Lode Runner

From C64-Wiki

Lode Runner

Game No.	27
Developer	Doug Smith, Dane Bigham
Company	Brøderbund
Publisher	Ariolasoft, Brøderbund
Musician
HVSC-File
Release	1983
Plattform	{{{Plattform}}}
Genre	Arcade, Platformer (Single Screen)
Gamemode	1P only
Operation
Media
Language
Information

1 Voting
2 Description
3 Design
4 Hints
- 4.1 Special keyboard operations
- 4.2 Points
5 Solution
6 Cheats
7 Critics
8 Miscellaneous
- 8.1 Edit mode
- 8.2 Cover
9 Highscore
10 Links
- 10.1 Weblinks
- 10.2 Videos

[edit] Voting

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
8.29 points at 31 votes (rank 51). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	9	13. September 2005 - "Top" 6680 downs
Lemon64	8,05	6. Oktober 2006 - 54 votes
Rombach	10	September 1984 - "Crème de la Crème"
Gamebase64	10	12. Juni 2005 - "A Classic!"

[edit] Description

This game connects the ideas of Jumpman and Panic. You have to collect boxes of gold, while you are chased by guards. The story happens in a brick building with ladders and climbing poles. You can drill through bricks, with which you can build traps. You receive points for collecting boxes of gold and for trapping guards. As soon as you have collected all the boxes, a ladder appears which leads you into the next of 150 levels.

As a special there is an edit mode, where you can build your own levels.

[edit] Design

Typical side platform view on one screen. Nicely animated simple sprites. More than four colours are not visible. Sound very scarce.

[edit] Hints

The game can be controlled by the joystick in port 2.

[edit] Special keyboard operations

(CONTROL is on the C64 emulators VICE and CCS64 the TAB key on the PC keyboard)

CONTROL+A	kill the character (when you're stuck...)
CONTROL+D	switch bomb shot (in front or behind you)
CONTROL+R	reset (end game)
CONTROL+J	joystick - operation on
CONTROL+K	keyboard - operation on:
I	up
K	down
J	left
L	right
U	dig left
O	dig right
CONTROL-R	end game - start demo
CONTROL-Z	switches the level scrolling on and off (eye on and off)
Minus "-"	lowers game speed
Plus "+"	accelerates game speed
RETURN (during the demo)	shows highscore list
Run/Stop (TAB in C64S)	pause

[edit] Points

Level complete	1.500 points
Collect box of gold	250 points
Guard falls into trap	75 points
Guard dies in trap	75 points

[edit] Solution

[edit] Cheats

(Hint: Player cannot enter the Highscore)

CONTROL+F	each 1 extra life
CONTROL+U	level jump

[edit] Critics

Sledgie: "One of my favourite games of this genre. The motivation lasts for a long time, but requires good nerves, as some levels can infuriate the player."

Jammet: "Loderunner forms a queue with the burners such as Boulder Dash, Tetris and others through its simple game principle as typical for retro classics, without losing air by being poorly coloured or having a meagre sound. Many have copied it -- this is the original. It's just fun!"

Worf: "A novum was in these days the circular scrolling with which the levels could be faded in and out like in a movie. Unfortunately this was a bit slow, so with foresight it could be switched off. Fascinating in Lode Runner is the own physics, whose borders you can fathom. As in Boulder Dash there are various tricks, with which seemingly insolvable situations can be mastered. Also you can get creative yourself and build your own levels. Lode Runner is one of my absolute favourite games, even more than Boulder Dash, Archon and Elite."

Jodigi: Altogether this is a nice and good time filler, whereas nowadays there are better realisations of Lode Runner. Admittedly, the C64 version has its charme.

[edit] Miscellaneous

[edit] Edit mode

Start by pressing CONTROL-E in the demo mode

General
CONTROL-S	saves the level
CONTROL-Q	exits the editor
C	delete level
E	edit level
I	create data disk
M	move level
P	play level
S	delete highscore
Moving
I	up
M	down
J	left
K	right
I	line up
M	line down