Games developed by Omnitrend Software, Inc.
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Breach
Breach, released in 1987, is a game that has stood the test of time and continues to hold a special place in the hearts of many gamers. Developed by Omnitrend Software, Breach was a pioneering tactical combat game that paved the way for future titles in the same genre. Set in a futuristic dystopian world, the game places players in command of a squad of heavily armed troopers on a mission to take back control of a city under the grip of an oppressive government.
One of the most distinctive features of Breach is its turn-based gameplay, which adds a unique strategic element to the gameplay experience. Players must carefully plan their moves and utilize their squad's various abilities to navigate through the city and complete their objectives. Each turn brings new challenges and obstacles, making every playthrough a dynamic and engaging experience.
In addition to its strategic gameplay, Breach also boasts impressive graphics for its time. The game's isometric perspective and detailed environments immerse players in the gritty atmosphere of the game's world. The sprites and animations of the troopers and enemies are also well-crafted and add to the overall immersion of the game.
One of the standout features of Breach is its character customization system. Players have the option to create their own troopers, each with their unique attributes and abilities. This adds a level of personalization and freedom to the game, allowing players to tailor their squad to fit their playstyle and tackle different challenges in creative ways.
Breach also offers a robust campaign mode, with various missions and objectives to complete. Each mission presents a different set of challenges, ranging from rescuing hostages to engaging in large-scale battles with the enemy forces. The game also includes a multiplayer mode, allowing players to go head-to-head with their friends in intense tactical battles.
Another aspect that sets Breach apart from its contemporaries is its attention to detail. The game's world feels alive and cohesive, with its own lore and intricacies. From the equipment and weapons available to the different factions and their motives, every aspect of the game contributes to its immersive atmosphere.
Paladin
Paladin, released in 1988, stands as a noteworthy title in the realm of DOS gaming, captivating players with its unique blend of fantasy and strategy. Developed by the small studio Legend Entertainment, this game introduced a fresh perspective on role-playing game mechanics, combining exploration, puzzle-solving, and real-time combat. Set in a richly imagined medieval world, players embark on a thrilling quest as a valiant knight tasked with conquering a menacing evil threatening the realm. The game’s engaging storyline quickly draws players in, immersing them in a universe filled with the allure of chivalry and danger.
One of the standout features of Paladin is its innovative approach to character development. Unlike conventional RPGs of its time, players are not merely confined to traditional levels or experience points. Instead, the game incorporates a unique skill tree that allows players to tailor their character’s abilities according to their preferred playstyle. The choice of combat skills, spellcasting, and diplomacy creates an invigorating sense of agency, enabling gamers to explore different strategies to overcome challenges. This depth in character customization has often been lauded as one of Paladin's most compelling aspects, setting a precedent that many future titles would aspire to emulate.
Graphically, Paladin showcases the capabilities of DOS, utilizing an engaging art style that evokes the essence of classic fantasy literature. The meticulously crafted environments provide a rich backdrop for the player’s journey, from sprawling castles to dark dungeons. These captivating visual elements are complemented by a hauntingly melodic soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere, drawing players deeper into this fantastical realm. The harmony of sound and sight creates a memorable experience, stirring a sense of nostalgia for gamers who cherished the golden age of DOS gaming.
Furthermore, the game's intricate puzzles require not only logic but also a touch of creativity. Players must navigate through a series of challenges that test their wit and problem-solving abilities. This engagement fosters a rewarding sense of accomplishment as they unravel the mysteries hidden within the game. The emphasis on critical thinking sets Paladin apart from many of its contemporaries that primarily focused on combat mechanics, appealing to gamers who appreciate a thoughtful approach to gameplay.
As the players progress through numerous quests and encounters, they are treated to a well-crafted narrative filled with unexpected twists and intricate lore. The developers' commitment to storytelling shines through in the diverse characters players meet along their journey. Each interaction adds depth to the overarching narrative, weaving a rich tapestry that balances action and intrigue. Paladin may not have achieved the commercial success of some of its peers, but its legacy endures, inspiring future generations of game developers and fans alike.
Paladin encapsulates the imaginative spirit of late 1980s gaming. Its innovative design, compelling narrative, and rich character development provide a captivating experience that resonates even today. As a game that expertly interlaces various gameplay elements, Paladin remains a cherished classic worth revisiting for those eager to explore the roots of modern role-playing games.
Rules of Engagement 2
One of the most replayable games of all time, Rules of Engagement 2 is a strategic starship combat that could be integrated with the tactical level of Breach 3.
The interface, while logical, is dauntingly detailed. However, those who take the time to climb the steep learning curve will find their patience well rewarded with deep and challenging gameplay. Its sequel is an updated version that is even better than the original, with a campaign builder and integrates with the strategic level of Breach 3.
Angus Manwaring wrote an excellent review of the Amiga version: 'It seems to be more of an updated version of RoE than a completely new game, so if you get the chance to get both, you're almost certainly better off buying RoE2. The second game is much bigger, weighing in at over 7 megs, whereas the first weighed less than 3. It's also nice to see that they've organized everything into proper directories on the hard drive, rather than dumping everything into a single directory. So is this an updated version of the first game with all the extras that should have existed before but didn't? Well, not really.
In RoE, there was at least an intro that set the scene and some (admittedly pretty bad) title music. Here, there's nothing except a couple of title screens. I wonder if these things were lost in the conversion of the PC version. Before you can do anything, you'll need to go into the Builder program and generate a character for yourself. Once that's done, you can go into the game proper and do a training mission or two. As in RoE, the background sounds seem to be missing. I know they don't change the gameplay, but they can add to the atmosphere.
Perhaps the most obvious difference between the first and second RoE game is the control method. It's basically the same, press the labeled, color-coded control buttons, or use the keyboard equivalents, but in RoE1, each section, Tactical, Communications, Navigation, etc., had its own screen that you could call up. In RoE2, the screen is divided into four rectangular areas, to which you can assign any particular section. You can have Data Recovery in the upper left and Tactical in the lower right, and so on. I know what you're thinking (punk), you're thinking that this makes a lot of sense, and that you're going to be able to access the various functions more quickly and effectively, ideal in a combat situation. The problem is that all the sections have several different screens for their various functions, so if you want to, for example, send a radio message to one of your ships, that's fine, except if you don't have one of the other radio screens showing incoming radio messages, you won't see any acknowledgement or know if your orders have been carried out. This principle holds true for all sections, one of your tactical displays controls the firing of missiles and laser weapons, but another controls the shields and mines. If you have to have two active tactical screens, it's half of your monitor that gets thrown away, so I'm not entirely convinced that this new system of user-configurable mini-screens is as clever an idea as it sounds. I suppose, however, that when you get used to it, and have a clear idea of what systems you'll need to use at any given time, it probably works pretty well. Also, there are four presets representing different defense conditions, so I guess I should give the system the benefit of the doubt.
In summary, Rules of Engagement 2 is, like its predecessor, a rare opportunity for the player to engage in detailed space warfare. It is clear that the game system has not been created in haste, and that the programmers have gone to great lengths to give us a game of epic proportions and plenty of depth. However, in my opinion, they have not quite taken the opportunity to bring more 'sexiness' and immediate appeal to what is already a very solid game'.
Universe
Universe is a complex space exploration game, reminiscent of the original science fiction role-playing game Traveller. It is based on the same fictional Universe as the later Omnitrend, Breach and Rules of Engagement series. In the same vein as games like Elite, Starflight and SunDog: Frozen Legacy, its gameplay involves do-it-yourself space exploration, trading, space combat, planetary mining, and other economic activities.
In Universe, you are a new independent ship captain in the Local Group, a star cluster colonized by Earth in the relatively near future. Humanity has had the hyperdrive for nearly four hundred years, but hyperdrives have limitations of ship size and range that effectively prevent exploration and colonization beyond a 40 light-year radius. However, in a distant orbit around Tau Ceti, an exploration craft encountered a huge alien artifact called a hyperspace thruster, which allowed one-way travel over a distance of thousands, rather than tens, of light-years. The discovery of the hyperspace thruster enabled a great Second Interstellar Expansion, and Axia, a star system specially marked on the hyperspace thruster star charts, was colonized. The Local Group is the cluster of stars surrounding Axia.
For more than two hundred years, Axia has regularly received packages from Earth via the hyperspace thruster, but the packages mysteriously stopped arriving four months ago. The Local Group, considerably behind Earth technologically, is dependent on the packages and has its own political and economic problems, so this is a serious problem. Panic is spreading as rumors fly about what happened on Earth.
Recently, the Axian Central Educational Institute has announced that there are tests of a second hyperspace thruster in the Local Group. You, with your new ship and your huge new debt, are one of those who hope to find the hyperspace thruster and collect the great reward for it. However, running a starship is expensive, and you will not receive any funding. Therefore, you will have to make your way as you see fit.
At the start of the game, you must choose the terms of your 300,000 credit mortgage and select a starship hull from among several models that differ in size, layout, visibility to other ships (and thus likelihood of unwanted attention), and robustness. Then, after a copious exchange of disks, you move on to the dry dock, where you can outfit the ship and place all its parts (hyperdrive, bridge, crew quarters, weapons, shuttles, cryogenic storage, etc. ) in its different sections (each of which has different capacity and visibility - this is important when a hostile ship hits you and the game must determine where you were hit and what was damaged).
From there, the Local Group is wide open. Trading, passenger transport, mineral extraction, smuggling, contract cargo transport, and even piracy (or pirate hunting) are lucrative options. The complexity of the game is shown in the example of mining: you must first equip your ship with ore processors and, if you want to mine low-tech populated planets, assault pods. You must also hire a crew sufficient to handle them all. Next, you must find a resource-rich planet and place yourself in a low orbit around it (plotting an efficient orbit by hand can save energy resources); launch the computer's Resource and Amphibious Assault software packages (which may make it necessary to disable Hyper Navigation or Sub-C Navigation to make room); convert Ore IV into energy to charge the assault pods; and launch them. Once this is done, an abstract isometric grid representing the landscape is displayed, with each assault pod shown with a vertical line extending from it to the landscape representing its altitude. Here, you give them orders as they descend to the planetary surface to secure the area, taking care to scan the landing surface repeatedly to make sure it will support the ore processors (the scanners are not 100% accurate, and you don't want your landers to sink into a swamp, fall into a thermal vent, or tip over on an uneven landscape).
Combat is played out abstractly, in a manner vaguely similar to a strategic board game. If you win this combat and secure the landing sites, then you load, crew and launch the ore processors.
Universe 3
M. Evan Brooks' review and MobyGames' track record say it all about this latest entry in the Universe series:
' A detailed simulation of space exploration and commerce. Multifaceted and very deep, its gameplay suffered from difficult-to-interpret documentation as well as an unforgiving gameplay system. Build your own ship to spec, but one wrong move could waste hours of previous gameplay. Still, it was one of the early classics.
Unlike the first two games in the series, which fell into the category of role-playing and resource management, Universe 3 poses real logic-based, [RPG]-style puzzles for you to solve. Your characters move much like their counterparts in Breach, Omnitrend's tactical combat RPG. You set out to escort a diplomat on a trip into hyperspace (a key element of Universe 2) to investigate the disappearance of shipments from Earth to this remote corner of the stellar map. The story takes a quick turn when you and your crew are captured, forcing you to rack up some criminal charges during your escape. You'll spend the rest of the time searching for evidence about the missing shipments, which will clear you of the charges, as well as bring closure to the mystery'.
