Deathstar (video game)
Encyclopedia
Deathstar is an 8-bit
computer game for the Acorn Electron
and BBC Micro
developed by Peter Johnson and originally published in the UK by Superior Software
in 1985. It is a clone of the arcade game Sinistar
.
as an official port of the arcade version under its original name, Sinistar. However, the Atarisoft brand was dropped in 1984 and Atari decided to pull out of the Acorn computer market altogether whilst a number of games were still under development.
The game was instead renamed Deathstar and a new title screen designed, allowing it to be released as an unofficial clone by Superior Software
later that same year. The game was released shortly after another popular game Repton and is regarded as being part of a successful run of titles from Superior Software in a short space of time.
The then-renamed Deathstar was first published solely by Superior Software in 1985 and later re-released in 1989 by Superior Software and Blue Ribbon
as a budget title. The game also appeared on the Beau Jolly compilations Five Star Games and 10 Computer Hits 4, and Superior Software's own Superior Collection compilations (vol 2 on the BBC, vol 3 on the Electron). A cheat loader program for the game was also published in 1988 by Impact Software on the compilation Cheat it again Joe 1. An in-built cheat was discovered to have been left in the BBC version of the game and was published in the March 1989 edition of Micro User
magazine.
Deathstar was prominently advertised with full-page dedicated ads in various Acorn-releated publications of the 1980s and was also reviewed in magazines such as Acorn User
and Electron User
. In the 21st century, Deathstar was again reviewed in the 2009 book The 8-Bit Book - 1981 to 199x by Jerry Ellis, published by Hiive books.
A similar title Mega-Apocalypse also for the BBC Micro, was due to be released by Martech Games Ltd, but was ultimately abandoned half-finished in 1988.
The job of the workers is to build the Deathstar by transporting crystals to it, whilst the job of the warriors is to mine the crystals and also defend the Deathstar by attacking the player. The initial objective is to keep on firing at the asteroids until they start to shed crystals, which are then picked up in order to score points, but more importantly the crystals are converted into starbombs. The starbombs are ultimately used against the Deathstar, once the workers have finished constructing it. The player must successfully defeat the Deathstar to progress into the Worker Zone which has very few planetoids, with a bonus screen between each zone.
The game employs 16-way scrolling over a multi-coloured starfield and runs at a fast rate on both the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron Hardware.
Despite the inferior hardware of the Acorn Electron, the in-game sound can be improved up to BBC Micro standards with the addition of Project Expansions' Sound Cartridge.
Roland Waddliove, writing in Electron User
magazine stated that "DEATHSTAR is a super fast, all-action arcade classic", "it's the sort of game that you can't put down" and "you've got to have just one more go". Martin Reed also in Electron User described the game as "an excellent conversion" and "a great blast".
The Electron User Group describe the game as "furiously fast", "supremely playable" and as having "a large playing window", whilst the Monkey's Brain website describes the game as "another top-quality arcade conversion". Oliver Robinson on the bbcmicrogames.com website describes the game as "almost arcade perfect" and as "an example of how well the BBC could replicate fast paced, action arcade games".
Game programmer Stuart Goodwin stated that he "liked Peter Johnson's DeathStar", pointing out the similarity to the game Asteroids.
The game was given a BJ score of 92% on the Five Star Games compilation, although this rating was awarded by Beau Jolly themselves, the publisher of the compilation and therefore can not be considered to originate from a neutral source.
Since the end of the BBC Micro commercial era, some players using emulation have expressed a preference for playing the Acorn Electron version over the BBC Micro version, because it uses keys 'Z' and 'X' to rotate the spacecraft rather than 'CAPS LOCK' and 'left-CTRL' which are vertically aligned on many modern-day keyboards.
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
computer game for the Acorn Electron
Acorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
and BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
developed by Peter Johnson and originally published in the UK by Superior Software
Superior Software
Superior Software is a video game publisher. It was established in 1982 by Richard Hanson and John Dyson, two graduates of the University of Leeds, England...
in 1985. It is a clone of the arcade game Sinistar
Sinistar
Sinistar is an arcade game released by Williams in 1982. It belongs to a class of video games from the 1980s called "twitch games". Other "twitch games" include Tempest, Defender, and Robotron: 2084. Sinistar was developed by Sam Dicker, Jack Haeger, Noah Falstein, RJ Mical and Richard Witt...
.
History
Originally, the game was to be published by AtarisoftAtarisoft
Atarisoft was a brand name used by Atari, Inc in 1983 and 1984 to market video games they published for home systems made by their competitors. Each platform had a specific color attributed by Atarisoft for its game packages...
as an official port of the arcade version under its original name, Sinistar. However, the Atarisoft brand was dropped in 1984 and Atari decided to pull out of the Acorn computer market altogether whilst a number of games were still under development.
The game was instead renamed Deathstar and a new title screen designed, allowing it to be released as an unofficial clone by Superior Software
Superior Software
Superior Software is a video game publisher. It was established in 1982 by Richard Hanson and John Dyson, two graduates of the University of Leeds, England...
later that same year. The game was released shortly after another popular game Repton and is regarded as being part of a successful run of titles from Superior Software in a short space of time.
The then-renamed Deathstar was first published solely by Superior Software in 1985 and later re-released in 1989 by Superior Software and Blue Ribbon
Blue Ribbon (software house)
Blue Ribbon was the budget computer software publishing label of CDS Micro Systems.The label launched in 1985 mostly made up of games from the MRM Software back catalogue. MRM had been a label producing games for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. Blue Ribbon reissued these and also converted them...
as a budget title. The game also appeared on the Beau Jolly compilations Five Star Games and 10 Computer Hits 4, and Superior Software's own Superior Collection compilations (vol 2 on the BBC, vol 3 on the Electron). A cheat loader program for the game was also published in 1988 by Impact Software on the compilation Cheat it again Joe 1. An in-built cheat was discovered to have been left in the BBC version of the game and was published in the March 1989 edition of Micro User
The Micro User
The Micro User was a British specialist magazine catering to users of the BBC Microcomputer series, Acorn Electron, Acorn Archimedes and, to a limited extent, the Cambridge Z88...
magazine.
Deathstar was prominently advertised with full-page dedicated ads in various Acorn-releated publications of the 1980s and was also reviewed in magazines such as Acorn User
Acorn User
Acorn User magazine was founded by Acorn Computers in 1982, contract-published by Addison-Wesley, to coincide with the launch of the BBC Micro. It covered the range of Acorn home computers, the BBC Micro and Atom at first and later the Electron, Archimedes and Risc PC.The first issue was dated...
and Electron User
Electron User
Electron User was a magazine targeted at owners of the Acorn Electron microcomputer. It was published by Database Publications of Stockport, starting in October 1983 and ending after 82 issues in July 1990....
. In the 21st century, Deathstar was again reviewed in the 2009 book The 8-Bit Book - 1981 to 199x by Jerry Ellis, published by Hiive books.
A similar title Mega-Apocalypse also for the BBC Micro, was due to be released by Martech Games Ltd, but was ultimately abandoned half-finished in 1988.
Description
The player uses four keys, two to rotate the ship (which is always moving forwards), one for fire and one to launch a starbomb. Firing can destroy both enemy workers and warriors, but only a starbomb can be used against the eponymous Deathstar itself. Collisions with workers, warriors or asteroids (referred to in the instructions as planetoids) do not harm the player.The job of the workers is to build the Deathstar by transporting crystals to it, whilst the job of the warriors is to mine the crystals and also defend the Deathstar by attacking the player. The initial objective is to keep on firing at the asteroids until they start to shed crystals, which are then picked up in order to score points, but more importantly the crystals are converted into starbombs. The starbombs are ultimately used against the Deathstar, once the workers have finished constructing it. The player must successfully defeat the Deathstar to progress into the Worker Zone which has very few planetoids, with a bonus screen between each zone.
The game employs 16-way scrolling over a multi-coloured starfield and runs at a fast rate on both the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron Hardware.
Despite the inferior hardware of the Acorn Electron, the in-game sound can be improved up to BBC Micro standards with the addition of Project Expansions' Sound Cartridge.
Critical reception
Deathstar has been universally praised by reviewers and players alike.Roland Waddliove, writing in Electron User
Electron User
Electron User was a magazine targeted at owners of the Acorn Electron microcomputer. It was published by Database Publications of Stockport, starting in October 1983 and ending after 82 issues in July 1990....
magazine stated that "DEATHSTAR is a super fast, all-action arcade classic", "it's the sort of game that you can't put down" and "you've got to have just one more go". Martin Reed also in Electron User described the game as "an excellent conversion" and "a great blast".
The Electron User Group describe the game as "furiously fast", "supremely playable" and as having "a large playing window", whilst the Monkey's Brain website describes the game as "another top-quality arcade conversion". Oliver Robinson on the bbcmicrogames.com website describes the game as "almost arcade perfect" and as "an example of how well the BBC could replicate fast paced, action arcade games".
Game programmer Stuart Goodwin stated that he "liked Peter Johnson's DeathStar", pointing out the similarity to the game Asteroids.
The game was given a BJ score of 92% on the Five Star Games compilation, although this rating was awarded by Beau Jolly themselves, the publisher of the compilation and therefore can not be considered to originate from a neutral source.
Since the end of the BBC Micro commercial era, some players using emulation have expressed a preference for playing the Acorn Electron version over the BBC Micro version, because it uses keys 'Z' and 'X' to rotate the spacecraft rather than 'CAPS LOCK' and 'left-CTRL' which are vertically aligned on many modern-day keyboards.