133 lines
7.4 KiB
Plaintext
133 lines
7.4 KiB
Plaintext
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SPACE ROGUE
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Origin's SPACE ROGUE is a spaceflight combat simulator that blends role-playing
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and arcade features. It's similar in many ways to ELITE and UNIVERSE II. (This
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review is based on the 64K Apple II version; Commodore 64/128 and IBM-PC version
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notes follow.)
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A joystick and color monitor are recommended. The disks are not copy-protected
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(although the game is "manual-protected"), and you are encouraged to play from
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copies.
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The single role-playing attribute is "repute," i.e., your reputation as a
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combat pilot. Each victory in combat increases repute, and when your repute
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increases, you're given missions that aren't assigned to a neophyte pilot.
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You begin the game on board a trading ship, but while you're investigating an
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abandoned scout ship (via EVA), Manchi ships suddenly attack, destroying your
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home vessel and leaving you stranded on the scout.
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Your first challenge is to pilot the scout to a Space Station (you cannot land
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on planets), where you can buy trade goods and improvements for your ship.
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While exploring, you meet people whom you can interview. Their information
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helps you survive and directs you to additional missions. Initially, you have no
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specific goal, outside of exploration, interviewing, and survival. Survival
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methods include trading, piracy, and bounty hunting.
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In every Space Station, you can play an arcade game called HIVE! The game
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involves fighting the Manchi (an insect race) on their home world. If you can
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survive four levels -- it's difficult to make it through two -- you receive a
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prize.
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There are only eight solar systems to explore. You travel between systems via
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"Malir Gates" which lead to "worm holes." Each solar system has from one to four
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of these gates. It's helpful to map your destinations from gate to gate, and to
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keep track of the prices of goods in each of the solar systems. Buying goods
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cheap and selling dear is one of your primary objectives. But be careful: Some
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goods (like radioactives) don't last long.
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SPACE ROGUE's graphics are limited, but 64K is adequate. (Of course, the
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graphics would have been much improved by using double hi-res. Is there anyone
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who owns an Apple who isn't able to play a game with double hi-res?)
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The advertising for SPACE ROGUE stresses its role-playing aspects, but players
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who are more comfortable with traditional CRPGs will not appreciate the game's
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"stick happy" arcade/simulation facets. Because your advancement depends on your
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ability to win battles via joystick controls, your arcade skills must be up to
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snuff. I've enjoyed the interviews, and mastered traveling through the worm
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holes and docking at Space Stations...but space combat still eludes me. The game
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is certainly worth completing, but the learning curve is steep. (This was also
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true of Paul Neurath's previous game: DEEP SPACE.) Nevertheless, CRPG fans who
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relish arcade action should definitely consider SPACE ROGUE.
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COMMODORE 64/128 VERSION NOTES
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The Commodore 64 version of Origin's SPACE ROGUE operates much the same as the
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Apple II version described in the main review above. Having seen the generally
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bad Apple II graphics (double hi-res doesn't matter, and neither does the
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particular game...all Apple II graphics are horrible), it's easy and correct to
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assume that the Commodore's are better. Indeed, they're very colorful and
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completely legible, and the 3-D POV animation effects are fine work.
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In order to save games in progress, you must make a backup copy of the boot
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side of the program disk, an action that eventually leads to a documentation
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check. The SPACE ROGUE package comes with one double-sided disk, the "Sunracer
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Owner's Guide and Navigation Manual," "Stars of Opportunity" (a short story by
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Neil Shapiro), an advertisement for HIVE!, a large map of the game's eight solar
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systems, a piece of cardboard that can be folded into a pair of starships, and a
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C64/128 Reference Guide.
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Like the Apple II version, the C64 program suffers from too much spaceflight
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physics. Flying anything in SPACE ROGUE is terribly frustrating and soon turns
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into a tutorial explaining why we can only be shuttle passengers, never shuttle
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pilots. In great contrast is the CRPG aspect, which is as good as any around:
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Eight solar systems provide more than enough places to visit, and there's lots
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of exploration and character interaction. There's even a physics test.
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Spaceflight combat, however, is a lost cause that blunts any pleasure derived
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from role-playing. Perhaps flight simulator pros will do better. Also, SPACE
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ROGUE (and, by association, Origin) points out that HIVE! is the arcade game of
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the century. That's incorrect: GAUNTLET II is the arcade game of the
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century...but I understand why it wasn't mentioned.
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IBM-PC VERSION NOTES
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The IBM version of SPACE ROGUE takes good advantage of the machine's power.
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Required is an IBM-PC/Tandy or 100% compatible, and 384K (512K if you have a VGA
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card and wish to invoke the game's VGA/MCGA capabilities). A joystick is
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recommended. Only one disk size is included in the box; be sure to read the
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label on the side of the box to ensure that you're getting the correct disk
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format.
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This is Origin's first conversion for the IBM that does not require a key disk
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as copy protection; however, in lieu of a key disk, the manual is required for
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certain portions of the game. Origin is to be commended for -- and encouraged to
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maintain -- its move away from disk-based copy protection.
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The wide variety of graphics options supports all modes except Hercules
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Monochrome. The VGA/MCGA modes are by far the most attractive, present in both
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animated and non-animated sequences, and displaying 32 or more colors. In fact,
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because VGA makes for quicker, smoother animation, the game runs significantly
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faster and more fluidly in VGA than in EGA mode. You can force any mode you wish
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when booting the game, as long as your graphics card supports it.
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With simple keyboard toggles, you may choose between mouse, keyboard, and
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joystick for input. Be certain to read the reference card, which does an
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excellent job of covering all the controls used in the game. Note that the
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overall instruction booklet does _not_ mention specific keystrokes, so there's
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no translating necessary between Apple II instructions/screen appearances and
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their IBM counterparts. I was able to locate every command on the reference
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card, except one: exiting the game! Frustration yielded surprising results:
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CTRL-ALT-DEL will remove you from the game and dump you at the nearest DOS
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prompt.
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SPACE ROGUE can easily be installed on floppy or hard drive; you may specify
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which hard drive to use if you have more than one, but the installation routine
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always creates a subdirectory named SR. (Thus, be sure you don't already have an
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SR subdirectory.) I had no problems copying and moving the game files once
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installed, so there are no conflicts with disk defragmenters, etc.
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Taking into account the wise caveat in the main review -- that this CRPG
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depends heavily on your space flight simulator skills -- SPACE ROGUE is a superb
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hybrid game with elements of role-playing, strategy, and fast action. Origin did
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a top-notch job porting it to the IBM, omitting only sound card support. I
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recommend it most highly to the IBM gamer who enjoys a very eclectic and
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challenging space adventure.
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SPACE ROGUE is published and distributed by Origin.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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