Foreword:
Back in the early 1990's there was a small software company called Team 17. Although they are now known throughout the world as being the company behind the universally successful 'Worms' franchise, the company started from far more humble beginnings and was initially dedicated to developing games solely for the Commodore Amiga home computer. Before Worms, Team 17 had several highly acclaimed games under its belt, including Project X, Body Blows and Assassin, but their most popular product by far was the Alien Breed series.
The original Alien Breed was basically an unlicensed computer game version of James Cameron's classic 80's sci-fi film 'Aliens'. The game featured space marines, a large multi-planetary corporation, Gieger-esque aliens (including eggs and little critters that suspiciously resembled face-huggers), an arsenal heavy weaponry and a familiar background story about a research station that had ceased transmitting communication. The game perfectly captured the film's sense of claustrophobia and genuine fear through its clever map designs and high-quality atmospheric visual and audio effects. Most importantly though, and unlike many games of the same genre, although ammo was strictly limited the aliens spawned continuously - meaning that if you wanted to survive you had to stay on the move.
A year or so later, Team 17 released a special edition of Alien Breed as a budget title. Featuring more levels and slightly better gameplay, this was the title from the series that was most fondly remembered by many players. Although subsequent sequels were technically superior, the essential unofficial 'Aliens' tie-in was lost and the sprites became more colourful and less sinister.
Many hours of my youth were spent in those gloomy metallic corridors, mowing down the endless hordes of alien scum while trying to reach an exit lift before the station's self destruct sequence completed. I personally completed it with a friend in one sitting (i.e. without cheating or using the level codes), but only the once. The game was hard, but once hooked it was near impossible to stop coming back for one more go. Many people continued to play it regularly even after seeing the end-game sequence and all the game had to offer - which is the sure sign of a classic.
Several years have since passed and unfortunately the glory days of the Amiga have long gone. Alien Breed has remained a fond memory to many, but because of the current state of the computer/console gaming market it seems unlikely that Team 17 will ever release a much needed update of the game. In the past few years they've had two new Alien Breed products in development, but no-one was willing to put down the cash to publish either game. Things may change, but for now it looks as though the Alien Breed series is over.
But hang on... All is not yet lost. A quick search of the internet will pull up a number of home-brew projects dedicated to recreating this classic game. At the time of writing, this remake is the only one that has reached the point of completion (at least with regard to re-creating the one-player experience). However, as with any remake, a few things have been changed from the Amiga version we all know and love, but the intention behind these changes was (where possible) to improve upon the original. We could have created a carbon copy of Alien Breed SE, but hey, there's this thing called emulation that can help you if that's what you are looking for. Instead we decided to use the same look-and-feel to create an entirely new 15-level game so that Alien Breed veterans can battle through a fresh campaign.
Background:
2205... The galaxy once again stands unwittingly on the brink of war...
The colonisation. It had happened so fast, first the break-throughs, initial tentative steps and finally the stampede. People rushing from the smog ridden, claustrophobic earth bases to the freedom and promise of enterprising stellar colonies.
The dawn of widespread and economical space travel brought with it new legacies, new crimes and a new era of greed. As tensions inevitably spiralled, the Interplanetary Corps (IPC) were born as a peace-keeping force.
Thirteen years ago, IPC members Johnson and Stone successfully crushed an alien invasion on ISRC-4, a remote deep space research station located out on the frontier of the Intex network. Nine years later, almost as though history was repeating itself, Federation Colony Alpha-Five was overrun by the same alien menace. The invasion was thwarted, but there were no survivors - a total of 178 colonist families were lost.
Apart from a few isolated encounters, the last four years have passed peacefully. Times have changed in many ways - internal conflicts between the six major races of the Federation Colonies have ceased, every member aware of the possibility of invasion, everyone afraid.
But the uneasy peace has finally come to an end. Following a brief and desperate burst of SOS signals, deep space outpost CL1-M4X has ceased transmitting scheduled Federal communications. You are the only IPC unit within the same sector and HQ have ordered you to investigate...
Requirements
For AlienBreed2005_Obliteration_NEW.exe
Windows XP - untested on windows 98 / 95 / ME / 2000
DirectX V9.c - you can download the latest version from http://www.microsoft.com/
Some older spec PC's may run better with AlienBreed2005_Obliteration_OLD.exe 09/09/05,
Esp. Pre-Geforce1
Windows XP or Windows 2000 - untested on windows 98 / 95 / ME.
DirectX V9.c - you can download the latest version from http://www.microsoft.com/
Some laptops and TFT screens do not support 400x300 mode, you can play windowed
by opening the config and change fullscreen=1 to 0 or try the new exe build
above.
Installing/Running Alien Breed 2005/Obliteration:
Simply create a new directory and extract the ZIP file contents,
Nothing is added to your registry or system directories, nice and clean.
The package includes 5 files:
AlienBreed2005_Obliteration_NEW.exe - using the new sprite engine Direct3D,
see Updates for changes.
AlienBreed2005_Obliteration_OLD.exe - slightly smoother, not all GFX cards support
400x300 - release
09/09/05
data1.xav
readme.html (this file)
config.txt
Playing the Game:
In Alien Breed 2005/Obliteration you play the role of an IPC Marine sent to investigate deep space outpost CL1-M4X. The game is viewed from a top-down perspective (similar to the 80's arcade classic 'Gauntlet') and although your mission objectives will vary for each level, you will generally have to fight your way through a maze of rooms and corridors in order to achieve a goal then find the deck's exit-lift.
The in-game controls are:
Keyboard
Player Movement: Arrow/Cursor Keys
Fire Weapon: Ctrl - Left or Right
Change Weapon (if available): Shift - Left or Right
Turn on/off Hand Map (if available): M
Use Intex Terminal: Spacebar
In game Menu: ESC key
Joypad Controls
D-Pad - Movement
Button1 - Fire
Button2 - activate terminal
Button3 - Next Weapon
Button4 - Menu
M on keyboard for Map
As with the original game (on which this is based), the aliens spawn continuously - so it is recommended that you stay on the move. There are also a variety of essential pick-ups that you will come across whilst playing the game. Where possible, it is advisable that you make maximum use of the space station's resources - in other words, collect all the loot!
Pick-ups:
Ammo: One of the major military break-throughs of the 22nd century was the production of the innovative 'one-size-fits-all' Intex ammo clip. This marvel of military engineering is interchangeable between all Intex weapon types - so the clip that works with your machine gun will also function with an Intex flamethrower or laser cannon.
Credits: There are two different types of credit pick-ups to collect, each with a different monetary value. The green credit cards are worth 100 credits and the considerably rarer gold cards are worth 1000. These cards can be found throughout the complex, either stashed away behind locked doors or seemingly scattered around the corridors - probably in the death-throws of a hapless victim whilst being torn limb from limb by the invading aliens. Credits can be used to buy new weapons and equipment from the station's Intex computer terminals.
Key Cards: As you are not a resident of the CL1-M4X space station, none of the doors have been programmed to open for you. Therefore you will generally require the use of key cards to gain access to many areas of the complex (although a clip of ammo will do the same job in most cases - but more on that later). Each key can only be used once and there won't always be enough keys on a level to open all of the doors - so make sure you plan ahead and use them sensibly. If you run out of keys then you can buy more from an Intex computer terminal (as long as you have sufficient credits). Of course, the alternative is to blast your way through locked doors - but this is not recommended unless you have a healthy supply of ammo.
First Aid: Engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the aliens is hazardous to your health. Every time you are hit by an alien your health bar will deplete, but this can be replenished by picking up a first aid kit. Again, these can also be purchased from the Intex terminals.
Extra Life: Does exactly what it says on the tin. This rare pick-up can be found in difficult to reach or out-of-the-way locations, so it's worth exploring each level properly (where possible). You can also buy these from the Intex terminals at a somewhat extortionate price.
Interactive Objects:
Doors: As long as you have a key card, the station's doors and airlocks will open automatically as the player character runs into them. The alternative method is to blast the door open - the amount of ammo that this practice requires is dependent upon how powerful your weapon is. Note that this illegal activity is not endorsed by Intex Systems.
Blast/Fire Doors: These re-enforced doors are specifically designed to withstand the force of a controlled nuclear explosion, so it should be clear that you'll be unable to shoot your way through these with your arsenal of Intex weaponry (unless you're using a 1000 megaton fusion-missile - which is definitely not a recommended practice within the confines of a populated space station). The majority of blast doors that you will come across are automatically controlled by the station's security computers, but some have an emergency manual trigger-switch. To activate one of these just fire off a few rounds at the switch. Note that once triggered, a blast door cannot be re-opened.
Intex Computer Terminals: Intex Systems is the corporation behind many of the technological breakthroughs of the 22nd century. The corporation is also responsible for both the huge increase in colonisation and for most of the complex computer and droid operated space stations - all of which have Intex computer terminals networked throughout. These offer many services to the station's crew including a spot of light relief (Space Tennis - the very latest entertainment craze), along with first aid packs, ammo clips, deck maps, etc., all available instantly via the internal matter displacement unit. To use an Intex terminal, move your player character towards it until you make contact and then press the Spacebar to activate it. After the boot-up sequence you'll be presented with a menu from which you can access the system's services. Use the cursor keys and Ctrl to move around and select options from the terminal menu.
About This Remake:
Alien Breed 2005/Obliteration comes with *NO* warranty whatsoever. Although
the game has been put together by a small team of professionals, there is no
guarantee that it will be 100% compatible with your computer system. We encourage
users who have problems with the game to contact us with the details, but I'm
afraid that we cannot promise that we'll be able to get the game to work for
everyone.
Please head to the forum with any queries about this software or if you wish to feature
it in an article/review, note replies may take up-to a few days.
Conditions of use
Alien Breed 2005/Obliteration is Freeware. This means that you can freely distribute
copies amongst your friends, family, colleagues and generally anyone else who
you think would enjoy the game. The only conditions of this are that (a) the
copy you distribute must be kept together with all the original and un-altered
files (including this one), (b) no fee should be paid/charged or donations received
for copies of the software and/or documentation (excluding the minimal cost
of the media on which it is distributed), (c) Alien Breed 2005/Obliteration
comes with *NO* warranty whatsoever. Although the game has been put together
by a small team of professionals, there is no guarantee that it will be 100%
compatible with your computer system. We encourage users who have problems with
the game to contact us with the details, but I'm afraid that we cannot promise
that we'll be able to get the game to work for everyone. (d) you are not allowed
to distribute the software and/or documentation with other products, commercial
or otherwise without the express permission of the author.
Please head to the forum to contact us if you wish to include the game on a magazine cover disc or feature it in an article/review. Especially if you work for 'Retro Gamer' magazine - we'd love to contribute to a feature about the Alien Breed series!
Contact:
http://jesterpunk.proboards46.com/
Credits
FlashJesterPunk:
Alien Breed 2005/Obliteration Project Leader & Coder
Bapsilon:
Original Alien Breed (PC) Graphics & Additional Pixel Art
Heavy Stylus
Documentation & Bug Hunter
<< Note: Apart from the above, all sound and graphics have been taken
directly from the Amiga version of Alien Breed. >>
Support
If you come across a bug/problem please include any relevant information known
about your setup, i.e. OS & version, DirectX version, graphics card, and
as detailed as possible description of the events leading up to the problem
and the problem itself, also any idea why it happened might be a great help,
note replies may take a few days.
Cheats and Settings
The following options can be set in config.txt, remember to keep a backup just
in case.
SCREEN fullscreen=1
you can play windowed by changing fullscreen to 0
CHEATS enabled=1
for cheats during game press L for lives, C credits, K keys and A ammo.
AUDIO enabled=1 music=1
to play without sounds set enabled to 0
or without music change 1 to 0
Updates
17/06/05 - Initial Release
20/06/05 - Retreat Firing & Frame Flicker Fix
07/07/05 - Improvements to run on more PC's
09/09/05 - Changes for level editing use.
01/01/07 - New Sprite Engine, the
new engine scales up to 800x600. Recursive barrel explosions and alpha explosions
have gone in too.