Paradroid 90

Game interface

1. Score
2. Current energy
3. Energy capacity

How to play

You control an Influence Droid (ID), which has the capability of taking control of other droids.

Your task is to destroy all other droids on each deck, and ultimately the entire ship. The lights will dim on a deck where all other droids have been destroyed.

To fire a plasma bolt, press the Fire button along with a direction.

To enable the transfer mode, press and hold the Fire button, then move to intersect the spark with a droid or other object. Initiating transfer mode with another droid will enter the Transfer Game, as you attempt to take control of that droid.

Lift

Initiate transfer mode with a lift to travel to another deck.

Computer console

Initiate transfer mode with a computer console to access a number of functions.

Energizer

Move underneath an energizer to replenish energy. Other droids can also use this. Can be destroyed.

Computer console

Initiating transfer mode with a computer console will allow you access to the following functions:

Log off

Return to the game

Ship data

View overall status of the ship

Deck data

View information and status of the current deck

Droid data

View information on droids you have encountered

In game statistics

View general game statistics

The Transfer Game

To take control of another droid you must win a Transfer Game against it.

At the start of the game you have a few seconds to move left/right to choose which side of the board you wish to play on.

You then have until the timer reaches the bottom to switch the majority of the elements in the centre of the screen to your colour. You do this by firing ‘pulsers’ that send a short pulse of power down wires. The number of pulser shots you have left is shown at the side of the screen.

Various circuit elements can modify the result.

Splitter

Splits power into two paths.

Joiner

Power will only exit this element if both inputs receive power.

Auto-pulser

Once activated, will continue to output constant power.

Terminator

Blocks power.

Colour switch

Swaps power to the opponent’s colour.

If you win the Transfer Game, any current host droid will be destroyed and the ID will take over the target droid as a new host. If you lose the Transfer Game, the target droid will be destroyed, along with any current host droid, or the ID itself (if it is not currently controlling a droid). The ID being destroyed results in a game over.

Story

It is the year 2390. A fleet of space freighters have been despatched to the frontier world of Basmyth in response to urgent calls for military assistance following attacks from the bordering trimorg empire. These freighters carry a skeleton crew by various droids, ranging from simple cleaning robots to complex cyborgs capable of piloting a ship. The freighters are carrying a cargo of battle and security droids to help in the defence of Basmyth. Three days ago, sub-space messages were received from two distress beacons launched from the fleet. The crew of the USF Paradroid reported being scanned from an uncharted asteroid feild, moments before the droids in the cargo deck mysteriously activated themselves, minutes later the bridge was under attack from the battle droids, and the onboard complement of crew also became hyper active. The captain of the USF Paradroid reported the bridge bulkhead doors had almost been breached and that the remaining human crew were unable to reach the shuttle bay to abandon ship.

Since the message was sent three days ago, we can only fear the worst. It is assumed that the rogue droids have taken over the ship, possibly under alien control, and will be used against the free planets. It is therefore imperative that the freighters be stopped immediately. It is too dangerous to beam military personnal aboard the freighters, but it is possible to use to use MKII prototype influence droid (ID) is a small self-powered anti droid unit. It uses anti-gravity generators to hover about. It carries its own armament, a low powered plasma bolt sufficient to damage or destroy small droids, but unable to penetrate armoured battle droids. However, it’s main feature is its ability to render an enemys droids brain unit inoperative and control the droid itself, able to direct its weapons under the protection of its armour.

The ID is also able to recharge itself from the droids energy banks but the life of the slave droid is severly shortened as its brain unit attempts regain control, inevitably resulting in burning out and destroying the droid. At this point the ID becomes a free agent once more. In order to keep itself charged up, the ID must continually gain control of a new slave droid. More powerful droids are harder to take over, but offer a better platform for taking over droids. The droid libary on the ships onboard computer carries more information on the different droids likely to be found on the freighters.