"The STellar STarfighter"
Welcome to STellar STarfighter headquarters. As a rookie
cadet, you will need to prove your worth to the fleet by
carrying out a very difficult mission. You must fly through
STellar STarspace in your STellar STarship until you find the
caged Amigon, shoot him, and then return back to STellar
Starfighter headquarters. Two additional levels of difficulty
must be overcome before full STellar STarfighter STatus can
be awarded. Good luck, and may the STellar force be with
you.
Piloting you STarfighter requires great skill. Begin by
having your flight engineer plug a joytsick into the port
(tell him that it is right next to the mouse port). To go
left, right, up, or down, move the joystick in the intended
direction. Remember that the XJ-10 model that you are
piloting has a raised tail for stability. Be careful when
changing directions that you do not hit an object with the
tail. Any collision with the environment will result in
instant destruction of the STarfighter, fortunately you have
six to work with.
Firing the photon torpedoes is accomplished by pressing the
fire button. Only three photon torpedoes can be out
simultaneously, so use them wisely. The torpedoes have a
limited range, so you may have to get close to an object in
order to hit it.
Besides making contact with the environment, there are four
types of hazards that the STarfighter will encounter through
STellar STarspace. Falling maser bombs must be avoided at all
costs. Contact with one of these bombs will results in
instant destruction of the STarfighter. Cannons are
positioned by the enemy in stategic locations so that you
will be shot if you cross their paths. The cannons, if shot
will cease their firing and may disappear. Gray laser
barriers have been placed to prevent your passage. Above them
are generators which are vulnerable in only one spot, a
magenta square at one end. If a bullet penetrates the magenta
square, the generator and force field will disappear. The
final hazard that will present itself is several sets of four
blue barriers. Only one of the set of four barriers for each
set can be shot out, the rest will cause you photon torpedo
to be reflected back on your STarfighter.
There are two convenience keys that you may interest you.
While playing the game, you can hit UNDO to return back to
the menu screen. Be careful because it does not ask you if
you are sure you want to quit, it just quits. If you hit F3
at any time, the music will toggle on and off.
The code was written in Laser C but can also be compiled in
Megamax and Alcyon with no difficulty. There is no artwork
that is loaded in, all of the screens are drawn using VDI
calls. The music is done through a vertical blank interrupt
which is installed at the beginning of the program. A
joystick handler is also installed at the beginning of the
program. Both the interrupt and the handler are removed upon
exiting the program.
I hope that you enjoy the STellar STarfighter as much as my
beta testers did. Good luck, and may the STellar force be
with you.