Loadstar 237/237.d81/t.cybercop

Text File | 2022-08-26 | 13KB | 429 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 took 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