NAME-DROPPING SEQUEL

WHAT WAS THE INTENDED SEQUEL, DROP SOLDIER, ALL ABOUT?

SHARED UNIVERSE

■ Drop Soldier was set in the same universe as Gravity, continuing the war against the invading Outies. This time, it was viewed from an in-helmet perspective. The player was to command a troop of soldiers hand-picked on a mission-by-mission basis, with each having a different set of skills, and equipment.

FRACTAL LANDSCAPES

■ Early versions on the Atari ST ran a preemptive, prioritised threading system which generated a fractal landscape that would never repeat. It included palm-like trees and buildings to enter and walk around. A graduated sky completed the illusion, using a timer interrupt that changed the background colour that formed it.

MULTIPLE SCREENS

■ The main display would have been several screens wide, with the central screen being the visor view. Scrolling left or right would have revealed other instruments, including equipment and weapons to fit the current soldier’s abilities. Choosing the right personnel and equipment was vital if the player was to succeed.

MORE FROM PETE

■ Pete Lyon was once again creating the graphics for Drop Soldier, and he had already completed most of the work required before publisher Mirrorsoft went into administration in late-1991 and the game never recovered. Pete created art for 32 different soldiers in total, each one distinct from the next.

AMIGA VS ST

■ Drop Soldier was also going to feature nullmodem link play, so Amiga-to-amiga, ST-TO-ST or Amiga-to-st could play together by connecting a cable to the port on the back of each computer. Although the icons were completed for the functionality, the required in-game coding was not.