W - accelerate forward S - accelerate backward A/D - rotate left/right Q/E - accelerate left/right T - toggle automatic stabilization (SAS) F - momentarily toggle SAS Spacebar: launch bombs M: hold to charge laser; release to fire
This is a somewhat updated version of my weirdest game ever, Moon V1. I have modified the enemy AI to make it much more dangerous, and made the player ship's weapons somewhat less overpowered. This strange game should be a good bit more challenging now. All the same weird old sprites and visual effects are included, so if you for some reason had any attachment to those, worry not! They're still here. You are piloting a spacecraft over the surface of the moon. As you drop out of orbit and start to land, a mysterious pyramid rises out of the surface and aims a laser at you! Use your weapons to destroy it before it shoots you down! Your ship's armor is extremely tough and can withstand multiple crashes into the terrain, but is not indestructible. If you crash too many times, it will be broken and you will explode. -- Latest Update - 2021-11-14 -- Slightly buffed your ship's laser, allowing it to charge to twice the maximum power as before. Still takes a good few shots to bring down the pyramid, though. Also made pyramids glow bright white and vaporize when destroyed, rather than fade out to black, because I think it looks cooler. -- FAQ -- Q: What's the *deal* with this game? A: I have no idea. Q: Why are the sprites so crunchy? A: I drew them when I was in high school. Believe it or not, that was before Scratch had vector sprites, back in version 1.4. Yeah, I guess it's been a while now... Q: Why is there a ceiling and why do you bounce off? A: Back when I first made this strange and silly game, I didn't know how to handle going out of bounds from the top. You can't just loop around from the bottom, because that would make no sense, and I also couldn't have you just go up and out of the stage, because that would easily have you getting lost. So I made a bouncy ceiling. It's super wack, obviously, but I think it actually kinda works, gameplay-wise. It fits in with the surreal vibe this whole game has about it. Q: Why do you roll on the ground? Wouldn't a spaceship just blow up instantly after crashing? A: It would, yes. This game was inspired by landing on Minmus in Kerbal Space Program, where the gravity is so low (and your ship's reaction wheels are so overpowered) that you can literally wrench your lander back upright using your rotational controls if it falls over, which I always thought was funny. This game was an attempt to explore the weird and chaotic energy of messing around with overpowered spaceships in very low gravity. Q: Help! The enemy lasers are too good at catching me! How am I supposed to do this? A: They're good at getting you, but not too good. See the Hints section below. Q: Why don't projectiles wrap around the screen edges anymore? A: It made the game too easy. With wrapping projectiles, you could very easily carpet-bomb the whole stage by just aiming horizontally and mashing spacebar, and the game was over in a few seconds. Without wrapping, you actually have to aim. Q: What happened to the big laser you used to be able to shoot by pressing N? Or the gravity brake you could get by hitting S? A: Those were always overpowered and not intended to be left enabled, only used for testing. Both are still in the code, just disconnected. Q: Has anyone ever actually asked any of these "frequently-asked" questions? A: No. -- Hints -- - This is a game about mastering difficult controls and keeping your cool when things get rough. When you get comfortable with controlling your ship, it will be easy to win. - Enemy lasers are aiming for where your ship will end up at the end of their targeting sequence if you don't change your course at all. Fool them by firing your thrusters as soon as the target point starts moving. - You take much more damage from crashing than you do from lasers. Try to recover quickly after being struck by one; if you manage to keep from getting knocked into the ground, you'll be mostly okay. - Bouncing off the ceiling does no damage, but rebounds you at full speed, so be ready to deal with all your upwards velocity turning into downward velocity. - The small outer pyramids rely on the central one for targeting, and cannot shoot you without its help. - The best time to be hit by a laser is when you're already on the ground. The second best time is when you're flying straight at the source. - Your own bombs will push you away from their explosions, but won't damage you. If you're headed at the surface nose-first, this can help break your fall. - Getting hit by three lasers at once is much worse than getting hit by only one. Try to avoid being nailed by all three pyramids during the second phase, even if it means still catching one of the beams. - There is at least one secret way to cheese the game and win easily. Can you find it?
