ericmcg@pnet91 (Eric Mcgillicuddy) (10/22/90)
There are some serious bugs in this game. Well actually just annoying. You can not run 8-bit programs after quitting the game (it is fully installable on a hard drive and does not require a key disk). It changes the border colour to gray, but does not change it back when you quit (accessing the Slots cdev in the Control Panel resets it though). Memory Management is not properly programmed, you can not load a game with a larger mao than the one just finished (it does not deallocate the data memory block, until the new map is loaded and this apparently occupies the space immediately after the map data). you can not load a new game half way through the current game. I have wiped out the Japs on Iwo Jima with two days to spare, but have to run the game to completion before invading Malta. I think the reason p8 programs do not work after playing HOM is due to not releasing the stack space. Usually they bomb with error 0209 or more usually crash into the monitor. Also the error trapping leaves a bit to be desired, any error forces the program to quit and be restarted (kicks you back to the Finder). The Twilight cdev works well with it only in the orders mode, during movement the screen blank hangs the machine (usually insufficeint memory dialogue comes up, but OK kills everything). I suggest waiting for 1.1 to come out. BTW I am almost finished converting the Rommel scenarios to the GS format. I can not post them to the net, but expect to see Rommel soon. Eric McGillicuddy Apple II Evangelist UUCP: bkj386!pnet91!ericmcg INET: ericmcg@pnet91.cts.com
unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) (04/06/91)
In article <8418@crash.cts.com> ryanb@pro-charlotte.cts.com (Ryan Baucom) writes: >In-Reply-To: message from erc@radon.berkeley.edu > As usual, I must disagree with "ratings reports" and such similar lists. > My personal preferences were hardly reflected in the list (such as Halls >of Montezuma by SSG, one of the best games I've ever played). It's fine if I would just like to state some personal opinions about Halls of Montezuma. First, I will just say that it's not the type of game I usually like. That point ASIDE, there are a few other MAJOR problems I had with this game: 1) It just seemed like an amateurish effort. Honestly. Examples of the "amateuristic" properties follow. 1.1) It was REALLY slow. Probably was written completely in a high level language with none in assembly. Randy Hyde's right on this point at least, GS programs of any significant size need to have important chunks written in assembly. 1.2) It LOOKED AWFUL. Someone is probably going to say that I used a bad boot disk or something, and that may very well be the case. I do not remember what I did when I booted it when I tested it, but I either booted the main disk or booted a relatively virgin 5.0x and ran the program. Text just looked bad. There were some awfully scaled fonts and such. I think even text went OUT of the edges of the windows. I realize completely that this is going to be traced to something I did. If it is something I did, maybe they could have thought to use more standard fonts. -- /unknown@ucscb.ucsc.edu Apple IIGS Forever! ULTIMA VI GS -mail me. CDs-mail me\ \ McIntosh Junior: The Power to Crush the Other Kids. /
spock@incom.incom.de (Martin Georg) (04/07/91)
I would like to add some comments about Halls of Montezuma GS: First of all, it's an ecellent implementation of a corps-level military strategy simulation. Every part that is needed in such a simulation is implemented in great detail and with the implemented "Warplan" scenario editor, you get a very deep and impressive power for creating your own szenarios. If you've seem some misscaled fonts on your, IIgs, you haven't installed the right fonts in your system. I run HOM off my harddisk (it's not copy protected) and it has very nice and correctly scaled fonts there - I think they are Helvetica or Geneva ... Right, the game is not too fast and accesses the disk from time to time. On the other side, a serious IIgs system needs 2MB of RAM, a harddisk and a accelerator to use high-level IIgs-software. And on such systems, HOM runs very nice. BTW, I think that HOM is a highly complex simulation and needs some processing power! Sorry, you unknown user (will we ever know you name???), but your comments about Halls of Montezuma GS are fully missing the point. It seems that you don't have the right system to use it or were not fully able to understand the nature of that program. Martin Georg Frankfurt, Germany GEnie: A2.Martin (Visit Category 28!) (AUGE e.V., Apple IIgs SIG, Germany) ----> Apple II forever! <----
unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) (04/07/91)
In article <1991Apr6.230013.7456@incom.incom.de> spock@incom.incom.de (Martin Georg) writes: >If you've seem some misscaled fonts on your, IIgs, you haven't installed >the right fonts in your system. I run HOM off my harddisk (it's not copy >protected) and it has very nice and correctly scaled fonts there - I think >they are Helvetica or Geneva ... Could you try to run it off of a virgin System Disk 5.0x and see if the right fonts are there?? >Right, the game is not too fast and accesses the disk from time to time. On >the other side, a serious IIgs system needs 2MB of RAM, a harddisk and a >accelerator to use high-level IIgs-software. And on such systems, HOM runs >very nice. BTW, I think that HOM is a highly complex simulation and needs >some processing power! Now that's BS in my opinion. Randy Hyde's comments about assembly seem more and more appropriate.. I guess I should learn 65816! heh. I really do think this game was written all in some high level language. It's just a guess though. NEED an accelerator? I just don't like that kind of thinking.. There's too little GS software as it is and you don't want to have some that requires an accelerator. The authors should write stuff in assembly (or at least important portions of it).. Games that is, and productive programs.. [Like some NDAs and little programs can be in C or Pascal..] >Sorry, you unknown user (will we ever know you name???), but your comments Who was that masked man? -- /unknown@ucscb.ucsc.edu Apple IIGS Forever! ULTIMA VI GS -mail me. CDs-mail me\ \ McIntosh Junior: The Power to Crush the Other Kids. /
ryanb@pro-charlotte.cts.com (Ryan Baucom) (04/09/91)
In-Reply-To: message from spock@incom.incom.de
I totally agree with your observations about Halls Of Montezuma... It
is a little slow, but it is well done and not at all copy-protected!
Finally, a GS software publisher that realizes hard-disk users need the
ability to use their investments wisely...
Also, I noticed that a certain font is needed for the windows to look
correct: I believe it's Geneva 10 or 12 or something similar.
BTW, will we ever hear from SSG (Strategic Studies Group) again? I know
they produce quite a bit of Mac and IBM stuff, but will they return to the
GS? I was afraid our little poll (which only includes a few voters in the
case of HOM) might cripple the already-suffering GS software market.
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Internet: ryanb@pro-charlotte.cts.com
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Charlotte, North Carolina
---------------------------------------------spock@incom.incom.de (Martin Georg) (04/10/91)
In article <8473@crash.cts.com> ryanb@pro-charlotte.cts.com (Ryan Baucom) writes: >In-Reply-To: message from spock@incom.incom.de > > I totally agree with your observations about Halls Of Montezuma... It >is a little slow, but it is well done and not at all copy-protected! >Finally, a GS software publisher that realizes hard-disk users need the >ability to use their investments wisely... That's exactly the point. Finally a game that makes use of all available hardware resources. > BTW, will we ever hear from SSG (Strategic Studies Group) again? I know >they produce quite a bit of Mac and IBM stuff, but will they return to the >GS? I was afraid our little poll (which only includes a few voters in the >case of HOM) might cripple the already-suffering GS software market. > SSG just released two other titles for the IIgs: "Panzer Battles" simulates the big panzer battles on army level at russia in 1942-44 and "Gold of the Americas GS" is a game in which you must explore the "New World" America. Sounds a little bit like "Seven cities of gold" :-). >--------------------------------------------- >ProLine: ryanb@pro-charlotte >Internet: ryanb@pro-charlotte.cts.com >UUCP: crash!pro-charlotte!ryanb >ARPA: crash!pro-charlotte!ryanb@nosc.mil >--------------------------------------------- > Charlotte, North Carolina >--------------------------------------------- Martin Georg Frankfurt/Germany GEnie: A2.Martin (AUGE e.V., Apple IIgs SIG, Germany) ----> Apple II forever! <----