -- often damaging those
objects in the process.

    Activating it will drain a Medium
quantity of energy and put you into
throwing mode. The symbol in the
bottom central box will turn into an
arrow, which shows your current
facing: the joystick/keys now control
this and do not allow normal movement.
 Note that diagonal facings are now
possible with the joystick or the "U",
"O", "N" and "," keys. Pressing FIRE
will throw the Blasterang in the
chosen direction; hitting RETURN will
abort the decision and break you out
of throwing mode.

    Once the Blasterang is in the air,
it is self-maintaining and requires no
further attention. Note that the
symbol in the bottom central box will
fade. You cannot be hit by the
Blasterang: you have been trained to
retrieve it from the air. On any
Difficulty above Normal, you MUST
retrieve it in this manner before
leaving the room or it will be
permanently lost. The lower levels are
more forgiving and will automatically
return it to you when you leave a
room.

 PHOTON BOMB (Y/0): This one-shot
explosive will destroy any robot that
touches it, damaging the surrounding
area in the process.  You can avoid it
and so are free to pass over it; you
can, however, be damaged by a
robot-initiated explosion.

 MED-PAK (Y/H): This one-shot device
will allow you to instantly recover
some of your lost Health.

 MAPBOX (Y/L): This device tracks your
current location automatically with no
real energy cost.  Activating it does
cost a small amount of energy and
shows you a map of everything you have
passed through on the current level.
A flashing box indicates your present
position. Press RETURN to get out of
map mode.

 SCANNER (N/H): This device is similar
to the MAPBOX but with an added
advantage: it will also display the
location of your current destination.
This will generally be the elevator
down to the next level, except on the
reactor level where it will be the
reactor itself.

 PHASER (N/M): This experimental
device 'phases out' a section of any
force field, allowing you to pass
through unharmed.  Staying inside a
force field will drain energy very
rapidly, however, and can prove fatal
if you run out of power for the
device.  Note that you will require
the Phaser to get through the final
defenses of the Master Computer.

 FORCE SHIELD (N/L): This one-shot
device will temporarily protect you
from harm, reducing all damage taken
by half.  Your man will turn white
while it is in effect.

 ENERGY CELL (N/0): You don't actually
carry Energy Cells: upon finding one,
your Power Pack will be somewhat
replenished.  Fortunately, these are
plentiful in some areas.

    With the exception of the Photon
Bomb, you can carry only one of each
device at a time. You can have up to
four bombs, as indicated on the bottom
control panel. Most devices can be
used freely, as long as your Power
Pack has sufficient energy -- unless
otherwise noted as 'one-shot' above.

    Now that you know something about
your arsenal, it's time you had some
idea of what you'll be using it on.
There are six types of 'droids in the
base, each with different abilities:

 SERVO-DROIDS: These come in two
types, both of which are immobile and
weaponless -- workers, not warriors.
You have to practically walk into a
Servo to be hurt by it, but they do
make irritating barriers.

 MECH-DROIDS: The mobile workers of
the base. They are weaponless, but
very strong.  Of course, 'weaponless'
is a relative term: a Mech can rip you
apart with its bare retractors...

 GUARD-DROIDS: Mobile menaces, built
to deal quickly and efficiently with
intruders. They are strong and are
armed with Laz-Guns, just as you are.
On the bright side, they are under
only partial control at the moment and
are disoriented: they are as likely to
take potshots at other robots as they
are to target you.

 WAR-DROIDS: A few of these monsters
were released by the Master Computer
and are now roaming free.  They are
powerfully-built and have multiple
weapon systems. Like the Guards, they
are pretty much on their own and may
assault anything that moves.  They
have no real weakness and can only be
destroyed by many Laz hits or a well-
placed Photon Bomb.

 SEEKERS: These devices are perhaps
the most deadly, since they each have
independent control and are fully
functional. Unlike the other 'droids,
they will pursue you relentlessly,
attacking with Laz-Gun fire. They are
also mobile land mines: touching one
will cause it to explode, doing damage
based on its current strength. Hitting
a fully functional Seeker can end your
mission very quickly... On the bright
side, only one will be dispatched to a
given area at a time, and, since they
are few in number, they appear mainly
on the lower levels, where they guard
the reactor.

    A few other hints to keep in mind:

 1) Don't forget that you will need a
Phaser to finish the game.

 2) Don't underestimate Seekers! They
are also designed to hide, immobile,
behind obstacles and stage lightning
ambushes on anyone walking by.

 3) Watch your Energy reserve. In some
ways, it is even more important than
your Health, since it does not
regenerate on its own.

 4) If your Health is getting low, try
to find a safe haven to rest. If you
have the Phaser, enter a force field
sealed area and blast any occupants.
You should remain relatively safe as
long as they don't knock in the walls
with Laz fire.

 5) Watch for cross-fires and NEVER
get caught between a Seeker and
another 'droid!

 Good luck, Cybercop!

JM