Re: Your best 3-D 8-bit Apple II game list?

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Cturley2 writes ...
> 
> Rubywand wrote:
> <<My chief criticism of Elite's 3-D space combat is that good battle
> tactics requires firing the moment you pick up an enemy blip. Letting enemy
> ships get close enough to see any real detail means taking too many hits.
> Still, I've logged way too many hours on Elite to not like the game (even
> though it may not actually be winable). >>
> 
> During my break between movies today I read the above and felt the need  to
> reply.
> 
> All games can be won - if you are persistent enough to learn their weak points,
> their tricks, their motivational design and their logic.
> 
> I've no doubt that the 'Elite'  Apple II game can be won - using the above
> outline.  I don't like playing computer games much at all.  I do however enjoy
> playing the Apple II 'Elite' game very much and I'm sure that ***EVENTUALLY***
> it will be won.
> 
> I trust you understand my post and reply???   :-)
> 
 ....

     Think so.

     Yes; it is possible to figure out your 'character' parms and change them
to strengthen your character, increase rank, soup-up your ship, or get past
some barrier. And/or you can crack the copy protection so that you have
access to the game code and can modify the game to get around some glitch.
(Or, you can find out enough about the game from the code to solve a game
problem without making changes.)

     For example, it is not too difficult to create a better ship, give
yourself $$$, or to force an "Elite" ranking.

     The problem in Elite is that you want to get around what appears to be a
gap in the adventure so that the game can progress normally.

     Specifically, you finally get to the big showdown battle with the Evil
space ship (the one mentioned in the scenario novella).  It's not an easy
battle; but, by then you are rated "Deadly" with lots of combat, thousands of
kills, and a ship you've armed to the teeth. You win and obtain some goodie
(think it's a Naval Power Pack).  Then, as far as I can tell, nothing!

     It looks like you should get a promotion to "Elite" and that either the
game should declare that you've won and end OR the game should point you to
some biggee mission against the Thargoids (bug-type invaders).

     Possibly, the game does have a special sequence after your victory over
the Evil ship; but, it may get circumvented if you happen to press some key
before the message is displayed. Or, the game may assume that you will dock
at the station orbiting the planet where the battle occurred and obtain
special information.

     There may be a message saying to go somewhere to meet with the Dark
Wheel or it may outline a new mission. But, once you've been flagged as
having gotten the message (which you missed due to a keypress before the
message was displayed), you never get a chance to see it again.

     So, yes; it is _possible_ to fix the problem, contine play, and win.
However, because you wish to avoid a meat axe approach which spoils play,
this sort of fix is among the more difficult to pull off.



Rubywand