Solaris (Atari 2600)
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Solaris_Atari_game_screenshot.JPG
The game was more complicated than most contemporary games, pushing the limited 2600 hardware to the limit. The galaxy is made up by 16 quadrants, each containing 16 sectors. In addition to space battle, the ship must descend to planets to be refueled periodically. Players are able to "warp" between the sectors, during which they must attempt to keep their ship "in focus" to lower their fuel consumption rate. Fuel must be carefully managed, as an empty tank results in loss of one of the player lives. In addition to space battle, players could descend to enemy occupied planets to either save friendly colonists or battle in fast paced "corridors." If players allowed a friendly planet in a quadrant to be destroyed, that quantrant would become a "red zone" where joystick controls were reversed. Enemies ranged from the easy to the frustrating - including basic fighters, aggressive "cobra" ships, pot shot-loving "pirate" ships, and base stars with accompanying swarms of fuel-sapping drones.
The ultimate goal of Solaris was to reach the planet Solaris and rescue its colonists. Solaris is a difficult game and few have achieved this goal.
The game was programmed by Douglaus Neubauer, who owns the copyright of the game and the Solaris trademark.
External links
- Text version (bootleg) of the Solaris manual (http://members.tripod.com/skintigh/atari/inst.html)
- Video Game Critic review (2003) (http://www.videogamecritic.net/2600ss.htm#Solaris)
- Atari Invader review (2002) (http://www.atarinvader.com/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=195)
- Interview with Douglas Neubauer (http://www.dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/NEUBAUER.HTM)