Archon Ultra ---- review
Joseph Granto
remake that classic game Archon." For the past several months I have
been on the wait list at Babbages; too bad they don't have it until
the 25th. I got it at Software Etc. on the 21st for $39, then took it
to Babbages to taunt them.
Archon is sort of strategic, and sort of action, so I decided to post
the review here.
Archon Ultra (AU) is based on the old classic Archon, which I spent
hours playing on the Atari personal computer. It is a chesslike game
where the pieces battle for position instead of automatically losing
(like in chess). The board is a black and white chessboard, bisected
horizonatlly and vertically by a single row of squares that change
from white to black. Instead of pawns, queens, and knights, you have
wizards, trolls, and dragons. Each has at least one attack, and all
have a secondary ability (be it a weapon or a defense).
Those of you familiar with Archon will be pleased to know that they
kept the game almost exactly the same. It is now low resolition 256
color VGA, and supports the SBPro and the GUS in native mode. It
requires a 386+ and 2MB RAM. A joystick is recommended, and it runs
perfectly on my 486DX25. Modem and head to head play is supported.
Game play is almost exactly the same as the old version. Firing is
the same (push the fire button in, hold it, move the joystick in the
direction you wish to fire, and release the button to fire). Combat
screens scroll; thus, they are MUCH larger than the original Archon's
one screen combat. There are various obstacles (lava, trees, rocks,
water, poison lakes) depending on the color of the square. To win you
can either destroy the enemy entirely or sit on all five power
stations at once (just like Archon).
Movement is smooth and playable. It does take a while to get used to
their combat system, so be patient. Also, it is now in THREE
dimensions, you have to get the right distance from your target or you
can fire over them! As with the old Archon, certain combat
combinations are outrageously unfair. The pheonix vs a goblin is a
joke, since the pheonix can hover over lava and launch fiery feathers.
The goblin cannot attack without entering the lava, which is deadly.
Sound is "okay." I love the phenomenal sound in games like X-Wing and
Star Controll II, and the digitized beeps and buzzes are not
thrilling. They are, however, better than nothing.
Graphics are fair. The low resotion ala Wing Commander has nice
color, but the resoltion is disappointing. It is not bad, it is not
great either.
Head to head play is great fun with two joysticks. I have not tested
modem play.
I loved Archon, and I love AU. Anyone who liked the original will
feel the same about Archon Ultra. I rate in an 8 out of 10.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Granto jgr...@stat.ufl.edu
"When the Going Get's Tough, the Tough Get a Glock"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Grover
: remake that classic game Archon." For the past several months I have
: been on the wait list at Babbages; too bad they don't have it until
: the 25th. I got it at Software Etc. on the 21st for $39, then took it
: to Babbages to taunt them.
I played it at a friend's...
: Game play is almost exactly the same as the old version. Firing is
: the same (push the fire button in, hold it, move the joystick in the
: direction you wish to fire, and release the button to fire). Combat
: screens scroll; thus, they are MUCH larger than the original Archon's
: one screen combat. There are various obstacles (lava, trees, rocks,
: water, poison lakes) depending on the color of the square. To win you
: can either destroy the enemy entirely or sit on all five power
: stations at once (just like Archon).
There was an Archon for the PC. It was in CGA, maybe 4-5 years ago. All
this version added was 3-d battlefield, modem play, and somewhat better
graphics. Oh yeah, and that cool morphing logo. :)
[deleted...]
: Sound is "okay." I love the phenomenal sound in games like X-Wing and
: Star Controll II, and the digitized beeps and buzzes are not
: thrilling. They are, however, better than nothing.
I found navigating menus, and the sound from the SB Pro did not get along...
: Graphics are fair. The low resotion ala Wing Commander has nice
: color, but the resoltion is disappointing. It is not bad, it is not
: great either.
You are being generous. I like the "vs" pictures - the rest had a rough
quality.
: Head to head play is great fun with two joysticks. I have not tested
: modem play.
Haven't tried it either...
: I loved Archon, and I love AU. Anyone who liked the original will
: feel the same about Archon Ultra. I rate in an 8 out of 10.
I really liked Archon when I played it on the C=64. Considering how much
more capability today's PC compatibles have, it was a let-down for me.
Star Control 2 has better graphics, better sound, more game balance, and
they throw in a full exploration game. BTW, the authors of SC (Paul
Reiche III and Fred Ford?) also helped write AU...
Basically, I feel the strategy aspects (wizards, power points) just
didn't make up for the uneven gameplay, especially when SC2 is available.
--
Andrew Grover
agr...@mathcs.edu
Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
David J Walton
>can fire over them! As with the old Archon, certain combat
>combinations are outrageously unfair. The pheonix vs a goblin is a
>joke, since the pheonix can hover over lava and launch fiery feathers.
>The goblin cannot attack without entering the lava, which is deadly.
I think that some combinations are more unfair in this version than the
original. I used to be able to kill dragons with knights, but from my
very short peek at this version, that is much harder to do, if still
possible. Also, I can't seem to hit anything that's airborne. Is that
really so hard to do, or do I suck that bad?
Dave
Mike Lachtanski
When you are attacking anything flying, you need to hit the shadow not the
actual piece. Since it is trying to represent 3-D by placing the piece
above it's shadow, you need to always attack the shadow.
: Dave
Also, I have tried modem play, and it works great! My friend and I have
14,400 BAUD modems, but the game connected us at only 2400 BAUD and
the performance was fine!! This certainly surprised me, but it makes
the modem play accessible to a lot more people, so it is good news.
I've only played 1 modem game, but it was little different from playing
head to head in the same room.
Personally, I loved the old Archon (only M.U.L.E. was played more on
my Atari 800) and I like the new one! If you liked the old, this is
a must buy!
--
Michael Lachtanski
Hewlett Packard
(408) 447-5076
ml...@brooklyn.cup.hp.com
Dave Stall
: On Mon, 24 Jan 1994 10:16:16 GMT, David J Walton (djwa...@chorizo.engr.ucdavis.edu) spewed forth the following:
: : jgr...@stat.ufl.edu (Joseph Granto) writes:
: : Dave
I have to agree with Michael here. I played this games for hours upon
multiple hours on my Atari computer and never got tired of it even when I
got to the point where I could win using only a single piece. I often found
myself saying "I wish this game was just a little harder, or at least had
different levels of difficulty...." Well, that is just what has happened
with the new PC version. After I got the game, I didn't read any instructions
just booted and played. I got my butt kicked! This game is very good in my
opinion, and if you liked the original, get this one (as Michael has already
said.)
D.X. Chin
I have an addition to make to the Archon Review. It does not
support sound cards other then the sound blaster... I have a PAS
16 and was SEVERLY PISSED by that... Great game, but no sound
for me. I have a Roland and a PAS 16 and it finds none. I'd be
happy with PC Speaker, but nothing... SIGH, That's my only gripe
with the game, if anyone has gotten over this hurtle, PLEASE LET
ME KNOW.
Thought i'd let people without soundblasters know about this
problem.
Dower
James M Malcomson
: Hi all Archon fans:
Hello.
: I got the game couple days ago and played it...
: against computer is very hard.
: and battles can sometimes be LONG!!!
Some of the revamped pieces in Archon Ultra are a little bit
too strong. For example: Even on the hardest mode it's possible to
get an easy kill against the dark sorceress using the phoenix.
All you have to do is hover around the power point and divebomb
her if she gets to close.
In general I think the game favors the light side. Darks
strong pieces (i.e. dragon and shapeshifter) have nearly fatal
shortcomings. The shapeshifter is too easy to take out using
a knight, and the dragon is cannon fodder for half of white's
pieces.
I remember the phoenix in the old Archon being absolutely
worthless (shapeshifter vs. phoenix was a really excruciating
battle). Archon Ultra corrects this, and makes each piece
somewhat viable in combat. However, it's still irritating to
lose half of your dark side heavy hitters to those @#*%%!
knights.
: anyways, I tried the modem play at 2400 (is that the only rate?)
: and appreantly, only (very little slow downs) and is very playable.
: I live in Pittisburgh area, and if someone want to play.
: I might be the one.
: Sam
The readme.txt file implies that 2400 is the only connection
rate. Modem play is, however, impressively smooth.
Eric Hsiao
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
675 Almanor Avenue, Suite 201
Sunnyvale CA 94086
Tel: 408-737-6800
Email: 7671...@compuserve.com
Stra...@aol.com
--
Eric Hsiao | GFX News * The electronic GraFiX mag that's fun to read *
hsi...@rpi.edu | Get on the subscribers list today -- Send your E-mail address
hsi...@bnr.ca | to: hsi...@rpi.edu or FTP 128.113.65.38 /pub/gfx-news
Samuel Samho Chang
I got the game couple days ago and played it...
against computer is very hard.
and battles can sometimes be LONG!!!
anyways, I tried the modem play at 2400 (is that the only rate?)
Gabriel Ting
> I have an addition to make to the Archon Review. It does not
> support sound cards other then the sound blaster... I have a PAS
Correction: It supports the Gravis UltraSound in addition to the Sh*tblasters.
> 16 and was SEVERLY PISSED by that... Great game, but no sound
> for me. I have a Roland and a PAS 16 and it finds none. I'd be
> happy with PC Speaker, but nothing... SIGH, That's my only gripe
> with the game, if anyone has gotten over this hurtle, PLEASE LET
> ME KNOW.
Playing the mod-based music over the PC speaker would probably take
up too much cpu time to be of any good (as if playing it on the SBs
isn't bad enough). Still, it's funny why it won't run on the PAS-16.
--
Putting your best foot forward |==============================
at least keeps it out of your mouth. | email: gt...@sfu.ca
-- Morris Mandel |==============================
Eric Hsiao
>Playing the mod-based music over the PC speaker would probably take
>up too much cpu time to be of any good (as if playing it on the SBs
>isn't bad enough). Still, it's funny why it won't run on the PAS-16.
>
>--
>Putting your best foot forward |==============================
>at least keeps it out of your mouth. | email: gt...@sfu.ca
>-- Morris Mandel |==============================
The story behind why it won't work with the PAS-16 is that the designer of the
sound engine, Fred something-or-another, is not on friendly terms with MV.
Back when he worked on Star Control 2, he wanted a free PAS-16 board so he
could support the PAS-16. However, MV's policy back then was to give devlopers
a deep discount on the board, not to give it away for free. Fred didn't want
to pay for it so he said forget it and ever since,he has not liked MV. So, now,
he does not want to support the PAS-16 or any MV products because he didn't
get his free board. So, the most likely reason why it won't even work in SB
mode on the PAS-16 is that the engine is programmed not to work on the PAS-16.
Don't like this policy? Let Strategic Sims (SSI) know:
LIN MONTEIL
Samuel Samho Chang <sc...@andrew.cmu.edu> wrote:
>Hi all Archon fans:
>
>I got the game couple days ago and played it...
>against computer is very hard.
>and battles can sometimes be LONG!!!
Not really. It's possible. I've beaten the computer with both side already. You
just have to save after each victory that's all and go for the mage/sorceress
ASAP. My fav character is the Banshee, I've killed some major opponents incl.
the archer, golemn, genie, pheonix, and wizard with that guy.
>
>anyways, I tried the modem play at 2400 (is that the only rate?)
>and appreantly, only (very little slow downs) and is very playable.
>I live in Pittisburgh area, and if someone want to play.
>I might be the one.
Sorry I live in the Arctic.
(well close to it)
Eiji
--
FEMC /\VII - First Easter Mirage Corps right Mirage #37 - A.K.D Diver Corps.
MH: Cloudschatze model #0070 series alpha #K2 Fatima Ballanche #15 Ssizz
LIN MONTEIL
James M Malcomson <mal...@indirect.com> wrote:
> In general I think the game favors the light side. Darks
>strong pieces (i.e. dragon and shapeshifter) have nearly fatal
>shortcomings. The shapeshifter is too easy to take out using
>a knight, and the dragon is cannon fodder for half of white's
>pieces.
Not really. I like the dark side better actually. I've cleared it with the dark
side first.