Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!usc!apple!vsi1!zorch!xanthian From: xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games Subject: Re: FAUG demo of Powermonger by E.A. -- long review Keywords: simply incredible Message-ID: <1990Dec6.035355.23149@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> Date: 6 Dec 90 03:53:55 GMT References: <1950@unlisys.in-berlin.de> <1990Dec5.110344.6364@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <5045@bwdls58.UUCP> Organization: SF-Bay Public-Access Unix Lines: 53 keithh@atreus.bnr.ca (Keith Hanlan) writes: > xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: > a very detailed and favourable review of PowerMonger. He cautions > that it is not HD-installable although it is possible to back the > game up. > Kent, my question is this: Does the game take advantage of extra memory > if available? If it does, I'll buy it. If it doesn't, I won't. Caching > data files takes maybe 1000 bytes of code - there is no excuse for > not providing it. My bet is no, on an 85% or so confidence level, but I'd suggest calling the company for valid info. My reasoning is that 1) they nuked the OS, so they'd be spending more than 1Kbyte on supporting a ram: based alternate file structure, and 2) the game, running on an A1000, was obviously pushing the 68000 really hard; I'd be surprised if they had taken the little extra time for a two way test to see where files should be found. I could be wrong on this whole thing, though. And, of course, since the OS is gone, you can't use FACC II or addbuffers to make things work better. I brought my system memory up to 9 megs, so I share your frustration with having that ignored and the floppy drive kept warm. Still, if you have friends to whom you'd like to really show off a dazzling Amiga application, I'd go for buying the game and live with the realization that stuff with moving parts wears out and is consumable, not a permanent part of your system. A letter to EA conveying your concern would not be at all out of place. I get the feeling, for all the bitching that all of us do here about games, that sending a well composed, polite letter laying out the terms under which you will be willing to buy their games to various game manufacturers will do 100 times as much good. Modulo the occasional kid who bought his/her Amiga as a Nintendo clone, you're preaching to the choir here. I also get the feeling that no one ever writes to these people. I know I haven't, except for an occasional margin note on a warranty card. > Generally, how much does the game gronk the floppy disk? I was 20 rows of chairs back -- no idea. We watched the game via FAUG's projection TV, and listened to the presenter over microphones. This is a _big_ users group. > Thanks for the effort you put into the review. I enjoyed doing it. >Keith Hanlan keithh@bnr.ca Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada 613-765-4645 Kent, the man from xanth.