steves@pnet01.cts.com (Stephen Scheck) (08/18/90)
What does the Populous Promised Lands data disk add to the program? Is
it worth getting?
Steve
UUCP: {hplabs!hp-sdd ucsd nosc}!crash!pnet01!steves
ARPA: crash!pnet01!steves@nosc.mil
INET: steves@pnet01.cts.comxanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) (08/19/90)
In article <3983@crash.cts.com> steves@pnet01.cts.com (Stephen Scheck) writes: > > What does the Populous Promised Lands data disk add to the program? Is >it worth getting? > Steve > Hard to tell; the new terrain types are eye-catching and fun, but (at least the copy I got) was a prime example of poor software quality control. Text strings showed up in the wrong boxes, so other text was absent, and the game seemed to crash every third level. My hardware is pretty vanilla, just a 2000 plus the Commodore memory expansion card porked up with an extra 8 megabytes, and a modem, always off when I played the game, and I was booting from the store bought copy. Can others confirm or deny the problems? My _impression_ was that you were still playing the same 500 levels, just with spiffy new graphics, but I didn't fight with it long enough to know that for sure. Kent, the man from xanth. <xanthian@Zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <xanthian@well.sf.ca.us>
hclausen@adspdk.CBMNET (Henrik Clausen) (08/20/90)
>In article <1990Aug19.075611.8526@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: >In article <3983@crash.cts.com> steves@pnet01.cts.com (Stephen Scheck) writes: >> >> What does the Populous Promised Lands data disk add to the program? Is >>it worth getting? >> Steve [Bad Promised Land problems deleted] >Can others confirm or deny the problems? I've had none of these problems, on my A2000, it was pretty smooth sailing. No crashes, no text overrun, just fine and slick. >My _impression_ was that you were still playing the same 500 levels, >just with spiffy new graphics, but I didn't fight with it long enough >to know that for sure. No, the lands are _much_ harder! The new graphics are real fun, in particular the Bit-planes (!!) I think it's worth getting. -Henrik -- | Henrik Clausen, Graffiti Data (Fido: 2:230/22.33) | | ...{pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!cbmehq!adspdk!hclausen | \__"Do not accept the heart that is the slave to reason" - Qawwali trad__/
dfrancis@tronsbox.xei.com (Dennis Francis Heffernan) (08/20/90)
RE The Populous Data Disks I noticed that knights weren't allowed at all- even if you went into Custom mode and allowed knights, they'd get reset back to prohibited. The game SEEMED more difficult, but that might just have been because you couldn't use knights. I didn't have any problems with it, unless that ^^^ wasn't according to the intent of the designers...the little bit of instructions that came with it didn't say. In any case, I can't play Populous any more 'cause of my 030, so it's all rather irrelevant to me... Dennis Francis Heffernan | "Remember the words of your teacher, dfrancis@tronsbox.xei.com | your master: Evil moves fast, but ...uunet!tronsbox!dfrancis | Good moves faster!" Original text (c) 1990 | --Partners in Kryme, T-U-R-T-L-E Power!
exspes@gdr.bath.ac.uk (P E Smee) (08/21/90)
In article <1990Aug19.075611.8526@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: > >Hard to tell; the new terrain types are eye-catching and fun, but >(at least the copy I got) was a prime example of poor software >quality control. Text strings showed up in the wrong boxes, so >other text was absent, and the game seemed to crash every third >level. There are apparent problems with the way the data overlaying is handled. My experience was that it was only annoying, in that it demonstrated a careless attitude. I didn't find any of the glitches to interfere with the game. (They were mostly noticeable when loading a level, and during the 'congratulations' screen between games.) >My _impression_ was that you were still playing the same 500 levels, >just with spiffy new graphics, but I didn't fight with it long enough >to know that for sure. No, some of the parameters changed as well. The two changes which I am aware of are: (1) in 'silly-land' a couple of the building sizes are 'unstable'. If left alone they die out. You have to make sure either to grow your buildings beyond the critical sizes, or to inhibit them so they don't get there. (Sorry, I don't remember offhand which they were. Easy to determine experimentally. According to Bullfrog, this WAS intentional, and is not a bug as many people seem to think.) (2) in 'lego-land' you LOSE power if one of your walkers kills an enemy walker in combat. For best effect, you have to arrange for the enemy to die of natural causes. There may be others. -- Paul Smee, Computing Service, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UD, UK P.Smee@bristol.ac.uk - ..!uunet!ukc!bsmail!p.smee - Tel +44 272 303132
colas@avahi.inria.fr (Colas Nahaboo) (08/22/90)
In article <1990Aug19.075611.8526@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>, xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: > In article <3983@crash.cts.com> steves@pnet01.cts.com (Stephen Scheck) writes: > > What does the Populous Promised Lands data disk add to the program? > My _impression_ was that you were still playing the same 500 levels, > just with spiffy new graphics, but I didn't fight with it long enough > to know that for sure. I can't tell for bugs in it (I have the st version, which is quite bug-free) but the computer tactics are much enhanced. In fact, the opponent is more like a "real" person with the data disk: It tries to attack more your leader, it seems to better "guess" what you are planning, (and it seems to make more "human" mistakes, but this I am not sure...) To my taste, the new graphics are the bad part, they are smart, but a bit confusing to the eyes. Buy it if you liked the first version, to my opinion it is worth it. If you weren't hooked on populous, then I guess there is not enough things news in the new version to justify its buy. (good thing: the codes are the same, so that you can begin to fight directly at high levels...) -- Colas Nahaboo, Bull Research France -- Koala Project -- GWM X11 Window Manager Internet: colas@mirsa.inria.fr, Phone: (33) 93.65.77.70, Fax: (33) 93 65 77 66 INRIA - Sophia Antipolis, 2004, rte des Lucioles, 06565 Valbonne Cedex, FRANCE
colas@avahi.inria.fr (Colas Nahaboo) (08/22/90)
In article <26cf7b70-85.2comp.sys.amiga.games-1@tronsbox.xei.com>, dfrancis@tronsbox.xei.com (Dennis Francis Heffernan) writes: > RE The Populous Data Disks > I noticed that knights weren't allowed at all Its a bug. knights works in the ST version. -- Colas Nahaboo, Bull Research France -- Koala Project -- GWM X11 Window Manager Internet: colas@mirsa.inria.fr, Phone: (33) 93.65.77.70, Fax: (33) 93 65 77 66 INRIA - Sophia Antipolis, 2004, rte des Lucioles, 06565 Valbonne Cedex, FRANCE