Alien 8
Encyclopedia
Alien 8 is a ZX Spectrum
video game. It was written by Tim Stamper and Chris Stamper of Ultimate Play The Game
, and was released by the company in 1985
. The game was also ported to the BBC Micro
, Amstrad CPC
and MSX
platforms. It is the follow-up to Ultimate's Knight Lore
, which had been released in 1984. As with its predecessor, Alien 8 is a platform game
rendered in then-novel isometric projection
. In the game, the player takes control of a robot
, Alien 8, whose job is to ensure that all of the cryogenically
frozen passengers on a spaceship
remain viable during the ship's voyage.
members of their race. A single robot, "Alien 8" is tasked with keeping these people alive.
The ship is launched towards a new solar system and Alien 8 performs his task for thousands of years during the journey. However, as the ship nears its destination, it is attacked and boarded. The cryogenic life support systems are damaged and Alien 8 must restore them to operation before the ship's automatic thrusting systems manoeuvre the ship into planetary orbit.
Taking on the role of the "cybot" Alien 8, the player must traverse a large starship in order to ensure that the cryogenic life support system
that preserves the biological crew is kept activated. The core of this system is a series of geometrically
-shaped circuits
. These have been removed by invading aliens, and distributed around the starship. By collecting these circuits and returning them to their proper locations before the starship reaches its destination, Alien 8 will successfully satisfy its programming
. Failure results in violent reprogramming.
In Knight Lore, the player must return the objects to a single central location. In Alien 8, there are many cryogenic suspension rooms, and only a few types of circuit (e.g. cube, pyramid, dome), which means that the gameplay is less linear.
As with Knight Lore, the environment of Alien 8 takes the form of a series of isometric flip-screen
rooms (which trace the outline of a large starship). These are filled with platforms (including some that move), moveable objects, static hazards and dangerous aliens. The latter take the form of strange, sparkling life-forms (similar to Knight Lore), mouse
-Dalek
hybrids and mindless, but fast-moving, clockwork
mice. As well as executing well-timed manoeuvres and jumps, inventive players can use starship props to block or defend themselves. Another feature is the use of remote control
led drones, which can be directed by the Alien 8 into inaccessible or dangerous areas.
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
video game. It was written by Tim Stamper and Chris Stamper of Ultimate Play The Game
Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play The Game was a critically acclaimed video game developer of the early home computer era. "Ultimate Play The Game" was the trading name of Ashby Computers & Graphics Ltd. , a software company founded in 1982 by two ex-arcade game developers Tim and Chris Stamper...
, and was released by the company in 1985
1985 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* Brøderbund releases Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, the first game of the prolific Carmen Sandiego series* Nintendo releases Super Mario Bros. on September 13, 1985, which eventually sells 40 million copies making it the best-selling video game of all time until 2008.*...
. The game was also ported to the BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
platforms. It is the follow-up to Ultimate's Knight Lore
Knight Lore
Knight Lore is a computer game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1984. The game is the third in the Sabreman series, following on from his adventures in Sabre Wulf and Underwurlde. Unlike the earlier games in the series it used Ultimate's filmation engine to achieve a 3D look...
, which had been released in 1984. As with its predecessor, Alien 8 is a platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
rendered in then-novel isometric projection
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
. In the game, the player takes control of a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
, Alien 8, whose job is to ensure that all of the cryogenically
Cryogenics
In physics, cryogenics is the study of the production of very low temperature and the behavior of materials at those temperatures. A person who studies elements under extremely cold temperature is called a cryogenicist. Rather than the relative temperature scales of Celsius and Fahrenheit,...
frozen passengers on a spaceship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
remain viable during the ship's voyage.
Plot
On a dying planet in a distant galaxy, the last of the guardians store all of their libraries, records, and knowledge on a single starship together with cryogenically preservedCryopreservation
Cryopreservation is a process where cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to low sub-zero temperatures, such as 77 K or −196 °C . At these low temperatures, any biological activity, including the biochemical reactions that would lead to cell death, is effectively stopped...
members of their race. A single robot, "Alien 8" is tasked with keeping these people alive.
The ship is launched towards a new solar system and Alien 8 performs his task for thousands of years during the journey. However, as the ship nears its destination, it is attacked and boarded. The cryogenic life support systems are damaged and Alien 8 must restore them to operation before the ship's automatic thrusting systems manoeuvre the ship into planetary orbit.
Gameplay
Life support system
In human spaceflight, a life support system is a group of devices that allow a human being to survive in space.US government space agency NASA,and private spaceflight companies...
that preserves the biological crew is kept activated. The core of this system is a series of geometrically
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
-shaped circuits
Electrical network
An electrical network is an interconnection of electrical elements such as resistors, inductors, capacitors, transmission lines, voltage sources, current sources and switches. An electrical circuit is a special type of network, one that has a closed loop giving a return path for the current...
. These have been removed by invading aliens, and distributed around the starship. By collecting these circuits and returning them to their proper locations before the starship reaches its destination, Alien 8 will successfully satisfy its programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
. Failure results in violent reprogramming.
In Knight Lore, the player must return the objects to a single central location. In Alien 8, there are many cryogenic suspension rooms, and only a few types of circuit (e.g. cube, pyramid, dome), which means that the gameplay is less linear.
As with Knight Lore, the environment of Alien 8 takes the form of a series of isometric flip-screen
Flip-screen
In video games, flip-screen is a principle whereby the playing environment is divided into single-screen portions...
rooms (which trace the outline of a large starship). These are filled with platforms (including some that move), moveable objects, static hazards and dangerous aliens. The latter take the form of strange, sparkling life-forms (similar to Knight Lore), mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
-Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
hybrids and mindless, but fast-moving, clockwork
Clockwork
A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
mice. As well as executing well-timed manoeuvres and jumps, inventive players can use starship props to block or defend themselves. Another feature is the use of remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
led drones, which can be directed by the Alien 8 into inaccessible or dangerous areas.
External links
- Alien 8 at Ultimate Wurlde
- Alien 8 review at CRASH magazineCRASH (magazine)Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...