Exwall
Futuristic tank battle for two players.
Battle
it out for construction space, in this month's Super Disk Bonus. Exwall
is a hard-hitting futuristic two player tank game written in assembly Language.
The program works on 8-bit computers with at least 48K memory, disk drive
and two joysticks.
Exwall was written in fast-moving machine language by Andy Barton, who has been contributing to Antic since 1984. His programs include Spelling Flashcards (February 1989) and the ever-popular TYPO II. His Machine Language Stringer appears elsewhere in this issue.
THE SCENARIO
Across eight battle zones, the robot war continues without end. Powerful robots battle it out for building space, over a terrain marked with stone fortress walls and blue rivers and lakes. Massive mobile factories, the robots move about, building and repairing the fortress walls, even as they try to destroy each other.
Your robot carries a cannon that fires explosive shells-but so does your opponent's. In this high-tech slugfest, you must destroy your opponent's fortresses and robot factory without being destroyed yourself. Your ranking reflects your success.
GETTING STARTED
Don't try to run Exwall directly from the Antic Monthly Disk. Instead, copy EXWALL.EXE to another disk that includes the DOS.SYS file. Use DOS command E to rename EXWALL.EXE to AUTORUN.SYS. Turn off your computer and remove all cartridges. Place the disk in Drive 1. Hold down the [OPTION] key if you're using an XL or XE. Turn on the computer, and Exwall will load and run automatically.
Plug in two joysticks, one for each player. Use your joystick to move your robot factory up and down, forward, backward and diagonally. You can't move through walls, over water, or into the farthest quarter of your opponent's territory.
To build a wall, move the robot factory to the desired place. Then move back 1 or 2 spaces and stop. A two-layer wall will be built in front of the machine. Construction will stop when the area in front of the machine and within the crane's reach is completed-or when you move the factory.
Press the joystick button once to fire your cannon. Press it a second time to explode the shell. Press and release the fire button quickly, or the shell will explode before you want it to. You can use unexploded shells to knock narrow channels in your own defenses, and then fire through the channels as you hide in the relative safety of your fortress.
You can't move over water but you can build walls at the water's edge. When these walls are destroyed the debris will fill in the water and allow you to move on.
A shell exploding next to a wall will penetrate deeply but not widely Conversely, if the shell explodes before it reaches a wall it will destroy a wider area but with less penetration.
Crashing your robot into your opponent's will destroy both machines-and possibly get you out of a tight situation. But it won't help your ranking. On the other hand, daring players can significantly enhance their scores by moving in close and firing repeatedly into their opponent's exploding robot.
Your July 1989 Antic Disk-featuring the Exwall Super Bonus game as well as every type-in program from this issue-will be shipped to you within 24 hours after receiving your order. Just phone Toll-Free to the Antic Disk Desk at (800) 234-7001. The monthly disk is only $5.95 (plus $2 for shipping and handling) on your Visa or MasterCard. Or mail a $5.95 check (plus $2 shipping and handling) to Antic Disk Desk, 544 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107.