Elektra Glide for Atari 8-bit computers | Guide
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Although I never made it past the first level on the original Atari 800 XL, Elektra Glide has become one of my all-time favorite games.
Released by the English Software Company in 1985, it was inspired by Adam Michael Billyard, the same person who programmed "Bellum", "Chop Suey" and "Henri" (not to be confused with "Henry's House")."I was traveling in Turkey at the time and became obsessed with the view of the road through the windshield of the bus driver on the buses I boarded," he said in an interview at the time.
The objective of the game couldn't be simpler: race against the clock, avoiding bizarre obstacles and reach the tunnel to the next level. Once there, you are given an extended game time to continue the race. All from a first-person perspective, in a 3D environment and accompanied by a energetic melody and it fits the game perfectly.
ELEKTRA GLIDE
Posted by:English Software, 1985.Gender:Racing, futuristic.
Extra:1 player, joystick.
TYPES OF ADDRESS
After the game's title screen - which you can skip by pressing the fire button - you must choose between three types of direction orsteering envelopes; that is, how sensitive the Elektra Glide controls will be, with its pros and cons.To do this, move the joystick to the right or left. The former offers a high degree of grip, which makes the bike more secure to control, but also slows down changes in direction.
The second is the intermediate level.
And the third, it makes the control more sensitive, which means that -perhaps- you will be able to avoid obstacles more easily, but also that the slightest movement will cause you to scrape the edges of the track, with the consequent loss of speed.
TOURS
Once you have selected the direction type, press the fire button to choose the country. As before, move the lever to the right or left. There are three countries:Scotland/England/Wales: The easiest stage. It is recognized because the first level track is brown with a white line with blue stripes on the edges.
USA: the most difficult course. On the first level, the track is green and has a white line with red stripes on the edges.
Australia: with a medium level of difficulty. At the first level, the track is grey and has a yellow line with red stripes on the edges.
To start playing, move the lever forward.
CONTROLS
The Elektra Glide game screen puts us directly behind the wheel of this futuristic motorcycle. We observe the following controls:
The countdown: shows the seconds left to complete the current level. Each new game starts with 80 seconds. Entering the tunnel between each level gives you an additional 60 seconds - which are added to any seconds you may have left from the previous level.
The speedometer: The maximum speed is 60 points. The different obstacles - listed below - will reduce your speed to varying degrees - some even stop the Elektra Glide.
The screen: shows us the track, the obstacles and the tunnels.
THE OBSTACLES
Virtually everything that comes your way is intended to make you lose speed and/or time.Cubes:Perhaps the easiest to avoid, as they go in a straight line. A collision with them will reset your speed to 0. The recovery time to maximum speed (60) is 4 seconds.
Spheres:They bounce around the track, on both sides. They usually try to hit you. A collision with them will return your speed to 0. The recovery time to maximum speed (60) is 4 seconds.
Electrostatic columns:At a certain point, you will hear a plane passing overhead.
A few meters further on, he will give you some columns that, when you hit them, reduce your speed by 50%. The average recovery time to maximum speed after each collision is 3 seconds.
Puddles of water:You find them all over the course. If you run over one on a straight line, you lose about 6 points of speed; but if you run over another one on a curve, the loss can reach 10 points. In both cases, recovery takes no more than a fraction of a second.
Track edges:Running and hugging curbs also decreases your speed. A brief brush will take away about 10 speed points; however, continuing to bump into curbs for a long stretch can take away up to 15 speed points. The situation is worse if you are in turns - especially if they are sharp. The recovery time varies from one situation to another.
Tunnel:Grazing the edges inside a tunnel will slow you down to 0. The recovery time to 60 speed can vary by 2 seconds or more, if you crashed in a curve.
GAMEPLAY DYNAMICS
Once you've chosen a race stage, push the stick to start the game. You must keep the stick pressed in that direction or you'll lose speed. When exiting the starting tunnel in any stage, you can reach top speed in 2 seconds. However, if you stop pressing forward, your speed will drop to 0 in 12 seconds.
Pressing the Return key pauses the action; press any other key to resume the action.
Except for the number of electrostatic columns and puddles of water, there is a sequence of appearance of the obstacles and turns; you could even define at what second they will attack. For example, in the first level of the England stage, the obstacles appear in the following order:
C, E, E, E, C, C, C, E, E, C, E, C, A, E, C, A -> tunnel
WhereC= Cube;AND= Sphere;TO= Column Plane
Towards the end of the second level of the game, you will find that the path splits into two (these are calledfork junctions
Seconds before reaching these forks, you will find a warning sign. The location of the sign tells you the shortest route to reach the tunnel on the next level.
The game ends if you do not reach the tunnel before the countdown is complete.
EVALUATION
Some consider "Elektra Glide" to be more of a technical demonstration of the capabilities of the Atari 8-bit computers than a racing game: there are no other vehicles to compete with, nor do you receive any specific points for the distance traveled.
However, it is undeniable that this title is unique in its genre and that, despite the limitations mentioned, its remarkable graphics allow the player to feel the vertigo of speed in each game. In addition, the powerful melody composed by Yekao. It is, without a doubt, one of the most endearing tunes for those who played it on the Atari XL/XE series computers.
Finally, we cannot fail to mention that "Elektra Glide" sold between 40 and 50 thousand units - between cassettes and diskettes - in Europe; and was awarded the Atari Star Awards in the United States.
We thank Paul Mallinson (England), author of theweb The King of Grabsfor providing us with several of the images that illustrate this article.
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