Name: Rocks!
Platform: Atari 800
Region: USA
Media: Executable
Controller: Joystick
Genre: Action
Gametype: Magazine
Release Year: 1987
Developer: ANALOG Software
Publisher: ANALOG Software
Players: 1
Programmer: Douglas Engel
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ANALOG Computing Issue 54, 1987.

The crew was ecstatic -- after four years of searching, an inhabitable star system had been found for the Earth's refugees.  As the fleet passed each of the ten planets of the system, scanners showed more signs of the ancient civilization that once prospered here.  There were even some energy readings.  A landing party was dispatched to investigate.  Its members returned with reports of gigantic pyramids, huge underground cities, massive nuclear furnaces, giant radioactive waste dumps -- and no signs of life.

The star system was soon brought back to life.  People moved into the underground cities and activated the reactors.  The advanced technology of the civilization was harnessed, to create impentrable defense screens of artificial asteroids called Rocks, to protect each planet from the aliens who had destroyed the colonists' home.  Everything seemed to be progressing very well, until the day the colony discovered what had happened to the former inhabitants of the system.

The reactors were in full operations, producing 24 tons of waste each day -- waste which was dumped in each planet's massive waste dump, waste which was still active in some strange way.  The radiation at each cump continued to increase until it reached the now-critical levels.  Something had to be done to prevent disaster.

You've been assigned to the radiation dispersal team working to save as many of the planets as possible from total desctruction by the mysterious radiation.  To accomplish this task, you've been given three remote-controlled shuttle pods.  You must carefully navigate a pod through the Rocks and land on the disposal pad, where a canister of waste will transport it to deep space, to be harmlessly dispersed.

Although this may sound simple, it's not.  Any collision between your pod and another object will result in the loss of the pod.  Any attempt to land on the rough ground or with a canister on board -- will crash the pod.  When the radiation level gets high enough, strange discharges may destroy your pod.

To further complicate matters, enemy spy satellites have been reported scouting the area.  These satellites will explode on contact, also destroying your pod.  Finally, if you manage to remove five canisters from a dump, you'll move to the next planet and be given another spare pod.  If the radiation level gets too high, the planet will be devastated -- and your services will no longer be required.

Playing Rocks!

Rocks! is a game for one player; and requires one joystick and 24k of memory on any 8-bit Atari computer.The starting level is selected at the beginning of the game on the title screen, by pressing the SELECT key.

The game will begin when the START key is pressed.  If you want to abort a game and start a new game, you may press START during play.  If you'd like to change the starting level during a game, you may press SELECT to abort the current game and return to the title screen, where a new level may be chosen.

You start the game above the first planet, with the fleet passing above you and the Rocks immediately below you.  Beneath the Rocks lies the planet's atmosphere; below that is the waste dump.  The bottom of the screen displays the instruments aboard your pod.  These instruments include: C, the number of canisters yet to be moved; RADS, your radiation meter; FUEL, your fuel gauge; and, finally, P, the number of pods you have.

You move in space by pushing your joystick in any of the eight standard directions.  The pod will move in that direction.  When you head into the atmosphere, the planet's gravity starts to pull on your pod, so you can move left or right normally, but must use upward thrust to decelerate a fall and to accelerate upward.

To land, you must center your pod above the disposal pad and thrust upward to slow your fall.  You must be falling slowly at the point of contact with the pad, or you'll crash.  Do not attempt to land with a canister on board your pod, because the shock will detonate the unstable waste.

Pushing the joystick button when a canister is on your pod will activate the teleport beam.  If this beam makes contact with one of the fleet ships, the canister will teleport aboard that ship, and the radiation level will decrease.  If the beam expends itself, or contacts an object, the canister will disperse, but the radiation will remain.

As above, when five canisters have been removed from a dump, you'llmove on to the next planet, advance one level and be given another spare pod.  When all five canisters have beenremoved from each of the ten planets, you'll return to the first planet to continue the task.  At this point, you will have reached the highest difficulty and will remain at this level.

The game is lost if the radiation level reaches maximum and destroys the current planet, or if you lose all of your pods.  Good luck, and watch out for the Rocks!
