Shoot'Em-Up Construction Kit
Encyclopedia
Shoot'Em-Up Construction Kit (a.k.a. SEUCK) was a "construction kit" for the Commodore 64
, Amiga
and Atari ST
created by Sensible Software
and published by Outlaw (part of Palace Software
) in 1987. It allowed the user to make simple shoot 'em up
s by drawing sprites
and backgrounds and editing attack patterns. The advertising promoted the Kit with the phrase "By the programmers of Wizball
and Parallax".
Enemies were added to the game by placing them on the background and then moving them, with options to link enemies together. The front end (title screen) could also be edited.
Games could feature still screens (held for a set number of seconds), "push" scrolling (based on the player's movement) or constant vertical scrolling. Bonus point items were possible, as well as extra lives awarded at regular scoring intervals.
SEUCK was packaged with demonstration games to display what could be done with the kit. The Commodore 64 (C64) version came with Slap 'n' Tickle (inspired by Slap Fight
), Outlaw (a Wild West shoot 'em up), Transputer Man (set inside a computer) and Celebrity Squares (featuring graphics drawn by several C64 personalities). The Amiga and Atari versions featured Slap 'n' Tickle, Quazar and an "army man" game, Blood 'N' Bullets, which featured a sound effect of "Okay, suckers" sampled from the Red Dwarf
episode "Queeg".
Since it was possible to save games as stand-alone files, games companies and magazines received many games created with the Kit.
, Ray Larabie
, best known for his custom typefaces, created a number of games using SEUCK. Because of their quality and uniqueness they spread throughout the Amiga community quickly via the BBS network, with many ending up on Amiga Magazine coverdisks. Titles included "Monster Truck Rally", "Wielder Of Atoms", "Mulroney Blast" and "Smurf Hunt".
Other notable SEUCK-based titles include several works by Italian software company, System Editoriale s.r.l., such as Emiliano Sciarra
's Ciuffy, and the early music game, Amadeus Revenge
.
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
created by Sensible Software
Sensible Software
Sensible Software was a software house active during the 1980s and 90s, from the United Kingdom.The company was well-known for the very small sprites used for the player characters in many of their games, including Sensible Soccer, Cannon Fodder and Sensible Golf.- Early history :Sensible Software...
and published by Outlaw (part of Palace Software
Palace Software
Palace Software was a British video game publisher and developer during the 1980s based in London, England. It was notable for the Barbarian and Cauldron series of games for 8-bit home computer platforms, in particular the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64...
) in 1987. It allowed the user to make simple shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
s by drawing sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
and backgrounds and editing attack patterns. The advertising promoted the Kit with the phrase "By the programmers of Wizball
Wizball
Wizball is a computer game written by Jon Hare and Chris Yates and released in 1987 for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. Versions for the Amiga, Atari ST and PC were also released...
and Parallax".
Design
The Kit presented users with a series of menus for customising every aspect of the game. Level graphics were created in the Background Editor using a series of blocks for plotting into the level maps, and all the moving graphics in the Sprite Editor. Sprites were assigned to "Objects" - for example, an enemy bullet - with separate animation and colour settings. Editing the "enemy bits" changed the behaviour of an enemy (which bullet it shot, how many points it was worth), while "player limitations" did the same for Player 1 (or player 2, if enabled). A simple Sound FX editor with slider controls on the C64 was replaced by IFF sounds on the Amiga and ST versions.Enemies were added to the game by placing them on the background and then moving them, with options to link enemies together. The front end (title screen) could also be edited.
Games could feature still screens (held for a set number of seconds), "push" scrolling (based on the player's movement) or constant vertical scrolling. Bonus point items were possible, as well as extra lives awarded at regular scoring intervals.
SEUCK was packaged with demonstration games to display what could be done with the kit. The Commodore 64 (C64) version came with Slap 'n' Tickle (inspired by Slap Fight
Slap Fight
, also known as Alcon, is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito.-Summary:It takes its inspiration from Xevious and Gradius...
), Outlaw (a Wild West shoot 'em up), Transputer Man (set inside a computer) and Celebrity Squares (featuring graphics drawn by several C64 personalities). The Amiga and Atari versions featured Slap 'n' Tickle, Quazar and an "army man" game, Blood 'N' Bullets, which featured a sound effect of "Okay, suckers" sampled from the Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
episode "Queeg".
Since it was possible to save games as stand-alone files, games companies and magazines received many games created with the Kit.
Derivatives
While in collegeCollege
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, Ray Larabie
Ray Larabie
Ray Larabie is a designer of computer TrueType and OpenType fonts. Beginning in 1996, Larabie distributed his designs over the internet as freeware, operating as his own independent type foundry LarabieFonts....
, best known for his custom typefaces, created a number of games using SEUCK. Because of their quality and uniqueness they spread throughout the Amiga community quickly via the BBS network, with many ending up on Amiga Magazine coverdisks. Titles included "Monster Truck Rally", "Wielder Of Atoms", "Mulroney Blast" and "Smurf Hunt".
Other notable SEUCK-based titles include several works by Italian software company, System Editoriale s.r.l., such as Emiliano Sciarra
Emiliano Sciarra
Emiliano Sciarra is a game designer of board games, card games and videogames.He is the author of Bang!, a Wild West themed card game published by daVinci Editrice.- Biography:...
's Ciuffy, and the early music game, Amadeus Revenge
Amadeus Revenge
Amadeus Revenge is a music-based shoot 'em up created by System Editoriale s.r.l. in 1988 for the Commodore 64. The game was developed using the SEUCK .-Summary:...
.
External links
- S.E.U.C.K. a freewareFreewareFreeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
remake of the C64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
version for Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft 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...
PCs. - The SEUCK Vault, a website with tips on using the Kit.
- SEUCK remake, a free remake of SEUCK for Windows, Linux and Mac, implemented using GLBasic.
- German C64-Wiki, in-depth German Wiki-site for the construction kit.