148 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
148 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
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CENTURION
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CENTURION is the latest effort from Kellyn Beck, the man who
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brought us DEFENDER OF THE CROWN. Players of that earlier game will
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find many similarities in CENTURION. CENTURION combines stunning
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256-color VGA graphics with a strategy game and several arcade
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sequences to simulate a Rome based more on Ben Hur than on history.
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(This review is based on the IBM-PC version.)
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In CENTURION, you start as an ambitious officer in the Roman Army.
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You have one infantry legion, 20 talents (a unit of money), and the
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province of Italia. Your goal is to conquer all of Europe, western
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Asia, and northern Africa. If you manage this while keeping your
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subjects content, you will be declared Caesar and win the game.
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The strategic heart of CENTURION is a gorgeous relief map of
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Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. You move your legions on
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this map, attempting to win new provinces. You also move fleets
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across large sea areas. These fleets may fight with enemy fleets or
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transport your troops across the seas. There are two provinces that
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can only be reached by this latter method, so some use of naval
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forces is required.
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As you move your legions, you will enter hostile provinces
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(provinces not controlled by Rome). You'll be taken to a dialog
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screen where you will see a picture of that province's leader, and
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receive several conversational options. You can attempt to secure an
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alliance with these leaders, but most of the time, your efforts --
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no matter how sincere -- lead to battle.
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In battle, you choose a starting formation and strategy for your
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troops. Then your army is arrayed in a diagonal line across the
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bottom and left of the screen. The opponent's troops are arrayed
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opposite yours in their own formation. Once the battle begins,
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troops from both sides maneuver in small units (cohorts), in
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compliance with the initial strategy determined prior to battle. You
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may control some of your cohorts directly by moving a leader unit
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within voice range of the unit.
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The battle sequence is fully animated with troops marching, calvary
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rearing and charging, and elephants falling to one side. You may
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choose to leave your standing orders alone and simply watch the
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spectacle. This portion of the game is as close to the color and
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drama of miniatures as any game I have seen, on any computer.
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Unfortunately, from a tactical point of view, this sequence is less
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interesting. Your standing orders and any adjustments you might make
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are less important than the ferocity and numbers of your troops and
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their opponents. Your leader can have an impact on the outcome, but
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in my experience, you can usually tell the winner within moments of
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the first encounter.
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In addition to this battle sequence, CENTURION offers several
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arcade sequences. Fleet battles are resolved internally, but you
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participate by controlling your flag ship in a duel with the
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opposing fleet's flag ship. This battle is conducted from an
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overhead view of the two ships. You may attempt to ram, or use your
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catapult. In addition, your men automatically fire arrows at the
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enemy ship when it is in range.
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Another arcade sequence is the chariot race. This presents an
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overhead close-up of your chariot. You steer the chariot across the
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width of the track. You may also wield the whip against a nearby
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opponent, or attempt to cut his chariot with your scythe wheels. To
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gain speed, you must whip your horses, though they become fatigued
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if abused. Finally, you must monitor your speed vis a vis your
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position on the track. If you are to attempt to cut close to the
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inside of your turns, your speed must be fairly low. If not, your
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chariot will break up, and you will end up belly-riding for a while
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before your hands let loose of the reins. Needless to say, this
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brings your participation in the race to an ignominious end.
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Wiping out in the chariot race does have its amusing moments,
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though. As your bloody body lies on the track, stretcher bearers
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rush out to rescue you. Unfortunately, about half of the time, they
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simply lift and throw your body _past_ the stretcher, and march off
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leaving you back in the dust.
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Finally, there are the gladiator shows. These can only be held
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after you build a coliseum (an expensive toy). However, true to the
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bread-and-circuses motto, you'll need to hold these shows
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occasionally to keep the people happy.
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In the gladiator events, you must first pick a champion for
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yourself, and an opponent. Then you select the level of training for
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each. Every choice costs some money, but clashes between untrained
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amateurs are less likely to appease the people. Finally, you begin
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the fight. This is conducted from a side perspective very
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reminiscent of the sword fighting in DEFENDER OF THE CROWN.
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If you are skilled at the games (chariot races and gladiator
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fights), you may bet on the outcomes. This can help raise valuable
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talents, without taxing the provinces or plundering. These latter
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two actions can raise funds quickly, but can also cause discontent
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and even rebellion.
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During each turn, there is a chance that one of several random
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events may occur. These usually cause you to lose money, but some
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cost you prestige or give you an early promotion. In addition to
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these events, marauding armies occasionally show up to plunder your
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outlying provinces.
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As you successfully add provinces to the Empire, you will be
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promoted. These promotions will allow you to build larger and better
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legions, all the way up to Consular Armies. These forces will be
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necessary to deal with the real powers that oppose Rome: The
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Carthaginians and the Egyptians.
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CENTURION supports VGA/MCGA (320x200x256), EGA (320x200x16), and
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Tandy Graphics modes. It requires 640K RAM and may be installed on a
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hard disk. Copy protection is based on documentation included with
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the game (a map of Europe in Roman times). The mouse is supported,
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as well as the keyboard. AdLib, Roland (MT32 and LAPC), and Tandy
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sound modes are supported. The program is distributed on either
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5-1/4" or 3-1/2" disks.
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CENTURION is an interesting game to watch. Everything occurs in a
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colorful manner. Animation abounds, and many of the pictures look
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like digitized images. There are amusing moments, and some fun to be
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had with arcade sequences. Another plus is the ability to control
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the difficulty of each facet of the game separately. For those who
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loved DEFENDER OF THE CROWN (or similar games), CENTURION is a
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must-buy.
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On the down side, CENTURION is not a deep strategy game. Players
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hoping to recreate the historical Roman Empire should look
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elsewhere. The rules are generally decent, but they neglect one
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important feature: To off-load troops from a fleet, you must use the
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_right_ mouse button on the fleet. I also missed having some sort of
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short history of the time. This might have lent some historicity to
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the package. The manual _does_ include a nice write-up on the
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different formations and tactics available to the legions.
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Bottom line: Buy it if you want a spectacular game to show off your
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VGA monitor, or if you like mixed arcade/strategy games. Those who
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desire a thoughtful simulation of the Roman Empire, however, should
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look elsewhere.
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CENTURION is published and distributed by Electronic Arts.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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