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View Full Version : ANN: Alawar Releases Strike Ball



DadTimesTwo
10-01-2004, 09:13 AM
Alawar Entertainment has released Strike Ball, a 3D accelerated brick-busting game from Owl Studio.

As in Alawar’s popular Magic Ball game, the player uses a bat at the bottom of the screen to hit a ball that destroys bricks at the top of the display. To set itself apart, Alawar’s new arcade offering allows the player to demolish elaborate animated scenes taken from the real world. Among the scenarios in Strike Ball is a level in which three battleships are attacking an enemy fortification. Players also have the opportunity to tear down an elaborate tank and stop bulls from rampaging across an open plain. Strike Ball contains four episodes totaling 50 levels.

Strike Ball also introduces several enhancements to the classic Arkanoid-style gameplay at its core. Among the improvements are gun emplacements on either side of each level that can be activated with a special bonus. (Some levels contain suspended bricks that are beyond the reach of the ball - but not the guns.) Also, when a level approaches completion, Strike Ball spawns a bonus that allows the player to advance to the next map, thereby eliminating the tedium of clearing away a few pesky bricks.

Rounding out Strike Ball’s features are 20 bonuses, three difficulty levels, multiple control options and visual effects by artists who’ve worked on Hollywood films. What’s more, Owl Studios is working on additional levels and bonuses that will be available as free upgrades for registered users.

Screenshots: 1 (http://www.alawar.com/upload/iblock/b15067b6dbfd11cff256c3f86562d610.jpg) 2 (http://www.alawar.com/upload/iblock/f01715449e2b097b23e95d09a6b3b26c.jpg)

Demo: http://www.alawar.com/download/StrikeBall.exe

CONTACT INFORMATION:
David Laprad
Alawar Entertainment
615-597-8128
davidlaprad@yahoo.com
http://www.alawar.com

Dan MacDonald
10-01-2004, 10:25 AM
I just wanted to say that I really like the way these announcements are formatted. For all you other would be News & Announcements forum posters, the Alawar N&A posts are a prefect example of how to post in this forum.

Jim Buck
10-01-2004, 10:44 AM
This looked really cool enough to check out. However, when I go to "New Game" and choose the first (only) set of levels that are open, it takes me to a nag screen that says "You already complete(sic) of demo levels" and asks me to hit "Continue" after a few seconds.. and immediately takes me back to the menu. :(

Bluecat
10-01-2004, 11:13 AM
The game looks great, one little thing though. At the top of the screen (in the screenshots you provided) you have "Lifes", the plural of Life is "Lives". Fixing that would make it look a little more professional.

cheers

John

Mike Boeh
10-01-2004, 11:36 AM
This looked really cool enough to check out. However, when I go to "New Game" and choose the first (only) set of levels that are open, it takes me to a nag screen that says "You already complete(sic) of demo levels" and asks me to hit "Continue" after a few seconds.. and immediately takes me back to the menu. :(
Same exact problem here...

Night Elf
10-01-2004, 02:02 PM
This looked really cool enough to check out. However, when I go to "New Game" and choose the first (only) set of levels that are open, it takes me to a nag screen that says "You already complete(sic) of demo levels" and asks me to hit "Continue" after a few seconds.. and immediately takes me back to the menu. :(

Same behaviour here. (But here it says 'You have complete demo levels.' :confused: )

DadTimesTwo
10-02-2004, 08:41 AM
Thanks for pointing out the problem with the demo. I've notified the gang at Alawar, so a new download should be up soon.

Andy
10-02-2004, 10:16 AM
But announcement was formated pretty nice anyway... :D

DadTimesTwo
10-04-2004, 01:04 PM
The shareware version works now:

http://www.alawar.com/download/StrikeBall.exe

Jim Buck
10-04-2004, 01:11 PM
It seemed pretty cool, but it ran like a dog on my work machine (balls and gun turrets taking huge steps when moving):

2.99GHz P4
1GB RAM
GeForce FX 5900 Ultra (256MB)

And Doom3 runs very well on this system.

Strangely enough, it works fine on my home setup (laptop):

1.2GHz P3
512MB RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 (64MB)

Anyway, the game is pretty cool - a breakout concept I've never seen before done very well.

Larry Hastings
10-07-2004, 05:04 PM
It ran fine on my machine.

However, I am suspicious of the collisison response code. If a ball is travelling straight up, and hits a cylinder near its edge, it should bounce off to the side rather than straight back down. Similarly, if a ball is travelling straight up and hits a brick whose surface is at a 30 degree angle, it should bounce off at a pronounced angle rather than heading straight back down.

That, combined with new balls launched off a paddle bouncing straight up, means you can launch a new ball then walk away from the computer. When you come back, either you'll have cleared that entire column, or you'll have gotten "catch mode" turned on. In no circumstance will you have lost the ball ;)

But these are minor complaints; as previous posters said, this is an interesting twist on a well-established genre. Best of luck.