SkyRoads (video game)
| SkyRoads | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of gameplay | |
| Developer(s) | Bluemoon |
| Publisher(s) | Creative Dimensions |
| Composer(s) | Ott Aaloe, Hasso Brück |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release date(s) | 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Distribution | 3½-inch floppy disk |
Bluemoon's creation of SkyRoads is a polished-up remake of the video game Kosmonaut. The three months spent working on it paid off when the shareware title was released in 1993, selling internationally and getting low cost retail (LCR) distribution deals from the U.S. to Taiwan.
The game's interface was an instant hit with downloaders. The space bar and directional keys are used to create an easy "jump and move" motion. Up accelerates the ship and down slows down the ship. Meters at the bottom indicate the ship's speed, Oxygen Levels, and Fuel Levels. The meter to the left indicates the level progress, next to a grav-o-meter that describes the planet's gravity (100 is the lowest, giving a weightless feeling, and 1700 is the highest, allowing no jumping). The level is restarted if the ship is destroyed, runs out of fuel or oxygen or falls off the roads.
The demo and full versions of both games are now available for download as freeware from the homepage of Bluemoon Interactive (link below).
Game
Certain colors on the roads indicate special properties upon contact:
- Dark Gray: Ship can't steer left or right. (Called "Slippery" in the game)
- Dark Green: Ship decelerates quickly. (Called "Sticky" in the game)
- Light Green: Ship accelerates quickly. (Called "Boost" in the game)
- Light Red: Ship explodes. It is safe to be on the very edge of a light red square. (Called "Burning" in the game)
- Blue: Refills oxygen and fuel. Several levels have hidden blue tiles that must be reached in order to complete the level. (Called "Supplies" in the game)
The levels always end with a tunnel that ends into space, signifying a win.
SkyRoads XMAS-Special
Following the success of the original Skyroads, Bluemoon released a "Skyroads XMAS-Special" version in 1994, which featured exactly the same interface and features, but different and considerably harder levels. Because of this substantial increase in difficulty, the XMAS-Special version never became as popular as the original.
Clones
The following table shows known clones as of 29 May 2014.
| Windows | Mac OS | Linux | Android | Web Browser | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tasty Static | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Skyfrontier 3D | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Orbit-Hopper | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| SWFROADS | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| HiRoads | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| SkyStreets | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Skyways | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Z9000 Jumper | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Continuinity
- Bluemoon made a simple non-interactive hardware demo to be bundled for the Texas VR gear company titled Stellar Xpress which effectively was a more modern update to SkyRoads/Kosmonaut, but the project was then cancelled.
References
External links
- Bluemoon Interactive SkyRoads Page - Including Demo and Full Version Download
- Bluemoon Interactive SkyRoads Music - All tracks for download, including the originals Oktalyzer files
- SkyRoads at MobyGames
- Tasty Static - A freeware Skyroads clone for Windows, Apple and Linux.