Stellar 7

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Stellar 7" title screen.

Stellar 7 is a futuristic shooter computer game in which the player assumes the role of a tank pilot. The enemies include anything from other tanks to mechanical birds. Several years later a sequel game, Nova 9 was released. The game's creator, Damon Slye, created similar tank games, including Arctic Fox.

Stellar 7 was developed by Dynamix, which is now defunct.

[edit] Game Description

The original game was written by Damon Slye in the 1980's for a variety of home computer platforms. It had minimalistic, 3-dimensional wireframe graphics. The player's tank had a front-facing cannon with an unlimited supply of bullets. The cannon could fire up to two shots at a time. The tank also had a cloaking device that, when triggered, would render it invisible to enemies for about a minute. Gauges on the left side of the screen indicated the amount of shields and power remaining. The tank started with enough power to cloak twice, and power slowly trickled away as the time passed. The game ended when either shields or power ran out.

Screenshot from the Apple II version of Stellar 7 level #1 Sol. Units in view are a Sandsled (foreground) and a Skimmer.

Screenshot from Stellar 7 level #2 Antares. Notice left an Arcturan "Prowler" tank.

Each of the seven levels represented a different solar system, hence the title. The player's objective was to get to the last level and defeat the enemy boss, Gir Draxon. Each level was depicted as a nearly featureless plain dotted by geometric obstacles, some indestructible and most not, and various enemies. After the player destroyed a certain number of enemies, a warplink would appear that provided a gateway to the next level. The levels were:

Sol: Its regular grid of "indestructible" obstacles provided plenty of cover. The relatively weak set of enemies included sandsleds and hovercraft. Just keep moving backwards - while keeping clear of the obstacles - to defeat the Guardian in front of you.
Antares: The dreaded laser batteries made their first appearance here, along with seekers and prowler tanks. Obstacles were fewer and farther between. The easiest way to destroy this Guardian would be to employ the exact opposite tactic used to defeat the first Guardian: move forward and engage the second Guardian upfront (before the eggs hatch to deal serious damage)
Rigel: Rigel was most notable for its fuel bay, which would restore the player's shields and power. While not indicative of alternating tactics, moving backwards most of the time helps - with side movements here and there.
Deneb: Deneb introduced cannon batteries, an enemy not described in the documentation but equipped with a formidable heavy cannon and thick armor. The level was also festooned with heavy tanks that would form packs to relentlessly hunt the player. Without the usage of the yellow special weapons, defeating the Guardian would be almost impossible.
Sirius: Sirius was populated by flying enemies that would circle the player, landing only briefly to fire.
Regulus: This level had another fuel bay and introduced invisible "stalker" tanks. Like the fourth mission, usage of the yellow special weapons against the Guardian is crucial.
Arcturus: Arcturus featured the confrontation with Gir Draxon. While using special weapons is not necessary, moving backwards all the time will only cause trouble.