SketchFighter 4000 Alpha

Last updated


SketchFighter 4000 Alpha
Developer(s) Lost Minds
Ambrosia Software
Publisher(s) Ambrosia Software
Designer(s) Lars Gäfvert
Platform(s) Mac OS X
Release2006-12-01
Genre(s) scrolling shooter
Mode(s)single and multiplayer modes

SketchFighter 4000 Alpha is a scrolling shooter with a focus on exploration for Mac OS X. The game was created by Lost Minds together with Ambrosia Software. SketchFighter uses OpenGL and a custom game engine to create visuals for all elements of the game reminiscent of hand-drawn sketches.

Contents

SketchFighter is distributed as shareware; specifically, crippleware as only a subset of the game is playable prior to registration.

In 2020, SketchFighter was re-released for the Mac App Store [1]

Gameplay

SketchFighter's gameplay consists of using the ship to explore different "zones" or areas in the game. Players must fight a variety of enemies as they explore and progress through the game. Players acquire different power-up items in the game, such as different weapon types, different colors of weapons, improved shields, and faster and stronger engines. Some of these power-ups require defeating a boss; others are offered for exploring new areas of the map, including areas that can be unlocked by the player through the use of the newly acquired power-up (one of many.)

The ship can navigate forward and backward and rotate. Strafing is not supported; the ship fires in the direction it is facing (within a random margin of error).

SketchFighter offers two-player cooperative and competitive modes, and it includes a Web-based high score board.

SketchFighter also includes a custom level generator that the player can use to create their own levels.

Related Research Articles

<i>Marathon Trilogy</i> Video game series

The Marathon Trilogy is a science fiction first-person shooter video game series from Bungie, originally released for the Classic Mac OS. The name of the series is derived from the giant interstellar colony ship that provides the main setting for the first game; the ship is constructed out of the Martian moon Deimos. The three entries in the series — Marathon (1994), Marathon 2: Durandal (1995), and Marathon Infinity (1996) — are often regarded as spiritual predecessors of Bungie's Halo series.

<i>S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl</i> 2007 video game

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter survival horror video game developed by GSC Game World and published by THQ in 2007 following a long development. The game is set in an alternative reality, where a second disaster of mysterious origin occurred at the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, causing strange changes in the area around it. The game features a non-linear storyline and includes role-playing gameplay elements such as trading and two-way communication with non-player characters.

<i>Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords</i> 2006 video game

Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords is a 4X turn-based strategy by Stardock for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to the 2003 game, Galactic Civilizations, and was released at retail and on Stardock's online subscription service, TotalGaming.net, on February 21, 2006. An expansion, Dark Avatar, was released in February 2007. A second expansion, Twilight of the Arnor, was released in April 2008.

<i>JetsnGuns</i> 2004 video game

Jets'n'Guns is a 2004 2D horizontally scrolling shooter for Microsoft Windows by Czech studio Rake in Grass. In April 2006, a version for Mac OS X was released. In December 2006 an expansion, Jets'n'Guns Gold, was released. A version for Linux has been developed by Linux Game Publishing. A sequel, Jets'n'Guns 2, was available in early access, and released on 25 July 2020.

Gradius is a series of shooter video games, introduced in 1985, developed and published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper.

<i>Descent 3</i> 1999 video game

Descent 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Outrage Entertainment and published by Interplay Entertainment. It was originally released for Microsoft Windows in North America on June 17, 1999. Descent 3 is the third game in the Descent video game series and a sequel to Descent II. The game takes place in a science fiction setting of the Solar System where the player is cast as Material Defender, a mercenary who must help an organization known as the Red Acropolis Research Team to stop robots infected by an alien virus.

<i>Marathon</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Marathon is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Bungie, and released in December 1994 for the Apple Macintosh. The game takes place several centuries into the future in outer space and sets the player as a security officer attempting to stop an alien invasion aboard a colony ship named the Marathon.

<i>Sins of a Solar Empire</i> 2008 video game

Sins of a Solar Empire is a 2008 science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Ironclad Games and published by Stardock Entertainment for Microsoft Windows operating systems. It is a real-time strategy (RTS) game that incorporates some elements from 4X games; its makers describe it as "RT4X". Players are given control of a spacefaring empire in the distant future, and are tasked with conquering star systems using military, economic and diplomatic means.

<i>Take No Prisoners</i> (video game) 1997 video game

Take No Prisoners is an action video game released in 1997, developed by Raven Software.

<i>Lego Universe</i> 2010 video game

Lego Universe was a massively multiplayer online game that was available from October 2010 to January 2012. The game was developed by NetDevil and released on October 26, 2010, with an early opening for the to-be Lego "Founders", which consisted of users who pre-ordered the game. It was globally distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Its release was delayed from original estimates of 2009, Teasers were released by Lego in 2007 and late November 2008 to promote the game, and also in 2009 for one last promotion. The game was available in English and German. The servers were shut down permanently on January 31, 2012, due to 'unsatisfactory revenue' from within the game's target audience.

<i>Space Empires: Starfury</i> 2003 video game

Space Empires: Starfury is an action video game developed by Malfador Machinations and published by Shrapnel Games on September 22, 2003. The game is set in a Space Empires universe containing planetary systems linked by warp points, or wormholes. The game allows the player to control a single spaceship to explore the universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InstantAction</span>

InstantAction was a web gaming site and digital distributor featuring 3D, browser-based games.

<i>Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force</i> 2000 first-person shooter video game based on the Star Trek series

Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force is a first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. The game was originally released on September 15, 2000 for Windows and Mac OS. A port for Mac OS developed by Westlake Interactive and published by Aspyr Media was released on November 20, 2002. Elite Force was ported to the PlayStation 2 by Pipe Dream Interactive and published by Majesco Entertainment on December 11, 2001.

<i>Gratuitous Space Battles</i> 2009 video game

Gratuitous Space Battles is a video game developed by the UK-based company Positech Games. It was released on November 17, 2009. On one level the title is a space warfare simulation consisting of a number of engagements between two opposing fleets of ships. While sometimes assumed to be a real-time strategy (RTS) game based on screenshots, actual gameplay focuses on the setup prior to the battle, making it play more like a tower defense game.

<i>Firefall</i> (video game) 2014 video game

Firefall was a science fiction free-to-play massive multiplayer online open world shooter video game developed and released by Red 5 Studios in 2014. Officially announced in 2010, the game entered closed beta in 2011 and open beta in 2013. It was the first and only game to be developed by Red 5 Studios, combining elements from both the shooter genre and some role-playing aspects from the massive multiplayer online genre. Firefall was shut down in 2017.

<i>CyClones</i> 1994 PC video game

CyClones is a first-person shooter video game for MS-DOS developed by Raven Software and published by Strategic Simulations in 1994.

<i>StarMade</i> 2012 video game

StarMade is an effectively infinite open-universe space simulation sandbox game in development by Schine for Windows, macOS, and Linux. StarMade is currently in alpha and is free to play, during alpha.

<i>Planet Explorers</i> 2016 video game

Planet Explorers is an adventure role-playing video game developed and published by Pathea Games. Development began in January 2014, existing as an early access game. The game was released on 8 November 2016 for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux on the Steam digital distribution platform.

<i>SimplePlanes</i> Flight simulation video game

SimplePlanes is a simulation video game developed and published by the American indie studio Jundroo LLC. SimplePlanes followed the release of SimplePhysics and SimpleRockets and preceded Juno: New Origins and SimplePlanes VR. The game was first released on Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows and was ported to iOS and Android later. It was released onto Steam on the 17th of December 2015 after going through the Steam Greenlight process. The game received mixed reviews from users and video game reviewers, with the main downfalls mentioned the most being the "slippery controls" and the graphical design. However, it is known for its innovative, though sometimes complex, building mechanics. From 2014 until 2022, SimplePlanes has got 11 updates. The latest version, 1.11, is released in October 2021.

<i>Stormworks: Build and Rescue</i> First person life simulation video game

Stormworks: Build And Rescue is a simulation video game developed and published by British studio Geometa. The game was released as an early access title in February 2018 for Windows and Mac and is receiving frequent updates through Steam. It left early access on September 17, 2020.

References

  1. "SketchFighter 4000 Alpha". July 18, 2022.