Miner 2049er

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Miner 2049er
Screenshot of Miner 2049er
Developer(s) Big Five Software
Publisher(s) Big Five Software
Designer(s) Bill Hogue
Platform(s) Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, ColecoVision, PC Booter, TI-99/4A, MIDP, BlackBerry
Release date 1982, 2007 (mobile version)
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s) Single Player
Rating(s) n/a
Media Cartridge (for non-mobile versions)
Input methods Joystick (for non-mobile versions)

Miner 2049er is a computer game created by Bill Hogue and released in 1982 by Big Five Software. The game was licensed in conjunction with ICG (International Computer Group).

Contents

[edit] Overview

Under the name Big Five Software, Bill Hogue began programming commercial computer games in the late 1970s for the Radio Shack TRS-80 computer. He created several games based on actual arcade games such as Super Nova (Asteroids), Attack Force (Targ), Cosmic Fighter (Astro Fighter), Galaxy Invasion (Galaxian), Meteor Mission II (Lunar Rescue), Robot Attack (Berzerk) and Defense Command (Missile Command). Robot Attack was the first commercial game for the TRS-80 that featured digitized voice.

By 1982, the TRS-80, with its low resolution monochrome graphics, was beginning to reach the end of its lifespan, so Hogue wrote his next game on the Atari 800. Called Miner 2049er, it was widely licensed, distributed, and ported to many platforms. Though due to a production delay, it was actually first released on the Apple Platform.

After a false start in 1984 with the release of a Miner 2049er sequel titled Scraper Caper, Bill finally released in 1985 the official sequel, Bounty Bob Strikes Back. However, this game never achieved the same level of success as its predecessor.

The original has made a comeback in the mobile gaming market, being re-released in 2007 by Magmic Games. This re-release contains two versions of the game. One is a faithful recreation of Bill Hogue's Atari 800 original; the second a modernized version with new graphics and 10 all new levels.

[edit] The story

Bounty Bob is a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He is on a mission to search through all of Nuclear Ned's abandoned uranium mines for the treacherous Yukon Yohan. Bob must claim each section of each mine by running over it. There are a wide variety of futuristic obstacles that he must deal with such as matter transporters, hydraulic scaffolds, and jet-speed floaters as well as avoiding the radioactive creatures that have been left behind.

[edit] The game

As Bounty Bob, the player's goal is to inspect every section of each mine in search of the evil Yukon Yohan while avoiding the various radioactive creatures that inhabit the mine. As Bounty Bob walks over a section of flooring, it fills with color. To complete the level, every section of flooring must be colored. There are 10 mines in total (11 in the ColecoVision version).

Along the way, Bob will encounter many objects left behind by past miners. By collecting these, bonus points are achieved and the radioactive creatures smile and turn green. While in this state, Bob can collect them and earn extra points.

Various obstacles in each mine aid and hinder Bob's progress. Ladders allow him to climb up or down to the next platform, Matter Transporters teleport him to other matter transporters in that mine, chutes can slide Bob off a platform (often against his will), and pulverizers can crush Bob if he gets in their way.

The game is also notable in the fact that most of the levels contain some sort of custom element, which vary from level to level. Pressing the space bar for several seconds skips a level.

[edit] Ports

Atari 2600 port

C64 port

Mobile port (classic)

Mobile port (modern)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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