SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT

 SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT, from Avantage and Accolade, has got to be one of
the great bargains in the computer gaming world: For $19.95 list, you get an
arcade game design system that's not only ridiculously easy to use, but provides
some incredibly sophisticated features. You're limited more by the amount of
time you're willing to spend creating a game, and the amount of imagination you
have, than by the system itself. Think you can design a better arcade game?
Well, here's your chance! (This review is based on the Amiga version; Commodore
64/128 version notes follow.)

 The Amiga version requires 512K of RAM, a joystick, and a mouse. The manual
states that the game will run properly on all Amiga systems, including the 2500,
but I've only tested it on the A500 with 1MB of RAM and a single disk drive. An
extra disk drive and more memory are used, if available. Instructions on how to
load the two disks into various kinds of hardware configurations are very
complete. The Master Games disk can be duplicated, and all necessary files from
both disks can be resident on a hard drive. The Editor disk must be inserted as
a key disk whenever starting the system, and is itself not copyable. You're
encouraged to make a third disk -- your games disk -- which can be used as a
stand-alone gaming disk. This disk will boot the game automatically, and you can
share it with a friend without violating any copyright laws or protection
schemes.

 SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT comes with three arcade games to provide you with
a sense of what's possible, and to give you some elements to work with if you
don't want to start from scratch.

 The manual presents a quick, useful run-through of the design process. The
concepts of Sprites and Objects are described, and a recommended sequence of
design decisions is outlined. There are eight different sub-systems you can
access in any order you wish: Edit Sprites, Edit Objects, Edit Background, Edit
IFF Sound, Edit Player Limitations, Edit Attack Waves, Edit Levels, and Test
Game. You can start working in any of these areas, save the game elements you've
been working on, and come back later to revise them or work in some other area.
Sample elements are available for each area, but you have tremendous flexibility
in terms of creating your own, from the pixel level on up.

 You can bring onto disk and then edit any IFF sound sample you make or find;
there are also three full directories of sound samples included with the system.
Additionally, you can include any 320x200 resolution, 32-color picture designed
by any Amiga paint program, and use it as your title screen.

 In designing and editing the visuals, you operate with utilities that are
compact versions of those included in more sophisticated paint and animation
programs. Your sprite is designed on a 24x24-pixel grid, and you can use up to
eight colors at a time per sprite. You can choose from any of the Amiga's
available 4,096 colors in the process of deciding which eight colors look the
best together. Then you can put the sprites together into an Object, which may
consist of up to 18 frames of animation (e.g., 18 separately designed Sprites),
and then test the animation.

 When you're defining the Enemy Object, you can also determine: speed; points
scored when it's blown up; number of hits required to destroy it; which
directions it can fire in; its firing rate; all related sound effects; what its
bullets look like; what it looks like when it explodes; and what happens when it
is touched by another bullet or object. Related features of your hero Object are
modified via the Player Limitations editor.

 In creating the Background, you operate with blocks and have full control over
their color and placement. When working with Sound, you can control the sample
rate and volume (I made a sword "ting!" into a low, rolling "gong!" simply by
adjusting the rate slider). The Player Limitations editor permits you to
manipulate lives, ship speed, bullet speed, number and direction of fire, score
color, fire rate, extra lives, and starting positions.

 You can design up to 22 levels, and control background scrolling speed,
duration, and what happens at end-of-level. You can create "Boss" levels too.
Your background screens can alternate between Still, Scrolling, and
Push-Scrolling; you can set time limits for each level. While testing, you can
use a "Cheat" mode (infinite number of lives), and an indicator monitors the
remaining Chip memory available as the game is playing in test mode.

 If this sounds like a lot of work, well, perhaps so! One thing you'll learn
from this program is how much work any serious arcade game design can require.
Creating great animations takes time, patience, and attention to detail. The
development of the screen backgrounds alone will test your computer-artistic
abilities and your sense of shape and color.

 SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT's biggest appeal is that it takes the programming
code out of the design loop, and makes it possible for anyone with some patience
and imagination to design a respectable arcade game. What you don't have to do
is fight coding bugs and editor limitations in the process of creating your
game. You'll be amazed -- with all there is to do -- at how quickly you can
actually produce a passable design!

 At the price, SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT is almost a giveaway of a system
that's astoundingly sophisticated. Fans of arcade games will not only learn a
lot about what goes into the creation of their cherished toys, but they'll also
be introduced -- by way of an original and creative tool -- to the dynamic world
of computer art.

 COMMODORE 64/128 VERSION NOTES

 SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT for the Commodore 64/128 offers three ready-made
arcade games, keyboard and joystick control of the design functions (which
include sprite, object, background, and sound editors), and copy protection. In
spite of the protection, the game you create can be saved, passed on to your
friends, and played at any time without the master disk. The KIT package comes
with one double-sided disk, and an instruction manual that explains all editors
and functions.

 KIT offers 127 sprites, 58 objects, 22 levels, 254 characters that can be
edited and combined to form backgrounds, and 24 sounds, all of which can be
edited in some way: drawn, colored, placed, animated, mirrored, copied, erased,
redrawn, and saved.

 The three ready-made games are controlled with the joystick. The editors can be
controlled with the joystick and function keys, or with the keyboard alone.

 The C64 screen display depends, of course, on the editor you're working with.
No matter which editor it is, though, everything about it operates at warp
speed.

 The graphics of the program itself aren't the best the Commodore is capable of,
but they're close enough. The games provided for play are okay; the most
intriguing aspect of them is that their constituent sprites, objects, and sounds
can be studied close up in the editors: If you're a person who wants to design
an arcade game, but are unsure how to go about it, KIT will be a revelation.
Watching the sequential animation of an object is an experience in itself.

 SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT is one of the neatest design programs around.
While it doesn't guarantee the production of a good arcade game -- that's
between you and your imagination -- it certainly goes a long way toward making
the technical aspects a lot easier. In addition to covering every aspect of an
arcade game, KIT's editors worked perfectly.

 If any product from Avantage/Accolade truly justifies this low-priced line,
it's SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT. Everything you need to design a good arcade
game is available here, from the opening message that describes the game, to the
limitations of the players. Don't buy KIT to stuff into someone else's Christmas
stocking -- buy it to stuff in your own. SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT is an
amazingly good program. At $14.95 (for the C64/128 version), it's downright
unbelievable.

 SHOOT 'EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT is published by Avantage Software and distributed
by Accolade.

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