Finding a game that will run well on a 68030 can be quite achallenge these days. Although the system requirements will let youknow whether the game will run on a 68030, rarely do theysay whether it will run well.During the last couple of weeks I have been on aroller coaster in the computer world, from rediscovering severalclassic games to having my trusty die on me. I will describe some of thehigh points: games which will run well on 68030s, even those suchas the LC II, which is now the only working 68030 computer in mycollection.Those who are regular readers of Low End Mac Gaming haveprobably picked up on the fact that is one of my favorite games.
Realmz is a turn-basedrole-playing game. You can find a more detailed description ofRealmz as well as download Realmz from. You will also want to continue reading LEMGaming - due to my appreciation of Realmz, I am planning to do amore in-depth column about it in the near future.Realmz should work on any 68030 with at least 5 MB of free RAMand a monitor capable of displaying 640 x 480 at 256 colors. Thefull installation of the latest version requires around 40 MB ofhard drive space. The newer versions of Realmz seem to run prettyslowly on slower 68030s, such as my 16 MHz.
An OSX port and graphical update of Realmz would be ass-whoopin' good. Thinking back, 'City of Bywater' (the only Realmz package I played, but played LOTS) was at least as much fun as Baldur's Gate ever was. Recasting the whole game in isometric 2D for example would be awesome. Maybe they could liscence the Diablo II engine from Blizard!! If you haven't played Realmz or want to try this role-playing (rpg) video game. I played it first on my Mac way back in the 90:s, but it holds up even today.
On a 40 MHz IIfx, Realmz runs quiteacceptably. The overall performance of Realmz on '030s isborderline, but the game is excellent.If you like Realmz, you may also like WarCraft and Heroes ofMight and Magic. These games are not role-playing games likeRealmz, but both of them are set in the same type of fantasy worldwith monsters, knights, and the like. Both of these games are thefirst of highly successful series.WarCraft is a real-time game in which you play as humans ororcs, attempting to destroy the other. You control each individualunit in your armies. WarCraft is developed by BlizzardEntertainment.Heroes of Might and Magic is similar in concept to WarCraft; youbuild up strong armies. However, Heroes is turn-based.
Also, thecommand of your units is not as direct - you control 'stacks' oflike creatures.Both of these games have multiplayer options. They are bothsupported by any 68030 processor, although, as with Realmz, theywill be a bit slow on the slower '030s.
When buying one of thesegames, make sure you are not getting Heroes II or III or WarCraftII, since none of these games are officially supported on '030s.WarCraft II will play on some '030s, but it is not officiallysupported.One of the true classics of Mac gaming is. Bolo is a tank game which hasbeen around for quite a while and should run well on any 68030(Bolo requires a orlater). The point of the game is to gain control of as muchterritory as possible. On the surface, Bolo may seem like an arcadegame, but it takes a lot of time to master. If you play it much,you will see how complex it really is. Bolo also has very goodmultiplayer support. Bolo is shareware and available for downloadfrom page.
Some of the links on the download pageare no longer valid, but the first one in the binhex sectionworks.There are some 3D action games which support 68030s, butfrankly, few (if any) of them are worth playing on anything but thefastest '030s.If you want action, your best bet is side-scrolling games. Oneclassic which seems to be fairly easy to find is Prince of Persia,a game in which you fight through many levels of dungeons trying tosave an Arabian princess. Prince of Persia is playable on any68030. Prince of Persia is available as part of the Prince ofPersia Collection CD by Broderbund Software.Another good side-scroller is Flashback. In Flashback, that youare trying to save Earth. You battle through several worlds.Flashback was originally published by MacPlay. It is currentlyavailable from the - search for 'flashback.'
Flashback is also playable onany '030.Another great side-scroller was Thexder from Sierra. I have notbeen able to find any trace of Thexder for Mac, other than the copyon my hard drive. If you happen to come across it, do not let itget away.When considering games for older Macs, especially shareware,don't overlook the games from. There's areason that Ambrosia has been one of the leaders of the Macshareware industry for several years. Their first big game,is definitely worth checking out. Most of Ambrosia's games,especially the ones which work well on 030s, are arcade-type. Someof their games which work well on '030s include Maelstrom, Chiral,Apeiron, Swoop, Barrack, Avara, Bubble Trouble, and EscapeVelocity, the prequel to their immensely popular Escape Velocity:Override.
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