Hover!
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| Hover! | |
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| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft |
| Version | 1.0.9.5 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date | August 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Bumper cars Capture the flag |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| System requirements | 33 MHz Intel 486, 8 MB RAM |
| Input methods | Computer keyboard Joystick / Gamepad |
Hover! is a video game that was included on the Microsoft Windows 95 operating system CD. [1] It was a showcase for the advanced multimedia capabilities available on personal computers at the time. It is still available from Microsoft (see the “External Links” section below) and can be run on all of Microsoft's operating systems released since Windows 95, including Windows Vista.
The game is a combination of bumper cars and capture the flag. Part of the game's help file says this:
- "Match wits with robotic pilots as you steer your Hover 950 craft through the murky realms of Hover!, an amusement ride created by robots from the future.
- The object is simple: steal all of the drones' flags before the drones capture yours. You will be awarded points for each of the enemy flags you collect and for every one of your flags remaining when you finish the level ahead of the drones. But the challenge doesn't end here. The drones will work their deceptions to throw you off course.
- The world of Hover! is filled with floating pods that contain both good and bad objects. Drive through the good pods to collect booster packs and other handy tools. Avoid the bad pods! And keep an eye out for unwanted skid pads, flag removers, hold pads, and other tricky obstacles.
- Good News! When the robots designed the world of Hover!, their game timer malfunctioned. This ride can continue as long as you keep capturing all the drones' flags before all of yours are captured."
Contents |
[edit] Interface
Across the top of the game window are the flag area, which indicates the number of flags available, (When you capture a flag, the flag is colored in, blue for the flags that you have collected, and red for the flags the drones have picked up.) the rear view which displays the area behind your Hover 950, (when enabled), and the score area indicates your current score. The middle of the Hover! window is the main view outside the front of your Hover 950. The bottom of the window contains the object area which contains information about jump, wall, and cloak pods. Each object area tells you the number of objects you've picked up, the time remaining for that object, and the key associated with each object. Also along the bottom of the window are the map area, which is a bird's-eye view of the current playing field, and the craft area, which shows the remaining time you are invincible to hold pads, skid pads, and flag removers; it also shows the direction your craft is moving, and your current speed.
You can magnify and rotate the map to help you figure out where you are. To see more of the map, press the MINUS (-) key. To zoom in closer, press the PLUS (+) key. Flags are represented as blinking dots: red dots are your flags, and blue dots are the enemy flags you are collecting. Drones carrying flags are represented as yellow triangles, drones with no flags are blue triangles, attack drones are green triangles, and the red triangle in the center of the map is your craft.
Hover! can be played in full-screen (640x480) mode, press F4 (low-res mode) or SHIFT+F4 (higher-res mode) to enable this feature. To exit the full-screen mode, simply press F4 again.
[edit] Levels
There are three different mazes in Hover!. They resemble a medieval castle, a futuristic city, and a sewer. Each maze has its own texture maps, music theme, and spawn locations.
[edit] Objects in the Maze
The following is a list of objects found inside a maze.
[edit] Flags
Red Flag - Your flag. The enemy is collecting them as fast as they can.
Blue Flag - Enemy flag. you need to collect these before the enemy drones collect all of yours.
[edit] Floating Pods
Cloak - Temporarily hides you from the drones.
Wall - Puts up a temporary wall. Use it to slow down a drone.
Jump - Allows you to look over and jump onto low walls and low platforms. You can also jump over hazards and enemies.
Mystery Pod - It could be something good or bad. The sound you hear when you pick up the pod is the sound for the object inside.
Shield - Makes you temporarily invincible to skid pads, hold pads, map erasers, flag removers and speed reduction pods.
Green Light - Temporarily increases your speed.
Red Light - Temporarily reduces your speed.
Map Eraser - Erases most of your map.
[edit] Floor Pads
Hold Pad - Temporarily freezes you to the spot.
Flag Remover - Returns a flag you have captured back into the maze.
Skid Pad - Sends you skidding in the general direction the arrow is pointing.
[edit] Floating Platforms
The floating platforms in the medieval castle and futuristic city mazes can be reached by the stairs that lead up to them, however the platforms in the sewer level can only be gotten onto by jumping (default key “A“).
[edit] Internals
[edit] Easter Egg
When you launch Hover!, the main screen with "Press F2 to start a game of Hover!" is displayed. Behind you is a partial wall that just fills the image in the rear view mirror. Behind the wall, is a photo gallery showing the team that produced the game.
The dashboard and view out the window and in the rear-view mirror are actually the real game screen, just stopped at a specific location in a special maze, "small.maz". This level is also the Easter Egg.
The key to the easter egg is to hold down Control and Shift while typing "IBMAB" (ctrl+shift+IBMAB) on the intro screen. ("Bambi" was the projects code name.) This will unlock the player's controls on this level and allow you to navigate through the level's photo gallery using the arrow keys.[2]
[edit] Game Editor References
When the Hover! executables are loaded into a resource hacker, there are string tables and dialog boxes not normally seen that have references to a 'game editor' that may have been intended for end users but was removed before the game's release.
[edit] Outside the Maze
It is possible to maneuver your craft over a maze wall and outside a Hover! maze. To do this, move your craft very close to a maze wall, drop a wall, jump on it, drop another wall, jump on it, and then jump onto the maze wall. From there, you can move along the top of the maze walls or cross over the wall to the outside of the maze. If you go too far up or outside a maze the game will crash.
[edit] References
- ^ Why did the Windows 95 CD have extra fun stuff?
- ^ Conversation with development manager of Hover!
[edit] External links
- Download Hover! (6.16 MB) from Microsoft's Public FTP server by clicking on the file named "Hover!"
- Matthew Campbell's unofficial Hover! site
