Rocket
Release type: Shareware
Release date: May 9th, 1993
Levels: 4
Author: Matt Bell
Website: A Most Stupendous & Audacious Undertaking
Registration bonus: Paper Airplane
Registration price: "Reasonable remuneration"
Related games: Paper Airplane
Not to be mistaken for Sherwood Forest Software's Rocket Fighter.
Rocket is Matt Bell's first known Game-Maker game, certainly the first to reach wide distribution. As with games such as Slinker and Earth vs the Flying Saucers, Rocket was part of the early Game-Maker Exchange program. The game was accompanied by an odd note from RSD president Oliver Stone that half praises, half apologizes for the game. Stone implores that readers not judge the quality of Bell's work on the basis of Rocket, because his next game, Paper Airplane is such an improvement.
Regardless of any weird copy, Rocket is a progressive and unusual game and a clear predecessor to Paper Airplane both thematically and visually. Both games involve steering an unmanned craft to safety. Whereas in Paper Airplane the player's craft is constantly sinking, in Rocket the craft is rising. Several of the hazards, bonuses, and background elements are the same across the two games. Tonally the games feel like they're set in the same kind of world.
Structurally, Rocket bears some similarity to Roland Ludlam's Hurdles, except turned on its side. Whereas Hurdles is a game about dodging obstacles to collect bonuses and finish a loop around a level, Rocket is a game about dodging obstacles to reach the end of the level -- namely a hole in the bottom of an airship. In Rocket the player does have more resources at hand beyond just slowing down, speeding up, and dodging. The rocket can itself fire missiles at obstacles.
Of note is the fuel issue. Although the rocket is constantly in motion, the player can burn up reserve fuel to speed ahead for a limited time. Once the fuel is burnt, the player must continue at normal speed. The mechanic might be compared to a nitro blast in a racing game. This is a fairly novel mechanism for a Game-Maker game.
Whatever the documentation may state, Rocket is appealing, well-designed, and clever. All the seeds for Matt Bell's later work can be found here.
Contents
Instructions[edit]
Fly through the air and try to avoid or destroy other rockets.
If you are hit by enemies too many times, you will run out of hit points and die.
Things you can pick up[edit]
The clover leaves give you extra hit points.
The rocket engines give you extra power.
The missiles give you more missiles.
The happy faces and the squares with numbers on them give you extra points.
Controls[edit]
not touching anything - normal speed
up key - extra power (You may sometimes run out. Pick up rocket engines to get more.)
right key - turn right
left key - turn left
down key - turn rocket engine off and coast
space bar - shoot missile (You may sometimes run out. Pick up extra missiles to get more.)
To finish levels 1 to 3, fly through the hole in the bottom of the blimp.
To finish level 4, touch the OUT box.
Credits[edit]
Rocket was created by Matt Bell 5/9/93
Information[edit]
(The following test appears to have been written by Recreational Software Designs' Oliver Stone.)
Rocket was the first game created by Matt Bell. Although it is a very basic game, it does make clever use of several game design features.
- The rocket constantly is on the rise, and in levels 1, 2, and 3, scrolling is limited to vertical.
- The use of special counters to allow the rocket to accelerate for a while and then run out of fuel is the first such use we've seen.
- Sideways gravity is used to blow the rocket around in the clouds in level 3.
Notes[edit]
This game was designed by Matt using Game-Maker V2.0. It was rebuilt using Game-Maker Version 2.02.
Matt Bell would be happy to send a copy of PAPER AIRPLANE to anyone sending reasonable remuneration to him. PAPER AIRPLANE has about 14 levels of excellent graphics, is based on the idea of a glider (i.e., it always falls unless in a rising air current), and required many hours to win. ROCKET is in no way a sample of the quality of PAPER AIRPLANE! Night and Day difference!
Availability[edit]
This game was distributed to Game-Maker Exchange members on a 3.5" floppy labeled "Gameware Disk #1" (December 30th, 1993).
During the early 1990s the game also was available for download from GameLynk's Frontline BBS.
It also seems to have been made available on several shareware compilation CD-ROMs. More precise details TBD.
Archive history[edit]
Rocket was introduced to the archive with the distribution of the December 30th 1993 floppy exchange. It was then lost in the mid-late 1990s, during repeated data migration. The game was then returned to the archive on February 24th 2011, during a discussion with Gary Acord.
Links[edit]
Downloads[edit]
- Rocket (119.3 kB)
- Level 1 map (20.0 kB)
- Level 2 map (22.0 kB)
- Level 3 map (23.9 kB)
- Level 4 map (20.4 kB)
