105 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
105 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
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FIREZONE
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FIREZONE is the second of three strategy games in the Wargamers Series from PSS
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and Datasoft. A game of tactical combat in the 21st Century, FIREZONE offers
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good graphics, nine pre-set missions, a game generator for custom scenarios, a
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two-player mode, and simple keyboard control. The Commodore 64/128 version is
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the basis of this review; Atari ST and IBM-PC version notes follow.
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Scenarios which can be completed in less than an hour make FIREZONE a combat
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game for people with that active, microwave-oven lifestyle. Although PSS
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includes a save-game option, it is unnecessary: You don't play FIREZONE at your
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leisure; you play it when you're in a hurry, when saving a game is an
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intolerable annoyance. Strategy consists of "Let's play now and ask questions
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later"; tactics consist of move and shoot. There isn't a whole lot to FIREZONE,
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but what there is really swings.
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The combatants in 2160 A.D. are The Pacific Combine and The European League.
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The human battle elements are plasma-armored, laser-armed infantry. The weapons
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are nuclear nova guns, "Empire Strikes Back" landstriders, fast grav tanks, slow
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heavy tanks, and the Leviathan: a battalion of tanks combined in one large
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chassis -- which is really something, if you think about it.
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Combat turns are twofold: a Combine Round and a League Round, each of which is
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divided into Movement and Combat Phases. You move your infantry and weapons;
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both sides fire at whatever enemy is in range. Your opponent moves its infantry
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and weapons, and again both sides fire. Turns continue in this manner until one
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combatant has been routed or eliminated from the battlefield, a condition that
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automatically declares the victor.
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The C64 screen display consists of a scrolling map made up of hexagons. Terrain
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features include woods, marshes, water, and ruins, as well as urban, rough, and
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clear areas. Units can be hidden or not. Above the map are Game Information
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(turn, terrain type, current victory points) and Mode Indicator (Scan, Move,
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Fire). When the cursor highlights a unit, Unit Information (name, side,
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strength, and attack and defense ratings) replaces Game Information.
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In Scan Mode, you can move the square cursor anywhere on the map. In Move Mode,
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you can move a unit a designated number of hexagons.
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FIREZONE is controlled by a small group of keystrokes: You may toggle between
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Scan and Move Modes; toggle between units that are stacked; and end the Movement
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Phase. Assuming you've moved into firing range, you may also select a target and
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commence firing.
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The program disk contains nine ready-made scenarios. The plots of three of
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these are described in the instruction manual; the other six scenarios are
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surprises. Obviously PSS doesn't realize that 21st-century wargamers on the go
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don't have time for surprises.
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The Game Generator lets you alter a ready-made scenario and save it for later
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use. A new scenario can be created from the map on up, and the game package
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contains a sheet of blank hexagons for just this purpose. Like the game itself,
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the Generator operates with a minimum of keystrokes.
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Compared to the strategically deep ANNALS OF ROME (another entry in the PSS
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Wargamers Series), FIREZONE is simplistic and superficial -- since 1989 is
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superficial, it seems likely that 2160 will be, as well. What's more, the nova
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gun is a computer-controlled, self-sighting, self-automated weapon that fires
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150 nuclear shells a minute: How long could a battle possibly last?
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Despite its austere nature, FIREZONE looks okay. Playing it is as easy as can
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be, and a game won't take 9000 hours to complete. The Game Generator is equally
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simple to use, although designing a new scenario is always a major project. If
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you've never played a wargame before, FIREZONE would be the perfect place to
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start.
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ATARI ST VERSION NOTES
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The Atari ST version of FIREZONE is just as simplistic and superficial as the
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C64/128 version. Although it looks and sounds better, the ST version is as
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fast-moving and easy to use.
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There are differences in the keystrokes used to control the game. Function keys
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have been designated for cursor movement; different keys switch from Move to
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Scan Mode, and from Scan to Move; and a different key ends the Movement Phase.
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That's it. FIREZONE is perfect for beginning wargamers, as well as for more
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experienced player who have no time to waste. Goldbrickers and sofa spuds need
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not apply.
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IBM-PC VERSION NOTES
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The IBM-PC version of FIREZONE is basically the same as the Commodore and Atari
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ST versions. It comes with both 5-1/4" and 3-1/2" disks, and is not
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copy-protected. The game will run in either CGA or EGA mode; its CGA graphics
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are better than average.
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The controls are just as simple as in other versions, but if you have a mouse,
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there's an added benefit: Instead of having to move the cursor hex by hex, a
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mouse allows you to quickly scroll the map. This is a great help when many units
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are scattered around the map and you want to quickly check their status.
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While the controls are uncomplicated, the game itself is not simple, nor is the
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computer opponent easy to beat (at least, not at first). You must develop and
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use good tactics based on types of units and terrain. Otherwise, you'll end up
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losing troops and battles that you could have won. Generating your own scenarios
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keeps the game interesting, even after hours of playing. FIREZONE for the IBM
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offers good entertainment value.
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FIREZONE is published by PSS and distributed by Datasoft.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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