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Big Blue Disk 53
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DISKOVER.TXT
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1991-01-16
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5KB
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85 lines
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|C║ |5First Things First|C ║ ^1 Diskovery |C ║ |5First Things First|C ║
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^Cby
^CJay Wilbur
^C"Give me a fast computer and I'll give you the world."
When personal computers were first introduced, a small handful of software
developers decided to write software that mimicked real life experiences in as
much detail as they could. This software, known as simulation software, was a
hit. Sub Logic's Flight Simulator, for example, put you in the seat of a
small aircraft that you flew anywhere you wanted without ever leaving your
desk. It was a great program for its time. It was the only real simulation
program of its time.
Of course back then the graphic shapes were hokey wire frame 3-D. The
software ran slowly and it lacked a certain fluidity that reality provides.
But that was then and this is now. Simulation software has grown up quite a
bit since those early days. In fact I would advise you to hold onto your seat
with some of the newer titles. They are nothing less than amazing!
The wire frame 3-D shapes are a thing of the past. Today's software uses
polygon based 3-D images. This is where the world and all the elements within
are made up of solid shapes. The shapes are nothing more than thousands of
polygons positioned to make whatever shape is needed. Using polygons you can
make planes, cars, cows, landscapes, kiwi fruit, the list goes on forever.
It's the same very powerful graphics technique that is employed in the serious
flight trainers used to train both commercial and military pilots. Only now
it's available for you to use in your home or office (just don't let your boss
catch you).
If cars are your bag, I would advise you to check out Test Drive III
(Accolade), or Stunts (Broderbund). The former follows the theme of the
original Test Drive titles. You must go from point A to point B with the
fastest time. The car roster includes such machines as the Lamborghini
Diablo, Chevy's prototype CERV III estimated to cost $400,000, and the
Pininfarina MYTHOS whose list price is (hang on boys and girls) $2,516,250.
TD III shines above its predecessors by allowing you to drive anywhere you
want to in the world supplied. If you want to take your $2,000,000 MYTHOS out
for a little 4-wheelin'--GO FOR IT! If you want to follow the train that just
went by, turn onto the tracks and follow it.
Of course the police still chase you down if you run a red light or you get
caught doing 170 mph in a 55 mph zone. The traffic that plagues your fit for
speed is also there. Nothing like slamming head on into an 18 wheeler at 150
mph. If you feel like racing, pull up one of the computer controlled cars and
let'er rip. When you want to put a friend in his place use the head to head
option and burn rubber.
Stunts is a driving simulation with a twist--and a loop the loop, and a few
jumps. You got it, you have to negotiate stunt tracks. If you've ever seen
Hard Drivin', or Race Drivin'(Atari) in the arcades you know how these games
play. You hop in your car and rip down the course trying to beat the best
score. For your first few outings the high score will be just a dream, your
goal will be to stay alive long enough to finish.
The car roster in STUNTS is a motor-head's dream. They have everything
from the Porsche March Indy cars to the Acura NSX. In between are Corvettes,
Lamborghinis (even the 4-wheel drive LM-002), and Ferraris. The roster totals
out at eleven dream machines. If you were to go out and buy these moving
violations waiting to happen it would cost you a mere $164,420,000. Of course
the first insurance payment would put most of us into the poor house.
Included on the disk are opponents and tracks of varying skill. You can
select opponents from the likes of "Squealin" Bernie Rubber, who is still
trying to figure out what a standard transmission is, to Skid Vicious, who
will show you the true meaning of "Eat My Dust". The game has a number of
different tracks and provides a way to make your own when (if) you master the
ones supplied. This game will keep you going for hours, or in my case weeks.
Both of these simulators provide an instant replay camera allowing you to
go back and see your most awesome crashes and victories from any angle at any
distance. Stunts even lets you save the best runs for later review.
Simulators sure have come a long way since the days of wire frame 3-D. I
almost expect to see a lawsuit between the Grand Architect of the Universe and
some software company because they infringed on his divine right in the use of
reality to create worlds.
See you in 30,
J