Gravitrex Plus

Gravitrex Plus
Developer	John Dondzila
Publisher	Classic Game Creations Freeware
Release Date	2002
Genre	Action Compilation Shooter Strategy
Mode	Single player only
Media	Cartridge ROM file

Background

Gravitar was a vector graphic arcade game that took some of the elements of Asteroids (the controls and free flight abilities of the player's['] ship[s]) but made them more restrictive by placing players inside a series of planets. Players had to skim surfaces of the planets and destroy all the bunkers therein, as well as beam up fuel cells to maintain their fuel level(s) and avoiding or destroying saucers that would also appear. The game did not do very well commercially and would only be ported to the Atari 2600 a few years later (although it has reappeared on some modern day compilations since).

Gravitrex is a clone of Gravitar, although with many differences, such as the addition of humans dotting the planetary landscapes that have to be rescued, and the Gravitrex Plus cart also includes two bonus games and other features as well. All games are for one player only.

Gameplay

The player controls a fighter ship that begins each game in a solar system. There is a sun in the middle and several planets to choose from to enter so the player can start their mission. If the player takes too long with choosing a planet, a pair of space saucers will emerge from the reactor planet and will engage the player in a dogfight if they get close enough (although the player can just elude them by entering a planet). If the player’s ship gets destroyed or the player shoots both saucers then the player will return to the main solar system screen.

Once the player enters a planet by thrusting into it, they must destroy every enemy bunker on the surface and dispose of every fuel tank and human. Humans and fuel tanks can be shot (although the player will not receive any points for doing so), but a bonus is given if all humans are rescued on a level (see Scoring and Extras sections), plus fuel tanks are needed to keep up the player’s fuel level (which is indicated by a line right next to the score at the top left of the screen). Humans and fuel tanks can be teleported into the player’s ship by maneuvering their ship close and activating the teleporter/shields function. Once all bunkers have been destroyed and all humans and fuel tanks have been disposed of, a sound effect will signal that the mission is complete, and upon leaving the planet, it will self-destruct and the player will be given a bonus for that planet.

The exception to this rule is the lone reactor planet on each level, which has only one target – a reactor – deep inside it. This planet is different than all the others, as the player is given 99 time units to make their way through a brief maze, shoot the reactor, and get out before time runs out or else the player’s ship will be destroyed and the reactor will remain intact. If the player does not destroy this planet last in a level then it clears out the space saucers for the remainder of the level, since this is the planet that they emerge from.

Dangers include the player’s ship crashing if it runs out of fuel, plus the ship will be destroyed if shot by a bunker, space saucer or alien air interceptor (which are similar to space saucers but they appear inside a planet), if they crash into a wall, the sun, space saucer or alien air interceptor, or do not leave the reactor planet before their time runs out. If the player runs out of reserve ships then the game will end. The player’s fuel, however, is replenished mostly from a fuel tank and is fully replaced upon destroying a planet, finishing a level, or with each new ship. The player’s teleporter function also doubles as a shield to protect them from enemy fire. Also, if the player defeats all planets in a level, then that level’s sun will go nova, various bonuses are then awarded (see Extras section), and if the player defeats the third level the game will end, giving a congratulations message as well as sharing some trivia about Gravitrex from the game’s programmer John Dondzila on the screen.

Controls

• Pause–button 1
• Teleporter/shields–button 2
• Thrust–button 3
• Fire–button 4
• Turn ship (left/right)–joystick or D-pad

(Note: these are the default controls, which can be changed on the options menu screen.)

Scoring

• Space saucer/alien air interceptor–50 points
• Bunker–75
• Fuel tank recovered–150
• Human rescued–400
• Destroying alien planet–2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, or 9,000 depending on planet
• Rescuing all humans on level 3–25,000
• Rescuing all 65 humans in game–100,000
• Bonus ship awarded–every 10,000

Extras

During a game of Gravitrex, there are several other ways of earning extra ships aside from earning a score of every 10,000 points, which includes earning a ship for every reactor destroyed times the level number, three extra ships are earned for completing a level, five are earned for rescuing every human on level one, and 10 are awarded for rescuing all humans on level two. (Note: a level has to be cleared before any of these bonuses are awarded.)

The options menu screen allows the player to remap the controls and enter passwords, which are awarded for completing levels one and two, giving the player the ability to restart a game at the beginning of those levels that they left off at. The cartridge also includes an "arcade" version of Gravitrex (which is identical to the standard game except the player’s ship’s thrust is more powerful) and the two bonus games of Patriots III (which also has an option for using the original Vectrex controller analog setting) and Paratroopers.

Patriots III Ballistic Busters (background)

Missile Command was an arcade game where players had to defend six cities with three missile bases from enemy missile, plane and satellite attacks. If all six cities were destroyed with no remaining cities in reserve then the game would end.

Patriots III is a clone of Missile Command, although with some minor differences in game play.

Gameplay

Missiles come raining down from the top of the screen, which the player must place their target cursor in appropriate places below the missiles and fire from one of their three Patriot launchers in hopes of stopping the missiles. Enemy saucers and bombers will also appear and drop their own missiles, as well as Smart Bombs (starting with the third wave) making direct beelines for bases or launchers, which evade the player’s fire. The player has unlimited firepower, although after firing several shots from the same launcher in a row, the launcher will have to reload (as noted by an onscreen exclamation point over the launcher) and the player will not be able to fire from that launcher again for a few seconds.

Six bases have to be protected along with the three missile launchers; when an enemy missile or Smart Bomb hits one of these, it is destroyed. However, with every 10,000 points, a base will brought back. The game ends when there are no remaining bases in reserve after they are all destroyed.

Controls

• Position cursor–joystick or D-pad
• Fire from left base–button 1
• Fire from center base–button 2
• Fire from right base–button 3
• Pause–button 4
• Change modes–after pausing the game, pressing button 1 will change the cursor speed, button 2 will change from using a digital to the original analog mode

Scoring

• Enemy missile destroyed–10 points
• Saucers/bombers–50
• Smart Bombs–80
• Saved bases–100
• Surviving launchers–200
• Extra base–every 10,000

(Note: all items are the base scores times the bonus multiplier per wave [except for gaining an extra base, which runs a flat 10,000 or a multiple thereof]).

Paratroopers

This is the hidden game on Gravitrex Plus, being a clone of the Apple II game Sabotage, where the player controls a gun turret at the bottom center of the screen. Helicopters would fly overhead, dropping parachutists; if too many landed (four on either side of the player’s turret), the game would end. Later jet planes would drop bombs. The player earned points for everything they shot down but they would be penalized one point for every shot they fired as well.

Paratroopers is a simplified clone of Sabotage, having only planes that drop parachutists. If a parachutist makes it to the ground, it will start moving towards the player’s gun and destroy the gun once they reach it. The player would not be penalized for shots fired, however, along with only being able to shoot straight missiles (as Sabotage also gave the player the option of having steerable missiles if they chose to), plus the troopers don’t explode into pieces when shot and occasionally take out other troopers like on the original. There is also just one constant wave until the player is eventually overrun and the game ends, unlike how there is an obvious change with Sabotage when the deadlier aircraft appears that drops bombs.

Controls

• Turn turret (left and right)–buttons 1 and 2 or D-pad or joystick
• Fire–button 4

Scoring

• Paratrooper–1 point
• Plane–10

Trivia

• Bug: in any solar system, the player can destroy all planets (plus the reactor one) except for the one in the six o'clock position (i. e. at the bottom center of the screen) last; then, once they destroy it, once the view changes to the solar system screen, the player must keep flying into the sun, destroying their ship. After this happens, the brief cutscene of the player's ship flying away as the sun goes nova will still occur, although slowed down a notch, plus the player's ship will become a bit larger than normal.
• Thrust is comparable to Gravitar and Gravitrex, since the programmer of the original game (which came out in the early 1980s, and the Commodore 64 version was ported to the Vectrex in 2004) was influenced by Gravitar. The games have several similarities, such as having the same controls, the player must maintain their fuel level/beam up fuel cells and shoot bunkers, but there are many differences as well, such as a nuclear reactor on most levels that can be shot to keep the bunkers from firing (or to totally destroy the planet if shot enough times), as well as the player having to remove pods from the planet via tow line.
• Most planets in the Gravitrex games have more than one screen: when the player's ship reaches a screen edge, there will be another screen (if not several more) of humans, fuel tanks, and bunkers.
• Ever since its release in 2002, the level select passwords, digitized speech, “retro intro”, and the musical title/menu screens were left off the game ROM due to Vectrex emulators not running anything over 32K in size (as the cartridge is 64K total). However, with the advent of the 0.70 version of the ParaJVE emulator for the Vectrex allowing 64K games, this could change at some point in the future.
• During the introduction sequence, it reads “1982 - 2002” on the screen, recognizing the 20 year anniversary of the Vectrex (at the time of release), then the screen turns blank, except for reading “Vectrex Basic 2.0", which “Load Gravitrx” is seen typed out from an onscreen cursor. This is an ode to the Commodore 64 era, as it says the game is loading, then when it is ready the command of “Run” is typed out, taking the player to the title screen then. (This sequence can be bypassed by pressing up on the Vectrex controller.)
• Gravitrex is still creator Dondzila’s largest game to date (as of 2012), as it took him two weeks to draw and map out all of its levels.
• This is only the second release of Classic Game Creations’s that had speech at the time (which is heard right before the Gravitrex title screen), with Spike Hoppin' being the other. Space Frenzy was the third.
• There are several differences between the three Patriots games (note: the original Patriots was the second unlimited Classic Game Creations release, whereas the Patriots Remix was on the Vecmania cart), such as the Smart Bombs severely dodging the player’s fire in this version. The launchers also fire much slower this time around, bases resemble the arcade/Atari 8-bit versions pretty closely, all three launchers are included this time around (the other two versions only had two each), they have unlimited ammo as well for the first time ever, but they also have a reload time for the first time ever as well. Also, there is no bonus for any ammunition remaining this time around (since ammo is unlimited). Saucers/bombers don’t appear until the second wave (unlike with them appearing immediately on the other two versions), dots will appear after the player fires a missile, signaling where the missiles will detonate, and the bases fly up to the player’s score at the end of a wave, indicating their bonus.
• None of the planets had an official name, aside from the reactor planet. The planet in the two o'clock position, which resembles an eye opening and closing, was influenced by the Duck Dodgers cartoon, starring Daffy Duck and Marvin the Martin.
• The International Play Your Vectrex Day was announced in late 2012, which invited people from all over the world to participate in playing their Vectrex and keeping a record of it. It took place on November 1st, which Gravitrex tied as to being the third most popular modern day homebrewed game on that day, as three people played it, along with War of the Worlds. Vector Pilot took first place among the modern day games that people played the most, with six players.
• Versions of Sabotage were released called Paratrooper in the early 1980s for PCs and the VIC-20 computer. When too many paratroopers land, they will all run off to the side of the screen, return with a tank, and blow up the player's cannon, ending the game then.
• There are several humorous messages in the games, such as if the player is able to beat Gravitrex and rescue all humans in the game, as it says on the screen “Hey, did you cheat?”. On the title screen of Patriots III, it reads “Classic games never die...they just slowly fade away...then resurface on e-bay”. And when the game ends on Paratroopers, it reads “We win!”

Links

• Official page
• Unlocking Paratroopers can be seen at the Vectrex games easter egg page
• vectrex.nl review (9.2/10)
• Another review can be seen by clicking on the tabber below, as well as strategy guides for all games.

• tab1
• Review
• Strategy guide (Paratroopers/Patriots 3)
• General tips (Gravitrex)

Review

It’s funny how the failure of Gravitar in the arcades resulted with the success of the similar games of Thrust and Gravitrex. Quite a few things on Gravitrex will seem immediately similar when compared to Gravitar (the small, box-like planet on the first two levels with the screwy gravity that sucks you inwards, for instance), but programmer John Dondzila took the brilliant step of adding humans to be rescued as well as all fuel tanks, unlike just with shooting all bunkers on Gravitar in order to be able to destroy a planet.

From the opening genius of the retro intro screen to all the different planetary landscapes to all the little added touches -- such as passwords, remapping controls, etc. -- this is still one of THE biggest Vectrex carts out today and it definitely shows. Dondzila went all out here, such as having two out of the three games (Gravitrex and Patriots III) having a pause feature (earlier works such as Spike Hoppin' and more than just the Patriots Remix on Vecmania could have used one), along with the availability of earning a crapload of extra ships (which you’ll definitely need, which I also thought on like Spike Hoppin' [again] you deserved more than just one extra life) and the hidden game of Paratroopers...well, it just fit really well to be released during the 20th anniversary of the Vectrex.

All the controls work well, and I liked the graphics on several game objects (even though the bunkers on Gravitrex are just triangles, but I liked the way the space saucers and your ship look, along with the planes and parachutists on Paratroopers), along with the sounds, although the shooting noise of the bunkers and alien air interceptors I found to be annoying, like a bunch of cap guns going off.

There aren’t many bad things I can say about this cartridge -- and none of them are real big either -- and two of them I’m actually recommending some add-ons for as well (which is a first)! First, everything on Gravitrex is frickin’ TINY. Granted, that’s not Dondzila’s fault or anything – it’s the Vectrex’s small screen – but for that I recommend a page magnifier, even though the images probably won’t be as sharp with it, but they’ll be bigger and much easier to see. For Paratroopers, I think the Autofire Dongle would be good for it; why you have to press the button every time to shoot, rather than holding it down (works for Bedlam) is beyond me. I was also disappointed that the arcade version of Gravitrex wasn’t any different at all than the standard game (just with added thrust), but you can blame that on Escape Vector, an online Thrust clone, for having a totally different arcade game with the four games included, and not Dondzila. (And I think a slightly different ending on beating that version would have been good too, but to no avail.) And with Patriots III, I don’t think the analog control did the game any favors, and the game isn’t *quite* a button masher, but more like an "explosion masher", as the shots move slowly and it’s hard to anticipate where to shoot, so you’ll have to do it often (it won’t be long before it’s just your bases and one city left!). I mean, I can appreciate Dondzila wanting to try something different with the difficulty level on this one (like with the Rockaroids Remix), but to me it’s just not very fun, as I’ve hardly played it at all. If the latter was fun, this would have gotten a 10 out of 10 from myself for this cart, since that would give you an absolute TON of replay value (although the replay value is still high though).

However, this is still a very good cartridge, due to many short games of Paratroopers (in half an hour you can literally play 15-20 games), plus Gravitrex will run you 35 minutes or so if you’re able to get through all the levels, so that’s a good balance. Even though I beat that in only a little over 24 hours after I first got it, I’m still having fun with it weeks later as I write this, as well as with Paratroopers, which is amazingly addictive for only a 2K game.

And like with Thrust, this isn’t quite for everybody (thrusting, shooting, dealing with gravity AND using shields can be a lot to handle for a lot of people), but for those that do like that kind of gameplay, it’s definitely a must own. 9/10

(review by Darrylb500)

Stategy guide

Paratroopers

• For the most part, you're going to have to shoot planes in the lowest corners first, as you only have a limited range of fire, and if they drop off a paratrooper in these corners out of your firing range then you can kiss your game goodbye. And speaking of which, remember those areas of the screen where your shots won't reach! So try to keep those areas clear (again, from planes in the low corners) before disaster strikes.
• Although I don't have one to test it out, I assume using an AutoFire Dongle (made specifically for the Vectrex) would work well with this game, rather than constantly pressing the fire button.
• It won't be long in a game before you should be constantly firing. You should also shoot as many enemies as possible while facing in one direction, keeping that side clear.
• Shoot paratroopers to keep yourself alive, of course, but planes are worth 10 times more points than they are, which is something to keep in mind when going for a high score and paratroopers are on the ground, so you're going to have only seconds to rack up as many points as possible.
• When troopers are falling from the sky, descending in the corners and over or by your base, shoot the troopers in the corners first for the most part (especially before they fall in that area where they are out of your shooting range), since they're more dangerous, and then you'll have more time to deal with the closer ones.
• Once troopers are on the ground, ignore ones that will file in behind them once they touch down while shooting as many planes as possible for maximum points. Only shoot down troopers that will end your game more quickly, like shown below: as you can see the troopers on the ground already, just ignore the one in the D position at left, for instance, since by the time it lands, the ones at the A position will have destroyed you by then. Same goes with troopers C and B (at right); however, if trooper B were a lot closer--say at position E--then it should be shot, while still ignoring the trooper at position D or even further left than that.

Patriots 3

• For a best game possible, if you're not comfortable with the default settings, you should experiment with using a digital vs. the original analog controller (if you still use yours), along with changing the cursor movement speed to find what works best for you.
• Your shots move a bit slowly, and it won't be long before you'll have to give a bit of distance from a target in order to make and hit a mark, so you are going to want to lead your shots a bit, like shooting a bit in front of missiles and bombers and saucers so your shots won't miss them.
• Also in regards to the latter, you're going to want to shoot the bombers and saucers pretty quickly, and not only before they launch any additional missiles that you'll have to deal with, but also because they will be worth quite a bit of points when the score values are increasing.
• Dealing with Smart Bombs usually requires several shots, which you need to shoot straight above them (see picture at point A, although the label is a little off), then below (at point B) and quickly move your cursor upwards while shooting to hopefully drive them into the above explosion at point A. You will also have to shoot in an EXACT straight line above and below them; being a tiny bit off and you will miss, and the bomb will still be there. (Also firing shots a tiny bit to the left and right in the same area to try to envelope the bomb could work.) Bombs moving at a diagonal can be especially hard to try to nail in this same manner (again, by a straight line of fire, although a diagonal line this time).
  
• Remember which buttons on your controller do what! Since you'll have to keep in mind which one corresponds to each base, you'll have to quickly move from one base to the next once a base temporarily runs out of shots and has to reload. You'll also have to be especially mindful in keeping your fingers on the buttons on what bases are still left once you have lost one (or more) and remember which ones can still fire!
• And on a similar note, keep in mind what cities are left, like if there are none on the right, then ONLY protect the area on the left side of the screen to the center base while ignoring any missiles that come down on the right side (except for the right corner where your base is) unless you have some breaks where a wave is about to end and you can shoot a few missiles for extra points without risking losing track of any potential cities or bases to the left that could be destroyed if you're too distracted.
• When you're down to one base, try to not overdo it with a rain of fire for the most part if you can, as it will take a few seconds for the base to reload. Also make sure to take out the most threatening and worthwhile targets; i. e. the saucers, Smart Bombs and Bombers, since they'll be worth more with a high bonus multiplier, while ignoring regular missiles that are raining down over an already destroyed landscape area that won't be worth as much and could cause you to lose a last base and/or city in case your base has to reload.

(Guide by Darrylb500)

Tips

• If you aren't comfortable with the default controls, remember that they can be reassigned, as you need every advantage possible when playing this game!
• The objects on any given planetary landscape screen -- bunkers, humans, etc. -- can be quite small; a page magnifier, also known as a fresnel lens, can be used to greatly alleviate this problem and make everything appear a lot bigger. These can be purchased at a medical aids- or pharmacy-type store, if not ordered online. (For more information, see the how to enlarge your Vectrex screen page.)
• Keep an eye on your fuel, as well as time remaining on the reactor levels (although do either one quickly!). With fuel, though, you can pause the game and see how much you have left, as that is still displayed.
• Remember that you can still shoot, turn, and thrust while your shields are on.
• When you are on a planetary surface that has a lot of targets to deal with, a lot of the time you should only apply short quick bursts of thrust, especially when you're usually fairly enclosed, as you're going to want just enough thrust to go from one target to the next in general.
• When the time comes that you have to pause a game, try to not only pause it when your ship is not only in a memorable screen position, but also where you're not in immediate danger, if possible! It's easy to lose sight of where your ship is, and it can be quickly destroyed at any given moment.
• Practicing and playing the game will make you more familiar with it: the more you play, the more familiar you'll become with landscapes, enemies' positions, and knowing where the Alien Air Interceptors will appear on a surface (which the latter will be noted with every screenshot as this guide starts going through a level by level breakdown), as it's best to be prepared.
• As a general rule of thumb, for the most part, you're going to want to shoot at ground targets at an angle; do NOT shoot at something straight down whenever possible, since gravity can play a rather nasty role in quickly dragging your ship down, which it will take longer to turn your ship around and reply a counterthrust to get out of a nosedive of a situation. (A "skipping" technique can work well, which will be outlined later on various levels.)
• Once you enter a planet that has more than one screen of bunkers and humans to clear out (which is the case with most planets in any given solar system), use caution when moving from one screen to the next upon completion, since you could accidentally fly into a wall with a new screen and lose a ship. However, again, as mentioned earlier, the more you play the game, the more familiar you will become with what's next.
• When clearing a planet surface of bunkers, remember that only one shoots at a time, so keep this in mind when selecting a target; i. e., say that there is a barrier in the middle of a screen and you're about to fly down to the bottom left area that has two bunkers, one at the top center of the area and one off to the right. If the top center bunker is closest, hover next to the protective wall and wait for it to fire, then drop down and shoot it. In the meantime, it will not fire again for a few seconds; after it has fired, the bunker off to the right will shoot. Approach as many targets as possible in this manner to cut down on the loss of ships, although you should also be on the ready to use your shields a lot as well to try to counter ship loss as much as possible.
• There is somewhat of a cheat that will delay the firing of the bunkers and the arrival of the Alien Air Interceptors: once you have just entered a planet or a new screen on a planet you are already on, you can exit to the previous screen, then re-enter to the new one if you have to take out one or more bunkers and want to delay the Interceptors from arriving and shooting for a few seconds.
• During a planet surface run, once you get shot down by an Alien Air Interceptor, usually they won't come out again for several seconds, giving you more extra time to accomplish tasks (shooting bunkers/rescuing humans) then.
• Keep in mind Alien Air Interceptors' firing range is further than yours, so be sure to constantly be on the ready to use your shields when they fire in your direction if they are out of your range.
• If given the situation on a planetary surface where there is a human to rescue and one or more nearby fuel tanks to beam up, go for the person first, THEN the fuel, since that will give you several more extra seconds of fuel by picking that up later.
• Use walls on a planet's surface run for protection against enemy fire to your advantage, shielding you from Alien Air Interceptors' attacks as often as possible (various areas that provide good cover will be illustrated via screenshots throughout this guide). Also, even once you have saved all (or most) humans and have destroyed all bunkers, you must still be careful in leaving a planet, because Interceptors can still fire at and destroy one of your ships, so it wouldn't hurt (unless you're very low on fuel) to use your shields on the way off a planet.
• You'll earn one or more extra ships for destroying a reactor (depending on what level you're on), so you might want to do this first (as no space saucers will appear to attack during the rest of the current solar system you are working through), rather than last if you want to try to get past a universe, especially if you lose all of your ships during one of these rounds. Also, a good rule of thumb is to aim at being on your way out when there are 50 units of time left (or more) remaining, plus there's an auditory blip sound that is heard indicating that you don't have much time left, so be sure to listen for this, as well as the time remaining indicator starts flashing when you're down to less than 20 units of time.
• When destroying the planet in the six o'clock position (/bottom center) of a galaxy, always try to remember that the sun will be right above you, so don't fly into it upon exiting the surface!
• Try to rescue all humans during a level for a big bonus!
• You shouldn't have to deal with space saucers much while you're in open space, as, for the most part, you'll just need to enter a planet's surface to escape them (even if you're going to leave the planet a second later). Just try to fly straight into the reactor planet as quickly as possible, as this is usually when you're going to accidentally end up in space combat with the saucers, if you miss the planet. Just remember two things: one, your shot range is limited (especially when compared to theirs), and two, you can fire, turn and thrust with your shields on, so you can get as close as possible to them with your shields up and shoot them down before they're able to destroy you, if you're lucky.

Strategy guide

This will given a blow by blow, screen by screen walkthrough of every planet. Note, however, that aside from the reactor planet, creator John Dondzila did not name any of these planets, so these are just going to be named after the positions they occupy in a solar system, along with a brief description as to how I feel they look (yours may vary ;) ).

• Planet at 12 o'clock position (ring planet)
• Two o'clock (eye planet)
• Four o'clock (Reactor planet)
• Six o'clock (stalactite planet)
• Eight o'clock (horn planet)
• 10 o'clock (rotating moons planet)

Also, one last thing to note is that the majority of this guide will only give instructions when traveling to the left of each planetary surface run, so if you prefer traveling to the right, the strategies will change order as to what you will be facing, although most of them can still be followed through (although in the reverse order as told in this guide). Going over every combination possible would make this guide even more lengthy as it is!

Also note the position of where the saucers originate from as well on the screenshots, although ones marked with AAI (Alien Air Interceptors) indicate where they originally appear from, in case I took a screenshot a moment or two after they appeared and their position is actually a little off.

Level 1 solar system guide

12 o'clock planet (first screen)

(Tips by Darrylb500)