Updated version of Chaos?

edited April 2012 in New game ideas
One game I've never managed to 'click' with is Chaos, the legendary strategy game for the 48K Speccy. Actually, I've never liked any strategy game, but Chaos is one of the few I want to like, as so many people whos' game tastes I respect insist that Chaos is one of the very few all time classic computer games and is always worth booting up for an hour or four's play.

I've tried Chaos several times over the years, but have never taken to it, but I do intend to keep trying, not only as I'd love to like (or like to love) just a well respected game, but also since if it opened up another genre to me then that would be great too (first person shooters are the best games ever, as any cool person like me knows (:p), but other genres shouldn't be neglected), and it seems to me that I, and no doubt others, might be more inclined to give it a go if the game was updated in the following respects:



1. Apparently Chaos has some bugs. I don't know the specifics, but bugs are generally bad anyway (unless they can be exploited, in which case some people call them 'glitches' and don't want them fixed, of course) so if the bugs were fixed that would be good. Then again, maybe one or more of the bugs is well known and actually used as part of player strategy, so maybe an in-game option to fix or not fix the bugs would be better?

2. There are apparently some unused spells/sprites/whatever in the game. It would be nice if these were completed and made to work, and if there is some doubt about how these were intended to be, then a discussion could be started on these forums for Chaos fans to suggest ways to implement these additions.

3. As an addendum to point 2, there are maybe other changes that Chaos fans would like to see to the game, such as entirely new spells, a handicap system (so that a bad player can start with an advantage over a good player, to even the playing field, so to speak), the option to choose which spells you start with, the option to make all wizards start with the same spell, and so on. The game could be made much more configurable, adding every option that any Chaos fan would want. The resulting version of Chaos would probably have to be 128K only, to fit all of the options and new code in, but that's surely not a problem, as I doubt many people are still using a 48K Spectrum exclusively (if I still used a real Spectrum then it would be a +2, I think, as to me the +2 with the +D and 3.5" disc drive and Multiface 128 was the best Spectrum combination I've ever used), and of emulator users can use 128K mode just as easily as 48K mode.

4. A graphical update. Normally I'm not bothered about graphics (if I was I wouldn't still play Spectrum games, not in 2012!) but if you've seen the amazing work of Andrew Owen, Einar Saukas, Joefish, etc, in colouring in sprites then you must have wondered how your favourite games would look if they'd recieved the multicoloured sprite treatment. Sadly, most games (Manic Miner, Dynamite Dan 2, Skooldaze, etc) as those games are too-demanding, CPU-resource-wise. But Chaos should be possible, I'd have thought, as when it's displaying the sprites then it's not doing too much else, plus even if the multi-colour routines do slow down the sprite displays then it's surely not going to harm the game, as Chaos isn't a real-time game anyway.

For an idea of what I hope would be possible in Chaos, have a look at:

http://www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38179

http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0026639

http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0021575


Any thoughts, ideas, comments? Any spells you'd like the option to disallow from the game, any changes to the game's rules, any features you'd like added, etc? Any Chaos fan with the skills to make these changes? A fan of the game would be much more likely to make the suggested changes, but if not then one of the usual brainy types might take up the challenge, but if he (or she, let's not be sexist) does look into it, then it would help a lot if there were a clear list of suggested changes, as a non-player of the game wouldn't know off his own back what needed doing.
Post edited by ewgf on

Comments

  • There's already an updated version of Chaos:

    www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0002930

    Rebelstar 2 was the game that got me into Strategy games and that's been my favourite genre ever since.
  • edited March 2012
    Lords of Chaos was an okay game, but without the multiplayer aspect wasn't really a real replacement for the original. If you've never played Chaos with a bunch of mates, you've never really played it at all.

    It would definitely be interesting to see what could be done in terms of a graphical update. There is very little else that needs changing in the gameplay, although a more obvious transition between players turns to avoid sneaking cheating might be a good idea.
  • Yep, Player 1 can use a lightning bolt before anyone else can move and Player 8 can cast an illusion dragon and use it before anyone can disbelieve it.

    I though Lords of Chaos was multiplayer?
  • edited March 2012
    Yep, Player 1 can use a lightning bolt before anyone else can move and Player 8 can cast an illusion dragon and use it before anyone can disbelieve it.

    Starting position is certainly a big deal in the game. A while back we had a discussion on that very topic:

    http://worldofspectrum.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28632

    On the whole, the corners do better than the edges, but the ability to exploit the advantages of playing 1 and 8 doesn't seem quite so clear cut.
    I though Lords of Chaos was multiplayer?

    It is, although you can have at most four players and it takes a very long time to play. Realistically, Chaos is a game where you could get your friends round and play it but Lords of Chaos is for serious strategy heads.
  • edited March 2012
    I'm a Laser Squad fanatic and I'm starting to like Rebelstar, but for some reason I still don't see the appeal of Chaos, not even the online version. ;)
  • RNDRND
    edited March 2012
    Lords of Chaos was a bastard son. I much prefer the simpler more pleasurable chaos.
    Facebook @nick.swarfega Twitter: @sw4rfega
  • RND wrote: »
    Lords of Chaos was a bastard son. I much prefer the simpler more pleasurable chaos.
    I like Lords of Chaos, but let's just say I've played LOC maybe 20-30 times and Chaos hundreds!

    I played a good remake on the Amiga, but I forget what it was called now. It had speech and additional monsters and spells.
  • RNDRND
    edited March 2012
    There was a version of chaos that used space characters which I probably have on disk but cant remember the name of. It was a blatant rejig of the original chaos.
    Facebook @nick.swarfega Twitter: @sw4rfega
  • edited April 2012
    RND wrote: »
    There was a version of chaos that used space characters which I probably have on disk but cant remember the name of. It was a blatant rejig of the original chaos.

    It was probably Space Chaos: Battle in Future
    http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0000897

    I've got this game 3 times as a TAP, a TZX and a Z80.

    Cheers, Neil
  • edited April 2012
    Neil L wrote: »
    It was probably Space Chaos: Battle in Future
    http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0000897

    I've got this game 3 times as a TAP, a TZX and a Z80.

    Cheers, Neil

    The game is only available as tap. in the archive, it would be very appreciated if you could send the tzx. too :)
  • edited April 2012
    For the Speccy: Isometric Chaos, please. Same idea as the original, maybe a slightly larger play area to accomodate larger sprites, and some nice simplified "cut-scenes" to show off the attacks. That'll do me. :)
  • edited April 2012
    RND wrote: »
    There was a version of chaos that used space characters which I probably have on disk but cant remember the name of. It was a blatant rejig of the original chaos.
    Neil L wrote: »
    It was probably Space Chaos: Battle in Future
    http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0000897

    I've got this game 3 times as a TAP, a TZX and a Z80.

    Cheers, Neil
    Ivanzx wrote: »
    The game is only available as tap. in the archive, it would be very appreciated if you could send the tzx. too :)

    I've just uploaded a zip containing all 3 versions. :)

    One thing I've noticed is that: ? DOBIFACE appears during loading, is this the author?

    Cheers, Neil
  • Graz wrote: »
    For the Speccy: Isometric Chaos, please. Same idea as the original, maybe a slightly larger play area to accomodate larger sprites, and some nice simplified "cut-scenes" to show off the attacks. That'll do me. :)

    Yeah, but with the option to turn off the "cut-scenes" too. I wouldn't want it going all Battle Chess :-P
Sign In or Register to comment.