Rotor

Another one for my collection

In the not-too-distant future, everything will be impossibly expensive. Jobs will become very scarce with no decent opportunities for the majority of us (yikes, what a surreal prediction). Hmm, perhaps we should move on quickly? Anyhow, there is the prospect of joining the Roto-Raiders who pilot huge tanks through dangerous caverns for a lucrative reward. Only the brave need apply because the missions are deadly.

Dare you sign up? What, really? Yeah... Of course, we do so count me in!

Gravitar-Esque games are popular for the Atari ST. We have killer titles that are extraordinarily awesome - Oids and Thrust instantly come to mind. That means Arcana had to bring something new to the table in order to stand out from the crowd. Plus, I naturally had high expectations considering the strong competition!

Before we crack on, I bought Rotor off eBay, so let's look at all the goodies...

It's hardly in perfect condition, but it's pretty good, and I like the design too.

  
Mind-blowing content? It's minimalistic, but it's a piece of hiSTory.

Get to it, I wanna blow stuff up!

Rotor is like Thrust with numerous tasks split into separate missions. We begin with a training simulator to learn the controls, how to collect items, and kill the many different types of enemies. This is a great way to understand the basics and to learn (or rather grasp) the technical user interface. Oh, and the training needs to be fully completed before moving on to the real missions. That sounds like a con, but it is a good thing.

You can attempt each mission in many different environments - earlier levels are tame compared to the torturous ones later. Every cavern has antagonists (as the manual loves to say) who are enemies like Cannons, Laser Guns and Gravity Generators. Some can be destroyed, whereas others can be temporarily disabled.

Our spaceship is a large circular craft with adequate but sluggish manoeuvrability. Physics plays a part, so there is gravity to consider, and you can only accelerate in the current facing direction. The caverns are vast and claustrophobic due to the ship's size and lacklustre abilities (feels leaden compared to Thrust or Oids).

All missions follow the path of having to complete requirements like shooting Container Pods for their contents. Destroying them and killing the enemies rewards extra points. All this is within the time constraints of limited fuel and armour. Once you're finished, exit coordinates detail where to go to escape.

Simple stuff, so let's take a peep at a couple of early screenshots...

The training missions are a fantastic way to learn the ropes.

In this simulator, we only need to shoot (and then collect) what's in that box. Easy!

Power-ups & other stuff

Rotor could have been a simple game of shooting/collecting stuff. But it's not. Arcana obviously thought this would be far too boring, so jazzed it up with pointless clutter. Let's begin with its user interface...

On the left-hand side, is a map detailing your position, the dots above that are your remaining lives. The coordinates of zeros will change once the mission is complete to show the exit location to rendezvous (the other coordinates are your current location). The three icons between these are 1) the time left until a bomb explodes. 2) The time left until a disabled laser resumes. 3) The required number of crystals to gain exit coordinates.

At the bottom of the screen is the radar and this shows helpful information like the state of your armour, cargo, and remaining fuel. However, it also displays potential enhancements that can be gained by collecting pearls. For example, the second icon is for the ship's rotational speed. The third icon improves upon its lethargic thrust.

Hang on, what was that about Container Pods and Pearls? Container pods offer a variety of goodies like fuel, upgrades, explosives (potential traps) and sun crystals (to exit the level). Pearls affect performance significantly: collect two, and the ship rotates faster. Pick up a third, and you can upgrade the thrusters.

I cannot help but wonder why they needed to be earned rather than come as standard? It feels unnecessary to upgrade the ship during a mission instead of concentrating on the task. Too convoluted.

Let's take another look at some more screenshots from my victorious venture...

Blast those gun turrets before attempting to sneak by.

Things are getting hectic in Lego land, which is very difficult to manoeuvre through.

Tips and level codes!

• Don't even think about skipping the training missions. Trust me!
• Bombs automatically activate after first shooting the pod. You have two options, leave the screen safely and survive or collect the extra cargo and take it home.
• Beware of how much cargo you're carrying. Extra weight means a slower ship using more fuel.
• Watch the walls, take your time and let the scrolling catch up with you.
• If something is able to shoot at you then it's best to shoot that first and clear the way.
• I hate to say this, but don't worry about ship upgrades as this wastes time (and fuel).
• I said don't skip the training but, if you really can't wait, here are the level codes:

Level 1 = GAG,

Level 2 = LIP,

Level 3 = SLY,

Level 4 = MEW,

Level 5 = AWE,

Level 6 = TNT.

 

As tough as it is groovy-looking. Must admit, I do love the weird palette!

Argh, this level looks so passive but is insane! I died straight after taking this screenshot.

Input & Output

Controls are as familiar: fire button to (erm) fire, upwards to thrust, and left/right rotates your craft. I doubt there would be any reason to change this asteroid-ripping formula because it's tried, tested and great. However, my problem is the craft's manoeuvrability, which is too sluggish by default, and that's a bit rubbish.

Graphically, Rotor is lovely, with a futuristic/Tron-like feel for the training simulator. Later levels look funky with colour and a design that feels 8-bit in some respects. The screen scrolls in all four directions smoothly, but it will struggle to keep up with your ship if you go too fast. Hmm, at least that forces you to be more careful!

The sounds are acceptable, albeit not the best you've heard. There are effects for the engine, shooting, enemies, etc. They hold back the deafening silence of space and make Rotor pretty much what you expect.

I think it's time for the final run of sexy screenshots...

Later levels are far too hard (for me) because there's too much going on for your sluggish ship.

Another later level, which has far too much going on for my reactions to cope with!

The CryptO'pinion?

I've enjoyed Rotor but not nearly as much as I should have. Don't get me wrong, Rotor has some good points like the training missions and groovy graphics. However, it complicates what should be a fun shooter for no decent reason. The worst is the necessity of ship upgrades during the game rather than after each stage.

There's a lot to moan about, I guess? I have enjoyed Rotor, it's good to play and something new. But let's not kid ourselves, it's bordering on mediocre compared to Thrust and Oids. Close but no cigar!

PP has adapted Rotor to be run from a hard drive, and Old Games Finder has the floppy disks.

Prehistorik

I've missed clubbing animals!

Incredibly, it was 7 years ago that I first featured a game by Titus called Prehistorik (go on, click that link). Unlike most games programmed in STOS, I found this cute, playable, and instantly very addictive. So I figured I should map this beautiful platformer right away and there are many more web pages of mapped Atari ST games here. Check 'em out!

Okay, it's been superb playing this game again and I still appreciate its simplicity; each level is pretty much the same albeit with different graphics and a few extra baddies. That's no bad thing, I hate it when developers attempt to bulk up a game with extra stages that often end up overbearingly bloated and unnecessary. So, it's great to see Titus sticking to their guns with lots of mindless animal bashing and yes, I have not changed my opinion of Prehistorik whatsoever.

I've tried to map everything correctly with all the items shown properly. This includes each of the caves and the secret rooms - I've added directional arrows to help navigate properly. Prehistorik has been an absolute blast and I hope you enjoy these maps as much as I've enjoyed making them? Let me know in the comments below if anyone's here?

Here are a few sneaky thumbnails of what to expect and you can download the hi-res images by clicking here.

Level one is very easy to play and features lots of caves with a few hidden screens.

Perhaps it's now I should warn of spoilers? Nah, download the maps and enjoy it for yourself!

Things are getting tough with new monsters (I really like those crafty snowmen throwing snowballs)

Actually, the snowmen are very tricky and this level has some formidable screens. The boss is rubbish...

We're in the woods for the penultimate level and guess what? It's a brilliant level!!

Well, except for those squirrels who throw their nuts with such annoying accuracy. Ooer!

The final level is a belter, and really enjoyable with great gameplay. I genuinely loved it!!

After all your hard work you return home to the family. Hey, check out my wife!

Badlands Pete

On a steel horse, I ride. I'm wanted, dead or alive...

Sorry, I had to get that in! ARC released Badlands Pete in 1990, and it's an action-adventure set in the American Wild West. I love anything like this, so I couldn't play without the attire - I'm wearing a Stetson, chaps, spurs, etc. This helps me to write even if my wife laughs, but I know that I look like Clint Eastwood.

Badlands Pete is a platformer incorporating a pseudo-3D method of walking in/out of each scene. It's a bit like what we saw in Fred, and they're calling it Strip-A-Mation, which is a cool name. Using this movement alters what's visible. Switching positions might allow you to see more objects and navigate differently.

This is a neat idea that adds depth to the mechanics of each scene and allows freedom to explore everywhere in separate ways. Well, that's if it works properly; otherwise, it could be cumbersome and messy, therefore ruining the game. Sometimes it's best to keep a platformer simple to concentrate on playing the game!

Anyhow, let's take a look at some screenshots from the 16-bit American frontier...

This is where we begin, riding into town on a Union Pacific train. Nice!

There's a shifty-looking cowboy to our right. Try to chat with him and see how he reacts!

Get out of Dodge!

Arriving in town by train, the task is to rescue the Governor's daughters, who have been kidnapped by ruthless thugs from the Badlands. He enlists the help of Pete Coyote, aka Badlands Pete. That's you, the quickest draw in the west. Sadly, my first game didn't go well - I realised the town is full of irate cowboys, crazy Indians, sleepy Mexicans and townsfolk who appear to be innocently going about their business (don't be fooled!!)

First things first, the controls are easy: walking left/right is obvious, and you can also move in/out of any scene by pushing up/down. However, I would practice in the comfort of the train station area before daring to explore the town. Your guns are drawn/holstered by hitting the spacebar with the fire button to shoot.

The user interface shows Pete's energy levels, score, and ammunition. Energy is obvious, and when Pete is shot, his bleeding heart needs replenishing with food & drink. The belt of bullets is for ammo - running out leaves you defenceless in the frontier, so top it up whenever possible (dead bodies are a great resource!)

The score is shown as a dollar bounty, which goes up when collecting items or killing someone who's decided to shoot at you (beware: a negative bounty equates to others - your worth to them). Finally, the ladies you see at the bottom of your screen are the governor's daughters who require rescuing for a lucrative reward.

Let's take a look at some more screenshots from my "victorious" gameplay...

I entered a room and was ambushed, for no reason, so I killed him. What's wrong with these people?

Arrrgh, even a preacher pulls out his weapon (again, for no reason) and then starts shooting!!

Gunfright!

As you begin, a Wanted Poster depicts the task at hand with the reward. Walking around is kinda cool if I'm honest, thanks to the stunning artwork using an arid colour palette. Leaving the station depot for the town reminds me of Rio Bravo and other westerns (in fact, that's my favourite western ever). Almost all characters have a dollar value, but it pays to be coy rather than trigger-happy because those who draw first aren't well respected, plus serial killers only end up as wanted themselves... think about that.

After only a short time, you realise everybody is out to get you. It's rare to walk close to someone who doesn't pull out a weapon. Most people are nuts, even the preacher wanted me dead! After a while, this constant, pointless onslaught is irritating, as it halts any chance of progress, as you're constantly fighting off everyone.

You can help yourself to various items to replenish your health and ammo: look out for items like a hot pie cooling on a windowsill or a box of ammo, etc. It's worth remembering where these items are located because it won't be long until you're backtracking in desperation. And this is constant throughout gameplay.

In all honesty, I didn't understand why most characters needed to have such hostile actions. It's not like unlimited supplies are lying about town to compensate! Something is off balance here!

Anyhow, I think we need to see a couple more screenshots...

Great, now the Indians are shooting arrows at me. Why? I didn't do anything to provoke him!

Oh joy, I walked into the sheriff's office. What happened? Of course, another shooting match!

Aesthetics

I'm a big fan of westerns, and I love the old John Wayne movies. Badlands Pete is a cartoon representation of that era, and it works remarkably well. In fact, I adore the dusty frontier each scene sets, as it reminds me of being in Wichita, Tombstone or West Texas. That makes this Atari cowboy very happy indeed!

Sadly, Arc somehow decided against utilising the Atari STe as they did with Chronicles Of Omega. So the game feels very sluggish. Slow to move and also slow to scroll. I think a little help from the Blitter would have been a marvellous improvement. Having said that, there is no reason that it's this bad on the STFM!

The idea of Strip-A-Mation and walking in/out of each scene is superb. This not only unveils objects that you might have missed but also offers alternative ways to explore. This game design is by Steven Cain (Black Lamp), and Badlands Pete appears to have evolved somewhat from that.

Musically, things aren't bad with a title screen tune that sounds great, considering ARC foolishly made no use of the Atari STe. Gotta say though, I liked it a bunch! Sadly, the in-game effects are lame by comparison. I'd have loved samples from Westerns like A Fistful of Dollars. Heck, any stock samples would have worked.

Hmm, I'm getting a whiff of a rushed conversion. Let's see a couple of screenshots...

Hey, this town has a mine. Let's use Strip-A-Mation to walk in to see what's lurking below...

The steps lead off and down. I wonder what's here? I'll save you time - another pointless gunfight!

Hints & Tips

I wondered whether it was worthwhile writing this section. I imagine nobody has scrolled this far, so I could probably write whatever nonsense I like: Atari Legend sucks. Commodore wimps love to whine like big crybabies. ARC hated the ST. Commodore is the best. I love Amigas. Amiga forever!! I'm pregnant!!

That was fun, but I think I'd better write some tips, which are extremely difficult for this game...

• Have many practice games and learn the controls, especially with regards to quickdraw.
• Don't get too close to somebody you intend to have a gunfight with. Very weird!!
• Be patient, let the bad guys draw first. I know, I know...
• Never draw your weapon in front of a lady. Ooer!
• Look for items and also top-ups for health and ammo.
• Don't go looking for trouble, run away if you can. If you can...
• Arc obviously had no beta testers so we desperately need a trainer!

I entered the town's jail. Looks quiet, right? No!! After I took this screenshot, they began firing!

This is a screen that you will see a lot!!

The CryptO'pinion?

I love the idea behind Badlands Pete, but it's far too difficult, so I failed to make much progress. No matter where you go, someone pulls out a weapon and begins firing. It's weird, and this relentless attack soon becomes irritating, especially as you find yourself repeatedly looking to replenish health and ammo.

The idea behind Strip-A-Mation is great, but it would be more suited to an adventure rather than action. Along with Carlos and Chuckie Egg 2, this is possibly one of the worst games I've featured here on AtariCrypt. Ignoring the theme and excellent visuals, I've nothing much more to say about Badlands Pete.

• For those wanting to be a lame version of John Wayne, download Automation #409. Good luck!

Street Fighter

A disgruntled gamer

Back in the summer of 1988, I was the only guy in college with a ZX Spectrum. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Speccy but had grown out of it. I spent much of that year dreaming of Atari's new supercomputer. It was tough seeing magazine reviews as the Atari ST games had graphics lightyears ahead of everything else.

I always remember the advert for Street Fighter. It featured screenshots taken from various systems, the Atari ST being one. It was a jaw-dropping moment seeing amazing details and bright colours (the image above). In reality, the advert was a lie because that image was actually taken from the arcade version!!

Not that it mattered because this beat'em up was something of a shambles, thanks to Tiertex chimps randomly hitting their keyboards until it was ready for release. I honestly don't know how they got away with it - not only the jerky scrolling and laughable animations, but the sluggish control system is vastly unresponsive.

After months of yearning for the Atari ST, I finally got one at Christmas. Ignoring Street Fighter, this slab of grey power lived up to my hopes and desires! You can imagine the joy on my face when I first booted up Xenon, Buggy Boy, and Beyond the Ice Palace. Magical moments in my history. (Atari STFM Super Pack)

If you're still interested in playing Street Fighter, you're obviously insane. But here are the links...

• 8BitChip has the download for hard drive/ultrasatan installation.
• Floppy disks can be found using Old Games Finger (Automation #41)
• Wasabim has recorded a fantastic YouTube video!
• Type "STREETCHEAT" on the title screen and you can hit the Help key to skip levels.
• Maybe you're curious how Street Fighter would have performed on the Atari STe???
• Hey, why not check out our Beat'em Up section, go on and click the links! 

Even though a trainer was enabled, I endured much pain to get these screenshots! I wanted to play through it, but it went on forever. I hope you appreciate the hell I went through to get these!

Dare I ask if there are fans of the ST beat'em up out there!

I hope you enjoyed my silly post (a disgruntled gamer), remembering US Gold's misleading advert? O_o

Look at him trying to punch me even though I've jerkily leapt 15 feet in the air.

Look at the magazine advert and then try, and tell me that it's the same as the ST game!

Look at the size of this bad boy. Hmm, let's punch him in the nuts - that'll work!

Another giant dude to fight, so I decided to cower in front of Ian Dury's little car heh.

You'll see something like this at the end of each stage. Great, uh?

Look at all those strange faces watching. Quite scary!

Another clipping of the advert (enhanced using online tools, hence the weird text)

SDI: Now The Odds Are Even

The Star Wars program is happening!

It's incredible how quickly time passes, as I've not played this since I got my first Atari ST. The Sega shooter was converted by Alaric Binnie for Activision and released in 1988. I remember being impressed and unimpressed in equal measure - probably because I liked what I saw but was absolutely terrible at playing it!

As most of us, older gamers might remember, SDI stands for Strategic Defence Initiative and is based on the original Star Wars concept by President Regan devised during the Cold War. This technology was supposed to defend Earth from the inevitable Soviet attack. Yeah, I know, it never happened... shocker, right?

The game is an action shooter set within the darkness of Earth's space. As it turns out, the defence initiative is just a lone satellite armed with a laser gun! Use that to protect mankind from a legion of Soviet nuclear missiles, fighters, and more. Why only one satellite, I don't know, but that's the game, so let's crack on.

Okay, let's take the first break from reading with two sexy screenshots...

The Soviets are sending everything they have. Well, in stages, thankfully.

At first, it was distracting to see the moon moving by. I should have been concentrating!

The fate of mankind...

Our quest begins with the Space Shuttle dropping us off before a barrage of Soviet missiles appears. The game is split into two separate modes, depending on your performance: offensive and defensive. The first is not unlike other horizontally scrolling shooters, attacking everything that swarms onto the screen. The second is like a 3D Missile Command and a final chance to save everyone from the previously missed missiles.

You'll soon discover that SDI isn't a complex game at all. It's a frenzied shooter battling squadrons of enemy artillery. So shoot everything as quickly as you can physically move the mouse. Each stage gets more aggressive, right up until the point my hand-to-eye reactions simply cannot cope anymore (see the video!).

No need to fret, you're not alone, as allies will periodically send power-ups. Sadly, during the heat of battle, these look similar to everything else! Especially when you're in a mindset of blasting everything as quickly as possible. This means they’re destroyed far too quickly to collect their cargo as you watch it drift away. Sigh...

The damage meter at the bottom of the screen shows your performance’s current state. Survive, and the Space Shuttle reappears to whisk you off to safety, where that performance is rated on a scale. Anything less than perfect and you're sent through to a defensive stage to help defend from the attack. A perfect score gets you lots of extra points with a blue dancing duck. (And that makes it all worthwhile!!)

Are you bored with reading this? Chill. Take five. Look at these screenshots...

The blood-red moon looks awesome. Don't admire, concentrate on the killing!

I let some missiles get through, so now I'm defending the base Missile Command style!

Input

SDI might seem tricky because you need to do two things simultaneously: keep the satellite safe and select its firing direction. Arcade games can sometimes lose functionality when converted to a home computer. Not here; all controls are fully configurable using a combination of mouse, joystick and keyboard.

It is possible to use only the mouse, but I wouldn't advise it. I use the keyboard to direct the satellite and my mouse to aim/shoot. A joystick would also be a good idea, but only if it has good suckers to stick onto your desk. The keyboard/mouse method is kinda like the WASD/mouse combo as used in FPS games.

This plays great, but that doesn't mean we don't want screenshots. So, here you are...

It's not long before things get crazy with lots to shoot at. Trigger-happy heaven!

Ignore the asteroid shower because it's time to shoot more of that Ruskie hardware.

Output

Space is mostly empty, but the good thing about this Cold War is celestial objects as backgrounds rather than being empty. All graphics are by Bryn Redman, who treats us to images of the Earth, its Moon and an asteroid field - I believe later levels feature the Death Star? My gaming skills won't allow me to witness it!

The darkness of space dictates a sombre palette, which suits the Cold War scene, but there are brighter moments to behold. I love the red moon that boldly stands out; it looks amazing. Sadly, there is some slowdown during the later levels that are bombarded by tons of enemies. Meh, I can live with that as it's not too bad.

Paul Summers is responsible for the audio, and he did a stellar job (see what I did there?). The title features a grungy sample, but nothing compares to the in-game chiptunes. These are subtle and suit the ambience whilst also complementing the zappy effects. To say I adore these tunes would be an understatement!

Breathe and relax as it's the final screenshot break before the gripping conclusion...

Come on, the defensive stages really are Missile Command. Rip-off but brilliantly done!!

Do well and make the high-score table. Hang on, this feels like a game in itself? ;-)

The CryptO'pinion?

SDI could easily have been a bust due to the control system and visual demands. Alaric Binnie has done a fantastic job, not only aesthetically speaking but also in migrating the arcade's control system to the ST by using its keyboard/joystick and mouse. This combination works a treat, a commendable effort.

I usually find something to moan about, so here we go: I failed to see the logic in having a dark blue cursor against the dark backgrounds. Also, the power-ups are so difficult to catch. No, impossible (for me) to catch!! Finally, why aren't we treated to a nuclear explosion at Game Over? Oh, how I wanted to see that...

Some might say it's an alternative to Missile Command, and I get that; the similarities are there. SDI is an exciting shooter and one that is utterly addictive, albeit I'm shockingly bad at it. Make sure you choose the control method that suits you to prevent Western civilisation from catastrophic demise!

Let me know in the comments what you think about SDI (download for hard drive or floppy disk)