In the year 1989, Personal Software Services developed a Top-down perspective game by the name Final Frontier. You can now play it online here.
One of the first RTS's (that is, real-time strategy) in history, now almost completely forgotten and not included in most databases. The plot is quite difficult to understand and to the game itself (i.e. what to do) is not much relationship. If very briefly, the action takes place on a ravaged post-apocalyptic Earth very distant future where people are no longer as they destroyed each other in endless wars. However, before long, people learned to create semi-intelligent robots, in order to use them for combat purposes, and over time these robots are becoming smarter, so that in the end have surpassed the people and began to create their own kind.
People are no more – but the robots there, and they continue what was done by their creators, that is – are meaningless war with each other for territory in their factories continuously produce other robots. The robots are divided into a kind of "camp" (how was such a division – is unclear), at the head of each of which is one of the most important and the most intelligent, who listens to everyone else. The goal of each leader is to exterminate all other factions of robots and solely own all known territories. And this is one such robot in the Final Frontier you play. Agree that even if it would be called monstrous nonsense or "trash", it is at least very original.
As already mentioned, the game takes place entirely in real – time no step by step here. The game screen is a map (first map of the continent or its part [of which very little similar to modern real-continents]), then the map of the world. The map is divided into zones and you still own only one such area, quite small in size, which has a semblance of a town with factories (of course, all of this is presented on the screen solely by the icons). There is a possibility of change of perspective review – from strategic to tactical. Game control is carried out with the keyboard: cursor keys to move the map, space bar (space) the allocation of any object.
The most important symbols on the map are circles and odd-shaped polygons. Circles are areas where there are your troops, polygons – where there are enemy troops. The city (your and enemy) marked with squares, but they can be seen only at the tactical game screen. The goal of the game, as has been said, - the seizure of the world, which is necessary to capture all the existing zones. Area is captured after the destruction of the enemy cities are located there. It's interesting that the city can move, then there is a kind of movable mechanical base, a monstrous infernal machine, which "travels" from zone to zone, destroying them on the other machine.
To be able to fight, you need to make the robots is done in global mode with the help of a special button to "Factory", in this mode you can view available your robot the amount of power and protective armor, but also "hang" on their weapons. Orders the movements of the robots are given in tactical mode, you can control each robot separately. The battles start immediately – at a meeting of the hostile forces.
What is interesting is the possibility of reaching a certain point in time to build not only ordinary combat robots, but more interesting types. For example, robot repairers, who can give orders on the battlefield to revive the life of fallen comrades, or scouts who can move quickly and in a short time to detect an enemy city in the zone.
About the graphics for me – it is roughly the same as in many other strategies the second half of the 80s. of Course, palette – CGA, the overall picture is gloomy and not particularly detailed, but it could be much worse. In addition, of course, in such games on the schedule no real fan of the old strategies are not going to look, and I must admit that this "minimalism" total darkness of the game goes only on advantage.
Verdict – very, very difficult and unusual thing that is recommended in the first place for true connoisseurs of the old examples of the genre.
Now, play Final Frontier online for free on your browser and make your boring weekend fun and full of entertainment.
Source: Archive.org, Mobygames.com
Try to play some games from recommended games section.
