r0x EP by Retro Gamer CD [web] & Unstable Label [web]
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RELEASED AT SUNDOWN 2014
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0. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. CONTROLS
3. HOW TO PLAY
4. GAME MODES
5. ADDITIONAL FEATURES
6. CREDITS
7. CONTACT US
8. VERSION HISTORY
9. FINAL WORDS
+--------------------------[ 0. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ]-------------------------+
Android Build:
To play r0x EP you will need a $99 Ouya console, at least one joypad (up to
four for multi-player), a colour VDU with HDMI and a loud sound system.
The game (in theory) should also work on an Tegra 3 Android device with an
1280x720 or 1920x1080 display and a physical controller (usb or bluetooth).
Windows Build:
r0x EP was part-developed on a humble Dell Inspiron M5040 (running Windows 7)
and ran at a steady 60FPS, so it should run on any Windows PC of a similar or
better specification without any issues.
The game was developed for use with joypads (specifically the XBox 360
controller) but we have also provided keyboard controls for those of you
without. The keyboard can only be used by a single player (you'll need joypads
for multiplayer).
A group of friends to play against is optional, yet strongly recommended.
+-----------------------------[ 1. INTRODUCTION ]-----------------------------+
Commander Perez was not a happy man. He sat alone in the cold empty bridge of
the TTA Military Frigate 'Irata', gravely contemplating his current situation.
Up until now the mission had run smoothly - his platoon had all but wiped out
the renegade death squads of Proxima Centauri in an intense ground battle and
they'd reclaimed a previously captured warship in the process. It had looked
as though it would be medals and cigars all across the board for his surviving
troops on their return to Sol - but not any more...
Something had gone catastrophically wrong on the trip back home. The fragmented
information in the data log suggested intense EMP activity, resulting in the
ship's computer erroneously following emergency protocol. Life support had been
reduced to a minimum and all expendable personnel were jettisoned - everyone
except Perez himself. Somewhere out in the cold vacuum drifted his entire crew,
floating in their survival suits.
To make matters even worse, the ship's navigation system had apparently failed
during the crew-dump procedure. Perez had been awoken from cryogenic stasis to
find himself deep in uncharted Proximan territory.
He stabbed at the buttons on his terminal and initialised a mid-range radar
scan on the bridge's main display. The top of the screen was a chaotic blur of
echoes and the ship was flying on a direct collision course.
"What the frak is that?!" Perez roared. He pulled a lever and the ship launched
a probe out into the cosmos ahead. It survived about 50 seconds before impact,
but not before it had relayed a short burst of video information.
"Computer! Give me full manual control and initiate evasive protocol
Delta-Nine-Zero. Lock down all external apparatus and activate defence systems
NOW!"
Commander Perez began to grind his teeth nervously, his brow beaded with cold
sweat. The mother of all meteor storms was heading straight for the Irata.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
More avoid-em-up than traditional shmup, r0x (Extended Play) is a simple arcade
game where ammo is scarce and you are rewarded generously for taking risks and
flying dangerously. Graze rocks, bullets and enemies or thrust at breakneck
speed through the deadly meteor storm to rack up an epic score!
Initially released on the Ouya microconsole for shits and giggles, r0x EP
should work on pretty much any similar spec Android device with a physical
controller. The game will be available for other platforms some time
following a post-release update (we ran out of time to add an achievements
system, and we'll probably tweak stuff when player feedback rolls in).
r0x EP is an enhanced remake of RGCD and NoExtra's 2009 Atari STE game r0x,
released at the Sundown Demoparty 2014. Developed in YoYo Games GMS over the
course of five intense weeks by a core two-man team, r0x EP improves on the
original game by introducing a wide range of Proximan renegade scum to battle,
seven objective based 2-4 player vs modes and brutal astronaut zero-g
wrestling! ;)
Released in conjunction with Unstable Label, the game also acts as an
interactive music disk featuring some killer beats from protracker hero
h0ffman. Graphics by Tikipod, Vierbit and iLKke. r0x and r0x EP are loosely
based on the meteor storm bonus stage in Edgar Vigdal's amazing 1990's game
Deluxe Galaga (Amiga).
+--------------------------------[ 2. CONTROLS ]------------------------------+
The controls are mapped as follows. Buttons are given in order of Ouya/XBOX:
* D-PAD - Movement/Navigate Menus
* O/A - Fire/Select
* U/X - Megablast ('Taunt' in multi-player)
* R1 - Thrust
* Y/Y - Skip to Previous Track
* A/B - Skip to Next Track
There are also keyboard controls for the Windows build. The default settings
are below, but these can be changed in the configuration program.
* Cursor Keys - Movement/Navigate Menus
* Z - Fire/Select
* X - Megablast ('Taunt' in multi-player)
* C - Thrust
* 1-7 - Select Track.
* P - Pause
* ESC - Immediately Quit to Desktop (Boss Back From Lunch Button)
r0x does also support use of the left analogue stick. To calibrate your
deadzone, press the left analogue stick button, then roll the stick to its
limits whilst in the start game menu for multi-player battle.
Note on using XBOX 360 Controllers on Android: Although r0x EP has been
designed to be as compatible as possible with non-Ouya specific controllers,
note that due to a limitation of GMS, if you connect multiple wired or wireless
XBOX 360 controllers, r0x EP will see them all as the same input device. You
can however use a combination of one wired and one wireless XBOX360 controller
without fault.
At some point YoYo Games will fix this issue, and we'll update our framework to
support any changes.
+------------------------------[ 3. HOW TO PLAY ]-----------------------------+
r0x EP is a super-simple game. First up, you can't win; the game gets
progressively harder until it levels out at being pretty much impossible to
play. So, ultimately you WILL die and your goal is simply to hit (and keep)
that no.1 slot on the high score table.
In order of importance, the rules are:
* Avoid crashing into stuff.
* If you can't avoid it, blow it up.
* Collect cosmonauts, gems and power-ups.
* Fly dangerously to increase score rate.
The 'death' hitbox of your ship is limited to the cockpit area; graze enemies,
bullets and r0x to dramatically increase your score rate. Grinding also
recharges your cannon ammunition, one round for every half-second.
Thrusting increases score as well as lateral movement speed, but at the
cost of reduced reaction time to avoid stuff. The longer you continually
thrust, the greater the score multiplier.
There are five pickups to collect:
* Space Crystals: Three differently coloured and sized gems worth between
25-100 points each.
* Stranded Cosmonauts: Your crew are out there floating about and need
rescuing! Each cosmonaut awards you with 500 points.
* Cannon (Green): Reloads your plasma cannon with 9 rounds, or awards you with
500 points if your plasma tank is already full.
* Megablast (Yellow): Adds one Megablast bomb to your arsenal (maximum of
three). Awards you with 500 points if you already have a full quota of bombs.
* Extra Ship (Blue): Does exactly what it says on the tin. Worth 500 points if
you are already carrying the maximum of 9 ships.
There are eight enemy types:
* Cosmic Bomber - Proximan mining craft that sweep through the meteor storm
leaving a trail of explosive charges in their wake. One shot to kill, worth
50 points each.
* Insectoids - Native to deep space asteroid and meteor fields, Insectoids
feed on the mineral content of rocks and passing spacecraft. Fire occasional
spit balls of super-heated plasma, and fly in swarms. One shot to kill, worth
50 points each.
* Space Pirate - These are the lowest of Proximan renegade scum, and attack in
groups. One shot to kill, worth 100 points each.
* Cargo Shuttles - Defenceless Proximan shuttles that are vulnerable to both
player and enemy fire. One shot to kill, worth 100 points each and contain
either a Cannon, Megablast, Extra Ship or Cosmonaut pickup.
* Deathwing - Proximan command ships that occasionally descend onto the
battlefront, unleashing circular pulses of fire before zipping back off to
the relative safety of the main fleet. Two shots to kill, worth 1000 points
each. Cannot be thrust past.
* Leviathan - These brutes home in on your craft, shooting super-heated plasma
balls in quick succession. Two shots to kill, worth 1000 points each. Cannot
be thrust past.
* Tank - The ultimate weapon in the Proximan's arsenal, and ideally suited to
combat in the perilous meteor storm environment. Fires a wide arc of
incendiary missiles that can tear apart clusters of meteors and lesser
spacecraft in seconds. Two shots to kill, worth 2000 points each. Cannot
be thrust past.
* Frigate - The mainstay of the Proximan fleet, Frigates fly in close formation
attack waves and fire from both flanks. One shot to kill, worth 500 points
each.
You'll notice that enemy pilots occasionally eject from their craft. If a
cosmonaut is present on screen at the same time as one ejects, they'll EVA
towards each other and fight to the death. Shooting enemy pilots awards you
with 100 points per kill, and as your cannon fire rips through their soft,
pulpy flesh with ease, it's possible to kill multiple targets with a single shot.
The game keeps a record of your progress and advises you when you unlock any
achievements. To see how you are doing, check the Achievements option from the
main menu. From here you can also view live game statistics as well as reset
all player data.
+------------------------------[ 4. GAME MODES ]------------------------------+
There are three main game modes:
* One Player Arcade: This is the main single player game mode. Go for the
high score and beat as many waves as you can.
* One Player Survival: A secondary single player mode where you have only
one life and your goal is to survive as long as possible. There are no extra
ship pick-ups in Survival mode.
* Multi Player Battle: Nine objective based missions for competitive
multi-player matches. You cannot use Megablast in multi-player
mode (it acts as a taunt button instead).
To start a multi-player battle, player one must initiate the game and extra
players can join/leave by hitting any button on their joypad whilst on the
Multi Player Game Menu.
+--------------------------[ 5. ADDITIONAL FEATURES ]-------------------------+
Right, that's the basic instructions out of the way. So what else does the
game feature?
* Highscore saving for both single player modes (Arcade and Survival).
* Intelligent drop-in and out joypad identification framework (a first for
GameMaker Studio on Android?)
* Endless re-playability due to algorithmically generated waves of r0x and
enemies.
* Achievements and Statistics.
* A seven track OST composed entirely in Protracker on an Amiga 1200!
That's about all. :)
+-------------------------------[ 6. CREDITS ]--------------------------------+
So, who were the r0xx0r's behind this game?
Code.......................................................Physcopanda (RGCD)
..........................................................Heavy Stylus (RGCD)
Graphics..............................................................Tikipod
.................................................................iLKke (RGCD)
......................................................................Vierbit
.......................................................................Mazeon
Music................................................h0ffman (Unstable Label)
Sound Effects.............................................Heavy Stylus (RGCD)
Design....................................................Heavy Stylus (RGCD)
...........................................................Physcopanda (RGCD)
ASCII Logo........................................................NE7 (TRIAD)
Quacking...............................................Superjoebob (CORPTRON)
Documentation.............................................Heavy Stylus (RGCD)
Testing..........................................................Young Stylus
+-----------------------------[ 7. CONTACT INFO ]-----------------------------+
If you'd like to get in touch to provide feedback, bug reports or anything
else, just drop us a mail!
Email: heavystylus@yahoo.co.uk (James Monkman/Heavy Stylus)
Twitter: @RetroGamerCD
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rgcd.co.uk
Web: www.rgcd.co.uk
Email: physcopanda@hotmail.com
Twitter: @physcopanda
+----------------------------[ 8. VERSION HISTORY ]---------------------------+
Version 1.0.0
Initial Sundown 2014 release. (Android only)
Version 1.9.4
First public release, complete with bug fixes, tweaks, achievements,
statistics and two new multiplayer modes. (Android and Windows)
+-------------------------------[ END OF FILE ]-------------------------------+
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