Watching the Computerphile blog, celebrating the Acorn Archimedes at 30 years old, and who's game should pop up.. Lander!
Your work lives on.
Your work lives on.
Mr. Braben Lander from 1987
- Thread starter robbyp
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If i'm not mistaken that looks like it must have been the pre-demo of 'Virus', had it on the Atari ST and Amiga back in the day 
If i'm not mistaken that looks like it must have been the pre-demo of 'Virus', had it on the Atari ST and Amiga back in the day
It was released on the Arc as 'Zarch'. Fun game, but surprisingly difficult
First time playing that game was the first time I actually handled a mouse.
I was impressed by the graphics, but completely unable to fly the damn ship
I was impressed by the graphics, but completely unable to fly the damn ship
Hilarious game! You could hover your little ship and spin it while firing to blat the swarms of A.I. Zooming along the landscape was also great fun.
But yeah, that control system. Sweet jeez it was hard!
But yeah, that control system. Sweet jeez it was hard!
ED FAoff is harder.
Long time Virus player on the Amiga. And V2000 on PC, which (I believe) shared its engine with Infestation, which I keep getting vibes of when I'm down on a planet surface in Elite...
Anyway, I'd like it if some more bits of Lander/Zarch/Virus leaked into Elite: mostly the skimmer as a low-altitude flying SRV (with a cargo hoist facility?), but also destroyable sensor networks that would influence how ground defences react to your approach. Although I wouldn't say no to fire breathing dragons on some atmospheric planets, just to liven things up a bit.
Anyway, I'd like it if some more bits of Lander/Zarch/Virus leaked into Elite: mostly the skimmer as a low-altitude flying SRV (with a cargo hoist facility?), but also destroyable sensor networks that would influence how ground defences react to your approach. Although I wouldn't say no to fire breathing dragons on some atmospheric planets, just to liven things up a bit.
As a perma FAOFF pilot... NO! :|
I concur.
3rd person FA-off is insanely difficult, especially when the ship is facing you and the controls are all backwards.
I challenge you - imagine playing the game in OP with ED's FAoff model. It'd be way harder without rotation damping.
Ulysses... It's not that hard. Seriously.
I think you said once you use some input curves? I was too lazy to bother downloading something for that.
I never owned an Amiga, I just had a C64. [sad]
But I loved my C64, so I'm okay!
The C64 was my first computer. You never forget your first... Good times.
A great name. Happy days
I used to be an excellent pilot in Zarch. Obviously being an excellent pilot is just natural for me, and any dents in planets / stations / other ships are pure coincidence.
Anyway, I was really good at Zarch. To me Zarch's flight controls were much harder than ED flight assist off. I suspect it makes a difference what controls you're using for Elite.
The Bombers were the hardest things in Zarch, apart from finding that big fish.... I preferred Conqueror as a game, though, which used the same engine. Ah, nostalgia...
Anyway, I was really good at Zarch. To me Zarch's flight controls were much harder than ED flight assist off. I suspect it makes a difference what controls you're using for Elite.
The Bombers were the hardest things in Zarch, apart from finding that big fish...
. I preferred Conqueror as a game, though, which used the same engine. Ah, nostalgia...