PYC118@uriacc.uri.edu (Rasiel) (02/06/91)
I never thought that a game this venerable would bag but when I went into the editor and chose the 'sprinkle cities' option it guru'd with a 'software error- task withheld'. I wanted to make a terrain-less world consisting of city-islands only. By the way, I find that there is little difference between choosing the 'Standard' and 'Expert' settings; I can beat them both just as easily (even when playing against two computer opponents). I think that the computer just has lousy strategies: 1) it never attacks you from the rear therefore you never have to worry about anything except what's going on at the front, 2) It seldom builds battleships, instead it builds quite a few nearly useless aircraft carriers; battleships are definately worth building and repairing when damaged. 3) Once Empire captures a city it doesn't try to hold on to it very fervently, often leaving the troop transports laying around the port of the city it captured (leaving them of course to an air attack); it should instead immediately send it back to get more armies. 4) I don'tremember ever having seen a transport escorted by a warship or air cover leaving them vulnerable, again, to your attacks. I might as well go a step further and gripe a little about what I'd like to see in a future update of this very addictive game: 1) One of the things that bugs me the most is that 'pieces' (or whatever you want to call them) cannot occupy two spaces at once. While two ships obviously wouldn't be able to in real life, there's no reason why a fighter couldn't fly over an army. As a matter of fact, a few times a fighter will run out of fuel because it has to run around an army or a ship. 2) While this is no fault of the game, it does get very slow towards the 200th turn. Sometimes the game goes so slow I can go get myself something to eat before the turn is up. I wonder if it's faster on a 3000? 3) The game is missing some key pieces. Some sort of satellite would make reconnaisance much easier and faster. Missiles could perhaps be launched into enemy territory to soften them up. A bomber could have the same function as a fighter with the exception that they'd be harder to shoot down and maybe even some sort of air-transport to carry troops faster than sea-transports. 4) The overall strategy should be more unpredictable and the maps should be bigger and also include different topologies (say an army couldn't cross a mountain range or warships couldn't cross frozen seas, I dunno!) 5) Maybe the graphics could be improved (the sound thoug lousy is irrelevant) and there should be a map of our own world so that I can have the pleasure of single-handedly invading the hell out of Iraq! :) Maybe I'm dreaming, heh, v2.05 came out way back in 1988 so I doubt they have any plans to make improvements. Rasiel, pyc118@uriacc
mjt@voodoo.UUCP (Jim Tallant) (02/08/91)
In article <43822@nigel.ee.udel.edu> PYC118@uriacc.uri.edu (Rasiel) writes: >I never thought that a game this venerable would bag but when I went into >the editor and chose the 'sprinkle cities' option it guru'd with a 'software >error- task withheld'. I wanted to make a terrain-less world consisting of >city-islands only. Never tried sprinkling cities like this. I did manually place a world of only city islands and had no problem validating them. > [comments about the computer players lousy strategies] [btw, I agree, much better to play against a human] >1) it never attacks you from the rear >2) It seldom builds battleships My favorite weapon. Great for softening my an enemy shore before landing your own armys >3) Once Empire captures a city it doesn't try to hold on to it very fervently You can even things up and make them harder by adjusting the production and battle efficiency settings. This makes it less certain that you will win as many battles and will allow the computer to build stuff faster. >I'd like to see in a future update of this very addictive game: >1) [allow dissimilar pieces to occupy the same space. ie: ships and planes] I agree! I hate it when I loose a plane because my armys are blocking a city. >2) very slow towards the 200th turn. Just think how long it would take if this was a manual board game and you had to move 200 or 300+ pieces (on each side) every turn! >3) missing some key pieces. >.. satellite would make reconnaisance much easier and faster. No. Not satellites. That would make it _too_ easy to find the enemy held land masses. Much of the pleasure I get from the game is in exploring and discovering the world and suddenly running into a black or a red army where you least expect it. This is where it gets interesting because you have your armys sperad all over the place looking for them and now you have to totally change your tactics and regroup your forces to the area where the enemy is. >.. Missiles This would be cool. >.. bomber(s) definitely! >.. air-transport >4) maps should be bigger and also include different topologies This would add a lot. Especially having different types of terrain. >5) Maybe the graphics could be improved Would be nice. The graphics are definitely lacking. As long as it didn't detract from the playability of the game which is it's strongest asset. I would rather have a good "game" and marginal graphics that have great graphics and a poor game. This is difinitely a very good game. >.. and there should be a map of our own world so that I can have the > pleasure of single-handedly invading the hell out of Iraq! :) My game came with maps of the Caribean (sp) and the Mediterranean Sea. (I also have v2.05) It would be great to have a map of the whole world. > >Maybe I'm dreaming, heh, v2.05 came out way back in 1988 so I doubt they >have any plans to make improvements. Your probably right. Maybe it's time for a complete rewrite. >Rasiel, pyc118@uriacc -- Jim Tallant / mjt@voodoo.boeing.com / uunet!bcstec!voodoo!mjt / bogey on! ============================================================================== The only trouble with the future is that it gets here so much faster than it used to. Author unknown
ai065@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Hill) (02/08/91)
I'm also an Empire addict! (We are talking about the risk-type game called
Empire, not the bulletin board game.)
A few notes here on your message: I don't think a satelite option would be
good. It'd be to easy. I like to explore with fighters and such. Missiles
wouldn't be a bad idea. Your idea about fighters being able to fly over tanks
has some drawbacks. One of my methods is to use tanks to block the enemy from
exploring the landscape on my side of the world. The fact that planes can't
go around other objects makes this possible. I guess I have had better
experiences with the enemy than you too, because I find the computer is very
random in some of his methods. On the other hand, it would be nice to set his
experience at an even higher level, because I can beat him most of the time
now. I also place both of our production specs up to 86%. Speeds the pace of
the game up a good bit. To tip the odds in his favor simply set his fighting
ability at a higher level. You'll have fits trying to stop one of his
battleships. I guess this is really a way to raise his experience level, when
you think about it.
Let's not forget that we are talking about a classic game here! I don't think
the graphics are bad when you consider that this is a board game, not some
arcade game. The sound is very good as far as I'm concerned. Those digitized
sounds of planes and tanks really work for me. Go listen to your average IBM
game then complain about this one! I'm totally happy with it, except for one
thing: *I WANT A MODEM PLAY OPTION*!!! I wish they would come out with a new
version just for this purpose. I have version 2.03, so maybe your 2.05 version
has that (I can hope, can't I?). Another human player does make for a much
more interesting game. It would be much easier for you to be able to play over
the modem.
Finally, I'd just like to say to all potential Empire owners out there, this
is the game to get if you like risk and such. I vote it the best strategy
game I've ever played on a computer.
Tom
--
...............................
Why purchase a MAC when | Amiga...The computer for _ | IBM's greatest sales
the Amiga will run MAC | the creative mind! _ // | tool is ignorance on
software faster? |.......................\\//..| the consumer's part.klopcic@amethyst.bucknell.edu (KLOPCIC JOEL THADDEUS) (02/09/91)
In my version of Empire, the docs mention that the game is just a part of a larger whole - I think its called StarFleet or something. Has anyone played these other games, and are they any good? JTK
mjt@voodoo.UUCP (Jim Tallant) (02/09/91)
In article <20993@know.pws.bull.com> ai065@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Hill) writes: > I'm also an Empire addict! (We are talking about the risk-type game called >Empire, not the bulletin board game.) > > [bunch of good comments about Empire, most of which I agree] > > Finally, I'd just like to say to all potential Empire owners out there, this >is the game to get if you like risk and such. I vote it the best strategy >game I've ever played on a computer. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Absolutly! I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this way. This was one of the first games I picked up when I moved from the Apple //e to the Amiga. Even if it isn't state of the art in frills (graphics, sound) it is unsurpassed in playability. The user interface is a sheer joy to use. Check it out. But don't expect to get any sleep for a while. B^) > Tom -- Jim Tallant / mjt@voodoo.boeing.com / uunet!bcstec!voodoo!mjt / bogey on! ============================================================================== The only trouble with the future is that it gets here so much faster than it used to. Author unknown
cpc@czaeap.UUCP (Chris Cebelenski) (02/11/91)
In article <20993@know.pws.bull.com> ai065@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Hill) writes: > I'm also an Empire addict! (We are talking about the risk-type game called >Empire, not the bulletin board game.) > > A few notes here on your message: I don't think a satelite option would be >good. It'd be to easy. I like to explore with fighters and such. Missiles >wouldn't be a bad idea. Your idea about fighters being able to fly over tanks >has some drawbacks. One of my methods is to use tanks to block the enemy from >exploring the landscape on my side of the world. The fact that planes can't >go around other objects makes this possible. I guess I have had better >experiences with the enemy than you too, because I find the computer is very >random in some of his methods. On the other hand, it would be nice to set his >experience at an even higher level, because I can beat him most of the time >now. I also place both of our production specs up to 86%. Speeds the pace of >the game up a good bit. To tip the odds in his favor simply set his fighting >ability at a higher level. You'll have fits trying to stop one of his >battleships. I guess this is really a way to raise his experience level, when >you think about it. > > Let's not forget that we are talking about a classic game here! I don't think >the graphics are bad when you consider that this is a board game, not some >arcade game. The sound is very good as far as I'm concerned. Those digitized >sounds of planes and tanks really work for me. Go listen to your average IBM >game then complain about this one! I'm totally happy with it, except for one >thing: *I WANT A MODEM PLAY OPTION*!!! I wish they would come out with a new >version just for this purpose. I have version 2.03, so maybe your 2.05 version >has that (I can hope, can't I?). Another human player does make for a much >more interesting game. It would be much easier for you to be able to play over >the modem. > > Finally, I'd just like to say to all potential Empire owners out there, this >is the game to get if you like risk and such. I vote it the best strategy >game I've ever played on a computer. > > Tom > >-- > ............................... >Why purchase a MAC when | Amiga...The computer for _ | IBM's greatest sales >the Amiga will run MAC | the creative mind! _ // | tool is ignorance on >software faster? |.......................\\//..| the consumer's part. >#! rnews 852 >Path: aminet!gdc!portal!apple!voder!pyramid!decwrl!elroy.jpl. Well, right now I'm working on translating the ORIGONAL VAX Fortran code for EMPIRE to the Amiga! It's a real bi*ch, let me tell you!! When I get it done, don't expect any fancy graphics or sound, but I'm going to spiff up the computer players strategy a bit. You can mail me any suggestions you might have for the game. This is the time! I've already seen ideas for other troops, but they will be options in my game. Some things I've implemented as options: New units: Panzers. (as opposed to armies) Air-lifts Eng. units (Bridge building, ditch digging, etc.) SST's & Stealth Technology Base installations and fortresses Unit stacking Mixed types units Suggestions are always welcome. (If you want to help, how about devising a map generating routine?? The one from the code is a real witch to convert and is giving me night-mares! ) -- ========================================================================== Chris Cebelenski UUCP: portal.com!gdc!aminet!czaeap!cpc The Red Mage Internet: czaeap!cpc@aminet.gdc.portal.com GEnie: C.CEBELENSKI // "Amiga - The way REAL people compute" "Better dead than mellow" \X/ ========================================================================== NOTE: Due to brain dead mailers, this message can *NOT* be REPLIED to, to reach me you MUST send a NEW message. Sorry!