NAME¶

sopwith - classic aerial combat shoot em up game

SYNOPSIS¶

sopwith [ -n | -s | -c | -l | -j host ] [-glevel] [-f] [-2] [-x] [-q] [-p]

DESCRIPTION¶

Sopwith is a classic 1980s shoot 'em up originally developed by BMB CompuScience. This modern port is a derivative of the original source code released by its original author, David L. Clark. This port can run using the SDL library to display on screen. Features include emulation of the original PC speaker sound effects using digital sound output, working networking and various extra features that were included by the author in the released sources.

AUDIO¶

As of version 1.7.3, audio is now DISABLED by default. Audio can be enabled using the -p flag (see below). Once you're in the game, you will also have to use the S key to turn on sound effects.

CONTROLS¶

The standard controls are as follows:

comma/left arrow

pull up

slash/right arrow

pull down

period/down arrow

flip plane

Z

decrease speed

X

increase speed

space

fire machine gun

B

drop bomb

H

autopilot plane to home base

Z

launch flare (if missiles are enabled)

X

fire missile (if missiles are enabled)

S

turn on sound effects

Ctrl+C

quit

Ctrl+C Ctrl+C Ctrl+C

quit immediately

 

OPTIONS¶

-n

Start a single player game in novice mode

-s

Start a single player in expert mode

-c

Start a single player vs. computer game

-l

Start a network game listening for a network connection

-j host

Start a network game, connecting to another listening host as specified by host

-glevel

Start the game on the indicated difficulty level. For instance, use -g2 to start the game on level 2. The default is level 0.

-f

Start in full screen mode if possible.

-2

Double-size the display window

-x

Enable missiles

-q

Disable audio, the default behavior

-p

Enable audio

-e

Turn off intense explosions

 

AUTHORS¶

Originally written by David L. Clark for BMB Compuscience Modern SDL/Gtk+ port By Simon Howard

HISTORY¶

Sopwith was originally designed as a demonstration game for the Imaginet Networking System developed by BMB CompuScience of Canada. The system failed to become popular but Sopwith became a popular game for the IBM PC and compatibles. A sequel "Sopwith 2" was actually a newer version rather than a different game, but included many extra features, such as Oxen and birds. Sopwith was also ported to the Atari. The original author, David L. Clark, later created Sopwith - The Author's Edition with several extra features including missiles. This version of sopwith is based on the source for the Authors Edition.