Klax
Manufacturer: Atari, 1989
Project Leader: John Ray (RAY)
Design team: David S. Akers (DSA), Brad Fuller, Tim Hubberstey
(TJH), Farrokh Khodadadi (FRK), Pat McCarthy (PMC), Jerry Momoda,
Mark Stephen Pierce (MSP), John Salwitz (JFS)
Description:
Playing with colored tiles, they come somersaulting down a ramp
towards a pit that's 5X5 in width and height, and you need to catch
them on a paddle, from where you next drop them into the pit. You
need to clear at least 3 of the same color, and on some levels,
place them in an X-shaped formation in order to accomplish the goal.
The paddle can hold up to five tiles. As long as the green light is
on below the paddle, you can pile more tiles on the paddle. When the
red light appears, you must flip at least one tile in a bin or toss
it back on the ramp before you can collect any more tiles. You can
flip tiles into a bin as long as the green light is on below the
bin. To succeed in Klax, make points and also complete each wave.
Create a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row of at least three
tiles (just like in tic-tac-toe) in the bins to make a Klax and make
points. You receive the most points for diagonals, less for
horizontals and the least for verticals. When you create a Klax, the
tiles in the Klax disappear to make room for more tiles in the bins.
Each wave has a different task to be completed, which is shown on
the To Go Meter. This task could be making a certain number of
Klaxes or points or surviving a certain number of tiles. Complete
the task before too many tiles drop in the pit and you complete the
wave. When you complete a wave, you receive bonus points for the
tiles remaining on the ramp, on the paddle, and any empty spaces in
the bins. If you fail, you can start again at the same wave. The
game has five different types of waves and more than five different
backgrounds. There are five waves per level, and one hundred waves
to complete.
The game does not have a clock for you to race against, but as your
playing time increases, the tiles cascade down the ramp faster and
faster.
Point scores:
3 Vertical: 50 points.
4 Vertical: 10000 points.
5 Vertical: 15000 points.
3 Horizontal: 1000 points.
4 Horizontal: 5000 points.
5 Horizontal: 10000 points.
3 Diagonal: 5000 points.
4 Diagonal: 10000 points.
5 Diagonal: 20000 points.
Large 'X': 80000 points.
Big Sandwich: 100000 - 440000 points.
Notes:
David Akers originally programmed this in Amiga Basic, then ported
it line-by-line to C. It was written up in just a few weeks on the
same software as Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters.
Video link: click
here.
