Personal Computer News


Bank Raid

 
Published in Personal Computer News #078

Frogger fans can hop again in some web-foot frog-marched fun from G. Creasey.

Don't Bank On It!

Frogger fans can hop again in some web-foot frog-marched fun from G. Creasey

It had been a long day for Security Operative Winston Asimov. Stuck outside the Intergalactic Megabank, pacing back and forth, with nothing to talk to but the security robots.

"Allo, allo, allo... I... should... cocoa... John," one grated metalically as it whirred past. "User-friendly indeed," muttered Winston. "Artificial flipping intelligence!" But wait - he could hear sirens in the distance - there was some sort of commotion at the other side of the M6000 Southampton to New York North Arterial by-pass.

Peering through the streams of traffic Winston could see a small figure bobbing and weaving across the highway - a bank robber! The figure was getting closer, coming towards him. A security robot grunted "You're... nicked... John," and lunged at the robber, but missed. Winston saw the figure's face clearly now - "Good grief," he thought. "It's got a head on it like a frog..."

And then everything went black...

Bank Raid casts you as Ronnie Robber. You and your assistants have accidentally parked your getaway vehicle on the wrong side of the M6000 Southampton to New York North Arterial by-pass, and as the Intergalactic Megabank shuts in ten minuets you don't realy have enough time to drive 500 miles to the nearest service area and double back.

Fortunately, you used to play a game called Frogger back in the Twentieth Century, and you reckon you remember enough of the tactics to be able to dodge your way across the highway and get to the bank. Praying that there won't be a queue, you dive into the stream of traffic...

Program Notes

30 Sets up the variables z,x,v and w which are used with the machine code pixel scroll routine, then POKEs in the data for the scroll routine (lines 80-100)
120-160 Set up the user-defined graphics for the traffic, guards and Ronnie Robber
170 Sets up the variables for the main program loop. The coordinates of Ronnie's start position are a,b
180 Prints score line
190-250 Print the traffic and motorway lanes
280-350 Main loop. Line 290 checks to see if you've hit anything, while 330 and 340 move Ronnie up and sideways respectively
360-390 The you're dead routine. 370 checks the lives you have left
420 High score checking routine
450-480 Print instructions

G. Creasey