Tau Ceti - Amstrad CPC - 1986

Tau Ceti is a game I spent a lot of time playing in my youth when it was published in 1985 for the Sinclair Spectrum.  It was later converted to the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and Atari ST for release in 1986.  I knew this game would appear on the blog so played them to pick the one to feature. As with Elite, the ST had a weak conversion and has gameplay issues that ruled it out of the running.  I had heard the Commodore 64 version was the pick of the 8-bits so tried that next.  After clearing the the threats from the first city, I warped to the next one only to be annihilated by three suicidal flying saucers without killing a single one.  I tried again with the same result – I didn’t remember the game being this hard!  On the third attempt I took down one saucer with a missile at point blank range just before I died.  So, while it had the best graphics and sound the C64 is way too hard to be enjoyable.  Next up was the Spectrum version which played much as I remembered.  It didn't have the puny laser of the Commodore 64 so you could actually destroy things.  Lastly I loaded up the game for the Amstrad CPC.  This turned out to be the definitive version – it played pretty much the same as on the Spectrum but had colour (instead of monochrome shaded) graphics in the viewing window.

The game is set on the planet of Tau Ceti III which was colonised in 2050.  In 2150 a plague swept through the colony which was then abandoned and left to the devices of the robot maintenance systems.  After a couple of years a cure for the disease was found.  About the same time radio contact was lost with the automatic systems when the planet was hit by a massive meteor.  In 2164 it was decided to recolonise Tau Ceti III but minutes after landing a mayday message was received followed by silence.  It was decided that the robots had run amok after the meteor impact and the only way to stop them without destroying the buildings is to shut down the fusion reactor in the capital city.   This is where you come in….

Your mission is to explore the planet in a Gal-Corp Skimmer, searching the reactor substations in each city for a total of 40 pieces of reactor cooling rods.  These need to be assembled into 20 complete rods and inserted into the main reactor in the capital city of Centralis.  This will shut down the reactor and disable the planet defences allowing the colonists to return.

37 more rod pieces to find

You start the game aboard a skimmer that is docked in a lander.  The skimmer is armed with lasers, 8 heat seeking and 8 anti-missile missiles. It additionally comes equipped with a defensive shield, flares and infra-red night sights.  The display is largely made up of a viewing window, a communications screen and a radar map.  You are also provided with displays showing the skimmers status and navigational aids (direction finders and compass).

Once launched the viewing window displays the view from your ship (it can be changed to view from the rear or either side).  The buildings and hostile ships are viewed in solid 3D and, ground-breaking for the time, are shaded in accordance to the position of the sun.  As the day progresses Tau Ceti moves across the sky and the shadows deepen.  When the sun sets it is completely dark which is when your flares and nights sights come into play.  One day/night cycle on Tau Ceti III lasts approximately one hour.

Using Infra-Red is essential at night but things get a bit blurry.

The quickest way to navigate between cities is to utilise jump pads.  Jump pads can be located in the North, South, East and/or West of a city and each one has a particular destination.  One ADF will point to the nearest pad.  When landed you can call up a map which displays the jump network.

Just like Google Maps.

The cities have several types of defences including fortress buildings, robot hunter-killers (the flying saucers), guardian crawlers and proximity mines.  Your main armament is a fairly powerful laser (or a useless one in the case of the Commodore 64).  It does overheat if used constantly so you need to keep an eye on the temperature gauge.  To back this up you are armed with eight fire and forget missiles.  Defensive armament comprises a shield and eight anti-missile missiles (your communications display shows when an enemy launches a missile).  If you are still being hit when your shields are low then your systems start to fail.

The city of Hame contained a lot of hostiles.  It was 'Game Over' soon after this  screenshot.

As well as the reactor substations you can also dock at supply centres and with your lander.  The civilian supply centres allow you to repair the skimmer.  Docking with the lander or at military supply centres allow you to re-arm as well as carrying out repairs.  Typing EQUIP in the communications window displays the available facilities.

Re-arming the skimmer can only be achieved at your lander or a military supply centre.

In its day, the graphics in Tau Ceti were unique and way ahead of its time.  Nowadays they look a bit dated and the sound isn't up to much, however the playability is still there.  There is also a lot of strategy involved - do you go in with all guns blazing or try to pick off enemies one at a time?  Do you use your missiles now or save them in case there is nowhere to rearm?  It doesn't take long to get immersed in the game and I enjoyed revisiting it.  

There was a sequel to Tau Ceti called Academy which on paper looked like it should have been better, but I didn't get on with the mission based structure.

 Docking at a sub-station where cooling rod pieces are found.

Starquake - Sinclair Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 (1985) & Atari ST (1988)

[Commodore 64] The pick of the 8-bits

Starquake is an addictive and very slick arcade adventure with platforming elements.  It was released for a host of 8-bit machines in 1985 and for the Atari ST three years later in 1988. Your goal is to repair the unstable core of a planet that has appeared from a black hole before it destroys the Universe.  

You control a character called BLOB (Bio-Logically Operated Being) and your first task is to search for the planet’s core.  The core is made up of a number of objects that must then be located by searching the 512 screens that make up the planet.  The objects then need to be returned to the core to make it stable.

There are various aliens that inhabit the planet that can be dispatched with your laser.  Most of the aliens will drain your energy but there is one that can kill you immediately.  You can also build short-lived platforms beneath you to reach higher places as you are unable to jump. BLOB has a limited supply of ammunition and platforms, and his energy supply constantly depletes though further supplies of each can be picked up.  There is also a generous scattering of extra lives in the form of joysticks (remember them?).

While on foot BLOB can only move left and right (and fall down) so there are a number of other ways to navigate the planet.  The most useful form of transport is a hover pad.  These can only be boarded and dropped off in particular places but can fly in any direction. The major disadvantage of a hover pad is that you can’t pick up any core objects while on board. Teleports are another quick way of getting around.  Each teleport has its own unique code and one is handily located quite close the core.  In some areas there are also vacuum tubes which can suck BLOB up to higher levels.

[Amstrad CPC] BLOB about to pick up the most useful item in the game.

The most useful object that can be found is the Access card.  Numbered chips can be picked up to get you through security doors and to gain access to the Cheops pyramid.  An Access card can replace all these chips.  The security doors allow you to explore further areas of the planet and the Cheops pyramid can be used to trade one of your objects for another (usually one needed to repair the core).

[Spectrum] The Cheops pyramid allows you to trade unwanted items for something more useful

I had Starquake for the Spectrum back in the 80’s and completed it again with my old map.  I achieved an adventure score of 58% which is roughly the percentage of the map I used so I’m guessing you need to visit every screen to get 100%.

The game is very polished and would be worthy of being published by Ultimate.  Of the versions I played, none of them stand out aurally with the sound mostly consisting of effects.  The Commodore 64 has the best visuals of the 8-bits.  The graphics are colourful and forego the chunky sprites the C64 is normally known for.  The Spectrum version, as usual, is brightly coloured but has monochrome sprites.  In contrast the Amstrad version has rather subdued graphics which puts it in last place.  All games play the about the same which is the important thing.

Coming 3 years later and with more power behind it, the Atari ST unsurprisingly boasts the best looking version although it is hardly stretching the hardware with a game such as this.

[Atari ST] As expected the ST version has the best graphics of all.

**SPOILERS**  [Spectrum] Completing the game....

Highway Encounter - Sinclair Spectrum & Amstrad CPC - 1985

[Spectrum]  The graphics on both Amstrad and Spectrum versions are more or less identical.

Highway Encounter is another isometric game from 1985.  It was programmed by Costa Panayi, the man behind TLL and Cyclone.  In this game you control a droid that has to escort a ‘Lasertron’ device from one end of a straight road that leads conveniently to an alien base at the other end.  Once the device has been pushed to the end of the road it destroys the alien base.  You then start over after a nice animated sequence.

The game begins with you controlling one robot that has to clear the way for the Lasertron. Ingeniously your extra lives are lined up behind the Lasertron and are programmed to automatically push it along the road until it meets an obstruction.  If the robot you are controlling is destroyed, one of the other robots becomes available.  If you get down to your last droid you must use it to clear the way and also push the weapon.

The highway is made up of 30 screens and contains various obstacles that must be cleared out of the way.  Among the obstacles are simple barrels that bar the route or indestructible moving mines that need to be made safe.  This can be achieved moving objects in front of the mines to stop them moving across the centre of the road.  These objects can be moved by pushing or shooting them with your laser.  Your laser fires three shots in quick succession then you must wait a second or so for it to recharge.  You will also need your laser to shoot the aliens which patrol some areas.

Highway Encounter is a very good game but if anything is too easy.  Clearing the obstacles requires very little head scratching and the enemy aliens are quite easy to destroy.  The main challenge comes from the time limit which can get a little tight if you are slow at clearing a path through the obstacles.

[Amstrad] The two versions only really differ in sound effects.  Neither is better.

On a side note, in early 2010 a previously unreleased Atari ST version of Highway Encounter came to light.  I haven't had a proper chance to play the game but it has a different road layout to the 8-bit versions and is noticeably harder.  Costa Panayi kindly gave permission for the game to be freely distributed…

Dun Darach - Amstrad CPC and Sinclair Spectrum - 1985

Dun Darach is an adventure game that was released in 1985 for the Sinclair Spectrum and Amstrad CPC.  It is a follow up to a critically acclaimed 1984 game call Tir Na Nog. This game uses the same engine, gameplay and character graphics as the earlier title.  I didn’t include Tir Na Nog on my list as I just seemed to wander around aimlessly with no obvious quest path.  The game was also quite confusing to navigate as it is viewed side on and can be viewed from either side of the character. You have to walk along each path twice viewing from each side to avoid missing anything.  Also annoying were these creatures roaming around which, if touched, would make your character lose his items and transport him somewhere else on the map. This was unavoidable if one of them followed you up a dead end.

Tir Na Nog - Same game engine, not enough game.

I approached Dun Darach with some trepidation as both games were highly praised when they were released and I wasn’t looking forward to more traipsing around getting nowhere.  I needn’t have worried as Dun Darach improves on these areas.  Firstly, it is set in a city rather than the countryside and each street has a name making it much easier to navigate. Secondly, there are more obvious things to do – within the first few minutes I found a (locked) secret door, came across someone who wanted to exchange a map for fur, and then had all my money stolen by a pickpocket.  Dun Darach was already looking more promising…

In this game you play a character called Cuchullain.  The aim of your quest is to find your friend Loeg who was captured by a sorceress called Skar in revenge for killing her ally Prince Amhair of the Connachta tribe in battle.  Your search leads you to the city of Dun Darach where you start the game with 2000 iridi (the local currency) and no clue on what to do.

I restarted after downloading a map which saved several hours as travelling around the city is quite slow (even using the portals located in each district). As you need money to make any progress I immediately deposited my iridi in a bank where it would earn interest while I explored the city.  Scattered around the city are shops, galleries, deposit houses, portals, temples, gambling houses, banks and a thieves guild.  The shops sell all manner of objects some of which I had to google to find out what they were.  Who off the top of their head knows what rue is? Or philtres? Or lasts from a cobbler and piles from a herald? A lot of these objects need to be bought and placed in the four galleries in accordance to the cryptic clues in the pictures – for example one gallery contains a picture showing +z meaning you would drop an adze on the table. Once all the puzzles in a gallery have been completed another object appears to help you continue your quest. Apart from navigation the only commands are pick/drop and offer so the tasks are limited to ‘find out what item goes where’ type quests.

This gallery was easy: lead, last, sting, hemlock....

....this one not so.  I think the the one on the right will be a broadaxe but the others will be trial and error.

Of the other buildings you can store items in deposit houses (for a fee) as you can only carry three objects at once.  I did notice each deposit house has a letter associated with it which may (or may not) provide a clue.   Each of the temples has a place to drop objects but I haven’t figured out what yet. The gambling houses provide the quickest way to make (or lose) money.  I used one of these to obtain the 10,000 iridi needed to buy licence from the thieves guild so you will no longer be troubled by pickpockets.

I am not a great fan of adventure games (mainly because I’m crap at them) so the fact Dun Darach is on my list in the first place must mean something.  It is a game I think I’ll persevere with, but can see it taking many hours to finish.

You need eagle eyes to spot secret doors - only a break in the brickwork gives them away..

Example gameplay [Amstrad CPC]

Doomdark's Revenge - Sinclair Spectrum, Amstrad CPC & Commodore 64 (1985)

Doomdark’s Revenge is the follow up to the seminal The Lords of Midnight and was once again released for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and Sinclair Spectrum.  The playing area is half as big again as the former game making a total of 6,000 locations and 48,000 views.  The Landscaping engine has been given an overhaul with improved graphics and a mist which can rise up to obscure features in the landscape and sap strength from your armies.  There are also underground tunnels though I’m quite sure of the point of them.

I didn't find tunnels useful as you are forced in a certain direction and it's hard to determine where you will end up.

Doomdark’s Revenge is set in the Land of Icemark to the north of the Land of Midnight.  The instructions contain a short story setting the scene for the game which basically says Morkin has been kidnapped by Shareth the Heartstealer in order avenge the death of Doomdark, her father and adversary in the earlier game.

The Land of Icemark has five races: Giants, Barbarians, Dwarves, the Fey and the Icelords.  You start the game controlling three characters this time.  Luxor the Moonprince and Rorthron the Wise start at the Gate of Varenorn – the entrance to Icemark - in the Barbarian Outlands.  Morkin’s betrothed, Tarithel the Fey, starts a little further north near the forest dwelling Fey. Again you need to travel around to persuade Lords to join your cause while Shareth the Heartstealer does the same.  The characters roam about independently this time rather than waiting at their stronghold to be recruited. In Doomdark’s Revenge it’s not usually clear cut who is friendly and who isn’t.  When coming face to face with an opposing force you have two options – Approach and Attack.  If you approach an army and they are unfriendly you are put at a disadvantage in battle (I don’t know how you determine who is friendly and who to attack).

Hmmm... Approach or Attack?

Like The Lords of Midnight various ruins, lakes, temples and other landscape features can reveal clues and objects to help or hinder you on your quest.

The game can be won in several ways with various levels of victory.  All involve Luxor returning safely to the Gate of Varenorn. The most basic victory will be to rescue Morkin with Tarithel the Fey being the main protagonist.  If you also return with Rorthron, any of the Crowns of Icemark and objects of Shareth’s power then the greater the win.  If Morkin dies then the only way to win the game will be the complete destruction of Shareth. The greatest victory can be achieved by destroying Shareth and the safe return of all four main characters.

The only goal for Shareth is the destruction of Luxor the Moonprince - if he should die then the game is lost. 

So, Doomdark’s Revenge is bigger, has more features and is better looking than The Lords of Midnight yet I’m not convinced it is necessarily a better game – it’s basically just more of the same.  It would be unfair to discount a good game just for its unoriginality so it still makes it onto the list.

Thigrand the Fey could do with finding horses, not dragons.

The Lords of Midnight - Sinclair Spectrum & Amstrad CPC (1984), Commodore 64 (1985)

Morkin takes a last look back at his companions before a lonely trek north in search of the Ice Crown.

It can’t be very often that a game crammed in to 48k of memory can be called epic but The Lords of Midnight certainly is.  It is a turn-based strategy cum wargame set across 4,000 locations. Mike Singleton used a scaling technique he call Landscaping that allowed the player to look in 8 directions from each location.  This gave a total of 32,000 unique views which was a revelation, not to mention a big selling point, back in 1984.

The aim of the game is to defeat Doomdark the witchking who controls the northern half of the land of Midnight.  He has cast a spell of cold over the land and defeating him is the only way to free it.  You start the game at the Tower of the Moon initially controlling 4 characters including Luxor the Moonprince and his son Morkin.  The game world is seen through the eyes of the character you currently have selected.

Doomdark can be defeated in two ways.  Firstly Morkin can be sent north to the Tower of Doom to destroy the Ice Crown which is the source of Doomdark’s power.  Morkin is half human, half fey and by virtue of his ancestry is immune to the Ice Fear and is the only character able to get close to the crown without detection.  The Ice Fear is a power that emanates from the Ice Crown and will sap the strength and morale of friendly armies.

The second way to defeat Doomdark is by taking his home Citadel of Ushgarak by force.  You can send out your characters to friendly citadels and keeps across the land of Midnight recruiting armies to fight for your cause.  Not all Lords can be persuaded to join, for example starting character Corleth the Fey is the only one able to persuade the forest dwelling Fey to join your quest.

The newly recruited Lord of Gard in the far south is not yet affected by the Ice Fear.

 

For Doomdark to win the game he must defeat the armies of the Free by killing Luxor or taking Xajorkith, the citadel of the Free.  He must also kill Morkin for as long as he is alive the game can still be won.

All your allies (apart from Morkin) are controlled via the Moon Ring which is worn by Luxor. The Moon Ring also radiates a warmth that lessens the effects of the Ice Fear on anyone close to it.  Unfortunately, because of this, Doomdark can sense the location of its wearer.  If Luxor should die you will lose control of the armies of the Free.  The only way to regain control is for Morkin to retrieve the ring from the location in which Luxor fell. This will mean Doomdark will know where his is, making his own quest that much more difficult.

Dotted around the landscape are features including ruins, henges, magical lakes, liths and caves which can help or hinder the player.  For example a cave may provide shelter, but it can just as easily be hiding a monster such as the dragons, wolves and ice trolls which roam the land.

Searching ruins can prove fruitful.

This game can’t be criticised for its sound because there isn’t any.  The graphics, while obviously dated, are still quite effective.  What is unchanged is the game play which is as good and as challenging as ever.  It’s not a game I have completed and not one I am likely to complete in the near future.  However my 15 year old self did map the land of Midnight using pages liberated from my maths exercise book (I still have it) so I will probably give it another go at some point.

 

At night your opponents make their moves.

Bugger.

The screenshots and review are for the Spectrum version.  The game was also converted to the Amstrad CPC (1984) and Commodore 64 (1985) and plays more or less identically on these machines.