Games section

8. Review: Napalm (by Manni Froitzheim)

As an old fan of strategy games I could hardly wait for Napalm, hoping that a real hit comes to the Amiga, at last. After playing each mission 4 times (for humanity and for robots) I want to tell you my first impressions of the game.

The cover is styled fine and the installation is comfortable done per installer script. But the CD is needed in the CD-ROM, except you alter the start script and copy the files from CD to hard disk.

An AmigaGuide manual or readme file cannot be found, the booklet contains the complete manual of the game and is completely in English as well as the rest of the game. The first penalty point.

After the game has been installed you call the NapalmSetup program, which is for the basic settings. By the way, AHI can be selected but then a message appears, that the desired driver is not available yet and that you should visit the clickboom site. That is penalty point number 2.

Then you start the game and can choose, wheter to load a game, to play in a network or to play one of the missions. In the missions you can choose between the UEDF (United Earth Defense Forces) and the robots and then go!

The game runs quick without stuttering, its graphics were created brilliant and the tiny shadows of the soldiers and vehicles show the love to the details. The same is true for the animated buildings, that was done really good. This is similar for the sound. That runs on a Kenwood amplifier with 3-way bass reflex boxes using a soundcard. Interesting is, that battle noise is only there, if you watch this on your screen. If you scroll away the noise faints until it is completely gone. Good thinking!

It is a pity for the game, that there are only missions you cannot load. So you have to play the complete game without the possibility to play e.g. the last 3 missions again, later. There is no level editor and no possibility to create games on random. Penalty points 3 and 4.

If you ordered a building and want to place it, when its ready and a unit is on that space you have to remove the unit, but then the building is no longer available and you have to build it again. Penalty point 5.

Using the numpad you have the possibility to jump directly to different corners and positions of the playfield. Due to the fact that every undiscovered section is black you might lose the orientation quickly. In addition the playfields are a bit too big.

The most serious fault of the game is the aspect of "strategy". May be that I define strategy in a different way than the game manufacturers or our Amiga magazines. It is fact, that I don't notice nearly no strategy at all. There are no areas or terrain, which results in strategic decisions. To let a tank or 2-3 soldiers appear on the screen and to remove them at once just gets on the nerves.

I think, Clickboom chose the missions as the games basic, because the game would have been quite boring. And if you send the human player on a difficult mission with little money, nearly no buildings and just a few possibilities to choose, then I think that is not just poor, but in my opinion this is not related with a strategy game. Coordinated actions of the computer opponent are not to be noticed, but uncoordinated threshing.

Where are the bridges, mine fields, streets and so on to get more complexibility? Where are he cities, ships and those things? Where are the rivers, mountains or islands? What about the weather, the seasons and the terrain? A very fat penalty point.

It is also a pity, that the game doesn't offer a two-player mode, but just offers a network mode, according to the manual only over a serial connection. Ethernet boards don't seem to be supported, yet. Another fat penalty point.

To make the game a real hit for me, there's more to do, that is:

• complete German translation
• a two player mode
• a level editor
• a level generator, which creates levels on random
• adjustable degrees of difficulty
• the possibility to load missions directly using passwords
• possibility to choose, if missions are wanted or a "common game"
• support of AHI and network cards
• very much better "strategy" of the computer opponent
• inclusion of terrain informations regarding strategic needs
• extension of complexibility regarding streets, cities, ships etc.

I would also like to have

• creating worlds should be possible
• multiple opponents
• possibility of diplomacy
• exhange of goods and technology

But we, the members of the AUGDD (Amiga User Group Duisburg-Dinslaken) will meet soon, and most likely play Napalm in a network.

Let's find out, if it's more fun, then.

Conclusion: I wouldn't pay more than DEM 30,-- (approx. 15.31 Euros) for this game. And if a game like this is evaluated as the "best Amiga strategy game" I'm sorry for the Amiga. I'm angry to have paid a hundred marks (approx. 51.02 Euros), in my opinion it isn't worth that.

I hope, that Operation:Counterstrike (if it is to be released some day) will be better than Napalm and contains more complexibility and a better strategy.

Sorry, then I'd prefer to stay with HistoryLine/BattleIsle, Wargames and the really old Civilization or the animated real time strategy game " Fields of Glory" there you find at least a small beam of strategy of the computer opponent.

Where the last one offers the possibilites to choose and the historic environment has been made as real as possible, strategic decisions are possible due to the local terrain. Even if the graphics of those old games is old fashioned compared with todays' games, fun and competition are more important for me than brilliant graphics.

My computer: A4000 with Cyberstorm MK3 060/50,PicassoIV (with P96 software) incl. Concierto Modul,112 MB RAM,UWSCSI HD with PFS2.

Manni Froitzheim <m.froitzheim@t-online.de> http://www.verhaltensbiologische-hundeschule.de