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Maelstrom (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Maelstrom is a 1992 clone of Asteroids with an improved interface and better graphics. Many of Ambrosia's subsequent shareware
titles followed in a similar formula.
It was created using THINK C
and uses 18,000 lines of C
code with 9,000 lines of inline assembler.
Sam Lantinga
created a GPL
port that runs on many operating system
s, such as Linux
, Mac OS X
and Windows
.
overview in a section of space. The object of the game is to reach the highest score possible by shooting asteroids with a plasma cannon from a spaceship that the player controls. The ship can move in any direction across the screen and also has a limited amount of shield. The player may also pick up powerups throughout the levels or "waves" and encounter unusual objects and enemies throughout the game.
, and led to the formation of that company.
At the time of its release, Maelstrom took full advantage of the Macintosh's multi-media capabilities and broke ground for further developments of the platform in the “anti-productivity software” arena. In 1993, Maelstrom received the Shareware Industry Award for Best Game.
More recently, Ambrosia Software gave the source-code away to Sam Lantinga
, who created a SDL
port from it and released it in 1995 as Free Software
under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). Sam's version also included some novelties like networked multiplayer gaming.
In 2010 Andrew Welch and Ian Gilman released the game's contents under the free Creative Commons license
Attribution, which makes Maelstrom a completely free game.
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
titles followed in a similar formula.
It was created using THINK C
THINK C
THINK C was an extension of ANSI C for Mac OS developed by THINK Technologies; although named Lightspeed C in the original mid-1986 release, it was later renamed THINK C. THINK Technologies was later acquired by Symantec Corporation and the product continued to be developed by the original author,...
and uses 18,000 lines of C
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
code with 9,000 lines of inline assembler.
Sam Lantinga
Sam Lantinga
Sam Oscar Lantinga was the lead software engineer at Blizzard Entertainment, where he is known to the community as Slouken. He may be most famous as the creator of the Simple DirectMedia Layer, a very popular open source multimedia programming library, and also developed the compatibility database...
created a GPL
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
port that runs on many operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s, such as Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
.
Gameplay
Maelstrom is played as a 2D2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
overview in a section of space. The object of the game is to reach the highest score possible by shooting asteroids with a plasma cannon from a spaceship that the player controls. The ship can move in any direction across the screen and also has a limited amount of shield. The player may also pick up powerups throughout the levels or "waves" and encounter unusual objects and enemies throughout the game.
History
Maelstrom was initially released in November of 1992 as unlimited shareware. It was created by Andrew Welch, president of Ambrosia SoftwareAmbrosia Software
Ambrosia Software is a predominantly Macintosh software company located in Rochester, New York. Ambrosia produces utilities and games. Its products are distributed as shareware; demo versions can be downloaded and used for up to 30 days....
, and led to the formation of that company.
At the time of its release, Maelstrom took full advantage of the Macintosh's multi-media capabilities and broke ground for further developments of the platform in the “anti-productivity software” arena. In 1993, Maelstrom received the Shareware Industry Award for Best Game.
More recently, Ambrosia Software gave the source-code away to Sam Lantinga
Sam Lantinga
Sam Oscar Lantinga was the lead software engineer at Blizzard Entertainment, where he is known to the community as Slouken. He may be most famous as the creator of the Simple DirectMedia Layer, a very popular open source multimedia programming library, and also developed the compatibility database...
, who created a SDL
Simple DirectMedia Layer
Simple DirectMedia Layer is a cross-platform, free and open source multimedia library written in C that presents a simple interface to various platforms' graphics, sound, and input devices....
port from it and released it in 1995 as Free Software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). Sam's version also included some novelties like networked multiplayer gaming.
In 2010 Andrew Welch and Ian Gilman released the game's contents under the free Creative Commons license
Creative Commons licenses
Creative Commons licenses are several copyright licenses that allow the distribution of copyrighted works. The licenses differ by several combinations that condition the terms of distribution. They were initially released on December 16, 2002 by Creative Commons, a U.S...
Attribution, which makes Maelstrom a completely free game.