Re: [stella] Thrust again

Subject: Re: [stella] Thrust again
From: Pete Holland <petehollandjr@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 17:18:15 -0800 (PST)
Well, I've given Thrust a whirl.  My $0.02 is as
follows.

First up, let me just say that this is absolutely
gorgeous.  Where were you when Atari was trying to
foist Gravitar on the video gaming public (I got my
copy for 25 cents.  I was overcharged big time)?  I
love the graphics.

That said, here's some comments.  This game is very
tricky and will take a while for me to get the hang
of.  That is not a slam.  Sure, games are fun when you
can just jump into them, but they are also fun when
you have to practice a while, as this Mortal Kombat
nut can attest.  However, it still requires practice,
so take this with a grain of salt.

Moving the ship reminds me of Atari's old Space Duel
game.  You not only need to take your ship's movements
into account, but also the attatchment/extension.  A
quick stop on your part does not equal a quick stop on
the second part, so you might keep moving.  This is
what makes getting the hang of it so tough.  I'm
trying to unearth techniques I haven't used in years.

The game's biggest hang-up, however, is something I
don't think any programmer can fix.  I found myself
wishing that the ship would rotate faster and fall
slower, maybe slower the higher up you get, since
gravity would be weaker.  My technique is fairly
obvious:  I like straffing my targets (a move I picked
up in Omega Race).  But the faster the ship rotates,
the harder it is to have it stop where you want--you
could overshoot (no pun intended) the angle you want. 
Having the joystick simply indicate direction would be
nice, but then thrust etc. would have to be
accomplished with seperate buttons, and the joystick
only has one.  (Defender II/Stargate and Star Raiders
get credit for trying to fix this, even if it was, at
times, a bit aukward.)  Besides, as for gravity
lessening the higher you get, it could be argued,
"Just how far above the planet do you think you're
getting?"

So while I am very impressed with what you've done, I
don't envy the task you've undertaken.  It could be
one of those games that is impossible for some people
to get the hang of--it took me years of practice to
get used to the control layout on the arcade Defender.
 But from this guy here, you get a big thumbs up and
hopes that he can get as skilled as you.  Let me know
when you get it done.
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