We are still waiting on a suitable Amiga AGA emulator with robust recording features before tackling such games.Matrix
Matrix, developed by Jeff Minter and published by Llamasoft in 1983. Also known as Attack of the Mutant Camels (AMC) in the US published by HESWare.
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Player's Review
"Jeff Minter has taken Gridrunner - the game that topped bestseller charts in USA and UK and created an awesome sequel. Graphically superb, it features multiple screens, new aliens and attack waves, mystery bonuses, renegade humanoids, deflexor fields, diagonal tracking, count- down/panic phase and much, much more... Packed into 20 mind-zapping zones and accompanied by incredible sonics."
Not sure why this didn't get called Gridrunner 2 (which it did on the spectrum) but this is the follow-up to Gridrunner and so much better than the original. A sequel that not only adds content to the game but it plays smoother, faster and much more player friendly.
In this release there are only 20 levels before the final level loops over and over until all lives are used up. because of the faster movement, levels can be over fairly quickly. Much of the frustrations of the previous game have been addressed. You can now move around much more of the grid so that you are not as easily trapped and the droids don't contain themselves to the bottom of the screen. The side scrolling lasers are still here but there smoother movement makes them easier to track and avoid. Now its not all in the players favour as now the droids can move diagonally making them harder to hit and some levels feature deflectors that can send your shot in a different direction and even right back at you! on some levels camels appear. You must shoot these for extra score. and they cannot harm you if you fly into them. If a droid hits one however, they will be converted into an extra droid you need to chase down. The traitor running around the top of the screen will be directing the laser guns at you so if he is waving, a laser shot is about to come for you.
At the end of each level a mystery score bonus awaits you. these are triggered by how good or bad you did in the level with bonus eight being the best. I have copied some comments from the games source code at 'The The Llamasoft Source Code Project' which lists how the mystery is awarded:-
Bonuses are calculated based on achieving a number of different objectives in each level. Some actions will earn a bonus, others will lose any bonus accumulated. Actions that will earn a bonus during play are:
Surviving a laser.
Hitting something with a deflected bullet (earns 8)
Destroying a droid squad (bonus of 2)
Clearing Cameloids after the droid squads (bonus of 7)
Actions that will lose bonuses during play are:
Moving to the extreme left of the grid.
Missing the opportunity to destroy the pod left by a laser.
Overall a great game that better the original in every way and one that is more fun than frustrating and likely to be loaded up more often.
Not sure why this didn't get called Gridrunner 2 (which it did on the spectrum) but this is the follow-up to Gridrunner and so much better than the original. A sequel that not only adds content to the game but it plays smoother, faster and much more player friendly.
In this release there are only 20 levels before the final level loops over and over until all lives are used up. because of the faster movement, levels can be over fairly quickly. Much of the frustrations of the previous game have been addressed. You can now move around much more of the grid so that you are not as easily trapped and the droids don't contain themselves to the bottom of the screen. The side scrolling lasers are still here but there smoother movement makes them easier to track and avoid. Now its not all in the players favour as now the droids can move diagonally making them harder to hit and some levels feature deflectors that can send your shot in a different direction and even right back at you! on some levels camels appear. You must shoot these for extra score. and they cannot harm you if you fly into them. If a droid hits one however, they will be converted into an extra droid you need to chase down. The traitor running around the top of the screen will be directing the laser guns at you so if he is waving, a laser shot is about to come for you.
At the end of each level a mystery score bonus awaits you. these are triggered by how good or bad you did in the level with bonus eight being the best. I have copied some comments from the games source code at 'The The Llamasoft Source Code Project' which lists how the mystery is awarded:-
Bonuses are calculated based on achieving a number of different objectives in each level. Some actions will earn a bonus, others will lose any bonus accumulated. Actions that will earn a bonus during play are:
Surviving a laser.
Hitting something with a deflected bullet (earns 8)
Destroying a droid squad (bonus of 2)
Clearing Cameloids after the droid squads (bonus of 7)
Actions that will lose bonuses during play are:
Moving to the extreme left of the grid.
Missing the opportunity to destroy the pod left by a laser.
Overall a great game that better the original in every way and one that is more fun than frustrating and likely to be loaded up more often.
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