Star Trux

Name:	Star Trux
Company:	Atari
Model #:	RX-8037
Programmer:	Unknown
Year:	1983
Released?	No
Notes:

Although the rom for Star Trux has been circulating around the web for years, not much has been said about it.  This is probably because on the surface the game is strange looking and hard to understand.  However on closer inspection one finds that the game is really quite simplistic and actually rather boring.

The goal behind Star Trux is simple.  The player controls a strange little ship which they must use to push the proper package (square) into the correct opening on the rocket.  Although all the packages initially look the same, the player can see what part is in them by touching them.  If the part needed isn't available, the player can either wait until the right part shows up, or wait until the needed part changes.  Once all the packages have been loaded into the rocket it will take off, and the player will move to the next level.

The packages are periodically dropped off by a ship, and continue to pile up until disposed of.  There are two ways to destroy a package, the player must either push the package into the glowing sphere at the top of the screen or off the screen.  Although destroying unneeded packages isn't necessary, the screen usually becomes too cluttered to move efficiently otherwise.

Periodically an energy ball will bounce around the screen.  This ball will destroy everything it touches, including the player.  To avoid this ball, the player can press the fire button for a burst of speed.  One nice side effect of the energy ball is that it will also destroy any packages it touches.  Every now and then the ground will appear to glow and some of the packages will float upwards.  It's unknown what this is for, but it may be some kind of anti-gravity gameplay feature that was not fully implemented yet.  There is also a simultaneous two player feature which can make the game a bit more interesting.

Although the bulk of the gameplay appears to be implemented, there are some bugs and gameplay glitches that still need to be worked out.  One of these involves the player getting caught in the bottom of the rocket, which can cause the game to crash.  Parts of the glowing sphere also appear to disappear at times, although this may actually be part of the gameplay.  

So why is Star Trux so average?  According to Landon Dyer

"This project went about nine months before it was cancelled.  Marketing wanted a game that "didn't involve shooting."  The game was designed by committee, a spec was thrown at a programmer, and the result was basically (and predictably) a disaster."

So there you have it, a non-violent game designed by a committee.  The poor programmer never had a chance...  In it's current state the game is quite playable, but needs some other action elements to make it more interesting.  Still, Star Trux is an interesting look into some of the stranger things Atari was willing to try.

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