Bill Loguidice's Blog, page 19

ChatGPT – Using AI to Make a version of Star Trek in BASIC

Star Trek-type strategy games, where you’re in command of the Enterprise, battle Klingons, and defend starbases on a map with limited resources, have been a staple of computers since the early 1970s, when all that was around were mainframes at universities and large businesses. There have been countless interpretations and variations ever since on every conceivable platform. It’s fun stuff, and as part of my own collection, I have quite a few boxed variations of such games, and certainly played with various BASIC language interpretations over the years.

In any case, what’s fascinating is that ChatGPT, an AI-like language model that produces text, is able to produce usable code for all types of programming languages, including classic BASIC, which was a staple of personal computers from the mid-1970s to mid-1990s. What’s most impressive is that not only can it generate one iteration of a program, but also keep iterating. For instance, here’s my first request, “Can you write a Star Trek game in BASIC?”:

10 REM Star Trek Game20 REM by OpenAI Assistant30 REM40 REM Initialize variables50 LET ship_energy = 100060 LET Klingons = 1070 LET starbases = 580 REM90 PRINT "Welcome to the Star Trek game!"110 PRINT "You are in command of the USS Enterprise."120 PRINT "Your mission is to destroy all Klingons in the galaxy."130 PRINT "You have 1000 units of energy and 5 starbases to help you."140 PRINT "Good luck, captain!"150 PRINT160 REM Main game loop170 DO180 PRINT "Enterprise status:"190 PRINT "Energy: ";ship_energy200 PRINT "Klingons remaining: ";Klingons210 PRINT "Starbases remaining: ";starbases220 PRINT230 PRINT "What do you want to do?"240 PRINT "1. Attack Klingons"250 PRINT "2. Repair at a starbase"260 INPUT "Enter your choice: ", choice270 SELECT choice280 CASE 1290 PRINT "Enterprise attacks Klingons!"300 LET ship_energy = ship_energy - 100310 LET Klingons = Klingons - 1320 PRINT "Energy remaining: ";ship_energy330 PRINT "Klingons remaining: ";Klingons340 CASE 2350 PRINT "Enterprise docks at a starbase for repair."360 LET ship_energy = 1000370 LET starbases = starbases - 1380 PRINT "Energy restored to 1000 units."390 PRINT "Starbases remaining: ";starbases400 END SELECT410 LOOP UNTIL Klingons = 0420 PRINT "Congratulations, captain! You have destroyed all Klingons in the galaxy."430 END

ChatGPT describes the result:

This game uses a simple loop to allow the player to make choices and update the game state. The player can either attack Klingons or repair at a starbase, and the game will update the energy and remaining Klingons and starbases accordingly. The game ends when the player destroys all Klingons.

ChatGPT

An unrelated example image of a Star Trek game from circa 1978 running on a Commodore PET

Good stuff, but rather simpler than a typical Star Trek-like game. My follow-up prompt, which ChatGPT ran with, was, “Can you make the game more complex?”:

10 REM Star Trek Game20 REM by OpenAI Assistant30 REM40 REM Initialize variables50 LET ship_energy = 100060 LET Klingons = 1070 LET starbases = 580 LET galaxy_map = 590 REM100 PRINT "Welcome to the Star Trek game!"110 PRINT "You are in command of the USS Enterprise."120 PRINT "Your mission is to destroy all Klingons in the galaxy."130 PRINT "You have 1000 units of energy and 5 starbases to help you."140 PRINT "Good luck, captain!"150 PRINT160 REM Main game loop170 DO180 PRINT "Enterprise status:"190 PRINT "Energy: ";ship_energy200 PRINT "Klingons remaining: ";Klingons210 PRINT "Starbases remaining: ";starbases220 PRINT "Galaxy map pieces: ";galaxy_map230 PRINT240 PRINT "What do you want to do?"250 PRINT "1. Attack Klingons"260 PRINT "2. Repair at a starbase"270 PRINT "3. Search for galaxy map pieces"280 INPUT "Enter your choice: ", choice290 SELECT choice300 CASE 1310 PRINT "Enterprise attacks Klingons!"320 LET attack_success = INT(RND(1)*2)330 IF attack_success = 1 THEN340 LET ship_energy = ship_energy - 100350 LET Klingons = Klingons - 1360 PRINT "Attack successful! Klingons remaining: ";Klingons370 ELSE380 PRINT "Attack failed!"390 END IF400 CASE 2410 PRINT "Enterprise docks at a starbase for repair."420 IF starbases = 0 THEN430 PRINT "No starbases remaining. Cannot repair."440 ELSE450 LET ship_energy = 1000460 LET starbases = starbases - 1470 PRINT "Energy restored to 1000 units."480 PRINT "Starbases remaining: ";starbases490 END IF500 CASE 3510 PRINT "Enterprise searches for galaxy map pieces."520 LET search_success = INT(RND(1)*2)530 IF search_success = 1 THEN540 LET galaxy_map = galaxy_map + 1550 PRINT "Map piece found! Map pieces remaining: ";galaxy_map560 ELSE570 PRINT "Search unsuccessful."580 END IF590 END SELECT600 LOOP UNTIL Klingons = 0 OR galaxy_map = 0610 PRINT "Congratulations, captain! You have completed your mission."620 END

ChatGPT again described the result:

This version of the game includes several new features:

The player can choose to search for galaxy map pieces in addition to attacking Klingons or repairing at a starbase.The player has a chance of success when attacking Klingons or searching for map pieces, determined by a random number generator.The player can only repair at a starbase if there are any remaining.The game ends either when the player destroys all Klingons or runs out of galaxy map pieces.

I hope this more complex version of the game is to your liking! Let me know if you have any questions or if you’d like to see any further modifications.

– ChatGPT

Impressive stuff indeed. I haven’t tested it yet and suspect that at least a few modifications would be needed to run on nearly any version of BASIC, but as a time-saver, educational tool, or merely as inspiration, this is good stuff.

For clarification, I asked ChatGPT what version of BASIC this is based on:

The version of BASIC used in the examples I provided is a general-purpose dialect of BASIC that is commonly used on a variety of platforms. It includes common BASIC commands and features such as PRINT, INPUT, IF-THEN statements, and looping constructs.

BASIC (Beginners’ All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a high-level programming language that was developed in the mid-1960s and has since been widely used for a variety of purposes, including education, game development, and general-purpose programming. There have been many different versions and dialects of BASIC over the years, each with its own set of features and capabilities.

The examples I provided should be compatible with most versions of BASIC, although there may be some minor variations depending on the specific dialect being used. If you are using a specific version of BASIC and encounter any issues with the code, please let me know and I’ll be happy to help you troubleshoot the problem.

– ChatGPT

The post ChatGPT – Using AI to Make a version of Star Trek in BASIC appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Amiga Forever and C64 Forever 10 Released!

New versions of the ultimate Commodore 8-bit (Commodore 64, PET 2001, CBM 3032, CBM 4032, CBM 8032, VIC 20, CBM 610, C16, Plus/4, C128, etc.) and Amiga (OCS, ECS, AGA) emulation packages are now available. These plug and play releases are the easiest way to experience some of the greatest classic computing platforms of the 1970s – 1990s.

Here’s a link to C64 Forever: https://www.c64forever.com/

Here’s a link to Amiga Forever: https://www.amigaforever.com/

If you buy both packages, they work together!

Amiga Forever

Here’s the full press release:

December 20, 2022 – Cloanto released today version 10 (build 10.0.10.0) of Amiga Forever and C64 Forever, the official Commodore/Amiga preservation, emulation and support suites for Windows.

The new editions are the result of almost two years of development since the previous major version. Cloanto’s RetroPlatform framework is the result of a lot of effort to make Amiga and CBM 8-bit features and interfaces appear effortlessly unified. The two packages now encompass more than 700K lines of code written by Cloanto, integrating with a collaborative endeavor of emulation plugins and content preservation.

Before adding visible features, a priority of this version consisted in the removal of speed and space constraints. Some of the old barriers may have been out of sight before, but the result after upgrading is a satisfying sensation of increased freedom and power: the title editor opens and closes in an instant, large media files are handled with more ease, while windows and other elements that used to be fixed can now be resized. Content folders can be added anywhere under Amiga Files and CBM Files, while new personal playlists and improved content shortcuts offer more ways to rapidly access titles and folders stored on any disk.

Amiga Forever 10 includes direct support for FloppyBridge-compatible floppy drive and controller devices (e.g. DrawBridge, Greaseweazle, SuperCard Pro, Waffle). Whereas previous versions only supported floppy disk images, now physical floppy drives and disks can be accessed by the emulation. No additional software is required.

Like floppy disks, bulletin board systems were omnipresent in the home computing world of the 1980s and 1990s. “Back in those days, with my colleague Oscar at Cloanto we helped Jay Miner add animated graphics support to the SkyPix software used on his ‘The Mission’ BBS, where Jay was known as ‘El Padre’,” remembers Mike Battilana. Could there be a better way to celebrate BBS culture than using a Hayes-compatible “internet modem” directly from Amiga Forever and C64 Forever?

The new RetroPlatform virtual modem can be attached to the desired port in the Configuration tab of the editor (right-click a title, select Edit), and is ready for use by Amiga applications like NComm and Term, and 8-bit counterparts like CCGMS! and VIP Terminal. C64 Forever 10 even comes with a preinstalled version of the CCGMS! terminal program, complete with ready-to-run BBS entries in the phone book. Don’t forget to type AT$ for Help.

Hundreds of smaller new features and refinements also made it into these new versions. Windows too went through several new releases since the previous major release of Amiga Forever and C64 Forever, and the new code base provides better support for features introduced in Windows 11 and Windows 10 versions up to 22H2.

Amiga Explorer 10 is also being released at the same time, with new features like Amiga-PC clipboard text sharing. As “legacy support” is in our DNA, we made an extra effort to restore compatibility with Windows XP and with Amiga systems without mathffp.library. This is a free upgrade for all Amiga Explorer customers, and is included with Amiga Forever Plus Edition and Premium Edition.

As always, we are grateful to the many friends who supported this project and our Amiga passion, vision and hope. Special thanks to Toni Wilen. Current and soon-to-be Amiga serial and print integration features would not have been possible without his help.

Amiga Forever 10 is available now in three editions:

Value Edition (downloadable installer)
Plus Edition (downloadable installer with option to build DVD ISO image)
Premium Edition (downloadable Plus Edition, plus boxed software and additional videos on 3 DVDs)

C64 Forever 10 is available now in three editions:

Free Express Edition (feature-limited version)
Downloadable Plus Edition (downloadable installer with option to build CD ISO image)
Boxed Plus Edition (downloadable Plus Edition, plus boxed CD)

Both packages recognize and work with each other, with options to merge the different platforms into the same interface. Prices start from $9.95 (Value Edition, or special upgrade offers).

Visual Tours

Here are some suggestions to highlight specific features for YouTubers and other more visual friends. Some celebrate the older 8-bit CBM systems, while others are shared with the more powerful Amiga environments.

Shared – BBS like it’s 1985: in C64 Forever, launch CCGMS! (Applications folder), then connect to one of the BBS entries in the phone book. To do so, press to go to the dialer and parameters screen, press to go to the phone book screen, use the cursor keys to select a BBS, then press to connect to it. You are online!

8-Bit – Amber PET? In C64 Forever, set the PET/CBM system colors to amber (Tools/Options/Emulation/Hardcoded Palettes), then start a PET/CBM system from the Systems folder.

Shared – Arcade and Tile modes, via View menu. Be sure to try out fullscreen Arcade mode (via the maximize button on the title bar), and to use it with a game controller.

Shared – Light vs. Dark Mode, via Tools/Options/Skin.

Shared – Virtual Keyboard: open an Amiga emulation session like Workbench 3.X (in the Systems folder) and then use the keyboard menu at the bottom left of the playback window to open the Virtual Keyboard. Inside the emulation, open the Input Prefs and change the keyboard to a different language (e.g. German). Did you notice how the virtual keyboard on the Windows side also updated its layout? And still, it all keeps working with your unchanged physical PC keyboard, no matter what layout that one has. Then on closing the session you can choose whether to commit the keyboard layout change to the title configuration, or not.

8-Bit – Virtual Mouse: start an 8-bit title (e.g. a PET 2001, or 8032, or C64) from the Systems folder of C64 Forever, and use the mouse to move the text cursor around. If you ever spent a lot of time programming or writing on those systems, isn’t this something you’ve been wanting to do for more than 40 years?

Shared – Fullscreen Controls: start or switch any Amiga or 8-bit emulation session to fullscreen (use the button in the top row of the playback window), then hold down the Escape key for one second to open the fullscreen controls. These can be selected with the mouse, with the keyboard, or with the same controllers you are using to play. At last, you can swap disks, pause, resume, save, etc., without needing to leave your favorite screen mode and controls.

Shared – Type Clipboard Text: use the keyboard menu at the bottom left of the playback window to paste the content of the Windows text clipboard. Works with any Amiga or 8-bit system (in Japanese too…)

Screenshots and Box Shots
Amiga Forever Screenshots
Amiga Forever Box Shots
C64 Forever Screenshots
C64 Forever Box Shot
Cloanto Logo

Additional Information
Focus on New Features
Quick Instructions for Upgraders
C64 Forever Homepage
Amiga Homepage

New Features
https://www.amigaforever.com/whatsnew/

The post Amiga Forever and C64 Forever 10 Released! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Mobile Game Review – Race Team Rivals

This review was originally written in 2021. It is reproduced here with no edits.

PROS:

Wonderful control system for maximum handheld comfortTrack designs are varied and not overly longAppealing audio-visualsAn action game with depth that should appeal to more than racing fansOnline PVP (Player versus Player) races

CONS:

Even at the higher levels, the sense of speed may not be enough for someNo reverse optionLots to unlock – even when losing all of the time – takes away some of the incentive to winStore offers and membership pricing options can really add up if you want more than the free game

Apple App Store (review platform)

Based on a popular toy line dating back to the 1980s, the Micro Machines series of video games have been delighting console and computer gamers since 1991. While there have been some variations in its visual technology and overall presentation over the years, these games are at their heart approachable multiplayer top-down racing games that take place on unusual tracks like kitchen tables and living rooms littered with similarly silly obstacles.

One unusual feature of some of these Micro Machines games was offering the option for a simplified control scheme for local multiplayer, where just two buttons, steer left and right, were provided to each of the players, and acceleration was automatic. Surprisingly, this control method still proved great fun and was a perfect way to cram more local players together with fewer available controllers. Whether by design or accident, Race Team Rivals takes some of the best elements of Micro Machines, including its toy-car feel and top-down racing perspective, and makes its alternate control scheme its only control scheme.

As stated, control in Race Team Rivals is straightforward. Acceleration is automatic. To steer, simply tapping left or right is all that is needed. While this input method sounds overly simple, it’s actually a clever way to maximize handheld comfort and get around the limitations of a touchscreen, while leveraging its advantages. In short, you won’t have to be fumbling with your iPhone or iPad to get the most out of this racing game, although a reverse option would have still been a helpful addition.

Before each race, you choose one of your available cars to compete with. You then see a summary of your competition and the prize pool. When racing, you can run over cards to gain extra rewards. If you’re the victor in a race, you can also win additional extras like car upgrades.

After the completion of each race, win or lose, you’re offered a loot box containing cards with various rewards. For instance, if you get three cards, one might give you 50 gems, one might give you 100 coins, and the last might give you a new car to race. With coins and cars, you can build up your racing headquarters with new buildings and other extended features. Over time, your base of operations can become quite sprawling and advanced.

Race Team Rivals works great on both iPhone and iPad screens.

While the game’s sense of speed is not the best, even at the higher levels, using the vertical orientation of your iPhone or iPad provides a great overhead view of the winding tracks. Even though the lack of truly heart-pumping speed might seem like a big negative for a racing game, it does allow you to optimize how you take corners and jockey for position against the other racers. Thanks to this shift away from pure speed, and, despite still being an action game, Race Team Rivals does feel like it offers greater strategic depth than other games of this type.

The audio-visuals get the job done. The art style is clean and consistent, the musical score non-irritating for the most part, and the race sounds appropriate. Overall, this is a big step up from some other racing games that mix styles or don’t give consideration to how much repetition there can be when cars are racing around a track.

The online PvP (Player versus Player) races, upgrade system, and base building concept, where you need to maintain a successful business operation, add further depth and interest to the already compelling core racing game mechanics. Even after multiple races, the thought of getting that next upgrade or being able to further expand your headquarters will keep you coming back for more, although the impact of these rewards is lessened a bit because even if you consistently lose, you still get plenty of bonuses. 

There’s a lot to like about Race Team Rivals, even for those gamers who are not typically into other racing games where being the fastest seems to trump everything else. Despite being a very crowded genre, Race Team Rivals proves there’s still plenty of room for new releases in this category when their implementation is so well thought out like it is here.

Score: 5 (out of 5)

The post Mobile Game Review – Race Team Rivals appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Mobile Game Review – GT Manager

This review was originally written in 2021. It is reproduced here with no edits.

PROS:

Detailed strategy and simulation optionsGreat presentationProvides action game thrills with turn-based strategy controlsOnline season play and more connected features

CONS:

Amount of detail may be overwhelming at first for those who don’t follow motorsports

iTunes (review platform) | Google Play

The Tiny Digital Factory’s GT Manager challenges you to become the best racing manager. You accomplish this objective by building a factory, developing your race cars, and effectively competing online. While it doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a simulation-based strategy game, GT Manager maintains a brisk pace, particularly during a race. It offers vicarious thrills comparable to some of the best action games out there, particularly when you have to make quick decisions that can mean the difference between the pole position or finishing in the middle of the pack.

There are various race objectives that need to be completed. It’s not always about placing first, either. For instance, one objective is simply to finish in front of a rival team.

Most of the game is menu-driven and intuitively controlled. During an actual race, you don’t control a driver directly, but instead manage their strategy. You can tell them to go faster or ease up, when to overtake another car, when to take a pit stop, and more.

Visually, this portrait-oriented game has quite a bit of detail. While it’s not photo-realistic enough to pass for a real race, it does have nice TV broadcast-style camera angles. Although the  amount of information presented in the overhead racing view can be a bit overwhelming when first starting out, it eventually proves a great way to get a broader sense of how the race is unfolding and how you should evolve your strategy to put your team in the best position to win. You can also easily switch between “live” racing views and an overall track map with car indicators.

GT Manager

Audio is similarly detailed, with authentic race sounds, although not much else to set your ears alight. Still, for a simulation, the audio-visuals work well together and are arguably a step up from what you typically experience with other games in this genre.

After each race, you can unlock booster card packs that help you build out your factory, source improved car parts, add more drivers to your stable, gain sponsors, and more. An intuitive level progression system provides goals to strive for as you earn more money and credits.

Although you can race anonymously as a guest, if you sign up for an account, you can save your progress online, play on multiple devices, and gain extra in-game rewards. Of course, it wouldn’t be a mobile game without the ability to purchase things like season passes and starter packs with real world money. Fortunately, the free game offers plenty of content and no intrusive ads.

Overall, this is a great way to implement a simulation, although if you’re not already into motorsports, you’ll likely have to get past a bit of a learning curve with the team management and racing aspects. While building a factory and managing your team are fun in their own way, it’s the in-race strategy that’s arguably the most fun and rewarding. It will definitely take some time before you can really get a good sense of how hard you can push your cars during a race and how best to manage pit stops. Fortunately, it’s time you’ll want to invest.

Score: 5 (out of 5)

The post Mobile Game Review – GT Manager appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Mobile Game Review – Black Snow AR: Shooting Game

This review was originally written in 2021. It is reproduced here with no edits.

PROS:

Provides a smooth augmented reality experienceUse your phone or tablet’s camera and location tracking features in-game!Polished action with just enough depth for longer term playPVE and PVP gameplay modesEnglish, Ukraine, and Russian language options

CONS:

You need a lot of room to play to get the most of the gameYou sometimes have to contort your phone or tablet in unusual positions to locate an enemy

iTunes (review platform) | Google Play

Although Black Snow AR: Shooting Game’s concept of aliens invading earth is hardly original, the introduction of augmented reality, or AR, helps keep this well-worn trope fresh. And thanks to its use of Geo-based location tracking, what better way to fight off an alien invasion than from the viewpoint of your present real-world location?

The basic concept is simple. You get a front row view of the action from your battle mech as the virtual world’s enemies are overlaid on top of the real-world environments that your Apple iPhone or iPad’s camera points to.

Shooting aliens is similarly straightforward. Find your target by moving your phone around your room or other location, lock on, and tap to shoot. Selecting different weapon types helps you take on more difficult enemies and allows you to vary your combat strategy.

Besides making use of the different weapons in your growing arsenal, you can also command support ships to provide additional firepower in your ongoing battles. You can activate these support ships on the tactical map by tilting your phone down – even in the heat of battle – which provides an additional layer of strategy and back-and-forth intensity.

With the ability to engage in both the standard Player Versus Environment (PVE) single player or Player Versus Player (PVP) multiplayer modes, you can easily select the type of experience you want to engage in at any one time. There’s even a surprising option to play with virtual joystick controls if space or movement is limited, although that does remove the best aspects of playing this type of game.

While nothing about Black Snow AR: Shooting Game is revolutionary, it takes some proven, classic concepts and does an excellent job of making them smoothly playable in augmented reality. It’s the type of game that makes you want to battle the enemies in all types of indoor and outdoor locations. Want to blast aliens in your basement? Go for it. How about blasting aliens at the local park? Absolutely, and that will teach those pesky invaders to mess with your leisure time!

If you’re looking for an easy to pick up game that has just enough depth to keep you engaged longer term, then Black Snow AR: Shooting Game makes for a great choice. The fact that it provides an augmented reality experience that makes full in-game use of the often-underutilized camera and location-tracking capabilities of your iPhone or iPad is the topper for this well-polished experience.

Score: 5 (out of 5)

The post Mobile Game Review – Black Snow AR: Shooting Game appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

VR Review: Umpire Simulator

This review was originally created in July 2018 for HTC, targeted to their Vive/Vive Pro (VIVEPORT). It is reproduced here without alteration.

Umpires have been part of baseball since the creation of the modern game in the 1840s. Whether you like the job a particular umpire does or not, it’s undeniable that the role is indispensable for the sport of baseball.

While all within the umpiring crew play an important role in policing the sport’s rules, none are as critical as the head, or plate, umpire. Of course, among the head umpire’s range of duties, the highest profile is calling balls and strikes from behind the plate. Umpire Simulator makes you a head umpire and challenges you to correctly identify whether fastballs and breaking balls, including curve balls and sliders, are balls or strikes.

The setup is simple. After a series of tutorials where you’re shown what a range of balls and strikes looks like, you’re then challenged to correctly determine what’s thrown on your own, with pitches ranging from 75 mph to 105 mph. Every correct guess is tallied under Correct and every incorrect guess is tallied under Wrong. Get enough Wrong and the simulation ends.

Umpire Simulator can be played seated or standing in a room-scale environment of any size. Either Vive controller can be used to indicate a ball (Grip button) or strike (Trigger button).

Originally developed several years back as a standard software simulation, the more recent jump to virtual reality allows for you to position yourself from just about any angle or location behind the plate to more easily see a ball’s flight path. The greater immersion that virtual reality allows for also gives a nice sense of the ball’s speed and an appreciation for how fast some pitches can be thrown in real life.

Umpire Simulator is not an attractive game.

From an audio-visual standpoint, Umpire Simulator‘s presentation is crude. Instead of modeling a baseball stadium or park, the developer has chosen static background panels that don’t blend together in any discernible way. There’s also no field or turf, just a metered grid that the two virtual players, a pitcher and batter, stand on. The pitcher and batter themselves are also poorly rendered. In fact, the batter model just stands there, arms at his side. There’s no attempt to show the batter with an actual bat in his hands or with any signs of life whatsoever. Finally, audio is limited to the ball hitting the unseen virtual catcher’s mitt.

The sub-par presentation could perhaps be excused if there was a lot of depth to the simulation, but it really is just about you calling balls and strikes correctly. There’s literally nothing else to it. If you really want to know what it’s like to be a head umpire, and to specifically see what it’s like to call balls and strikes, Umpire Simulator offers that. For me, however, by the time I finished the tutorial and was in the middle of calling a few dozen balls and strikes on my own, I was already hoping the simulation would be over.

As a practice tool for active or would-be umpires, I can see Umpire Simulator having some value, particularly since there’s nothing else quite like it out there. For everyone else, however, particularly given the lack of care to the presentation, there’s really nothing here to hold our attention.

Score: 2 out of 5 stars.

Umpire Simulator is available on Viveport or with a Viveport Subscription.

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Gear up for the BattleTech armored combat game with this physical and digital bundle!

Deploy your BattleMechs with these value-priced bundle options!

Aspiring MechWarriors, are you looking to jump into the BattleTech tabletop armored combat game? Equip yourself with this bundle of over 20 resources and get started on your journey!

This colossal collection features digital rulebooks, field manuals, campaign books, and more—and when you pay $30 or more, you’ll get a physical BattleTech: Beginner Box containing two high-quality miniatures, quick-start rules, a mapsheet, cards, dice, and more from Catalyst Game Labs (US customers only; shipping & handling not included). Plus, your purchase helps support Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society!

Amazing BattleTech content is available in this bundle!

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Hop aboard Train Simulator Classic and a rail yard full of add-ons for PC Steam gamers!

Hop aboard the ultimate railway hobby by checking out these sale-priced bundle options.

Explore the wonder, thrills, and mythic appeal of the railway in our globe-trotting Train Simulator bundle! Jump in with Train Simulator Classic for only $1, and learn to master authentic engines and real-world routes. Take your hobby to the next level with a collection of essential add-ons, including iconic locos and legendary lines like the vital Northeast Corridor: Washington DC – Baltimore and picturesque Chatham Main Line – London-Gillingham Route. Ride the rails from your PC, and help support the charity of your choice!

Train Simulator Classic provides a true simulation experience.

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VR Review: Turbo Soccer VR

This review was originally created in July 2018 for HTC, targeted to their Vive/Vive Pro (VIVEPORT). It is reproduced here without alteration.

With the recent 2018 FIFA World Cup – the 21st such event since 1930, and one that’s taken place very four years since 1950 – soccer, or, as it’s more popularly known, football, has once again been thrust into the spotlight in a big way. While the sport has struggled to endear itself to many North American sports fans, the passion most of the rest of the world has for this sport is undeniable. The question is, can a virtual reality experience translate both this passion and the sport’s most exciting moments into a quality video game? Turbo Soccer VR aims to answer that question with a resounding “Yes!”.

Placing you in the shoes – and viewpoint – of a professional soccer player, Turbo Soccer VR features three major modes: GOALKEEPER MODE, STRIKER MODE, and REPLAY MODE.

In GOALKEEPER MODE, you play as a goalkeeper trying to stop other teams from all over the world from scoring. Naturally, as play progresses, the difficulty increases.

In STRIKER MODE, you’re now on offense, attempting to score against teams from all over the world. As play progresses, new obstacles, harder defenders, and more skillful goalkeepers are introduced.

Finally, there’s REPLAY MODE, which is perhaps the game’s greatest innovation. Instead of fictional scenarios, REPLAY MODE lets you relive scoring chances from real matches. Not only is there a package of some of the best goals by the game’s cover athlete, Kamil Grosicki, who is considered one of the top players of the Polish national soccer team and English Championship Club, Hull City A.F.C., and who previously played for teams like the Turkish Sivasspor and French Stade Rennais, but there are also opportunities to experience key moments from the aforementioned 2018 FIFA World Cup. This adds an immediacy and intimacy to the virtual reality experience that games with only generic settings simply can’t match.

Using Vive Trackers on your feet can make the experience even better.

As you might expect, Turbo Soccer VR is a standing, room-scale experience. Fortunately, room size requirements are relatively modest for a game of this type, with only a 2 – 3 meter (about 6.5 – 9.8 feet) wide space needed for proper play. Of course, if you want to play a bit more aggressively, you’ll want a room on the wider end of that range for those times when you’re really into the action.

While all game modes are playable with the standard Vive Controllers, the GOALKEEPER MODE is the most intuitive, since you just use your hands to block shots. For STRIKER MODE and REPLAY MODE, you need to use your legs, so you’ll need to find a way to strap the Vive Controllers to your feet, or, preferably, have invested in the optional Vive Trackers.

Visually, while the simpler, less realistic player models are a bit of a letdown, the overall environment is suitably bright, colorful, and immersive. Audio-wise, although there’s no chatter from your teammates, the game does do a great job of recreating the sport’s environmental sounds, right down to the chanting crowds.

So does Turbo Soccer VR succeed in bringing a quality soccer experience – one that captures the sport’s best moments – into virtual reality? Absolutely. It also happens to be a great excuse to invest in a couple of Vive Trackers, providing the perfect use-case for whole body tracking. Of course, even without the Vive Trackers, the game can still be lots of fun, although you may not be comfortable strapping the Vive Controllers to your feet when playing offense.

Through both how Turbo Soccer VR plays and its growing library of real-life scenarios, even those skeptical of the sport’s appeal might finally appreciate what all the recent World Cup fuss was about.

Score: 4 out of 5 stars.

Turbo Soccer VR is available on Viveport or with a Viveport Subscription.

The post VR Review: Turbo Soccer VR appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

HTC Vive/VIVEPORT VR Review: Trakker

This review was originally created in October 2018 for HTC, targeted to their Vive/Vive Pro (VIVEPORT). It is reproduced here without alteration.

As a first-person mash-up of the 1980 arcade games, Pac-Man and Berzerk, and the aesthetics of the 1982 movie, Tron, the developers of Trakker are clearly not shy about taking inspiration from some of the best creations of the early 1980s. And like those video games from simpler times, where you could figure out the mechanics shortly after dropping in your quarter and beginning play, Trakker puts a premium on accessibility.

In the game, you’re cast as one of the guardians of the digital realms, called TRAKKERS, where you patrol maze-like node structures to defend against virus-like intruders out to consume all life. Much like Berzerk, where you could choose to stay and fight or simply exit to another robot-filled room, Trakker gives you the option to collect files to slow down the attacks, go for the ultimate victory and try and save the complete system, or simply escape the maze.

Trakker is a standing, room-scale experience for the Vive or Vive Pro. With the Vive controllers, you press the trigger to fire the blaster, which requires time to recharge, and, in an interesting twist, move by pressing the Grip button and swinging your arms in a running motion. You turn by physically turning your body. Gameplay consists of Pac-Man-like running through each maze and collecting blue blocks, shooting the virus-like enemies, and finding the exit.

There are eight levels to explore and three different difficulty levels. Each node has the trio of objectives to strive for, which includes finding the exit, destroying all of the intruders, and securing the files. You can accomplish some or all of those goals each time you play a maze and are free to go back and try again at any time.

Trakker is not the best looking game, but it does have a consistent style.

Visually, the game resembles Tron, with simple shapes and bright, glowing colors set against dark backgrounds. This minimalist aesthetic works well with the sound design, which features synthwave music by Milwaukee artist, DASHCAM, aka Donny Jankowski. Although I’m not sure if I’m supposed to know who DASHCAM is, his music does provide a professional sounding, pulse-pounding backdrop for the cyberpunk motif and a great excuse for a cool synchronized visualization effect that lines the maze walls. Sound effects serve their purpose, but take something of a back seat to the music, with only very simple sounds reminiscent of older arcade games present.

While not the deepest of experiences, Trakker does provide short doses of satisfying action-oriented play that recalls early 1980s arcade games without slavishly copying them. And frankly, these shorter gameplay sessions are even more welcome because of Trakker‘s unique movement controls. After all, there’s only so long you want to be pumping your arms like that, even with the incentive of hearing more of the stellar soundtrack.

Score: 3 out of 5 stars.

Trakker is available on Viveport or with a Viveport Subscription.

The post HTC Vive/VIVEPORT VR Review: Trakker appeared first on Armchair Arcade.