Personal Computer News

2nd March 1985
Buzzwords

 
Author: Andy Clarke
Published in Personal Computer News #101

Things will really start buzzing with this unusual game by Andy Clarke that could prove sticky.

Buzz Words

Things will really start buzzing with this unusual game by Andy Clarke that could prove sticky

What has six hairy legs, bulging eyes and dubious tastes in eating? You do, if you happen to have Buzzer 64 loaded up. For the Commodore 64, this game casts you as a fly in search of jam jars and sugar bowls.

It is played with with a joystick in port one or with the following keys:

Ctrl - left, 2 - right, 1 - up, Left arrow - down, Space - fire or swoop

You move around the screen avoiding the fly paper and the spray cans. If you're directly above a sugar bowl or jam jar (it doesn't matter how high) pressing fire allows you to swoop and score 100 points. Don't land or you'll lose a life.

You should also beware of the wasp, which tracks you remorselessly. You can outfly it, but it needs some skill. You're only safe at the bottom of the screen, but you need to come up to score.

When all your lives are gone you'll be given your score and the option to play again.

Program Notes

1 Reads in sprite data. Gosub titles
2-3 Set sprite pointers
4-6 Set up the main variables
8 Checks if out of lives before starting
10 Clears screen and sets other variables
12-13 Print 'Score' and 'Lives' on screen
14-34 Set up the sprites for the game - colour, etc
50 Gets joystick input. If it is null then make the Buzzer flap wings so as to appear to hover
52 Comes here if joystick isn't null
58-64 Increase values of fly spray coordinates
70-72 Print Score and Lives only if they have changed - saves time
74 Checks if out of lives during game
76 Checks if Buzzer hits another sprite
80-84 Poke values into sprites and also into sound channels and fly paper colours
200-234 Title screen
500-518 Joystick routine. Move Buzzer by increasing/decreasing X or Y values and also check them to make sure they don't exceed screen limits
550-558 Swoop routine. Check if he hits a jam jar or sugar bowl
600-606 Choose either jam jar or sugar bowl and place at foot or screen in a randomly chosen place
700-762 Sound routines
800-820 End of game
3000-30079 Sprite data. Each separate sprite is marked. Four Buzzers are used.

Andy Clarke

This article was converted to a web page from the following pages of Personal Computer News #101.

Personal Computer News #101 scan of page 18

Page 18

Personal Computer News #101 scan of page 19

Page 19