Classic Computer Magazine Archive COMPUTE! ISSUE 124 / DECEMBER 1990 / PAGE G-33

PROGRAMS
FUSE
ADDING FUEL TO THE FIRE IS THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND THIS BURNING ARCADE GAME FOR THE 64. JOYSTICK REQUIRED.

HUBERT CROSS

Lengths of fuse have been laid out in overlapping patterns on a playing screen of movable tiles. Your job, once the fuse has been lit, is to join lengths of fuse in order to keep the flame burning for as long as possible.

Like many other puzzles, Fuse appears deceptively simple at the beginning, but it grows in complexity as the game progresses. You find that quick thinking and careful planning yield the highest scores.

Getting Started

Fuse is written entirely in machine language, but it loads and runs as a BASIC program. You'll need MLX, the machine language entry program, to type it in. See "Typing Aids" elsewhere in this section. When MLX prompts you, respond with the values given below.

Starting address: 0801
Ending address:   15F0

After you've entered all the data for Fuse, save a copy to disk before exiting MLX. When you're ready to play, plug a joystick into port 2, load Fuse, and type RUN. Press the fire button to start playing.

The object of Fuse is to keep the flame burning for as long as possible. Help the flame stay alive by moving the tiles with the joystick. The longer you manage to keep it going, the higher your score. The game ends when the flame runs out of fuse or when it reaches one of the borders.

Don't wait until the flame is about to run out of fuse to start moving. Look ahead and follow the fuse to its end; then move to that area and maneuver the tiles to create the longest possible path. You won't be able to keep it going forever, but the longer you do, the more points you receive. As the flame travels, the fuse is burned up, leaving only a blank tile behind. So you must continuously shuffle the tiles around to keep the flame lit.

Sometimes it's a good idea to make the flame change paths by waiting beside a tile and moving that tile when the flame is on it. You'll have to be fast, though, because you'll lose if the flame reaches the tile's border before the tile stops moving.