79 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
79 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
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SPACE STATION OBLIVION
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SPACE STATION OBLIVION is a graphics-oriented arcade/adventure published by
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Incentive Software, Ltd. (UK) and distributed by Epyx from its "Masters
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Collection." The game offers a mysterious, deserted world to explore, excellent
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3-D graphics, ground and air vehicles, a save game option, and mouse and
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keyboard control. (This review is based on the Atari ST version.)
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In addition to a neat plot, an eighteen-sector world, and one of the better
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cockpit depictions, OBLIVION boasts some of the best-looking, solidly-modele
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three-dimensional graphics around. All the structures in the game are thick and
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beefy, and scrolling movements are smooth and very fast. SPACE STATION OBLIVION
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is a wicked, great-looking game that's a blast to play.
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When Earth self-destructed, humans made Planet Evath their new home. Energy
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problems caused by the shortage of Rubicon crystals, followed them to Evath, as
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did crime and criminals. The criminals were eventually exiled to Mitral, a moon
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of Evath. Now called Ketars, the criminals built eighteen platformed sectors on
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Mitral, beneath which large amounts of natural gases have accumulated. Pressure
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built within Mitral, the Ketars have fled, and the impending explosion will
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destroy both Mitral and Evath.
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Being a member of the Drilling Federation (a collection of the wisest and
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strongest Evathians), you have been selected to journey to Mitral to place
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drilling rigs into each of the eighteen sectors, release the trapped gases, and
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thus save the planet.
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This is much easier to write about than it is to do. The Ketars left behind
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security mechanisms, such as laser beacons, land mines, force fields, orbiting
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scanners, and switches. Although the platform that makes up a sector is
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self-contained, it is also connected to the other sectors, which actually makes
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one large platform. You can fall off the edge -- even when flying the
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reconnaissance jet -- and become stranded on Mitral's surface. Rubicon crystals,
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which recharge your energy and shield, are not always what they seem to be due
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to alterations the Ketars made on them. Only one of the drilling spots is
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marked. As if all this weren't enough, you have a mere four hours to do the job
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and save the human race.
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The excavation probe is a Rubicon crystal-powered, tank-like surface vehicle
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equipped with a dual-action laser and alloy plating. The probe travels forward
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and backward; it can be turned left and right, tilted, rotated 180-degrees, and
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raised or lowered on its tracks. Speed can be increased by either manipulating
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the size of the steps it takes with each movement, or the angles at which it
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turns.
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The Atari ST screen display consists of the cockpit of the excavation probe
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(made up of a viewing window through which you see the structures of the current
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sector), and a general control console: transport indicator (probe or jet),
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movement/attack indicator, compass, angle of turns, and step size of each
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movement. There are energy, shield, and vertical extension, along with height
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indicators, X-Y coordinates, and a message display.
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OBLIVION can be controlled with mouse and keyboard, or the keyboard only.
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Although clicking on the directional arrows, turn angle, step size, vertical
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extension indicators, or the drilling rig icon will perform the associated
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tasks, you'll still have to use the keyboard for other functions. When using the
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keyboard by itself, the arrow keys effect movement; all other actions can be
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initiated with the keystrokes listed and explained on the Command Card.
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The letter "I" brings up the Information Readout, which tells the name of the
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current sector you're in, status of the drilling rig, gas trapped beneath the
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sector, how much you've managed to release, and the number of safe sectors.
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Also on the control console are disk-drive icons which are used to save (on a
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previously formatted disk) and reload games in progress. The program disk is
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copy-protected; you'll need 512K and a color monitor.
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SPACE STATION OBLIVION looks great on the ST. The 3-D structures move with
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great speed and smoothness and do not suffer from screen flicker or breakup. The
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back of the game package states that scaling and perspectives appear in
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"revolutionary" 3-D. No matter how you say it, OBLIVION is something to see, and
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I recommend it highly.
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SPACE STATION OBLIVION is published by Incentive Software Ltd. (UK) and
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distributed by Epyx.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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