Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    I HAVE ALSO SEEN ADVERTISEMENTS FOR RASTAN AND OPERATION WOLF...
    BOTH OF WHICH ARE BIG ARCADE HITS... WHEN I CALLED ABLE COMPUTERS
    IN TENNESSE THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WILL BE OUT AROUND THE FIRST
    OF OCTOBER... SO SAVE YOUR OLD SOCK MONEY THINGS ARE REALLY BEGINNING
    TO LOOK GOOD OUT THERE AS FAR AS SOFTWARE IS GOING...

    I'm still waiting for pinball and joust.  I've seen clones
    of pacman, missle command, asteriods, donkey kong, etc.
    But no pinball or joust.  Why?  I know EA didn't ship Pinball
    Construction Set even though they advertised it on the EA
    slideshow dealer demo long ago.  Wasn't EPYX going to ship
    a pinball game?
    
    While I'm on the subject.... what happened to the porting of
    Gauntlet to the Amiga?  I've seen Garrison and Garrison II, I
    thought Mindscape went to court to block the sale of Garrison.
    
    On a more positive note:  I've been playing Starglider II a lot
    lately.  It has the feel of the original Starglider but with a lot
    more complexity and critters.  You even get a tractor beam for
    collecting things to trade with the the survivors.  The sound it
    great, you hear the ships as they fly over you, under you, etc.
    Rocket Ranger is also very nice, but takes too long to start the
    game.  But it has it's moments.  Has anybody found a way to bypass
    the long intro?
    
    re: the new games
    looks great, I liked the Roger Rabbit ad with the "actual Amiga
    Screen".  I've seen Dragon's Lair on the C64, I hope the 6 disks
    means that they really "Amigitized" it.  I hope they will 
    support installing it on a harddisk or ramdisk.
    
    -Dave
    

    Re Pinball:
    
    Accolade is reportedly working on a version of its Pinball Wizard
    for Ami.  According to what I've heard, it looks, and plays
    real well on both the Atari ST, and the I*M-PC with the EGA card.
    Should be hot on Ami.
    
    Yes, EA's PCS just seems to have died on the vine.  One wonders
    whether it might make a belated appearance similar to that of EA's
    Atlantis game which was also pictured on the Kaleidoscope disk so
    long ago.
    
    Re Gauntlet:  A friend of mine theorizes that they might be
    working on a 4 player version.  He has heard that the ST version
    of Gauntlet II allows one to connect another pair of joysticks via
    the serial port.  (Sounds farfetched, I know, but who knows.)
    I noted also that many of the mailorder software places in Amiga
    World are actually advertising prices for Gauntlet.  One of them
    had the word "October" next to the listing.  Could be Real Soon
    Now.  Hope they've Done The Right Thing, with the graphics and
    especially the sounds.

    Re Hard disks:  I think it might be worth noting, somewhere in this
    conference, which games can be installed on a hard disk.  I have
    a few that might be coaxed into going onto one, but I can say that
    one or two of them are designed to be used with a hard disk.  Paladin,
    from Omnitrend, is unprotected, and has requesters designed to read
    from and write to DH0:.  It also appears to multitask nicely.

    Others?
    
        
    Gary

    I got to try out the 4 player Gauntlet II and Leatherneck on a
    ST.  Very nice.  They use the same adapter, I think it plugs into
    the parallel port, has two joystick connectors.  So far, those
    are the only two games that use it.  The Memory Location had the
    adapter when Leatherneck first started shipping for the Amiga.
    I think the cost was around $15.  Not bad for two more joystick
    ports (maybe now they can start porting some of the 4 player games
    from the Atari 400/800 family)
    
    -Dav

    r.3  rocket ranger intro....
    
    	The intro to Rocket Ranger is quite long, but you have to admit it
    is very impressive. To bypass the intro, just wait for the disk to stop
    spinning on the first screen of the intro and then hit the RETURN key.
    This will take you right to chapter one and onto the war room.
    
    
    					-Paul
    

    re. 3 rocket ranger intro
    
    You can also use the mouse left key to do the same thing.
              
                              Jeff Peters
        
    

re .3, .4
Pinball Wizard: is great on the Amig very good and real motion and
                Sounds it is the best Version of Pinball I've ever
                seen. I have a pre-release (I think only for PAL-Ami)
    
Gauntlet:	Take a look to a Game named Garrisson it's a good
    		Gauntlet Version on your Amiga!
    

much Amigo  
             Tim.

ps: Maybee the games I talked about are only for PAL-Amigas?! - Hi,Hi)
    

    re:.8
    I have Garrison & Garrison II.  Garrison has the bottom of the screen
    cut off by NTSC.  Garrison II has the top of the screen cut off.
    I'd say they were both PAL versions.  No attempt was made to scale
    it back to 200 lines.  A number of imported games seem to be that
    way.  I guess its revenge for all those NTSC games exported to Europe.
    
    Garrison is nice, but Gauntlet is better.  Or at least
    Gauntlet II is, it's been a while since I saw Gauntlet on the ST.
    
    Pity there isn't a program that can survive reboots that will compress
    the PAL resolution down to NTSC for those games...  I saw something
    like that on an ST.
    
    -dave

    
    The PWC Show last weekend had some of the latest games on the Amiga...
    
    Lintel (sp?) of Insanity Flight/Crack fame are planning to release
    some mega games, one of which is Dragon Slayer.  From the demo
    they had running it looks (and sounds) brilliant. Dragon Slayer
    will knock the socks of Insanity Flight for graphics and sound!
    Note: Dragon Slayer is an adventure/arcade game and nothing like 
    Insanity Flight!!!
    
    Virus (know as Zarch on the Archy) is out for the Amiga, and it
    is great to play. The 3D scrolling is just as fast as the Archy
    the only real difference is the number of colours displayed.  The
    Archy version imposes light on the 3D surface, as the ground approaches
    you the lighter it becomes...the Amiga version does NOT achieve
    this.  A great game, and recommended for all.
    
    Pysnosis (sp?) of Barbarian, Terrorpods, etc. have new games in
    the pipe line...
    	Menace (out now) is a standard horizontal scrolling zapper game.
    	Nice smooth, colourful sprites and backdrops, shame about the
        unoringinal game play.
    
    	Adventure-Quarch (sp?) looks totally awesome...if you thought
    	the introduction to Oblitorator was good (where the guy blasts 
    	you and similes), this intro is something else.
    
    	A graphical adventure (the name of which escapes me) is another
        offering from Psy. and is due out soon.
             
    Elite is being converted onto the Amiga by U.S. Gold. 
    (due out October time)

    Starglider II has not been released yet, due out towards the end
    of September.
    
    Carrier Command from Rainbird is out now. The game is identical to the 
    ST version.
    
    Another release from the Bitmap Brothers (Xenon fame) takes the game 
    play of a futurist football match, possible even Roller-Ball. I'm not 
    sure on the name of the game, something like 'Speedball', but don't 
    quote me on that! (due out end of September)
    
    Previewed in Amiga world is a game called 'The Sword Of Sodan',
    and boy does it look impressive!  The game takes the theme of
    Barbarian and has sprites bigger than those in Street Fighter
    with the speed to match.
    
                       
    
    Who said there aren't many new games on the Amiga...ha!
    
    
    Herbie.

    re: .10
    
    What is the PWC Show?
    
    Starglider II has already shipped here.  Most of the Amiga stores
    in the Boston area have it.
    
    -Dave

        Has anyone tried Superstar Ice Hockey? Any thoughts? I've given
        it a quick look, and it seems pretty good. I'm waiting for Slap
        Shot  from Bethesda Software, the same people who did Gridiron,
        before making a decision.  It's due out October 1.

        Mike

    
    I assume an 'Archy' is the Acorn Archimedes?  Boy, I'd love to see
    one of those puppies.  Are there any available in the US?
    
    The only review I read (in Byte) benchmarked this beast as faster
    than a Mac II or PS/2-80, and the Acorn was running interpereted
    Basic versus C on the Mac and IBM.
    
    Ed.
    
    

    RE: .10 & .11                                          
                                    
    
    Ooops!
    
    Slight typing error, PWC should read PCW (Personal Computer
    World). Its the name of a computer magazine in the U.K. 
    
    The PCW Show is the largest computer show in the U.K. and
    deals mostly with the PC end of the market.
           
         
    Starglider II is on the pirates circuit in the U.K. but has not
    been officially released onto the U.K. market.
    
    Also, Capone and P.O.W. (from Actionware I believe) have only just
    been release in the U.K.!!!              
                                                
    What other new titles are there in the U.S. that us 'Brits' don't
    know about?
            
    
    Herbie.

    
    I saw a prerelease copy of 'The Sword Of Sodan' and it's VERY
    impressive.
    
    Ray
    

    re: .14  what other titles are available
    
    Strange about Starglider II, it appeared to be developed in the
    UK.  It is missing one feature that Starglider had - the "docking
    complete" voice.  No digitized voices in the game, but lots of
    sound effects.
    
    the new titles seem to show up in bunches, I assume they come that
    way from a distributor.  The new titles are: Bubble Ghost, Tanglewood,
    Offshore Warrior, Rocket Ranger, Starglider II.  What new titles
    are available in the UK?
    
    -Dave

    
    Corrections & additions to .10
                                  
    
    I hunted high and low yesterday looking for the latest games to
    be previewed in the U.K. computing magazines.
                                             
    NOW PLAYING ON AN AMIGA SCREEN NEAR YOU...
    
    
    Speedball from the Bitmap Brothers ( RE.10 correct name for the
    game, you CAN quote me on that!).  Due out very soon!
    
    Off Shore Warrior (speed boat racing game). Due out October time.
    
    Blazing Barrels (the fastest gun in the West!). November time.
    
    Rocket Ranger (not released yet in the U.K.). Available very soon.
    
    Chrono-Quest -the graphical adv. from *Psygnosis* (correct spelling
    this time!).  3 disks worth of graphical excellence...out soon.
    
    Aquaventura -this is the one with the superb introduction scenes,
    again from Psygnosis.
    
    Some new titles from Tynesoft? out real soon,
    	Superman
    	Summer Olympiad
    
    Dungeon Master was running at the PCW Show but no copies were
    available. Should be available soon.
    
    Goldregons Domain (very impressive graphics, hundreds of locations,
    and scores of characters to meet)...its going to knock the spots
    of Dungeon Master!
    
    New ones from Linel (.10 I called them Lintel, I do appologise.) Out
    in October/November time;
    
    	Crown (strategy game using detailed graphical landscapes spread
    	       over 16 screens using 56 colours!)
    
    	Solaria (ancient Aztec sport of sphere throwing!) Excellent
    		 graphics.
    
    	The Champ (Boxing game, featuring huge sprites and uses 1500
    		   frames of animation!)
    
    	Dragon Slayer (see .10)
    
    
    New from Electronic Arts is 'Fusion', a four way scrolling zapper.
    Due out October time.
    
    Lancelot, Level 9 graphical adventure.
    
    Street Fighter, great animation of large sprites, but they are too
    slow. Out now!
    
    Carrier Command, out now...go and buy it!
    
    Bionic Commandos, out now.
    
    Zoom from Discovery Software has just arrived in the U.K.
    
    Star Ray (coin op Defender clone, has been out for a week or two.)
    
    Daley Thomson's Olympic Challenge should be avialable very soon.
    
    Mortville Manor is a graphical adventure.  The unique feature of
    the game is that it uses synthesised speech when you interact with
    the characters.
    
    Sword Of Sodan, was previewed in Amiga User/International.
    
    Ikari Warriors has been out for a month or two, great game especially
    in two player mode...(similar game style as Leatherneck)
    
    Thundercats (Ho!) is out now.
    
    
    And lastly, Double Dragon from Melbourne House is due out before
    Christmas (this year!)
    
                                 
    Thats it (for now),
    
    Herbie.           

<	Pysnosis (sp?) of Barbarian, Terrorpods, etc. have new games in
<	the pipe line...
<	Menace (out now) is a standard horizontal scrolling zapper game.
<    	Nice smooth, colourful sprites and backdrops, shame about the
<	unoringinal game play.

Is this program copy-protected. How does one make a backup copy? Is it worth
backing up?

Dave

    Psygnosis are known for there *almost* impossible copy protection
    routines.  The only disk copier I found that would "back it up" (and
    believe you me I tried lots!) was "Hercules".  You need a parameter
    copy with option number 4. (if you don't have the "Hercules" copy 
    program this won't make much sense!)
    
    Is it worth backing up? Well, I think all Psygnosis releases set
    some new standards for the rest to follow, mostly in the field
    of graphics or sound.  Menace is no exception.  The sprites are
    bright and the animation smooth, the backdrops are also detailed
    and add to the atmosphere of the game. But, the gameplay is 
    unoriginal, its just another horizontal scrolling zapper.  If you
    like this type of game then Menace is worthy of a place in your disk
    box, along side the likes of Xenon, Sidewinder, Scarophaser, Starray,
    XR-35, Black Shadow, Excalibur, Plutos, Goldrunner, Iridon...(the
    list continues!)
    
    
             
    Herbie.

    the early Psygnosis games are just written with index sync. 
    Any copier with that option should be able to back them up.  The
    more recent games use index sync and then change to another
    format later on.  To back that up you would need a backup program
    that allowed you to change the format on a track basis.  
    
    Marauder II will do the index sync, but you would need a parameter
    file from them to do anything fancier.  I haven't seen Hercules
    for sale anywhere around the Boston area.
    
    I agree, they do very nice graphics.  As games go, I suspect they
    aren't using the Amiga hardware as much as they should.  The speed
    of screen updates and control of the character leaves a lot to be
    desired.  (I bought Deep Space thinking it was the Amiga equivalent
    of Star Raiders, it's painfully slow)
    
    -Dave

    Did I hear someone mention BLACK SHADOW?
    
    This is proof of the old addage "you gets what you pays for".
    I picked it up shortly after I bought my A500 for a fiver and to
    be honest I don't even think it's worth that.
    
    Anyway, while I'm here, a message for Martin....the disks are on
    their way (26/9/88) internal mail permitting.
    
    Has anyone heard about, what is it?, CAPTAIN BLOOD, for the Amiga?
    I know that the ST version has been about for some time and an Amiga
    version was rumoured but did or will this come to fruition?
    
    See ya 'round
    
    Steve Peake
    

                          (Help my Hockey)
    
    Could you please tell me how good this SuperStar Ice Hockey
    or	Slap Shot are.  We do not seem to see many good sports game
    in the UK until they have been out for years under a different name
    which has nothing to do with the title.

    re. -1
    
    	Haven't heard of the two you mentioned, but have you tried Wayne
    Gretzky Hockey. It's the best ice hockey game I've come accross.
    
    (��)Munce.