Flyover (1982. c64,vic20,c16,zx,PC. not AI)

4 hours ago (orac81.itch.io)

FLYOVER is a simple yet compelling action/strategy open source game for the Commodore64, C16, Vic20, PET, Atari800, ZX Spectrum, MSDOS, SDL2. Based on my original 1982 version!

Download: https://orac81.itch.io/flyover

Controls (or use Joystick): SPACE/SHIFT/FIRE = Drop bomb. S = Toggle sound on/off. M = Toggle fast/slow. X = Quit game.

The object of the game is to eliminate the (Yellow) Special targets and progress to the next level. As your plane flys across the screen, you can drop bombs onto the numbers in the rocky cavern below. You loose a life if you miss the targets and hit the rocks, or if you dont drop a bomb during a pass.

The height/direction of the plane is random, you do not control that. The bombs descend at an angle, then travel vertically down through the numbers and targets. If the bomb hits a column sideways-on, then numbers above the hit point collapse down. The higher a bomb is dropped from, the deeper it penetrates. The plane colour indicates the height of the plane. You start with 5 lives, and get a bonus life every 2 levels.

The top line shows the score, the number of targets left, the level, and number of lives left. The maximum score possible is 65535. Special targets score more on higher levels. During play hit M to change speed, S to toggle sound, X (or ESC) to quit.

For C64, C16 & ZX, you can select Joystick #1 or #2. For the ZX the first joystick is Sinclair i/f #1, the second the Kempstone joystick. The ZX sound uses the AY8912 chip in the Spectrum 128, running the program in 48K mode.

HINTS

As you play, you will find that single isolated targets are difficult to eliminate. It is much easier to remove them if numbers are left on top, so try to hit columns sideways (in the middle) to achieve this. Try to eliminate central targets first, and work outwards, leaving a crust of numbers on top of the targets. Since you do not control height/direction, its is important to keep a balance of targets on both sides of the cavern. This is a "one button" game, so careful choice of targets is a key strategy

my original Basic version of Flyover was published in Dec 1982 "Vic Computing" magazine, you will find that version as "bas/Flyover.tap", in the bas folder.