Our First Game: Rock Crush!Rock Crush - the first genuine retro ZX81 game in the App Store!!
There weren't that many high res games made on the ZX81 - almost all games were character set based low res games - albeit some of them ingenious..
Rock Crush is an iOS rewrite but great pains have been taken by the original author to go back to the original graphics and ensure they are pixel perfect on the iPad.
Inspired by an Atari game called Damonds by Jim Hunt (1983), Rock Crush was an original ZX81 high res game.
*Only recently did I see Diamonds in action in real life on You Tube as I had never actually played it - it turns out the gameplay is totally different.. but I was working from an advert in a computer magazine!
I already rewrote the game for the PC platform in 2001, so that version graphics are included in a second version of the game included.
Yet another, third version, is re-imagined with 2011 style graphics..
Updates are planned as well as a future iPhone version!
Author: Steven McDonald And Dave Maltman
Publisher: Techword Services
iTunes Link:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/rock-crush/id490692323?mt=8Rock Crush
Genre: Arcade Puzzle Game.
Application Description:Rollup, Rollup! Get your copy here!!
Rock Crush - 27th Anniversary Edition!!
The first silent, black and white ZX81 game in the App store! What a selling point eh?
OK - don't leave yet - there is a brand spanking new all singing, dancing 2001 colour mode with sound…
Not forgetting the brand new 2011 mode with enhanced modern graphics suited to the iPad's HD screen resolution!
Thats three game modes in one! There is a thumping respectful soundtrack too, if you want it!
For all the Sinclair ZX81/Texas 1000 owners out there who may remember my game - good news - this is a pixel perfect rewrite!
It's not an emulator but what you see on your iPad screen and how it feels is exactly pixel perfect to the original (when you select original ZX81 mode of course).
Yes folks - A genuine ZX81 High Res game - in the App Store!
Lets go back in history a bit..
Rock Crush was originally written by Steven McDonald, back in 1985 for the 16K ZX81 computer.
Those old enough to remember will recall the machine had a very Low Resolution black and white graphics display and had no sound.
Rock Crush used a special Z80 HIRES graphics routine that allowed a quality of display not normally possible!
In essence, ZX Spectrum screen quality, without any additional hardware!
The original game was written in Z80 machine code and ran fast on that machine!
This careful rewrite by the original author, features a ZX81 Emulation mode with the original graphics! ZX81's didn't normally have "hires" graphics modes except when special display routines were used..
Even then the effect was only "pseudo hires" - in short you didn't have access to the full 256 pixel patterns available per byte - only a limited subset. Most users weren't aware of this but it does explain the odd compromised pixel out of place in the ZX81 graphics, if you look close. It was a nice illusion!!!
We added some sound to this version and also added an imagined ZX colour mode with an extra 10 levels.
This is how I like to think my game would have turned out back in 1985, had the ZX featured decent sound and colour! (Been a Commodore 64 clone in other words!).
I already rewrote the game for the PC in 2001 - so this is where the 2001 ZX colour Mode came from. I decided to keep it and make it available here as well as I like the updated colour graphics and extra 10 levels for one thing!
Guide your man "Dan" around 20 screens collecting the diamonds and avoiding the rocks! Who can get the highest score??
Try it - And let us know If you get the highest possible score of 99999!
This is more a puzzle than an arcade action game but you can't stand still under a rock!
Try and solve all 10 original and 10 enhanced levels..
A Note On The New Scoring System:
I was never happy with the original scoring system, so rewrote it in 2001 and kept in for this rewrite.
You score 150 points per Diamond (16 Diamonds per sheet).
You score an additional 250 points for every sheet completed.
You score 1 point for each piece of Earth that is mined.
You score 2 points for jumping out of the way of a rock - danger points!!!
If score goes over 99999, it stays at 99999!
If your score goes below 0, it stays at 0!
You lose 4000 points for every life lost, except if you are on your last life, your score is 99999 and you blew yourself up!
A Note on the Game Controls:
Use the arrows built into the walls - its easiest to play holding the iPad in your hand. If you get trapped - click on your man to blow yourself up!!!
The iCade control device is supported!
Coming in the next update:
High score timings for each level - try and beat the time record per level! Plus many more things to come! Level packs etc.
Check out the play videos on the support website - this game is supposed to be played FAST!!!
http://pictureviewerpro.com/hosting/iphone/crush/ (Videos coming soon!)
Price
£1.99 £1.49 ( <- price edit by moderator to reflect second posting that I removed)
Thanks for reading!
[attachment deleted by admin]
