GRAVITAR
• HIDDEN MESSAGE: On the high-score table, the initials for scores 2-10 are for the following people: MEC (Mark Cerny), RDA (Rich Adam), MLH (Mike Hally), JOE (Joe Coddington), ORR (Owen R. Rubin), and BRD (Brad Chaboya). (picture #1)
• The original name was Lunar Battle; a prototype pcb exists labeled as such, as does a wiring harness (picture #2).
• Depending on the highest score, one of eight list names appears above the table of initials: FLUNKY (0- 20,000), GUNNER (20,001- 40,000), CO-PILOT (40,001- 80,000), PILOT (80,001-100,000), ACE PILOT (100,001-200,000), KILLER PILOT (200,001-400,000), PONTIUS PILATE (400,001-800,000), GOTTA-BE-LUCKY (above 800,000).
• Using the tractor beam creates a shield around your ship when flying between planets. It also acts like a shield when you’re on the planet!
• The maximum fuel units you can have is 25,000.
• The initials of the some of the programming team are on the high score table (at power-up):
ACE
SDM - ?
MEC - Mark Cerny
RDA - Rich Adam (programmer)
MLH - Mike Hally (designer)
JOE - Joe Coddington (tech and hardware designer)
ORR - Owen Rubin
BRD - Brad Chaboyta (graphics artist)
• BUG: If your reserve ships reach 128, the game will reset.
{Rich Adam}
• BUG: It’s possible to touch and actually hover inside a bunker without being destroyed. According to programmer Mike Hally, there wasn’t enough processing time to check for collision detection between the two (LINK).
• BUG: It’s possible to shoot (and even fly) through areas where 2 connecting lines meet. The game has some difficulty with certain adjoining angles and the collision detection with the ship and its shots. By exploiting this, you can actually get inside a planet, and destroy enemy objects and capture fuel from within (see picture #3 and video). Doing this trick on negative gravity planets may be impossible.