Vortex

From iPodLinux

Vortex is a game for podzilla based on Tempest, but heavily influenced by Jeff Minter's "Tempest 2000".

Ever since I first had my hands on an iPod, I've wanted to play Tempest on it. Since Apple isn't going to do that for me, I gotta write it myself.

The podzilla0 version is shown in the screenshot above. The podzilla2 (ttk-based module) is significantly more advanced than what is in podzilla0.

Contents 1 Goals 2 Game Play 3 Control Input 4 Development Progress

Goals

My goals for it are to try to get gameplay similar to the original Atari arcade version, with some aspects flown in from Jeff Minter's Tempest 2000 version. I'm taking the webs from the original, and powerups and visualization from '2000, although I'm sticking with the original's Vector engine, rather than 2000's pixelshatters and such.

• 48 levels from Tempest, Tempest 2000 and TempEd
• Basic user control and gameplay from Tempest
• Most foes from Tempest
• Superzapper
• Power-ups from Tempest 2000:
  • Particle Laser (better firing)
  • Zappo 2000 (2k points)
  • Out Of Here (5k points, skip to next level)
  • AI Droid (AKA "Little Buddy") (AI helper)
  • Jump (not doing this)
  • Bonus Level Warp (not doing this)

I'm taking a cue from Tempest 2000, and there are two versions of the game. "Vortex Classic" is a basic version with few screen effects. This should work better when playing music in the background. "Vortex 2K5" has solid shaded objects, starfields, and generally looks prettier. Game AI is identical for both versions.

Game Play

Spin the claw around the web and shoot at all of the flippers. When you've completed enough of them, you move on to the next level. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Control Input

• Spinner - moves the claw around the web
• action/center button - fires the laser blaster
• rew/ff - fires the superzapper (when implemented)

Development Progress

• exporter from arcade roms to c-structures 2005/01/07
• podzilla framework interface 2005/01/07
• web rendering 2005/01/07
• vector text engine 2005/01/09
• vector text font 2005/01/09
• bases/lives display 2005/01/10
• score display 2005/01/10
• proper 3d rendering of the web 2005/12
• proper 3d rendering of objects on the web (in progress)
• player claw ship position control 2005/12
• enemy position rendering
• player, enemy, powerup model design 2005/12 (in my head, at least)
• enemy AI:
  • flippers
  • spikers
  • tankers
  • mirrors
• scoring

--BleuLlama