Space Taxi

In Space Taxi is a computer game for the Commodore 64 was programmed by John F. Kutcher and in 1984 brought out by Muse Software.

Action

It is an action game where you must control a flying taxi. In 24 different levels, which are for the 24 hours in a day, you have to transport passengers from one place to the next. The difficulty lies in the taxi at the numerous and sometimes moving past obstacles heading without touching. One comes with an object together or going out of the cab of the fuel, so you lose a life.

In each level there are a number of platforms. Randomly a customer, which wants to be taken to a different platform ( "Hey, taxi! " ) Appears on one of the platforms. For this purpose you have to maneuver the taxi to the platform with the customer and extend the landing gear just before touch down. After the passenger has gone, you have to fly it to the desired platform (eg " pad one please" ). The faster you succeed this, the higher off the tip. With the money you can refill the taxi at gas stations, which are present in many levels, with fuel.

After a certain number of served passengers wishes the next guest to be flown out of the level ( "Up please" ). A lock at the top of the screen opens, through which you can get to the next level, respectively, to the next hour of the day. In the 24- hour game mode the game starts at 1:00 in the morning with the simplest level called " Short'n Sweet " and ends at 24:00 in the evening with the difficult Level " On the Move", in which all platforms back and forth. However, it is also limited to the level of a certain game level and complete the 24 levels in random order.

Each level has its own theme and its own obstacles. In a level you must dodge snowflakes in the next interfere with radio stations with the control of the taxi and the third one has to resist the attraction of a black hole.

It is through his revolutionary for its time speech became the game soon achieved cult status. The spoken sentences include, inter alia, "Hey, taxi! ", " Thanks" and "Up please". These are also spoken in different tones of voice, so that one had the feeling that you are dealing with different passengers.

Levels

Space Taxi includes 24 regular levels, which are listed as following: In addition to the name and the number of platforms ( pads) is specified, an F stands for a tank platform. Special designate specific obstacles or changes in physical properties.

Secret menu

If it is possible to complete all 24 levels in one piece, so you get into a secret 25th level. In this "Secret Screen" is one with "Welcome to ... MUSE WORLD " welcomes and will appear on three platforms three obstacles that relate to other games by Muse Software. So an ambulance for the Rescue Squad is ( also John F. Kutcher, 1983), a soldier with a swastika for Castle Wolfenstein ( Silias S. Warner, 1983) and a shooting robot on RobotWar ( Silias S. Warner, 1981 appeared on the Apple II ).

At the bottom of the screen is the real secret: " Eat the pie until a" fire " glows, then go up until it stops, touch a star and you'll see the Secret Menu! ". The passages in bold here are highlighted by a different color in the game and give the key to open the "secret menu ": Therefore one must first go to the Introduction screen ( the home screen joystick downwards ) and the key to which the highlighted passages of the "Secret Menu " refer, press: First, the π key ( it was on the C64, with emulators Shift Remove use ) repeatedly until the word "fire" in the bottom row changes color ( " ... until a " fire" glows ... "). Then the ↑ key ( this does not mean the cursor, use with emulators removal ) until the color is black again, and finally the * key.

It now appears the "Secret Menu" with the following options: Create your own demo, off sprite collisions, manual level selection in a random order (random shift) and information about the programmer.

Ports and successor

By Andreas Spreen appeared a port of Space Taxi for the Amiga. However, this version had different levels and deviated in some other respects from the original. Elmsoft brought in 1987 a version for the Amstrad CPC out.

With Space Taxi 2 Twilight Games 2004 brought an official, authorized successor out.

In addition, published and appear, due to the cult status of the game, a vast number of unofficial clones whose gameplay is similar to that of the original. Examples of such clones can be found on Egyptian Space Taxi Space or pizza, there Space Taxi versions were each designed as a flash online game.

On smartphones appeared previously on Windows Phone the remake Sketch taxi, which for the time being, the first eight levels contains. Sketch taxi was published in 2012 by Vernal Equinox. The name of the game is reminiscent of the style of the sketch graph that is loving and cartoon -like unset. On new in the game that levels - can be freely chosen and several achievements that can reach the player - once unlocked. Otherwise adheres Sketch taxi both the level design and the gameplay of the original.