Archon to be Revived 90
Phoenix-IT writes "How many of you remember the classic strategy game Archon? Curve Software is remaking the original game for DirectX with support for network play. Distribution details are undetermined. There are long term plans to port to Macintosh and UNIX environments, but no details at the moment. The game is not open source because it contains some of the original 8-bit code, which was donated to the project, but a public beta might be on the way!"
Archon II (Score:1)
Re:Archon II (Score:3, Interesting)
Getting other people to play that game was a Kodak moment - the realization that the series has been driven into the ground after they saw the wonders of the first two games.
Re:Archon II (Score:1)
Re:Archon II (Score:3, Informative)
That's basically it. Anything from the first two archons have been removed entirely, thus making
POWER OVERWHELMING (Score:4, Funny)
Re:POWER OVERWHELMING (Score:2)
I remember it on the Amiga (Score:2)
Re:I remember it on the Amiga (Score:2)
-S
8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:5, Insightful)
So, let me get this straight, they want to develop a new archon, but gosh darn it, we can't because we've got this legacy 8 bit code?!
Gentlemen, this game is mind-numbingly straightforward to code. We're talking IJKL controls moving sprites around the screen. Throw out the 20 year old code. Then open it up. Do or do not, there is no try!
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:2)
I don't think they're talking about bit blitting and sprite handling, here. The game is being re-worked to render in DirectX. That leaves core game logic, which is probably copyrighted. Since they're doing all this with the cooperation of the game's original developer, I imagine they'd like to stay on his good side.
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:4, Interesting)
Right on the front page, they brag: "Improved computer AI". That's a change. And once you make one change to the gameplay experience (aside from just prettier graphics and sound), there is no reason to keep on with the old code.
The only possible explanation to keep the original code in there is if it produced very subtle effects that old-time players could remember with instinctive muscle-memory.
That explanation just doesn't stand up to scrutiny: the game logic of Archon is hardly any more complex than that of Tetris. It would certainly be less work to re-implement it from the basic design than to deal with creating an 8-bit execution environment on a 32-bit PC.
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:3, Informative)
One change does not cancel out copyright, it just creates a derivative work. The same goes for a reimplementation based in part on the original code. And in any case, if the original source was donated on the basis that it not be divulged, it would seem that the project is ethicall
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:2)
That's not what I said. Copyright is irrelevant here- the thing is, if they're going to change even one little thing about the gameplay, then there is NO reason to use any of the original code whatsoever.
The other respondant mentioned Tetris, and that's a fine example. Almost any game programmer could clone Tetris from memory, without looking at the original code at all. However, there are subtlties of the way the original Nintendo Tetrises played, which possib
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:2)
Whether or not they use the actual code, the fact that they have seen it means that it would be hard for them to prove, or even to be sure themselves, that they have not used algorithms from the original code. This is why reverse engineering is generally done under "clean room" conditions by people who ha
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:2)
What are all of those colors? My brain can't interpret them all at once. I'll bet they even improved the sound. Pff. ;)
I'm with you on the emulation. I'm actually hoping that the network code adds something extra cool.
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:2)
Will the game be open source?
No. Portions of the code contain elements from the original 8bit source code (Icon attributes etc). Jon Freeman kindly provided us with much of the original (and Amiga) "C" code, and ownership remains with him.
Just remember the original game was published by EA.
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:2)
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... (Score:2)
(c)1978 bsd.
Wahay, nostalgia-tastic (Score:4, Funny)
"When I were a lad we only had 48K to play with on my spectrum"
"48K! luxury! My ZX81 had 1K and a 16K RAM pack that crashed as soon as you breathed on it"
Back when? I played it *YESTERDAY*!!! (Score:1)
The golden age of classic gaming is today, my friends! Sure, I could dig out my old 64 and the original Archon disk, but why bother when emulation lets me cram all of my best C-64, Atari 2600, and arcade games into a 12" laptop and play during my lunch hour? Hell, I've got a ZX81 emulator as well, though admittedly I don't have much use for it.
-Cybrex
Re:Back when? I played it *YESTERDAY*!!! (Score:1)
If, God forbid, I was in the military and about to be deployed overseas I'd bring a couple DVDs with MAME and console ROMs, and plenty of Apple ][ and C64 games. With many emulators of course.
Re:Back when? I played it *YESTERDAY*!!! (Score:2)
If you don't have an old joystick around and you want to get the classic feel - you can always get a Classic Joystick [redoctane.com] - full Atari style with a USB connector.
Re:Back when? I played it *YESTERDAY*!!! (Score:1)
-Cybrex
Wrath Unleashed (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.lucasarts.com/products/wrath/ [lucasarts.com]
Re:Wrath Unleashed (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Wrath Unleashed (Score:2)
Re:Wrath Unleashed (Score:1)
It was from 1994 or 1995. I haven't been able to find any information online about it, but feel free to look.
Dark Legions (Score:3, Informative)
I found the link to Dark Legions
I don't remember (Score:2)
Not me. Nope. Not a clue.
What I DO remember is "MacFoxex". When is THAT going to be revived? Now there's old school quality...
While you're waiting for this... (Score:4, Interesting)
The best archon-like so far... (Score:2)
Archon Ultra, also distributed by SSI, was good but not quite great, and my floppies died so fast that I never got to really play.
Both came out in 1994, but I guess my CD version of Dark Legion lasted longer than the floppy version of Ultra. Must have something to do with a 400 watts bass amp sitting next to my PC at the time.
I still have my archon.exe on more than one hard disk at home.
Re:The best archon-like so far... (Score:2)
How cool! (Score:2)
What awesome news! I've been into old games lately (such as Star Control II/Ur Quan Masters). I wonder if Paul Reiche III [toysforbob.com] had anything to do with this (since he had quite a bit to do with the free release of SC2/Ur Quan Masters) and was on the design team for each of these games. Man, Archon was a sweet game. I can't wait until they release it...with network support, noless!
DirectX vs. OpenGL (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:DirectX vs. OpenGL (Score:2)
Re:DirectX vs. OpenGL (Score:2)
Re:DirectX vs. OpenGL (Score:2, Informative)
Re:DirectX vs. OpenGL (Score:2)
Re:DirectX vs. OpenGL (Score:2)
Re:DirectX vs. OpenGL (Score:1)
Archon Evolution... (Score:1)
Re:Archon Evolution... (Score:1)
Archon was awesome (Score:2)
Already a new archon... (Score:1)
Done and done (Score:3, Funny)
We miss you..... (Score:2)
Re:We miss you..... (Score:2)
Re:We miss you..... (Score:2)
Huh? (Score:3, Insightful)
Then why was this posted to the front page of apple.slashdot.org?
Re:Huh? (Score:1)
Offtopic but I have to ask (Avalon Hill's Galaxy) (Score:2)
I know that this isn't about Archon but I figure that if anybody reading this even knows what Archon was they might have an old Galaxy disk laying somewhere.
Re: (Score:2)
Another off-topic but... (Score:1)
Why is this in the Apple section? (Score:5, Interesting)
uh, port? (Score:2)
Yeah, right, I'll just type that up on my invisible typewriter.
Atari 800 (Score:2, Interesting)
Archon is one of the main reasons why I still have my old Atari 800XL hooked up and working.
If that doesn't qualify me to carry a geek license, nothing does....
I just hope they don't over-engineer it. It was the simplicity which made the game addictive. Ah, how I loved that unicorn...
Re:Atari 800 (Score:1)
Hm, screenshots don't seem too over-engineered. Compared to Wrath Unleashed at least...
(*still not sure what the four metal switches on the back do that some previous owner installed; no manuals and the disk drive's dead)
Re:Atari 800 (Score:2)
Re:Atari 800 (Score:1)
Nostalgia, plain and simple. I cut my teeth on a Sinclair before moving on to a TI99-4A then the Atari, but the Atari is where I spent my time. Way too much time. Because of Archon, the Infocom games, Jumpman, Seven Cities of Gold, etal., I'll always have a soft spot for my Atari system.
Oh, and I do still have my NES and Atari 2600 running as well...
Emulation is great, I have a full-blown MAME project in process, but there's nothing like playing the classics on the old iron.
Direct X (Score:2)
Re:Direct X (Score:1)
Re:Direct X (Score:1)
Meanwhile... (Score:2)
8 Bit Code... (Score:1)
Already been done in OSS GPL XArchon (Score:2)
A:E will be multi-format! (Score:1)
Sequels, Sequels (Score:2)