62 lines
3.5 KiB
Plaintext
62 lines
3.5 KiB
Plaintext
|
||
|
||
CENTAURI ALLIANCE
|
||
|
||
CENTAURI ALLIANCE is a science fiction computer role-playing game by Michael
|
||
Cranford, the author of THE BARD'S TALE and THE BARD'S TALE II. The game is set
|
||
in the year 2247, and pits up to eight characters from the six Alliance races
|
||
against a rebel organization known as the Daynab. (This review is based on the
|
||
Apple II version of the game.)
|
||
|
||
Character generation is fairly straightforward. After deciding which of the
|
||
races to generate, you review potential characters until one with the desired
|
||
combination of stats and discipline is found. Then, choose an initial skill from
|
||
the menu and type a name for the new character. When all desired characters have
|
||
been generated, you band them together and set out.
|
||
|
||
Each of the six races has capabilities in one or two of the four disciplines:
|
||
Combat, Technical Skills, Psionics, and Metamorph. Combat is divided into melee,
|
||
thrown, sidearm, and master. The Tech skills are weaponry, bio (medicine), and
|
||
ancient. Psionics consist of mind, body, matter, and energy. Beyond the
|
||
initially chosen skill, a character can be trained in any skill open to his/her
|
||
race. The number of experience points required to train is displayed on the
|
||
character screen, and this appears to be based on the average skill level in all
|
||
skills where training has been received.
|
||
|
||
Unlike many games of this sort, money is not a driving force. Aside from
|
||
capital expenditures on armor, weaponry, mechanoids, and the occasional clone
|
||
replacement of dead characters, the main expense is on ammunition. The official
|
||
stores sell only a limited variety of items, in any event -- much more
|
||
interesting things are found as loot after battles or on the black market.
|
||
|
||
And there are a lot of battles. For the most part, the encounters are random
|
||
and hostile, though there are some set encounters, and occasional alien
|
||
volunteers. Battles are fought on a hex map which has a size based on the size
|
||
of the room where the encounter occurs. After deciding whether the overall party
|
||
will attack, move, or run, you decide whether each character will make a melee
|
||
attack, fire a weapon, reload a weapon, dodge, make a psionic attack, or
|
||
activate an item. Once all commands are entered and confirmed, the fighting
|
||
proceeds on its own.
|
||
|
||
The game takes up both sides of three 5-1/4" floppies, all but one side of
|
||
which are copy-protected. Even the unprotected side, which actually has to be
|
||
copied, requires a bit-copy program. It requires 64K and is designed to run on
|
||
an Apple II+ or better. Given those limitations, the graphics and sound aren't
|
||
anything spectacular. The graphics are similar to the ones in THE BARD'S TALE or
|
||
POOL OF RADIANCE; the sound is limited to the occasional beep for attention.
|
||
Documentation is good, consisting of a reference manual, a background book, a
|
||
quick reference card, and a star map.
|
||
|
||
But enough about facts. The question is, is this game any good? The answer is
|
||
yes. The puzzles -- the heart of this sort of game -- are subtle, but adequate
|
||
clues are provided. The player interface is comparable to that of a WIZARDRY or
|
||
BARD'S TALE. The ability to change from a normal 3-D picture of the surroundings
|
||
to an overhead view, and to play the entire game in that mode, is very helpful.
|
||
The character generation process is relatively simple and relevant to the game
|
||
as it is played. I strongly recommend CENTAURI ALLIANCE. It has already given me
|
||
many hours of enjoyment!
|
||
|
||
CENTAURI ALLIANCE is published and distributed by Broderbund.
|
||
|
||
*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
|
||
|