Acorn Gaming: May 2000 News

[NEWS]

may 2000

28/5/2000

It may have missed its originally scheduled release date by literally years(!), but Paradise's Overload is now finally available! A horizontally-scrolling shoot-em-up, look out for a full review on Acorn Gaming in the near future. In addition a demo version will be available from Paradise's website very soon.
Julian Brown has released a free 32-bit version of the classic BBC A&F Software game, Cylon Attack - download it from his website (the source is also available). It uses 3D graphics instead of sprites, but I'm sure it's much easier than the original game used to be! It's several levels in before you can really get damaged at all. Good fun, though, especially if you remember the original!
Musus Umbra has updated his port of text-character-graphics role-playing game Angband to version 2.9.0 - download it from his website
There is now a patch to allow Alone in the Dark to run properly on StrongARM machines
Matthew Mckinnon has said that work on his Civilisation-like game, Darklands, is continuing well and that he hopes to complete it by September this year. Apparently development had previously been delayed due to a harddisc failure.
R-Comp are now selling the promised 'TBA CD' containing some of TBA's games (sadly not Axis), plus their 3D game creation tool, TAG1, and the source code for it. The games are BHP, Cobalt Seed, Formula Two Thousand, Command Ship, Merp and DragonBall, and the source is provided for BHP and Cobalt Seed. TBA Classics costs £22 fully inclusive.
RiscAction's previously announced shoot-em-up CD, containing Nevryon and Technodream, has been delayed.

6/5/2000

When TBA Software announced their closure a couple of months ago, partner Martin Piper stated that they would soon make the source code for their games and tools freely available from their website. He also told me that this would probably mean the free release of their games too. Now, however, a new announcement from R-Comp Interactive reveals that they are about to publish a "TBA Collection CD" which will contain TBA's games plus source code and development tools. Clearly this is to be a commercial product, so TBA's catalogue of tools and games may not be released for free after all.
Acorn User magazine's forthcoming August issue contains their 10th 'official' cover CD and it's a games special. Recently confirmed additions to the disc include a selection of games published by Krisalis, including Gods, Cannon Fodder and Lemmings. Other contents include what is described as a "tonne" of free games.
If you fancy trying out a RISC OS version of #MahJong then you could download David Chapman's version

1/5/2000

Years after initially having been ported, the Acorn version of classic Bitmap Brothers top-down Commando-esque game The Chaos Engine has finally been released, R-Comp having obtained permission to finish it off and sell it. It retails at £20.
Andreas Dehmel has released version 4.1 of his free compile-it-yourself Doom player, DIY (Doom It Yourself). Take a look at his website.
Games group Visions of the Impossible are working on a new top-down racing game, Eat my Dust - more details on their webpage. They're also working on Sumisu San, an abandoned GEK projct, which they describe as a 'simple but addictive fighting game'.
RiscAction magazine have published a new CD containing shoot'em'up games. The only games they name as being on the disc are Nevryon and Technodream, the unofficial sequel to Nevryon, originally published by 4D and Superior respectively. The CD costs £12.50 - contact raeditor@hotmail.com.
Alan Trewartha has released a free 'crossword-style' game, X-Word, available from his website
Another free game release comes from Paul Vigay, whose Shanghai game is a desktop version of the classic Chinese game of patience. You can download it from his website.
If, like me, you have very fond memories of the music from Twin World then you may like to know that you can download Desktop Symphony files of the music from the Visions of the Impossible website (filetype the downloaded files from zip to 10B). Other in-game music is available from gamemusic.siliconcircus.co.uk.
Chris Bazley has released SFtoSpr for editing the textures in Star Fighter 3000. It converts the texture files into Acorn sprite files, and back - download it from his website