Xorg@cup.portal.com (Peter Ted Szymonik) (11/17/88)
OK, here's a few non-rumors about what is going on with EMPIRE
and STAR FLEET II. This is to the best of my knowledge in early
November, 1988. This information is from my own personal
knowledge and is not Interstels official standing. NOTICE: ANY OF
THE BELOW IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!!!!! CONVERSIONS: Conversions are
in development for the Macintosh, Apple II, Apple GS, and C-64.
There are no release dates for any of them yet although I do have
a working Macintosh Beta in my hands. EMPIRE 3.0: Empire 3.0 is
meant to be a major upgrade of the existing game. The game itself
however, is meant to stay the same. I.e., no major rules changes
like paratroops, mountains, engineers, etc. The current wish list
includes:
- Modem capability including message passage;
- Improved computer intelligence.
- Surrender command
- Fighter overflight of friendly units
- Faster/more intelligent random map generation
- Multiple point flight paths/patrols
- Flight paths for ships/armies
- Additional armies add to defense of cities
- Automatic naval exploration of coastlines
- Variable size maps
- Keystroke macro commands
- 'No Production' production for cities
- Printer support of maps
- Ability to specify starting cities
- Show patrols and flight paths on the world map
- Allow naming of cities in the map editor
Note that all of the above features will probably not be
in Empire 3.0 but we are shooting for as many as possible. The
development is being done for the IBM version, but conversion to
the other releases should be fairly quick. ROUGH guess of release
date is sometime early next summer. There will probably be an
upgrade fee ($10-$15?). EMPIRE II: This is a new game being
designed from scratch by myself. The idea is to take everything I
learned from EMPIRE, and to design something even better. Many of
the suggestions I have received for EMPIRE will probably be in
EMPIRE II. The game will be a lot more sophisticated, richer,
more realistic while at the <RETURN>, <S>croll, <Q>uit > same time
maintaining the high level of playability/addictiveness which was
in EMPIRE. What will actually be in it still remains to be seen
since I am still in the process of designing the game. It is
first being developed for the IBM, with conversions to follow. At
best, I don't expect to see it until Christmas 89. STAR FLEET II:
This program has been three years in development and is still not
complete. It is HUGE! In STAR FLEET II, you will be in command
of a Krellan battlecruiser with four destroyer escorts forming a
battle fleet. Your mission is to explore the star systems of the
UGA, looking for choice planets to conquer, and Alliance warships
to destroy. As well as being a space combat simulation, there is
a planetary invasion simulation as well (that's my part of the
game). From dozens of possible cities defined on the planetary
map, you can select and control up to 8 invasion zones. Direct
the overall invasion from your Invasion Control Screen or take
personal command of your units.
Original development has been on the IBM with secondary
development on the Atari ST (the planetary invasion code was
developed on the ST and then converted to the IBM). The first
release will be the IBM. I won't venture a guess of when it will
be release since we are already a year behind schedule. I will
say that a working early IBM beta is running. We're not worrying
much about the conversions until we get the IBM version out the
door. That's about all I can tell you now. Mark Baldwin November
4, 1988