Hyperoid

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The Hyperoid game started out as ‘Xhyperoid’ for the X Window System which was updated a few years later to ‘SDLroids’ to run using the SDL lib. on modern Unix/Linux systems, also adding some features (esp. sounds). It is a quite simple, Asteroids-inspired game which is why it took me a while to get around to it: even though it is a decent game directly compared to Asteroids it lacks a few things which annoyed me.

So e.g. the collision detection is not up to scratch or enemies even can fly through asteroids and also not hit them with their shots. Other additions however do work: your shots cannot get all that far at the start but this game adds bonuses – farther shots, more guns (up to three) or bonus lives – which is an interesting concept here. Even losing a life is handled differently here (to Asteroids): your ship does not always explode, mostly it just changes the brightness/colour and keeps on going. Except when hitting an asteroid, then it explodes. All of this maybe ok if you do not judge it through Asteroids-glasses. But to be honest – I cannot, so these things do annoy me and I was very tempted to tinker with the source to make it more Asteroids-like. But then it wouldn’t be ‘Hyperoid’s anymore so in the end I only added a few things to polish it: adding an attract mode (the original always restarts a new game) and an overall and daily high score.

Inputs

Hyperoids/SDLroids is originally played using a joystick and -weirdly- your ship can even back-paddle (reversing thrust). This is the ‘digital joystick’ option here and in that mode button 2: is the shield, 3: a bomb and 4: the usual fire.

Don’t ask me why that bomb feature was added… it does not work for me and I utterly ignore it.

Anyways, I’ve added an Asteroids-button mode for myself here where buttons 1:/2: rotate left/right, 3: is thrust and 4: fire. Moving the joystick is the shield and pushing all 4 buttons uses the bomb (which I never do).

The ‘buttons’ mode is also automatically used if the ‘five button controller’ expert option is used for the vf.

Options

• Input: Buttons / Digital Joystick
• Reset Highscore
• Game Info

Localization

//NAME="HYPEROID"
//

GERMAN[] = {
    { 0, 0, "SPIELENDE"},
    { 0, 0, "%i LEBEN"},
    { 0, 0, "LETZTES LEBEN"},
    { 0, 0, 0},
    { 0, 0, "EXTRALEBEN"},
    { 0, 0, "EXTRASCHILD"},
    { 0, 0, "EXTRABOMBE"},
    { 0, 0, "EXTRAKANNONE"},
    { 0, 0, "SCHUSSWEITENBONUS"},
    { 0, 0, 0},
    { 0, 0, "HEUTIGER HIGH SCORE"},
    { 0, 0, "                           Willkommen zu Hyperoid, einem kleinen Asteroids-inspirierten Spiels, original von Edward Hutchins entwickelt für das X Window System 1990-91. Russel Marks adaptierde diesen XHyperoid Sourcecode für die SDL Bibliothek im Jahr 2000 für neuere Systeme und implementierte Töne dafür. Diese Version für die VecFever basiert auf diesem SDLRoids v1.3 nur dass Grafik und Audio auf die VF Bibliothek nun aufsetzen. Für die Töne habe ich zur Abwechslung einmal nicht die .wav des Originals konvertiert, sondern die .afx aus der PiTrexversion genommen, da es mehr Spass machte, einen AFX Konverter zu schreiben, der die Daten für meine Audioroutinen liefert.                      Auch wenn dies wie ein Asteroids aussieht, mein Lieblingsspiel, hadere ich mit Hyperoid deutlich: die schlechte Kontaktdetektion, der fehlende Attractmodus, kein highscore, der mögliche Rückwärtsschub, die komische Bombe, das Leben verlieren kann, ohne zu explodieren, der harte Reset bei jedem neuen Level... da ist einfach zu viel, was nicht stimmt. Selbst das Schild hier ist weniger brauchbar - nicht feinnutzbar, wie bei Asteroids Deluxe. Sondern wie ein roter Knopf, der kurz das Schild anwirft.               Letztlich habe ich es deshalb dann hier doch etwas aufpoliert insb. mit Attractmodus und Highscore, um es noch etwas näher an Asteroids zu bringen. Aber so richtig warm werde ich weiterhin selbst nicht damit.                            "}
};

FRENCH[] = {
    { 0, 0, "FIN DE PARTIE"},
    { 0, 0, "%i VIES RESTANTES"},
    { 0, 0, "DERNIERE VIE"},
    { 0, 0, "NIVEAU %d"},
    { 0, 0, "VIE BONUS"},
    { 0, 0, "BOUCLIER BONUS"},
    { 0, 0, "BOMBE BONUS"},
    { 0, 0, "CANON BONUS"},
    { 0, 0, "PORTEE DU TIR AMELIOREE"},
    { 0, 0, "CLASSEMENT"},
    { 0, 0, "CLASSEMENT DU JOUR"},
    { 0, 0, "                           Bienvenue dans Hyperoid, un petit jeu inspiré d'Asteroids, développé à l'origine par Edward Hutchins pour le système X-Window en 1990-91. Russel Marks a adapté le code source de XHyperoid pour la bibliothèque SDL en 2000 afin qu'il fonctionne sur des systèmes plus récents et en a profité pour ajouter des sons. Cette version est une recompilation assez directe de SDLRoids v1.3, sauf qu'elle y substitue la partie SDL/audio en la plaçant tout en haut de la bibliothèque VF. Pour la partie audio, j'étais tenté de générer des données en utilisant les sons WAV originaux, mais j'ai vu que les développeurs de PiTrex utilisaient quelques fichiers son au format AFX et il m'a semblé plus amusant de rapidement les convertir dans le format que j’utilise, ce qui m'a permis d’assurer le port de ce jeu tout entier en une seule journée. Cela m’a également offert la possibilité d’en apprécier les caractéristiques tout en y jouant un peu. Même s'il s'agit d'un jeu similaire à Asteroids, on peut remarquer de nombreuses différences problématiques dont les collisions approximatives, l’absence de mode attractif, l'absence de classement, les rétrofusées, la bombe des plus bizarres, la réinitialisation brutale quand on accède à un nouveau niveau ou encore la façon -hautement risquée- de réapparaître quand on perd une vie... Selon moi, il y a encore un long chemin à parcourir pour pouvoir considérer ce jeu comme totalement abouti.                   C'est pourquoi j'y ai rajouté des petites choses, en particulier le mode attractif et le classement. Malgré tout, les mécanismes du jeu sont restés inchangés, même si j'ai été tenté de les modifier également...                            "}^M};

ENGLISH[] = {
    { 0, 0, "GAME OVER"},
    { 0, 0, "%i LIVES LEFT"},
    { 0, 0, "LAST LIFE"},
    { 0, 0, "LEVEL %d"},
    { 0, 0, "EXTRA LIFE"},
    { 0, 0, "EXTRA SHIELD"},
    { 0, 0, "EXTRA BOMB"},
    { 0, 0, "EXTRA CANNON"},
    { 0, 0, "GUN RANGE UPGRADE"},
    { 0, 0, "HIGH SCORE"},
    { 0, 0, "DAILY HIGH SCORE"},
    { 0, 0, "                           Welcome to Hyperoid, a small Asteroids-inspired game originally developed by Edward Hutchins for the X Window system in 1990-91. Russel Marks adapted this XHyperoid source for the SDL library in 2000 to run on newer systems and added sounds while he was at it. This version is a pretty straight recompile of SDLRoids v1.3 except substituting the SDL and audio part by putting it on top of the vf library. For the audio part I was tempted to generate ay data using the original WAV sounds but then I saw that the PiTrex devs are using a few afx soundfiles and it looked more fun to just convert these to my sound code real quick, which allowed me to port this entire game in one day to take a look at it and play it a bit.                      Even though this is an Asteroids look-alike the bad shot detection, the missing attract mode, the backwards thrust, the odd bomb, the harsh reset for a new level, the frequent respawn and instant death, there is just too much which is still missing for a polished game for my liking.                  Which is why I added a bit to it here - esp. the attract and high score. But the mechanics of the game are unchanged, even though I was tempted to change those, too...                        "}
};