VOL. 2 NO. 6 Nov. - Dec. - 1982 From the Editor... Features This issue marks one year that COMPUTER GAMING WORLD has been in existence. On the cover of this THE HISTORY OF A WARGAME DESIGN 11 issue we take time to do a little From Idea to Royalties Gary Grigsby celebrating and enjoy a piece of birthday cake. The past year has been JAPANESE STRATEGY IN dangerous, tense, and challenging. But GUADALCANAL CAMPAIGN 18 most of all, it has been rewarding. The response of our readers and the industry How to win with the Japanese Stephen Van Osdell in general are the "power pills - that have kept us going when the "ghosts" of FOUR FOR THE ATARI 20 problems have attacked us. Four Games Reviewed Allen Doum Each issue has increased quality and added features. This issue is no EASTERN FRONT: Scenario Options 22 exception. In addition to new layout features, we have added another new Historical modifications you can make Ian Chadwick column, MICROCOMPUTER MATHE- MAGIC By Dr. Michael Ecker. Look for a STAR MAZE 26 regular Atari 400/800 column beginning Review and CONTEST Russell Sipe in our next issue. Look for the STAR MAZE contest in this issue. LEGIONNAIRE: Review and Analysis 27 Chris Crawford's New Game Bill Willett CYTRON MASTERS FOR ATARI 31 Conversion Versus Upgrade Dan Bunten ANDROMEDA CONQUEST 34 Strategies and Rules Modifications Floyd Mathews BUNGO PETE and the WONDER BEAR 36 Two New Scenarios For TORPEDO FIRE Bob Proctor BEYOND SARGON II 39 Scenarios For Chess Roger J. Cooper Departments Inside the Industry 2 Letters 3 Taking a peek 4 Hobby and Industry News 10 The Silicon Cerebrum 14 Real World Gaming 16 Microcomputer Mathemagic 23 Route 80 (TRS-80) 33 Micro-Reviews 41 Writing For CGW 46 Reader Input Device 47 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY by Dana Lombardy, Associate Publisher Game Merchandising Last time we looked at the top sellers as reported by 105 It should be noted that this chart does not rate the game and educational software manufacturers. Part of that companies by their size. It lists them in order only according to same survey conducted for CGW asked for the total number of the number of new game titles they introduced in 1981 and so new titles each company introduced in 1981, the first half of far in 1982. 1982, and for which personal computers the programs were What this chart does indicate is that over 50 percent of all designed. new game titles were published by just 10 companies in both Nearly 500 new game titles and 150 new educational titles 1981 and 1982. If you take the statistics from the top 30 were introduced in 1981. Statistics we gathered for the first six manufacturers, they are responsible for 81 percent of all new months of 1982 show around 375 new game titles and 130 game releases. new educational titles have already been released —80 There is also no relationship between the number of percent of last year's totals in just the first half of this year. releases and how many sales a firm's top game will do. *Indicates a company's top seller has moved 8,000 or more Some of the most prolific game publishers include: units since introduction. **Is a company whose hottest product has sold over 15,000 copies. ***Denotes a game with more than 25,000 sales since release date. 1981 6 mos. 1982 Company New Games New Games Some companies which only released 1 or 2 titles have had top sellers with more than 25,000 copies sold (Infocom Adventure International 55 38 and BudgeCo), or 15,000-plus in sales (Innovative Design Atari Program Exchange 36 10 Software, Sir-tech Software, Arcade Plus, and The Cornsoft Instant Software 50 20 Group). Dynacomp 40 80 Looking at the chart on what game software was designed Artworx Software 17 6 for which personal computers there's a discrepancy between Creative Computing Software** 16 7 the number of new titles and amount of software published Sierra On-Line*** 15 6 (500 versus 806 in 1981; 375 versus 732 so far in 1982). This is (formerly On-Line Inc.) due to the fact that one title is often made into two or more Commodore International 13 12 versions for different machines. Also, some firms spent a large Orion Software Associates 11 5 part of their effort converting old game titles to work on 11 The Programmer's Guild 5 different computers so as a consequence, their new releases Sirius Software** 10 7 Spectral Associates 10 15 figures are not very impressive for 1981/82. Strategic Simulations* 10 2 The following chart on amount of software published Broderbund Software** 9 8 shows how the personal computers divide game software 8 Automated Simulations*** 8 marketed. The "other" category includes the Commodore Vic, Continental Software 8 0 Avalon Hill IBM PC, TI 99/4A, Sinclair ZX81, Xerox 820, and a few other Microcomputer Games 7 12 machines. CE Software 7 2 It should be emphasized, that the market share in terms of California Pacific percent of games made for a computer does not equal how Computer Co.** 7 2 Acorn Software 7 1 many computers of that type are being sold; although there Quality Software 7 1 obviously is a relationship with how many consumers have Synergistic Solar 6 2 those machines and the demand for games. Big Five Software 6 2 No matter which personal computer you own, the large Hayden Book Company 6 2 United Software of America 6 2 number of software manufacturers are going to provide you Manhatten Software 6 0 with a variety of games for use on your particular machine. Datasoft* 0 6 Avant-Garde Creations 4 4 Personal 1981 first half Market Share Muse** 4 4 computer Game 1982 by % of Texas Instruments 4 4 Releases Releases Software Computerware 4 2 Dakin 5/Level 10 4 2 1981/1982 The Software Toolworks 4 2 Discovery Games 4 0 Apple 231 191 28.6/26.1 Krell Software 4 0 TRS-80 202 134 25.1/18.3 Creative Software 2 4 K-Byte*** 0 4 Atari 175 178 21.7/24.3 3 8 Gebelli Software Others 198 229 24.6/31.3 Med Systems 3 6 Sublogic Communications*** 3 6 Datamost*** 3 4 Totals 806 732 100/100 Synergistic Software 2 5 Picadilly Software 2 5 Dear Editor: statements of the larger truth. The soft program enhancements in a 48K game. In "Software Piracy: The Slaying of a morality which you refer to is the Keep up the quality of CGW. I Hydra,- (Sept.-Oct. '82), Roe R. Adams outgrowth of the fact that so many thoroughly enjoy each issue cover to III exhibits tunnel vision. Neither the computerists grew up in the age of cover. behavior nor the realization of those situational ethics. Perhaps software Bruce M. Johnson who steal programs is unique; everyday pirates should stop and take note of Buckeye, Arizona the fact that ultimately moral and there are other individuals who violate Ed. — I'm glad to hear CGW is so ethical codes should be based or moral values and rules and make popular in Buckeye. If a few more of transcendental realities rather than elaborate excuses. your issues are "borrowed", we may personal opinion. The " core of the problem - is not the have to start paying you a commission cost of the software; it is the soft morality for subscriptions from Arizona. that accompanies the belief that others Yes, CGW is doing well. It is growing are not to be trusted and that moral so fast we sometimes have trouble codes may be violated if one feels put Dear Editor, keeping up. Our move to larger upon. quarters and an increase in the staff Enclosed is a check for back issues of While teaching philosophy in a will help us make CGW even better. We CGW. The problem with your magazine community college, I all too often heard is that it is TOO good! I loaned out issues are a year old now and look forward to students (and sometimes colleagues) another great year of covering one of 2.2 and 2.3 and never got them back. trying to justify unethical acts by the the fastest growing hobbies in the From now on I'll give the guys argument that someone had treated subscription forms. world. them unfairly. One "ripped-off" an I hope your magazine is doing well. I The character set problem you employer who demanded too much mention in your comments on Battle work; another cheated in the class of a had the fortune (?) to be managing editor of a small magazine for over a For Normandy is related to the 10K teacher whose standards were too high; ROM operating system in the Atari year, and I know some of the problems a third stole from a corporation whose computer (I thus assume you are an policies were abhorrent, and on and on. you're running into. Keep up the good work! Atari gamer). Early Atari computers If the software publishers ask too high that have the Revision A operating a price, there is a proper (decent, I think you would do well to System Cartridge will not be able to honest, ethical) response: don't buy the analyse/review the new SSI game run SSI's Battle For Normandy until item. Publishers will then lower the price " Battle For Normandy". Although I had they are upgraded with a Revision B if they can or stop making the product if to send my copy back due to a disk Operating System.