Michael_D'Alessandro%Wayne-MTS%UMich-MTS.Mailnet@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA (07/04/84)
Although this is a late response to Chuck McManis' request for information on wargames, I thought I'd pass this along: There are many microcomputer wargames available today. The majority of them are produced by Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI). SSI's games are very similar to Avalon Hill's games, and cover topics such as The Civil War, WWII (D-Day, North Africa, Sink the Bismark, Battle of Britian, etc), and modern day hypothetical combat. All these games are realistic (they use accurate orders of battle for both sides) and quite playable. These games can be played by two people, or you can play against the computer. Unfortunately, while playing these games may help you get a "feel" for computer war games, they won't help you write one since you can't look at the programs - they are locked up. SSI's games are available for almost all microcomputers, with the selection for the Apple II family having the most games. Go to a local computer store to see them. One wargame that stands out from all others is "Eastern Front" by Chris Crawford for the Atari 400/600/800. In addition to buying Eastern Front, you can buy a documented 6502 source code listing of the program, along with a booklet that Chris wrote describing how he implemented the program, and the various combat and movement routines he used. The program also has a little rudimentary "AI" in it - when you play against the computer the computer is quite a formidable opponent, and Chris describes his "AI" routines in detail. Chris is one of the premier computer war games designers in the country. To see this, you might check a local computer store, or a local Atari User Group. Eastern Front was originally available via the "Atari Program Exchange" run by Atari, but since Atari has just been sold to Jack Tramiel, the Atari Program Exchange may no longer exist. Michael_D'Alessandro%Wayne.MTS%Umich.MTS.Mailnet@MIT-Multics.ARPA