Starmaster

How to play StarMaster online

StarMaster uses the console’s colour/black-and-white switch to flip between the galactic chart and the cockpit view. In the emulator that switch is F2, and you will use it constantly.

• Switch between galactic chart and cockpit view: F2 (the TV Type switch)
• Move the cursor on the chart / steer the ship: arrow keys
• Warp to the chosen sector / fire lasers: Space bar
• Choose the skill level (with the chart on screen): F11 (the console’s Select switch)
• Start the mission: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
• Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it

Gameplay

The galaxy is a grid of 36 sectors. On the chart your ship is shown as a cross, starbases as diamond shapes and enemy fighters as white blips. Choose a sector, press fire and you warp there. During the warp you have to steer around meteors or shoot them. Once you arrive, the view switches to your cockpit gunsight and you fight whatever is in the sector.

Everything costs energy. You start with 9,999 units. Each laser shot uses 100, and every hit from an enemy or a meteor drains between 100 and 500. An alarm sounds below 1,000. To recover, warp to a sector with a starbase and dock by steering until your sights line up with the orbiting base at its closest point. Docking refuels you and repairs all damage.

Meanwhile enemy fighters move across the map to surround your starbases. When a base falls you hear the explosion, and it vanishes from the chart. The mission ends when every enemy is destroyed, or when your ship is destroyed or runs out of energy.

Damage report

Hits can knock out your ship’s systems. A letter on the status display tells you what is broken:

• L – lasers: you can no longer fire.
• S – shields: one more hit destroys your ship.
• W – warp engines: warping uses twice as much energy.
• R – radar: enemy fighters disappear from the chart.

Skill levels and scoring

There are four ranks. The higher the rank, the more enemies and the faster they are. At the end you get a mission evaluation: the rank’s base score, plus 100 for each enemy destroyed, minus 1 for every stardate that has passed, minus 100 for each time you docked and minus 500 for each starbase lost.

Tips

• Don’t spray lasers. Every shot costs 100 energy, the same as a light hit, so wait until an enemy is in your sights.
• Dock only when you need it. Each dock costs 100 points, but losing a starbase costs 500, and losing your ship ends everything.
• Protect threatened bases first. Check the chart often and go after fighters that are closing in on a starbase.
• Be quick. Every stardate takes a point off your final score, so plan short routes between sectors.

History

StarMaster came out in June 1982 and was often compared with Star Raiders, the Atari 8-bit computer game it resembles. Reviewers liked its depth and staying power, and it received a Certificate of Merit in the Videogame of the Year category at the 1983 Arcade Awards. By 1983 it was the most successful game of Activision co-founder Alan Miller. Players who beat a set score for their rank could mail in a photo of the screen to join the “Order of the Supreme StarMaster” and receive a patch.