Rescue on Fractalus!

• EASTER EGG: Typing “AUTHOR” on the selection screen shows “BY D.FOX L.CARPENTER C.KELLNER P.LANGSTON” (picture #1).

• EASTER EGG: The writing on the alien’s suit is actually the initials of the programmers (picture #2), written sideways – “LC DF CK PL” (for Loren Carpenter, David Fox, Charlie Kellner, and Peter Langston).  This is also in the early prototype version. {Peter Langston}

• A prototype version exists with the original name, Beyond Jaggi Lines (picture #3), which lacks some of the final touches that RoF has, such as the Lucasfilm Games splash screen (picture #6), the mothership intro (picture #7), the custom text font, and the stranded ‘ace’ pilots (picture #10).  At startup, it goes right to the level select screen instead of the launch bay, and you have the option to start at any level (from 1 to 99!) - RoF only allows you to start up to level 16; however, you can’t skip ahead levels after completing a mission – RoF allows you to skip up to 3.  Also, it refers to ‘systems’ as simply ‘engines’, the demo droids are numbered starting with #1 (picture #4); each time you run the demo, this number increases, instead of RoF’s random designations (picture #5).

• 2 versions exist.  The original (disk) version has a copyright date of 1985 (picture #8); the XE cart version has a copyright date of 1987 (picture #9). The XE version also has some extra sounds during the mothership intro sequence.

• The 5200 version is different from the computer versions in that it lacks an animated intro of the mother ship, a high score screen, and a full custom text font.  See the 5200 RoF entry for more info.

• Other early names for RoF were Star Mission and Rescue Mission.

• In the higher levels, you’ll sometimes come across an ace pilot (picture #10), and usually near the end of a mission.  Although aliens are capable of impersonating ‘normal’ pilots, it’s unknown whether or not they can impersonate aces.