Hover!
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| Hover! | |
|---|---|
 Opening screen of Hover! |
|
| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft |
| Composer(s) | Stan LePard |
| License | Proprietary |
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 |
| Native resolution | 640x480 |
| Version | 1.0.9.5 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | August 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Bumper cars Capture the flag |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| System requirements | 33 MHz Intel 486, 8 MB RAM |
| Input methods | Computer keyboard Joystick / Gamepad |
Hover! is a video game that was included on the Microsoft Windows 95 operating system CD.[1] It was a showcase for the advanced multimedia capabilities available on personal computers at the time. It is still available from Microsoft and will run on all of Microsoft's operating systems released since Windows 95, including Windows 7.
The game is a combination of bumper cars and capture the flag.
Contents |
[edit] Interface
Across the top of the game window are the flag area, which indicates the number of flags available, (When you capture a flag, the flag is colored in, blue for the flags that you have collected, and red for the flags the drones have picked up.) the rear view which displays the area behind your Hover 950, (when enabled), and the score area indicates your current score. The middle of the Hover! window is the main view outside the front of your Hover 950. The bottom of the window contains the object area which contains information about jump, wall, and cloak pods. Each object area tells you the number of objects you've picked up, the time remaining for that object, and the key associated with each object. Also along the bottom of the window are the map area, which is a bird's-eye view of the current playing field, and the craft area, which shows the remaining time you are invincible to hold pads, skid pads, and flag removers; it also shows the direction your craft is moving, and your current speed.
You can magnify and rotate the map to help you figure out where you are. Flags are represented as blinking dots: red dots are your flags, and blue dots are the enemy flags you are collecting. Drones carrying flags are represented as yellow triangles, drones with no flags are blue triangles, attack drones are green triangles, and the red triangle in the center of the map is your craft.
[edit] Levels
There are three different mazes in Hover!. They resemble a medieval castle, a futuristic city, and a sewer. Each maze has its own unique texture maps, music theme, and spawn locations.
[edit] Objects in the Maze
The following is a list of objects found inside a maze.
- Flags
- Red Flag - Your flag. The enemy is collecting them as fast as they can.
- Blue Flag - Enemy flag. you need to collect these before the enemy drones collect all of yours.
- Floating Pods
- Cloak - Temporarily hides you from the drones.
- Wall - Puts up a temporary wall. Use it to slow down a drone.
- Jump - Allows you to look over and jump onto low walls and low platforms. You can also jump over hazards and enemies.
- Mystery Pod - It could be something good or bad. The sound you hear when you pick up the pod is the sound for the object inside.
- Shield - Makes you temporarily invincible to skid pads, hold pads, map erasers, flag removers and speed reduction pods.
- Green Light - Temporarily increases your speed.
- Red Light - Temporarily reduces your speed.
- Map Eraser - Erases some areas of your map. Go back to the areas that have been erased to get them back on your map.
- Floor Pads
- Hold Pad - Temporarily freezes you to the spot.
- Flag Remover - Returns a flag you have captured back into the maze.
- Skid Pad - Sends you skidding in the general direction the arrow is pointing.
- Floating Platforms
The medieval castle and futuristic city mazes feature floating platforms that have spawn locations for enemy flags.
[edit] Internals
[edit] Easter Egg
When you launch Hover!, the main screen with "Press F2 to start a game of Hover!" is displayed. Behind you is a partial wall that just fills the image in the rear view mirror. Behind the wall, is a photo gallery showing the team that produced the game.
The dashboard and view out the window and in the rear-view mirror are actually the real game screen, just stopped at a specific location in a special maze, "small.maz". This level is also the Easter Egg.
The key to the easter egg is to hold down Control and Shift and type "IBMAB" on the intro screen ("Bambi" was the project's code name). This will unlock the player's controls on this level and allow you to navigate through the level's photo gallery using the arrow keys.[2]
[edit] Game Editor References
When the Hover! executable are loaded into a resource hacker, there are string tables and dialog boxes not normally seen that some may believe refers to a 'game editor' that was removed before release. However, a feature of the Microsoft Visual C++ compiler (which Hover! was most likely programmed with) automatically inserts common dialog boxes (save, open, etc.) whenever a new project workspace is created. This means there may have been an editor in the Hover! game, but most likely an external map editor could have been used.
[edit] References
- ^ Why did the Windows 95 CD have extra fun stuff?
- ^ Conversation with development manager of Hover!
