inertiablast - Man Page

Steal energy pods to defeat the empire.

Synopsis

inertiablast [--help] [--version] [--nodemo] [--nosoundeffects] [--gamma=Value] [--step] [--windowed]

The object of the game is to lift the Energy Pod from the bottom of a cave and return it safely to space. The Pod is very heavy (compared to the ship) and this makes it tougher than it may seem.

You must be careful not to run out of fuel, crash into the cave walls, or let the enemy artillary outposts shoot you down.

This is a clone of Thrust, the classic Commodore 64 game.

Backgound Story

The rebellion struggled against the might of the empire. In a stroke of luck, they captured several warships in a recent battle. The energy pods powering the ships were destoryed. Securing new energy pods could turn the tide against the empire.

You are part of a risky expedition to steal energy pods. All pod construction sites include defense systems which you need to avoid or destroy. The power plant used to construct the pods and power the defenses is unstable. It can be temporarily disabled with a laser blast but too many blasts will cause it to go critical and destroy the entire planet. You will have limited time to escape.

The rebellion is counting on your success. Good luck.

Options

-h, --help: Print a usage message and exit with a non-zero status.
-v, --version: Print version information on standard output, then exit.
-d, --nodemo: Do not run the demo which is otherwise displayed if the game is left untouched.
-e, --nosoundeffects: If sound is compiled in, be silent anyway.
-c, --gamma=Value: Change the brightness of the colors. 1.0 is the default. Higher values give brighter colors. The value must be positive.
-j, --jump: Only draw every third frame. This makes the game a lot faster.
-w, --windowed: Run in windowed mode.

Controls

Note that the following keys are the default configuration. This can be changed by the user by creating a file named .thrustrc in the users home directory.

A

Turn counterclockwise

S

Turn clockwise

Enter

Fire

Shoots a bullet. Different targets have different effect:

The Fuel Tank explodes for 150 points.

The Defense Systems expolde for 750 points.

The Nuclear Power Plant can take a number of hits. When they are destroyed you are given a short period of time to clear out before the whole neighbourhood is nuked. If a Power Plant is hit - but not destoyed - it will recover after a period of time. During this recovery period, the Defense Systems are not able to fire. 2000 extra points are scored if the Power Plant is destroyed when the level is finished. There is exactly one Power Plant in every level.

In the more advanced levels you will find other things to shoot at.

Right-Ctrl

Thrust

Gives the ship a forward push at the cost of some fuel.

Spacebar

Pick up and shield.

If the ship is above a Fuel Tank the ship is refueled, i.e the fuel is picked up. Two vertical bars are drawn to indicate that fuel is picked up. When there is no more fuel left in the tank, it disappears and 300 points are scored.

If the ship is close to the Energy Pod a tractor beam is initiated. The Pod is picked up when the tractor beam is of the right length. If spacebar is released before the correct distance is reached the Pod is not picked up.

When the shield is activated, a circle is drawn around the ship. If the ship is carrying the Pod, the Pod and the wire are also protected by the shield. The shield costs fuel to power.

ESC/Q