Loadstar 128 10/q10.d81/t.gridlock

Text File | 2022-08-28 | 9KB | 184 lines

                                G R I D L O C K

                                by Jon Mattson


Excerpted from Admiral Hopkin's briefing, 03/23/22:

     It is the year 2122 and Man has inherited space.

     For decades, it was a herculean task just to leave the Earth.  The
first instellar voyages were clumsy, hazardous affairs, restricted to
hibernation ships and probes sent to the very closest stars.  It seemed for
a time that Man's long-sought destiny to explore strange new worlds would
remain no more than a childhood fantasy.

     But all of that changed when the first warp gate was discovered.  The
product of ancient alien genius, each of these artifacts twists the very
fabric of space and time, creating hyperspace 'wormholes'.  To step through
a gate is to enter another universe with laws very different from our own.
And it is the only known way to cross through the vast reaches of our own
universe within a single pilot's life time.  Naturally, the gates have
become the cornerstone of our expansion - the lifeblood of the Empire.

     I said before that Man inherited space and clearly that is so.  This
idea is nothing new to you.  But what is not yet common knowledge is that we
may have also inherited the doom of those ancients who built the gates.

     When the first was discovered, there were those who wondered at the
slim chance that one of our hibernation ships would just happen to be in the
right place at the right time.  Most thought that this discovery, in all the
vastness of space, was a fortunate coincidence.  There were those wondered
what had become of the creators.  Most thought they had merely lived out
their span and passed away, as all races will do in time.  There were those
who wondered if this great gift might not have a price...

     We know now that it does.  Indeed, the discovery may have been neither
fortunate nor coincidental.  For, you see, the realm of warpspace is not as
empty as we first thought.  The rumours that you may have heard from recent
convoys are true, as fantastic as they may seem.  Warpspace is inhabited by
an alien form of life, entirely xenophobic to our kind.

     There are those who would argue this point with me, but it seems
entirely possible that the 'bugs', as they have come to be called, were
always there.  It is my belief that they are a sort of parasite, living off
those who would use the gates.  We know that they absorb energy directly and
seem to savor that produced by our vessels.  We also know that they are at
home in warpspace and, frankly, seem to know it far better than we do
ourselves.  And, yes, we cannot deny that they have some level of communal
intelligence.  The conclusion is undeniable: the 'bugs' were responsible for
the fall of our predecessors and may prove to be our undoing, as well.

     Your mission, then, is to put a stop to their ravages.  Each of you
will be given a one-man warpship with heavy shielding and beam lasers.  You
must use this weapon to clean out the warp tunnel that will be assigned to
you.

     As you well know, this disaster has brought interstellar commerce to a
grinding halt, and supplies are running low.  We have a number of special
weapons in reserve, but these will only be handed out to those pilots who
prove their worth in the tunnels.  I am sorry to be so cold about this, but
we really have little choice.  None of us will be going home, anyway, if
something isn't done soon.

     Good luck! You are the Empire's best hope - indeed, its only hope...


                                   * * * * *


     As you've probably guessed by now, GRIDLOCK is an arcade-style shoot'em
up, wherein you become a warp pilot, trying to stave off the depredations of
xenophobic aliens.  Once you've tried it out, you may be surprised to
discover that a game this fast is written almost entirely in BASIC 7.0 and
GBASIC.  Those interested in the latter language may wish to study the
program listing to see how it is used here.  In fact, GRIDLOCK began its
life as an experiment in how far I could push GBASIC.  I think you'll find
that it didn't come up lacking.

     When you first run the game, a title screen will allow you to Play or
Quit and return to Loadstar.  In the latter case, you will also be given an
option to save the current top 20 scores to disk.

     Assuming that you press 'P', however, the game will begin.  Your ship
will appear in the bottom center of the main game screen.  Behind it, you
will see a scrolling grid - the landscape of warpspace.  To the right, a
narrow bar displays various useful pieces of information, including: score,
current warpgate (i.e. level), distance gauge and shields.

     Score and level are obvious.  The distance gauge gives you a relative
notion of how far the tunnel extends, i.e. how long it will be before you
escape... er... finish defending the current gate passage.  The shield meter
simply displays what sort of shape your ship is in: you start with 5
shields, which are depleted by any hit.  When the last shield is gone, any
further damage will destroy your ship.

     And there are many sources of damage.  The 'bugs' come in three forms,
so know your enemy!

DRONES: The drones are small and relatively inoffensive.  Unfortunately,
their size makes them difficult to hit, and they still aren't what you would
call friendly...

WARRIORS: Warriors are not very fast and are big enough to make good
targets; however, their toughness allows them to ignore some hits.  Worst of
all, warriors can spit plasma bolts and so have a ranged attack.

SCOUTS: Winged menaces, scouts are physically weak and have no ranged
capability; however, they move much faster than other bugs and can dodge
some attacks.

     Your goal is simple: get rid of them before they get rid of you.  Use
the Port 2 joystick to control your ship.  Pushing left or right will cause
the ship to move appropriately.  Pushing forward will move the ship up along
the screen and also speed up.  Pulling back will move the ship to the bottom
of the screen and also slow down.  The fire button controls your current
weapon.

     Assuming that you survive long enough, you will eventually reach the
warpgate at the end of the tunnel.  Don't shoot it or it will explode, and
you will have to find a new way out.  Instead, fly through it, and you will
be returned to your starbase.

     Depending on your performance, the base may allow you to equip your
ship will a special weapon, in addition to your usual, relatively weak beam
laser.  There are four such additions, but you can only have one at a time:

RAPID-PULSE LASERS: This high-power weapon allows you to fire streams of up
to three twin beams at once.

GUIDED MISSILE: Unlike the other additions, this mount replaces your usual
beam lasers.  Don't worry, though: it's much more useful.  A guided missile
can be controlled after it has been fired: while it is in the air, the
joystick controls both it and your ship.  You can even make the missile hang
dead in warpspace, waiting to pounce on prey.

DEFLECTORS: Two orb-shaped drones will hover in front of your ship,
deflecting most attacks.  Pressing fire will retract the orbs, allowing you
to fire your lasers.  Tapping the button again will bring them back.  Your
ship carries a number of such orbs, so most which are destroyed will be
replaced.  A direct hit on the front of your ship may damage the deflector
port, however, and prevent further usage.  The deflectors can be used to ram
targets, but this is a good way toalose them permanently.  On the bright
side, you score points for each deflector which hits a target.

SMART BOMBS: You are equipped with two bombs, in addition to your beam
laser.  Press the back-arrow key (near the top left corner of the keyboard)
to detonate one bomb: it will disintegrate everything on the screen except
for your own ship and the remaining bomb, if any.

     Eventually, despite your skill as a pilot, the bugs will probably
finish off your ship.  At this point, you will be able to view the high
score screen, and perhaps even enter your name on it, if you did well
enough.


                                   * * * * *


Excerpted from Admir