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Archon to be Revived

Posted by Zonk on from the p4wn3d! dept.

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!"

21 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. POWER OVERWHELMING by mmkkbb · · Score: 3, Funny

    Where'd they get the Templar Archives? As far as I know, humanity has not yet made contact with the Protoss.

    --
    -mkb
  2. 8 bit propritary code ... hm ... by ArmorFiend · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The game is not open source because it contains some of the original 8-bit code

    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!

    1. Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... by Godeke · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I had the same thought.. the board cycle and the character attributes are really quite straightforward to understand, and I'm sure *somebody* could draw new pictures for the handful of pieces, weapons and "terrain" such as it was. I loved Archon, but it was basically a chessboard with a sprite on sprite battle on each capture attempt.

      --
      Sig under construction since 1998.
    2. Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... by Furry+Ice · · Score: 2, Insightful

      There is always xarchon. Personally, I prefer to use VICE to emulate the original C64 game.

    3. Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That leaves core game logic, which is probably copyrighted.

      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.

    4. Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... by LordOfYourPants · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah man, the code is protected in a hardcore way too. They did a poke 775,171 and EVERYTHING!

    5. Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... by Phoenix-IT · · Score: 3, Funny

      Because classic gaming is übergeek, of course!

    6. Re:8 bit propritary code ... hm ... by tgibbs · · Score: 2, Informative

      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.

      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 ethically obliged to honor that. And even if they implement new logic, they may well decide to provide an option to play with the original game logic, in the interests of authenticity.

  3. Wahay, nostalgia-tastic by chihiro · · Score: 4, Funny

    Brings a tear to the eye... brings back memories of my youth, playing it on my trusty. Back when in the age of proper computer games...

    "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"

    --
    Memes don't exist. Spread the Word.
  4. Wrath Unleashed by philiptan · · Score: 2, Informative
    There was a PS2/Xbox game released by Lucasarts in early 2004 called Wrath Unleashed. I wouldn't call it an Archon sequel or remake, but it certainly draws lots of inspiration from Archon. Pity about the long load times (at least on my Xbox). If you've got $10 and a preowned bin nearby, and desperately need some console hex-map turn-based strategy, it isn't that bad a game.

    http://www.lucasarts.com/products/wrath/

    1. Re:Wrath Unleashed by vjmurphy · · Score: 2, Informative

      Also, The Unholy War on the PSOne is another Archon-like game.

      --
      Vincent J. Murphy
      Spandex Justice
  5. While you're waiting for this... by ZipR · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Check out this Quake 3 Archon mod. Pretty cool! http://www.planetquake.com/brazen/arq/images.shtml

  6. DirectX vs. OpenGL by White+Roses · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a legit question, because, frankly, I wonder. Why can't this particular program use OpenGL rather than DirectX? OpenGL would most likely make the porting efforts less time-consuming, as Linux, most *nix and Mac OS X all support OpenGL, but DirectX is Windows only. OpenGL also works on Windows does it not? Is DirectX so much easier that it's worth the porting time? If you start from the get-go with porting in mind, why use DirectX? Someone please educate me.

    --
    Do not touch -Willie
    1. Re:DirectX vs. OpenGL by r_benchley · · Score: 2, Informative
      From the FAQ:
      We now have long term plans to port Archon: Evolution to both MAC and UNIX platforms. We plan to move away from the DirectX for the core game engineat some point, whichwill make such a migration easier.
      They probably started the project as Windows only, and decided after the fact to port it to OS X and other UNIX systems. After they get the 1.0 release out the door, they'll probably move over to a more platform agnostic library like OpenGL.
  7. Done and done by T-Ranger · · Score: 2, Funny
    • ftp://arnold.c64.org/pub/games/a/
    • http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Games/Gaming_ Utilities/Frodo.html
    Add network play:
    • http://www.realvnc.com/
  8. Huh? by b1t+r0t · · Score: 2, Insightful
    There are long term plans to port to Macintosh and UNIX environments, but no details at the moment.

    Then why was this posted to the front page of apple.slashdot.org?

    --

    --
    "Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
    "Open source is evil." - Microsoft
  9. Why is this in the Apple section? by John+Harrison · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Also, while Archon is great, somebody needs to do a faithful rendition of MULE.

    --
    Lasers Controlled Games!
  10. Atari 800 by SoCalEd · · 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...

    --
    Insert witty comment *here*. I'm fresh out of wit...
  11. Dark Legions by Marc_Hawke · · Score: 2, Informative

    http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=275

    I found the link to Dark Legions

    --
    --Welcome to the Realm of the Hawke--
  12. Re:Archon II by Sigma+7 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    How about Archon II (for the c64 at least)? I liked that game a lot more. Fun stuff.
    If you're going to recommend a sequel, try Archon III. This is a true sequel, unlike Archon II, as it fufills the rule of the original game(s) being much better.

    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.
  13. Re:Archon II by Sigma+7 · · Score: 2, Informative

    I can describe it right here. The game area is a basic ring, with units being inserted on the left and right sides. You control one unit at a time in attempt to go to a one-on-one showdown where all the units basically have a same aura attack. (A bug in the game tends to favour player one, but that's another story.) The final confrontation with the two exeters is basically the same. There is no AI support.

    That's basically it. Anything from the first two archons have been removed entirely, thus making Archon III entirely bad. And as we know, bad sequels are true sequels. :)

    You can download it from arnold.c64.org, and it works fine. But Archon I and Archon II are better download choices instead - they're much more entertaining.