Bubble Trouble Made under worldwide licence from : LORE GAMES LTD Introduction The game is centered around a research scientist called Travis who works at a high energy institute experimenting with dense matter and the theoretical creation of black holes for interstellar travel. You are Travis, arriving in a huge world built of bubbles. Travis is luckily rescued by a friendly denizen of this bubble world, one of the rare free floating air bubbles. The bubble is able to help him in a variety of ways. He can use it to negotiate the world, and to protect him from the hostile environment. The only hope of survival is to find the right radioactive deposits that will allow Travis to use the projector to go home again. Meanwhile, he can use his equipment to help defend the bubble, by causing it to manipulate the surface of the bubble, and send shots streaking across the void. Travis can wander around a level freely to search for the deposits that will send him home. There are five sections to the world where radioactive deposits of the sort needed can be found, starting in the core of the bubble world where Travis arrives. Travis must traverse each level, looking for all the deposits that exist there before he can afford to waste the engery for the short jump to the next section. When all of the radioactive deposits on a level have been collected, the level fades away as Travis teleports into the unknown. Main Game Gameplay The player must kill or avoid monsters, collect powerups, and basically try to stay alive to reach the end of the game. Each section is a maze of corridors and chambers populated with the denizens of bubble world. These must be negotiated to find the radioactive deposits, and finish the section. The walls do not normally damage the player, and by learning to bounce shots off them, or by bouncing off them to avoid monsters, they can actually prove very useful. The player initially has three "lives" displayed along the bottom edge of the screen, starting from the right hand side. More can be collected as powerups, up to a maximum of five. The life in fact represents the state of the bubble; how much air it can provide, and how the surface is holding up to repeated attacks. This is shown graphically as an all-in-one energy bar. When energy is reduced to zero, then the bubble bursts, leaving the player hurtling down through the void. If the player is in possession of more "lives", these repessent the player being picked up by another bubble of the same kind that saved him before. The player must then restart the section from scratch, but all monsters killed remain dead, and any powerups collected are not replaced (the player keeps his store of radioactive deposits found). Energy is lost with/being hit by monsters, and optionally from using the air up from inside the bubble. When a section is completed however, all energy is restored during the mini-jump to the next section. One option allowed is "Use Scanner". This allows the player to use his equipment as an impromptu scanner for the radioactive deposits (gameplay is paused). Most of the nearer deposits are shown, relative to the player in distance and direction, but the player still has to find the best route to get to them. The Sections There are 5 levels :- 1. World Core (4 deposits to find). This is the red volcanic core of the bubble world. Here are a few of the gaseous deposits that Travis needs, but he is still plagued by a challenging bestiary :- Rockers Giant swinging drawing pins that can catch you out with a sudden swoop. Lavadropbots These simple guard robots drop noxious things on the player from above, if given half a chance. Hi voltage shocks These regular flow of electrons spark between certain sections where the walls are close together. In addition to these are the creatures of animal intelligence that plague the entire bubble world :- Pulsers These simple energy bubbles try to absorb their prey to feed their inner furnaces Binary bubbles These rotating pairs of bubbles are joined together, and use their denseness at either end to bludgeon opponents to pieces. Toxic bubbles These creatures are one of the most dangerous denizens of the bubble world. Not only can they quickly dissolve opponents with their murky fluids, but they can shoot off minature versions of themselves with great accuracy. 2. The Deep (5 deposits). This is the deep blue sea of bubble world. Different creatures to the rockers etc. of the previous level lurk here :- Snappers These robotic fish try to pierce the surface of enemy bubbles with their sharp metal fins and maws. Shoals Dangerous shoals of fish with very sharp teeth. Crabs Giant crustaceans which attach themselves to the walls. These creatures are almost impossible to damage, and they shoot out dense silicon bubbles with deadly force. 3. Bubble Caverns (6 deposits). The bubble caverns contain myriad points of light. It is hard to tell whether they are stars or the glint of precious stones. The walls are solid enough though, and some of the more pointed scenery in this silicon jungle is definately to be steered well clear of. The monsters unique to this level are :- Stalactites Less a monster than a protrusion Flamejets Another 'passive' feature of this section are the jets of flame that issue from some of the walls. Domeflyers These fly-like robots glide from side-to-side, but can use their anti-grav globes to move up and down too. Slimeslingers These creatures are attached to the wall; practically indestructible, they shoot forth slimy shots at nearby prey. 4. Cloud Kingdom (7 deposits). The cloud kingdom looks like it sounds. Less variably populated than other sections, the denizens are no less deadly, and have come to dominate. Ravens These birds may look slow, but their peck is deadly. Eagles The giant eagles that dominate this section can tear your bubble apart in next to no time. Advice is to steer clear. 5. Bubble City (8 deposits). By far the most dangerous part of the Bubble World, only the most powerful creatures reside here. The bubble city has a strangely unnatural look about it, almost hypnotic. The creatures that live here are not welcoming. Hi-voltage shocks Similar to those found in the world core, these shocks are artificially generated. Hover-Bots The guardians of the city, these bots move about at great speed, and fire out electrical shock patterns that cannot be shot down. Moreover their shots can pass through walls, which makes them doubly dangerous. Ring-spinners The rulers of bubble world, get too close and you are history. Winning When the last level has been completed, the player is shown activating the projector from within the bubble against a background of stars and planets. He shrinks to a point along the path of the rays and disappears with a star like twinkle. Congratulations text is zoomed in, the victory theme is played and text is scrolled on, explaining that you arrived home safely, and sold your story to the papers! The final score is displayed. To leave here, the player must restart. Game Over (man) When Travis loses his last bubble, his fall remains unchecked. Travis is shown in close up, falling head first - against the background of the section he was in. He falls off the screen with a despairing yell and a meaty explosion is heard (this could be the pressure getting to him...). Game Over text is zoomed up and the defeat theme is played. The final score is displayed. To leave here, the player must restart. PowerUps Extra Energy - These are smaller versions of the main bubble. When joined to the main bubble by moving over them, they replenish the air supply, and strengthen the surface tension. Power shots - This find is of a number of densely packed multi-cell bubbles, which make far more effective weapons for a limited number of shots. Shield - This high pressure silicon based bubble gives extra strength to the bubble for a limited time, reducing energy loss from being hit. Extra Life - This is in fact a special bubble that sustains the player when he loses the main bubble, until he can find a replacement. Bonus Score - Making a find of rare and precious items is shown as a bonus score of varying value. Radioactive Deposits - These are needed to complete a section and move on.