- Star Warrior
Infobox VG
title = Star Warrior
developer =Epyx
publisher = Epyx
designer =Jon Freeman ,Jim Connelly
engine =
released = vgy|1980
genre = CRPG
modes =Single-player
ratings =
platforms = Apple II, Atari 8-bit, VIC-20,TRS-80
media = Various, usually one 5¼" floppy disk
requirements =
input = Keyboard"Star Warrior" is a
1980 science fiction computer role-playing game written and published by Automated Simulations (later known asEpyx ) and released for the Apple II,TRS-80 , Atari home computers, and theCommodore VIC-20 . The game was branded as part of the "Starquest" series.Description
Players take on the role of one of two members of the Furies, a
mercenary group that only accepts assignments that meet aSamurai -like code. In "Star Warrior" the players have been hired by the people of Fornax, who were recently annexed by the Interstellar Union of Civilized Peoples but wish a return to autonomous rule. Two basic game scenarios are assumed to occur simultaneously. In one, players must draw off and destroy enemy forces to guarantee success in the second, where they track down and kill the Stellar Union's military governor. A "directional indicator" points the way to mission objectives.Gameplay
"Star Warrior" is based on the same
BASIC engine as previous "Apshai"-based games. In previous games the playfield was presented as a top-down view of a series of interconnected rooms. Only one room would be displayed at a time, with the next drawn after the player moved through a door. In "Star Warrior" the action takes place outdoors, with the display showing a one-kilometer area from a seven-by-nine kilometer map, redrawn and re-centered when the player reaches the edge of the current area displayed.Sighting and range considerations were added to the engine, allowing the player to only see objects within the line-of-sight, and at distances based on target size. The computer shares this limitation, allowing the player to hide behind objects to escape detection. In older "Apshai"-based games sighting included everything within the current room. Another change is the use of energy to power most player devices, including weapons, shielding, and sensors. This limits the number of devices that can be turned on at once and requires recharge time after taking damage.
The map includes various buildings, both civilian and military fortresses, as well as mobile and fixed-place enemies, such as turrets. Buildings can only be damaged by the Fury's limited number of missiles, while the blaster and powergun can damage smaller targets. The player selects one of three suits of armor at the start of the game, each with different equipment tradeoffs, including sensor suite, shield strength, weapons, and the ability to fly. Player can also design their own suits at the start of the game, selecting among various equipment within a total budget of 2,500 credits. Equipment damaged in combat can be automatically repaired, although this depletes both energy and time, and most suits include a medical system that does the same for the player character.
The game is turn-based, with the user given a certain number of points to be spent every turn, with various actions assigned different point values. The system in "Star Warrior" is similar to the one used in previous games like "Temple of Apshai". In the decoy mission the player selects their own time limit before being recalled to his or her ship, but in the assault mission the game ends only when the governor or player is killed. This differs somewhat from the other "Starquest" release, "
Rescue at Rigel ", which has a fixed time limit of sixty turns.References
* Details of the game are available in the [http://www.trs-80.com/cgi-bin/down-manual-sw.pl?Starquest_Star_Warrior_(1980)(Automated_Simulations).zip original manual] .
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