Maelstrom (Mac OS Classic)

Maelstrom
Developer: Ambrosia Software Publisher: Ambrosia Software Platform: Mac OS Classic Released internationally: November 1992 This game has revisional differences.

To do: Confirm any additional changes I might have missed.

Maelstrom is little more than an Asteroids clone, but it was a first attempt by Ambrosia Software.

Revision Differences

Aside from a number of bug fixes, there were several user interface and sound changes.

Pictures

Versions 1.3-1.3.2	Version 1.4.3

The original version used the Mac's own icons for all dialog boxes. These were replaced by pictures based on Opus the Penguin and Bill the Cat, which were used in Versions 1.3 to 1.3.2. However, these were replaced by Version 1.4.3, likely because of copyright reasons, as both characters were and are still owned by Berkeley Breathed.

Versions 1.0-1.0.3	Versions 1.3-1.3.2

Originally, the bottom-right corner of the title screen had a message informing people to register their copies. The font was updated by 1.3, and the text was moved a couple of pixels up. The latest versions completely remove this, instead showing the registration status.

Sounds

The sound system was rewritten a few times. Some sounds were made louder (like the ship explosion, the nova explosion, and the enemy firing) in newer versions, while others had their quality reduced (such as the two "booms" played during gameplay, and multipliers disappearing). A couple of the sounds were replaced while some of the sounds were replaced again in version 1.4.1, due to them being sourced from copyrighted material without permission (such as Bryan Adams's Summer of '69).

Sound ID	Used for	Versions 1.0 - 1.0.3	Versions 1.3.0 - 1.4	Versions 1.4.1 - 1.4.3
110	Completing a level.
117	Completing a level without any bonus.
123	Nova Explosion.
131	Going through all about screens; Getting a huge bonus score after a level.
133	Enemy shooting.

Misc.

• Versions 1.3, 1.3.1 and 1.3.2 had a high score contest included. The content in question can only be accessed before or on December 31, 1993. Anti-cheating mechanisms were also implemented to prevent common cheating programs at the time from being able to alter Maelstrom's code.
• The key configuration screen was made more user-friendly. Originally, each key had to be defined separately. This was later changed so the player could see what all the keys did.
• A couple of dialog boxes had text replaced with pictures. This affects the registration, high score clearing, and key config boxes.
• The hidden cheat dialog (accessed by pressing L) originally had only a level select and turbo mode. Versions 1.2 onward allow the player to select the number of lives.
• The hidden poem (accessed by pressing X) was originally the second verse from Red Hot Chili Peppers's "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Versions 1.4.1 and later changed this to "No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn," from The Doors's "Stoned Immaculate".