Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday

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Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday

Developer(s) Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Publisher(s) Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Engine Gold Box
Platform(s) Amiga, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Release date 1990
Genre(s) computer role-playing game, Tactical RPG
Mode(s) Single player

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday is a computer role-playing game released by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1990, set in the Buck Rogers XXVC game setting.

Versions of the game were sold for the IBM PC Compatible, Mega Drive/Genesis, Commodore 64, and the Amiga. Matrix Cubed is a sequel to Countdown to Doomsday; it came out in 1992.

[edit] Description

At the beginning of the game the player creates a party of six characters from a choice of five classes (Rocketjock, Warrior, Medic, Rogue, and Engineer) and six races (Human, Desert Runner, Tinker, Venusian, Martian, and Mercurian)

The game has five view modes:

  • Solar System View: The map shows the positions on the inner planets and major asteroids from an "overhead" perspective. The player's spaceship can be moved around in relation to the planets. Ship-to-ship combat is started from this view.
  • Overworld view: This is another overhead view, where the player can move the party around on the surface of a planet. Land combat can be started from this view.
  • Adventuring view: This is a 3D view that shows the party's environment form their perspective. Land combat can be started from this view.
  • Land Combat: This is an overhead isometric view of the area that the party is in. Individual characters, NPCs, and enemies are displayed in scale.
  • Ship-to-Ship Combat: The player sees the enemy space ship. Controls are limited to menus at the bottom of the screen.

[edit] Differences between versions

Most versions of the game display the Adventuring view from the point of view of the party (i.e. the display is first-person), and have a simple text menu for spaceports.

The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version of the game shows the Adventuring view from a point of view behind the party leader (i.e. the display is third-person), and uses the Adventuring view in spaceports.

The available races and classes are also more limited on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version. The player may only select from Human, Desert Runner, and Tinker as races, and may select only Warrior, Rocketjock, Medic, or Rogue as a character class. There are also significantly fewer skills and equipment types available to players as compared to the PC version.

There are only two known versions for MS-DOS:

OS Version Language
MS-DOS V1.00 Turbo Pascal 5.5 (exepacked)
MSDOS V1.3 Turbo Pascal 5.5 (exepacked)

[edit] External links

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