"Exterminator"
By Phil Bauer
1982
AstroBASIC, 2000 baud


Unpublished Arcadian submission; includes text title screen.


In the Bob Fabris collection was a hand-written letter, game instructions, and 
hand-written BASIC listing for "Exterminator."  I have also added a BASIC 
LISTing of the program to the pdf, probably made by Bob Fabris.  You can view 
it here:

http://www.ballyalley.com/newsletters/arcadian/letters/letters.html#ExterminatorLetter

I have typed the letter and instructions to give the game some character so 
that it is not just an anonymous program floating around the Bally Arcade 
program archives.  The letter has had some basic proofreading done, but I tried 
to leave it as-is.


June 2, 1982

Mr. Fabris-

The enclosed program on tape in Bally BASIC was created by myself strictly on 
the information and knowledge of the computer which I learned through the 
"BASIC" manual and my copies of the "Arcadian."  Since buying my Bally in 
December 1981, I have been compiling a tape of games and graphics, 75% of which 
were copied from the BASIC Manual and "Arcadian," the rest are my own.  These 
(my own) include a Missile Command, Space Destroyers type, Mastermind, and 
quite a few others I am still experimenting with.

In reading the Arcadian over the months, I have noticed a game called 
"Exterminator" being sold by a software company.  However, I have never 
purchased or even seen any of the software advertised in the Arcadian, so I 
don't know if their "Exterminator" is anything like mine.  I chose the name 
before I realized it had been used because the asterisks remind me of bugs, 
etc.  If you deem it necessary and if you use my game, feel free to change its 
title.  Hopefully the whole idea is different.

Thank you,
Philip Brown


Instructions

Exterminator is a fast-moving maze-type game for up to four players using 
joystick controls.  Choose no. of players with knob #1.

The game begins with "the exterminator" (player 1) at the heading at the top of 
the screen.  To reach his pesticides he must make it to the bottom of the 
screen without being stung (landing on any of the bugs along the way).  Each 
sweep from the top to bottom or vice versa is limited to the number printed to 
the right of the heading which will count-down along the way.  Upon reaching 
the bottom, face color will change green and he now has the pesticide and the 
power to "exterminate" as many bugs as he can on the way to the top in the 
allotted number of moves.  Once to the top, color will change to a warning red 
and he can "go for it again."  Points are scored for each bug exterminated 
along the way up, the value increasing for the number of times he's made it to 
the bottom without being "stung."  Some difficulty increases with score.  The 
higher the score, the more often the "bugs" will appear.  However, the higher 
the score, the higher the bonus for making it safely back to the top.  If the 
top is not reached in the allotted time, all points that "sweep" are lost.  
Also, a higher score will give a higher count-down number plus extra chances 
for that player's turn (as indicated by the number next to the right arrow 
between the player and score).  Over 15,000 points in a turn will give that 
player an extra turn.  Number of turns for all players is left of heading.  
Pull trigger for next player.

