Starquake (game)
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Starquake is a unique game written by Dave Collins and Stephen Crow of Bubble Bus software.
You are BLOB (Bio-Logically Operated Being), and your starship has crashed on a planet. The crash destabilised the core of the planet, and you have to find its parts which are scattered all through the planet and fix it before it explodes. The natural inhabitants of the planet don't like your presence and keep trying to kill you.
It has been released for:
- Commodore 64 in 1984
- MSX in 1985
- ZX Spectrum in 1985
- Amstrad CPC in 1985
- Atari XL in 1985
- DOS 4 color CGA, in 1988
- Atari ST in 1988
Additionally, an Amiga version was planned for 1991 but was never released.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
There are several features of Starquake which help it stand out from other platform games of the era.
[edit] Transportation
run
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build
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fly
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hover landing
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Within the game, there are many ways to get around;
- Running is the default, and Blob can move pretty quickly.
- Hover platforms can be used to fly. Items can't be picked up while on a hover platform, though.
- Blob can build his own short-lived platforms to reach high places.
- There are also multiple teleport booths scattered around the play area, each with its own destination code.
[edit] Inventory
Blob is able to carry up to four items at once, using a FIFO arrangement. Some of the items encountered will be useful to repair the core, while others will need to be exchanged using a Cheops Pyramid for something more useful. There is also an Access card, which can fill in for any of the numbered chips needed to get through some doors, and for using the aforementioned Pyramid.
[edit] Play Area
The game features a large and varied play area, with 512 screens. The placement of the objects, and the identities of those needed to fix the core, are never the same, thus keeping the game interesting.
[edit] Screenshot analysis
[edit] Hints and strategies
[edit] Teleport codes
Spread through the game are teleporter boxes. They each have a code. Use the code to be teleported to its teleporter box.
Codes for C64 version:
1- POLAR 2- COSIN 3- METRE 4- SIGMA 5- FEMUR 6- ASTRA 7- HYLIS 8- XENON 9- KAPPA 10- CHASM 11- MESON 12- MALIS 13- PLASM 14- Z.A.P 15- OPTIC
Codes for ZX Spectrum version:
1- VEROX 2- RAMIX 3- ULTRA 4- SONIQ 5- AMAHA 6- AMIGA 7- QUAKE 8- ASOIC 9- ALGOL 10- EXIAL 11- IRAGE 12- TULSA 13- DELTA 14- KYZIA 15- OKTUP
Codes for Amstrad CPC version:
1- VOREX 2- RALIQ 3- TALIS 4- ASCIO 5- DULON 6- QUORE 7- ELIXA 8- ANGLE 9- KRYZL 10- OPTIX 11- AMBOR 12- INDOL 13- SNODY 14- ZODIA 15- UPAZZ
Codes for Atari XL version:
1- SALCO 2- TRAID 3- ATARI 4- NINIM 5- DELTA 6- KERNX 7- COSEC 8- ARTIC 9- QUARK 10- CRASH 11- ARGON 12- PENTA 13- Z.A.P 14- WHOLE 15- SECON
Codes for MSX version:
1- VORAX 2- RAZON 3- TARAQ 4- KWAKE 5- ANGOR 6- UPLAN 7- ZODIA 8- SNOOL 9- ARGOL 10- KRANZ 11- ERCOT 12- INDLE 13- DULAN 14- ANTIO 15- OPTIN
Codes for Amiga and Atari ST version:
1- FLIED 2- CHING 3- DAVRO 4- SOLUN 5- TABET 6- LUANG 7- TSOIN 8- KALED 9- ROKEA 10- HINDI 11- SOCHI 12- NICHA 13- BORNO 14- CWORE 15- KWANG Suggested but invalid - DUARO, ADKEA
Codes for PC version:
1- BAGEL 2- ABYSS 3- KYANG 4- RUBIA 5- MORIA 6- RAPID 7- QUAND 8- MOIST 9- CLOUD 10- PULSE 11- LOUSE 12- HIDEE 13- NUGAE 14- LIMMA 15- WATER
[edit] Useful items
joystick: one extra life
[edit] Deadly enemies
drill-like enemy
deadly spikes
socketed lightning trap: deadly when lightning between the balls
horizontal lightning trap: deadly when lightning is between the arrows
[edit] Secret tunnels
At some places, secret tunnels can be used to take a shortcut around obstacles.
[edit] Security doors
You can only go through these with the appropriate key card in your inventory.
[edit] Drop platforms
The only way to open these is by falling on them when not on a hover platform. To avoid falling through them and thus losing your parked hover platform, quickly use the build ability to go up again.
