THE SPECTRUM GAME DATABASE

DARKSTAR

PUBLISHER
Design Design

AUTHOR
programmed by Simon (Psi) Brattell, Neil (Mott) Mottershead and
Gwaham, all from Design Design.

YEAR
1985

DESCRIPTION
Darkstar is a 3D shoot'em-up similar to Star Wars and Starstrike.

CONTROLS

INSTRUCTIONS
Please see the inlay card text.

CHEATS
One high score table consisted of the lyrics to a song.  This
song gave away the password to an encrypted program also supplied
with Dark Star.  The song was "Everyone's A Nervous Wreck", from
the Supertramp album "Breakfast In America".  The password
"Everyone's A Nervous Wreck" had to be typed exactly - even the
apostrophe.  It was released to the general world through CRASH
magazine, who DesDes quite liked, unlike Computer & Video Games,
who DesDes despised. As you will see from reading Spectacle!


SEQUELS/PREQUELS
The sequel to Dark Star was called Forbidden Planet.

INLAY CARD TEXT
If it moves, shoot it.
If it doesn't move - shoot it anyway.
If it's sqaure - fly through it.


SCORES RECEIVED

URL
ftp.dcc.uchile.cl/pub/OS/sinclair/snapshots/d/darkstar.zip

GENERAL FACTS

NOTES
Design Design are/were one of the weirdest Software houses.  If
their games had one fault, it was that they were just too damn
slick.  Dark Star is a prime example.  The programming involved
was so slick and fast, the graphics would slide past you before
you;d even realsed what was going on.  It did have the wildest
front end however, keys could be pressed that weren't supposed
to be pressed, to get hidden options, and woe betide anybody who
tried to print the high scores without a printer attached...

The High scores were always a good read - there were generally
three/four different high scores randomly chosen when the game
loaded.  Should you get on a Dark Star high score table, try
typing any of the following:

crystal          Design-Design Software
sex              Sex...don't talk to me about sex .
fuckoff          Go and swivel !
cheesecake       Mott won't make 'em anymore !
spectrum         Miles better than the MSX crap!
tonything        Hi there man
joystickjim      who ?
s.brattel        The real virgin programmer !
design-design    What a what a silly silly name !
msx              Extremely crappy JAPANESE shit !
c64              Couldn't begin to do this !
t.bridge         Want yer hobbit ?
tony             Which Tony ? (^ = Tony Thing)
ultimate         Nice shapes shame about the game !
jetsetwilly      Bug-ridden game of the decade !
starblitz        You've got to be f.....g kidding !
defenda          So tediously ssllloowwww !
invasionofthe    Too fast for you CRASH ?
rommels          What a slow tedious game !
matthewsmith     Major Wally
pinback          Want yer beachball ?
help             "NI" "NI WOM" "PETANG"
martinsmith      MY GOD ! The herring exploded !
motty            The incredible shrinking sulk !
lynn             Hello lynn !
linda            Nibble ! Nibble !
shit             You've typed enough in already !
c&vg             C&UG Complete and Utter Garbage !
kiethcampbell    You're a JERK Campbell etc .... !
mash             ZAP !
spectacle        Yes we are mad aren't we ?
robin            Happy Birthday !
meb              MEH
ql               Quite Late ? Queue Longer ?

Some other interesting strings in the game:

"What are we putting in this one ?"
"It's the conversation"
"That's a silly idea"
"Well , you think of something"
"Hmmmm , tricky ...."
"Wait ! I've got it !"
"What ?"
"Sukhwinder Ryatt"

Want yer mouse ?
Who is that girl ?
I broke my watch !
I've done it again !
Tis but a scratch !
Romans they go houses ?
How much for your women ?
Help Help I'm being repressed !
One day lad all this will be yours
I have a very great friend in Wome
That's all very well for you to say
Can I have 10,000 marbles please ?
See if you can guess what I am now
Couldn't I have just a little peril ?
For death awaits ye all with nasty big pointy teeth !

Design Design Software
 What a what a silly silly name !
Tony Thing (^)
 "Hey man ......."
Chewrubba
 "Nibble Nibble !"
Indiana Mott
 "I'll bite your ankles !"
I Nig'Em
 "How awful !"
Dipso Dave
 "Hic !"
Concorde
 "Cough ! cough !"
Only one thing remains to say .......
Who are Rainbow Software anyway ?

Instructions
Fly around the universe
If it moves shoot it
If it doesn't shoot it anyway
If it's square fly through it !
oh - while you're at it ... read the inlay !
Press SPACE to continue .

This save does not have file names so I suggest you record each
new file on
the start of a new blank tape .
DO NOT RECORD ON THE DARK STAR TAPE !
There is another ( free ! ) programme on the end of the Dark Star
tape .
{ If you can make it go ! }

 Look sunshine ... seeing as how you aint got no scratcher
attatched I don't
see as how I can scratch anything ! Just as well since I can't
stand the damn
thing !

[End of quotes]

Hold down Caps & Sym shift (ie go into Extended Mode) and press
keys 1 through to 10.  Uh, when you're on the main menu, try to
print out the high score, (with any printer disconnected, or if
you're on an emulator, print emulation set to off.)

And finally, in "Game Type" press a number *not* specified.