The UFO (Tsuruzo Shigematsu)

Title – The UFO
System – NEC PC-6001
Author – 重松津留三 (Tsuruzo Shigematsu)
Publication – Program Pochette – ’84 Volume 1
Page Scans – 1 2 3
Preserved By – Dustin Hubbard (Hubz)
Recommended Emulator – PC6001VW30

Download ROM

Loading the Game –

– Run your PC-6001 emulator and make sure it is in PC-6001 mode.

Tape Version

– If you reset the computer it should autoboot the tape. But if not type CLOAD hit enter then after it loads the program type RUN and hit enter.

Description & Instructions

You must shoot and guide a missle through an asteroid field and try to aim for the center of the UFO for the most points. You only get 3 misses so make them count! Hit y at the end to replay.

Controls –

Arrow Keys – Move missile once launched.
Spacebar – Launches missile and slows it down while it’s moving when held.

Magazine Article Translation from Google Gemini (FYI This may not be 100% accurate!)

ザ・ユーフォー (Za Yūfō)
The UFO

For PC-6001
By 重松津留三 (Tsuruzo Shigematsu)

This is a game that seems simple at first glance, where you weave through flying meteorites and hit a UFO with a missile. It’s quite a bit harder than it looks. Even if you dodge the meteorites and finally reach the topmost UFO, the UFO is also floating around, so if you’re not careful, it will immediately miss its target and self-destruct! You can’t get a high score with just 3 missiles… so I ended up impulsively increasing the number of missile launchers.

When you RUN the program, the game begins. The object moving randomly left and right at the top of the screen is the UFO <●>. Below it, the launchpad 凸 fires missile A. You have 3 missile launchers, and when you fire, they ascend vertically. Be extremely careful not to hit the meteorites *. The meteorites flow randomly to the left, but the rocket (missile) can use reverse thrust to adjust its speed by half, so dodge through them skillfully. For points, if you hit <●>, you get 100 points. If you hit *, you get 50 points, but your missile count goes down. Also, if the missile continues to rise and reaches the very top, it will self-destruct! Of course, it also explodes if it hits a meteorite.

(How to Play the Game)

You control a missile, trying to hit a UFO and avoid meteorites. However, the UFO doesn’t have a weak point in its center, so if you’re even a little bit off, your missile is wasted. The meteorites in the middle of the screen are also fierce.

(Keys Used)

SPACE ・・・ Missile launch and reverse thrust

Arrow Keys – Moves missile

(Program Explanation)

(Variable List)

A ・・・・・ For loops

K ・・・・・ Rocket launch flag

SC ・・・・ For printing meteorites (See Important Note below)

J ・・・・・・ Reverse thrust flag

Z ・・・・・・ UFO movement direction flag

I ・・・・・・・ UFO movement counter

E ・・・・・・・ For printing meteorites

ST ・・・・ ST(3)→Right-up, ST(5)→Left-up (Direction vectors)

R, R1 ・・・ For PEEKing the UFO

D ・・・・・・・ For PEEKing meteorites

H ・・・・・・・ For PEEKing the rocket

T ・・・・・・・ Score

HT ・・・・・ High Score

(Program Description)

20〜100 Determine meteorite position and PRINT position

110〜140 Randomly select UFO movement direction and counter

150〜400 Main Loop

150〜190 UFO movement

200〜240 Meteorite movement

260 Rocket launch confirmation

280〜390 Rocket movement routine

410〜420 <●> (UFO) hit processing

430〜500 * (Meteorite) hit processing

510〜530 Rocket count processing

540〜600 Game Over processing

610〜640 Initial Setup

650〜850 Screen Creation

(Check Point / Tips)

The point that it moves 3 entities—the UFO, the meteorites, and the missile—and even produces sound is well done. If I were to add something, it would be even better if the enemy also attacked. Also, the launchpad is fixed in the middle, but it would be more fun if this pad could also move left and right.

In line 630, the rocket count SC is 3, but if you make this value bigger, the number of rockets increases, making it easier to earn points