Trailblazer

Trailblazer

Game No.	166
Voting	7.21 points, 34 votes
Developer	Shaun Southern
Company	Mr Chip Software
Publisher	Gremlin Graphics
Musician	Shaun Southern
HVSC-File	MUSICIANS/S/Southern_Shaun/Trailblazer.sid
Release	1986
Platform	Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, Atari 800, C16, C64, ZX Spectrum
Genre	Arcade - Miscellaneous
Gamemode	Single player 2 players (simultaneous)
Operation
Media
Language

Description[edit | edit source]

Trailblazer is a "futuristic" arcade racing game, where you "roll" throught the different courses as fast as possible. The ball is controlled directly by joystick. Joystick forward speeds up, joystick backwards slows down. With the fire button one can jump independently from the field colours, the distance reached depends on the speed. After every third course there is a bonus level, where you have to jump a given combination of fields.

In the Arcade mode you have to run all 20 "tracks", whereby the time that is left is added to the points and to the time limit of the next track. Also the jumps not used are (partially) added to the 7 jumps per course. So you have a maximum of 9 jumps and 99,99 seconds to race a single course and a minimum time given in section Solution and 7 jumps. The Arcade mode can be played alone or with 2 players.
In the Trial mode you can train the single tracks.
In the Match mode, you can play three chosen courses against a player or the computer-controlled "Robot". In this mode, there is no warp mode but therefore you have 99 seconds for each track and an unlimited number of jumps.

Design[edit | edit source]

... an animation from the level "Easy Going" ...

... level "Return of the Nasty Zone" ...

The screen is split in two, the track scrolls as isometric "chess board" towards the player, different field colours have different effects, the background is a black "space" with twinkling starts.

Hints[edit | edit source]

Controls[edit | edit source]

in the game
/ = ball rolls faster/slower
/ = steer ball left/right
= ball jumps
hold = ball jumps higher

in the options menu
/ to choose
to confirm
/ only possible with track selections signs to choose the tracks.

Options menu[edit | edit source]

The desired game mode is chosen by joystick right/left, the level selection (letters) by joystick up/down.

Game versions[edit | edit source]

1 Player Arcade
You are given only 7 jumps at the beginning of each track (display at the upper right). This amount is added to the remaining number of jumps from the previous level up to the maximum of 9 jumps. You play until you fail to run a track within the given time. The time that you do not need for one track, is added to the time in the next track. You start with track A, then track B and so on. Every three courses there is a bonus game. The aim is to get through all levels before the time is over.

2 Player Arcade
Same as 1 Player Arcade but with two players simultaneously.

1 Player Trial
For practice. The track can be chosen by the first letter of the track selections sign.

2 Player Match
You can select three tracks with the three letters of the track selection sign. The times of the three tracks of each player are added at the end. The player with less time for all tracks wins. You have an unlimited number of jumps.

Player VS CPU Match
Race against computer with the same rules as 2 Player Match. Computer is a competent but not flawless opponent and paying attention to the actions of CPU controlled ball can give some useful hints for developing better strategies against individual levels and sections.

Field colours[edit | edit source]

grey = time does not run (only "between" the levels)
brown/orange = normal
black = hole
red = slower
green = faster
blue = jump (without fire button, is not subtracted from the maximum)
purple = block
cyan = right/left is swapped
white = warp mode (works only in the Arcade modes! Otherweis is like brown/orange without effect)

Bonus level[edit | edit source]

You see a field with the size of 5 x 3 squares and behind that the ball. After pressing the fire button the ball jumps onto a few squares. Remember these squares, as you have to jump the same squares with the ball now. For each movement of the ball you need one joystick movement. Place the ball on the square of which you think was the first one where the ball was placed in the sequence shown before and press the fire button. Then place it on the second square and press the fire button and so on. You need to do this until all squares have been jumped in the correct order. But watch the time limit.

Solution[edit | edit source]

Table

The following table shows the given time and the multiplicator for the time bonus for each level.

Level / Name		Time	Bonus
A	Easy Going	30 s	x1
B	Wolly Jumper	30 s	x1
C	Get In Lane	30 s	x1
"Bonus Game"
D	Meet The Cyan Zone	30 s	x2
E	Jumps Galore	30 s	x2
F	Change Lane Now	30 s	x2
"Bonus Game 2"
G	Return Of The Cyan Zone	30 s	x2
H	Meet The Nasty Zone	30 s	x3
I	Bouncy Bouncy	30 s	x3
J	Look Where Youre Going	30 s	x3
"Bonus Game 3"
K	Revenge Of The Cyan Zone	30 s	x3
L	Keep On Moving	30 s	x3
M	Patchwork Quilt	25 s	x4
N	Keep on Hopping	30 s	x4
"Bonus Game 4"
O	Return Of The Nasty Zone	25 s	x4
P	Combination One	50 s	x4
Q	Totally Random	25 s	x4
R	Multicolour Mania	30 s	x4
S	Follow The Signs	25 s	x5
"Bonus Game"
T	Cyan Strikes Again	30 s	x5
U	The Last Course	40 s	x9

Tips

Always roll exactly on the line between the fields, so you need less time to avoid.
Annoy your enemy by pushing his ball from the track or into a hole.

Cheats[edit | edit source]

Press Z + X + C (not tested)
Poke 29738,234 ; Poke 29739,234 ; Poke 30889,234 ; Poke 30890,234 ; Poke 30891,234 (not tested)

Voting[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wikin users (10=the best vote):
7.21 points at 34 votes (rank 372). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	8	05th October 2006 - "Super" 2128 downs
Lemon64	7.62	05th October 2006 - 53 votes
Kultboy.com	8,29	29th July 2008 - 7 votes
Happy Computer	86%	Games Special 11/86
ZZap64	93%	Issue 86/12

Reviews[edit | edit source]

FXXS: "One of the "raciest" games for the C64, the speed that you "feel" is higher than with the most normal racing games. There are only a few unfair spots in the game and even those can be mastered perfectly with luck and skill. Only the bonus level and the "broken" end disturb the overall picture, therefore 9 out of 10 points."

TheRyk: "Trailblazer is a nice combination of a skill game and racing/jumping action. Moving a ball through a space course instead of driving a fuel-guzzling car over dusty asphalt streets is a welcome diversion to my mind. Though the graphics and music can be regarded as somewhere between functionally simple and quite okay, all in all, it is a very good game providing lots of fun (with a bit of patience which you need to get a feeling for the ball). 7 of 10."

Shakermaker303: "With two players always quite fun. Especially funny, if you raced in the two-player mode on about the same height, this confused both players to the same extent on the split-screen, as both balls look the same. Definitely acceptable, therefore 8 out of 10 points."

Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]

Versions[edit | edit source]

C64: There is a level editor which also includes the complete original levels "Trailblazer Construction Set" (C64Games.de - Game No. 4476 , Gamebase64.com - Game No. 9350), the modified versions with new levels, also for two players "Trailblazer 2" (C64Games.de - Game No. 4475 , Gamebase64.com - Game No. 11073), "Trailblazer II" (C64Games.de - Game No. 4477 , Gamebase64.com - Game No. 14691) and the official sequels, though only for one player "Cosmic Causeway - Trailblazer II" (C64Games.de - Game No. 920 , Gamebase64.com - Game No. 1694), "Trailblazer II" (Gamebase64.com - Game No. 8083).

Other systems: The original version of Trailblazer was developed for C16 by Shaun Southern, who used it as basis for enhanced C64 conversion. This version for C16 and Plus/4 lacked split-screen and bonus levels. On other systems there is no apparent 1:1 conversion. The CPC version has different design of the fields, the ST and ZX Spectrum versions seem to have different levels. The available game modes also vary depending on the version. Of the official versions the conversion for Atari's 8-bit computer family may be closest to the C64 version. The unofficial freeware version for Amiga was created by Vision Beyond. This version is also quite faithful to the C64 version, although it lacks the bonus levels and loops back to the beginning after the final level as opposed to ending the game.