Games World
Paul Brett with the latest gaming news.
As I am sure keen RISC World readers will remember last issue I said that we would be having a look at a number of games co-ported by Peter Naulls and Neil White. I have not included all the games this issue as it has been pointed out to me that if we do put all the games on the RISC World CD then no one will visit Neil White's website at www.cloudpsrinter.com/software. So if you like the few games we have featured here then go take a look. Also don't forget that Peter Naulls' games can be found at www.chocky.org/unix.
Dumbbell
You control a constantly moving dot. You can change the dot's direction, making it move up, down, left, or right, although you cannot turn around 180 degrees. As the dot moves, it leaves behind a trail of slime, forming lines or, if you make enough turns, more complex designs. Any contact with the slime trail will be fatal, so you must be careful to avoid it.
Avoiding the slime trail is possible thanks to dumbbells. At any particular time, there is one dumbbell in a random location on the screen. When the dot comes in contact with the dumbbell, the dumbbell will be erased and a new one will appear in another random location. Meanwhile, the dumbbell will have cleaned up all slime within a small square around it. In this way, dumbbells can make gaps in the slime trail, allowing you to move around more freely.
It is allowable to go off the screen on any side; you will come back on the opposite side. Games of Dumbbell are scored by how long you survive and how many dumbbells you manage to get. You receive 1 point every time the dot moves in any direction, and 1,000 points for each dumbbell collected.
The cursor keys cause the dot to move in their respective directions. The Spacebar key pauses the game; another press of Space will un-pause it. You may end a game at any time by pressing Escape. When you die, the display will freeze, with nothing happening. Press Space to see your score, then Space again to exit.
NasterMind
The objective of the game is to guess the secret code just like in MasterMind. Depending on your guess you will be told a couple of things, a white peg means that one of your choices is the correct colour, just in the wrong spot. A black peg says that one of your choices is both the correct colour, and in the correct spot. The location of the peg has no connection with the location of the correct choice.
Click on a colour to choose it, and then click on the position you want to place your coloured square. Then all you have to do is click on the "Make Guess" button. The computer will then check your guess and provide hints using the coloured pins mentioned above.
SuperTux
SuperTux is a game similar to Nintendos "Super Mario Bros."(tm) Run and jump through multiple worlds, fighting off enemies by jumping on them or bumping them from below. Grab power-ups and Linux distributions on the way.
The Story
Tux and Gown are having a picnic in Antarctica, when suddenly Gown is abducted! Tux must follow the path of clues across the globe to find his girlfriend and save her!
Controls
The controls are:
- Space to start the game
- Cursor left - go left
- Cursor right - go right
- Cursor up - jump
- Cursor down - duck
- Control - fire
Scoring
If you get more than one enemy at a time without landing on the ground, each enemy is worth more points. For example, if there are three in a row and you jump on the first, it's worth 50 points. If you bounce off the first and onto the second, it's worth 100 points. If you also get the third, it's worth 150 points.
PowerUps
There are a number of power-ups to collect, including cups of coffee and more. Also some power ups let you fire at the enemies>
Signing off
That is it for this GamesWorld. I don't know if GamesWorld will be back next issue, if there is some gaming news I will be sure to report it, but it look like the next couple of months may be quiet on the gaming front.
Paul Brett