Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!haven!adm!smoke!gwyn From: gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: Xenocide deprotect Message-ID: <10900@smoke.BRL.MIL> Date: 1 Sep 89 00:13:51 GMT References: <8YzHyQO00WB9Q63nsh@andrew.cmu.edu> Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn) Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD. Lines: 100 In article <8YzHyQO00WB9Q63nsh@andrew.cmu.edu> bh1e+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Brendan Gallagher Hoar) writes: >I haven't taken a looksee at Xenocide, but I have heard that its a wonderful >game. Ok, time for a Xenocide review. But first: If you want to see an impressive Apple IIGS demo, check out the "Nucleus" demo now available from AppleLink/PE (and perhaps other information services). Try the keypad keys to see what functions they perform (as labeled on the screen). I don't know what the game itself will consist of, but they've done a nice job with the graphics! (Also has musical numbers, cycle via the appropriate key.) Back to Xenocide. I've only had the game about a week and have only gotten to Cave Level II once so far, so I'm a relative novice and haven't seen all the game screens yet. I have only three real complaints: the volume setting doesn't affect the "WARNING! WARNING!" voice, just the musical background and sound effects (fixable via GS control panel); the game cannot be installed completely on hard disk, but peeks at the Apple Disk 3.5 (required, not UniDisk) periosically; and there's no apparent way to avoid threading your way through all the levels in sequence. Having mastered a level once, I'd like to be able to explore the later levels without having to spend and hour or more getting there. If there is some trick for doing this, I'd appreciate hearing about it. A minor complaint is that the accompanying instruction book contains some grammatical errors, e.g. "this point pondered the scientists". While annoying, it didn't affect game play. But it could give some customers a poor impression of the company (Micro Revelations Inc.). I hope they use literate reviewers for future documentation. I found one Easter egg so far. On the set-up screen (mouse operated), which lets you calibrate the joystick (almost essential to have one -- the keyboard alternative is too difficult), view the high scores (which, due to the copy protection, apparently are recorded on the MASTER disk even if you start Xenocide from hard disk), select stereo sound (slotless, I suppose -- it didn't ask), and start the game: Type b r i a n for a message from the programmer. I'd also appreciate hearing about other Easter eggs, debugging hooks, whatever. Anyway, the theme of the game is that alien beings have overrun laboratories on three moons and you're called in to eradicate them etc. You're sent to the moons in sequence; I would guess that the later moons are harder levels than the moon I've visited so far. Each moon has a sequence of levels, starting with flying hovercraft over the surface more or less along a road to reach the door to the underground lab, collecting ammunition canisters along the way. Of course there are monsters (bee-like and frog-like) in your way. You have guns, rockets, and at least one nuclear SSM; the latter two can blast big rocks out of the way and the last also wipes out cannisters. The view is from the hovercraft control seat, full 3-D projection. There is an appealing sensation as you run slowly over monsters and hear them go squish, or blast things, or clunk onto a cannister. Hitting monsters and big rocks too fast cause damage to the craft, and leaves monster splats on the windshield or cracks from rock impacts. That makes it harder to see the road and other objects. One has three hovercraft; I've never made it to the docking platform with the fuel load in my first craft, although I suppose it's possible for a real arcade wizard. In the second phase, you're in an underground tunnel system, and the task is to collect five bombs and proceed to the third phase (which is underwater). There are lots of monsters to shoot or throw grenades at (your maximum supply is determined by the number of cannisters retrieved in the first phase). There are also other hazards: ray guns attached to the walls, falling rocks, and lava patches. By the way, if anyone knows how to eliminate the piles of red things that nibble at one's feet I'd like to know how; blasting them is a waste of time and ammo. Your jetpack fuel/suit air supply and ammo can be replenished at docking stations along the way; when you die, you're restarted in the next life at the last docking station you've visited. The graphics here are quite different from the surface scenario, reminding me of Thexder. The animation is quite good and some of the sequences, such as shooting into a pile of ammo, are spectacular. It took me a while to get going on this level, but I finally got the knack. (Hint for first-timers: blasting obstacles may destroy them, depending on what they are.) I think the number of "lives" on this level is whatever you had left at the end of the previous level. Oh, I almost forgot: There are blue spheres that you can accumulate and, when the special feature indicator has advanced to the feature you want (one click per sphere, which appear randomly), the space-bar selects the feature. There is automatic-fire, sonic-wave fire (hmm, wonder if it would kill the red things), mega-shield, shield replenishment (essential, and almost the only feature I ended up using), and one other that I've forgotten. If you collect one sphere too many, the indicator cycles back to the first feature, which is a good game gimmick. In the third level (Cave II), you're a frogman collecting keys to get through the doors to eventually reach the next level of the lab (eventually you'll use the bombs you collected). As you use a key to open a door the key vanishes. There are monsters and obstacles, similar to the previous level. I am finding this one difficult, because if you stop moving you sink, generally onto injurious obstacles. Fortunately the game can be paused with the ESC key. In summary, this is a LARGE arcade game, IIGS only, and it really exploits the graphics and sound capabilities of the machine. It has a nice "feel" to it, if you like monster-stomping shoot-em-ups (I do), and sufficient complexity to keep one thinking. It should be good for many weeks of entertainment, maybe more (I don't know yet). If you're a IIGS owner and think from the description that you'd probably like the game, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I don't know whether or not Xenocide is available from distributors; I ordered mine from the publisher via the 800-number displayed in Quadrophone (a freeware game available on Genie and elsewhere). Sorry I don't have the number at hand right now..