StarGoose..

Let's turn the wayback machine to about 1989 or so. I was in about 10th grade, and was really into my booming 8088 tower of power. I was stuck with an ancient CGA color card and monitor, and all of my games were really nasty looking. They moaned, they groaned, and the newer EGA and the -very- cool 256 color VGA games laughed in it's direction.

I begged my father to get me a VGA color system so that my machine would run the newer games and the low-quality CGA wouldn't hurt my eyes any longer (heh heh heh). So, a few bucks and about a month later, and I had several packages sitting on my front porch one afternoon from UPS.

Ahh, the thrill of it all...Installing new parts in the computer. Once I was through I turned it on and with bated breath ran the first piece of software that I knew I would want to see. It was a game a friend of mine picked up on a local BBS a couple of months back. It was called StarGoose!

This game is -very- well done. It is the standard shooter-type game, where you have a futuristic tank and you drive it around shooting the baddies with your pea-shooter guns and your missiles, and collecting the 6 multicolored crystals which would allow you to advance to the next stage.

You had to act quick, as you constantly had to refill on MISSILES, first of all (You could load two of them into the firiring position, and then store six more), and then ammo for your guns, fuel, and certainly your shields, which you needed to survive! The enemies and terrain get much more difficult as the game goes on; the baddies start getting missiles and can kill you with a single shot. The ground has holes, hills, and obstacles you have to get around to pick up the crystals. All the while you are CONSTANTLY moving forward. If you fail, you start back at the beginning of the level.

from the manual:

Object of the game is to desships in your squadron.. Your level will advance by collecting pods... The pods will appear like colored circles on the playing field and as you collect the pods the pod indicators to the left of the FUEL, SHIELDS, AND AMMUNITION will change from the color indicated to a deep blue. When all six have changed color you will advance to the next level... The first thing you want to is set your controls.. You may select left, right, fire thrust, brakes, left missile and right missile.. You may replenish your missiles by going through the center of the missile center... Every time you advance a level you can loose all of you ships and if you stay and play another round you can stay at the advanced level and do not have to start from scratch....

The game features the Zaxxon type interface with the overhead view of the action (Though Zaxxon gave you sort of an overhead-and-to-the-right kind of view), and also a chase view shown to the left. Here you are collecting shield capsules which will increase your shield strength.

Speed is an important issue here: you have to drive fast enough through each tunnel to gather the items, but right after the tunnel ends you are thrown right back into the overhead view and there might be a QUICK turn to make right after the exit...who knows, a pit might be right there in front of you. You had better have a good set of reflexes and two fingers ready for each missile key...bwahaha!!....

Comments:

The overhead and rear view features are -very- good.

There are LOTS of different evil baddies...heh heh..more to kill.

The graphics are 256 color VGA, though only 320x200 resolution. Hey, it was written in 1988. :)

I would really have liked a continue option. There is none as of now. Your three lives gone, that's it.

This game can also be played with a mouse, though it is MUCH harder that way.

Download StarGoose

sg.zip, 80Kb

Note: This program was written in C, at a time when the fastest computer was a 286. Therefore, if you have a 386 or faster type of system (Pentium, etc) you had better slow it down.

This page last updated on July 24, 1996 at 15:36.

This page created and maintained by Walton C. Gibson, gibsowc@Eng.auburn.EDU.