Hover!

Hover!
Opening screen of Hover!
Developer(s)	Microsoft
Publisher(s)	Microsoft
Composer(s)	Stan LePard
Version	1.0.9.5
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	August 1995
Genre(s)	Bumper cars Capture the flag
Mode(s)	Single player
System requirements 33 MHz Intel 486, 8 MB RAM

Hover! is a video game that was included on CD-ROM versions of the Microsoft Windows 95 operating system.^[1][2] It was a showcase for the advanced multimedia capabilities available on personal computers at the time. It is still available from Microsoft and will run on all of Microsoft's 95-compatible operating systems, from Windows NT 3.51,^[3] up to and including Windows 7 and 8.

The game is a combination of bumper cars and capture the flag.

Interface

Across the top of the game window are the flag area, which indicates the number of flags in play. When you capture a flag, the flag becomes solid; blue for the flags that you have collected, and red for the flags the drones have picked up. Next to the flag area is the rear view, which (when enabled) displays the area behind your Hover 950, and the score area indicates your current score. The middle of the Hover! window is the main view outside the front of your Hover 950. The bottom of the window contains the object area which contains information about jump, wall, and cloak pods. Each object area tells you the number of objects you've picked up, the time remaining for that object, and the key associated with each object. Also along the bottom of the window are the map area, which is a bird's-eye view of the current playing field, and the craft area, which shows the remaining time you are invincible to hold pads, skid pads, and flag removers; it also shows the direction your craft is moving, and your current speed.

You can magnify and rotate the map to help you figure out where you are. Flags are represented as blinking dots: red dots are your flags, and blue dots are the enemy flags you are collecting. Drones carrying flags are represented as yellow triangles, drones with no flags are blue triangles, attack drones are green triangles, and the red triangle in the center of the map is your craft.

Levels

Hover! has three different mazes. They resemble a medieval castle, a futuristic city, and a sewer. Each maze has its own unique texture maps, music theme, and spawn locations.

Objects in the maze

The following is a list of objects found inside a maze.

Flags

• Red Flag - Your flag. The enemy is collecting them as fast as they can.
• Blue Flag - Enemy flag. you need to collect these before the enemy drones collect all of yours.

Floating Pods

• Cloak - Temporarily hides you from the drones.
• Wall - Puts up a temporary wall. Use it to slow down a drone.
• Jump - Allows you to look over and jump onto low walls and low platforms. You can also jump over hazards and enemies.
• Mystery Pod - It could be something good or bad. The sound you hear when you pick up the pod is the sound for the object inside.
• Shield - Makes you temporarily invincible to skid pads, hold pads, map erasers, flag removers and speed reduction pods (red lights).
• Green Light - Temporarily increases your speed.
• Red Light - Temporarily reduces your speed.
• Map Eraser - Erases some areas of your map. Go back to the areas that have been erased to get them back on your map.

Floor Pads

• Hold Pad - Temporarily freezes you to the spot.
• Flag Remover - Returns a flag you have captured back into the maze.
• Skid Pad - Sends you skidding in the general direction the arrow is pointing.

Floating Platforms

The medieval castle and sewer mazes feature floating platforms that have spawn locations for enemy flags.

References

1. ^ PERSONAL COMPUTERS; Personal Computers: What Is Windows 95 Really Like?
2. ^ Raymond Chen (26 December 2005). "Why did the Windows 95 CD have extra fun stuff?". blogs.msdn.com. Microsoft. http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2005/12/26/508687.aspx. Retrieved 12 April 2011. 
3. ^ Microsoft. KB147442:

External links

• Download Hover! (6.16 MB) from Microsoft's Public FTP server