Elk Entertainment 09

By Christian Weber

Originally published in EUG #11

Oooops! It's happened again! Yup, those darned Pipeline character and mission generator instructions didn't appear in last issue's column - as well as all the other times I've promised the things! Still, not to worry as they are included in this issue. Of course, they're not the only things that are included! Cecil is still struggling to grow up in the continuing Elixir solution, Spycat is still spying in the second part of the Spycat solution and, with a bit of luck, I might just squeeze some other stuff in too!

Yet again, another summer's over [Did it ever start? - Will] and Superior Software release Play It Again Sam 18 featuring Holed Out, E-Type, Nevyron and Citadel 2. As expected, it sounds well up to their usual high standard but, as now seems to be the case, there is no Elk version. Last year, I had a moan about this to you and this year I still feel a bit peeved about this situation (and the feeling isn't helped when the compilation sounds as good as it does). Ok, so Nevyron, in the words of the 4th Dimesion, "cannot be converted onto the Electron" but surely something else could have been put on instead. How's about Tynesoft's last ever Elk release Beverly Hills Cop? Rather than just sit here typing this out for you to read, I will be sending a letter of enquiry to Superior about this situation, and I will put their case for it in the next issue. Rather than just let me voice my own opinion to Superior, put pen to paper, finger to keyboard or whatever and contact them as well. If you still want new games for your Electron, rather than letting it fall into the same obscurity that now befits the old Atari and C16 computers, then remember a quick letter and the price of a postage stamp is a small price to pay for continued software support. Now where have I heard that one before...?

Elixir Part 4, Superior/Acornsoft

Go right and keep on going right until you pass the lipstick bombs. Go past the room which stores the toothbrush and the next room that you come to contains the piece of string that you have been up many a time. Go up this string. Go right past where you got covered with oil to the place where the black square is. Now go up this rope. The first screen that you come across will contain a platform in the bottom right hand corner. Go onto this platform and go right. Get the pill from this room and go back onto the string. Now go a bit further up the screen and get the pill from this room. Now carry on up the string.

The next room that you come to will contain a bottle with the word "Spirit" on it. Quickly rush to the top of the rope and fall onto this bottle. If you have the bottle stop, this will block the bottle and the spirit will not come out and get you. Get the pill from out of this room.

Now make your way up to the top of this screen by clambering over all of the objects that get in your way. When you are on the top platform go left past the AGAR [Sorry but I'm not sure if this is correct as I don't own the game and I can't read the text clearly - Christian] jar. The magic bean will drop this and a beanstalk will start to grow letting you get to the top level of this platform game. It will take a while so carry on. Now go back right and get to the bottom of this screen. Now go left and fall off the platform. If you do this correctly, you will land on the balloon and burst it with the sharp pin. Now collect the pill from this room. Fall right off this platform and you will be in the room where you got the magnet from. Travel up the thread in this room. More next time.

Spycat Part 2, Superior/Acornsoft

Go back to "THRU" door 1. Put down the Space Permit, and pick up the Disguise. Go in through the door. Go left and carry on until you get to the US Embassy. Collect the US Secrets (and Sidepass 3 if you want - opening sideroom 3 will allow you to pick up 1000 Dollars which, when used, will open the US Amb door - I haven't found a use for the pad in there yet!), and go back to number ten. Change the US Secrets into Research Y and deposit it in the library.

Then collect Sidepass 1 and Thru Pass 2, and go through "THRU" door 1. Go right this time. Collect the Pound Coin on the second screen, then carry on until you reach a sideroom-like door. Stand on the pad and activate the sidepass, which will allow you to carry on. You will find a tea machine in the next screen. If you want, on the way back, collect the Cup Of Tea by standing on the pad, and picking up in the usual way - but for now, carry on until you reach the next "THRU" door. Standing on the pad, activate Thru Pass 2. Then go back, until you reach the flashing light (which travels up and down a rod), go through a red door near the left-hand side of the screen, into the Sewers. More next time.

Pipeline Graphic Designer Part 1, Superior/Acornsoft

Firstly, to load and run the graphic designer, fast forward the tape to the file "GRAPHIC". Type CHAIN"GRAPHIC" followed by the RETURN key. The Graphic Designer will now load.

To load in a graphics file, you have to pull down the "ENVIRONMENT" menu by pressing 8 on the keyboard, and select LOAD FILE using the up and down cursor keys, followed by the RETURN key. The rest of the instructions assume that you have loaded the default graphics file (which is stored after the GRAPHIC file) via the above process.

On loading the Graphics Designer (with the default graphics), you are presented on the left of the screen with a large editing window and two small editing boxes, and on the right of the screen 25 large games sprites and sixteen smaller object sprites.

To select a sprite for editing, use the cursor keys. When an object sprite is selected, its name is shown in the large editing box.

To edit a sprite, use the Z, X, * and ? keys to move the editing cursor around. To select a pixel colour, use keys 1, 2, 3 and 4. To access the more advanced features of the editor, use the following keys to the pull down menus:

           Options A ..................................... 6
           Options B ..................................... 7
           Environment ................................... 8

The up and down cursor keys can be used to select a menu, followed by RETURN. Alternatively, some of the features can be selected using CTRL-key combinations, without using the pull down menus:

Options A Options B Environment
Flip X ..... CTRL-X Swap ....... CTRL-S Load Sprite
Flip Y ..... CTRL-Y Copy ....... CTRL-COPY Save Sprite
Delete ..... CTRL-DELETE Overlay .... CTRL-O Load File
Undo ....... CTRL-U Underlay Save File
Animate .... CTRL-A Remove ..... CTRL-R Def. Col ... CTRL-C
Obj Name ... CTRL-N Backing .... CTRL-B  

To exit from a menu, press ESCAPE. More next time.

Cheats

Gunsmoke, Software Invasion - Extra Lives

For as many lives as you care to have in this Golden Oldie:

      LOAD"SCREEN"
      190VDU4:VDU28,0,2,19,1:COLOUR3:COLOUR128:END
      RUN
      LOAD"CODE"
      111?&D27=x:REM x=Lives
      RUN

Remember to hit RETURN after each line and to substitute your own values for x in line 111.

Future Shock, Tynesoft - Immortality

Gain immortality with the games in-built cheat:

While on the title page, type in the word TOERAG and press SPACE.

You will now not be harmed by the creatures in the game.

Last Of The Free, Audiogenic - Immortality

Yet more immortality:

      LOAD"FREE2" (The last file on the tape)
      10 RETURN
      SAVE"FREE2" (On a blank tape)

Now press BREAK and load the game from the beginning as normal. As soon as the file C-CODE has finished loading, stop the tape and insert the tape with the saved FREE2 on and press play. The updated FREE2 will now load and you will be immortal (Well, in the game!). If you muck the process up, you can press ESCAPE to start again.

Another column finished, but look out for Superman: Man Of Steel playing tips from yours truly and the solution to Arrow Of Death Part 1 from R. Palmer in the none too distant future.

Christian Weber, EUG #11