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Space Harrier VGL
Programmed by Roderick “HotrodX” Rivero
Space Harrier VGL is a remake of Space Harrier II that
appeared on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis. It also uses some
elements from the original Space Harrier for the arcade.
This game is more of a “remix” of both.
This game is written in Visual Basic 6, using the
Videogame Layer 1.1, which is a DirectX7 Wrapper.
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[] – Contact – []
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Roderick Rivero
e-mail: roderick_rivero@yahoo.com
homepage: www.angelfire.com/games4/hotrodx
GSM: +63 917 2779981
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[] – Requirements – []
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Windows 95/98/ME/2K/XP
DirectX7
Visual Basic 6 Runtime
VGL 1.1 (included)
This game has been developed and
tested on this configuration:
* AMD Duron 1GHz
* 128MB SDRAM PC133
* nVIDIA TNT2
* ECS K7S5A Motherboard
* 20GB 7200rpm Seagate HDD
It can theoretically run on lower equipped systems.
However, I have not tested the game on other PCs, yet.
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[] – Installation – []
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Extract the zip package with the folder information intact.
Run and click “Register VGL”. This will copy
the vgl.dll library to the system folder and register it.
You *may* need Administrator rights to do this.
After setup, you may now run the game by clicking the file
. This will open up the program launcher. Move
the mouse to the buttons to show a brief description of
them.
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[] – Controls – []
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The direction keys are used to move the character.
Pressing and holding CTRL fires the blaster. Pressing
ESC quits the game (during in-game) and the program
(when on the title screen). Press P to pause the game.
You may also use a gamepad. The game is designed for
digital input, so analog Joysticks are not recommended.
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[] – Gameplay Notes – []
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Hints:
* Keep moving. Enemies lock on your current position.
When you hear the enemies’ weapon move to a different
place.
* Look for “sweet spots”. Sweet spots are certain
positions on screen the can wipe out a whole enemy
wave without them being able to fire back.
* Most waves come in pairs. So if you see a wave of
ships come out, expect the same from the other side.
* It is possible to get caught in an explosion. So
blast obstructions and enemies from afar.
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[] – Issues – []
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Known Issues:
* You cannot task-switch (pressing ALT-TAB). This will
crash VGL.
* Some keyboards (like mine at home) cannot be acquired
exclusively for some reason. On these keyboards, the
WINKEY can make the program lose focus and crash. Also
pressing CTRL-ESC can affect performance. If this
happens, exit the application and run it again.
* Some old OS may not have an updated WAVE decoders.
The music in this game are *.wav files that are
encoded in MP3 format. The possible solutions are:
1. Disable the music (in the program launcher).
2. Check for system updates.
* Text may be garbled on systems with unusual custom
font DPI setting.
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[] – Cheats – []
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To acquire 15 lives press and hold “s” and “h” in the title
screen. Continue to hold the keys until the game starts.
To change levels, hold “q”,”u”,”i”,”t” in the title
screen. The word “cheat” will appear on the upperleft
corner of the screen. Now press the number corresponding
to the level you want to go. You cannot go back to a
previous level. The caveat of this cheat is that you’ll
only get ONE life.
For any other questions, see the contact information above.
Another thing that really makes Space Harrier VGL enjoyable for me is how it manages to stay interesting even after playing it multiple times. Many games feel repetitive after a while, but here, the experience still feels fresh because of the small details and different ways you can approach the gameplay. As you continue playing, you naturally start improving and understanding the mechanics better, which makes everything feel more rewarding. I also appreciate the balance the game maintains—it’s not too difficult, but it’s not too easy either. You can play it casually for a short break or spend longer sessions without getting bored. That flexibility is one of the biggest reasons why I keep coming back to Space Harrier VGL. Overall, it’s the kind of game that doesn’t just entertain you for a moment, but actually gives you a consistently enjoyable experience every time you play.
