Laser Squad
| Laser Squad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Laser Squad Logo (Atari ST sales box) | |
| Studio | Target Games |
| Publisher | Blade software |
| Senior Developer | Julian Gollop |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1988 |
| platform | Atari ST , Commodore 64 , Commodore Amiga , Schneider CPC , MS-DOS , MSX , ZX Spectrum |
| genre | turn-based strategy game |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer |
| control | Keyboard , mouse |
| medium | Floppy disk , cassette |
| language | English |
Laser Squad is a turn-based computer game that was originally published for the ZX Spectrum and later ported to other platforms such as the Commodore 64 , Amstrad CPC , MSX , Amiga , Atari ST and PC . It was received positively by the press and gamers and received high ratings in reviews and game magazines. Laser Squad clearly influenced many later games in the same genre, for example X-COM or Jagged Alliance .
Game principle and technology
Laser Squad is a turn-based tactical war game in which the player has to perform mission tasks such as rescue or recovery missions or simply eliminating all opponents. The player controls the individual members of his group via the map, limited by action points that can be used for actions such as movement, turning, shooting, picking up and others. The mission objectives can be achieved through skillful action with seek cover, the use of military group tactics such as fire protection and a well-chosen range of group weapons. The modeling of many aspects is realistic with advantages and disadvantages, for example weapons with high firepower are typically heavier and tire the unit quickly. The state of mind and spirit also play an important role; in extreme cases, the death of teammates can lead to panic in a unit, which can then no longer be controlled by the player.
The game consists of five mission scenarios; with an extension that was published for the 8-bit version, two more scenarios were added. Some of the names chosen for characters and organizations in the Mythos and Codo games connect all Laser Squad and Rebelstar games, for example the character Corporal Jonlan and the weapons manufacturer Marsec (Mars Security).
Production notes
The concept comes from Julian Gollop and was developed by Target Games (now Codo Technologies ), it was published by Blade Software. The game is based on the ideas of the Rebelstar series, also a forerunner of Gollop.
With the release of X-COM: UFO Defense , a kind of successor to Laser Squad, by MicroProse , the tactical squad shooter type of game became more widely known.
In 2002, Codo Technologies' Laser Squad series was revived with the play-by-email game Laser Squad Nemesis (but without the action point system and customizable weapons). Since September 2005 there has been another tactical game on the Game Boy Advance with Rebelstar Tactical Command , which ties in with Laser Squad, in which you compete against aliens based on tactical maps.
Rebelstar and Laser Squad are among the earliest examples of turn-based tactical games with a few individual units. Many of the Laser Squad game mechanics concepts were reused in the later X-COM series, also developed by Gollop but published by MicroProse. With X-COM, however, the missions are not incoherent, but part of a larger campaign and story.
Each of these games has the characteristics that they model time using action points, have a morale system, "sight lines" and " Fog of War ", fire protection and the possibility of equipping their own units from a wide range of ballistic and laser weapons, grenades and close combat weapons.
reception
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The Amiga Joker praised the complexity and realism of the game, but criticized weaknesses in the operation. A review in Dragon # 158 by Hartley, Patricia and Kirk Lesser as part of The Role of Computers column gave the game 4½ out of 5 stars.
Web links
- Laser Squad at MobyGames (English)
- Laser Squad in the Amiga version at The Hall of Light (HOL)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Edge editorial team: The Making of: X-COM: Enemy Unknown ( English ) In: Edge magazine . Future, plc. May 15, 2009. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved on April 8, 2011.
- ↑ a b Werner Hiersekorn: Laser Squad . In: Amiga Joker . December 1989, p. 20.
- ↑ Lesser, Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk: The Role of Computers . In: Dragon . No. 158, June 1, 1990, pp. 47-54.