How to play
DRIFTER is Asteroids with one tank. You fly a small ship in a field of tumbling rocks, and the screen wraps at every edge – for you, your shots and the rocks. Turn, thrust and fire to break the rocks up. A large rock splits into two medium ones, a medium into two small, and a small one is gone. Large rocks are worth 20, medium 50 and small 100.
The twist is the fuel gauge in the top right. Every shot takes a chunk out of it, and so does thrusting, at a steady rate while you hold it. Fuel comes back on its own, but how fast depends on your speed: sitting still refills it about four or five times faster than flying flat out. Run the tank down and you cannot shoot, and you cannot stop.
Clear every rock and the next wave arrives, with a 100-point bonus and a full tank. Each wave has one more rock than the last, up to twelve, and the rocks move faster. You have three ships. Touching a rock costs one; you reappear in the centre with at least half a tank and a moment of protection. Lose the third and the run is over.
Tips and strategy
- Count your shots. A full tank holds about sixteen shots and nothing else. A large rock takes seven hits to clear completely once it has split, so firing at everything empties you fast.
- Coast. The ship keeps drifting with very little drag, so a short burst of thrust goes a long way, and it leaves fuel for shooting.
- Refill when it is quiet. Stopping refills the tank quickly, but rocks drift through where you are sitting. Pick a gap in the traffic before you park.
- Use the wrap. Shots carry across the edges, so a rock just across the border is still in range.
- Tap hyperspace, never hold it. Shift throws you to a random spot for a third of the tank, and it fires again every frame you hold it while you have over a third left. Hold it and it will drain the tank in a blink.
- Save hyperspace for a sure collision. You land stopped, with a brief moment of protection, but where you land is random.
- The small ones still have to go. A wave only ends when every rock is gone, and the small, fast ones are worth the most. Line them up rather than chasing them.
What's in it
One endless mode: waves until you run out of ships. Three sizes of rock, each with its own irregular outline that holds its shape as it spins. Waves start at five large rocks and grow by one each time to a maximum of twelve, and rock speed keeps rising with every wave. The fuel bar turns red when you are under a quarter.
Questions
Does it save my score?
Yes, on this device. The home screen keeps a top-ten table, and a run that qualifies asks for three initials.
Can I play it on a phone?
Yes. Hold a finger on the left or right third of the screen to turn, hold the middle of the lower half to thrust, and tap to fire. Two fingers let you turn and thrust at once. It is still quickest on a keyboard.
What are all the controls?
A D or the left and right arrows turn. W or the up arrow thrusts. Space or a click fires. Shift is hyperspace. P pauses, R abandons the run, and F toggles full screen.
How does it get harder?
More rocks per wave, up to twelve, and every wave's rocks fly faster. The fuel costs never change, so the same tank has to cover more.