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%21END%21
Showing posts with label PC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PC. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Sonic Generations: hitting walls
Oddly enough, although I wrote at length about my experiences with the 3DS game, I don't appear to have written about the Xbox 360 version which I played at pretty much the same time. I didn't complete it though; of the nine main stages of the game I had completed both acts of six and played through the 2D parts of the remaining three. I've no idea why I stopped.
With the launch of TrueSteamAchievements, I was able to register and see which games I own but have hardly played on Steam. Most of them, it turns out. One of the more interesting pages is 'My Easy Achievements' which lists those achievements I've not yet won which most people who own the games in question have. This list was topped by the achievement for completing the first Act in Sonic Generations. I have absolutely no idea when I bought the game on Steam, though I won't have paid much for it.
With the launch of TrueSteamAchievements, I was able to register and see which games I own but have hardly played on Steam. Most of them, it turns out. One of the more interesting pages is 'My Easy Achievements' which lists those achievements I've not yet won which most people who own the games in question have. This list was topped by the achievement for completing the first Act in Sonic Generations. I have absolutely no idea when I bought the game on Steam, though I won't have paid much for it.
Anyway, suitably shamed, I loaded the game on my work PC - no Mac version, it seems - and played through both Acts of the Green Hill Zone. That took some effort; the game juddered and slowed in the resolution it recommended, and then looked ugly and in the wrong aspect ratio when I tried to change that. Why was I struggling through it when I had a perfectly accessible console version?
No, I didn't know either. And that, in a roundabout way, is why I loaded up Sonic Generations on my Xbox 360.
I'm glad I did. This is a good Sonic game - particularly the 2D sections, although most of the 3D Acts are fun as well. The only real problem is that the controls feel a little imprecise at times, which I think is down to using the analogue stick (with its length of travel) over digital pads. Turning in the air to avoid spikes can take a fraction of a second too long, and occasionally I can't steer Sonic away from the walls that jut out into the 3D levels.
I played through the second Acts of Crisis City, Rooftop Run, and Planet Wisp, with a number of lives lost due to me trying to hurry through the levels. It's easy to forget that even in the original Mega Drive games you had to take the later stages somewhat slower. There's a boss battle next, but first I've got to unlock it by completing three challenges - special requirements within existing levels. What a faff.
I'm glad I did. This is a good Sonic game - particularly the 2D sections, although most of the 3D Acts are fun as well. The only real problem is that the controls feel a little imprecise at times, which I think is down to using the analogue stick (with its length of travel) over digital pads. Turning in the air to avoid spikes can take a fraction of a second too long, and occasionally I can't steer Sonic away from the walls that jut out into the 3D levels.
I played through the second Acts of Crisis City, Rooftop Run, and Planet Wisp, with a number of lives lost due to me trying to hurry through the levels. It's easy to forget that even in the original Mega Drive games you had to take the later stages somewhat slower. There's a boss battle next, but first I've got to unlock it by completing three challenges - special requirements within existing levels. What a faff.
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
Switchblade: exploring the caves
Switchblade was always touted as one of the great games on the GX4000, using the power of the console over the standard CPC version and benefiting from instant loading. Given the size of the map, that's not surprising; the disk version certainly seems to chug regularly. Despite having owned it for many years, I've never given it a proper go beyond making sure that the cartridge worked. Over the Christmas holidays I had some time to rectify that.
The first thing I was surprised about was the accuracy of controls. When playing many 8-bit games, there's a noticeable lag in inputs, and games are often designed to allow for this. Some games did this better than others - Titus the Fox, for example, allowed a bit of leeway in jumping. That's not the case here, but the response to inputs is instant, making you feel much more in control.
The second thing I noticed, after playing for a while, is how complex the game is. It's packed with puzzles, in terms of finding new rooms, finding ways to attack enemies without taking damage, and exploration. I originally thought that the fact that enemies can't attack you while you're standing on a crate was a limitation of the game, but in many cases it's the very basis of the puzzle.
That's not to say that the game isn't an action-based title. I've not completed it yet, because the five lives you start with don't last long when you're being attacked. I shall try again, though - each time I play I get a bit further. I may need map paper soon though ...
Meanwhile, I loaded up an emulator to take some screenshots, and took the opportunity to compare the GX4000 game to the CPC version. As I said above, the disk version seems to chug a bit more, which may be loading, but the main difference is the visuals. Look at them, it's an astounding change.
(GX4000 is the top, standard CPC is the bottom.)
The first thing I was surprised about was the accuracy of controls. When playing many 8-bit games, there's a noticeable lag in inputs, and games are often designed to allow for this. Some games did this better than others - Titus the Fox, for example, allowed a bit of leeway in jumping. That's not the case here, but the response to inputs is instant, making you feel much more in control.
The second thing I noticed, after playing for a while, is how complex the game is. It's packed with puzzles, in terms of finding new rooms, finding ways to attack enemies without taking damage, and exploration. I originally thought that the fact that enemies can't attack you while you're standing on a crate was a limitation of the game, but in many cases it's the very basis of the puzzle.
That's not to say that the game isn't an action-based title. I've not completed it yet, because the five lives you start with don't last long when you're being attacked. I shall try again, though - each time I play I get a bit further. I may need map paper soon though ...
Meanwhile, I loaded up an emulator to take some screenshots, and took the opportunity to compare the GX4000 game to the CPC version. As I said above, the disk version seems to chug a bit more, which may be loading, but the main difference is the visuals. Look at them, it's an astounding change.
(GX4000 is the top, standard CPC is the bottom.)
Friday, December 11, 2015
The Stanley Parable: completed!
The Stanley Parable is an odd narrative game, where you are effectively given instructions by the narrator. As an office worker, you suddenly realise that everyone else has disappeared, and it feels that the point of the game is to understand why. If it were a traditional game, that would be the case.
The game is most fun, or rather funny, when not following instructions. I didn't know that, of course, and my first play through I did what the narrator told me was going to happen, with one exception - I went down a corridor marked as certain death, and only turned around at the end when I realised they weren't joking.
I found the boss's office, I found the secret passageway, I went through and completed the game. That wasn't the end, though.
On my second game, I turned left when I was told right, and ended up backstage. I found myself eventually in some sort of museum with maps of the game and concept sketches. I tried again and the game was reset by the narrator. I found an odd subgame where I was pretending to be at home with a mannequin.
I saw a lot of office buildings and the central control room, many times.
I escaped a few times.
I got trapped in a room once, when the narrator decided that he was fed up with my excursions and told me that I had won the game.
I was given a helpful hint on where to go.
And I don't think I've seen it all yet, but it'll have to wait for another day. I suspect that I shall put this on the TV and show Justine at some point, and maybe she'll want to experiment as well.
I wonder which ending she'll get.
The game is most fun, or rather funny, when not following instructions. I didn't know that, of course, and my first play through I did what the narrator told me was going to happen, with one exception - I went down a corridor marked as certain death, and only turned around at the end when I realised they weren't joking.
I found the boss's office, I found the secret passageway, I went through and completed the game. That wasn't the end, though.
On my second game, I turned left when I was told right, and ended up backstage. I found myself eventually in some sort of museum with maps of the game and concept sketches. I tried again and the game was reset by the narrator. I found an odd subgame where I was pretending to be at home with a mannequin.
I saw a lot of office buildings and the central control room, many times.
I escaped a few times.
I got trapped in a room once, when the narrator decided that he was fed up with my excursions and told me that I had won the game.
I was given a helpful hint on where to go.
And I don't think I've seen it all yet, but it'll have to wait for another day. I suspect that I shall put this on the TV and show Justine at some point, and maybe she'll want to experiment as well.
I wonder which ending she'll get.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Crazy Golf: crazy as in idiotic
When looking back at the 8-bit consoles, there is a natural tendency to think of them as home to many stone-cold classics, games that stand the test of time and are replayable even now, after countless refinements to gameplay have been developed. What we don't tend to remember is the dross that got pumped out. Dross like Crazy Golf.
Golf is a precision sport, and it's important that you can easily judge angles and distances. But this is crazy golf, so let's stick it in Mode 0 where the pixels are rectangles, not squares, and even better let's make it so you can only hit the ball at twelve predetermined angles. Oh, but let's make sure the angle the ball travels at isn't actually the same as the indicator used to aim.
This is the second hole. It took me ages to get here, mainly because of an inability to work out the controls. It turns out that despite pressing space on the title screen, in-game the only keys which do anything are the cursor keys for aiming and power, Q for quitting to the title screen, and space skips to the next hole. On WinAPE, the emulator I used, you need to enable a virtual joystick, turning Num Lock off on the PC keyboard, and use the 5 on the keypad as a fire button.
Having finally worked this out, the first hole was cleared using a sort of 'maximum power and hope' strategy. It was a number of straight vertical walls, and the ball bounced around like a mad thing before finally entering the hole, just one over par.
So, the second hole. No matter what angle I hit the ball at, it kept going back to the start (which was just below the aiming indicator top-left). I had to reduce power a lot and inch the ball down bit by bit. It took a while to work out that the power works on the number of pixels, and so you need twice as much power to go down the screen as you do to go across it.
I finally got around the bottom, and over to the right of the screen. Amazing I was able to bounce straight through the pink wall at the bottom, but ended up along the top.
Now, what do you think would happen if I fired off a shot now? Oh, note that the indicator is showing the direction the club comes from, not the way the ball goes. I know, that got me as well. You'd expect it to bounce off the lower green wall, up to the upper green wall, and then back. But, oh no. Angled walls don't affect the ball. It bounces straight back along the same path. It's basically reacting to the pixel it hits, not the slope of the wall. That doesn't matter on this stage so much because obviously (almost) all the 45-degree angles come in pairs. But ...
This stage is begging you to start off by bouncing the ball straight down and off that angled wall at the bottom left. If you do that, the ball goes straight back up! You actually have to bounce the ball off the left wall yourself, then slowly along the bottom until you get to the bottom-right corner. And then it's just a case of hitting it up the passageway, bouncing it off the flat wall, and up to the flag.
Oh, no. The angle of the passageway does not correspond to an angle that you can set the ball at - neither in terms of the indicator at the top right, or the path which the ball goes along (did I mention that they're not the same?) That wouldn't be a problem if the ball could bounce off the walls on the way up, but remember that the angle it bounces off is due to the pixel sides, not the overall wall, so you are likely to see the ball bouncing backwards down the path.
But look at the screenshot again. Not only have I managed to get the ball to bounce backwards off one wall, it's gone straight through another into an area with no gap to escape. I had to fire off random shots for five minutes until the ball glitched through a different wall; which of course was the bottom side of the triangle, meaning I had to work my way up around the path again.
But all that effort was worthwhile.
Because I was tired of being able to see colours and was looking for a solution to make me blind. I mean, what is this meant to be? It's actually a far easier hole than the last one, because all the angles are straight, but of course it's still a nightmare due to the use of Mode 0.
And then you come to this. Again, the angle of the walls isn't matched by a shot angle, so you have the pain of getting the ball down to the bottom and then through that tiny gap where the green and red walls join. Remember that the top-right angled wall won't bounce your ball towards the flag as you go up. After dealing with the horrendous comb at the bottom and the tiny gap, you have to make it through a set of pixels which are pretty much random, and of ocurse affect your ball in random ways, until you get to the flag.
There are more, but they don't get any better. The entire game is an exercise in frustration, mostly caused by the limited number of angles your ball can travel at. This is all the more frustrating because the Amstrad is capable of so much more; even in BASIC I wrote a program a few years ago which drew a ball moving at a defined angle, and then bouncing off walls and even being affected by gravity spots on the screen. Had it even just been in Mode 1, everything would have been much better defined, easier to calculate, and probably less garish.
And let's not forget, back in 1984 this would have taken you 5 minutes to load.
Golf is a precision sport, and it's important that you can easily judge angles and distances. But this is crazy golf, so let's stick it in Mode 0 where the pixels are rectangles, not squares, and even better let's make it so you can only hit the ball at twelve predetermined angles. Oh, but let's make sure the angle the ball travels at isn't actually the same as the indicator used to aim.
This is the second hole. It took me ages to get here, mainly because of an inability to work out the controls. It turns out that despite pressing space on the title screen, in-game the only keys which do anything are the cursor keys for aiming and power, Q for quitting to the title screen, and space skips to the next hole. On WinAPE, the emulator I used, you need to enable a virtual joystick, turning Num Lock off on the PC keyboard, and use the 5 on the keypad as a fire button.
Having finally worked this out, the first hole was cleared using a sort of 'maximum power and hope' strategy. It was a number of straight vertical walls, and the ball bounced around like a mad thing before finally entering the hole, just one over par.
So, the second hole. No matter what angle I hit the ball at, it kept going back to the start (which was just below the aiming indicator top-left). I had to reduce power a lot and inch the ball down bit by bit. It took a while to work out that the power works on the number of pixels, and so you need twice as much power to go down the screen as you do to go across it.
I finally got around the bottom, and over to the right of the screen. Amazing I was able to bounce straight through the pink wall at the bottom, but ended up along the top.
Now, what do you think would happen if I fired off a shot now? Oh, note that the indicator is showing the direction the club comes from, not the way the ball goes. I know, that got me as well. You'd expect it to bounce off the lower green wall, up to the upper green wall, and then back. But, oh no. Angled walls don't affect the ball. It bounces straight back along the same path. It's basically reacting to the pixel it hits, not the slope of the wall. That doesn't matter on this stage so much because obviously (almost) all the 45-degree angles come in pairs. But ...
This stage is begging you to start off by bouncing the ball straight down and off that angled wall at the bottom left. If you do that, the ball goes straight back up! You actually have to bounce the ball off the left wall yourself, then slowly along the bottom until you get to the bottom-right corner. And then it's just a case of hitting it up the passageway, bouncing it off the flat wall, and up to the flag.
Oh, no. The angle of the passageway does not correspond to an angle that you can set the ball at - neither in terms of the indicator at the top right, or the path which the ball goes along (did I mention that they're not the same?) That wouldn't be a problem if the ball could bounce off the walls on the way up, but remember that the angle it bounces off is due to the pixel sides, not the overall wall, so you are likely to see the ball bouncing backwards down the path.
But look at the screenshot again. Not only have I managed to get the ball to bounce backwards off one wall, it's gone straight through another into an area with no gap to escape. I had to fire off random shots for five minutes until the ball glitched through a different wall; which of course was the bottom side of the triangle, meaning I had to work my way up around the path again.
But all that effort was worthwhile.
Because I was tired of being able to see colours and was looking for a solution to make me blind. I mean, what is this meant to be? It's actually a far easier hole than the last one, because all the angles are straight, but of course it's still a nightmare due to the use of Mode 0.
And then you come to this. Again, the angle of the walls isn't matched by a shot angle, so you have the pain of getting the ball down to the bottom and then through that tiny gap where the green and red walls join. Remember that the top-right angled wall won't bounce your ball towards the flag as you go up. After dealing with the horrendous comb at the bottom and the tiny gap, you have to make it through a set of pixels which are pretty much random, and of ocurse affect your ball in random ways, until you get to the flag.
There are more, but they don't get any better. The entire game is an exercise in frustration, mostly caused by the limited number of angles your ball can travel at. This is all the more frustrating because the Amstrad is capable of so much more; even in BASIC I wrote a program a few years ago which drew a ball moving at a defined angle, and then bouncing off walls and even being affected by gravity spots on the screen. Had it even just been in Mode 1, everything would have been much better defined, easier to calculate, and probably less garish.
And let's not forget, back in 1984 this would have taken you 5 minutes to load.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Seymour: Take One: completed!
I'm pretty sure I completed this at the time, back in 1991, but I couldn't remember it and felt it was the perfect test for installing a CPC emulator. It doesn't take long to play through, after all.
The secretary being called Pippa still amuses me.
It took me a couple of attempts to complete the game because the timing of the last sequence is trial and error (spoilers: you need to load the film into the camera, tie Faye down, then start the train, run to start the camera, run back and cut the rope, then run back to the camera before you get squished). But complete it I did, without abusing save states!
The secretary being called Pippa still amuses me.
It took me a couple of attempts to complete the game because the timing of the last sequence is trial and error (spoilers: you need to load the film into the camera, tie Faye down, then start the train, run to start the camera, run back and cut the rope, then run back to the camera before you get squished). But complete it I did, without abusing save states!
Friday, October 17, 2014
Populous: the Beginning: unexplored territory
I have now progressed further than ever before. Bloodlust has been conquered.
Back in 2005, I wrote of my troubles. I started optimistic, settled for a war of attrition, then got a bit gung-ho and lost it all. I tried many times to complete that level, and never managed it. I did this time, though - on the fourth attempt. This was a hard level.
I think my focus was initially misplaced. Just over the ridge from my starting position was a stone head, which the red tribe began worshipping at pretty soon after the start of each game. I was dashing over there as soon as possible, to stop them gaining a spell that I thought would be catastrophic for me. In fact, by leaving them to it (and blocking off access to the reds from my village) they used the bloodlust spell they gained on the yellow tribe part way through the game, causing chaos in my enemy's village.
So, rather than attacking the reds, I concentrated on killing off the greens as quickly as possible. I built up a small army of preachers and warriors, and opened a pathway as quickly as I could down to their village. I sent my followers down for a scrap, and quickly demolished the village. One enemy down.
This then gave me a lot more space to expand my village, but I was suffering from attacks from the reds and yellows in the older side of my settlement. I built a huge wall across the level, separating us off - though I left a small gap through which the red team was constantly funnelled, including the shaman. I put down about 20 swamp spells there, meaning that I kept on gaining a nice manna boost.
As I said, the reds and yellows were fighting among themselves as well. This meant that the yellow settlement shifted over time, and the yellows moved closer to the newer side of my settlement. I was suffering a constant influx of armies, so I eroded the land around the edge of my settlement to create a water channel. I still had to contend with balloon invasions, but that was soon sorted.
My settlement was thriving, now that I was concentrating on defence (you can see the cliff wall on the west of the map in the screenshot above, and the balloons around the edge of the village), but there were a few issues. Firstly, the other settlements were also growing quickly, and secondly I was running out of building materials. I needed to be able to build more balloons for defence, but had nothing to make them out of. I just had to wait for trees to grow, to build up my army, all the time repelling the yellow army's attacks.
Note in the screenshot above the odd spit of land coming from the south of my settlement. I had noticed another stone head in the middle of the sea, and rather than using precious balloons to ferry people over there, I just raised land all the way across.
Eventually, I decided to make my move. I closed off the narrow cliff to make sure that the reds couldn't get through to my village just by sacrificing large numbers to overcome the swamps, and I raised a land bridge towards the yellows. I sent a huge army of preachers, warriors and some balloon-based firewarriors across, led by my shaman in a balloon who killed off the opposing firewarriors before they could attack. I killed the shaman, I destroyed the balloon factory and firewarrior training hut with tornadoes, I killed the shaman, I positioned a number of warriors and firewarriors around the resurrection site to kill the shaman every time she resurrected. It was a rout.
Until I noticed that the reds were on their way down the coast to attack my village. I quickly positioned all the remaining firewarrior balloons along the coast, and sent the shaman back to cast swamps to make sure. It took ages for my army to finish off the yellow village, because the iditos kept rebuilding it ...
... but eventually, with a bit of help from earthquakes and tornadoes, it fell.
Two down.
The reds were still a force to be reckoned with, however. They had a huge village and a huge army. My excursions to the yellows hadn't hurt my fortunes too much, luckily, and my villages were replacing the dead pretty quickly. I just needed to train more warriors and preachers - and particularly firewarriors.
But I had a trick up my sleeve. I'd found another stone head, which had given me four spells of bloodlust ... but the one in the middle of the sea had given me angel of death. Coupled with the fact that the reds hadn't built up a balloon army, this made things pretty easy. I took over my balloon army, destroying the firewarriors as we went, and then I unleashed the angel of death.
Once the enemy was reduced to a manageable amount, I ordered the rest of my followers to come up and destroy the village. They didn't even get there before the reds fell.
Nine years after I first started, I've completed Bloodlust.
I didn't stop there. The next level was good fun, with an armageddon spell available in the middle of the map. I think that the level is meant to see you stopping the others from getting that spell and then casting it for a massive brawl, but instead I wiped out two of the villages before casting the spell of a much reduced yellow army. Still fun though.
Back in 2005, I wrote of my troubles. I started optimistic, settled for a war of attrition, then got a bit gung-ho and lost it all. I tried many times to complete that level, and never managed it. I did this time, though - on the fourth attempt. This was a hard level.
I think my focus was initially misplaced. Just over the ridge from my starting position was a stone head, which the red tribe began worshipping at pretty soon after the start of each game. I was dashing over there as soon as possible, to stop them gaining a spell that I thought would be catastrophic for me. In fact, by leaving them to it (and blocking off access to the reds from my village) they used the bloodlust spell they gained on the yellow tribe part way through the game, causing chaos in my enemy's village.
So, rather than attacking the reds, I concentrated on killing off the greens as quickly as possible. I built up a small army of preachers and warriors, and opened a pathway as quickly as I could down to their village. I sent my followers down for a scrap, and quickly demolished the village. One enemy down.
This then gave me a lot more space to expand my village, but I was suffering from attacks from the reds and yellows in the older side of my settlement. I built a huge wall across the level, separating us off - though I left a small gap through which the red team was constantly funnelled, including the shaman. I put down about 20 swamp spells there, meaning that I kept on gaining a nice manna boost.
As I said, the reds and yellows were fighting among themselves as well. This meant that the yellow settlement shifted over time, and the yellows moved closer to the newer side of my settlement. I was suffering a constant influx of armies, so I eroded the land around the edge of my settlement to create a water channel. I still had to contend with balloon invasions, but that was soon sorted.
My settlement was thriving, now that I was concentrating on defence (you can see the cliff wall on the west of the map in the screenshot above, and the balloons around the edge of the village), but there were a few issues. Firstly, the other settlements were also growing quickly, and secondly I was running out of building materials. I needed to be able to build more balloons for defence, but had nothing to make them out of. I just had to wait for trees to grow, to build up my army, all the time repelling the yellow army's attacks.
Note in the screenshot above the odd spit of land coming from the south of my settlement. I had noticed another stone head in the middle of the sea, and rather than using precious balloons to ferry people over there, I just raised land all the way across.
Eventually, I decided to make my move. I closed off the narrow cliff to make sure that the reds couldn't get through to my village just by sacrificing large numbers to overcome the swamps, and I raised a land bridge towards the yellows. I sent a huge army of preachers, warriors and some balloon-based firewarriors across, led by my shaman in a balloon who killed off the opposing firewarriors before they could attack. I killed the shaman, I destroyed the balloon factory and firewarrior training hut with tornadoes, I killed the shaman, I positioned a number of warriors and firewarriors around the resurrection site to kill the shaman every time she resurrected. It was a rout.
Until I noticed that the reds were on their way down the coast to attack my village. I quickly positioned all the remaining firewarrior balloons along the coast, and sent the shaman back to cast swamps to make sure. It took ages for my army to finish off the yellow village, because the iditos kept rebuilding it ...
... but eventually, with a bit of help from earthquakes and tornadoes, it fell.
Two down.
The reds were still a force to be reckoned with, however. They had a huge village and a huge army. My excursions to the yellows hadn't hurt my fortunes too much, luckily, and my villages were replacing the dead pretty quickly. I just needed to train more warriors and preachers - and particularly firewarriors.
But I had a trick up my sleeve. I'd found another stone head, which had given me four spells of bloodlust ... but the one in the middle of the sea had given me angel of death. Coupled with the fact that the reds hadn't built up a balloon army, this made things pretty easy. I took over my balloon army, destroying the firewarriors as we went, and then I unleashed the angel of death.
Once the enemy was reduced to a manageable amount, I ordered the rest of my followers to come up and destroy the village. They didn't even get there before the reds fell.
Nine years after I first started, I've completed Bloodlust.
I didn't stop there. The next level was good fun, with an armageddon spell available in the middle of the map. I think that the level is meant to see you stopping the others from getting that spell and then casting it for a massive brawl, but instead I wiped out two of the villages before casting the spell of a much reduced yellow army. Still fun though.
Friday, September 05, 2014
Populous: the Beginning: a love affair with balloons
Level 13, Aerial Bombardment, saw the introduction of balloons. There were two enemies - the greens, who were building up on the other end of my island, and the yellows, who were on a separate island which was much smaller. The yellows knew of building balloons; the greens knew earthquake.
It wasn't long before the yellows started to attack one end of my island, coming over a large cliff with their balloons filled with fire warriors and spies. My village was severely damaged, and I had to quickly rebuild my firewarrior and priest training huts.
The greens were leaving me alone, which I ensured by raising a tall cliff across the island. No boats meant no access. After a few more raids by the yellows, I was able to train us a decent number of firewarriors, and I placed then across the cliffs which the yellows were travelling over. This was a remarkably successful tactic, and it meant that I was able to collect a fair few of the enemy balloons myself after dispatching the occupants. This meant that my defences became ever more strong, as firewarriors' reach increased.
It also meant I could take my shaman, along with a lone firewarrior, in a balloon to start to terrorise the greens. I first concentrated on killing all the firewarriors and destroying their training hut, which meant that nothing could touch me as I hovered above the sea - other than the shaman, of course, who kept coming over and getting hit by lightning for her trouble. Much use of tornadoes, lightning, erode and hypnotise later, and the greens fell.
I prayed at the nearby vault, and gained the earthquake spell. Back to the cliff, and I find that several yellow balloon parties have been foiled, meaning that I can grab loads of balloons and fill them with firewarriors for a bodyguard party.
I pray at the second vault, learn how to make balloons, then build a land bridge across to the yellow's island so I can get a huge army of warriors and priests over, to join my firewarriors. The limited size of the yellow island had ensured that their army wasn't too large - even though they were mostly firewarriors - and the level was completed.
It wasn't long before the yellows started to attack one end of my island, coming over a large cliff with their balloons filled with fire warriors and spies. My village was severely damaged, and I had to quickly rebuild my firewarrior and priest training huts.
The greens were leaving me alone, which I ensured by raising a tall cliff across the island. No boats meant no access. After a few more raids by the yellows, I was able to train us a decent number of firewarriors, and I placed then across the cliffs which the yellows were travelling over. This was a remarkably successful tactic, and it meant that I was able to collect a fair few of the enemy balloons myself after dispatching the occupants. This meant that my defences became ever more strong, as firewarriors' reach increased.
It also meant I could take my shaman, along with a lone firewarrior, in a balloon to start to terrorise the greens. I first concentrated on killing all the firewarriors and destroying their training hut, which meant that nothing could touch me as I hovered above the sea - other than the shaman, of course, who kept coming over and getting hit by lightning for her trouble. Much use of tornadoes, lightning, erode and hypnotise later, and the greens fell.
I prayed at the nearby vault, and gained the earthquake spell. Back to the cliff, and I find that several yellow balloon parties have been foiled, meaning that I can grab loads of balloons and fill them with firewarriors for a bodyguard party.
I pray at the second vault, learn how to make balloons, then build a land bridge across to the yellow's island so I can get a huge army of warriors and priests over, to join my firewarriors. The limited size of the yellow island had ensured that their army wasn't too large - even though they were mostly firewarriors - and the level was completed.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Populous: the Beginning: juggling armies
Level 10 was another timed one, with an established village being sunk at the start by the enemy. I was able to get two boats built quickly, and ferried nine followers and my shaman over to a stone head, which raised a partially-built village from the depths. Converting all the wild men on that island to my cause, I rebuilt the houses and trained up some firewarriors, then took my meagre army over to the other island to quickly worship at the stone head there before the timer ran out. I only succeeded because I made the worshipping party invisible, and they were therefore able to pray while my other warriors and preachers acted as bait for the attacking hoard.
The next level was more time consuming than difficult; there were two enemies, and the game hinted that the yellows were the weaker of the two. I spent a while building my village and placing towers with firewarriors around the edge closest to the green base, while amassing an army of preachers, warriors and firewarriors around a campfire on a causeway I had built towards a stone head. I was attacked several times by both greens and yellows, but managed to fend these off with relatively little loss - although once the green shaman did manage to place a swamp right in the middle of my settlement, leading to a few dead followers.
Once my army was a hundred-strong, I went off to the yellows, hoping the greens would not attack my relatively undefended village. As it turns out, they were in the middle of attacking the yellows as well. I was able to kill both enemy shamans, giving myself a load of mana for more destruction, and unlock the swamp spell before destroying the yellow village. My army had been halved in size, but so had my enemy.
I went back to the village and started expanding. The greens came by a few times on boats, but I was able to hit them with lightning quickly each time. I rebuilt my army, this time to 120, and then went walking along the side of the land which the greens hadn't touched. Halfway to the green settlement I was alerted that there was an invasion of my village - looking back I could see some invisible warriors had been infiltrating buildings, but they were, along with a couple of preachers, being killed by firewarrior towers.
Standing across from the greens, separated by a channel, I could see a vault of knowledge, containing hypnotise. This was going to be key. I raised a bridge and quickly crossed, then crowded my army around the vault while I worshipped it. The enemy shaman came near and I killed her with lightning, then I gained the power meaning that I could just get the greens to fight themselves. It didn't last long after that.
I'm getting closer to Bloodlust.
The next level was more time consuming than difficult; there were two enemies, and the game hinted that the yellows were the weaker of the two. I spent a while building my village and placing towers with firewarriors around the edge closest to the green base, while amassing an army of preachers, warriors and firewarriors around a campfire on a causeway I had built towards a stone head. I was attacked several times by both greens and yellows, but managed to fend these off with relatively little loss - although once the green shaman did manage to place a swamp right in the middle of my settlement, leading to a few dead followers.
Once my army was a hundred-strong, I went off to the yellows, hoping the greens would not attack my relatively undefended village. As it turns out, they were in the middle of attacking the yellows as well. I was able to kill both enemy shamans, giving myself a load of mana for more destruction, and unlock the swamp spell before destroying the yellow village. My army had been halved in size, but so had my enemy.
I went back to the village and started expanding. The greens came by a few times on boats, but I was able to hit them with lightning quickly each time. I rebuilt my army, this time to 120, and then went walking along the side of the land which the greens hadn't touched. Halfway to the green settlement I was alerted that there was an invasion of my village - looking back I could see some invisible warriors had been infiltrating buildings, but they were, along with a couple of preachers, being killed by firewarrior towers.
Standing across from the greens, separated by a channel, I could see a vault of knowledge, containing hypnotise. This was going to be key. I raised a bridge and quickly crossed, then crowded my army around the vault while I worshipped it. The enemy shaman came near and I killed her with lightning, then I gained the power meaning that I could just get the greens to fight themselves. It didn't last long after that.
I'm getting closer to Bloodlust.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Gaming moments: H
Half-Life (PC)
The very first time I played this, I remember sitting watching the opening sequence and being amazed by the detail in the surroundings. I accidentally nudged my desk and the view changed - and suddenly I realised that I could control my character already.
Headhunter (Dreamcast)
Travelling by motorbike, I somehow managed to get myself lodged in some scenery, and span on the spot. Funny until I realised that I'd lose progress since the last save. The accelerator controls on the game were really sensitive, and it was tricky to steer.
Hexic HD (Xbox 360)
I shouted with joy when I finally got a black pearl. It's so tense working up to it, as one mistaken move can lead to everything collapsing.
The very first time I played this, I remember sitting watching the opening sequence and being amazed by the detail in the surroundings. I accidentally nudged my desk and the view changed - and suddenly I realised that I could control my character already.
Headhunter (Dreamcast)
Travelling by motorbike, I somehow managed to get myself lodged in some scenery, and span on the spot. Funny until I realised that I'd lose progress since the last save. The accelerator controls on the game were really sensitive, and it was tricky to steer.
Hexic HD (Xbox 360)
I shouted with joy when I finally got a black pearl. It's so tense working up to it, as one mistaken move can lead to everything collapsing.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Going Around: completed!
An amusing little game in which you have to get Ann Scantlebury out of the house in the morning, having found her Oyster card, keys and mobile, and with news for the One Life Left radio show all typed and ready to go. You need to do this within an hour (which is probably about 6 minutes of real time).
The only issue was drying out the mobile, which didn't seem to respond properly when I clicked on the correct item. I spent ages wondering around the rest of the house before it actually let me use the item properly.
7/10.
The only issue was drying out the mobile, which didn't seem to respond properly when I clicked on the correct item. I spent ages wondering around the rest of the house before it actually let me use the item properly.
7/10.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Gaming moments: D
Dear Esther (Mac)
The end sequence will probably stay with me for a long time - but only when combined with the crash scene and hospital bed at the bottom of the cave.
Dancing Stage (arcade)
I only played this a couple of times, at the Trocadero. The machine felt huge, and even before getting on the platform you felt energised by the lights and colours. I had seen someone playing already, so knew what to expect, but the first time that two arrows came up the screen at the same time still threw me off guard. Unfortunately none of the home versions quite hit the same spot, partially because of crappy dance mats.
Daytona USA (arcade)
A four-player cabinet at the bowling alley in Bexleyheath. I had just learnt to let the back drift out and powerslide around the corners, and overtook my friend John doing so. He shouted at me that it wasn't a powerslide, just a lucky skid. So I did it again the next race.
Desert Strike (Mega Drive)
I actually remember this more from my playthrough on the PSP, given the use of save states which allowed me to actually complete the game. There were a number of memorable points, but the best was chasing the madman across the map in his speedboat at the end of the penultimate level. I was raining missiles on the speedboat the whole time and it didn't explode. Of course not; where would the last level come in if that happened?
Donkey Konga (GameCube)
The instructions speeding up a few bars into Don't Stop Me Now. We played this again recently, and it's still great.
Doshin the Giant (GameCube)
I played this when it was first released, back in 2002, to completion. I can remember very little of it now, other than the moment when I first realised you could pick up and throw villagers. I did it many times and they all hated me, so I had to restart the day.
DLC Quest (PC)
Three points:
I have never completed the last level because it was just too hard.
The end sequence will probably stay with me for a long time - but only when combined with the crash scene and hospital bed at the bottom of the cave.
Dancing Stage (arcade)
I only played this a couple of times, at the Trocadero. The machine felt huge, and even before getting on the platform you felt energised by the lights and colours. I had seen someone playing already, so knew what to expect, but the first time that two arrows came up the screen at the same time still threw me off guard. Unfortunately none of the home versions quite hit the same spot, partially because of crappy dance mats.
Daytona USA (arcade)
A four-player cabinet at the bowling alley in Bexleyheath. I had just learnt to let the back drift out and powerslide around the corners, and overtook my friend John doing so. He shouted at me that it wasn't a powerslide, just a lucky skid. So I did it again the next race.
Desert Strike (Mega Drive)
I actually remember this more from my playthrough on the PSP, given the use of save states which allowed me to actually complete the game. There were a number of memorable points, but the best was chasing the madman across the map in his speedboat at the end of the penultimate level. I was raining missiles on the speedboat the whole time and it didn't explode. Of course not; where would the last level come in if that happened?
Donkey Konga (GameCube)
The instructions speeding up a few bars into Don't Stop Me Now. We played this again recently, and it's still great.
Doshin the Giant (GameCube)
I played this when it was first released, back in 2002, to completion. I can remember very little of it now, other than the moment when I first realised you could pick up and throw villagers. I did it many times and they all hated me, so I had to restart the day.
DLC Quest (PC)
Three points:
- Being unable to move left at the start of the game, and audio cutting out. I thought the game was broken; evidently not.
- Meeting an NPC called Phil at the end of a long cave, who informed me that he was just there to fill space.
- The ending of the game not actually being the ending of the game unless you buy some DLC and finish it.
I have never completed the last level because it was just too hard.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Goat Simulator: er, what?
What indeed. You're a goat, you can do tricks like in a skateboarding game, you can lick things and headbutt things and destroy things.
You can wear a crown. It's daft.
You can wear a crown. It's daft.
Tuesday, July 01, 2014
Populous: the Beginning: an enforced restart
The best game ever? I have often wondered if that was just nostalgia talking, with the game's sublime mix of action and strategy existing only in my memory. I've been without a means to play Populous: the beginning for some time now, but a recent GOG.com promotion let me rebuy it for £2.50 with various patches to allow it to play on modern machines.
Or, at least, that was the idea. In order to run the game I need to delve into the game directories and find one of the executables, rather than running from the installed shortcut. Most annoying. Anyone else who's having issues, look for a file called popTB.exe and run that - you'll need admin rights though.
Unlike most PC games, it's well worth putting up with the game being a little unstable. The game is as good as I remember it, if not better - the carefully balanced strengths and weaknesses of each character really shines after all this time.
Of course, I had no access to my previous saved games, so I have had to restart. I initially had difficulty getting past the fifth level - Death From Above - because I didn't notice the timer in the corner of the screen, but soon cracked that. After that it's been relatively plain sailing, with only a couple of restarts.
I have grown to hate preachers once again, because they have the ability to completely stop an attacking party. In response I overcompensate by training too many preachers of my own, and as a result don't have enough attacking power.
In the last level I played, Fire in the Mist, I was constantly attacked and had to contend with a volcano near the start of the level. Still, it made a good platform for a lookout post.
Or, at least, that was the idea. In order to run the game I need to delve into the game directories and find one of the executables, rather than running from the installed shortcut. Most annoying. Anyone else who's having issues, look for a file called popTB.exe and run that - you'll need admin rights though.
Unlike most PC games, it's well worth putting up with the game being a little unstable. The game is as good as I remember it, if not better - the carefully balanced strengths and weaknesses of each character really shines after all this time.
Of course, I had no access to my previous saved games, so I have had to restart. I initially had difficulty getting past the fifth level - Death From Above - because I didn't notice the timer in the corner of the screen, but soon cracked that. After that it's been relatively plain sailing, with only a couple of restarts.
I have grown to hate preachers once again, because they have the ability to completely stop an attacking party. In response I overcompensate by training too many preachers of my own, and as a result don't have enough attacking power.
In the last level I played, Fire in the Mist, I was constantly attacked and had to contend with a volcano near the start of the level. Still, it made a good platform for a lookout post.
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