UFO (Steven Pattullo)

Title – UFO
System – Commodore 64
Author – Steven Pattullo
Publication – Published over 4 issues of Popular Computing Weekly in 1986 (Nov 13, Nov 20, Nov 27, Dec 4)
Page Scans – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Preserved by – eboy71
Recommended Emulator – VICE

Download ROM

Loading the Game –

Mount the disk image (UFO.D64) in your emulator. In VICE, this is done by selecting File → Attach Disk Image
Load the app by typing LOAD”UFO”,8
Once loaded, type RUN to start

Article Text

Huge alien space stations are closing in on your home planet of Blob. You must fly your spaceship over the space stations and destroy the reactor at the end with your one photon megablaster missile to stop the Earthling invasion.

However, defending suicide pilots will attempt to ram you and you are not allowed to leave the decks of the station, which is unfortunate because on later levels it is strangely shaped and you won’t know the configuration of the next screen until you appear on it.

This very long listing, with superb “Uridium-style” graphics, will be published over four weeks, so if you don’t want to type it in send £2 (or £1.30 plus cassette) to Steven Pattullo, [address removed.]

Instructions

Once the game loads, press the fire button to begin. Your joystick needs to be in port 2.
Move your ship using the joystick. Up and down move in that direction, while left and right adjust your speed.
You have one life.
There are three levels, and each level has three screens. You want to avoid the enemy spacecraft and keep your ship flying above the space station. Traveling over empty space will result in your ship exploding and game over. It is important to exit the level at the proper location so that you start the next screen on the ship; there are no indications of where this is, however, so doing this requires memorizing the levels.
Once you pass the three screens, you will face the reactor. You only get one shot, so time it carefully.

Editor’s Notes:

From a type-in perspective, this game is crazy. The program listings in Popular Computing Weekly contain a ton of PETSCII symbols, but don’t offer any typesetting assistance or a proofreader. The author – Steven Pattullo – stated that it’s basically impossible to type it in from the listings themselves. In fact, after the program was published, he sold many copies to users (at £2 each) who indicated that they tried and failed to get it running.
I agree with the “this might be impossible” diagnosis. I attempted to type it in, spending many hours in the process, but couldn’t get it working. The version uploaded was sent to me by someone that had a copy.
Pattullo published multiple games in magazines, including UFO 2 (Popular Computing Weekly, 1987), Limbo (Commodore Disk User, 1989) and Limbo 2 (Commodore Disk User, 1990). He also worked as a developer on commercial releases such as including Vindicators (Tengen), before leaving the industry in the early 90s.