🚀 go-pugleaf

"Rin Stowleigh" wrote
>
> http://www.archonclassic.com/

Needs quicktime, thanks but no thanks.

"MetalGuru" <someone@email.com> wrote in message 
news:i0guem$1bm$1@news.eternal-september.org...
> "Rin Stowleigh" wrote
>>
>> http://www.archonclassic.com/
>
> Needs quicktime, thanks but no thanks.
>

What do you have against Quicktime?
 

"MetalGuru" <someone@email.com> wrote in message 
news:i0guem$1bm$1@news.eternal-september.org...
> "Rin Stowleigh" wrote
>>
>> http://www.archonclassic.com/
>
> Needs quicktime, thanks but no thanks.
>
>

I use Quicktime Alternative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickTime_Alternative

I had nothing but problems trying to use apple product on my PC and 
uninstalled Quicktime shortly after installation.  But with Quicktime 
Alternative I haven't noticed any incompatibilites yet.

-- 
MJB

Mr. Tin's Miniature Painting Workshop:
http://web.newsguy.com/Mrtinsworkshop/

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:27:17 -0400, "MetalGuru" <someone@email.com>
wrote:

>"Rin Stowleigh" wrote
>>
>> http://www.archonclassic.com/
>
>Needs quicktime, thanks but no thanks.

The game itself or the website?  Just youtube for "Archon Classic
Gameplay" or similar if you want to see video footage. The graphics
are not really the thrill here as much as the capturing of the
elements that made the original great (and improving on it).  I
probably should have qualified all of this with the fact that if you
were not into the original Archon back in the 80's the face value of
this game isn't going to appeal to you.  It's the fact that they did a
remake of a game and actually did it justice / improved upon it that's
news.

Archon and M.U.L.E are considered two of the greatest computer games
of all time, period.  Oddly, M.U.L.E has been remade under various
names in various forms but never in a way that captured the fun of the
original.  The fact that someone just "got" what Archon was about and
recreated a modern version like this is pretty damn cool.

"KCB" <bcgc_qc@hootmail.com> wrote in message 
news:i0gv6c$v7$1@news.eternal-september.org...
>
> "MetalGuru" <someone@email.com> wrote in message 
> news:i0guem$1bm$1@news.eternal-september.org...
>> "Rin Stowleigh" wrote
>>>
>>> http://www.archonclassic.com/
>>
>> Needs quicktime, thanks but no thanks.
>>
>
> What do you have against Quicktime?
>

It splurges all over your system like spyware and it's shit. 

"Schrodinger" <no@way.com> wrote
> "KCB" <bcgc_qc@hootmail.com> wrote in message
>> "MetalGuru" <someone@email.com> wrote in message
>>> "Rin Stowleigh" wrote
>>>>
>>>> http://www.archonclassic.com/
>>>
>>> Needs quicktime, thanks but no thanks.
>>>
>> What do you have against Quicktime?
>
> It splurges all over your system like spyware and it's shit.

Yea, Quicktime is the worst offender but I won't touch anything made by 
Apple like iTunes and crap like that with a ten foot pole.  Talk about 
bloated and poorly coded crapware.

Adobe Reader is another one I haven't let anywhere near my machines for a 
while now for the same reason, and since Foxit Reader's also turned into a 
turd lately I've been using PDF-XChange Viewer -- amazingly fast, light, 
free and all the features I'll ever need plus some.

But back on topic, I got ArchonClassic and give it a quick whirl but found 
the battle mechanics so far a bit too simplistic and the controls not very 
smooth - very clunky actually.   Not sure if it was done on purpose but it 
feels like playing an 8 bit game to me, things move way too fast and it's 
very hard to control them properly.  I'm going to give it another go when I 
have time but my first impression was not very good.   I have never played 
the original game so that maybe part of the problem, though. 

Rin Stowleigh ha scritto:
> http://www.archonclassic.com/

Finally!!!!
IIRC this project started, like, in 2000 or so! 10 years of wait since I 
saw almost those exact screenshots.

On Thu, 1 Jul 2010, MetalGuru wrote:

> and since Foxit Reader's also turned into a turd lately

Can you explain why you wrote this? I just recently replaced the Adobe 
Reader with Foxit because I couldn't stand the DOS window popping up.

-- 
Dr. Werner Spahl (spahl@cup.uni-muenchen.de)               Freedom for
Wesp5 @ Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines               Vorlonships

On 2010-07-01, KCB <bcgc_qc@hootmail.com> wrote:
>
> "MetalGuru" <someone@email.com> wrote in message 
> news:i0guem$1bm$1@news.eternal-september.org...
>> "Rin Stowleigh" wrote
>>>
>>> http://www.archonclassic.com/
>>
>> Needs quicktime, thanks but no thanks.
>>
>
> What do you have against Quicktime?

I hate payload of bullshit Apple parasite-ware that installs
along with it.

Real Audio eventually met the same fate, at least on my PC.

-- 
Neil Cerutti

On 2010-07-01, MetalGuru <someone@email.com> wrote:
> But back on topic, I got ArchonClassic and give it a quick
> whirl but found the battle mechanics so far a bit too
> simplistic and the controls not very smooth - very clunky
> actually.   Not sure if it was done on purpose but it feels
> like playing an 8 bit game to me, things move way too fast and
> it's very hard to control them properly.  

That sounds exactly right, actually.

> I'm going to give it another go when I have time but my first
> impression was not very good.   I have never played the
> original game so that maybe part of the problem, though. 

It's major twitch-gaming, even for its era.

-- 
Neil Cerutti

["Followup-To:" header set to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic.]
> Archon and M.U.L.E are considered two of the greatest computer
> games of all time, period.  Oddly, M.U.L.E has been remade
> under various names in various forms but never in a way that
> captured the fun of the original.  The fact that someone just
> "got" what Archon was about and recreated a modern version like
> this is pretty damn cool.

It doesn't meet the modern conception of balance at all. The dark
side, with its crummy Phoenix is screwed compared to the light
sides shape-shifter. Maybe they addressed the problem somehow.

-- 
Neil Cerutti

On Thu, 1 Jul 2010, Neil Cerutti wrote:

> Real Audio eventually met the same fate, at least on my PC.

If you really need Quicktime or Realmedia try the Alternative codecs!

-- 
Dr. Werner Spahl (spahl@cup.uni-muenchen.de)               Freedom for
Wesp5 @ Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines               Vorlonships

On 1 Jul 2010 12:27:25 GMT, Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> wrote:

>It doesn't meet the modern conception of balance at all. The dark
>side, with its crummy Phoenix is screwed compared to the light
>sides shape-shifter. 

??  The Phoenix is a light side piece and the Shapeshifter is a dark
piece.

Either way, are you referring to balance of the original game or
saying the implementation of these two pieces is flawed in the remake?

On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 04:09:09 -0400, "MetalGuru" <someone@email.com>
wrote:

>But back on topic, I got ArchonClassic and give it a quick whirl but found 
>the battle mechanics so far a bit too simplistic and the controls not very 
>smooth - very clunky actually.   Not sure if it was done on purpose but it 
>feels like playing an 8 bit game to me, things move way too fast and it's 
>very hard to control them properly.  

I'm guessing you never played the original; I'm not sure this game
would appeal to anyone that had not.

>I'm going to give it another go when I 
>have time but my first impression was not very good.   I have never played 
>the original game so that maybe part of the problem, though. 

The combat in this game needs a joystick that does the old ones
justice.  It is perfectly playable with the d-pad on an Xbox
controller but you'll suffer a bit if you use any sort of analog stick
or stick with a long throw.

It can be played with the keyboard but they should have just disabled
that ability since it's only going to confuse people re: how the game
is meant to be played.

On 2010-07-01, Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 1 Jul 2010 12:27:25 GMT, Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> wrote:
>
>>It doesn't meet the modern conception of balance at all. The dark
>>side, with its crummy Phoenix is screwed compared to the light
>>sides shape-shifter. 
>
> ??  The Phoenix is a light side piece and the Shapeshifter is a dark
> piece.
>
> Either way, are you referring to balance of the original game
> or saying the implementation of these two pieces is flawed in
> the remake?

I was misremembering the original. I haven't tried the remake
yet, and chances are slim I'll ever find anyone to play against,
so it's academic anyhow.

-- 
Neil Cerutti

For what it's worth, watching the videos for this game reminded me of some 
of the other titles I used to enjoy (ie Dino Eggs, Bolo, Boulder Dash) and 
had me wondering how many of them have been 'updated' for (or, at least, 
emulated on) modern computers and consoles.

I know about compilations like Ultimate Arcade Games and Boulder Dash EX 
(in fact, I have them in my collection) but I still have to wonder about 
other 'abandoned classics' and what they can 'teach' today's players (if 
not some programming teams). ^_^U

Oh well, just waxing my nostalgia. 9_9

Signed,
Warewolf
who wonders if there's still a war on Wor

On 1 Jul 2010 12:49:00 GMT, Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> wrote:

>On 2010-07-01, Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 1 Jul 2010 12:27:25 GMT, Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> wrote:
>>
>>>It doesn't meet the modern conception of balance at all. The dark
>>>side, with its crummy Phoenix is screwed compared to the light
>>>sides shape-shifter. 
>>
>> ??  The Phoenix is a light side piece and the Shapeshifter is a dark
>> piece.
>>
>> Either way, are you referring to balance of the original game
>> or saying the implementation of these two pieces is flawed in
>> the remake?
>
>I was misremembering the original. I haven't tried the remake
>yet, and chances are slim I'll ever find anyone to play against,
>so it's academic anyhow.

Yes and no, see original post... the FAQ says they are working on a
multiplayer (over the net version).  Now THAT will be something.

As far as Phoenix vs Shapeshifter, I always had great success with the
Phoenix, it's kind of the equivalent of something like a flamethrower
class in other games, you just have to know how to use it.  One of my
best pals would play me on my Atari 8-bit often.  Both of us were
pretty good at working the Phoenix, so when played right it not only
drains your opponent down to dead quickly but also frustrates the hell
out him!

Part of the greatness of Archon though was that the arcade combat was
only part of the game.  Playing the chess board portion of the game
well mattered a great deal too (although of course you gotta be able
to win some battles when challenged :)

On 2010-07-01, Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@gmail.com> wrote:
> Yes and no, see original post... the FAQ says they are working
> on a multiplayer (over the net version).  Now THAT will be
> something.

That's cool.

> As far as Phoenix vs Shapeshifter, I always had great success
> with the Phoenix, it's kind of the equivalent of something like
> a flamethrower class in other games, you just have to know how
> to use it.  One of my best pals would play me on my Atari 8-bit
> often.  Both of us were pretty good at working the Phoenix, so
> when played right it not only drains your opponent down to dead
> quickly but also frustrates the hell out him!

The thing that was great about the shapeshifter, was that you
could usually use it to your greatest advantage. If you're great
with goblins, attack a knight. Or exploit your opponent's
weakness by attacking a unit he stinks with.

The basilisk was always my favorite piece. It looked really
bad-ass, and had a wide shot. The unicorn's shot was slightly
faster, and the unicorn was harder to hit, but it wasn't as
menacing with it's fruity trotting sounds. ;)

The phoenix does do awesome damage if you can sucker your
opponent into the fireball. But firing rate was slow, and you're
a sitting duck if you misfire (most units have this property,
admittedly).

> Part of the greatness of Archon though was that the arcade
> combat was only part of the game.  Playing the chess board
> portion of the game well mattered a great deal too (although of
> course you gotta be able to win some battles when challenged :)

The teleport spell, and taking advantage of the shifting squares,
was always key.

Of course, there was no substitude for being bad-ass with goblins
and knights. Nothing was sweeter than taking a huge chunk out of
a unicorn with a lowly piece.

Archon ][ introduced the most bad-ass unit of all, the wraith. We
had to make "no wraiths" rules in order to prevent their abuse.

-- 
Neil Cerutti

"Werner Spahl" <spahl@cup.uni-muenchen.de> wrote
> On Thu, 1 Jul 2010, MetalGuru wrote:
>
>> and since Foxit Reader's also turned into a turd lately
>
> Can you explain why you wrote this? I just recently replaced the Adobe 
> Reader with Foxit because I couldn't stand the DOS window popping up.

They messed up badly with version 3.0 - it's bigger, slower, has less 
features, phones home, had problems with certain firewalls and passwords, 
etc...

I understand they've fixed a good number of issues since then but there's no 
way I'm ever going back to Foxit now that I've tried PDF Xchange Viewer, 
it's that good (except maybe for the stupid name).  Try it and you'll see 
what I mean, I like the free portable version (no installation, no registry 
entries, creates only one folder):

http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?q=XChange+Viewer&m=Search 

On 1 Jul 2010 17:54:44 GMT, Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> wrote:

>> As far as Phoenix vs Shapeshifter, I always had great success
>> with the Phoenix, it's kind of the equivalent of something like
>> a flamethrower class in other games, you just have to know how
>> to use it.  One of my best pals would play me on my Atari 8-bit
>> often.  Both of us were pretty good at working the Phoenix, so
>> when played right it not only drains your opponent down to dead
>> quickly but also frustrates the hell out him!
>
>The thing that was great about the shapeshifter, was that you
>could usually use it to your greatest advantage. If you're great
>with goblins, attack a knight. Or exploit your opponent's
>weakness by attacking a unit he stinks with.
>
>The basilisk was always my favorite piece. It looked really
>bad-ass, and had a wide shot. The unicorn's shot was slightly
>faster, and the unicorn was harder to hit, but it wasn't as
>menacing with it's fruity trotting sounds. ;)
>
>The phoenix does do awesome damage if you can sucker your
>opponent into the fireball. But firing rate was slow, and you're
>a sitting duck if you misfire (most units have this property,
>admittedly).

The trick to the phoenix was to kind of flutter around, using jerky
motions with the stick to dodge ranged combat of your opponent (while
at the same time making your way over to wherever he is on the map).
Sometimes you got nailed from across the map trying, especially if you
went up against something fast, but once you got near your opponent,
panic would set in for him and that was fun (especially if he has a
slower piece).

>> Part of the greatness of Archon though was that the arcade
>> combat was only part of the game.  Playing the chess board
>> portion of the game well mattered a great deal too (although of
>> course you gotta be able to win some battles when challenged :)
>
>The teleport spell, and taking advantage of the shifting squares,
>was always key.
>
>Of course, there was no substitude for being bad-ass with goblins
>and knights. Nothing was sweeter than taking a huge chunk out of
>a unicorn with a lowly piece.

Your memory of all this is quite a bit more vivid than mine. Of
course, wine and spirits were known to be consumed at our
Archon-playing gatherings back then (even though I was not necessarily
old enough to do so legally).  It's just been a very long time since
I've played or thought about it in detail, but playing this one brings
back a lot of fond memories.

One of my favorite strategies was a rather rediculous "hail mary from
the get-go", where I break out my most powerful piece (wizard /
sorcerer) and just go offense, trying to take out my opponents most
formidable pieces first.  Whether or not this is a wise play at all
really depends on how you are at combat, but what I found is that it
has an amazing psychological effect on your opponent.  When things go
well they tend to go really well, and of course there's a chance the
whole plan will go sideways, but even when that happens and you lose
your power piece early in the game, you've still got the rest of your
pieces to make amends with, whereas your opponent (at least the guy I
used to always play with) will still be suffering from the psychogical
effects and wondering what gave you the balls to try that in the first
place :)   If you manage to take out 2-5 of his pieces with your
bigwig early on, his will to go on will be irrepairably damaged for
the rest of the game.  Actually now that I think about it, I might
have been exploiting personality traits of the opponent I frequently
played with... I'm not sure that would work well with an internet
opponent where you can't read their body language :)

>Archon ][ introduced the most bad-ass unit of all, the wraith. We
>had to make "no wraiths" rules in order to prevent their abuse.

I don't recall spending a lot of time on Archon II.  I had it, but in
my 8-bit days 99% of the games I did have were pirated  (I'm not proud
to admit) and scattered across a massive collection of floppies with
hand-written labels.

"Neil Cerutti" <neilc@norwich.edu> wrote in message 
news:893fj8FmkuU4@mid.individual.net...
> On 2010-07-01, KCB <bcgc_qc@hootmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> "MetalGuru" <someone@email.com> wrote in message
>> news:i0guem$1bm$1@news.eternal-september.org...
>>> "Rin Stowleigh" wrote
>>>>
>>>> http://www.archonclassic.com/
>>>
>>> Needs quicktime, thanks but no thanks.
>>>
>>
>> What do you have against Quicktime?
>
> I hate payload of bullshit Apple parasite-ware that installs
> along with it.
>
> Real Audio eventually met the same fate, at least on my PC.
>
> -- 
> Neil Cerutti

I have no idea what you or Schrodinger are talking about.  Just uncheck 
iTunes, then turn off auto-updating.   There's no load of crap installed, 
and it doesn't stay resident.  No resources are used until you actually 
start a QT video.  HD trailers stream smoothly with no problems. 

On 2010-07-02, KCB <bcgc_qc@hootmail.com> wrote:
> I have no idea what you or Schrodinger are talking about.  Just
> uncheck iTunes, then turn off auto-updating.   There's no load
> of crap installed, and it doesn't stay resident.  No resources
> are used until you actually start a QT video.  HD trailers
> stream smoothly with no problems. 

I'll keep that in mind for next time. Thanks.

-- 
Neil Cerutti

In <qd5o26h0b433s5s7g9a6ckuojv52b7vm64@4ax.com> Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@gmail.com> writes:

> Archon and M.U.L.E are considered two of the greatest computer games
> of all time, period.

MULE perhaps, but Archon?  Really?

-- 
John Gordon                   A is for Amy, who fell down the stairs
gordon@panix.com              B is for Basil, assaulted by bears
                                -- Edward Gorey, "The Gashlycrumb Tinies"

On 2010-07-27, John Gordon <gordon@panix.com> wrote:
> In <qd5o26h0b433s5s7g9a6ckuojv52b7vm64@4ax.com> Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Archon and M.U.L.E are considered two of the greatest computer
>> games of all time, period.
>
> MULE perhaps, but Archon?  Really?

Yeah, between those two, it's not close. M.U.L.E. casts a much
longer shadow than Archon.

-- 
Neil Cerutti
*** You found a dead moose-rat. You sell the hide for $200. ***

On 27 Jul 2010 15:41:21 GMT, Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> wrote:

>On 2010-07-27, John Gordon <gordon@panix.com> wrote:
>> In <qd5o26h0b433s5s7g9a6ckuojv52b7vm64@4ax.com> Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>>> Archon and M.U.L.E are considered two of the greatest computer
>>> games of all time, period.
>>
>> MULE perhaps, but Archon?  Really?
>
>Yeah, between those two, it's not close. M.U.L.E. casts a much
>longer shadow than Archon.

Never played MULE, but I could see someone saying that about Archon
not because it was one of the best games ever (it wasn't), but because
it may have been one of the first games they ever played. People
always look back fondly on the first great game they played. Archon
was a good game so if it was someone's first exposure to gaming on a
PC they might think of it that way.

On Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:33:44 +0000 (UTC), John Gordon
<gordon@panix.com> wrote:

>In <qd5o26h0b433s5s7g9a6ckuojv52b7vm64@4ax.com> Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Archon and M.U.L.E are considered two of the greatest computer games
>> of all time, period.
>
>MULE perhaps, but Archon?  Really?

Well I have seen them both on various "greatest of all time" lists
over the decades.  I guess it depends on who you ask.  One of them is
firmly planted in the strategy genre and the other is mostly an action
game with a bit of strategy thrown in.

MULE is probably more well-known, although I think some of that may
have something to do with the somewhat eccentric author and his/her
philosophies and practices.

Neither one of them stood very well as a stand-alone game.  Having
great fun with them depended on having friends play with you in the
same room.  How much fun you had depended greatly on who you were
playing with, so experiences probably varied there.

Rin Stowleigh wrote:
> John Gordon wrote:
>
>> MULE perhaps, but Archon?  Really?
>
> Well I have seen them both on various "greatest of all time" lists
> over the decades.  I guess it depends on who you ask.

I've never heard of either of them. Are these games from the days of the 
286? I only started PC gaming about 12 or 13 years ago.


   - Sheldon

On 2010-07-29, Sheldon England <sheldonengland@netscape.net> wrote:
> Rin Stowleigh wrote:
>> John Gordon wrote:
>>
>>> MULE perhaps, but Archon?  Really?
>>
>> Well I have seen them both on various "greatest of all time" lists
>> over the decades.  I guess it depends on who you ask.
>
> I've never heard of either of them. Are these games from the
> days of the 286? I only started PC gaming about 12 or 13 years
> ago.

A bit before that. They are from the 8-bit era.

M.U.L.E. is notable for being multiplayer (somewhat hot-seet
style, but auctions are real-time and multiplayer up to four
players). It also incorporates a few elements of the 4X genre,
anticipating it by nearly 8 years: in tournement games, the
Crystite resources are hidden. It also anticipated the RTS
genre--you slowly build up a base of economic power. The
combination of head-to-head cutt-throat gameplay along with the
necessity to work together to be sure you, as a group, won the
game, is rare, and hasn't really been duplicated. All the things
it does had been done before, but never together. It may be
notable for having no combat whatsoever.

Archon is somewhat less notable. It has however, fared much
better than M.U.L.E. did in the sequels and spin-offs department.
Combination strategy, tactics, resource-management and all-aout
twitch-gaming is an interesting approach, and has been used over
the years in several other games. But it's still kind of a
rarity.

-- 
Neil Cerutti

On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:50:45 -0700, Sheldon England
<sheldonengland@netscape.net> wrote:

>Rin Stowleigh wrote:
>> John Gordon wrote:
>>
>>> MULE perhaps, but Archon?  Really?
>>
>> Well I have seen them both on various "greatest of all time" lists
>> over the decades.  I guess it depends on who you ask.
>
>I've never heard of either of them. Are these games from the days of the 
>286? I only started PC gaming about 12 or 13 years ago.

These were probably before anyone was doing any significant gaming on
PCs (or as we called them, "IBM compatibles") back then.  I want to
say I first got my hands on M.U.L.E. and Archon in the early to mid
80's (I had quite a warez collection back then, which I'm not proud of
now but it did give me a lot of exposure to games), but due to the
sheer number of titles I had, I didn't really get around to playing
them until a few years later (mid-late 80s).

And as other's have pointed out, both of these games were best played
with others -- as single player games they were okay but not
spectacular.

The 8-bit Atari and Commodore computers were incredibly fun.  For a
long time they were significantly better gaming machines than consoles
at the time, and way better gaming machines than PCs.  Actually
believe it or not, Apple computers like the II series (before Macs
came along) were fairly formidable game playing computers themselves,
it's just that I think the Atari and C64 provided more bang for the
buck, particularly for gaming.

Actually looking back, in the mid 80's, even though I had an "IBM
compatible" (still before the days of the 286), I mostly only used it
for programming and more "work" tasks.  Games on it really were not
very good compared to the Atari 8-bit, and after the 8-bit computers
had their day in the sun, along game the Atari 16-bit and Amiga, which
were once again far and away the best gaming platforms of their day,
removing any need for me to consider my PC a game machine until I
replaced it with a 386 a couple of years later.

Actually, of the old-school (early to mid 80s) PC games I played,
there are only a scant few that came to mind as memorable:
Ancient Art of War, Ancient Art of War at Sea, Bard's Tale...  and...
hmm.... that's about all I can list.

In the early 90s the PC redeemed itself as a gaming machine, what with
sound cards and decent graphics arriving on it.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:27:58 -0400, Rin Stowleigh
<rstowleigh@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>http://www.archonclassic.com/
>
>Unlike all of the M.U.L.E clones I've played over the years, this one
>is pulled off successfully!  Brings back a lot of good memories.
>
>Can't wait for the online multiplayer version (this one you have to
>have a buddy in the same room with you, true to the original.. hehe).
>Fun even against PC bots though.

Curious, I hope they paid some royalties to Freefall or whoever it was
who created Archon. I want to say it was the guys who did Mail order
Monsters and Legacy of the Ancients but I may be wrong?

The creators of Archon did do a PC version back in 93 called Archon
Ultra, it was pretty good but I was apparently the only person who
bought it. I remember playing it across a lan at work, or maybe it was
with modems can't remember exactly but it did have some multiplayer
component.

I never played Mule, I guess I should fire it up on an emulator just
to play it. Archon and Adept though, I played and loved those to. I
kind of miss the early 80's, my c64 bad graphics and all :/

jeffdo@comcast.net