War in Space

version 1.21

7th November 1997

Runs under DOS. Can also be used from Windows 3.x or 9x. With the help of DOSBox you can run it on modern Windows or even on your favourite flavor of Linux.

Should run perfectly on a 486 or better. The speed of the processor doesn't affect the game speed.

Programmed in object oriented Borland Pascal in a couple of boring summer days in July of 1997.

Description

War in space is a game of spaceship combat for two players.
Based upon Star Trek, the best SF series around.
Inspired by good old spacewar, which runs too fast on modern machines.

The object of the game is to survive by killing your opponent.
A ship explodes when its shield is out. The shield is affected by torpedos, phasers and sun's corona. Phasers make less damage and have smaller range then torpedos, but can be fired more rapidly.

You can turn off (and on) the sun, change the mass of the sun and choose what happens when you reach the edge of the screen.

This game is freeware. You may distribute it freely.

If you like it, you can let me know via the contact form or by posting a comment. Any comments will be appreciated.

Please do not make any changes to this game, because the vacuum of empty space preserved in the game may suck you in your computer forever.

Version history

    Changes since version 1:
  • Ships turn faster.
  • Reverse clusters command added for all those who need some help to slow down their ship.
  • Objects have mass (all masses are no longer 1).
  • The gravitational constant of the universe has changed (can't you feal it?).
    Changes since version 1.1:
  • Resistance force added.
    Changes since version 1.15:
  • Ships explode!
  • Tied results (mutual annihilations) are more possible.
    Changes since version 1.16:
  • More realistic collision of craft.
  • Four different ship designs to choose from (includes the two old ones).
    Changes since version 1.20:
  • Ships cannot get stuck in each other anymore.
  • Two more ship designs added.

Possible improvements

(in no particular order)

  • even more ship types,
  • a few circling planets the ships bounce off,
  • hostile environment,
  • stars and galaxies in the background,
  • computer opponents,
  • a Java version,
  • better graphics, ...

Any suggestions and ideas will be appreciated.

 

Download

You can't actually download this game at the moment (it seems the author has misplaced it), but be warned anyway: this game doesn't have the looks you would expect from a modern game. If you can ignore that and can make the game work (if you don't have dos or windows 95/98/ME, try using DOSBox), it's quite playable, especially if you're a bit nostalgic about old computer games.

The controls

Only listed here to give you an idea on how the game is played or if the author someday suddenly decides to create an android version with bluetooth support :)

Left player Right player
Q
Shield ->
Energy
W
Warp
E
Energy ->
Shield
7
Shield ->
Energy
8
Warp
9
Energy ->
Shield
A
Turn
Anticlockwise
S
Engage
Clusters
D
Turn
Clockwise
4
Turn
Anticlockwise
5
Engage
Clusters
6
Turn
Clockwise
Z
Fire
Torpedos
X
Reverse
Clusters
C
Fire
Phasers
1
Fire
Torpedos
2
Reverse
Clusters
3
Fire
Phasers