Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ncr-sd.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ncr-sd!greg From: greg@ncr-sd.UUCP (Greg Noel) Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga Subject: Re: arctic fox beginner mode beaten Message-ID: <456@ncr-sd.UUCP> Date: Tue, 8-Apr-86 02:47:35 EST Article-I.D.: ncr-sd.456 Posted: Tue Apr 8 02:47:35 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 9-Apr-86 23:48:49 EST References: <191@atux01.UUCP> <348@sask.UUCP> <437@ncr-sd.UUCP> <233@myrias.UUCP> Reply-To: greg@ncr-sd.UUCP (Greg Noel) Organization: NCR Corporation, San Diego Lines: 68 In article <233@myrias.UUCP> cg@myrias.UUCP (Chris Gray) writes: >Huh? ArcticFox is a bit slow to respond, but I've found that it's quite >consistent about it (about a second is my guess). ..... A second is a \bit/ slow? I admit I've never tried the tracker on a real tank, but I have tried the tracker for guided missles launched from ships. At a \tenth/ of a second delay, the operators were complaining about the responsiveness and that was at about the limit that the display hardware could post the update. Considering that ArcticFox is a faster-than-real-time simulation, the response should be blindingly quick. No matter how good the graphics are, if the game doesn't "feel" realistic, it will be too frustrating in the long run. >What it does lack is >some feedback and some options. E.g. when using the mode that lets me raise >and lower the gun, I'd like a way to simply STOP the ArcticFox without >going out of that mode (since I'm zeroing in on an approaching fighter). In fact, it would make a better game (and be more realistic) if the driving and the turret movement were decoupled, so that you could make course changes, speed up, and slow down while fighting. It should also be harder for the enemy to hit you while you are moving, and harder still to hit you while you are manuevering; it would bring more strategy into the game. I also think that it would make a better game (and be more realistic) if the targeting system were a matter of selecting the target, the appropriate weapon system, and saying "shoot." Computers are better at hitting a target than you are, and this is the major advantage you bring to this senario -- you \know/ that everybody's an enemy you can shoot at, while they must delay so as not to shoot at one of their own. Now that would make the game deeper and more strategic, where elements of evasion and camouflage are more important than shooting down everything that pops up. But then, I'm more of a fan of the strategic games, I guess..... >It would also be nice to have some more distinct feedback about whats >happening with the missiles - the little 'time remaining' bars at the >bottom aren't very noticeable, and the image switches (I use the big screen >for the missile views) sometimes don't change that much when I goof and >plow the missile into a hillside). What would also be nice is a way to >ABORT a missile, especially after I've "locked on" to nothing. You're right -- it's, er, unrealistic. (Does it sound like I keep harping on that?) I've had a couple of instances of wanting to take care of some sudden business a little closer to hand, but I couldn't get rid of that stupid missile. >I would suggest that the game takes a fair amount of practice to get the >hang of. ...... More than a little. If it takes than fifty games at the practice level before you begin to get results, then perhaps a more levels of play with different senarios/layouts would have been a better idea. I never moved from where I started in my first five games; I couldn't control the turret well enough to take out the first wave, much less the waves flowing in from the edge of the screen. Finally, I had to take three or four games blowing away the waves with the F7 key and just practice aiming and shooting at any isolated targets that showed up; after that, at least I had a chance. That beginning was so frustrating that I almost didn't try the game ever again -- if the store had been open, I would have taken it back on the spot. Maybe my initial frustration has colored my later appraisals, but I still can't reliably hit a target that I can see and point my turret at; even with my hand off the joystick, the crosshairs will skitter off the target between the time I pull the trigger and it fires. I didn't plan to go on at quite this length, but the graphics are \so/ \good/ that I've been very disapointed that the rest of the game didn't live up to its advance billing. Now back to your regularly-scheduled interruption.... -- -- Greg Noel, NCR Rancho Bernardo Greg@ncr-sd.UUCP or Greg@nosc.ARPA