Fortress, Atartris / games / shareware, PD
From: Michael Current (aa700@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 03/26/92-09:21:23 AM Z
From: aa700@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Michael Current)
Subject: Fortress, Atartris / games / shareware, PD
Date: Thu Mar 26 09:21:23 1992
Reprinted from Current Notes, Vol. 12, No. 1, January/February 1992
(More) Tetris, Anyone?
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by Steve Hoffee
Okay, for you fanatics who didn't get enough 8-bit Tetris in the
July CN, we'll have to go at it one last time. Since this Russian-born
game hit American shores a few years ago, it has become a craze
everywhere. It seems everybody has jumped on the bandwagon, from
(pardon my language) Nintendo, Apple, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy, to our
superior 8-bit Ataris (no prejudice here!).
Of course, the object of Tetris is to manipulate differently shaped
objects to form a solid line at the bottom of the playing area, thus
clearing that line from the screen. After a certain number of lines are
completed and cleared, you can move on to the next level of play. There
are many versions of Tetris available, but this review deals with just
two of them: Fortress and Atartris. I used a 130XE and a 1050 drive,
but these programs should work fine with any ATARI 48K computer and disk
drive.
Fortress Ver. 2.0
Written by one Zark Wizard, Fortress, upon loading, presents you
with a very good title screen almost assuring you of more good graphics
to come. By pressing START you go to the Options Menu which gives you
the choise of: 1) Play, 2) Choose Music, or 3) Game Options.
This screen also shows promise of more good graphics to come. The
options are easy to understand and change. The Choose Music option
allows you to choose one of three song titles that will be played during
the game. You also have the Music Off option, which I preferred due to
the monotony of the music.
There are six game options available:
o Controller Type (joystick or keyboard).
o Starting Level (1-9), with 9 being warp speed.
o Block Height (0-9). This puts blocks on the bottom of the screen
from 0 to 9 lines. When this function is activated it leaves gaps in
the lines which can't be filled, therefore it isn't recommended unless
you enjoy punishment.
o Next Object (hint area ON or OFF)
o Clear Hi-Scores
o Sound Effects (ON or OFF). Sound is automatically off when music is
selected.
The playing screen consists of a Playing Field (on the left half)
and a Hint, Score, Lines Completed, Level and all available objects
screen on the right. The graphics on this screen were a little
disappointing, compared to the first two screens. I use a TV, rather
than a monitor, which tended to make some of the smaller lettering bleed
together. At the bottom of the playing area you have the options to
PAUSE, QUIT or LINES. The latter puts white vertical lines on the field
for easier alignment of the objects. Although this option does come in
handy, it is somewhat distracting. It would have been better having the
lines light grey so they wouldn't stand out so much.
As for playability, Fortress is fun and very challenging at the
higher levels (if you get there). The objects that appear on the field
are displayed, and kept account of, to the right of the playing area.
The numbers next to the seven objects show how many times that object
has been ysed. You also get a 200 point bonus every time you clear a
line. Overall, I enjoyed this game and its features. The author
obviously devoted considerable effort packing every feature he could
into this game. The program is shareware and is certainly worthy of a
contribution to the author. It's also worthy of a place in your library
if you're a Tetris fan. I'd give this game a B- as an overall grade.
Atartris Ver. 1.01
Programmed by Steve Budrys, this game can in no way be compared to
Fortress. While it lacks Fortress's flashy title screen and options
menu, it makes up the deficiency in versatility, playability and ease of
use.
Atartris's Options Menu is completely joystick-driven and is so
simple a child can easily make all of his/her choices (provided he can
read). I tested this with four sixth-graders (thanks Stefanee, Nicole,
Meghan and Sarah!), and they got several levels further into the game
than I had expected. They especially enjoyed the fact that they could
play each other (in two-player mode), with the first one completing nine
lines getting the bonus before they moved on to the next level.
This game, at level A, starts out slow and then progressively
speeds up at the completion of each level. There are 26 levels, making
this a game for all ages. When a level is completed, the entire playing
area is cleared before you start the next level--a most rewarding
feature. The Options Menu contains a number of features to customize
the game to your own personal taste. Also included are instructions on
how to use a different font and configuration setup which will load upon
booting (however, I found the menu to be so simple and quick that these
weren't really necessary).
The Options Menu consists of:
> Play The Game Already
> 1 or 2 players
> Singles are OK (not OK)
> All Pieces Rotate (most, some, few, or none)
> Alignment Guide (OFF or ON)
> Start at Level A-Z
> Preview one piece (none, 4, 3 or 2)
> Pieces Rotate Clockwise (Counter-Clockwise)
> View Hi-Scores
> About "Atartris" (a brief note and acknowledgements to friends,
along with ways to get in touch with the author).
The game options menu alone offers a lot more than most Tetris
clones. Being public domain, the price is irresistible and a "must
have" for any gamer. I was going to give this game an overall grade of
B+ until a friend of mine sent me Atartris II over the modem last night
(thanks, Craig)! The new features now include:
o Permanent Hi-Score file
o Two-Player Cooperation Mode (where you work together rather than
complete)
o Lines-To-Go Display
o Lines-Completed-Display
o High Score (Includes Lines and Levels)
o Structure Height Bonus
o Bonus For Clearing Board
o Second Player Join-In Feature (a second player can join in at the
beginning of any level)
o Scoring Multiplier
With all these additional features, I'd have to give Atartris II an
A. (If it had flashy graphics I'd rate it A+). I've asked a number of
people which Tetris clone they liked best, and without exception, the
answer was Atartris (now it's Atartris II). Until next time, keep your
eyes on the monitor and your hands on the joystick (sung to the melody
of "Roadhouse Blues" by The Doors)!
Fortress and Atartris are available from Sagamore Software, 2104
Arapahoe Dr., Lafayette IN 47905, on their Game Disk #81 (along with
Zybex and Tetrix) for $3.00 plus a $2.00 handling fee for orders of less
than ten disks. (The disk contains .DOC files for the Tetris games but
not for Zybex.) Atartris II is available from MAPDA-USA Branch (333
Peninsula Dr., Lake Almanor CA 97137) on Disk #403 for $3.50 including
postage if you order just that one disk. All three of these games are
also available from the library in the ATARI8 RT on Genie; the file
numbers are: Fortress - #4878, Atartris - #4910, and Atartris II -
#5271.
--
Michael Current, Cleveland Free-Net 8-bit Atari SIGOp -->> go atari8 <<--
The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG is the Central Atari Information Network
Internet: currentm@carleton.edu / UUCP: ...!umn-cs!ccnfld!currentm
BITNET: currentm%carleton.edu@{interbit} / Cleveland Free-Net: aa700
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