Gravity Force

Gravity Force is a shareware/freeware computer game series originally for the Amiga but later extended to other platforms. Being Thrust-clones, the 2D games feature single player missions and a 2-player multiplayer mode.

Gameplay

The aim is to pilot a spacecraft through subterranean caverns avoiding enemy fire. The ship is subject to gravity and inertia and colliding with terrain or the walls of the cave results in destruction of the ship.

History

Gravity Force

The original Gravity Force was released in 1989 for the Amiga by Kingsoft GmbH. It inspired the far more popular unofficial sequel Gravity Force 2.

Gravity Force 2 and Gravity Power

GF2 logo
screenshot of GF2

In 1994, Jens Andersson and Jan Kronqvist released Gravity Force 2 in both freeware and registered shareware versions. Innovative split-screen and serial-cable multiplayer modes resulted in a fast-paced dogfight mode and great replayability value. Amiga Power then commissioned Gravity Power, a slightly enhanced version of Gravity Force 2 which was given away on the coverdisk of issue 50.[1] Gravity Force 2 and Gravity Power became later both freeware.

A planned sequel to Gravity Force 2 to be called gf2k was being developed by the original authors but development stopped in early stages in 2001. A beta version is available for download.[2]

On September 21, 2008 the developers of Gravity Force 2 released the Amiga Motorola 680x0 assembly language source code for "nostalgic interest" without specified license.[3] In April 2017 the authors clarified the game and source code license as CC BY-SA 4.0.[4]

Clones and continuations

Many similarly titled clones have since appeared, such as Gravity Force XNA, Gravity Jam, Gravity Power 2, Gravity Force, Gravity Strike, Gravity Fight, Gravity Wars, Gravastar, and Galaxy Forces V2. These games are generally freeware, unfinished and refer to themselves as "Gravity Force clones", rather than "Thrust-clones".

Reception

Gravity Force got in 1989 by game magazine ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) 75 from 100 points, and by Power Play in the same year 72 from 100.

In 1995, the video game magazine Amiga Power declared Gravity Force 2 the second best Amiga game of all time (behind Sensible Soccer) which resulted in great exposure for a freeware/shareware title.[5][1] In 1996, Gravity Power was subsequently declared the second best game of all time. Gravity Power was also named one of the 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 gf20-making-gravity-force-2 on kaijupop.com by Chris Charlton (3rd June, 2014)
  2. ↑ "The Gravity-Force 2 Homepage".
  3. ↑ Jens Andersson & Jan Kronqvist (2008-09-21). "The Gravity-Force 2 Homepage". lysator.liu.se. Retrieved 2013-10-13. Jan made an archaeological expedition and recovered the GF2 source code from a dusty old floppy disc! We do not pretend it is a wonder in coding style (in fact, it is a complete disaster!), but for primarily nostalgic interest we publish it here.
  4. ↑ gf2 on lysator.liu.se "The screenshots, the GF2 source code, and the actual Amiga game (v1.10, v1.20) are released for use under the CreativeCommons CC-BY-SA license." (April 26, 2017)
  5. 1 2 Mott, Tony (2011). Flammarion, ed. "1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die": 261. ISBN 978-2-0812-6217-1.
Gravity Force
Gravity Force 2
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