BattleForce

1990 SyksyWhat are the huge 20-100-ton metal monsters that hurl flaming rockets, devastating energy bursts and exploding metal at each other? Who are the warriors of the future, idolised by the people, whose match in bravery history will be hard put to find? Well, the monsters are Battlemechs and the men Mechwarriors. These vertebrae make up the backbone of future warfare.

The universe has changed a great deal. Mankind has spread far out into space, and people being what they are, they can't help it: they itch to kill. All was well as long as the Star League was going strong, but then 75% of the army melted away beyond the edge of the known universe.

That set off the wars between the power blocs over power, planets and BattleMech production sites, in other words the Successor Wars, and demand for mercenaries was huge. This is where you yourself come into the picture, as a lonely little .MechWarrior who can shoot a bit and pilot a 'Mech. You're feeling broke, and the way to get rich is to fight in the arena for money, glory, titles and spare parts - or a little grave plot all your own. Once you have more money, you can found your own mercenary unit (1-12 'Mechs), and that's when the fun really starts...

BattleForce is an incredible program. How on earth has one person managed to make something like this, as PD? BattleForce knocks the wind out of 99 percent of Amiga programs, and surely some games house would be interested in publishing it. The author has already turned out who knows how many ever-improved versions, and there's no end in sight. Not much will be missing any more once DropShips turn up too, as they presumably will, and perhaps the other missing combat arms.

The program isn't limited to fighting alone. Wars bring damage, and so the 'Mechs have to be repaired. That brings in the repair shops, where worn-out 'Mechs get fresh parts bolted on or the damaged ones get fixed. As long as your stash holds out, you can also modify a 'Mech to your heart's content, provided the weight doesn't grow too much. And nothing stops you from building a 'Mech entirely of your own.

Heat is even more dangerous than the enemy. Everything you do raises the 'Mech's heat, and if there's too much of it the 'Mech shuts down or the ammo goes BANG. This imposes the biggest limits in combat. Each weapon produces a different amount of heat, but the output varies too. So the rate of fire depends on how well the 'Mech can quickly soak away the excess heat.

The control and combat systems are implemented with rare ingenuity. Each uses its own menu, independent of the other, with all the movement commands naturally crammed into one of them and vice versa. This makes for smooth warfare once you've first grasped the principle.

What kind of game is it where you don't get promotions or money? BattleForce offers both to skilful warriors. Every warrior starts at the Green level and can advance to Regular, Veteran and Elite, with the pay rising of course. Extra money can be earned if the Unit pays its warriors shares of scrapped enemy 'Mechs. With experience points and promotions you can improve your skills as a better guarantee of survival; a single point more of shooting skill can decide who dies. Still, it all comes down to luck in the end.

On the repair shop side a technician comes into play; after all, the 'Mechs have to be made battle-ready again. The better the technician, the better and cheaper the repairs. And the more surely the repaired weapons will also work later on, instead of falling to pieces after the first shot, as happened to the undersigned in three consecutive battles to two 'Mechs as they fired their AutoCannon 20s.

Nor will you get bored by any sameness in the maps. The terrain types include hills, forests and lakes (four different variants of each), ice, sand and rocky ground, and there's even open ground on offer. In Combat Patrol missions the program makes the terrain itself, whereas in Combat-Missions you at least get to tweak the parameters to your liking. On top of that you can make your own maps with the included map-making routine.

BattleForce has more substance than most strategy games, and it's also better made than most of its commercial rivals. It should be noted, though, that the version described is the author's registered copy, which includes the Warrior and Factory programs, in other words your own characters and the 'Mech repair shop. The freely distributed PD version doesn't have these; there you have to make do with the ready-made characters - which will certainly keep you playing for weeks on end. To get the full version you have to toss the author a bit of currency.