SPECIAL WINDOWS 95 ISSUE OMPUTER GAMING WORLD a #1 mR | Game Magazine sp IF the world's hottest fg S 5 aircraft in EA’s new. ADVBNCED TACTICAI FIGHTERS 0 WS yi ak eg Video Cartis! Sound Cards! We Test The Best Cards For Gamers Special Feature An Inside Look At The Real World Of Game Design Sneak Previewe Allied General se.Soc was Coed eee Rey Bees cans eV Pe ae Umut fey S prequel to Rise of the Triad. PC Format eee et ac @ DOOM: Knee-Deep in the Dead, the Je ea ee =" matches to actior ees Gaming World’s “Game Plug into today’s most lenient ise FeeUal areca Cola Sa seuuecM mn ols head-to-head (eer irel titel eC iNA Col) linked PC’s. jus Get the kit A rho Tae Zore) mii Perera ef I emo need to go | scenarios of the addictive rem ala enue comets Ee game. Computer Lif aes Penner ace dangerous eros opponent SSeS he _ Prete em event ever — you Software’s LapLink™ fo best friend. a 7 Ne, we | ae = high-speed file transfer Includes DOOM, Rise of the Triad, and WarCraft! Get current! Get Head-2-Head"at your local software store and catch the new wave in action gaming! Compatible with most multi-player games and flight sims. p=? ee ena Rua gM ee eee at = Ct (car eee ts tes Sof TOL TNA eee ere)FRIENDS DONT LET FRIENDS FLY SOLO reat Oma | ae a a3 Comanche 2,0™ eyo sod youidon't aye ae cane Foie attack helicopter Ufgusiga jit Or its fearless two killer GD) Ehilgvenmeninncagy petutagtiegite ig urea Nea hox-andl Comanche, you'll Epuaadl We ihgitsto reat Parntig apalters leyyilites . = - . reality of Voxel (einen ? @ x Sucre du roneoe ae . and experiencing direct connect), or , Opes Uininte you can go) ae . Sinha bites toEte ireztt § = Missions you have Hite fem reacts Cramp tae) a Promennetaeacs a os NF LES Bo EOS SES RS mT De SSMS ES BS ON a ae i> By Sy OS Ny Nf oh Py Py Si aes Ya | By »'Sometinies your best friends ~~ SS MN oli ey) coll mde) oat) 1) : Ce eer ee een eT ee Os gece ste poet ta eee reer a ae ae HE ae am Nt a Nga oeEXPAND M3 mt MeN Se Tile ela on Reo ta el a blew away all of its competition on PC-CD, sweeping Cielo RSet = 1a Crew UN Aas ei 3 (eerie kere ei grere (ord Mele Manne IE Weekly. Now, the best-selling ORIGIN Interactive Movie is i available on the 3D0™ System, and is coming soon for Sega™ Saturn™, Sony® Playstation” and Macintosh®! MCLG Rashi mitel Te ie Melt @ Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Wilson, Jason Bernard, and John Rhys-Davies. BU UM eeu mele aire fl RMN licen teeta Lem Rel Roum Melons Ue OU lait Ts & ~ DON'T WATCH THE GAME, se Aa se VK@NYA Tall dl APERIENCE di Mr ECL oe Cuee rene) http://www.ea.com/origin.html ORIGIN Systems is an Electronic Arts® Company # 5918 West Courlyard Dr. # Austin, TX 78730 Dictate etter credecnten eee pe eet ori ne eae ear eel Ere eet pemeieet e ply Spamc be omental Bet seri es rteera erences Be aNAdvanced Tactical Fighters 78 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD OCTOBER 1995 SPOT The Mighty MechWarrior 2 182 vin MPEG sib Aso Eg. Veni, Vidi, Video Cards 68 7 ealth64 Video 3200 38 ANATOMY OF GAME DESIGN Ever wonder how those ideas get from the mind of a designer to your desktop? Modern computer game development requires a finely orchestrated studio production. Join Paul Schuytema backstage as CGI follows the muse of the game designers, programmers, artists, and producers from conception through intended perfection. 60 HARDWARE: SOUND CARD REVOLUTION You don’t have to be an audiophile to know that your sound card ean make oF br ne. But wandering through the maze of MIDI, wavetable, 8 & 16-bit, digitized and even FM- capable cards can make anyone dizzy. For a sweet sound of calm, check out our survey of the latest and greatest sound hardware. 68 HARDWARE: VIDEO CARDS Truc 3-D applications may be on the horizon, but that’s no reason to delay. The new generation of video cards can often enhance the performance of your existing DOS games. Join us as CGW rates the current crop of graphie boosters, 78 SNEAK PREVIEW! ADVANCED TACTICAL FIGHTERS Upgrade your intelligence of EA’s new generation of aerial hardware, Denny Atkin finds out about Electronic Arts’ and Origin’s new relationship with Jane’s Information Service, THE NEW ART OF WAR 88 SNEAK PREVIEW! CAESAR II Impressions has created a new Rome with sireets hewn from fine SVGA marble, Arinn Dembo offers a tour of the famed city. 92 SNEAK PREVIEW! WOODEN SHIPS & IRON MEN. ‘There are shimmering seas and tall-masted ships aplenty in Terry Coleman’s shakedown cruise of the new naval game from Stanley Associates and Avalon Hill, 96 SNEAK PREVIEW! CONQUEST OF THE NEW WORLD According to Johnny Wilson, Interplay’s new game of exploration, expansion, exploitation and extermination may be everything we wanted Sip MrteR’s Col oNtZATION to be, SPECIAL WINDOWS 95 GAMING SECTION 115 SNEAK PREVIEW! ALLIED GENERAL Tired of overrunning Poland? SSI's ALLiED GeNERaL might be even more addicting than its storied predecessor. And this time, you get to play the good guys 122 TEN TOP DOS GAMES RUNNING UNDER WIN ‘95 For gamers who are worried about whether their old favorites will function in the new operating system, COW puts 10 hot DOS titles through their paces. 130 SNEAK PREVIEW! REBEL ASSAULT II Ken Brown poses as an intergalactic bounty hunter to see if REBEL ASSAULT II can surpass the hypersales records set by its cessor.SNEAK PREVIEW! INDYCAR RACING 2.0 After NASCAR Racine, whats left? Papyrus has no plans to sit in the Winners Circle until its game chassis rusts out. So, Gordon Goble takes a few laps in their new race cat. 148 AL UNSER ARCADE RACING There’s nothing like truth in advertising, but even from a coin-op perspective, George Jones is sill skeptical ofthis ttle’s horsepower. 56 MORDOR: DEPTHS OF DEJENOL Petra Schlunk has been patiently wandering old dungeons while waiting for an enticing new world in which to adventure, After hacking through 999 levels of this repetitive world, she's still waiting SCORPIA'S STING Nostalgia is nice, but CW's resident sorceress is unenchanted with Interplay’s DuNaton Masrer Il, finding nothing legendary in THE LEGEND oF SKULLKECP. g into a STONE Proper obelisk? Can't find Eddie at Club BuREAU 13? Been spun around “til you're dizzy on the Discwortp? Our tusty astrologer will guide you through the most puzzling adventure game labyrinths. SPACE QUEST VI Sierra gets gastroenterologi ‘Space Quest VI: THE SPINAL FRONTIER, Cha the scatological frontier. 6 NEW HORIZONS Arinn Dembo suggests that NEw HoRIZoNs could have claimed new ground, but settled for well-worn soil p 1OF MECHWARRIOR II After two and one-half years of development, Martin Cirulis keeps an eye on his heat signature and argues that Activision's new “mech game just ht be the mightiest of all. TERMINAL VELOCITY FormGen's Terminal Velocity seems to have everything: action, 3-D sculpted worlds and lots of acceleration. Mark Clarkson considers what to do after the initial adrenalin rush, SNEAK PREVIEW! CRUSADER The latest action game from Origin may well feature the most graphic violence ever in a computer game. Yet, Martin Cirulis experiences No ReMonsé in this upcoming Origin game. SAVAGE WARRIORS Ii seems to be The Year OF PC Fighting Games...or is it? Master Jason Kapalka finds that Mindscape’s Bio-Motion is unique, but its ration of three special moves is SavaGE indeed, 200 CHAOS ENGINE I-Motion has come as close to Plug & Play as any game Jason Kapalka has seen. Only trouble is, this “REBEL AssAULT with training wheels” forgot the Play part of the equation nSPORTS 204 SNEAK PREVIEW! NHL HOCKEY ‘96 Gordon Goble laces his virtual skates and leaps to the ice to preview BA's latest version of the classie hockey game. Find out how EA. plans to latch onto the Stanley Cup of computer hockey for another year. SIMULATIONS 214 BOGEY'S BAR & GRILL Denny Atkin finds Apache heaven as he plays new chopper games and re-discovers okt flying and fighting skills far beyond those of fixed-wing, aireraft 218 APACHE Digital Integration mixes in a little of that ld Interaetive Magic and launches the first volley of heat- seeking missiles in the ‘chopper wars 224 US MARINE FIGHTERS farried because you can't fy a Harrier in EA's US Navy FicnreRs Denny Atkin you climb into this add-on for some tense mission-oriented fun, STRATEGY/ WARGAMES 230 BROADSIDES & GRIPESHOT Do you ever sit around the old command post and wonder why “Grand Tactical” sounds great, but none of your generals really know whit it ‘means? Alan Emrich serves up his wargame glossary so that you can tell a strategic overview from a tactical finesse. 236 POWERHOUSE Impressions has some of the best ideas for games in the industry, including this energy-czar ame. Martin Cirulis just wishes they'd put some of their creative energy into testing play balance, 242 CUSTER'S LAST COMMAND The Brothers Lapkoff, who brought us REMEMBER TIE ALAMO, are back with their latest “Mast stand” game, Alan Emrich saddles up the Palominos and sings the “Garry Owen” to find out if the Apaches and 7th Cavalry are as Ineredible as they are cracked up to be. 246 HARPOON Il DELUXE MULTIMEDIA Capstone’s new version of the classic Three-Sixty Pacific game still offers plenty of naval micro-management, a new scenario im Carter ‘editor, and lots of new video, but HARPOON buff 1 wonders why the AI is stil living in the past. 252 STRATEGY! JAGGED ALLIANCE Fallow tr hard to find unless you have the right group of ga the most out of your Meres, join soldier-of-fortune Jett James, as he unravels the secrets to Santino’s Metavirian isle, 262 STRATEGY! WORLD AT WAR: STALINGRAD Meeting stiff German resistance after an initial Blitzkrieg past the Don River? Field Marshal Robert Mayer shows you how to purge the German 6th Army in ways that would make Stalin himself proud. UO : Preview: NHL i HOCKEY ‘96 204 DEPARTMENTS 14 EDITORIAL Poor Game Design 18 INTERFACE ‘The Gamers Talk Back 24 READ.ME The Latest Buzz, Whirr, And Click 272 THE GAMER’S EDGE The Hacks, Codes & Cheats You Need HEX, BUGS & ROCK N’ ROLL Creating Your ‘Own Game Company UNDER THE HOOD Teaching A DOS Dog New Win ‘95 Tricks ADVERTISER INDEX A Guide To The Vendors, 311 HALL OF FAME All-Time Great Games. 312 THE TOP 100 K 314 PATCHES Game Files To Kill Bugs Dead 316 WHAT'S THE DEAL? Living With The Competition 278 286 309 aders Rate The Top GamesCouLD ZILLIONS OF DROOLING PyTHON ZEALOTS BE WRONG? ABSOLUTELY. , So, Listen To THE EXPERrts INSTEAD. Tse OP AOC CL ee RC Check out this ground breaking COO ONE Oh eo SLC oe ake PT eee cae Eee Soy sick system sounds and rs Prete POS ane COCs Cm CS em CO Sena H iPC Gamer Se ey a Coe So cM Seg Og ete esc rw Coe em re mca ake Strategy Plus Magazine See eros Re ey cee eri Seer eer Saxe ee eae Pheer sy] JAGGED ALLIANCE at Pe ne ee eee ere rer cad Oe eee ence cca ee a fF James, RATING JO: aan Sela Ce een meee PC Gamer Sere Re ee eG Pee ee eee eal Dee ert cere eo [UE clectronic Entertainment P.0. Box 245, Ogdensburg, NY 13669 Tel: (315) 393-6633 Fax: (315) 393-1525 reer ete) coeOT at rendered 3D locations in SVGA ees ere €ut-scenes ® Progressive nonlinear eerie seer nr Sete ee eee ete Rees ct ee Boor eco at cess Me eet anes pense ean ats erent etree SC ace cen eee eer ible October '95 Roesch es aera ete tea nents Pian ie est eee ener e tar Peer ts Oem foe? What has happened to the sing Druid? Which path is safe to choo: d your answers by exploring this “feature length” story in a three dimensional world. Action-based combat system © Intuitive head view of'a 3D world © Fi Poecat ele inte teem Ones ONT Ita foe tan Ae Look for the Interactive Demo with leading gaming magazines To order, visit your nearest retailer, or call: (800) 447-1230. Ask for operator 43. Pie ag oe | PO Box 245, Ogdensburg, NY 13669 Tel: (315) 393-6633. Fax: (315) 393-1525 E-Mail: 76711.33@COMPUSERVE.COM Oe ee eee ay ao)Ren NCR eis ery Sa Sree ont tree Ce a str called Ultimate Doom, Rea ems coaecn ie a Lf peaameS aie Lesfool sicga |e usu qumey bag “Thao Ce ee eyCutting Through Game Thickeners Why Mazes And Other Game Design Shortcuts Don’t Add Anything To A Game by Johnny L. Wilson “The present contains nothing more than tthe past, and what is found In the effect was already in the cause.” —Henri Bergson, Creative Evolution AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT WE NEGLEGT THE PAST, EVEN IN AN INDUSTRY WHICH 18 LESS THAN TWO DECADES old, to the peril of the future, So I'd Tike to offer an observation from the carly days of this hobby with the hope that it will discourage game designers from repeating the mistakes of the past In 1987 CGIY founder Russell Sipe were talking with the co-designers of Wiz- and I rightly observed that the adventure/role- playing gamer wanted to advance ul encounter interesting characters, obsta- cles and situations. T didn't dispute his observation then and 1 certainly can't dispute it now after covering computer games for more than a decade, One merely has 10 look at the maze in JOHNNY MNEMONIC to see this year's descendent of the kind of ivitating raze that can be traced all the way buck rough a story Tine where he/she would Crowther and Woods’ pioneering AD- ater, Infocom's Zouk. One merely has to listen to gamers complain about how short the otherwise wonderful hands in frst simply threw up thei tion, With the former, they ended up per- forming an arcade sequence over and over again. It made the game longer, but Theard more than one person say that they just wanted to get on with the story. With the latter, the designers were so suc- cessfal in designing an invisible interface that, ata Sony party during a major wade show, I witnessed people walking up to srand, even though they were stat at what's the compu intrigued by the video, leaving with ed obse can't figure happening. Designers have to decide what they are tuying to do and quit relying on shortcuts One of my great frustrations with what 1 call multi- mediocre software (multimedia) is that the designers don't seem to to fill out a gam anpky IV, Roe Adams and Robert Wood= in Los reflecting upon the head, outside The Magic Cast Angeles. Adams w carly history of the adventure/role-playing geme. designers are simply trying to lengthen the game without adding any value,” he observed, “because they either stick in gambling, mazes, or arcade sequences.” He went on to suggest that all three ting to the out cam always tell wh features are merely frust mer because they eat up time without adding anything to advance the story or enrich the ambiance of the universe. He Fou Trot is in order to notice that it is in the tradition of Srack Quest HIT (possibly the shortest graphic adventure up until its time and a game which would have been significantly shorter without the goofy arcade sequences which have become a trademark of those: products). OF course, Fut, Taworite had gambling sequences, 00. Ironically, even though the graphics of Fou. Throrrit and the streaming video of Jounxy MxEvonic are enough to grab the attention of new gamers and non- gamers alike, I've met a Tot of folks who COMPUTER GAWING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 consider the power of imeractivity. They provide a so-called ine \ sports, wine or whatew active coffee table book on art, music, sider what people can do with the infor- fingertips. They don't let you take the art apart ane! find out sehat’s good about it; change the mus ‘out custom scores mation at th create printouts for your sports Fantasy team or update stats for your favorite sports game; customize y catalog with notes wes; or anything ight be considered useful. They wine tasting notes or update thei on the next year’s v thatie Features: Ted dence Peru Can SU eSSTT Te Porites) itn for a faster and more Eiyosouraeocaretts oscucrmes ten Ft ae i Cee PreU UIC UCL UE Cur Tteera (a te Pe xron (ey Bett pcre ee with the availability of resources to prevent Fett Weary rere CCU Prete ier your cities for the tools Oe COT ener Pr eee enya Teac ney improve in crafts, sciences, Brome eet nre iy Drkiircecrnntest of the moment to build the ea ae cee arta floods contac Cee your day and challenge even the greatest empire builder. Cros ae Scns Wenn Connery picasa eneee eke es . Ask for Dept. CGW10. al lon Hill Game fio pe EEE Rimretcer ere ce Baltimore, MD 21214 Oa mT pierces Ee aris ori) : Tosi essimply throw on video, animation, sound and a few hot spots for us to browse. Browsing, though, is the low end of int tivity. These designs seem merely to be created from the per spective of filling a CD rather than allowing the user/gamer to play. And let's face it, the power of computing is the power of play. Why are spreadsheets important? ‘They give you a template to play with figures, data and “What if?"s. Why were word They let you move your words around with new structures and phrasing while keeping the ‘ld structure in memory—sort of verbal risk management. Why ‘are databases powerful? They let you play around with the data, sorting and printing to fit your need or whim of the moment. The most powerful designs in any type of computing let you do something with the assembled data. (With apologies to Chris Crawford for paraphrasing his classic argument.) ‘As both a gamer and someone who has watched computer ‘inst using new tech- nologies. I'm not against streaming video and P'm not against either $+D graphics or 3-D sound design. I think they can all eventually enhance our gaming experiences. But right now Tm hearing a lot of frustration from gamers in the feedback to this magazine and online comments from people playing new games, And I hope that designers will listen to their audience ‘and not forget what kinds of games they're designing and why people want to play them. People still want to go to new places, meet interesting characters and do things they couldn't necessarily do in “real” life. Why add unnecessary obstacles which may keep them from getting the full benelit for which they purchased the game? Using filler doesn’t necessar ‘make the experience fuller. processors revolutionar and game design for a long time, I'm not aga HOW DO WE RATE? ‘The Guide To CGW's Review Rating System AMAR Outstanding: That rare game that gets it all right. The graphics, sound, interface, and, of course, the game play come together to forma “Transcendent Gaming Experience. ew. Very Good: A quality game that succeeds in ‘many areas, May have minor problems, but is siill worth your time and money, especially if you're interested in the subject matter/genre. WHMCS Average: A mixed bag. Can often be a game that reaches for the stars, but falls short in sig- nificant areas. Can alo just be a ga what it does well, but lacks flair or origi “Weak: A game with serious problems. May be buggy, may not have much play value, may be iMl-coneeived—and you may want to think twice about buying it Abysmal: ‘That rare game that gets it all wrong, Usually a buggy, incomplete, andlor valueless product. 46 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995, COMPUTER GAMING WORLD The #1 Computer Game Magazine OCTOBER 1985, NUMBER 135 Pablisher Falter-in-Chiet Managing Editor Ken Brown Features Editor Denny Atkin Technical Editor M Reviews Editor Terry Ci Assistant Etors Allen Greenberg, George Jones Paul Schuytema Edwin G. Malstrom Jack Rodeigues Kate Hedstrom |. Uniacke Jonathan Lane Johnny Wilson Adjunct Editor Art Director Graphic Artist Editorial Assistant Advertsing Director East Coast District Sales Manager Cathy Conway West Coast District Sales Manager Lynne Killey Account Representative Marci Yamaguchi Marketing Coordinator Cathy Lin Aministratve Assistant Linda Philapil Contributing Edtors Scorpia (Advent Gams) ‘Alan Emich (Wangaanes) Charles Ardai Unteractce Fiction) Loyd Case (Tecnology) Martin Girulis (Science Feion) Russell Sipe Founder Games ate cpprighed y 7EDavi rab Computer Gankg Word noe aint Subweripio Rae: The arin ree $27.04 tra one year utp (12 ‘ory. Eade sn al rcs $1.00 fr peatage Ava suri thts ae 97800 per jar, Conan GSE repiraion momber fh RIVONO7A, Firman sate dat mide check oe money order dean ypo.a US. font Vi, MawerCard, ANB scoped Subserison Series For ipion eto, ables changes or ordering innate als) Gens) or fax CoB) c7488 hin the US and Can Aint aes al 3) GH: 144 ow fy G3) OFA Gleaonl sahe ‘rivers nh) or wie to Comer Caming Wr 80. ow 97168 Holder, CO hansenier Editorial Office: 135 Main St, 14th Flor, Sun Franco, CA 9105. Back sve: for back ses (bjt to ela, 800 per swe S800 ouside {het} sad check money ender or cre car nna to Back ies Dept SieDavh Pushing Go, PO. Bow 813), howler, CO sHaRe 318 Pete EA i 37-08 : Taverne 708 82Acompascre com, 880 oe quay eprins ies of 100 or moe, contact REPRINT SERVICE SCOMPUTER GAMING WORLD, 816 2th venue NIV ‘Si Pht NIN 35112 (12) 582340, FAX (612) GSH ZIPE-NAVIS PUBLISHING COMPANY Theda, etna Ne Tenor Vie Presence Creel Vie Present, tan ote Charman Tom SGrade Vice resident Circulation Senices: ames F Ramey vce es, Cinjorte Rear an Ary Bae Vie Press Contr and Tree: Tia} Mell ‘ie Prakent Create Services Herbert es Vie Pelnt rl Cal ei le ws ct ‘i ‘Decopen Cra “ie Pests roduc Roger Hers Chit got ct one z Troducion Decor Walter fedeck ABC AUDITED.TIRED “GF ‘Yous. OLp DINOSAUR? : sts suse ome URS) hi The Falcon MACH V: The Ultimate Gaming Mac DO RMR a Mee yay Se Ere = TO ORDER CALL: Bela ee)interface LETTERS FROM CGW READERS RADIO FLYER Furs, Tuworeris fs particularly Mier wading your excellent good, A fol of mavie soundtrack magazine for so long, it's compilers could eat their hearts about time | have my name in oul over how good FT's sound- your pages. L want to talk tracks, Weeven agree that a Top fabout music. You know, that 10 list would be nice. The only thing we used to only hear on ule is that mast tp ten ls for the radio, and now music ave based on sales figures, and tere are no sales fige ves for computer ume muse separate fram the games. We could ask readers to rate their favorites and compile a “Playing Lately?” sigle Top 10, but ane hesitate to ask cour readers any more questions than the nine ber in the siz« cable survey we already send. If enough other readers want it, get with our games? Don't though, swell gladly provide it, you think it’s about time to Readers? publish a new hit list—some- thing like the best 10 songs €D PROTECTION performed in computer — Ifa game (e.g. PERFECT games, [think that music sells GeNERAL 11) requires you 10 games. I know this from Fut. insert the CD each ti Tueorrit. ‘The music written play, y by ‘The Gone Jackals got my tection as Key Disk, If fox—not the you nt should list the pro- graphics or facturers re-introduce key disk gameplay, the music. ‘Their copy protection via CD—fine song, “Born Bad” (played at Let’s just be up front about it the end of the ga in any dimension, For now Rochester, NY it’s my number one. is good Jin Bokest Kaichug Key Disk copy protection zoas a Potah-Tikea, ISRAEL — technique used in the floppy disk cin en tempt keep geamers Wo definitely agree Heat music from merely copying the produce adds to the gaming experience, — ton disks and playing off the hard We also agiee that the music in drive, During that era, everything 38 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 ‘on the floppies except for the key disk protection scheme was copied to the hard drive, The entire pro pose of the procedure lect against piracy. We haven't studied today's CDs for the dytesidisk ratio of data stored to the hard drive compared to that uthich remains on the CD, but our suspicion is that there és plenty of sideo data being hept on the CD rather than being transferied t0 our drive. Since this is to your slo pro datverntage (not having your avd drive filled full of video clips, ane dia clips, ele. which you might only hearse ance or tice) as posed to finctioning merely as a protection scheme (of conse, it can serve that fienction as well, awe never rally thought of CDs as Deing protected. HEAR, HERE! Ple: appreciation 10 Allen Green- © convey my sincere berg for his review on Kine bow: THe Fa Reacts in the August issue of CGW, In par= ticular, Mr. Greenberg's note at the game does not sup: port text display, making the ‘game unplayable for hearing impaired people, saved me some trouble, as T ge of purehasi game. As it was, this would have been the thirel gante this year that I would have had to return because ofthe kick of a lext-display option, I sure wish other reviewers would take the time to consider the needs of -_ hearing impaired/cleaf gamers, Jeff Thomas via the Internet I is extremely easy for game de- signers and publishers to gel tan nel vision when Iechnologies become both practical and affordable. Prior to CD- ROM storage, game designers longed for the days when mast of us could hear characters speak their lines rather than realing them on-screen. Many designers fell this was a move anulogons to the shift from silent film to the talkies. Ofeourse, this doesn’ take into consideration people who live inva silent word all the time oF even those of us who prefer to tan of bad voice acting. We en ‘ourage game companies to utilize « closedecaption option within their games. Ht shouldn't be that dlifficul, since many companies used text-based placcholders until the soundtrack isin place anyuay. Two's COMPANY First, like to compliment you on the excellent quality ‘and quantity of informal GW. Your magazine is so en- tertaining to read that 1 actu- ally subscribed to it for about a year before 1 purchased an IBM-compatible PC for ing. For the past ten y had enjoyed my venerable Commodore 6-4 and Amiga cam 500, However, now that Ihave decided to explore the vast se lection of PC software, 1 have experienced a major problem. I ean’t find any sofiware, with he exception of sports games and war games, that can be played by two players at the computer Before you explain the ad- dlictive fun of modem and net“One Must Fall 2097 is the best fighting ig available for the PC, bar none” nea ay ee red ecm em Ce ee EE una t Cy a a : fee Win cash for repairs, upgrades Run out of cash and your Coen uan ets Mri Rotel er reac ONE MUST FALL: 2097 IS up to their hype? PC Gamer says “this is a truly excel- a ac lent game” and “you won't be disappointed” with One ENTS) Must Fall 2097, PC Answers calls it “outstanding”, PC Home calls it “a must” and PC Gamer says it “plays brilliantly’. Computer Game Review says One Must Fall 2097 is fast, furious and fun above and beyond the call of duty’. PCGamer Peta ue etre Greece er eee er ian el cam ACN era] Bode eu ued ann uc uae emma ets te PO CUlseiehttoey tars GOEPIC Play head-to-head against your friends or fight your way through increas- Pret moO CMU SD Mayne een oN orac-Cemee te Bie) oteey EVN noe ttre nou ecko teen Cn sere Features multi-channel, metal-crushing sound effects and heart-pounding digital music. One Must Fall 2097 is only $39. Or, get the game, the 60-page OMF Strategy Guide and a color poster for only $49. NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES CALL 1-800-972-7434 TO ORDER! Please add $4 s&h. Visa, Mastercard and checks ‘TRY THE SHAREWARE VERSION TODAY! ee Meer Pee at aoa SA NCO Seee rnc ae De ee eam un anion ce | Epic Forum or call Exec-PC BBS at (414) pS nee eae ee ACO Ler 789-4360 or on the Intemet ftp any of LS ee ere eee ote PL ude Ty Rockville MD 20852 - (301) 983-9771 Fax (301)299-a841 the /mstlos/games/epie clrectory.work play, L must explain that F cannot afford the hardware and other related costs for these enjoy your recent article about these gaming venues). For years, my fiends and 1 have thrived on competing with ions (although I did each other in arcade ype computer games. Does the PC have any good wo-player games or will I lose all my friends? John, Coscia Nonristuwn, PA THIS MAGIC TORMENT Thave an outstanding strat- egy for Master of Magic which Twwould like to share with your reaclers. It leads 10 2 quick vie~ tory at any level of difficulty Start by seleeting a custom wizard with 1 spell book of Death magic. Be sure to select the spells Lycanthropy and Wraiths. Go to the magic summary screen andl change the wands so that all of your mana points are being added to total mana. You should be gaining about 10 points per turn Spend the next 30 turns building your total up to 300 Sotends like you enjoy action _gammes, so you might want to check ‘out Acclaim’s Morr. Koma mana points in order to cast Wraiths At first, attack neutral citi with the Wraiths. Norm: rmies are no match for them and you will be able to rapidly expand. Watch out for spell- using armies and enemy wize ards with the Star Fires spell To defea 0 play at the sume Reybourd) or New World's Zeenns and GT's SupeneKaxrs (both are racing these hazards, have games). If you want to stretch your inlevest into strategy, you can ‘also try New World's Sack np, Ho! (a space conguestfeco- several units of normal troops accompany your Wraiths Units that hang back will ene to draw spells away from the advanc fighting the undead since Wraiths will be unable to drain life from them. Wraiths enjoy the benelit of enlisting slain enemies to their cause. Normal troops nomics gare). If you're willing to dig through used gene sales, cat ‘logs and bargain bins, you could even fly ThreeSixty’s Biv Max (WWE air combat) agetinst an of ponent ia a split-screen and the same keydoard. ig Wraiths. Avoid 20 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 fore I have even played it Game customers should take notice that their cus tomers are becoming frus- trated with all of the different configurations re- ime. They should remember the fol- lowing three rules: 1) frus- trated customers equal lower sales; 2) lower sales equal fewer profits; and 3) fewer profits equal going out of business quired for each g enlisted in this way will have no cost; however, they will not heal. Watch out for summoned creatures (such as Warbears) which rise from the dead to Tim Bernaden Chieago, I. serve you because of their high upkeep cost in man When you are gene adequate stores of mi Right, Tim. Guess some prt lishers don't realize that tuo how's spent om your CONFIGSYS isn't equivalent to adding two hours to gameplay. ing ate units of werewolves with the Lycanthropy spell. As long CORRECTION The phone nuamber listed for The Imagination Network in September's Telegaming Section xuus incorrect, The correct muber Nick Rice for INN is 1-800-IMAGINI, Hamden, CT which translates to 1-800-462- 4461. The one listed in the article takes callers right to a fax line asy atte with your advancing Wraiths, even units of werewolves which have been destroyed will be rege crated RANTS AND solic, in turn, might be confused HURRAHS with a modem line and might Your & Raves” arti- cle in issue #134 was right on tanget. I hate buying a game and then having to spend a few hours tweaking my AU- TOEXEC.BAT and CON- FIGSYS files to get it to run ‘on my system, Hone game from company ABC canses me trouble, you tend to frustrate interested goers. We apologize forthe er ror, especially to those of you who received an urewelcome whistling tone in your ear The caption in September's Telegaming Section which re- Jerved erroneously to GEMSTONE TH as @ Kesmai game was incor- rect. GEMSTONE TI, soon to ap- pear on America On-Line, is a can bet than any future games by ABC will be skipped with- out a second thought. Yes, 1 Simutronies product. Kesmai, of course, is the publisher of the up- coming Reanas oF Kesar role« aging game and also distribudes Tut: Deacon's TaLt which was previewed in September's Tel- gaming Section, Simutronies is the publisher of CybeRSTRIKe ‘and Mops Ovenanbh. 4 know I might be missing out on many great games, but when I spend $50.00 on a game and then have to spend hours trying to get it to run, my enjoyment level of that game drops tremendously be-a a SW! bio Rn tra ae ie CUA AR te ut . = pn a : eae irenmad dilyartric Aas J Seu ietaeniy tte) : itis eh ens 4 4 o - o ed eteCary fr. i rete rasTHE LATEST NEWS FROM THE GAMING WORLD Origin Takes Ultima On-Line, Readies Cybermage, Crusader Ultima On-Line Will Let Players Choose A Variety Of Lifestyles In recent days, Or real Britannia where players the game will tems (Electronic Arts’ whol- can choose to live many dif be much ly-owned subsidiary) has not ferent lifestyles.” ULtINA ON- more akin to Line. will have the traditional Unristas TV Urima perspective with its through VI 3/4 overhead view and a As the third only announced one of the first products in the new Jane’s line of military simula- tions (sce “Bogey's Bar & graphic look somwhere be- _ installment Grill” on page 213), but has tween Urtiva VI and Urtima_ of the third gone on record as planning VIL. The company has com- ULrisa wilo- for all of their 1996 products pleted vo successful 50 per- gy (I-III, IV- to be Windows 95 products. son tests with Origin VI, VII-IX), In addition, Lord British employees. Ura IX is (Origin’s Richard Garriott) As for Untima IX, Lord intended to recently appeared in an on- British observed that, as is be the epic of traditional with all epies— their Magship se- completing ries, the technol the Guardian ogy is being built trilogy of VIL, from scratch. VIIT and IX Yet, the feel of once and for en eee ets Iso reach back to ULth Ma TV and resolve the rela tionship between the Avatar and the Guardian. And as long as we were reaching back to Utrima IV, we decid- the Internet and the upcom: ed to reach all the way back ing Utrista IX to Untiva Land to Mondain Lord British said that the and his magie gem and tie up everything back to the begin- Tine conference with Computer Gaming World on ZDNet Compuserve (the full tra script is available on-line) and announced some details about Unrima ON-LiNt on on-line graphic role-playing game (RPG) will not require CeCe gs vines of Britannia all players to be avatars. EUDGIS Unlike Utriva VII, how- Rather, *...it will be a full ever, Untima IX will allow 2a COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995you to choose a male or fee male character. Ind cording to Origin’s War Spector, “Vou can select your sex, the sex of your love in- terest, and during game play, you can decide how sex rious your romance be- comes Origin is also busily at work with two other titles Crusaper and Cyser Mace ‘CRUSADER is a strategic ac- tion game utilizing a refresh- ing 3/4 perspective, gorgeous Super VGA graphics and a underlying storyline in the Wine Commaxnene IT fashion (but, sans big name stars), For more information, check out our Sneak Preview on page 190, CyieeMAce: is another ac- tion hybrid that has people drooling. At first glance a spiced-up version of Syste SHOCK, this game is any- thing but that. Using a brand new engine, Origin is going one step further in creating a fully functioning world. Getting away from the level-oriented approach, CyBERMAGE allows you free reign of a city where you can: hop into a assault hove ereralt and strafe the city; fight battles alongside life- allies; enter city shops and perform many more de structive actions. Super VGA graphics, of course, will also he part of the package. CyneRMAGE and CRUSADER should both be available in time for the holiday season And, on the subject of holi- days, Wise ComManber IV is rumored to be ahead of schedule (and over-budget) PLAYING LATELY? Here are the games that your fellow players are blowing the most tine with. Let us know which game you've been playing the mos by writing the name of your curent adlieion in the “Playing Lately?" blank ofthe CCAIV Top 100 ballo. CONE Ter i alla (Sir- Teo) ia C EaDy 1. descent (interplay) “As a new addict about to invade Washington, I can testify that PANZER GeneRai is a great game for a 48-year old lawyer without rocker reflexes or a year to devote to Myst," John Chesson, Falls Church, VA “I've been underground (in DisceNr) so Jong, my skin’s starting to turn white.” Dennis Rodvigues, Rockoille, MD “After playing Dank Forces and ‘Tie Ficit= FR you can only dream at what LueasAris will come up with next. Hands down, they're the best in the business.” Will Dinkel, Lawrence KS “Counselor Troi is just as useless in A FiNa Unry as she was in the series. Can't we just OCTOBER 1995 + COMPUTER GAMING WORLD From The Deen (MicroProse) Notable Quotes NRO une eet Comin eee egies tu 24 Results for CGW #133, AUGUST 1995, open a buikhead and flush her out into space?!” ‘Mark Poth, Miche. tulle, MD 've been hooked for 4 weeks on TERROR FkoM Tit Deer and have only one question: How far can you throw a grenade underwa- ter?” Slew Shin, Jax FL. “Pm coming under heavy fire from family and friends because 1 can't stop with JacceD ALLANGE, Send in reinforcements!” Toson Sabon, Adana, Ga Sadly, | beat Fut THRorme way too quick- ly, Watching the ending sequence, however, made me wanna buy a Corley, head for the Southwestern. desert, and join the Polecats Jon, Brooktyn Park, MNCan Interplay Prove It's A Good Sport With VR Line? Chess, Dungeons The biggest news at Inter- play right now is a splashy en- try into the computer sports game arena, Long dominated by Electronic Arts and Sony, ‘computer sports gamers will see serious entries for every ‘major sport in Interplay’s new VR Sport Line. Beginning, year in the second quarter, VR Sports wil kick off with baseball soccer, golf, and pool games, followed in the third quarter by football, basketball, and hockey games. What sets this sports game line apart from the oth Well, the inclusion of “VR” (lor virtual reality) in every product title isa clue, indicating a tech nological attack on the compe- tition, Interplay has pulled out all the stops (0 create “Virtual FieldVision,” a full 3-D world in every game so that every viewpoint (or camera angle, if you will) imaginable can be freely obtained. We especially liked the baseball's eye-view camera eluring the course of a home run. Gameplay will use garoudshacled polygon tects nology, but every sports ventie (stadium, golf course, etc.) will be authentically detailed (ine cluding Coors Field and the Ballpark at Arlington) In PR Soccer, you'll find all 14 International Teams and the game can be played over a network by up to 20 players, cach operating a single player and seeing the player's on-thesfield perspec live. This DOOM-eye-view of ng in a sporting event is ciety i) a : Ceo ae while the path split- ling gives this title some extra replayabiliy For the re- flex im paired, there ire. simple control com- mands and varying difli- 1 WALT2 Gamers woke to stay ull annotated culty "set ‘transcripts of ter games or have the computer arabe potential tings. More ‘moves wil love Interplay US. Cass ecco Cus. cerebral an absolute wow Of course, Interplay isn't strictly working on sports ames, With a strategic enter- tainment partner like MGA (parent company of Universal Pictures), you won't be sur- prised to see the WarERWORED game coming out from Inter- play. For a 10-level action game, the addition of full mo: lion video and ray traced graphics give it a nice look, players will appreciate the strategy game, Warerwortn: ‘THe QUEST FOR Drvtan, with its over 30 mi utes of original film footage Interplay has also launched a TSR Division. In addition to their previously announced li= censed worlds from the AD&D publisher, Forgotten Reals and Planescape, computer gamers will get to play the computer ized version of TSR's DRAGON Dict: (which gives computer R NWENSTEDN It's aty easy to iagine Tim Curia ether. Here, he play Br. rankonstoin in Ilerpays Fone TT Ets Fm Mose 26 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995, Dragons, Frankenstein, And Stunts Are Also In The Queue players all 123 of the initially released collectable dice, plus ten unique virtual dice). Dac ow Dick. can be played by up to four players (network and mo- dem) and features plenty of multi-media razfle-dazzle and a real Dragon Lord die in exery box. Also in the TSR sphere is FoRGOrren REALMS: DESCENT 10 UNDERMOUN EME, which the marketing types at Interplay have dubbed “DESCENT meets Urriva.” It’s clearly an action oriented role-playing game with 360 degree movement for up to four players (via modem and network). Characters will advance in experience levels as they explore a fleshed out story through twenty dungeon levels Adventure gamers (and Rocky Horr fans) shoulel love Tim Curry in FRANKENSTEIN TurouGtt THE EVES OF THE Monster. While the game’s perspective is clearly stated in the subiile itis interesting that Mary Shelley's story has been warped (yet again). This time, we find a Dr. Frankenstein who does not fear, but instead coaches his monster, Compar- isons to Mysrare matural as the player tries to unravel the Mysteries of his very existence Interplay is also making some interesting knight moves. Cues Mares is a children’s chess program from the team that brought you MaKio Tracites TyPrse (and look for Mano Texcntes THPING 2, 100), while US Cress Frekavion Cutiss boasts the only computNew Intel OverDrive Processor ish me pce pe formance class as a 60-MHz Will Turn Your 486 Into A Pentium mean Aa cg The latest like a slide show on your 33 MHz 486 system. You've had (o tum the detail down 30 low fon your favorite racing game that the cars don’t even have wheels. You're ready to up grade, but you don't want to sink $2,000 into a new system. nter Intel’s new 83-MHz Pentium OverDrive processor upgrade. This chip features the same core technology as the Pentium processor, includ ing superscalar architecture, branch prediction, and a faster math coprocessor. ‘The OverDrive only has a 32-bit path to RAM (compared to a cer chess program that can tually award an official US tional rating Fata. Racine is a 16player stunt-driving action game with a look good enough to make dane reach for the Dramamine. Both cooperative and competi- tive play are supported as play- ers zoom over jumps, through monster loops, and around corkscrews. What action play- ers might be more interested to hear, however, is that De- ScENT will not only have anch of th original game, but next year will see the Descent: Levets oF TH Wort mission disk (com- plete with a mission building contest), and Descent Il (monikered as “tice the in- sanity in 960 degree $-D") with 30 new levels, 18 new robo- baddies, and 13 new weapons. —Alan Emrich and Petra Schtunk real Pentium's 64-bit memory access), but it sports 232K on- chip cache to help take better advantage of its 83-MHz inter- nal processing speed With a sug- gested list price ‘of $209, che HOTUPGRADE CHP nts’ new Penton OverDrive Drives. To find out if your P atiuin Over- twhocharges adr 33-Mke 46 systems with Pentm-ke can use the Pentium Qver- P Drive becomes a viable upgrade alternative to the 100-MHz DX4 chip Gvhich it outper- forms by 15 to 40 percent, and pesformance. hard drive controller, you'll probably be better olf going for a motherboard replace went, as those subsystems will still bog your computer down even wilh the faster processor: Your 486 system will need a 287- or 238-pin OverDrive socket (look for an extra set of holes surrounding your cur rent processor chip) to use this chip; if it has an older 486- only socket you'll have to stick with the DX2 or DX4 Over Drive, point your Web browser ‘at htips/iwww.intel.com/pracy even more when running Pen- ovrdlive, or call Intel at (300) tium-optimized code). It will 548-4725. bring your older 486 system Diamond Ups The Ante With 8x CD-ROM Drive If you always have to have the fastest hardware on the block, it's time to buy a new CD-ROM drive. Diamond just ‘wo-upped the 6x competition with the new Multimedia Ul- ta 8x Kit. The $549 package includes an 8x drive that transfers data at 1200K per second, finally rivaling hard drive loading speeds. Seek time is rated at a perky but more C-like 230 ms. The is rounded out on the hard- ware side with a plug-and play, IMB wavetable sound card with 3-D audio, as well as a set of ker, Bundled software includes Mysr, Rene ASSAULT, Si Cry 2000, Mactc Career, and the 1996 Comrion’s Ex- CycLoreDIN—Diamond has a sail E/GHT CYLINDER CU Diamonds tutimesia Uta 8 Kit packs one ofthe fastest CO-ROM rvs onthe planet with the usual scund card, speakers, and ot game assortment obviously taken notice of the ing, sometimes bleeding, edge fact that it’s the the gamers of performance. acho tend to stay on the lead OCTOBER 1995 + COMPUTER GAMING WORLD 27Another huge difference in The center of hell is in Wise Hex is that you'll be able to level of the dungeon, a tour of consin, At least, that was our — choose from three different the pieces yet to be immplement- opinion aficr the guys from characters to play the game ed into the game and careful Raven left our Siac reading of several book-sized TE offices, having Tn 1992, we saw Stonenexr design documents, We were just dropped for the first time. Its working ti- sold, But it didn't ship. off a little tle back then was BRiAN'S DUN- It is now late 1995. We are bundle of joy called HexeN Basically Hereric 2 with some sig- nificant GON, and it was incredibly _ playing through three levels. impressive. The dungeon ‘The action is smoother, espe: looked great, the step-by-step cially using a combination of animation was fast and—by the keyboard and mouse. The standards of the then-current video is less chunky than in any state of the art—the video ane recent game, and the interface tagonists were outstanding. At is even slicker than we thought the Winter Consumer Electton- it would be. If Interplay ships it ies Show of 1993, we saw an this year, StONEKEER will def= Mage, Cleric, even more impressive demo. milly make waves. RPGers have Fighter—each The designer, one Peter waited a long time for a game of these three Oliphant, stood in front of a of this magnitude, It has faster heroes has —large-screen monitor and used first-person, point-of-view ac- their own arse- a Logitech flying mouse to tion than THE ELDER Sckous ral of weapons completely suspend our disbe- ARENA, but retains some of the (including one lie as we watched him fence feel of actully using a weapon. super weapon with skeletons. But it didn’t And the sound effects are ex- which is bro- ship. ceptional ken into __ By late 1994, the digitized ‘The game really pieces you'll video was complemented by 3- attempt to keep your head in have to re- Drendered monsters, great the game with story elements hancements, this game, to assemble), These weapons are special effects, an improved in- that continually feed your moti- quote Raven's Brian Raffel, nolonger fueled by ammo, but terface, and some solid yole- vation to do well. SHONEKEEPis- ‘takes the DooM engine about by manna, playing design. We wrote a n't a “Monte as far as itl go.” And thar's Nework play, of course, will sneak preview based on one nor an archaic pretty far. IF you, like most of be included; hopefully tus, got hooked on HERETIC Raven will be able to {and who couldn't—it had that work out the kinks in visceral, gritty Doom feel, but their — eight-player went beyond that with an in- scheme, Players will be ventory and flying), you'll defi- able to be any of the nitely get high from Hex. three heroes in this The basic story is..oh, who mode, cares? What you need to know And if all this isn't ens New magc-powered weapons and nor-inear ameplay help He push he Doow engine tits its, is that the graphics have been enough, not only can improved to the point where you turn your enemies you'll see flying leaves, (and yourself) into ground-splitting earthquakes chickens, you can also and swiveling secret bookcases. turn them into pigs. In addition to that, multiple — Oink. levels are all connected togeth- HEXEN will debut on The linear October $0—Devil's ie alll 5 S piel that every Night—as the champi- cr, eliminati mode of gamepl fren ee ae the CTE cur penta mee gh sn et mon first-person 3-D game has onship arena of aworkl- NO ESM Pe ee eae rong teen lacked into so far wwiele Dow deathmatch. aloe nite c 28 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995Oe RU eR ett) romp. It is a well-conceived labyrinth designed to challenge all corners of your mind Itis the best of times, it is, well, the best of times. ‘That's our initial impression of New World’s upcoming title, He- ROES OF Mii & Macic Combining the best elements of Kinc’s Bounty (a simple, addictive strategy/RPG) with a more robust strategy model, viclual scenarios (a scenario ed- itor would be a weleome addi tion) and a campaign game that progresses from one dire situation to the next. Hopeful Iy this chaprer-ish approach to umeplay will help eireumwent the tedium that usually creeps into the middle of these builder/conquest games. Hexors, which is incredibly easy to jump into, pits you against up to three opponents. You'll raise armies by building the homes for various crea tures (a nest for Gryphons, a treehouse for Elves), and hire heroes to lead these troops across the countryside where they'll wreak Iavoe on your enemies, gain treasure for your vault, and recover pow- erful artifaets for your battles. Diflerent re- sources (trees, iron ‘mines, and the like) all factor into the game EROES' CONQUEST The atlescape maybe you need ore to build fem, but Hams Marr ao W's new srateplc the Mage Guild, for elements shoud Kee you gue tote seeen. example. Making mat- some resource management, and splendid SVGA graphics, this game might just compete for time-nuncher of the year. There are two different modes of play—standard ind ters more complicated is the presence of your oppo nents, who, in most cases have the exact same agenda as you do, Run into a group of uglies and it’s time for combat. The turn-based combat is straight from Kine’s Bounty—you move your troops around a Kind of 8-D side-perspective battlescape. And the oppo- rents here seem talented, The litle things ave all pre- sent as well, from location-spe- cific sounds (you'll hear owls when your hero is in the woods and eerie sounds in the swamp) to highly detailed worlds. And in another blow to time management, multiplayer network play will be supported Anyone who witnessed William Shatner plugging TK. War on The Late Shor is well aware of Intracorp's tendency to create gamies out of hig profile licenses, With Ci1koNo- Masrex, however, things appear to be different. Nebula ancl Hugo award-winning sci encesfiction author Roger Ze- lazny was heavily involved in the writing of the background story. Zelamy chose to develop a nev work rather than have a game adapted from his exist ing fiction (He no doubt re called the tepid game based on his Chronicles of Auber novels). Sadly, Roger Zelazny passe aavay in July, but CHRONOMAS- rit still coming along nicely. DreamForge has created a marvelously detailed universe ‘even betterdooking than their work for SSI (RavENLOFT Menzonerranzen). Jane Linde skold, Zelazny’s co-author for the project, has a good feel for charaeters—since she is a gamer herself—which comes through in the NPCs w countered in this early version. Some are sarcastic, others mys- terios, but none are quite what they seem. In time-honored seienee fie= tion fashion, you portray an ELIN Guitars uso.reu soc soos [fest ites ‘om | irs Wasa ins | Bilin igs oP 5 Baten tie 0? ins Burn js | hassmastr so itaspe IME | Febrnestr capstone 1096") {Conuest of e New Wor replay O85 | rusader No Remorse ign 1085 Cera rn 108 Jangonroeperutinc EA [Frankenstein ineloy 1995 Fit Pig Sports Fox 26 Sralls ‘ati Aight es lara of Destiny Vg 1085 [itegon of aie scx is FimbitMoves Spectrum Hots 1085 TniCar Racing 2PaprusVrgn 148 Peter co, Ancican ser 1U88 Mller Cook 08s | Pisin citcst sens 1995) [loratfontat ct ieactie 199 HOWFocthal indsaye 1005 | [Faint eia ps Paice ues SWAT Sine is Fiero 2 1095 fone othe 8 Knions ee 15 Simarategnd Ts Sin ss 1098 {Space Bucks impessins 1005 [Sar Control Acalode Hie Stoncken inepey 1085 [FTokarCopstone HRs) Terao Vin ins TFK200 dco 108 TeRarenProjectindsape 1085 | ThisMeansWartvicePmse 1985 | HTopGunSpecnum sraye 1185 [necessary Roughness feds 85 || Watrat Bia 1185 Warhammer Mindscape 15 [WinzConmandervoécin 1186 Jini entens —R5 Your ton ik ty 1095 | OCTOBER 1995 + COMPUTER GAMING WORLD 29“OAs, adventurer who reluctantly comes out of retirement to help the interstellar bureau crats save the galaxy (they can't overtly get involved, you see). It seems that pocket tmni- verses are winking out of exis: tence, so you must find the key to enter these universes and save them from their un- timely fate Because you are flitting about, not merely in space but in time as well, you must carry a supply of “bottled time” around lest 301 wink out of €X tence, This conceit gives you a sense of urgency because {you guessed it) there's only so much “Time in a Bottle” to be had. As you move through the exquisitely prety worlds you achro- pick up a variety of nistic objects, everything from plasma markers to common a Rogar Zelazny no longer with ws, but his spit maylive on inthe gorgeous sci worlésof CwowMisre, §— YOU gel LO choose one of screwdrivers, applying these to statues, other beings, ete. in typical adventure game fash- jon, What isn’t so typical is that there really are multiple solutions to many of the pw ales. Also, the storyline is cet= tainly different from other time-travel romps (TisteQuest Burted 1 Tine). Eventually you begin to uncover a sinister plot: is it a galactic conspiracy an other-worldly inv warping of the flav of self? Well, that would be telling..so we suggest that you wait for the final release. It ight aetually be a science fice tion game which does the genre justice, aA Imagine real-time Gazi Lion: with elements of Ane pucks and Drs ror, — and plenty of cus tomizable chrome. Src BueKs may he sceused of be= ing another ‘management game from Impressions in the tradition of their “games to spreadsheets” line, but this fame of inter stellar drayage and extraters restrial team- sters offers considerably kles than its an- cestors. First 30 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD * OCTOBER 1995 five different races (four are non-human) to play. Second, the game requires real-time adds a decision-making, whic CE Cosmic entrepranours in Sac Bucs wile ble to expand ther spaceprts and customize their ship design, sense of immediacy and sus- pense. Also, like LORDS OF REALaL (ils most immediate predecessor), Srack BUCKS fea lures an improved interface that graphically cloaks th spreadsheet better than previ- ous Impressions games. Tt even Features business negotia- tions, which provide the flavor of diplomacy many people find appealing. Inauddition, we love the way you can customize your ships. to take advantage of various cargo strategies or develop ULC ES aCe UR a at your spaceport to line your capitalistic pockets more fully The cargo holes (stasis, toxic, and ordinary) seem to make more difference to the bottom Tine than equiv- alent configu tions in” AIR Bucks. You were unable 10 ships to this lev= el of detail in Gwai0naine, ‘a competitor's version of spacefaring teamsters and the closest game to Space: Bucks we can recall Also, the spaceport expansion gives the game something of @ Raitroan TVCOoN feel Sract: BUCKS is clelinitely the prettiest ofall the games in its Tineage, andl it should take the game play up a peg with al its improvements. Although the ‘game hadn't yet been play-bal anced, we are excited abont its potential. It looks like this game might appeal to old friends of the game style, ancl ight just bring in some new blood as well.a Tea TL Reet 9 Muar AND the worlds ae like nothing seen before in: computer games.” vw Cot r Ber BUNCE Wars and part Descent, portant Dero nar ue ocr) Ucn a og rs De ace Ce ene ur cy eae te Re Ce RLU uta GT tay | tt) iF A eee eC Mee “i Ce Ge CLL Bey | Cc ee carries oe ern Now available in stores from FormGen, GUO td ey Prine he am =} Y oli ene i ay an cd L MijioremedAluleatsceteapeyetiae — 'SESETGEATED Ss i Caen Er biti ae rat ares an aeyyAsk Brent Fuerson, designer of five years of writing flight such hits as GrucK Yeier’s simulators, my brain is un- Aik Connar and US Navy able to comprehend any Fictrrens, to describe the game game other than a flight sim he'd create given no hardware and unwilling to design an- or financial restraints, and you other flight sim. So, in ab: might expect an exciting nut- —stract, what is this ultimate ‘and-bolis description of the ullix game? imate flight sim. What you'll gel, It's addictive. It's full of though, isn't a discourse on things for you to do that tick- frame rates and flight models, le your brain's pleasure cir- but a studied examination of cuits, You get satisfaction what makes a game worth play- from achieving your overall ing. Take the stick, Brent. goals, and also from each a The ultimate game is tion that takes you there. I's somewhere out there, wait- rewarding when you fulfill ing for me to create it. What the goals, not just because is it? I'm afraid my answer is he game arbitrarily rewards going to be abstract. After you, but because you en Get The Straight Scoop On Uttima IX From The Sources On ZDNet Now that you've read Macoria topic of the Fall about Origin’s plans to put Preview, a discussion area in ULtiNA on-line (page 24), the forum, Want to find out want (0 read more about it? what's going on in overseas Download GENCN9SBIXT software development? Read from the Computer Gaming jor-in-Chief's re- World Forum on ZDNet ports from Europe in the Compuserye, Tn that tran- “Hey, Editor!” section of the script of an on-line confer- forum. Wilson will report ence, Lord British himself from the European Comput- describes Origin’s plans. er Trade Show in London, Want to know what Roberta as well as company visits to Williams really thinks of Bullfrog and Mindscape UK, PuiaNrasMAGORIA? Try read- shortly before this issue hits ing her responses to CGH’s the newsstands, questions in the PHANTAS- 32 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 experiencing the game-state you create as you play. It’s challenging. But playing it should produc not panic. Thrills, because you think you can win, and not panic, because you know you're eventually going to lose. An excellent player should be able to create his own thrills by seeing how quick= ly, or how carelessly, he can achieve the objec. tives. I's reward- ing to you as a person. That means more than just improving your hand-eye coordination Maybe it gives you self-conli- dence. Maybe you learn more effective ways of inter- acting with people, Or maybe you just learn not to wear brown shoes with a blue suit It’s fun for me to create. A game is more than just a disk in a shrink-wrapped ox. It's also a year or two in the lives of the team that made it, When I hold the box, I want to remember something other than late nights and weekends at work, hard-to-find bugs. personality conflicts, man- agement problems, and im. possible schedules. I don't expect tra-la-la fun all the time, though. Working on meplay and AL is always mind-numbing tor ture—if you're doing it right To create this ulti- mate game, I don't want unlimited reyources. Just give me five excellent program- mers and artists who all share a vision. No losers, whim or _backstabbers need apply. Any game that needs more than five peo ple, I don't want to do. With a large team, making a game isn't a cre- ative act, it’s a management exer- cise. It's too hard to make design changes, so your design gets frozen too carly. With all the emphasis on scheduling andl task lists, you forget that your cus- tomers won't care wheth you implemented this week task list on time. You forget that your real job is to create a fun game, not meet an ar- bitrary schedule, nd this game is... Well, it’s shooting, dodging, nail- biting game of intrigue and romance, Its a game of mass creation and destruction, with a virtual world as your sandbox. It's an abstract puz- ale of shapes and movement, with infinite variations. And Ti meet you there, two from todayELIVE THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE! dU eed) Dae VOL I Experience unparalleled historieal realism! Battleground Ardennes™ is like no other historical siraiegy game you've ever played! With the revolutionary Batleview" combat system, you can telive crucial moments during the Bate of he Bulge, the most famous American land batle of WWI Can you hold off he advancing German ‘waar machine? Dig in with the U.S. 10st Airborne defending freedom from the Nazis at Bastogne, oF ride fo victory wih the legendary German King Tiger tank. Toke command of Piper's infamous '$S or lead a blistering U.S. counterattack to retake Stoumont! @ Platoon level action at 250 meters per hex @ Full feature scenario editor @ Extensive combat sound and video clips @ Modem to Modem play @ Drag & Drop movement and combat @ Printout instant detailed situation maps Computer Gaming World = = Strategy Plus — ‘eta eens may ary IULTIMEDIA ENHANCED Mer 7 aU), Sea © Copyright 1995 TS If Tt’¢ not FUN wHo cqRes! Groundiresking "Battloview™" combat system zooms ck on Stoumont! ‘The 2D Map view provides a traditional perspective for the discorning gamer In‘on Panthers Teading an Give us «call 410-821-7282 or contact vs online a: Compusare: GO GAMEPUB C + CIS 75162,373 + INTERNET: 75162.373@compuserve com + GENIE: XRGPE296 Paco eerie sD MIL SYPHANTASMAGORIA Finally, the wait has ended. Sierra's silver screen pro- bag of The eayctly anticipated foray duction efforts really show— Halloween of Roberta Williams into the the acting is several notches candy that horror genre, PHANTASMAGO- above found in most more spine-tingling teats IA, appears to deliver on its games, and the score really than tricks ambitious promises. The tale, works towards setting an eerie, IBM CD-ROM, $69.95. Cit supernatural tone for the de Reader Service #1 game. The inter- Siete Ov-Live, BELLE WA (800) ‘which evolves over seven ters, becomes progre creeper as our plucky heroine Adrienne uncovers the horror that dwells atthe Carnovasch estate. In THUNDERSCAPE “Mechamagic” is what SSI defines as the mixture ‘of magic and steamltiven technology. Mechamagic is also the basis of power on the world of Aden, SSI's new home for a se- vies of role-playing ames. Aden has become veterate puzzle-solvers won't find a whole lot to sink their teeth into, bout simple purzleserack- ing is only half of the game, PUANTASSAGORIA dlraws you into Adrienne’s nightmare by giving you lent place ever since it was it the full reign of a house COW TOTHE CHAPEL Adiemwunleashesvaded by a foul race of that would have had even the thedemonthathas plagued Carevasch — Nocturnals who have taken folks in Amityville making — sroweracentuy, over by doing the unexpected. tracks. It keeps the plot moy- ic shield which guarded ing with a series of chilling vie face is simple, and gamers will the northlands was thought to sions, all done in stunning appreciate the fast-forward be invincible—until the Noe- full-motion video. Be button that lets you skip re-_tumnals showed up and proved warned—some of the scenes dundant scenes. otherwise. In a time the locals censor Best played with the Tights refer to as the Darkfall, the juea- low and speakers cranked, Nocturnals were able to ross can be disturbing, but function will shield the mish from the very worst Puawtasttaconta is a bulging Skellon’s Pass by bring RucBY ‘Any sport where you've gotta wear tape over your ears to prevent them from being ripped off or torn up mer its some respect Realizing the growing interest in the sport, EA Sports has devel- oped Worn Gur Rucay 95. Traditionally, EA Sports games boasts splen- did graphics gameplay. Nothing's changed _sportin Worl Gp Roby. glorious deta here, Serum- mers and mers alike will find this game to be rate and deli recreation of the European sport, Drop kicks, scrums, mauls. and SIMPLY “SCRUM-PTIOUS Electronic abbey skicles nd intuitive —jtsha dona gon wih an ate allies 34 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 down the shield which extended from the Radi- ant Citadel to Vanguard Keep. The game is called ‘THUNDER: scant and it challenges you 10 bring a group of adventurers into Skellon’s Pass, Vanguard ;pand the Radiant Citadel, plus an ancient city called Karegli-Konan to restore the shield. THUNDERSCAPE is @ first-person perspective game with a strong emphasis on hacking and slashing. ‘There are mimerous levels to explore which contain more than their share of battle, traps and puz- ales IBM CD-ROM, $69. dle Reader Service # Srarnetc SIMULATIO Suinwvatr, CA (800) 2 uLTimaTe FOOTBALL ‘95 If the start of the football season has you a little itchy, league play and World Cup play are all options. The gameplay itself surprised us with its intensity, although the le harder to most EA Sports ti- tles. Our initial take is that Rvewy is a kegful of fim, And you'll be able to impress (or frighten) your friends with talk of Kicking for Touch and Drop Goals. IBM CD-ROM, $59.95. Circle R #3. Euscrnonse Ants, #0, CA, (415) 571-7171and mouse sirmul- taneously Those who changed, wish to. run and the animation, leagues should while nice enough (with big — know that UL you sprites), still runs slowly on ive Foormaut. ‘95 rivals night want hing less than a Pentium, — FRONT PAGE SPORTS BASEBALL tw check out Miero- ‘Thankfully, the sound is better in the time it requires to com- prose’s pigskin update/ than last year’s version, al- _ pile complete seasons. Owners Windows 95 re-release of their though it still pales in compar- of the original may want to ULrisaTe FOOTBALL game. — ison to newer sports games redshit this version, unless Unrate Foorwatt ‘95 ine like NBA Live. The they really want the new ross cludes most of the off-season ters and playbooks. IBM CD- trades, minicamp pes ROM, $69.95. Circle Reader mmancneings nd A Soc even early preacagon Fs Micrornose. ter Vausey depth chart chan; MD. (410) 77 OF couse, releasing all 0440 this information belore BLoopwine: the season starts earries PUMPKINHEAD'S aan inevitable price: the aes ReveENcE digital version of the What happens when you Cincinnati Bengals, for take a B movie andl turn it into example, will still have ME aug the rapshavent a computer game? Exactly the services of Kigjana Carter, thangedawholeat mu Formau'85 what you think. Maybe the In any case, the new version MSumto-theminuterostersandstatsies. Motion, Picture Corporation appears much the same as be- of America Interactive is try fore. Yes, the game is Auto- biggest and best improvement ing to create a computer game Play-enabled for Windows ‘05, is that the action mode has cult classic of sorts with their but any newness is largely an been revamped, so that you release of BLOODWINGS: PUM illusion. The graphics are un- aren't forced to juggle joystick — kiNiiean's REVENGE. After play- jest down with 1 your scraggly sell! Your Kid, whose boots are all torn up, your might upset with clothes are dirty, and you got you for blowing no gun, boy! Well, come on his card cheatin’, into DiamondBack and git Along the way, yourself settled. The Kid’s you'll make plenty: ‘comin’ to town, and he's look- of friends, get into ing to hang yer sorry butt up streetlights and solve by yer moustache.” a few puzzles to boot That's the setting in Dust, On the surface, this the new “wired” west epic adventure game looks from SSI. Simply known asthe like another M Wea shia ico stranger, you need to get situ- alike. In a reality, its a 0 of ianontbee, yu do sume ated in this wacky town and whole lot more. Within a three gaming steep salon, prepare yourself for a show- hour timespan, we: moved “assecat"wihwonen OMe Suny, CA (800) 245 PUMP) No ats nota MeDonaldLand reject that's enorope one of Paracas minions. ing this game, that’s the only justification we could think of. To be fair, this Doow-plus game makes some noble, in- ovative attempts. You have an inventory you can store ob- jects in, and you can aecess fall motion video clips from the movie that help advance the game. Yet, the action gets completely bogged down in mediocre graphies, muddy conirols and hokey schmoo: looking creatures. The scary thing is, the game might be better than the movie, IBM CD-ROM, $49.95. Circle Readler Service #6. Motion Picture Conroe: THON OF AMeRtca Iwrenacrive San Marto, CA (415) 371-7171 around town; struck up a number of conversations with the residents (displayed in stop-frame video animations with surprisingly good voice acting); played blackjack and poker; and checked into a hotel. We're not sure if the game has the momentum to cary the fin throughout, but that’s a pretiy good start, IBM CD-ROM, $69.95. le Reader Service #5. STRATEGIC SIMULATIONS 1 525 OCTOBER 1995 + COMPUTER GAMING WORLD 35Introducing Sound So Advanced Taber ri You From Behind, eT) selec au ue EMME UCCHT TS) CRUEL) Altec Lansing’s new ACS500 COE CM two satellite speakers and a ee among me Re-Use A Ie eS Nu CunSuE mca Re UR Tt PRUE eos es MWe te EU CoRUR eee yeu Con crue (lei T) Doma ReMeUuP Rare RT Rel eM mec ACS500 the first computer speakers to offer true SU RU Memeo Rl ems ee BeC ect) when you use them, because you never know Ea Oo 0 MRE eu UE eee RS oN i) pees eae MSO Altec Lansing Technologies, Inc., [A L--> = Milford, PA 18337, Pee a ee ee To pa Bt acir e eThe Inner Workings Of Game Design Are Complex And Highly Inter-related. The Designer Writes A Blueprint, Artists And Programmers Assemble The Game, And The Producer Makes Sure All The Gears Are In Sync. Find Out How Game Design Craftsmen Use The Tools Of Their Trade. reat game's gestation can begin anyere: a5 soranis on a napkin, thoughts in a shower, an exciting ‘novel, or from a careful directed group discussion, However the ini- tal idea is born it is ont that: an idea, AS anyone who has ever thought of iting The read Ameri- an Atvel knows, an idea and a finished project are light-years apar. You ort might come up with the perfect idea fr our culture’ seminal novel, but with out wing sis, researc, massive amounts of tim, t, sweat and tears—and the watchful ee of 00d eitor—the book wll never even have the op Dertunity to gather dust a ourlacal Waldenbooks. The sami olds tr for computer games. The idea isthe spark, and often that spark can cary the inertia needed to ight the fe. But much hard work must olow if that grat idea is oing to develop into 2 great game. Youve surely een frustrated to see a fl-clra- ocroseR, by Paul C. Schuytema vertisement for some exciting game, ony tofind that i going tobe another si months before the game appears on store shelves Just wats going on during thal Lime? A game begins it life long before that ist premature ad is placed, What goes into a game asi from an embryonic idea into major hit—or @ flash-in-te-pan? Who brings i to if, and how? Let’ probe the ff ce of computer game, from design todisk DESIGNING WOMEN AND MEN. Games often grow fam vey rough, basic ideas. One programmer may think, I want to make @3-D game about blasting demons with a shotgun.” Another may sit down wth a team and say, “Lets create a rals- tic a football simulation as we can,” while yt another might suggest “Wouldn't it be coo if we could really sake the timate aerobatic ight simulator?” Some- times the martting folks get involved. “Wel, weve released Loa's Quest Te and we did't quit hit the 1995 + COMPUTER GAMING WORLD =@INSIDE GAME DESIGN way we wanted—the players just weren't happy. What can we do better for LO 112" Or there’ the in- sidius "We needa 3-D shooter, because that’s where the marketshare is. Wel just work onthe story later” A ofthese are variations on the initial ideas for past and futue games. Yt, these Kees of creativity are so genic tha theyre nary useless, ASsume you were a programmer and 1 wat and you the second idea on this stand say, "Here aller idea want it in beta within nine mons." Would you be reay to col Could you craft arch textured and balanced simulation capable of captivating the imagination of tens of thousand of players? (i you could, fax me your resume and wel start @ compan, right nov) ‘dds ar, you'd be adit in a world ofpossibtes, unsure a to which of myriad directions tote (n te other hand, what i | wee to provide you vith 2 comprehensive document, one which broke the game down int clearly dtined and easly described programming tasks? Would your job become easier? Aimost certain Now, consider the fact that todays games are al- mast ently developed by teams of any from a oven members tothe giant 100-person projects of companies like Origin, LucasArts and Sierra. This alone necessitates far more time spent in the pre- planning stages of any project than the “dori self” in a spare bedroom games ofthe late 70s and cay ‘80s, Also, since more than a few games now sport budgets of milion of dollars compared othe relatively few thousands involved inthe early days, cme is wiling to risk ving into a projet and design- ing iton the ty. Naturalis the designer, on some cases the design team, whois responsible fr taking the intial idea and developing it into a sopisticaed design document from which the programmers, att, mu sicians andthe rest of the development team can work, DESIGNER PROFILE STEVE BaARcIA, SIMTEX SOFTWARE Steve Bari, president and chit designe at Sin- Tex, started with smal tight team, Working with just his wife and tend, he created the inal ver sion of Mist oF Onc, From that humble beginning, Baria has since risen to bezome one ofthe mas e- spected designers in the computer game indus. ll that nthe space of just a few years. Barcia is unassuming. He shares wih his wife an ctfce so messy that he refused to allow me even a fimse inside. His voce is sft and calculated, and essed in a rumpled cream sit, glasses, and well worn suede dress shoes, he doesn’ intaly present the aure ofa cutting-edge game designer Spend cvple of minutes talling wit him, though, and his ice becomes more animated, more authoritative ‘ter ive minutes, you eam that this man knows de> sign, and knows very well SimTex, the company which spouted out of his original Maser o Ono seeing, is as unimposing level of perhaps four titles per year. Bacia and the Sime team brainstorm ideas, and when they hit on one which fels right, Barcia will sit down and draw ipa rough cutlne, an overview of the major concep. Once SimTex decides on a project, Barcia tries to ‘loster himself away from the distractions which sur ‘ound him and spend upwards of @ month crafting an extremely thorough design document. This design plan is detailed to such a suticient level atthe pro- “THINK ABOUT THE END-USER | ALL THE TIME WHEN 1' | BARGIA, “WE'RE NOT INTO | FEATURISM; WE'RE JUST INTO GOOD GAMES. IS THE GAME , iad . Lee ag sao C president of Simfex and their chief designer, deeply believes in his obligation to his players to create a truly fun game. Barca. Located in a suite of ices above 2 ver tasty 0 joint in Austin, Teas he Sine tam works 2 schedule more akin to the rest ofthe white collar world than the mania usually associated with game creation, Infact, with so much of todays business shifting more and more into a push made,” Siniex seems ikea welcome oasis of intelectual tranquility. At thatthe team doesn't work hard, they jst seem to do so efficiently. Where an Origin team might crank Zombie hous for mons before the release ofa prod- uc, the SimTex fos wark along steal at about 40 hous @ week The offices themselves feel rather ogi, amast Ah-y-night, Most ofthe staff work on lage folding tables rather than traditional desks, with boxes stacked up everyee nthe chaos, Barcia hunts on an abandoned desk in a dark room, searching for a nenly opened box of business card. He smiles a5 he pulls one out and presets it to me. “We fl ike a real company after we got these,” he jokes Barca is very anajical in his design work. He just seems tobe abeto tinh, effortless in game design terms, SinTex has a queue of several dozen projets, although the companys goals to reach a production 0 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 d REALLY FUN? IS IT ADDICTIVE? BEING ADDICTIVE 1S THE MOST IMPORTANT [INGREDIENTI.” ‘grammers can begin working on components almost ‘immediately, While many development houses begin work on a project before the design work is wholly ‘completed, Barcia believes in nailing down 99.5 per- cent of the design, from rules to unit strengths to in- terfaces, before a single line of code is ever written. “(think about the end-user all the time when I'm designing a game,” says Baca, “All the tim, You have to. | do not adapt my games to compete with other games out there, because other people are al- ready doing tha. ee not ito featursm; ee just ino good games. Forme, i’ all game Is the game really fun? Is the game really cool? Is it addictive? Be- ing addictive is the most important lingredient).” ‘With an education in electrical engineering, Barcia thas the systematic skills to create @ very functional design document He learned computer scence on his ‘own, as a hobby, and his extensive programming sills give him an advantage ver no-programming designers, as they allow him to easily gauge what can ‘or can't be done in any design. "Being a programmer” says Baca, ‘its vey easy for me to come up with an algorithm that models what vas talking about inthe design. So, can givea 5 See cme fae eT eM ee atc ae eee Eye takes role-playing games to new levels of hotror and suspense. Featuring incredible stop-motion animation, the voice of legendary author Wilinn S. Burroughs, and an original score and sound design by Thomas Dolby, The Dark . Coe Re ne ee etn ene eee 9 CONC mISGal Malaya TI ise A COUTTS DU LOS Onc are a Dra hbase kien teenie terete eres Sree Tee at ena et eetiy siseua ea tate eatin bee nahin Pact Sina \Crele Reader Service #155INSIDE GAME DESIGN STEVE'S SIDE Toten ear an one eeu nites Se SIE hard work, anda ito Buren Pe ticet) eam ene romeo Es) | 3 monn eye f pee ue cote tes ea Mgt set ent ee ‘he programmers that mede! very fas” Considering what's needed fora scence fiction ame, Barcia might decide that space and planetary combat willbe avaliable. He then develops specific algorithmic rules to alow varius attacks to work vwitin his combat scheme “Alot of design is just defining your basis,” re- ected Baca, "ts pretty jstemati. Aso there's realistic limit to the amount of control and rules var- ations you can give the layer Beyond that limit, the aye wl fe! hate wl note able fo understand {hese concepts “Simple rules of thumb are necessary. Like in (user oF] On its simple. The player as to dean up more pollution if he has more factories. That's simple As log s the player understands tha, then he doesnt have to know the ity rity.” For design to be compelling, players need to feel the effects oftheir actions, to kno that what they in a game actully affects what happens. For Barca, this means he must design game rules which rely very heavily on the player's input as the primary var abl in nearly every caution Barcias Simex creates, almost exclusive, strate ‘ames, though they are currently developing a role-playing tle For Barca, the quintessential strat gy game design can be dsl into wo basic com- ponents: grow, then conquer. Using this as foundation, Barca is then able to weave extremely competing designs which try ivobe the payer in the eperien its boen my experience,” reflected Barca, “tha if you give te player enough option to find the game that they lke within your design, they wil ellen it With 1830 Uvalon Hl’ railroad simulation), L was a litle reluctant to consider doing it, bacause it just dost have the depth that Mase oF Nc has, but then its trains game, and we dont run that much of a risk of isape pointing ur public, because they wil basically ow what to ex- peat Depth in a design comes nt onl from erating a compen game sy tem, but from creating game which encourages the player to pay again, The hot word for designers throughout industry is “eplayability.” In the classic Atari cein-ops ofthe late 70s and early 80s, this was refined toa stence Design was simple, almost spartan, but the games created @ feeling in the player—almost a need—to play the game just one more time fo get a higher score, SinTexs games don't rely on 2 numerical evel of sucess, but a ayers of relationships, alloning a player to attempt many different approaches when tying to win a game, That, ou- pled with certain random elements, eps the player coming back for game after game, There ae basically two ways for aplayerto win a Barcia game: Keep playing it until you grasp the “grand scheme” which is present in al of his de- signs, o play itoften enough so that you lam how to eal vith all ota game’ given situations, “Things have tobe Ket in balance —thats pretty hard,” says Barcia. “The player should have several ‘ways in which to approach a problem, You also want the player to et excited. You need to get the player's 42 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 adrenaline floning—the player needs to be ‘ocked into the game. That's not so easy in a strategy game You have to gett we'e talking about, its your empire that you'e going tolose” Creating that suspension of dish isthe pina oof design that al strive fo, bt gating the player to buy into the game's ward is nly pat ofthe prob- fem. The player needs to be challenged, meaning that computer game must nat only present a wendrous experience forthe player, but it must also compete agains the pays challenging the player and making him or her ow forthe vito. “There's a point where people stop playing @ game,” says Barca, “and that's wien they've mas tered it. Then, it’ not much fun any mor. Then, just becomes a pro To keep the player enthralled, even great design must be accompanied by great computer opponents which the player must match wits against ‘tificalinteligence usually isnt the sole responsibility of the signer, Programmers often take on mon dis velopment bur den, since Al programming is very algorithm= intensive. Bar cia, however, works very closely on the development of the Al routines, eh from designing the basic des- sion making algorithms to crunching the cde him- sal. “The lis usually one ofthe last tings to fallin,” says Barca, “because you can't realy write it until you know the game—you can't start to balance things unt then,” HONEST, I's A REAL Jot "Being a designer is nat all glamour,” cautionsAmid an atmosphere of suspense and intrigue, you'll launch your voyage in the icy P| P gues y vag y ne, where World War II looms ahead and your every move could change the course of history. cold wastelands of the Antarctic aboard a Royal Navy subma: To place an order or for more information call: 800-443-3386. "AEE this enic adventure is now available on PC CD-ROM. (© 1995 Moon ne. Infogrames Multinoda. Mbotion, 626 Santa Wonia Bia, Box 417, Santa Monica, CA 90401Monster Way) sa ot of hard work. canbe very fustat- ing at time. | dont think that Ive had a day of that wasnt somehow business-eated, or about a year and a half, But | put in lots of hours and never notice it. Sn stressful. enjoy what fn ding” Fresh out of college, Barca knew that he wanted tobe a pat ofthe computer game industry, but he just couldnt justify that to his parents or his wife's parents “or them” he remembers,“ wasn't eal work. I was something kind of magical or nstical.” Finally he hat strikeout on his om with Msiex Onc. He made the leap, andi pid of Sines cone of the Holtest small developers goin, with pub- lshers let and right krockng on their door for the honor of publishing their nex tite, ‘Now, my parents stil dont understand wha’ go ing on or what Im doing,” muses Barca, “but they now that dong it el.” GAME PRODUCER You DO HAVE TO MAKE A BIG PRODUCTION OUT OF IT Wile a designer is ky to laying down the iil ideological foundations ofa projec, a producers the alchemist who makes all the ingredients come to- gether into an actual game that we can play on our O.A producers the true odgjotsman ofthe gaming industy, and must be versed not ony indesign they but must also passes insightful business sense. Of couse, being a motivator is a hey ingredient as wel, sinoe someone needs to whip the oarsmen when the release dates fast approaching and sleeps far more dificult to come by than instant coffee. Since more and more of the work on games is being dane out of house (particulary when it comes to music anda), someone needs to cotdinat the out-ol-house work with the production schedule and keep the project moving along on schedule PRODUCER PROFILE VINCE DENARDO, INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS Vince Deiardos sory is endemic to so many others in the gaming industry He didn't set out to make games, ut through a long and strange path, tats exactly where he has ended up. Currently, he is a master jugeler, able to handle the organizational righimare of clase toa doen projec simultaneous iy, and sfll genuinely smile when he tells you how ruc loves his ob ‘Detar’ journey began a did so many ofthe od vad, Mego ino board games at an early age, poke @@ COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » OCTOBER ing up a copy of Avalon lls Tactics l! when it frst came out in 1959. He played unt the litle cardboard counters were grimy wth use, and mast he played alone. "Most of my fiends didn't ike those kind of games, andthe ones thal di lived to far away for an easy game,” says Deland, In 1979, DeNardo made the ireversible leap into the werld of computers when he purchased an Apple I just to play games. He played the Soot Adams se- Poe CoA a 1998 PRODUCER? “BASICALLY, | GET PAID T0 MAKE GAMES,” SAYS INTERPLAY PRODUCER VINCE DENARDO. “IN A NUTSHELL, THAT'S THE BEST DESCRIPTION OF MY JOB. I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING THE PRODUCT MADE.” fies of adventure games, as well as Wont, At at, he didn’t have to play solo. The computer provided him withthe everready gaming opponent he always wanted, DeNardo found himself involved in advertising, an loving the magazine business, when cas ofthe bones landed him a job at Fre and Movement maga- zine as art director During those years, his dog-eared copy of CW was never out of reach, and when it came time to upgrade his computer syste, he decid- ato call C6iVor some advice, Eventually he fund himself chewing the fat with Russell Sipe, CAW's founder, Russel discovered that DeNardo had some abilities that he needed, and before DeNlardo could calc his breath, he had become art recor of CGM. Five anda half years of heavy gaming experience working as at drector/assistant editor at CGY, cou- pled with winning the Reade?’s Choice award for an ad he designed for Koei, led to DeNlardo being matched away by Bian Fargo at Interplay, Again, he slipped furter ito the gaming quagmire as market ing dretoc Soon, DeNardo found himself sitting in on some sign sessions for snes I, when Fargo offered him ‘a chance to produce the game, That opportunity came be ie NS‘As agents for the Galactic Federation, you and your partner, Ginger, had been given 4 an assignment to infiltrate NoirDyne, a sinister corporation which has reactivated a Pe ete me cg wrong... your cover is blown and now the chase is on. With the help of Ginger’s brief data Pere a ee ee eee eee ces menacing robot weapons, and the deadly alien Hivasects, ee ane meee ay eT PCE Me ce cee acm eer Co eee CUM oer eee cn a BUGS OR ana. A a ial labileCE) = GAME DESIGN base with a stem warning Beware, because once the pro- cer bug bites, there might not be any turing back, Fargo’s waming proved prophetic. "Bye marketing, Dela declared atthe time, “bye proucton, bye public relations. 'm sory, but | want to make ames.” For the past si years, DeNardo has produced ozens of titles for Interplay. “Basically | get paid to make games,” says DeNlardo, “In @nutshel that's the best description of my ob. AS a producer, im re- sponsible forgetting the product made.” DeNardo'involement commences blorea line of cove is ever writen, Fist and foremost, itis the pro- cer’ ole to determine whether or nat a game idee is viable. That requires nat only business sense, but mowing the market and what game players are look- ing for. DeNardo must weigh @ possible budget agains anticipated sales. Is the game mass market (uch as Mis) ora niche game (such as a sralegy game like Perect Gee)? "Sue, you can visualize @ $3 milion budget, but iat fis anche game that's nly going to sel 50,000 units? No way. tno going toy” says Dellaco. ask myself, is ths the kind of game I might play myself?” Ifthe answer i yes, | tight become involved inthe design end of it as wel Tha’ thecase with Comes oF ne Nov Wom.” DeNardo also needs to assess the technology re wired to cult the game ta match the design team's vision. Can it all be done within the budget con- straints? Can t be finished on time? Then, a8 game ets underway, his involvement varies according to the life ycleof the game, Currently, Dead is upto his elbows in the production of Cowes, wile he is simultaneously producing another ten or so titles, 8 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER any being developed overseas in Sweden, England France, and Jena, “Pat ofthe fun ofthe job i that yu're never do ing the same thing all the time,” says DeNardo “Theres aliays some aspect ofthe project that nels attention tight be that we've got an alpha hee, and were looking att, and eee is missing some- thing, it isnt a lot of fun. Is my jb to step in and ask, ‘Wel hy nt?” Wile many producers rly on a mutitude of com puleraed organizational do-dads to kep their heads above water, Dellardo prefers to simply count on his packed-to) WINSTON CHURCHILL Paras Se i SS ERT Reronren, ‘esd XK ZS Le K aia Mo: Lon g a rd RE pA c ane, To:Accompany: Sec, Subj 502 gout Baghar eC RC eee a oem eee ae peo ee wae eo eon EMPIRE II GIVES YOU COMPLETE CONTROL OVER TROOP DETAILS AND BATTLEFIELD STRATEGY Pm oo a oe Me oto AO ae Cee ree OR So ute Me a oe ena ele Dae aN Re) ee eC Cas oe ay ee oN oe te ead Lal on TA SE RR ee a a GR ae aa PS eae a mm ated Tata eee et PU ec cd (818-591-4136 OUTSIDE THE U.S.), OR BY MAIL: COMET RR ee LeCamu Las Wave Basten Il GaePacx. (800) 998 5227, wnesfunceencow, Pace: $129, 1 ay sound producti king ofthe hil this isthe ne, This mighty daughter cards al ou nad to e- ally get the most out of your games. That's because most ofthe developers we talk to actually compose ‘game music on the Sound Canvas. hen you use ne ofthese cards, you hear the musica the atists id when they composed it. pectic, instruments don't crown each other out—it' unlikely that youl hear bass tine ver powering the melody of a given song. There ae two models of ‘the Souvo Cats: the SCD-10 and the SCD-18. The difference betwen the two tht the later has the entire 354-sound GS patch set. If GS (a standard that augments the General MIDI standard) ever takes of, it may behoove you to be compatible Rove Soauo Guvas SCD. (213) 685-5141. Pree ‘800-10 $259, SCD-15 $329, The XG Waroce is @ surprising roduc. can hold its own in a head-to-head battle with the Roland Sound Canvas daughter card, and since taste in timbres is subjective, you may actually re- fer Yamaha's offering over Roland's. We found that bass instruments came on a bit too heavy and seemed to obscure subtler sounds. (In MIDI lingo, this is refered to as diference in the velocity of the samples). As far as gaming is concerned howe this oe great prod XG is another standard beyond General MIDI, an! ifit gains a foothold, gamers ae in fora real treat LUke GS, XG sounds far beter than regular General MIDI ravatable synthesis Yauwia Wiveronce DBSOXGDC. (800) 301-7076. ce: $249, POUR SOME MIDI ON ME If your sound card doesnt have a daughter card ‘connector, here are some stand-alone MIDI cards that you can plug into a second sot without upgrad-~ ing to an entirely new al-in-one sound cad, The Mais es- sentially the Tu tle Beach Rio daughter card only in a stand: alone MIDI version with its cum ‘MPU-A01intstace. In pte lr, orchestral sounds such as the “chorused ahs,” stings, and piano really stood out. This card has the default reverb effect tured up high, which gives it avery ethereal sound Like Creative Lab's Scuno Blaser 32, this card can hhandle extra RAM for storing your own samples. We'd recommend this product for music hobbyists as well as gamers Turnut Beach Maul, (800) 645-5640, van ene/medveronst.w, Pace: $199 This isthe stand alone version ofthe Sound Can- ves SCD-15 daughter card, I's one of the best sounding MID cards we tested, Rowano Souo Canvas SCC-1. (213) 685-5141. Puce $399. This MPU-401 MIDI interface card from Roland fealures a wavelable daughter card connector. you 64 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 have @ daughter card and no place to plug it, you should check out this innovative product. Rouxwo MPU-A01. (213) 685-5141. Price: $159. Gravis developed the Usrasouno Ace as an a-an {or gamers who altady have Som Bustt or sini- Farsound card. Lik all Ucasounos, this card is nat for the technically fant of heart. But gamers persevere wll be rewarded wth fairy rch MOL sic, though not as good (in our opinion) as the ative Labs Wve Buster I If 2 game suppor ‘aso iret, you can painlessly use it ‘mode; athense, configuration can be rough, This a great complimentary product for those who only have a Souwo Basen Po or equivalent and want to Upgrade to wavetable synthesis. Perhaps the best Wale is the full-blown (i, not jut the shareware episode) version of Doo I that comes buncled with the Ursin Ace! Gravis vurrasouno Ace, (800) 679-0024, uredfueacou, Pace $99.95. EDITORS CHOICE(S)Get ready for the ultimate multimedia d hang on Dus high-speed, ‘ond Multimedia Power ne of the available in a kit ~——4 Mer nies @, mammoth 15 speakers, and a kill rd with true 16-bit, und. Al for apr vay. The Power Kit 7000 delivers high quality and performance. Add to that 22 of the hottest CD-ROM tith , and this b.With the right game, eacBehde aan omelet than any kid’s system. Hear that gant sucking sound? Little _auvantage of your new Pentium, but it and acrobats for this game. Roundhouse eee need cr ee eee ace nee ere play FX Fighter, the most advanced seen et Me cao et ea ed mS Ce anh ete a eee ee Pert eC Ce cau ae pe cee sHvcade Acton & \ueiedole Speed, FX. sReal Motion Coplure We recorded over characters, with over 100 attack moves Fighter was specifically designed to take 350 actual sequences from martial artists —incuding incredible combinations. Ee eee ee eee eer ee Deore ecninerirr emer teHta ctThn Pe eur cree ene oe RTCHere’s the right game. Break into anew Cora sidestep—even co Coa Peed Papers R eee oes certs coe ores ee an ce mL eats eR eee Cleat Pernt etme ty Fa ee Fie eee rire CR a Re and twice the resolution. Very smart. “The best PC fighting oon oko geese ee Ue http://www.im.gte.com played. .rivals 32-bit feo cele S Nene Ue Call: 1-800-GTE“TODAY Bene Poa ase ee eesLOTION 7271 HeWBREN GE ATA MIN ec ae “hans photo-eiie lor with ooo! ckcamptiog Now. 904 | MPEG ows Accelerator aL 64 Video 3200 | Games Demand An Increasingly High Level Of Hardware Performance. To Keep Up, We Offer This Look At The Fastest Graphic Accelerators for Gamers orien Volution ocours at @ breakneck pace in the computer industry. Wien we fist surveyed graphics cards last year, the focus was ‘0S, DOS, DOS. And al: though DOS perfor- mance i stil important, the emergence of | Windows 95 has given forward-thinking gamers reason to consider Windows perfor anance as wel, J Last year, there were a host of 32-bit ac- celerators on the market This year, we only tested 64-bit accelerators, Last year, almost all PC games were DOS VGA; if they supported 256 colors, they were low reslution (320x200 pits) 640x480 games, forthe mast par, used only 16 colors. This year, there are numerous SYGA games ‘ut—640e480 with 256 clas (there are even @ few games with higher esoutions). Last year, there were many different super VGA chips used; this yer, $3 seems to be the “in” chipset provider, although there are some new contenders, such as Ark Logie's ARK2OQ0PV and the Matrox 2068W, Last year, 3-D acceleration was a dream; this year, its loming onthe event horizon, Keeping these thoughts in mind, we expanded ovr test suite to include higher resolution and areater color depth. We even included a VESA su- ‘per VGA compatibility test. But enough yammerin’. Let’ plunge into the cards ATI scored a minor coup by being the fist video card supported by the early beta release of the Windows 95 Game SOK (Software Development Ait), which allons game programmers to develop forall graphics accelerators using standard pro ‘gramming methods. This means that games can ‘un at high resolutions with lots of colors and reat performance, All ofthe ATl cards we tested use the All Mach 64 accelerator. n addition to ac-ele eee :\ RR i UMS | HAVE NO MOUTH, AND NU alae ii3 WNT) eure URW EMR Cm OU SMT EOE ed Da cCon UCSC DO uC CU COs Un ues cot OO TU La URC NE Ruri ce COU 5 = det es RA ee CRUD CRC Tae PCS ROR Ue CCN a CIS EU USC Com MUR Cy PS CCRC er eu ee UR Ray mc a 2 i my : eae - i 4 rs LJ] ed i UL) a a A506 Calabasas Rad, Suite 02, Clb, Cllrs SI? Telghne (8) 23-880celerating typical Windows functions, it has bult- in digital video acceleration, Windows 95 ships with 2 fully optimized driver forthe Mach 64 ATLGRAPHICS KPRESSION Tue Guarcs Xsesson is ATS low cost, DRAM based offering. it offered prety good OOS perfor mance, but lackluster Windows performance Installation was straightforward. One nce feature is this card’s ability to store card parameters, (such as refresh rate) permanently on the card The Windows software utility for switching modes is also very easy use Unfortunately, the card failed to complete YYBETest, and it would not run the Vidspea! bench mark in SYGA mode, Be sure to check the compat ibility of SVGA games with this adapter. you get the Xoessun, make sure you obtain a copy of Uni VBE 5. (see sidebar). The manual is complete and well organized ATLGRAPHICS PRO TURBO The Granaes Pro Ture is ATI's flagship. The version we tested came with 4 MB of dual-poted RAM (there is also a 2 MB version). Despite its high-end nature, DOS performance was vitally identical to its less-expensive sibling, the Kes caer) (ota) iy © Indicate highest performance in category Fon saetGutm | ama _| ean] a a funcme] events [nema | sine [om | wane | wane far pao | Fuscame [cues | vvemnu [wen [oom | waren [ima lo | Fmcime| exiiar [new | smo) ens Te as) fro [renner | nema | se | son] eanse [ann faye] fro [nero Lown | een ome Leann sa] Focuce [cats | neuen | sine [am | nanan Doan [ss ae] Focnuce [enianso | neronu | ses [om | sone [ane [so [ae] Focmuce_Loranno [news [es [em | nee ware ps Pome] COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + ocTOBER sia, Windows performance was considerably bet= ter, however. The Pro Tukso card also failed VBETest with the same dismal results as the ores Al other comments pertaining tothe Xess, such as documentation utilities and setup, also apply tothe Pao Toso, DET os ‘Diamond Multimedia is tooled up forthe video card market lke a pasta machine ata noodle con vention, With one exception, al of Diamond's of- fexings use accelerator chips from $3, STEALTH 64 GRAPHICS 2001 The Grapuics 2001 uses the Ark Logic ARAZOODPV accelerator chip, avelatvely new chip specifically designed for low-cost graphics boards. This board, along with the Hercules ‘Scr 64 Vino (which also uses the ARKZOQCPY) posted the fastest DOS graphics score in the roundup. Windows performance was surprisingly good for such a relatively lw price, Tue Geri 2001 is available in both VESA Local Bus (VLB) and PC! versions, with ether 1 or 2 megabytes of Ra, Like all Diamond products, installation was Aten ry ire) nt) s3968__ | 9090 ere) crt) a TT ht eaictesin [rena | vaast | aen [ranma] Tawa ae spear] Tan feo | aes | +12193/2068 snap; there ae no jumpers or switches to set. A= though the Windows software tools used to change resolution, refresh rate and other parame- ters were a litle ciferent, they were stil easy to use, The Griewcs 2001 completed VBETest with fying colors. Occumentation is rather thin, but complete ‘STEALTH 64 VIDEO 2001 The Stet 64 Veo 2001 (not to be confused with the Gries 2001) uses the newest member of the $3 64-bit accelerator line, the Tio6V, which has some interesting new features, includ ing the ability to accelerate some DirectDraw functions. This means that Windows 95 games will run a bit better on cards based on this chipset The TioG4V+ isa fully integrated chp, including graphics accelerator and 24-bit OAC (igital-to-analog converter—the part of the video card that handles ouput to your monitor in a single chip. The Sreaun 64 Vineo 2001 also comes witha connector fora low-cost MPEG hard- wave accelerator The Voco 2001's DOS performance wasnt as speedy as some of Diamont's other $3-based cards; it was simply acceptable, Windows perfor: mance was decent for a relatively lon-cost car. een ce rr fe) 1360 1250 15.10 1560 77360 _| 07910 1600 15.60 45.5 1231.53 1660 #1710 1270 15.00 1530 15.10 od ere}Setup was simple and went sithout a hitch Documentation was sparse, but complete. This adapter is a good bet for people wo want 2 good Windows 95 accelerator but are on a budget ‘The Vigo 2200 uses the $3 Vision 868 multime- 4ia accelerator, which features built-in digital video acceleration, The Vago 2200KL like most $3 based products, posted solid, if uninspiring DOS performance, Windows perlormance was good. The card also passed VBETes without any warnings or failures. Installation was simple and quick, andthe software utilities supplied were simiar to all of Die amanc's offerings. The documentation was com. plete, although slightly terse The Stews 64 Voeo 3240XL and 3400KL ae ull featured cards with 2 megabytes and 4 megabytes of VRAM, respectively. They both have connectors for Diamond's Motion Video Player, an MPEG hard ‘ware accelerator that also performs video capture The Ste 64 Vino 3200 isa cost-educed version with 2 fted 2 megabytes of VRAM and no daugh: Cae ie ee) Creer) aries} [aie sen 1540___[ Passed 1220 1450 1490 1640 1570 Passed, VBE20 16.70 1640 1230 1330 Passed, Warn 59 16.10 Passed, Van iy Seed 12.035 1236.0 | Yes 2 = eer ieC ee a 1229.5 Yes: Tee et ue ee Onn ec NU Eee US ne eee a So eg EE ota ene fect Vidspeed: This benchmark simply reads from and writes tothe memory on the Pee Se ee eee mo Ey Eee ear) Oe eee eae Oe nae oe aT SEU ea ton CO eS So en Pde eo coe measure of throughput ofthe vdeo systems, but doesnt lok a frames per second or ater more Peete DEA ee Gee eee eau De ey ee ecg Dee mee col Conus ‘BETest VBETest is nota benchmark, but a compatibility test. Itmeasures hw closely @ cad follows COS ec ee eet Sr or ey Ce ne eure os en Ue ce \BETest comes with UNIVBE 5. 1a Deng Nn Spee es ee eS Renee ue tok once Ceca number. The soenes ae “canned” sothe test results are consistent Curtest system consisted ofa 100 MHz Pentium PCI system equipped with 32 MB of RAM 5.2 een ore OKs Re A a aoa sn Tn Re a EC cree tos Son on ener a are a See ad Digital Video? ferry Yes All categories rated ona 5-point scale. ropeR + COMPUTER GAMING WORLDterboard connector, DOS and Windows performance were virtually identical to the Srann 22004. The Sram 3000 se ries also passed VBETest without any problems. In- stallation was quick and simple, and the manuals were on par with olher Diamond dacumetation. PEE Hercules has heen in the business of making PC ‘graphic adapters since the early days of the original IBM PC. Several years ago, a revitalized Hercules re- {med tothe make it had pionered wit he orig ‘nal Hercules monochrome graphics card (remember those?) with the Hercuues Dywwnre, which many DOS gamers swear by This yar, Hercules supplied only ‘one card to the survey, but it's a notable one. STINGRAY 64 VIDEO ‘The Sma 64 Ving, which uses the Ark Logic ARKQOOOPY multimedia accelerator, posted the highest set of DOS performance scores of the bunch. ts Windows sores were reasonably good 2 well, VBETest went by without a hitch. The ARK2OODPV has some built-in digital vide aoceer- ation as well; Hercules, infact, supplies a software ‘MPEG decoder with the card Installing the Smeray was a Snap, without any hardware jumpers or switches. The DOS-based soft- ware installation had only one quith—a small TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident program) that is loaded fo improve Windows performance but isn't necessary for 00S. Windows ulites were spartan, but they were straightforward. The thin manval contains everything needed to set up and run the card, but is bit unorganized The Simczy isa real sleeper, with hat-red DOS performance, decent Windows performance and simple operation. Additionally, Windows 95 drivers will be released by Hercules in the near future. I theyre angthing like their beta counterparts, which we ested, thal work quite wel TA “ia actference a year makes is an apropos lh for Matix. Last yea, ther line of 3-0 acce- erators posted great Windows scores, but were atysmaly lon when it came to DOS, Matra new of- fering changes al that. ‘YATROK MILLENNIUM The Moro Mus uses a completely reworked version ofits MGA graphics engine, the MGA 2064W. Capable of Gouraud-shaded 3-D accelera- tion, Matrox added the capability to manage and store teture maps directly in video memory, Matrox is also using @ mew kind of graphics memory called Window RAM (ahich has nothing to do with Mi- ‘rsoft). WRAM is cheaper than VRAM but offers sinilar performance, Most importantly for gamers, Matrox ade 32-bit, fast VGA core, nd the num bers show it This card posted the third-highest set of 00S score. Furthermore, the Musaw i the only entry in the roundup to have the VESA 2.0 Video BIOS (eich can improve SVGA performance on games that support it) extension built into its ROM. It passed VBETest with fling coors. It also posted the highest set of Windows benchmarks (although the se Nine Mono 771 gave the highest sore for a single graphics Winmark) Selup and installation was a snap, eventhough the software instalation was completly Windows based. Unfortunately, the final manual was une available atthe time ofthe review, Matrox ships this card with an enanced version of NASCAR (and sume olher enhanced software), where the effect of ‘sing the MGA polygon ecology realy shows The Muga has connectors for an MPEG ac- celerator and a video capture boat It can also can handle up to 8 megabytes of WRAM. Finally, the BIOS on the Musa i in flash memory, which ‘means a BIOS upgrade canbe shipped software Alin al, a sat, el- rounded solution CaS TT Number Nine pioneered the high end of the PC ‘graphics market. Several years ago, they began pro- ducing cards for the mainstream computer market All three Number Nine cards we tested are much ‘improved over last year's offerings. SFL VISION 330 The Veo 330 uses the 3 Ti6A chip, which in- tegrates most ofthe functions ofan entre graphies card, save memory, onto a single chip. ts perfor- mance was mixed compared tothe other $3 Tro6s card, the GevruSite 300 by VideoLogic—it was slower in OOS by abi, but came out a tad ahead in Windows It has @ well-written manual and an exe cellent set of Windows utilities. The ony triky thing with setup is that setting the refresh rate in DOS re- quires a utility that must be manually copied over to your hard drive, VBETest failed in one function, bul the Vise 330 ran al of our Super VGA software without fai, Overall, nce card, especialy consid- ering its extremely low rc pint ‘SFX MOTION 531 The Monon 531 uses the $3 Vision868 accelera- tor, wich has builtin acceleration for digital video functions. The card ships with @ software-based (MPEG player. The Mono 531 had slightly better DOS 72 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 performance than the other 868 cards we tested and belterthan-average Windows performance. passed VBETest witha few amings. The combina- tion of low pre point and above-par performance make fora very intresting card SEX MOTION 771 ‘The $FX Mons 771 uses the Vision968 chip from 53. It posted the single highest Winbench score (17.1 at 640x480) and its DOS scores were high as well. However, VBETest failed one test—it couldn't st the 800x600 resolution at 16 colors. The other od glitch was severe piselizaton during the digital video intoducton of Mecano 2, although this didn't occur during Wars Comanaer 3s video cut- scenes. The Windows utes are very nicely done Like the other Number Wine card, the 771 is pried a bit lover than the competition, Be aware that if you buy the two megabyte version ofthe card, you cannct upgrade to four megabytes. Orchid Technology Orchid has & lng history of developing graphics adapters. This is one ofthe fist companies to ship a Windows aceleratoc FAHRENHEIT 64 The Face 64 uses one ofthe early $3 64-bit anooeraors, the 864, which explains why it pasted OS scores slightly slower than most ofthe cards in the survey. The Windows benchmarks were sub-par as well. Additionally, we could't run Fut Suansog 5.08 using the VESA graphs driver, although the 3 driver worked, This was a litle odd, asthe card passed VBETest with only a few warnings. Overall, ‘the Fain 64 isan undistinguished card FAHRENHEIT PROVIDEO 64 The ProVozo 64 uses the $3 Vision968 accelera- tor, which incorporates the ability to accelerate dig- ital video functions, It also has built-in VESA Advanced Feature Connector (usually shortened to AFC), which was originally designe to replace the standard VGA feature connector and pass data sig- tals (ike those from an MPEG cial video acceler- alors) ata faster rate, Unfortunately, to dat, there ae few peripherals that support VAFC. OS performance forthe Fen Pro was on par with other 968 cards, except for its inability to run Fur Shara 50a in Super VOA moe. Orchid has acknowledged the problem and is working on a fix, Another flaw i that the card is physically long, which made ita very tight fit on our Intel mather- board. Windows performance was slightly sub-par ‘compared to ater Vison968-based boards.ayia ZEN OF CD-ROM DL a SUNT Ay ona lied ry TANG CHI LTT toa) SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENSVideolog isa Bish company wich has, in the past, focused on digital video editing products, This legacy shows in its new line of graphics accel- erators. All offer the VESA Media Channel (VMC for short), which is specifically designed to move ‘streams of multimedia data at high speeds. The GraruStan 300, based on the $3 Trio6d chipset, posted the highest combined DOS scores of any S3-based card Windows benchmarks were sol i, too. This card passed VBETest with only a few watnings. Is the only Ti card to offer optional Cigital vdeo acceleration, though an MPEG add-on card that plugs into its VESA Media Channel. The ‘manual is complete and well-done, The Windows lites seemed a bit quiky however, perhaps re Alcting their English origin. The GawreSte 300 is Aistinguished by being the least pensive card in ur roundup. Using the VisionB68 chip, the GratwSuar 500 is another low-cost multimedia accelerato I offered solid DOS and Windows performance and passed VBETest with but @ few warnings. Unfortunately, Fuca Smuator 5.03 displayed a vertically “squashed” image wit a lot officer (tis was problem with all the VideoLogic boards). Al the oth- ar SVGA games worked without any noticeable aberration. This is nice card ata very nice rice This is the high end ofthe GeavwSin family, us- ing the $3 Vision968. Oddly, although stl fairy od, this cards DOS performance was te shvest of the VideoLogic family, Windows perfomance was good and it passed VBETest with some warnings. Lie the other Videologic cards, Fusar Shao ran in SVGA made with a lot of ticker and a veticaly squashed image. Tre GaraSia 700s priced pretty sch on pa withthe competition, I ne ‘Choosing the best card for your neads is a liffi- cult proposition made even more ict by factors like pic, the importance of DOS versus Windows performance, and wat kind of system you'e run ring at home. Here's ate some CaH-endorsed re mendations, broken down into diferent interest levels 1 you're extremely budget conscious, Lake @ ook at the Number Nine Geucs 330 or the VidecLogic GaaruStan 300, Another interesting card isthe Dia- mond Stent 64 Vioro 2001, which combines tea sonable perfomance wth an MPEG daughtercard option If money is no object, the Number Nine Monon 771 and the Matrox Niuewmn are good choices, particulary it you have other application that need the higher memory capacities and colar depths. The Diamond Stealth 64 Veo 3420KL and 3400KL are interesting cards because of ther expansive capa bility and bundled software The Hercules Stasi 64 Veo and the Ste 64 Giravics 2001 both use the ARKZOOOPY chip, and scored the highest sel of DOS scores. Windows benchmarks were reasonable, and the cost difer- ence between these cards and the least expensive cards onthe market isn't that great, The three cards we liked the best are not based ‘on $3 chips. The Hercules Stingray 64 Video and the Diamond Graphics 2001, which scored the highest set of DOS scores, both use the ARK2OOOPV chip. Windows benchmarks were also reasonable, and the cost difference between these cards and the least expensive cards on the market isn't that reat. We also really liked the Matrox Nien, wihose combination of speedy DOS and Windows performance, when combined with digital video ac- celeration and 3-D acceleration make for a com- polling solution, The entire video card industry als into this cat- gory. We were extremely impressed withthe overall improvement over last year's crop of graphics adapters. The gap in performance between the slowest cards and the fastest ones was much smaller than last yat. Setup, dacumentaton and feature sts have been improved forthe most part a well I you're careful, i's really dificult to go wrong, Tec) COE u Hercules sac) Crd Ec} SL) (600) GET-NE CoE Stern) Peery 74 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995 TOTP Re oan CT) Fae sy oi CeCe eet PO ag tie features you could only dream Cree Ty I | I = cy GLAM oar aCe E1) FETAL! ho eee enDTTC Ce Ros ee ee eos CU Sty cee Rolt Lom Sosa) Seen ST ST ec Ua ol DS ed Pee Des kad Dk nS) CL MSE) ee hae Le ee Set eke od Coe mt te LeU See ote) Poa aOR a Cao ce RC nc ack eh hee Se een ey See cee en esol! 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TU au Cy ne of the nice things b about computer ymes is that they Frequently break th BP bas of seq offen than not, the second version of a title is hetter than the original Just look at CatSAR IL, a soon-to-be-released gem from Impressions Software. ‘Those of tus who played the first Carsan have been waiting almost uo years for this product; and, after a sneak peek at the Tatest version, I think T eam safely say the wait has by ‘The origi ment gam n worth it, | Garsar was a develop with three levels of com- plexity: the empire, the provinee and at the city. The empire level was some primitive, litle more than a map. Basi- «ally, you kept the Emperor happy, he asked dering unto Caesar whate for. You took cate of your province, and once you finished developing the place, you would be “rewarded” by being sent vilized part of the empire, enemies of Rome and toa less n. (You must have thrown THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF EMPIRE The beginning of ike the historical Rome. Later on, youl find that walls offer more protection against barbarians, tup on his Imperial sand at some point.) At the province level, your task was to improve the Roman highway system 1 defend your lands with forts, walls and armies. It was fin, and a. unique fea- e of this kind, but unfortunately, the game didn’t have its own, combat syste get a fall, re against its enemi ture in a ga m. In order to time experi= ence on the battlefield, Cavsar had to be linked with another Impressions product, Co- Horr HL, which was kind of a pain in the neck, At the city level, you were building a Roman-style metropolis, aqueducts, forums and temples. It was also quite enjoyable, even though the 't very sophisticated. For ex ample, evolution of larger public build ings was automatic. Stick two smaller complete with temples together and they would even= the game may find your city nestled near fills much THE MAJESTY THAT WAS ROME A close sows off te games outstanding artwork. eee ey tually become Pantheon. ‘That kind of thing, combined with the graphics which vw re nothing to write home about, lefts I'm very pleased to say that in Caesar IL, Impressions has acldressedt practical: y every complaint that gamer have made about the original. They've taken a game which ly a lite tle gem—good and enjoyable, but rough—and transformed it into a bona nething to be desired. s could fide diamond. ‘The graphies are 100% better, the Help features pr both educational and entertaining, and ise to be the interface is extremely easy to mas: ter, one of the best Pve seen of late. But all of that is merely the tip of the ice berg. They've also improved gameplay and increased the challenge at every level. They've integrated a spilly new combat system and, if all that wasn't enough, they've added event animation and other pleasing eye-candy, Barring nthe foot, the fine an unforeseen shot BB COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995VORIGIN ATLTHE ART OF WAR ied product could very well become one of the most popular and rewarding strategy titles of the yei THE EMPEROR DECREES MORE GAMING FOR THE Masses! A complete list of all the fea fered in this new version would be ¢ haus g. 30 I'll uy wo stick 10 the most interesting ones, At the Empire level of the game, your rekations with Caesar have become a bit more complex, and axing diffieulty of the sgame—as you're sent further the and further into the Jand—makes a bit more now. As a provincial governor, you are competing ie sens for Imperial favor by con- ering these Rome, and it is to your ad- vantage to establish Roman, rule—complete with Roman peace, Roman culture and Roman prosperity as quick- ly as possible. Your success will increa improve your fortunes The Province level of the game has been enhanced! by a system of indust of merely defending province, you must develo only to make raw materials available to the Emperor, but to provide employ- ment for your city’s population. Along. swith the forts, walls and roads of the old SAR, you can now build farms, mines ul quarries to harness the natural re- sources of the province, and trading posts and ports to bring in goods from abroad: all of these structures must be at= tended by warehouses for storage and houses for plebeian labor. And speaking of the province level— sv combat system is a winner! I lands for ive your rank and th think most strategy gamers will recog- nize it iation on the combat en- from Loxbs of rit: Reatat. There are various kinds of light and heavy in= range weapons, cavalry and eveti war elephants, it's a gis, and the command interface is fainly refined. My favorite part was the “mop. fantry, oops with lon ton. It basically gives the selected unit an order to jump into the nearest tele and finish off the enemy woops, saving a lot of pointless pointand-cick atthe end ofa fight The City level, of course, is where this game really shines. ‘The designers have genuinely captured the feel of Roman life and the expectations of the Roma people. As the player, you must meet th demands of the populace for var public services, not only to be able to col: lect the necessary taxes from them, but to avoid havi destroyed by civilized folk; they want housing, a plen= tifa supply of fresh water, good tion, schools, hospitals, libraries and amusements—not to mention access toa forum and a marketplace. And, although they aren't thuilled with having soldiers and watchmen around, they need the rracks and the prefectures to keep the cxime rate down, quell public untest and put out fires—ditto for the city walls, which no one likes and everyone needs in order to keep out barbarian hordes for a few After playing this ga hours, the Roman fetish for a well~ planned grid of city streets becomes all too understandable, ‘To make the most ‘of the available space, and provide maxi imum acess to all the public buildings, the roads in the city have to be laid out carefully. The web of reservoir ame goes for the intricate wecuets and foun keep the whole city supplied r- The people need jobs as we fate yovernor will build. factories in the town to make finished goods from all the raw materials avriving from the farms, quarries, mines and trading operations out in the province, industry comes taxes, $0 you will have to build temples to house the prov The model so the conside ough housing to pros sudde population; and, since 1 hadn't built housing for them, the people built their own. A shanty town sprang up on the opposite hank of fe with bint rest—because th hhave the th mans want, It was a mo ment so amie to reatlty dat im- 1 was pressed—and of course, quickly took steps to franchise” that collection genuin of huts by the river bank with bath-houses, prefec- w own forum, F right down onee they had proper sani- tation ny that they calmed services and a little seeurity Someone should send the mayor of Los Angeles a copy of this game, cnesar’'s tecacy? Tn short, Cagsan IT should be a strong contender, and promises to appeal to 3 wide audience. 1 cout on the shelves now that a here are several titles as pok ished, and not nearly as much fan to play, as the late beta previewed here, If Impressions can maintain the high qual ity of the work they've already done with this procluct erween now and its release date, Pm going to be first in line for a copy. As with all previews, of course, we'll have to wait for the final word when the game is rel many a slip betwixt the cup this stage, 1° empire is wether nnd the lip. though, it looks as if C: destined for glory aga 80 COMPUTER GAMING WORLD + OCTOBER 1995A TALE OF THE er ay Pe ce et toe On) eter a tena e) en eT ean eee yen ee ence te and mystic warriors, all hell breaks Ronee band of pioneers from themselves? Or will you succumb to Pe ENC r Lan ga earl Pe eRe. 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