Under Fire!

Last updated
Under Fire!
Under Fire video game cover.jpg
Developer(s) Avalon Hill
Publisher(s) Avalon Hill
Platform(s) Apple II, Commodore 64, DOS
Release1985
Genre(s) Tactical wargame

Under Fire! is a tactical level computer game released by Avalon Hill's computer division in 1985. The game was released for Apple II, Commodore 64, and DOS systems. Initial packaging had the name of the designer, Ralph H. Bosson, over the title on the box front so as to read Ralph Bosson's UNDER FIRE!, but subsequent packaging replaced his name and read Avalon Hill's UNDER FIRE! instead. The C64 port was by Dyadic Software Associates. [1]

Contents

The game was not billed as a computer version of Squad Leader, though it did bear some similarities in that players commanded roughly company sized forces. Only three maps were available for play. The game was unique in that for each of the nine scenarios, victory was not declared at game's end. A results screen would show losses in men and equipment, and list possession of objectives, leaving the determination of "victory" to the player.

An Extended Capabilities Disk was sold by Avalon Hill also, adding 56 more US, German and Russian assault guns and tanks to the game, as well as providing Japanese, British and Italian forces, with two additional maps and six more scenarios. A Second Extended Capabilities Disk also underwent initial development, bringing a campaign layer to the game, increasing the speed of play, and making use of 64K of additional memory (where available).

Gameplay

The player would select display options and game scale at the start of play (the map was divided into squares, which could represent a variable number of metres per square, selected by the player at the outset of the game). The display as very simple, with units represented by crude tank, halftrack, or soldier icons. The display was a four-color output for the IBM PC and 16-color for the Apple II. A scenario and map were selected (with only three choices of each, for a total of nine combinations to choose from). However, forces were randomly selected for each nationality, and the player could also choose to either attack or defend, providing even more diversity to gameplay. The player also had the option of playing either a human opponent, or against a computer opponent.

The game was "WEGO" in concept (the same concept later made famous by Combat Mission ) in that both players entered their orders, and then watched the order resolution unfold simultaneously.

The computer opponent was actually a form of artificial intelligence; in the words of the designer: "I attempted to create a player that would try to win, not simply fire back. The computer has been given a knowledge of small arms [ sic ] tactics. It will, when possible, co-ordinate its attacks." [1]

Reception

William Harrington of Computer Gaming World in 1985 called Under Fire! "highly playable" and predicted that the ability to construct scenarios would keep the game "on the cutting edge of computer war gaming in months and even years to come". While noting slow performance on the Apple II series, it concluded that the game was "a must for Apple computer wargamers"." [2] A 1987 overview in the magazine of squad-level games approved of the graphics and documentation, and described Under Fire! as "exceptional in its versatility" but difficult to learn as a result. [3] An overview of World War II simulations in the same issue rated the game four out of five points. [4] A 1993 survey of wargames gave the game two-plus stars out of five, stating that "it does show its age". [5]

Compute! called Under Fire! "one of the best [wargames] I've ever seen", and stated that the game was "so flexible it truly lives up to Avalon Hill's boast that it's a 'War Game Construction Set'". It concluded that Avalon Hill and the game's author "have created what is sure to become a standard for computerized war games in the future". [6]

The game was reviewed in Issue #50 (Sep/Oct 1986) of Fire & Movement magazine, in an article by Omar L. DeWitt:

There is much to keep you busy with this game; skills to learn, new situations to face, and new conflicts to be created. I am very favourably impressed by this game; much enjoyment per dollar.

The game has been criticized for being slow. For those used to arcade games, it certainly is. Perhaps it could be faster; a few functions lend themselves to being speeded up, and some simple shortcuts could have been taken, but I did not find the time factor a drawback. ...

If I have a criticism, it is with winning. ... I suspect that level one in Under Fire is too good.

Reviews

Notes

1 ^ Fire & Movement Magazine, Issue #50 (Sep/Oct 1986). The designer probably meant "small unit tactics" rather than "small arms tactics".

Related Research Articles

<i>Wooden Ships and Iron Men</i>

Wooden Ships and Iron Men is a naval board wargame simulating naval combat during the Age of Sail that was published by Battleline Publications in 1974, then revised and republished by Avalon Hill the following year.

<i>Silent Service</i> (video game) 1985 video game

Silent Service is a submarine simulator video game designed by Sid Meier and published by MicroProse for various 8-bit home computers in 1985 and for 16-bit systems like the Amiga in 1987. A Nintendo Entertainment System version developed by Rare was published in 1989 by Konami in Europe and by Konami's Ultra Games subsidiary in North America. Silent Service II was released in 1990. Tommo purchased the rights to this game and published it online through its Retroism brand in 2015.

<i>The Ancient Art of War</i> 1984 video game

The Ancient Art of War is a video game designed by Dave and Barry Murry, developed by Evryware, and published by Broderbund in 1984. It is recognized as one of the first real-time strategy or real-time tactics games.

<i>F-19 Stealth Fighter</i> 1988 video game

F-19 Stealth Fighter is a combat flight simulator developed and released in 1988 and 1990 by MicroProse, featuring a fictional United States military aircraft. It is the 16-bit remake of the 8-bit game Project Stealth Fighter, which was released for the Commodore 64 in 1987. It was also ported to the NEC PC-9801 in Japan only, and the DOS version was re-released on Steam distribution platform in 2015.

<i>Tanktics: Computer Game of Armored Combat on the Eastern Front</i> 1976 video game

Tanktics: Computer Game of Armored Combat on the Eastern Front is a 1976 two-player tank battle computer wargame by Chris Crawford. It was Crawford's first video game. He initially self-published it as Wargy I. It was published by Avalon Hill in 1981 as Tanktics.

<i>Conquistador</i> (game) Board game

Conquistador, originally subtitled "The Age of Exploration: 1495–1600", is a board game published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the exploration of the New World in the 16th century. Players take on the role of European countries sending expeditions to find gold and establish colonies. Although the design uses the trappings of board wargames such as a hex map, combat is not a major part of the game.

<i>Battles of Napoleon</i> 1988 video game

Battles of Napoleon is a 1988 computer wargame by Chuck Kroegel and David Landrey published by Strategic Simulations. It was released for the Apple II, Commodore 64, and DOS.

<i>The Universal Military Simulator</i> 1987 video game

The Universal Military Simulator is a computer game developed by Rainbird Software in 1987 for the Macintosh, Tandy 4000, and IBM PC compatibles. In 1988, both Atari ST, Amiga versions were released. The game was created by Ezra Sidran. The PC and Amiga versions were ported by Ed Isenberg. The game spawned two sequels: UMS II: Nations at War and The War College: Universal Military Simulator 3.

<i>The Hunt for Red October</i> (1987 video game) 1987 video game

The Hunt for Red October is a video game based on the 1984 book The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy. It was released in 1987 and was available for the Atari ST, Amiga, Apple II, Macintosh, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Commodore 64 and IBM PC. A port for the Apple IIGS was released in 1989. The player must navigate the Red October towards U.S. waters while avoiding the Soviet Navy. The game is a combination of submarine simulator and strategy game.

Diplomacy is a 1984 video game based on a classical board game Diplomacy. It falls in the category of a turn-based, strategy, war game. It was programed by Tony Smith, with Alexander Martin and Nicole Baikaloff doing the graphics.

<i>Ogre</i> (video game) 1986 computer game

Ogre is a 1986 computer game based on the Ogre board wargame. It was released by Origin Systems for the Apple II, Amiga, Atari 8-bit family, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, and Macintosh.

<i>Battlefront</i> (1986 video game) 1987 video game

Battlefront is a computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Studies Group for the Apple II and Commodore 64 in 1986. The game is a turn-based strategy set in World War II.

<i>Europe Ablaze</i> 1985 video game

Europe Ablaze is a computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Studies Group for the Commodore 64 and Apple II in 1985. It is based on air warfare of World War II.

<i>The Shattered Alliance</i> 1981 video game

Chronicles of Osgorth: The Shattered Alliance is a 1981 computer wargame published by Strategic Simulations in January 1982 for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit family. Programmed by John Lyon, it relies on a new game engine, called RapidFire, intended to make faster and easier access to wargames published by the studio. During a turn, the program selects the units each in turn and the player only has to order them to move, attack or cast a spell. The order is then executed immediately before the program selects another unit. The game offers two categories of scenarios. The first is composed of medieval-fantasy confrontation, including a free adaptation of the Battle of Gondor against the Mordor forces in the Lord of the Rings. The second is composed of historical battles of antiquity.

<i>TAC</i> (video game) 1983 combat videogame

T.A.C. is a top-down tactical combat videogame published by Avalon Hill in 1983 for Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 and IBM PC. The game takes place during the Second World War and simulates clashes involving the United States, the USSR, Germany and the United Kingdom.

<i>Objective: Kursk</i> 1984 video game

Objective: Kursk is a 1984 computer wargame designed by Gary Grigsby and released by Strategic Simulations, Inc.

<i>MBT</i> (board game) Board wargame published in 1989

MBT is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1989 that simulates hypothetical World War Three tank combat between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces in Western Europe. A second edition was published by GMT Games in 2016.

<i>Napoleon at Bay</i>

Napoleon at Bay, subtitled "Prelude to Waterloo: The Campaign in France, 1814", is a board wargame published by Tactical Studies Group/Operational Studies Group in 1978 that is a simulation of Napoleon's attempts to keep the Allies out of Paris in the early months of 1814.

<i>The Game of France, 1940</i> World War II board wargame published in 1971

The Game of France, 1940: German Blitzkrieg in the West, originally titled "The Battle for France, 1940", is a board wargame originally published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971 that was subsequently re-issued by Avalon Hill in 1972. Both editions simulate the World War II Battle of France in 1940, when the German blitzkrieg offensive overwhelmed French and British defenses in northern France.

<i>Frederick the Great</i> (game)

Frederick the Great, subtitled "The Campaigns of The Soldier King 1756–1759", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates several of the campaigns of Frederick the Great in Central Europe during the Seven Years' War. When SPI ran into financial difficulties, they sold the rights to the game to Avalon Hill, who produced a second edition in 1982.

References

  1. ↑ Under Fire at Lemon 64
  2. ↑ Harrington, William (Jan–Feb 1986). "Under Fire!". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 1, no. 25. pp. 11, 46.
  3. ↑ Selover, Jay C. (May 1987). "A Survey of WW II Tactical Infantry Systems". Computer Gaming World. p. 22. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  4. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (April 1987). "Kilobyte Was Here!". Computer Gaming World. p. 6. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  5. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (October 1993). "Brooks' Book Of Wargames: 1900-1950, R-Z". Computer Gaming World. pp. 144–148. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Trunzo, James V. (March 1986). "Under Fire For Apple". Compute!. p. 53. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 49". February 1988.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.