Planet Command C64

You'll know the 1980 arcade classic where cities wait for the end under a sky full of falling missiles. Planet Command moves that last stand into orbit. Each world floats in the middle of the screen, and missiles streak in from every direction. Your single gun turret circles the planet's surface, spinning round to meet each threat and firing outward into the dark.

Start at Earth. Push out past Mars, the asteroid belt and the gas giants to icy Pluto, then turn for a desperate run sunward to Venus and scorching Mercury. That's ten worlds with five waves each, and when you've saved them all, the invasion starts again, faster.

Every planet fights back differently.

Each world brings its own attackers:

• splitting ICBMs on Earth
• zig-zagging dust devils on Mars
• rock shards ripping across Ceres
• swooping storm spores in Jupiter's skies
• drones around Saturn that dodge your blasts
• ice lances that pick up speed as they fall
• dark comets out by Neptune
• void darts that freeze, then lunge
• acid rain that splits apart over Venus
• solar flares on Mercury, which throw the lot at you at once

Every planet handles differently.

This is the twist. Each world has its own inertia, and you'll have to master it to survive. On Earth the turret stops dead the moment you let go. Jupiter's crushing mass makes it heavy and slow to turn. Neptune sends it skating past its target, and Venus's thick air makes it sluggish. Mercury is a fast, scorching drift. Learning to steer each one is half the battle.

Chain it. Combo it. Rave it.

One perfectly timed blast can set off a chain reaction across the sky. Each extra kill in a chain multiplies your points, and the screen erupts with rainbow combo callouts. Big enough chains flood the sky with strobing acid-house colour. Shoot down the motherships cruising overhead to earn extra smart bombs, and score your way to bonus cities.

Features

• 10 planets × 5 waves, then the whole solar system again, faster each lap
• 10 enemy types with their own movement, from splitting warheads to evasive drones
• Per-planet turret inertia, so no two worlds handle the same
• Chain-reaction combos, score multipliers, wave and planet bonuses
• Motherships, smart bombs and bonus cities every 10,000 points
• Shaded multicolour planets, including Saturn's rings and Pluto's heart
• Custom sci-fi font, colour-cycling logo, smooth acid scroller and attract-mode demo
• Top 5 Hall of Fame with initials entry
• Full joystick or keyboard control

How to play

Controls (joystick in port 2, or keyboard):

Action	Joystick	Keyboard
Spin turret left / right	Left / Right	Z / X
Launch missile / detonate	Fire	Return
Smart bomb	Up	Space

Defend your cities. Eight cities line each planet's surface. If enemy missiles wipe out all eight, it's game over.

Firing. Your missiles fly straight out from the turret and have a proximity fuse, so they explode automatically when they get close to an incoming missile. Press fire again while one is in flight to detonate it early. Use this to catch missiles in the blast radius or to start a chain.

Chains. Anything caught in an explosion blows up too, and that blast can catch more. Each kill in a chain scores more than the last.

Watch your turret. It can block incoming missiles with its own hull, but it takes the hit and is stunned for a moment. It's a lifesaver in a pinch, but not a strategy.

Smart bombs. You start with 3, and you can hold up to 9. Each one wipes every missile from the sky. Shoot down a passing mothership to earn another.

Bonuses. Clear a wave to earn a bonus for every city still standing. Lose none and it's a PERFECT! wave, which pays extra. Every 10,000 points rebuilds a destroyed city.

Master the drift. Read the inertia rating when each planet appears. On slippery worlds, start turning early and let the turret glide into position.

Running the game

• planetcommand64.prg Works in any C64 emulator (such as VICE), on The C64 / TheC64 Maxi, or on an Ultimate 64 or a real C64. Load it and type RUN.
• planetcommand64.d64 is a disk image. Type LOAD"*",8,1 then RUN. It's 132 blocks, so a fastloader cartridge is recommended on real hardware.

Made for PAL machines and tested in the VICE emulator. The Hall of Fame is kept in memory only, so it resets when you switch off.

Early access.  So let me know if you think it's too hard....or too easy!

Defend the planets. Ride the drift. Keep on raving!

Download Bonus! Five free classic SID remixes from my YouTube music channel! Technician Ted - YouTube