Spectrum Computing

I remember playing a great computer strategy game on my ZX Spectrum which simulated being in command of the US Strategic Defense Initiative. Most of the gameplay involved doling out funding dollars to different SDI research & development projects (X-Ray satellites, high energy lasers, ABM bases etc.). You could choose whether the US president and Soviet Premier were hawkish, dovish or a mix (but they could not be both doves). There were DEFCON warning levels. All games culminated in a nuclear war with a Soviet first strike launch. There was a map with the missile swarms tracked. You had to scramble to set the red 3-letter code to activate the SDI system in time. You could take charge of individual SDI platforms yourself or just let them run automatically. You could also OK the wholesale launch of US nukes in retaliation. What is this game?

I remember this one, Nuclear War but it was not for the Spectrum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRRNQ7NlC1Y

RMartins wrote: ↑Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:24 pm I remember this one, Nuclear War but it was not for the Spectrum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRRNQ7NlC1Y

Thanks...but not this one. It was mostly text based.

Sounds like a cases computer simulation management type game (CCS).

But I had a look and nothing in their back catalog seems to fit your game. There is nothing also in the management section of the archive. (I figured it might be hiding their..)

Best bet is to look through the wargame section..

Apocalypse?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.php?cat=96&id=222

There is also Thermonuclear War, can't see much information on it in the archive though.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=10684

Nuclear War is a great game, although a bit random.

It's a bit shame that it doesn't exist on Spectrum. It's very, very possible to do it on our machine.

And you could it do today with modern leaders.

Ralf wrote: ↑Fri Mar 16, 2018 9:23 am Nuclear War is a great game, although a bit random.

It's a bit shame that it doesn't exist on Spectrum. It's very, very possible to do it on our machine.

And you could it do today with modern leaders.

That would be great, it's a shame but I can't see anybody finding time to make a game like this anymore. In the last 10 years we've had one (fantastic) Strategy Management Game - Telly Heroes*.

At the very least I'd like to see a mock up of the world leaders screen, there is still PLENTY of material to work with there (though Trump couldn't possibly be made "any more Trump").

*We had Break/Space last year but I think this has more in common with Adventure: Dungeon Crawl, will check on this.

I think for one person its a lot of work. But for a team of people its probably a more manageable project than say porting a complicated arcade game to the spectrum.

Especially with the new graphics engines available now you could probably do a pretty nice port. I mean its a pretty static game. Under the fancy graphics I guess the model is going to be pretty straight forward.

One of the things that used to frustrate me back in the day was the books on programming strategy / management games for the spectrum would just talk about extremely simple examples for simulations that nobody in their right mind would want to play. I guess they didn't have the scope for the more complicated simulations & especially with graphics.

Plus someone who could consistently churn out good graphics and game play would be slitting his own throat by giving away the techniques to others. I can't see this category bringing in a huge user base.

That said Chris Crawford used to sell the source to his Atari game Eastern Front (for $200) so there were people that thought differently.

Today you don't need to just stick to the models suggested by the spectrum books, you can adapt ones from paper based wargames from heavy hitters like AH or SPI. Don't like the civilian models the military have publish decades of papers on wargaming.

http://www.spigames.net/SPIProfiles.htm

http://www.alternatewars.com/BBOW/BBOW_Index.htm

The description seems to match High Frontier.

The Armageddon Man?

http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek ... id=0000269

Theatre Europe?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=5224

stupidget wrote: ↑Fri Mar 16, 2018 2:29 pm The Armageddon Man?

http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek ... id=0000269

Thats it. Used to love this game. Thanks

Sound like High Frontier. I'll be doing a video on it, as I had to buy the cassette off eBay from Spain!

Three difficulty levels, 6 technologies, 3 settings for the US and Soviet leaders. Cracking stuff.