Retro Rocket

Retro Rocket
General
Author	Asbjørn Djupdal, Morten Hartmann
Type	Shooter
Version	1.1
License	GPL
Last Updated	2008/10/25
Links
Download
Website
Source

RetroRocket is a high paced action game inspired by classic gravity games like Thrust and the amiga game TurboRaketti II. It is a game designed for Nintendo DS and requires a homebrew compatible flash card.

Features

• Single and multiplayer games.
• All original TurboRaketti-II maps.
• All original Thrust levels.
• Real time strategy mode.
• New two-player Thrust-like games.
• Autogeneration of maps.
• Menus with stylus support.

Installation

Download and extract the archive to your DS flash card.

Make sure the retrorocket_data directory is in the root directory of the flash card or, alternatively, under /data.

DLDI patch .nds file if needed (if your card does not have auto-patching) and you can place it anywhere on the flash card.

User guide

Game modes

• TurboRaketti Survival - The player who still has lives left when the others are dead wins the game.
• TurboRaketti Kills - Reach a certain number of kills wins the game.
• Thrust - Pick up the balls and carry them to outer space.
• Strategy - Conquer opponents by destroying their home platform.

Your choice of game mode and other settings will affect the maps you can use for your game.

• TurboRaketti maps:
  • The goal is either to beat your opponent or alternatively try to achieve the best lap times.
  • All original TurboRaketti-II maps (TR) are included.

• Thrust maps:
  • In order to pick up balls, the tractor beam needs to be activated while pulling away from the ball.
  • All the levels from the original Thrust game are included.

• Strategy maps:
  • Real time strategy (RTS) maps where your ship starts as a downgraded version of the TurboRaketti ships.
  • In order to progress in the game, you must earn cash by placing gathering nodes on available resources. Cash can be spent on buying weapons, upgrades and ammunition. Note that you start of with little cash, and respawning your ship is costly. Spend your first cash wisely.

Weapons

In order to use a weapon, you must first buy the weapon and then ammunition for that weapon. Finally, the ship must be loaded with the correct weapon in the ship configuration menu.

• Type A - High capacity fully automatic guns with inexpensive ammunition.
• Type B - Semi automatic guns with limited capacity and high damage ammunition. The weapon B slot can alternatively be loaded with building seeds.

Weapons of type A all use the same general purpose ammunition while weapons of type B need specific ammunition.

The nuclear bomb and mines are delivered from the back of the ship. Keep this in mind, as nuclear bombs are extremely expensive, and should never be fired unless you are sure you will hit your target. All other weapons are delivered from the front of the ship.

Resources

• Building:
  • Placing buildings by buying a building seed (weapon B) and shooting it at the location you want the building to be placed. If you shoot the seed at a location where the building can not be placed, the seed is lost.

• Resource Node:
  • Resource nodes are delivered from the back of the ship.
  • Place them by shooting the seed at an available resource. The node will gather cash as long as it is not destroyed.

• Sentry Guns:
  • Place them by shooting the seed into a wall, at a location not too close to existing buildings or resources. The sentry gun will fire at opponents if they get within the guns tracking range. The sentry gun will track targets within a sector defined by the angle at which the building seed hits the ground.

• Upgrades:
  • You can spend your cash on upgrades. All upgrades increase in cost as you achieve higher upgrade levels. Radar and stealth levels affects whether you can see your opponents and their buildings on the map, and whether they can see you and your buldings.

Customization

RetroRocket uses normal text files defining all game types and parameters. If you make changes to the configuration files, make sure all players have the exact same configuration files. Failing to do so will result in a CRC error.

FAQ

Q. Random crashes in network games?

The library does not fully tolerate alien network traffic on the same wireless channel. If you experience random crashes, change your network channels. Make sure all players use the same channel.

Q. Can not find rooms?

The library does not fully handle the use of rooms. If you experience problems with finding each others rooms, all players should restart their DS. Also, make sure all players use the same network channel. Channel 11 is the default channel, and not all DS units support changing the channel.

Controls

Right/Left - Rotate to right/left

A - Accelerate, Confirm (menus)

B - Go back (menus)

R - Shoot

Screenshots

Credits

Game creators and developers: Asbjørn Djupdal and Morten Hartmann.

Additional code: Marius Grannæs, Kyrre Glette and Bjørn Magnus Mathisen.

Original game music: Karstein Djupdal.

Ideas, game testing and documentation: Magnus Jahre.

External links

• Official website - http://www.retrorocketgame.org/index.php