The following games are some of the games I've posted to make up for a lack of a game giveaway on Sunday. They are Strategy games that for their time were very good. You may need to use DOSBox for all these games, but some may play via XP, however there may be sound issues.
Netstorm:
I believe NetStorm is one of the only strategy game that was meant to be played pretty well all multiplayer, hence the name. It has a campaign which introduces the game to you but is quite a lot different than multiplayer in terms of strategy. It is useful for teaching the basics and the concept of the game which makes it so different from other strategy games, but it can't compare to multiplayer in enjoyment. For these reasons, Activision, the publisher of the game, set up a large multiplayer server where players can connect and battle each other.
The main problem with the game was security issues; when it was released it was easy to download illegally. Therefore because of this and probably bad marketing, not very many people bought the game. It was said that they actually lost money on the game. Another problem with the security was that it was incredibly easy to change the code of the game to cheat or hack the program. For example there was an easily available “right click hack” which made it so that the person who had the hack could right click on any unit and remove it, make any units invincible, give yourself infinite money, or immobilize your priest. These things caused them to shut down the multiplayer server and stop making the expansion they had started.
This was devastating for the players since multiplayer was such a huge part of the game. A lot of players wanted to get NetStorm back online but didn't have much hope since that usually doesn’t happen with games. A great group of dedicated players managed to obtain the code for a server and set up their own. Currently NetstormHQ is running the main server and NetStormWorld is running a backup server in case something happens to the main one.
NetStorm is different than other strategy games in a few aspects. In a standard strategy game you normally construct buildings where you may purchase units and then move them individually. In NetStorm, you can build different workshops on your starting island, you then research the technology from the workshop that you have learned, and then build immobile structures that attack. This wouldn't work too well on the ground, but NetStorm takes place in the skies on islands and so you deploy bridges in strategic places as if positioning an army. You build the structures off of the bridges (which you can lay for free).
The main object of a game in NetStorm is to sacrifice the enemy priest (Although in multiplayer most games end by everyone drawing because it takes longer to sacrifice the priests and they are unneeded if you’re already level 43 and don’t want to rank). To do this you must immobilize the priest by hitting it with a shooter (bolts from crossbow, disk from sun disk thrower) and then capturing him with a transport (golem, air ship), which are normally used for collecting the currency, storm crystals. Once you have immobilized the priest and then captured him with a transport you must bring him to an altar that only your priest can build (Same as the temple and workshops). Once the enemy priest is on the altar you may begin sacrificing him with your priest.
Note: Your altar is normally situated on your starting island. This is because if you had upgraded to a level two or three altar from the battle before or just haven’t used it (i.e. you lost or didn’t sacrifice a priest) it will automatically appear on your island at the start of the battle.
If you are playing multiplayer you can choose what technology you want to obtain from sacrificing a priest (In campaign levels you are given certain technology for each level that you must use) and you keep that technology with you to other battles. At level 1 you start off with a random generator (wind, thunder, rain). After you have all the technology (Level 43) and you begin sacrificing another priest, you have the option of advancing a rank. This means that you start over at level one but all of your units at 10% stronger (health, damage). This is considered "cheap" because it would be whoever plays the most would win just because of the added bonuses and not because of how good they are at the game.
Hopefully everyone will give NetStorm a shot at multiplayer and not get frustrated at the start. Bridging is a very important part of the game because you can not bridge over enemy bridges therefore they can be used as a type of barrier. This is the main reason new players lose; they can't do anything since enemy bridges block them or even surround their island. This usually causes most new players to quit from the frustration. It also doesn’t really help that the community has etiquette for playing games, unwritten rules that must be followed or else you might get “yelled at”. (The main one is that in two versus two the person who is the Battlemaster should be playing purple, his partner red, and the others should be across the ring/map for a longer battle. The main reason purple is the Battlemaster is that it most people find it easier to bridge upwards so the top people need an advantage to equal it out. The advantage from being Battlemaster is that everyone must connect to your computer while you connect to yourself instantly. In some cases because of this you can put your bridge on top of someone else’s because of the delay they get. For one versus one the Battlemaster should be red and the other blue). These are the main downsides to the tight community, but the friendship that grows from this kind of community is very enjoyable.
Since bridging is so important, it is crucial that you do it as fast as you can. To do this you must use the hotkeys q, w, a, s, z, x where each represents a different bridge slot. There are also other hot keys but they aren't nearly as important.
http://www.netstormhq.com has guides on everything you will need to know and if it is missing something we'd appreciate you letting us know. I definitely suggest you visit it and http://www.netstormworld.com (more technical help and development).
For getting started for multiplayer read the intro guide at http://www.netstormhq.com/customfiles/intro_guide.php and also play the Early Missions in the campaign to get the real basics of the game. Also if you have any questions as to what something is in the game, right click it and choose “About”. Have fun in the skies!
Download:
http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/216/NetStorm+-+Islands+at+War.html
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Battle Isle 2 Scenery CD - Titan's Legacy (88.7Mb)
Finally we've gotten our hands on Battle Isle 2 - Titan's Legacy! This baby is the expansion disc to the turn-based strategy game Battle Isle 2. An entire new campaign with 16 missions, 7 new vehicles and a whooping 10 multiplayer maps await you, the great strategist. Are you ready for battle?
After the destruction of Titan-Net in the first game, Val Haris tried to establish a democratic government on Chromos. But the minister Argok Kraal stages a coup d'etat against him, and as the game begins, Val Haris finds himself accused of high treason. You are locked away into a high-security prision. Now you have to escape the prison island you've been banished to, and restore peace and freedom on Chromos again by defeating Kraal as well as his aides, the partisan leaders Mol Durag and General Dengh.
This game is almost identical to Battle Isle 2, where the basic concept is to move your army in turn-based missions against humans or the AI. There are land-, air- and sea-based vehicles which benefit greatly from the presence of support units. These provide for example radar support, frequency jamming, repair and ammunition, up to the road-building abilty of pioneers. There are also factories, which allow you to construct new units, and cities which provide energy to power your factories. The landscape is even more detailed than in the first game, where forests provide vital coverage to your infantry and don't allow vehicles to pass, or mountains which form natural choke points.
If you've played the first game, you will have noticed that each mission will become more difficult. The expansion starts exactly where the first game ended, and it is adviced to finish the original campaign before tackling this expansion. In fact, I have been hanging on the fourth mission for a few days and still get defeated utterly. The AI really knows which are your most valuable units, and will for example launch kamikaze attacks against your only repair vehicle now. In short, even the most hardcore gamers will find this expansion beyond their skills. :)
The ability of artillery units to attack map decoration elements like in the original was removed. This makes it even more difficult as you can't blow a path through natural blockades anymore.
Download:
http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/25833/Battle+Isle+2+Scenery+CD+-+Titan%27s+Legacy.html
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Battle Isle 93 Moons of Chromos: (<1Mb)
The story about the Drullian war against Skynet Titan continues. Here's a little summary of what happened so far: In the first part of Battle Isle you were recruited by the Drullian army to lead their forces against the raging supercomputer Skynet Titan. Thanks to your great leadership, the Drulls were able to prevail against the machine, but the war was not over yet. Skynet’s desert fortress was still a big threat, and so you led your troops into the first expansion and then besieged his last outposts. Along with the victory over the last headquarters came the horrific realisation that Skynet Titan’s core unit couldn’t be found. The Drulls noticed too late that Skynet had retreated to gigantic fortifications built on the moon of Chromos. Now it is your mission to lead a small task-force to the cragged surface of the moon to fight your nemesis. But be careful - this time that nemesis is better prepared.
If you are familiar with Battle Isle, you will instantly feel comfortable with The Moon of Chromos. The interface remains the same, with all its advantages and disadvantages. The screen is divided into two parts. One half is your battle interface while the other shows the actions of your opponent, which may be the computer or a friend in a hot-seat game. This is one of the strengths of the battle system unique to the Battle Isle series: While you move your units your opponent can attack with his. Once both have completed their actions, the mode will change and you can attack with your units while your opponent moves. This way, there won’t be any traditional waiting times that are common in other turn-based strategy games.
As mentioned before, the gameplay hasn’t changed, but everything else has. The rich greens and colourful browns of the forests and deserts have been replaced with the unfriendly grey of the cratered surface and a demonic red of the many lava streams. The gigantic infrastructure of Skynet Titan makes this odd place look even more dangerous.
Now that you are fighting on enemy territory, conventional methods would be useless. For this mission you have been equipped with a brand new set of units. Many of them will seem similar to the old ones, but nearly every unit has had some modifications for fighting in the void. The ranger unit, for example, which was able to attack enemies within a range of two squares is now able to shoot even at a range of three. On the downside, the new Ranger is defenceless against units within a range of one. There are also some completely new units like the light artillery and the unbelievable command tank, which uses two(!) fields. Base fortifications and gun towers are also new.
The Moon of Chromos is the second add-on to the famous Battle Isle, and like the first one, it does not need the original game. While the desert conflict is not much more than a level upgrade, Data Disk II really deserves to be treated as a game of its own. That’s the reason why it is also referred to as Battle Isle 93. Anyone who liked the original will not be disappointed with this game. Thanks to the new units, the very good maps and the fun multiplayer mode it should keep you busy for quite some time. Have fun!
Download:
http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/362/Battle+Isle+93+-+The+Moon+of+Chromos.html
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Battle Island 2 (4Mb)
Battle Isle 2, the successor to the famous first part, is a truly unique strategy game. The designers combined the good parts of the predecessor with a brand new warfare concept. Whereas in the first game you could either move your units or attack in a turn, you can do both things in the same turn in this game. This brings new tactics and strategies and was adopted in many later games. When it came out in 1994, Battle Isle 2 was one of the first games which used this method of round-based combat, so at that time it was revolutionary.
As for the story: It continues where the first part ended. After you finished the game, a Drull spaceship (these are the good guys) comes for you and takes you to their planet which is under attack by Titan Net. You are the chosen one, who shall lead the army of the Drulls to victory.
After the intro which tells the story described above, you are thrown straight into the first mission of the main campaign which comprises twenty-four battles. The battles get tougher and tougher as you move towards your goal to defeat Titan Net. The maps are well made, but later missions become very hard to win, even on lower difficulty levels.
The strategic aspect of the game is superb; it has tons of units, from infantry robots through tanks and planes to huge battleships, each with different attributes and weapons systems, making most of them vital for the game, so you will have to use most of them to achieve victory. Many units have more than one weapon, which gives you even more flexibility when using them. Another good thing is that units gain experience, which does make a difference in this game, as veteran units get huge bonuses and can often hold off more powerful but inexperienced units. The map also has strategic value, as the weather and the terrain will have an impact on your tactics.
The graphics looked very good at the time of release, but today the best word to describe them would be 'functional', although the handpainted maps and the rendered units between the battles still look good. The music and sound effects are also nothing special. The user interface is quite easy to use once you have got the hang of it - but that will take some time, as it is a bit unconventional. I would rate the game at 4, as it is very good, but too difficult for Joe Gamer, who will become frustrated after some missions.
Battle Isle 2 is truly one of the best strategy games of the era, though one of the most difficult ones. If you have tons of free time and like a challenge, you should try defeating Titan Net.
Download:
http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/452/Battle+Isle+2.html
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