All the galaxies are under control of the worst evil alien named "Fortress".
You, the legendary soldier of the rebellion force, has started the engine of your
space ship "FireFly", which was built with the utmost high technology,
and are going to leave to the alien's base called "Space Maze", to free all the galaxies.
Space Maze consists of 3 dungeons on the surface ( surface dungeons ),
where "Flyer" guards the key necessary to get into the central dungeon where Fortress exists.
To get into the central dungeon, you have to find keys at the surface dungeons first.
When you gather all the keys, the door to the central dungeon will open.
Now is the time to get into Space Maze, gather all the keys and destroy Fortress
and get back peace to the galaxies!
"Space Maze" is essentially a shooting game, but has the aspect of adventure game because you have to find keys to go ahead.
To save all the galaxies that are governed by the worst evil alien named "Fortress", you, as the legendary soldier of the rebellion force, have to get into "Space Maze" with your space ship "FireFly" built with utmost high technology.
Space Maze consists of 3 dungeons on the surface ( surface dungeons ),
where "Flyer" guards a key necessary to get into the central dungeon where Fortress exists.
First of all, you have to gather 3 keys at Level1 - Level3 surface dungeon. When you get all 3 keys, the door of the Level4 central dungeon will open.
Open the door of Level4 and defeat Fortress at any risk, and get back peace to the galaxies!
2007/12/25
Version 1.1.2 is released.
configure script may fail when X is installed in the normal directory (e.g. /usr/bin, /usr/lib, etc.).
Now configure script is fixed to avoid this problem.
2007/01/14
2006/12/13
2006/10/10
Version 1.1.1 is released.
Some comments are added to the requirements section on manual page.
And the check for libpng is added to the configure.in.
2006/10/09
Version 1.1.0 is released. All wave files for sound effect are newly written.
Space Maze is now distributed completely under GPL v2.
Default fps is changed from 60 to 45.
2006/08/13
Version 1.0.2 is released. Manual file is changed a little bit.
2006/08/03
Version 1.0.1 is released. css file of a manual is changed a little bit
( fixed the problem that the manual cannot be viewed with IE correctly ).
Currently, Space Maze runs only on the linux® systems on which X window and Open Sound System Free can be used. If the linux kernel on your system is between 2.0.x - 2.4.x and sound is available, I think it's O.K. about Open Sound System Free. And also Imlib, libpng and pthread library must be available.
From linux kernel 2.5.x, ALSA becomes the default sound system instead of Open Sound System Free. I don't have any access to such an environment, so I don't know if this software will work well or not. Please let me know the result if you try to do that.
Screen size of Space Maze is 640x480 fixed.
From version 1.1.0, sound effects properly work only on little endian cpu because I changed wave file format from 8 bits to 16 bits. I checked only on x86 ( Intel CPU like Pentium, etc. ). To make it work on big endian cpu I have to fix RLoss.c a little bit, but I have no environment and I can't support it. There'll be no problem if you play Space Maze without --enable-sound option.
To prevent from being damaged by unexpected sound, please play Space Maze without --enable-sound option when you're using non-x86 cpu. Other than that, you should start with small volume and then try a little larger one gradually.
- Install
- configure
Type "./configure" with the following options at the top directory of the source code.
If necessary things such as sound functions or pthread library are not detected,
configure fails. Currently, you cannot compile this software disabling some functions.
| Options |
Description |
| --prefix=PREFIX |
Specify installation prefix. The default prefix is "/usr/local/spacemaze". |
| --exec-prefix=EPREFIX |
Specify installation prefix of architecture-dependent files.
The default values is "$PREFIX". |
| --bindir=DIR |
Specify the location to install executable file. The default value is "$EPREFIX/bin". |
| --datadir=DIR |
Specify the location to install image / sound / map data files.
The default value is "$PREFIX/share". |
- make
Type "make" after successful end of configure script.
- make install
Type "make install". Space Maze executable file will be installed under "$bindir".
Map data files under "$datadir/map", image files under "$datadir/png", and
sound files under "$datadir/wave".
When you do "make install", you must be the user who has the write access to the
directories described above.
- Uninstall
Remove installed files described at the "Install" section above.
You also have to remove "$HOME/.spacemaze" if you have ever done "SAVE" before.
- Backup
If you have ever done "SAVE" before, "$HOME/.spacemaze" exists, which
stores your play data. Backup this file so that you'll be able to get back your
environment when you re-install Space Maze.
Space Maze disables keyboard auto repeat function when its window has a focus. If Space Maze ends abnormally because of some bugs or signals with Ctrl-C etc., keyboard auto repeat function might still be disabled. In such a case, type "xset r on" on your terminal.
- Runs Space Maze
$EPREFIX/bin/spacemaze [--help] [--enable-sound] [--sound-device=DEVICE_NAME] [--fps=FPS]
| Option |
Description |
| --help |
Shows help messages. |
| --enable-sound |
Enables sound function. It is disabled by default. |
| --sound-device=DEVICE_NAME |
You can specify the sound device file by "--sound-device=DEVICE_NAME".
"/dev/dsp" will be used as default. eg. --sound-device=/dev/dsp1 |
| --fps=FPS |
You can specify frame rate between 30 - 60. 45 will be used as default.
eg. --fps=30 . Default value will also be used if you specify invalid value. |
- Title / Select Level
| Key / Mouse input |
Description |
| Cursor keys / Mouse moves |
Select menu. |
| Enter / Left button |
Execute selected menu. |
| Esc |
Quit the game ( When you're at the title ). |
| Back to the title ( When you're at the level selection ). |
When you're at the level selection, you can choose SAVE function.
"$HOME/.spacemaze" will be created when you SAVE for the first time.
To load saved data, choose LOAD at the title screen.
- While playing Level1 - Level4
| Key input |
Description |
| d |
Rotate clockwise. |
| s |
Rotate counter clockwise. |
| m |
Go backward. |
| n |
Go forward. |
| p |
Pause / Resume |
| space |
Launch FireFly's laser. |
| esc |
While playing - Back to the level selection. |
| When you clear the level you're playing - Back to the level selection. |
| When the game is over - Back to the title. |
Run the game and title screen will be displayed. Select "START" if you want to start without saved data, or select "LOAD" if you want to use saved data. You'll be transferred to the level selection screen. You'll see "LOAD FAILED" if you select "LOAD" without having saved at least once.
At the level selection screen, select the level you want to play. If you have no key, you can select LEVEL 1 only. Next level will be available when you get the key at LEVEL 1 - LEVEL 3. To access LEVEL 4 you have to gather all 3 keys. After you clear each level, the time you needed to clear will be displayed on the right of the name of the level. Total sum of consumed time will be used to determine your rank at the end of the game. Rank will be one of the following : S / A / B / C. S is the best rank so try to get rank S ! To save your playing data so far, select "SAVE". Your playing data will be saved to "$HOME/.spacemaze".
Right after starting LEVEL 1 - LEVEL 3, your space ship "FireFly" is around red wall. This red wall will be opened when you get the key in the level you're getting in. The objective of your operation for LEVEL 1 - LEVEL3 is to gather the keys necessary to open the door of the LEVEL 4, and to escape from the opened red wall.
The key is surrounded by the red wall at first. You must find "Flyer" which guards the key and put it into suspend mode. Then the red wall surrounding the key will be disappeard. To put Flyer into suspend mode, keep shooting it with FireFly's laser. When Flyer gets into suspend mode, the sphere at the center of it becomes yellow. Flyer will be in trace mode ( the sphere is red ) if FireFly is so close to it, so it is good to get away from Flyer right after you put it into suspend mode.
After you get the key, escape from the red wall which was by the FireFly's initial place. This red wall disappears when you get the key, but it always is displayed on the radar, which is displayed around the right-middle of the game screen. Use the radar to escape from the level!
Getting all the 3 keys at LEVEL 1 - LEVEL 3 will enable you to get into the final LEVEL 4. The objective of your operation for LEVEL 4 is to wipe out all the enemies including the worst evel alien "Fortress". There is no key at LEVEL 4, this means you don't have to escape from there. LEVEL 4 will be cleared just when you destroy the last enemy.
Each level has the time limit (5 min.). After exceeding this time limit, the energy of FireFly starts to decrease whithout being hit by enemies or enemy's missiles. So you must be in a hurry!
- FireFly
The best space ship of the rebellion force built with utmost high technology
and has gone through a lot of disastrous wars. Its laser can damage things
even if it is the hard armor of the worst evil alien "Fortress".
It is very difficult to control FireFly, but it gives you very flexible way
of moving around the space.
- Ball
Ball launches a few bombs when FireFly get close to it.
Ball moves very slow, so it is easy to handle with.
- Missiler
When FireFly get close to Missiler, it launches a lot of missiles spokewise.
You have to be careful not to get serious damage.
- Scull
Scull flies around very fast. It moves as fast as FireFly so you might get
a lot of damage by being hit continuously in narrow space.
- Flyer
Flyer guards the key at the surface dungeon. It usually moves unsteadily but
speeds up and starts to trace FireFly when FireFly get close to it.
In trace mode, the color of the central sphere changes from blue to red.
After getting some damages, the color of the central sphere changes to yellow
and Flyer gets into suspend mode for a while. The walls surrounding the key
will disappear when you put Flyer into suspend mode for at least once.
When Flyer is in suspend mode, FireFly can go through it as if Flyer was not there,
but will still be damaged.
- Fortress
Fortress is the worst evil alien. It is so big, and has desperately high strength
and hard armor. It changes its weapon depend on the distance between Fortress
and FireFly.
I originally started to learn how to write a program because I wanted to write my original computer game.
It was around 1999 that I thought of writing one. I had been admiring space so I decided that the game stage is space from the first. Why shooting game? It is because I thought it was easy to write. I still don't know if it was right or wrong :D .
At that time, the concept of the game was not established, so I gave up to finish it ( It was originally written by C and GTK+). Years passed by and I made up my mind to start re-writing Space Maze by C and xlib, and I made it at last!
Copyright (c) 2005-2007 Ryo Ichinose.
Space Maze comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
Space Maze is distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPL v2). Refer to the COPYING attached with this software.
From version 1.1.0, I newly wrote all wave files for sound effect by myself. So Space Maze is now distributed completely under GPL v2. Before 1.1.0 ( 1.0.2, 1.0.1, 1.0.0 ), Space
Maze used wave files distributed by "ULTIMATE GAME ZIGYOBU ( This is Japanese name )" (http://utm-game-web.hp.infoseek.co.jp/free-sound.htm)( Japanese only ).
Please e-mail me if you have something to tell me about this software.
Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in Japan and other countries.
