Star Avenger II
Release type: Shareware
Release date: March 8, 1995
Levels: 10
Author: Adam Tyner, Alan Caudel
Website: On Target Programming
Related games: Star Avenger, Star Avenger III, Star Avenger IV
The sequel to Tyner and Caudel's Star Avenger.
Shooting stars up health -- one of the few themes continued from previous game.
Basically the opposite of the first Star Avenger, in concept and in controls. Still a single-screen game where you collect shooting stars to gain hit points. Instead of eight-way shooting, with the plus and enter keys to move up and down, we have eight-way movement with the enter key to shoot. the shooting is still continuous when you hold down the button, but here there are actual obstacles in the form of enemies and the minor platforming involved to claim the crystal in each level -- a key that will unlock the exit. Yes, this time the game gives a discrete objective.
Single-screen action platformer with a small character, calling to mind all manner of early arcade and PC games, from Donkey Kong to that forerunner of all game creation systems, Lode Runner.
It's a good concept, and the stark change from the previous game is notable. If there's a problem here, it's in Game-Maker's finicky treatment of clipping and edge detection. Reasonably enough, the game gives its character a predefined arc for each jump. You start here, you'll end there. It works in other Game-Maker games, and in many NES games like Castlevania. Here, the narrow spaces between narrow platforms, combined with the staggered height of the platforms and the one-way solidity of their upper surfaces, makes for somewhat erratic behavior.
It's not something that you can easily work around. If you remove the requirement that the jumps finish their animations, you lose a certain precision and polish -- but you do give the player the ability to adjust the jumps on the fly. The mechanics will still be off, but at least the player can manually correct. On the other hand, the player shouldn't have to make up for the engine's mechanics and someone unaccustomed to Game-Maker's weirdness probably wouldn't know to do so.
Contents
Story
After crushing the swarm of aliens in Star Avenger 1, you are shot down by a remaining alien ship. You manage to survive a crash landing on a nearby planet.
You happen upon an alien station. You notice a strange door through which aliens are teleporting to and from different areas on the planet. You decide to try to make it through the door way, hoping you will finally find a ship that you can take to the inter-galactic teleportal....
Instructions
Side-view Stages
Controls
UP
jump left jump right
\ ^ /
LEFT < > RIGHT
/ v \
down left down right
DOWN
(enter) - fires weapon
Object
Try to reach the green crystal at the top of the screen.
Once you have the crystal, go back to the door at the bottom of the screen.
Wait for the small red light to turn green, and then jump into the door.
Hints
You will have several seconds at the beginning of each stage when there will be no monsters on the field. Use this time wisely to advance towards the top.
Collecting shooting stars will increase your hit points more than the original two that you are given.
Outer Space Flying
Controls
Controls for this portion are identical to the other stages.
Object
Try to find the inter-galactic teleporter. Once it has been reached, fly directly into the center as the star is flashing.
Hints
Don't get killed.
You can outrun everything. Time it right, and go for one clean sweep towards the center.
Credits
Star Avenger 2
Programed by:
Muchas Gracias a:
Availability
This game is not known to have been distributed in any form, prior to its addition to the Archive.
Archive History
On October 20, 2010, Caudel posted a comment to a YouTube video of Peach the Lobster, under the name dummyduckrulz; following up the conversation, on June 29, 2011 he provided a link to a collection of games recently uncovered by Adam Tyner. This initial archive included:
- Adam's Birthday Game
- The Adam's Birthday Saga Continues
- Adam's B-Day 3: The Saga Continues
- Adam 98
- Big Fat Tank!
- Blip!
- The Complete Bone Adventures
- Dummy Duck II
- Dummy Duck 3
- FireAxe
- Lil' Choklit Donit Man in: Choklit Terror!!
- Mister Spiff I
- Mister Spiff III: Freeze! Mother! Freeze!
- Raiden II
- Return of the Jedi
- Scurvy the Squirrel
- Star Avenger II
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Links
Downloads
- Star Avenger 2 (120 kB)
- Level 1 map (5.1 kB)
- Level 2 map (5.6 kB)
- Level 3 map (5.4 kB)
- Level 4 map (6.7 kB)
- Level 5 map (6.4 kB)
- Level 6 map (5.8 kB)
- Level 7 map (6 kB)
- Level 8 map (6 kB)
- Level 9 map (51.8 kB)
