STELLAR ODYSSEY
2024 UPDATE
Genre:
Adventure/Role-Play Created: November 2024
Language: BASIC System: Tandy Color Computer 1,2,3 & MC-10
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"Cruising through the tranquility of space, you are awoken prematurely
from suspended animation by the ship's on-board computer. Trouble lurks for
the ship has stopped, power is low and one of the crew is dead in his cryotube while the third is empty. You must explore the craft, being cautious of any dangers
that may exist so as to bring your mission back in control."
A 42 year old epic of adventure and exploration!
Back in 1982, I created my first
commercial game in Level II BASIC on my 16K cassette based TRS-80 Model
1 when I was an 18 year old High School student.
Stellar Odyssey was a hybrid adventure/role-playing game which I drew motivation from games such as Temple of Apshai and Rescue at Rigel by Automated Simulations (later EPYX).
I sold it on cassette
with a dot matrix printed instruction sheet and hand drawn artwork, all
wrapped in a plastic baggie for $19.95AU, selling about 20 copies via a
local tobacconist store that also sold TRS-80 software in the front window.
I thought it was good pocket money at the time for a kid with dreams
of becoming a professional game developer and was the beginning of
something that would become an obsession.
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MY ORIGINAL PHOTOCOPY PASTE-UP MASTER
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Development
 I
developed a simple command interpreter that allowed the user to press
the first letter of the verb followed by a noun which is typed out in full. For
example, pressing "E" would display "EXAMINE" and then you typed
"ALIEN".
The player's character could move north, south, east and west with your
character being fully animated as he walks to the new position. When
you fired your gun, you would see the bullet fly through the air to hit
the target with sound effects included.
Conversion to the MC-10 & CoCo
In September of 2024, I was contacted by Jim Gerrie,
the famous Jedi Master of MC-10 game programming on the MC-10. He asked
me if I would be interested in him converting Stellar Odyssey to the
MC-10 and later to the CoCo. Since the game was written in BASIC, I
sent him my old TRS-80 Model 1 listing because I knew that if anyone
could do it, he would be the best man for the job.
He came back to me in a week with a working MC-10 version and another
week later, the CoCo version... just like the TRS-80 original but with
color!
Free Download
You can download the game for free and try it yourself.
Text entry
Most text entered into the computer is in the form of [VERB] [NOUN].
All verbs are via single key entry. For example, if you press D,
the word DROP will appear and the flashing cursor will prompt you for a
noun which you have to type out in full. Press [ENTER] to send it for
interpretation.
To see all available verbs, press H for a listing.
Object manipulation
[E]XAMINE [NOUN] allows you to obtain more information on a particular object.
[E]XAMINE by itself will give you more information of the room that you are currently in.
[G]ET allows you to pick up and carry objects.
[D]ROP allows you to drop an item that you are carrying.
[I]NVENTORY will list everything that you are currently carrying.
Movement and Stamina
To turn one quarter rotation left or right, press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys or < and > keys if using the MC-10 version.
[W]ALK moves you one unit in the direction that you are facing. You may also use the up arrow key to walk.
[S]PRINT
moves you two. Note that sprinting increases your fatigue level faster
than walking and you may reach a point where you are too tired to move.
Your fatigue increases with respect to your wounds. Also, when you have
high fatigue and you are attacked by an alien, your wounds increase
rapidly so therefore you must control your fatigue by taking a few [R]ESTS to regain your stamina.
Maps
Most people nowadays find it inconvenient to make a map as they play.
Therefore, I have created all the maps below. I have refrained from
telling you exactly where to go and where to find things so as not to
destroy the search and discovery element of the adventure but I have
supplied a few hints and tips to help you on your way.
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MAP 1
- Your pistol will not work without a power BOOSTER.
- The computer requires a boot FLOPPY.
- The locked door requires a security code.
- Try PULL to see if some things move.
- Get the SIGNAL beacon. You won't survive without it!
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MAP 2
- This area is riddled with randomly appearing aliens that will attack you mercilessly.
- Some aliens carry with them a
power BOOSTER or bottle of healing OINTMENT. When you kill an alien,
make sure you EXAMINE for any of these items.
- Red markers on map highlight items of interest.
- Manage your wound and fatigue levels with strategic use of WALK, SPRINT and REST.
- Use Q to SAVE/LOAD your progress.
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MAP 3
- You're on your own for this one!
- Only hint... use PULL to get something started.
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