| Deathstar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Peter Johnson [1] [2] |
| Publisher(s) | Superior Software [3] Blue Ribbon |
| Platform(s) | Acorn Electron BBC Micro |
| Release | 1985 |
| Genre(s) | Multidirectional shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Deathstar (also written as DeathStar) is multidirectional shooter for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro developed by Peter Johnson and originally published in the UK by Superior Software in 1985. It is a clone of the arcade game Sinistar .
The player uses four keys, two to rotate the ship (which is always moving forwards), one for fire and one to launch a starbomb. Firing can destroy both enemy workers and warriors, but only a starbomb can be used against the eponymous Deathstar itself. Collisions with workers, warriors or asteroids (referred to in the instructions as planetoids) do not harm the player. [4] [5]
The job of the workers is to build the Deathstar by transporting crystals to it, whilst the job of the warriors is to mine the crystals and also defend the Deathstar by attacking the player. The initial objective is to keep on firing at the asteroids until they start to shed crystals, which are then picked up in order to score points, but more importantly the crystals are converted into starbombs. The starbombs are ultimately used against the Deathstar, once the workers have finished constructing it. The player must successfully defeat the Deathstar to progress into the Worker Zone which has very few planetoids, with a bonus screen between each zone. [4] [5]
The game employs 16-way scrolling [6] over a multi-coloured starfield and runs at a fast rate [7] on both the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron hardware.
Despite the inferior hardware of the Acorn Electron, the in-game sound can be improved up to BBC Micro standards with the addition of Project Expansions' Sound Cartridge. [8]
Originally, the game was to be published by Atarisoft as an official port of the arcade version under its original name, Sinistar, [9] [10] but the Atarisoft brand was dropped in 1984 and Atari decided to pull out of the Acorn computer market altogether whilst a number of games were still under development.
The game was instead renamed Deathstar and a new title screen designed, allowing it to be released as an unofficial clone by Superior Software in 1985. The game was released shortly after another popular game Repton and is regarded as being part of a successful run of titles from Superior Software in a short space of time. [11]
The then-renamed Deathstar was first published solely by Superior Software in 1985 and later re-released in 1989 by Superior Software and Blue Ribbon as a budget title. The game also appeared on the Beau Jolly compilations Five Star Games [12] and 10 Computer Hits 4, [6] and Superior Software's own Superior Collection compilations (vol. 2 on the BBC, vol. 3 on the Electron). [5] A cheat loader program for the game was also published in 1988 by Impact Software on the compilation Cheat it again Joe 1. [13] An in-built cheat was discovered to have been left in the BBC version of the game and was published in the March 1989 edition of Micro User magazine. [14]
Deathstar was prominently advertised with full-page dedicated ads [15] in various Acorn-related publications of the 1980s and was also reviewed in magazines such as Acorn User [16] and Electron User. [7] In the 21st century, Deathstar was again reviewed in the 2009 book The 8-Bit Book - 1981 to 199x by Jerry Ellis, published by Hiive books. [17] [18]
A similar title Mega Apocalypse , also for the BBC Micro, was due to be released by Martech Games Ltd, but was ultimately abandoned half-finished in 1988. [19]
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The Sinistar arcade game uses sampled speech, which is beyond the abilities of standard BBC Micro and Electron hardware. The BBC Micro has a speech synthesiser chip available as an official add-on, but it has a limited vocabulary. Users who played with this hardware would hear the speech chip say "R, R, R, I an complete" (using the letter "R" repeated for the laugh, and "an" instead of "am"), though this is not a line from the arcade original. Programmer Peter Johnson said at the time: "I knew very few gamers would have that speech chip fitted, but I would have loved to see the expression of surprise on their faces the first time they heard the DeathStar speak".
Roland Waddliove, writing in Electron User magazine stated that "DEATHSTAR is a super fast, all-action arcade classic", "it's the sort of game that you can't put down" and "you've got to have just one more go". [7] Martin Reed also in Electron User described the game as "an excellent conversion" and "a great blast". [6]
The Electron User Group describe the game as "furiously fast", "supremely playable" and as having "a large playing window", [20] whilst the Monkey's Brain website describes the game as "another top-quality arcade conversion". [21] Oliver Robinson on the bbcmicrogames.com website describes the game as "almost arcade perfect" and as "an example of how well the BBC could replicate fast paced, action arcade games". [22]
Game programmer Jason Sobell stated that he "liked Peter Johnson's DeathStar", pointing out the similarity to the game Asteroids . [23]
The game was given a BJ score of 92% on the Five Star Games compilation, although this rating was awarded by Beau Jolly themselves, the publisher of the compilation and therefore can not be considered to originate from a neutral source. [12]
Since the end of the BBC Micro commercial era, some players [24] using emulation have expressed a preference for playing the Acorn Electron version over the BBC Micro version, because it uses keys 'Z' and 'X' to rotate the spacecraft rather than 'CAPS LOCK' and 'left-CTRL' which are vertically aligned on many modern-day keyboards.
Acornsoft was the software arm of Acorn Computers, and a major publisher of software for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. As well as games, it also produced a large number of educational titles, extra computer languages and business and utility packages – these included word processor VIEW and the spreadsheet ViewSheet supplied on ROM and cartridge for the BBC Micro/Acorn Electron and included as standard in the BBC Master and Acorn Business Computer.
Sinistar is a 1983 multidirectional shooter arcade game developed and manufactured by Williams Electronics. It was created by Sam Dicker, Jack Haeger, Noah Falstein, RJ Mical, Python Anghelo, and Richard Witt. Players control a space pilot who battles the eponymous Sinistar, a giant, anthropomorphic spacecraft. The game is known for its use of digitized speech and high difficulty level.
Superior Software Ltd is a video game publisher. It was one of the main publishers for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers in the 1980s and early 1990s, and occasionally published software to the Commodore 64, Amiga, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. It currently releases games for Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android, mostly updates of its original games.
Micro Power was a British company established in the early 1980s by former accountant Bob Simpson. The company was best known as a video game publisher, originally under the name Program Power. It also sold many types of computer hardware and software through its Leeds 'showroom' or via mail order.
Atarisoft was a brand name used by Atari, Inc. in 1983 and 1984 to publish video games for non-Atari home computers and consoles. Each platform had a specific color for its game packages: video games sold for the Commodore 64 were in green boxes, games for the TI-99/4A in yellow, the IBM PC in blue, and so on.
Firetrack is a vertically-scrolling shooter programmed by Nick Pelling and released for the BBC Micro and Commodore 64 platforms in 1987 by Electric Dreams Software. It was also ported to the Acorn Electron by Superior Software in 1989 as part of the Play It Again Sam 7 compilation. It resembles the 1984 arcade game Star Force in style and gameplay. The game was technically advanced and very well received by critics.
Cosmic Camouflage is a multidirectional shooter for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. It was released in 1988 as the sequel to Acornsoft's Meteors. Both games are clones of the 1979 Atari, Inc. arcade video game Asteroids.
Hyperball is a clone of the 1986 arcade game Arkanoid created for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro. It was released as part of the compilation Play It Again Sam 13 in 1990.
Overdrive is a racing game written by Peter Johnson for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro and published in 1984 by Superior Software.
Pipeline is a video game for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, originally published by Superior Software in 1988. It is an overhead view action role-playing game set on a mining platform. It was remade for Microsoft Windows as Pipeline Plus (2004).
Elixir is a video game for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro released in 1987 by Superior Software. It is a platform game in which the player takes the role of a shrunken scientist.
The Micro User was a British specialist magazine catering to users of the BBC Microcomputer series, Acorn Electron, Acorn Archimedes and, to a limited extent, the Cambridge Z88. It had a comprehensive mix of reviews of games, application software, and the latest Acorn computers; type-in programs, a correspondence page offering help with computer problems, and approachable technical articles on programming and the BBC Micro's internals.
Killer Gorilla is a Donkey Kong clone written by Adrian Stephens and published by Micro Power for the BBC Micro in 1983. It was ported to the Acorn Electron and Amstrad CPC computers in 1984.
Stock Car is an overhead-view racing video game written by A. W. Halse and published in the UK by Micro Power. It was released in 1984 for the BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, and Commodore 64 computers. Although the cassette inlay gives the release date as 1984, some sources state the release date as 1983, and the game is also known as Stock Car Racer.
Camelot is a computer game written by Tony Oakden and published in the UK in 1989/90 for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. The game was first published by Superior Software and Acornsoft as part of the Play it Again Sam 9 compilation in 1989 and was subsequently re-published as a standalone title in 1990 by Superior Software and Blue Ribbon.
Perplexity is a video game created by Ian Collinson for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro and published by Superior Software in 1990. It is a pseudo 3D maze game with Sokoban-style puzzles.
Galaforce is a fixed shooter video game for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, written by Kevin Edwards and published by Superior Software in 1986. It spawned a sequel, Galaforce 2 (1988), and later, Galaforce Worlds (2003).
Crazee Rider is a motorbike racing video game created by Kevin Edwards and published by Superior Software in 1987. It was released for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro with an enhanced version for the BBC Master. The game was particularly well received for the Electron as it was the first 3D racing game with corners for that machine.
Spycat: An Interactive Exposé of M.I.41⁄2 is an action-adventure game for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, written by Peter Scott and published by Superior Software in 1988. The game is a parody of the scandal surrounding the Spycatcher book.
Gordon J. Key authored video game software for the Acorn BBC Micro, Electron and RISC OS platforms in the 1980s and 1990s. His most well-known works were published by The Fourth Dimension. He is also credited with additional programming routines in FedNet's futuristic flight combat game Star Fighter 3000 (1994), and authored Party Machine for the Amstrad CPC.
Another prolific and talented author, Peter Johnson, wrote Overdrive, Space Pilot, Deathstar and six other games.
He decided to sign with Superior Software as he'd seen a lot of Richard Hanson's games and he seemed prepared to give Johnson any help he needed.
Publisher: Superior Software, Developer: Superior Software, Genre: Shoot-'Em-Up
You have four basic controls: two to turn your ship clockwise and anticlockwise and the FIRE and STARBOMB controls.
DEATHSTAR's most impressive feature is the 16-way scrolling: As you move, the screen moves with you. A great blast.
DEATHSTAR is a super fast, all-action arcade classic. It's the sort of game that you can't put down.
However, if you have Slogger's Turbo Board and Project Expansions' Sound Cartridge, the picture changes dramatically!
Sinistar (Atarisoft) was released as DeathStar by Superior
Deathstar, while expertly avoiding one lawsuit by setting itself up for a second much larger, successfully recreates that soil-your-pants thrill ride that is Sinistar.
In the summer of the same year came REPTON, another tremendous success, swiftly followed by DEATHSTAR.
"This is probably the best arcade shoot 'em up on the BBC and Electron. A thoroughly enjoyable game." BJ Overall rating 92%
1988: CHEAT IT AGAIN JOE 1, Impact, £2.95
If you press Caps Lock + Control + Escape you will be promoted to the next level.
Ads (1 page) ... DEATHSTAR ... 64
REVIEWS: Games: Deathstar
DeathStar (Beeb) ... 1984
Half-finished copies, according to Jeremy Grayson, did leak out, and is supposedly a bit like the Superior Software game Deathstar.
DEATHSTAR is a furiously fast number, with a radar screen at the top of the screen and a large playing window situated beneath
Shoot the asteroids to gather bombs to fire at the deathstar when it is built.
Almost arcade perfect, this was an example of how well the BBC could replicate fast paced, action arcade games.
I also liked Peter Johnson's DeathStar and Space Pilot, but then I always was an Asteroids fan.
I'm forever playing Electron DEATHSTAR instead of the official BBC one.