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Andrey Shkolnikov, 1995.
ARCHON
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Freefall Associates 1983.
But the fire burned the lions that ate the snakes that got stuck in the howitzers that destroyed the spears that rendered the gas chamber unusable that evaporated the water that extinguished the fire.
R. Shekley. "Mind Exchange".
Archon is an old and venerable game. It is enough to say that it was written in the good old 1983, when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, and the Speccy (how would that be in Russian?!) had barely turned a year old. Moreover, Archon is little known and almost unknown among the masses of Sinclair enthusiasts.
And yet... Archon, despite its touching antiquity, has a huge appeal. Beginners will be swept away by the very atmosphere of the game - something akin to chess with fairy-tale pieces, arcade fights, and sorcery.
And when you get the hang of it and resurface - you will realize how finely tuned the combat properties of the pieces are and what strategic insights the seemingly simple game allows. (By the way, Archon is a typical game with a non-transitive "stronger-weaker" relationship system. For what that is, see the epigraph.)
Of course, at this second stage, you will defeat the computer with your hands tied behind your back, inventing limitations for yourself like "the whole mission on the left tread." But Archon allows for two-player games, so interest in this game does not fade for a long time.
The playing field of Archon is a 9x9 board; at first glance, it looks just like a chessboard of unusual size; but upon closer inspection, it turns out that it has fields of three colors: light, dark, and white - neutral. On five fields - one light, one dark, and three neutral - a blinking icon resembling an eye is depicted; these are the magical fields.
It is easy to guess that the battle takes place between the light and dark forces. Accordingly, the pieces are various fairy-tale creatures. There are so many varieties that Archon can be used as a reference for monsters. The only ones missing are vampires and werewolves. All creature-pieces are traditional (no orcs!).
On the side of the light, there are more or less good characters, while the dark side fights with evil forces. Most of these creatures are well-known, but thirty-three require explanations. Valkyries are Scandinavian maidens-spirits of battle; golem is one of the first robots - a magically animated clay or wooden figure. Basilisk is a remarkably disgusting creature with the body of a toad, the head of a rooster, and a snake-like tail, killing with its gaze (and in some versions - even just by its appearance). Banshee is the spirit of death, heralding it with a piercing scream; and manticore is a composite monster with the body of a lion, the head of a man, and a scorpion's tail. Shapeshifter is most likely an invention of the program's authors.
It takes the form of whoever it is fighting; if this word weren't already taken by the werewolf, it could be called a shapeshifter. And I will call it the terrible word "shifter" (play a little, and you will notice that it is called that too - this is confirmed by experience).
I don't know what considerations the authors of the program had, but the dark forces have a noticeable advantage. It is easy to confirm this by making the computer fight itself: the dark ones win, in my observations, 90 percent of the time. However, the computer, as it should, plays rather stupidly. But when people fight, the strength gap is almost irrelevant; a skilled pairing of opponents nullifies it. But more on that later.
To win in Archon, you must do one of two things: either defeat all opponents or occupy all five magical fields with pieces of your color.
To make a move with any piece, simply hover the cursor over it and press "fire." If this piece can move, its name, method of movement, and maximum number of steps it can take will light up under the board. For example: SORCERESS (TELEPORT 3) - the sorceress can teleport up to three steps. Remember that in Archon, the rule "touched - moved" applies: making this move with another piece will no longer be possible.
Each piece is given a fixed number of steps per turn (from 3 to 5). In terms of movement methods, all pieces are divided into walking and flying (or teleporting). The difference is that walking pieces move like rooks (i.e., cannot move diagonally) and cannot pass "through" their allies, although they can somehow pass through enemies. Flying pieces can move both straight and diagonally and can move without regard for obstacles. The dark side has a sorceress, dragon, shifter, and banshee; the light side has a wizard, djinn, phoenix, and valkyries (i.e., the light and dark "flyers" are symmetrically positioned).
Each time one of your army passes a field occupied by an enemy piece, the program asks you if you want to engage this enemy. If you think it is not worth it, simply move on or retreat. But if you are eager for battle, boldly press fire; the game will switch to the arcade part - combat mode.
When you enter a duel, the board with the pieces disappears. The battlefield lights up, with obstacles randomly placed that hinder shots and movement, and the battle begins. During the fight, the positioning of these obstacles changes randomly. On the sides of the combat arena, two columns are depicted - energy indicators of the combatants.
This energy decreases with injuries; when the energy level of one fighter (or both simultaneously) drops to zero - that fighter dies, and the duel ends.
The initial energy level is determined by two things. First, it is the inherent strength of the creatures: from birth, they have different levels of energy. The strongest are the dragon, wizard, sorceress, djinn; the weakest are knights and goblins. Second, it is the location of the battle: light and dark cells possess the magic of the place, which supports their own and weakens the enemy. On neutral cells, there is no such magic, and both opponents start the fight with their natural energy levels.
Almost always, the winner in a duel also receives injuries that lower their energy; if you attack them right after a fight in which they were injured, their health due to these injuries will be worse than in the previous fight. Wounds gradually heal, greatly aided by the magic of the place: on a cell of the enemy's color, the healing process is significantly delayed, while on their own - it speeds up. It seems that magical fields affect the strength of pieces "are still little studied."
Each hero of Archon has their own unique fighting style. The combat properties of your opponents and allies deserve further discussion - a bloodless victory in Archon is possible only in the inquisitorial sense, that is, with fire instead of a sword.
The strongest piece in battle is undoubtedly the black sorceress. But who is in second place is a very difficult question. Both the dragon, unicorns, and banshees can claim this spot. It all depends on who is fighting whom.
The thing is, the combat qualities of all Archon heroes are determined by a large number of parameters - strength, speed of movement, power and speed of shooting. It turns out that each has their "favorite" opponent.
For example, the dragon is the strongest creature in the game, with an extremely powerful and fast fire breath, but it is clumsy. Therefore, the dragon easily kills nimble but weak knights: they need just one or two fire charges, while the dragon can withstand almost a dozen hits from a knight's sword. However, the unicorn poses a serious threat to the dragon: it is sturdier, very fast, and the unicorn's shots are comparable in strength to the dragon's. Thus, the unicorn can shoot at the dragon from a distance without punishment, dodging the dragon's fire; but if the fight goes to close range, the unicorn has a tough time: neither opponent can dodge in time, and the dragon takes a hit better.
Let’s list the combat properties of Archon characters in more detail.
I. Light forces.
I.1. Wizard. Both the wizard and the sorceress are something like queens in the role of kings. They are strong in battle, but it is wiser to let them live peacefully and not fight as long as possible.
The thing is, they possess an important property, almost necessary for victory - magic. We will talk about magic a little later. As for combat properties, the wizard is quite sturdy, shoots very strongly (although weaker than the dragon), but both he and his shots are quite slow.
I.2. Djinn. The djinn is also quite sturdy, shoots powerfully and quickly, but is slow. He is good to use against fast but weak pieces - basilisks and goblins.
I.3. Phoenix. His fighting style is unusual. He does not shoot but, when striking, surrounds himself with a fireball for a short time. An opponent caught in this ball receives wounds.
Besides the phoenix, only banshees can fight this way. Against fast dark pieces, the phoenix is powerless - for example, a weak basilisk can easily shoot the phoenix from a distance while avoiding close encounters. But the phoenix is good to use against goblins that cannot shoot. And when playing as the light side against the computer, it is wise to send the phoenix against the shifter - the phoenix controlled by the computer fights poorly.
I.4. Unicorns. In my opinion, these are the most combat-ready light pieces. They are quite sturdy, extremely fast, and shoot quickly and powerfully. Only the dark sorceress can reliably withstand a fresh and fully powered unicorn.
The only way to kill a unicorn is to wound it at the cost of a few dark pieces. However, the weakness of unicorns is that at the beginning of the game, they stand on dark squares, and the magic of the place weakens them. Therefore, if you are playing as the dark side, you can unleash a dragon on the unicorns at the very beginning of the game - at least one of them won't manage to escape. On the dark field, the unicorn consistently loses to the dragon.
I.5. Golems. Real golems, as we know, are dull and slow, but strong and almost invulnerable - what can you do with a lump of clay? So are the golems in the game. They are sturdy, shoot strongly, but both the golem and its shots crawl slowly across the battlefield.
Fast pieces can defeat a golem if they manage to keep their distance throughout the fight - after all, it is difficult to dodge even from a slow shot at close range. Therefore, the golem is good to use against goblins - they cannot shoot and are forced to approach to strike. Additionally, golems make good royal guards - at the cost of their lives (or whatever it is called for golems?), they can wound a strong opponent about to attack the wizard; after that, it will be easier for the wizard to deal with him.
I.6. Valkyries. Warrior maidens, as maidens should, are fragile creatures. They move slowly, shoot slowly and weakly. In general, it is not advisable to use valkyries on the front lines. They are good for holding captured magical fields and repelling attacks from weak dark pieces.
I.7. Archers. Archers are roughly analogous to valkyries, except they are slightly weaker and shoot a bit faster. Moreover, they are walkers and move across the board slower than the flying valkyries. I usually place archers in support of the valkyries.
I.8. Knights. The weakest and most numerous light pieces. They cannot shoot and fight with swords in close combat. Naturally, despite their speed, knights are very vulnerable.
However, one of their properties greatly helps knights in battle - they can strike more often. The thing is, all pieces are defenseless for a while after shooting (or surrounding themselves with a fireball, like the phoenix and banshee) until they reload their crossbow, magical staff, fire-breathing device, or whatever else. A short sound signal indicates the end of the reloading - for light pieces, it is slightly higher in pitch, for dark pieces, slightly lower. Knights also need time to raise their swords and prepare for the next strike; but they take about two to three times less time to do this than all the others. This gives knights a slight advantage.
II. Dark forces.
II.1. Sorceress. This is the strongest piece in battle. She moves like a unicorn and shoots like a dragon. However, it is better not to throw her into battle too much - with the death of the sorceress, all magic of the dark forces disappears.
II.2. Dragon. This is the strongest character in Archon. It moves slowly, but its fire travels fast, and the charge of this fire is very strong. If the battle takes place on a dark field, only the strongest light pieces can withstand two shots from the dragon. As expected, the dragon especially enjoys eating knights.
II.3. Shapeshifter. The shifter is a very interesting monster. In battle, it copies its opponent, but with its energy level, which is quite high - about the level of a phoenix. It is clear that the shifter prefers to fight on dark squares. It is convenient to use it to defend a dark magical field.
II.4. Basilisks. They shoot and run like unicorns, but are much weaker than them. Basilisks can be sent against strong but slow light creatures - golems or the wizard.
II.5. Trolls - analogous to golems.
II.6. Banshees fight by surrounding themselves with a fire aura, just like the phoenix. Banshees are much weaker than the phoenix, but they are much faster. They are perhaps the most versatile fighters. They are good to send against almost any light pieces except those that are equally fast - unicorns and knights.
II.7. Manticores - in combat properties, they are close to archers, although slightly stronger and shoot more slowly.
II.8. Goblins - armed with a club rather than a sword; however, in battle, they are almost entirely analogous to knights.
Of course, it is impossible to win in Archon without battles. But it is not necessary to break through to victory through mountains of corpses all the time. There is another very interesting possibility that helps you achieve victory. It is about magic.
Only the wizard and the sorceress can use magic. With the death of either of them, the corresponding side loses magical support. They have access to the same set of spells. Each spell can only be used once; after that, it disappears. Spells do not act on pieces standing on magical fields (regardless of whether they are your pieces or not). Using spells somewhat weakens the sorcerers, so be careful with magic!
To cast a spell, hover the cursor over the mage and press "fire" twice. The message "SELECT A SPELL" lights up under the board, and below the message is the first of the remaining spells. The list of possible spells scrolls with the "up"-"down" keys, and selecting a spell is done with "fire."
Here is a list of all spells available to the mages of Archon.
1. TELEPORT - teleportation. This spell is straightforward - it teleports any of your pieces, provided it is not captured by the enemy (for what that is, see below), to any square except a magical one. You can teleport onto a square occupied by an enemy. The enemy, of course, is outraged by such an intrusion, and a battle occurs. Teleportation is convenient to use, for example, at the beginning of the game, when some of the enemy's pieces are still on your color squares. For example, you can teleport a dragon onto a dark square next to a unicorn, a phoenix onto a light square next to a banshee, etc. You can also use teleportation as a means of escaping from an uncomfortable position or to combine both goals.
2. HEAL - healing. The effect of this spell is also obvious - it heals any of your allies to their original energy level if they are not standing on a magical field.
3. SHIFT TIME - time shift. As far as I understand, this is simply skipping a turn.
But it is possible that this spell has some non-obvious consequences - for example, related to magical fields (again these fields!).
4. EXCHANGE - exchange. This spell allows you to swap any two pieces, whether yours or not, as long as they are not captured (see below) and are not standing on magical fields. In practice, it is usually a matter of swapping your piece with an enemy one, either to save your piece or to expose the enemy's.
5. SUMMON ELEMENTAL - summon elemental. This spell summons an elemental - a spirit of one of the four elements (in order of increasing strength of the elemental): water, air, fire, or earth.
You send this elemental against a chosen opponent; that is, for one turn, you have an additional fighter. Which elemental you get is chosen randomly by the program. If an earth elemental appears, consider yourself very lucky: it is very strong (sometimes even stronger than the dragon) and agile. However, if a water elemental appears, the spell has likely been wasted: it is often so weak that it dies on its own without enemy shots; although sometimes even this elemental can do something.
6. REVIVE - resurrection. This spell allows you to resurrect one of the killed pieces.
When you select a piece for resurrection, the message "PLACE IT IN THE CHARMED SQUARE" lights up, and you place the resurrected piece on any white square adjacent to your magical square.
7. IMPRISON - imprisonment. The imprisonment spell locks an enemy piece on the square where it stood for a certain number of turns (usually about ten). Again, it does not act on pieces standing on magical fields. It is convenient to capture enemy pieces when they are standing on squares of your color. Additionally, this spell is used to stop the mischief of a strong enemy piece in your rear or to imprison a guard of a magical field that accidentally strayed from it, and for many other purposes. An imprisoned wizard cannot use magic.
8. CEASE CONJURING - cease conjuring. By the name, one might think that this spell somehow weakens the spells of the opposing sorcerer. But in fact, this is not a spell at all, but simply an "Exit" option - a refusal to conjure. When you call CEASE CONJURING, the spell menu disappears, and you can choose which piece to move again. This option can be used as many times as you like - unlike spells, it does not disappear after use.
In conclusion, I can suggest a couple of tactics for possible openings for your "Debut Library."
1) "Diversion." You choose a strong piece that you don't mind losing too much - for example, one of the two unicorns or a banshee, and send it into the enemy's rear. You can teleport it, thus catching someone from the enemy off guard on your color square. The saboteur wreaks havoc in the enemy's rear, causing panic and drawing enemy forces to themselves. Usually, in the end, they die, but manage to significantly weaken the enemy's forces.
And if you feel sorry for the saboteur hero, a dragon or djinn can come to their aid. In general, when playing as the dark side, the pair of dragon-banshee is particularly effective in the white rear.
The dragon starts by killing unicorns on dark fields and then switches to knights. The banshee attacks the slower pieces. With a certain skill and luck, it is even possible to win the game without moving any dark pieces except these two.
2) "Trenches." A more calm opening, focused on defense. At the start of the game, you regroup your forces to stand on your color squares. It is also desirable to advance forces into the enemy's half of the board. Once the positions are occupied, you start battles for the magical fields and ambush enemy pieces on your color squares.
And finally, I want to thank my friend, who goes by the pseudonym "Hacker Taper Diskens" (why do programmers in general, and hackers in particular, love to take such convoluted names?), for providing me with the disk version of Archon.
* * *
Contents of the publication: Spectrofon #14
- Expertise - Алексей Литвинов, Андрей Бусыгин
Analysis and Russian adaptation of the game 'Academy' by CRL Group, highlighting significant program modifications and the addition of a new game ending.
- Archive - Андрей Школьников
Analysis of the game Archon, its appeal, mechanics, and strategic elements. Detailed exploration of its characters and their battle properties. Overview of magical spells and game tactics.
- Debut - Андрей Школьников
Analysis of the game 'Emerald Isle' by Level 9, contrasting linear and global adventures. Describes gameplay, puzzles, and strategy for success. Concludes with tips for navigating challenges.
- Overview
Overview of new games on Moscow's radio market, including 'Star Legacy' with its full release, 'UFO: Enemy Unknown' conversion, and others.
- From World to Bit
This article provides guidance for several ZX Spectrum games, including tips for overcoming challenges and critiques on the influence of games on players.
- Championship - Matthias
The article covers the Open Virus Championship, detailing the selection cycle, changes in rules, and highlights of the matches. Participants from different cities and countries competed with their virus programs. Key winners have been determined for the Final League.
- System - Chung Software
Analysis of compatibility issues in ZX Spectrum models like ATM Turbo and others, detailing solutions for port #FF and INT signal. Emphasis on practical adjustments for various models, ensuring optimal compatibility with original ZX Spectrum 48k. Critical examination of DIY computer upgrades and potential issues with software compatibility.
- Premiere
Review of two software tools: Pro Sound Maker, a music editor by Denis Dratov, featuring solutions to technical challenges, and Visual Decompressor v1.2 by Timothy, offering visual effects during decompression.
- Advertisement
Advertisement of Spectrofon magazine, offering licenses and calls for collaboration. Contact details for buying games and software. Studio Logros promotes Russian programmers.
