Download The Columbus Force Project (v0.2a - 1.0Mb)

You can also download some wallpaper files to weird up your desktop, featuring my own, custom-rendered, version of the classic Exile logo (which is copyright Superior Software, or something similar).

Warning - the BMP file versions are a bit on the large side, even when zipped. The smallest is around 150k, with the largest 330k. On the other hand, the JPGs will probably require you to use Active Desktop. The choice, as always, is yours.

res 640 x 480 bmp (zipped) | jpg

res 800 x 600 bmp (zipped) | jpg

res 1024 x 768 bmp (zipped) | jpg

Here's a variety of maps of the game.

• The first is the official map from the game guide. Accurate, and useful for interpreting the Micro User solution below, but not detailed and not very pretty to look at.
• This map was created by someone called Michael (no-one seems to know his surname!) using a mapping program on a Micro User cover disk. If Michael is reading this - please contact me so I can give you proper credit!
• Symo took Michael's map and merged in details from his own, hand-crafted screenshot map, producing one which shows objects like creatures that don't show up in the original. You may prefer this one. This is a link to an external site.

Going hand-in-hand with the offical map above is this solution from the pages of the Micro User. You'll probably want to get that map for this solution to make sense.

Now for some lovely copyrighted material which will get me into no end of legal trouble, so I'll post a warning now:

If I get a single, solitary, tiny complaint from the copyright holders of this material (Peter Irvin, Richard Hanson of Superior, anyone from Audiogenic, etc.) this stuff will go. Disappear. For good. I mean it. I'm doing this because I'm a fan and I know you are too - I'm not out to tread on anyone's toes. These people have a legal right to stop me distributing such material, and I'll respect that. Having said that, I don't feel too bad about distributing it on a site like this - since you're fans, that must mean you used to own the game, right? Anyway, you shouldn't download these if you don't own a copy already, because that would be just plain wrong.

The fully-scanned user manual from the original BBC Micro version. Courtesy of someone called ORLOK, and downloaded from The BBC Lives!.

The scanned, OCR-ed and corrected novella, again from the original BBC version, in HTML format. If you prefer to just read it online, you can. Produced from Jeremy Smith's version (see the Links page), and refined by Dalai and Rich.

The theme tune from the Amiga version, taken directly from the MOD file on the disk. You'll need Winamp or similar to play it - I tried to convert it to MP3, but to get it sounding anywhere near good, the file size was too high. So much for new technology.

Emulatable disk-image files of the various incarnations of the game:

• BBC Micro - also contains the cheat program from the Micro User. (Looks like we have a lot to thank the Micro User for, don't we?)
• Commodore 64
• Commodore Amiga - any emulator I've tried this on has serious problems with the scrolling, rendering it unplayable.
• Commodore Amiga (AGA version) - the scrolling works here, but the keys don't respond correctly. You can still control it using the cursor keys by joystick emulation, but old timers may find it hard to get used to.
• Atari ST - works with minimal graphic problems. However, the game crashes with a disk request once you explore the caves to the right of the wind tunnel.