asteroids attack Asteroids Attack - 2019 batari Basic Game

[Ricardo Pim]

Hi Everyone,

 

Asteroids Attack was my first long play homebrew published by Game Select in 2019 e again 2022.

 

Again, @ZeroPage Homebrew help me a lot testing the game since first versions and many ideas by people were applied.

Some weeks ago we started international sales from a new batch of boxes. The game is made in Brazil.

At the time I didn't make any post here on the forum and now some people suggested leaving a record, so more people can have access to the game.

 

Homebrew Awards:

Asteroids Attack in the year 2020 was nominated by the Atari Homebrew Awards as one of the best original games of the year, ranking fourth and also nominated for best sound and music, ranking second.

I was really surprised by the nomination, as this was my first game, the one that wasn't just a test and I really put in a lot of time on it.

 

Synopsis:

The newly discovered Planet X, on its first pass through the Solar System, upsets the harmony of the asteroid belt, hurling thousands of asteroids towards Earth. Upon learning of the destructive power of the event, a fleet of ships were sent with the mission to destroy all asteroids that threaten the planet. But during the mission, something terrible is discovered, and the asteroid horde becomes the least of their problems.

 

Musics and Sounds:

It was a requirement that I really put a lot of my time on it. Each of the game's waves has a different background music in a total of nine songs. Each of these songs are known. I took a small piece of music from the arcades games of the 80's from the most loved games by Brazilians. A lot of people will listen and say, "I've heard that somewhere". My favorite is from wave 8, Tiger Heli.

 

Some Technical Information

 

This is a 32k game and no free space. 
I used the Standard Kernel because the playfield scrolling was essential for the game, it's the starfield. I needed it to generate the speed effect.

Now, after some experience and getting to know the Batari Basic tool better, I know that I could generate this effect in another way, allowing me to use the Multisprite Kernel and minimize the flicking effect. Maybe in the future I'll remake the game.

 

Easter Egg

 

The Asteroids Attack EASTER EGG was revealed some months ago

As promised, a year after the release of Asteroids Attack, we're revealing the game's Easter Egg.

Still not able to save the Earth? Now you will have another chance. Take your game out of the closet, clean the dust and put your Atari to work.

### EASTER EGG ###

He gives you infinite continues.

### CONDITION ###

You can not have any left ship, only the game play one, that is, your last life.

### CONSEQUENCE ###

Your score will be reset.

### HOW TO ACTIVATE? ###

At that moment, pause the game by setting the Color switch to B/W position.

Then activate the Game Select and Game Start keys at the same time.

Back to the game returning the B/W switch to the Color position.

All your reserve ships will return.

 

Videos to enjoy

 

Here a small gameplay trailer.

 

 

A real gameplay. (A special edition with intro animation)

 

 

And an unboxing. (Please, use subtitles in english) (Special edition unboxing)

 

 

Talking about the demo version

 

What I notice is that most of the demos released take just the first stages and put them in a loop.

In Asteroids Attack, as I did in Space Pac-Man, I didn't want to do that, because the player couldn't have a good experience and could pass the perception of a boring game, since the first stages are easy.

So the demo version was carefully planned to give a balanced gameplay experience.

The demo you have 3 short waves plus Earth return.

 

International sales are open

 

A new batch of the game is on sale again, please contact us at atarigameselect@gmail.com. 

You can also get a lot of information on our homepage at http://www.gameselect.com.br.

 

Downloads

 

Download the demo and a pdf copy of the complete original manual below.

 

Asteroids Attack (2020) (Demo 2, Game Select).bin

 

 

Manual Asteroids Attack-Eng.pdf

 

 

 

 

[+Karl G]

I really love this game. I think of it as kind of a spiritual sibling to my own "Space Game" title. Not that it's a copy of it in any way, but they are both space games about saving the Earth that are winnable.

 

Somehow this game does a good job of threading the needle between being forgiving to new players, and being challenging to more experienced/skilled players. Starting off with 9 lives is almost heard of, and helps a lot as one gets used to the game. I like each life is a different colored ship.

 

The basic mechanic is simple - don't let asteroids/enemies get past you, or they will damage the Earth. The Earth is pretty resilient, though, so you can miss a number of them without any big risk. There is also enemy fire to dodge from UFOs that are offscreen in the first few waves, and appear onscreen in later waves. These shots can be dodged but not destroyed.

 

The game does an excellent job of ramping difficulty for each wave, adding new asteroid types, movement patterns, and other enemy types. Each wave has its own song, which adds to the feel. One minor gripe is that I wish the music volume were lower compared to the sound effects volume, but I got used to it after a bit of playing. Music can be turned off with the right difficulty switch if need be, though.

 

I haven't beaten the game yet, but I'm looking forward to playing more and getting better at it. This is a great game, and was well worth the purchase price for me.

[Ricardo Pim]

2 hours ago, Karl G said:

I really love this game. I think of it as kind of a spiritual sibling to my own "Space Game" title. Not that it's a copy of it in any way, but they are both space games about saving the Earth that are winnable

I didn't know Space Game is winnable. I tried a release candidate version some time ago, now, I'm going to play it again.

 

2 hours ago, Karl G said:

Somehow this game does a good job of threading the needle between being forgiving to new players

I always think about kids playing my games.

 

2 hours ago, Karl G said:

I haven't beaten the game yet, but I'm looking forward to playing more and getting better at it

Let's us know when you finish it. Don't forget the contiues if you don't mind about score.

 

Great review. Thank you.

[+Karl G]

1 hour ago, Ricardo Pim said:

I didn't know Space Game is winnable. I tried a release candidate version some time ago, now, I'm going to play it again.

Cool. Here is a link to the final release ROM.

[+wongojack]

I wanted to reply to this thread becuase I recently ordered and received Asteroids Attack from Ricardo at GameSelect.  It is a little hard to find out more information because it seems that the only online presence maintained for GameSelect is on Facebook.  You can get to their page going here:  http://www.gameselect.com.br. or just straight through FB:  Facebook

 

Ricardo also has several other posts here on AtariAge with information like these
https://forums.atariage.com/topic/334340-space-pac-man-new-batari-basic-game/

https://forums.atariage.com/topic/340097-game-select-hero-2-for-atari-2600/?do=findComment&comment=5114187

 

At first, I was a little bit perplexed at how to order, but it turns out that all you need to do is email Ricardo at GameSelect at atarigameselect@gmail.com

 

I emailed him and he immediately responded with information about how to order.  I ordered HERO 2 and Asteroids Attack and they arrived fully tracked and signature guaranteed within only a few days. 

 

HERO 2 is an excellent and professionally done game with fully re-imagined levels very similar to the original.  I have personally played around with many different HERO clones and even tried my hand at re-coding the game and re-designing levels in windows.  This is an excellently done continuation of HERO that sits on the line between remake and full sequel.  I haven't played all the levels yet, but the manual says it has 20 levels (just like the original) and they are completely different and quite challenging.  The game REALLY seems to start at level 9 where there are multiple paths and an 'early' appearance of the chompers.

 

Asteroids Attack represents something that the 2600 doesn't see very often - a horizontally scrolling shooter.  I've really enjoyed Asteroids Attack a lot.  It doesn't have much to do with Asteroids, but if you are a fan of horizontal shooters and want to see the genre represented on the 2600 then this game is for you.  I haven't beaten the game (and may never will), but I like that there is the possibility of an ending, and while challenging, the difficulty ramps up very nicely.  There's even a way to skip the first few levels described in the manual if you think they are too easy.

 

I said this on the HERO 2 thread, and I'll say it here, the price + shipping may be a bit steep for some, but I don't think it is unreasonable for what you are getting - original game, original packaging and fully working 2600 cart.  If you are on the fence at all, I'd say just go through with it and email Ricardo.  Even if you end up regretting your purchase, you can probably find another Atari collector in your country who didn't email Ricardo and you can sell it to them later. 

[Glorkbot]

On 5/12/2022 at 1:06 PM, Karl G said:

Cool. Here is a link to the final release ROM.

Wow, thanks! I think I passed on this before because the name “Space Game” is so generic…but it’s absolutely fantastic!

 

One question: in the asteroid minigame are you supposed to avoid the asteroids or catch them? I don’t notice any effect either way.

[+Karl G]

1 hour ago, Glorkbot said:

Wow, thanks! I think I passed on this before because the name “Space Game” is so generic…but it’s absolutely fantastic!

Thank you! 

 

1 hour ago, Glorkbot said:

One question: in the asteroid minigame are you supposed to avoid the asteroids or catch them? I don’t notice any effect either way.

Avoid them. It's -50 points each time you accidentally hit one, but if you get through without hitting any, you get bonus points. 

[duckmite]

I love it

[bigfriendly]

Please help I'm learning but when open it in Stella all I see is a barcode. How do I start the game? Thanks.

[Glorkbot]

On 2/24/2024 at 11:06 PM, Karl G said:

Thank you! 

 

Avoid them. It's -50 points each time you accidentally hit one, but if you get through without hitting any, you get bonus points. 

Huh. I have not seen my score go down when I hit them. I’ve looked for it, but it did not seem to change. I’ll look again!

[alfredtdk]

I haven't had the opportunity to have the complete game yet.
I finished the Asteroid Attack demo a while ago and I thought it was really good.
I liked the references to classic games that we have stored in our memory.

Edited February 29 by alfredtdk