Quick Info

• Created with Game Maker 6.1 – 1024 x 768 full screen
• Project work time: November 5, 2004

Description

Having played the original Asteroids arcade machine as a kid (in my dentist’s office), I always have had a secret interest in simplistic games that are so addictive to play. Asteroids can be summed up in one line: Shoot things and avoid running into them. Anyone who remembers the original Asteroids will also remember the vector graphics, and how ugly they were. Being a graphics guy, I felt like making a game very similar to Asteroids, but with extras, like a mission mode and far better graphics than the original. On the graphics front, I believe I succeeded, but though the game is fun, it still just doesn’t hit that classic chord like the original did. Perhaps that’s why I gave up on working on this title.

Either way, I enjoyed working on this game at the time, and it was my first attempt at putting 3D rendered graphics into a game made with Game Maker. I really like the way the ship and the asteroids look and feel, and I still have fun time to time working my way through the survival mode. One day, I may revive the career of Jack Blaster (the game’s hero), but until then, enjoy his exploits here, in Aster Blaster.

Interesting Facts

• The music in this game comes from a StarFox (SNES) and StarFox 64 (N64). With a few of the audio filters enabled for each track, they sound pretty good, and come pretty close the original tracks in the games.
• Hover Tank 3D’s tanks use the same physics code as the space ship in Aster Blaster.
• The ship, asteroids, UFO, and other graphics (aside from the backgrounds) were all constructed and animated in trueSpace 5, and masked by hand. Each asteroid has 40 frames of animation, which is likely why a game of such little scope is a 4 MB download.