Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!killer!ames!lll-tis!oodis01!uplherc!esunix!blgardne From: blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Emerald Mine Message-ID: <908@esunix.UUCP> Date: 8 Jul 88 18:48:10 GMT References: <4762@gryphon.CTS.COM> Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation Lines: 47 From article <4762@gryphon.CTS.COM>, by bilbo@pnet02.cts.com (Bill Daggett): > blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) writes: >>If you like puzzle-action games like Loderunner, get this one! > > Oh nooo! Not LodeRunner... And I was cured when I dumped Apple for the > Amiga. Argh! > > Tell me... Emerald Mine isn't quite as good as LodeRunner was... is it? Ok, Emerald Mine is no good, a lousy game. Not worth playing until 1 am trying to beat "just one more" level. Don't believe me? Ok, then it's your fault if you buy it and don't get any sleep! :-) It is a different game from Loderunner, but it shares the stragety/reflexes combination. If you ever saw Boulderdash on the Apple, you've got a fair idea what Emerald Mine is about, but EM has several advantages. Most importantly you don't have to start at level 0 every time, the game tracks several different players, and the default starting level is the last one you failed to complete. You can replay any level you've beaten, but there is no way to peek at higher levels. Just like Loderunner, there are several levels that you will SWEAR are impossible to beat, but there has always been a way (so far :-). One humbling stat that the game keeps track of is the number of games played. When that exceeds the number of games won by a factor of ten or more, it's a bit embarrasing! I think the game is more like Championship Loderunner in the difficulty of some of the levels. It's been about 2 months since I've played it, since the last session got me mad enough at the game to consider throwing the Amiga out the window (and there aren't even any windows in the room :-). This is a game you'll love to hate! One thing missing is a level editor. I've heard there is a PD editor out there somewhere, but I haven't seen it. If you liked Loderunner, get Emerald Mines. It's a German import, so it may be hard to find, but a local dealer ordered it in for me. Best of all it was under $20! Oh, it does employ grind-the-drive protection that Marauder II won't copy. :-( -- Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland 540 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108 UUCP Addresses: {ihnp4,ucbvax,allegra,decvax}!decwrl!esunix!blgardne ihnp4!utah-cs!esunix!blgardne usna!esunix!blgardne "Nobody will ever need more than 64K." "Nobody needs multitasking on a PC."