• Tag Archives 1995

  • Spaceward Ho!

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Spaceward Ho! (Macintosh, Windows, 1995)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/158599606061/retrocgads-usa-1995-spaceward-ho

    Spaceward Ho! is a 4X turn based sci-fi strategy game published by Delta Tao Software. The first version was released in 1990 but several versions were released subsequently. This particular ad is for version 4 which was available on the Macintosh and Windows, released in 1994 and distributed by New World Computing. One or more versions were also available for the Amiga, Palm OS, iOS and Android.

    The main claim to fame that this particular game has over other similar games is simplicity. Games are relatively fast paced and can often be completed in ten minutes to an hour. Depending on the version, it supports multi-player locally, via LAN or via the. However, it also makes a good single player vs. the computer game.

    This was one of the original games in the genre and has been very influential. Some may prefer more complicated games but many have enjoyed the elegant simplicity of this one. The latest computer version is 5.05 and was released July 8, 2003 on the Macintosh (Classic and OS X before 10.7). For Windows the latest version is 4 and for the Amiga it is version 2. Mobile versions for iOS and Android were released in 2012 and 2013 respectively.





    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana Macintosh 📎and tagged

  • Atari Jaguar (1995)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Atari Jaguar TV Commercial (1995)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/158472334433/officialfyig-via

    Despite Atari’s bad math (64-bit…sure…) the Jaguar was pretty impressive hardware at a low price.

    The Jaguar had three processors:

    • “Tom”, a 26.59 MHz processor with a 32-bit RISC core used as a GPU, 64-bit Blitter and 64-bit DRAM controller.
    • “Jerry”, a 26.59 MHz processor with a 32-bit RISC core similar to “Tom” but with a larger cache and other components intended for sound processing (two DACs, wavetable synthesis, FM synthesis). It was also responsible for timers and joystick control.
    • A Motorola 68000 running at 13.925 MHz used as a controller

    While the two special purpose chips were indeed pretty impressive for the time (this was before the PlayStation and Saturn were released), the general purpose “controller” CPU was pretty much the same as what was in the Genesis (albeit clocked almost twice as fast).

    Despite the technical advantages of the Jaguar over the competition when it was initially released, it suffered the same problem as earlier Atari systems: questionable controller design, relatively poor third party support and too little software in general, and a marketing campaign that could have been better. It’s multi-chip design also made it relatively difficult to program. It was hard for it to compete against the superior hardware of the PS1 and Saturn when they came out a short time later but more than anything it was the lack of software that made the Atari Jaguar a failure.

    The arcade games Area 51 and Maximum Force were based on Jaguar hardware with upgraded CPU (a 68020 or MIPS R3000) and more RAM.





    📂This entry was posted in Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • 1942 Pacific Air War Gold (DOS)

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    1942 Pacific Air War Gold (DOS) (1995)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/154219266900/retrocgads-usa-1995-1942-pacific-air-war




    1942: The Pacific Air War is a combat flight simulator that was developed by MicroProse and released in 1994 for DOS based computers. The Gold version includes an expansion and some multimedia extras (some of which work only with Windows 3.1, not DOS).

    This really was an excellent simulator for the time. Graphics were excellent, game play was even better, and the realism was about as good as it could be. Ten different aircraft were available, both Japanese and U.S. Individual missions could be played or entire campaigns. This game could also be played as a strategy game. In this case, your aircraft could be positioned strategically and then you could switch between them to fly whichever one you want.

    MicroProse made quality simulations throughout its existence, especially in the 1980s and first part of the 1990s. While MicroProse is sadly gone, it lives on in spirit through other developers that owe their existence to MicroProse, including Firaxis. Many older MicroProse games are still available to play in one form or another today including this one. 1942: The Pacific Air War is available on Steam for a few bucks. While I’m often not crazy about older simulators, particularly flight simulators, this one holds up pretty well in terms of fun value. The graphics don’t live up to today’s standards of course but they are good enough.

    The original minimum system requirements:

    • IBM PC 33Mhz 80386 compatible or faster
    • 4MB RAM
    • MS-DOS 5.0 or higher
    • Windows 3.1 or higher
    • Super VGA graphics for 320 x 200 x 256 colors
    • Double-speed CD-ROM drive (MSCDEX version 2.1 or later)
    • Hard drive (10MB free)
    • Mouse

    The original recommended system requirements:

    • IBM PC 80486, Pentium compatible or faster
    • 8MB RAM
    • Joystick

    Supported sound hardware includes:

    • Ad Lib
    • Covox Sound Master II
    • General MIDI
    • ProAudio Spectrum
    • Roland MT-32/CM-32/LAPC-1
    • Sound Blaster
    • Sound Blaster Pro

    Obviously the Steam version has slightly more modern requirements…


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana DOS Retro Games 📎and tagged