Autoduel
Encyclopedia
Autoduel is a 1985 computer role-playing game (CRPG) published
by Origin Systems
for the Atari 400 and Atari 800 (and other Atari 8-bits with OS "Transformer"), Commodore 64
, Apple II, Apple Macintosh, and MS-DOS
. It was released in 1987 for the Atari ST
and in 1988 for the Amiga
. It was based on the Steve Jackson Games
series Car Wars
which also includes the GURPS Autoduel worldbook.
. In this future, cars are a primary means of protection and defense and the highway
s are dangerous stretches of land ruled by gang
s and vigilante
s with armed vehicles. The player's character starts without a car and has to enter amateur night in which they are provided a vehicle in order to raise enough capital
to finance the creation of their own vehicle.
With their own vehicle, a character can begin performing courier missions between the various towns along the Atlantic seaboard
—including Syracuse
, Boston, Manchester
(Origin's headquarters at the time, which could be visited in the game) and Atlantic City
among a few. The character may also enter more distinguished Arena events to earn money as well as take to the highways to fight the other cars and salvage their parts. In this sense, the game was very open-ended
in what the player could do. The game also had a storyline, involving certain critical courier tasks, such as carrying important criminal evidence through the dangerous terrain between cities.
The main feature of the game was combat
involving customized vehicles. The vehicle construction portion of the game allowed a variety of power plants, gun
s, ammunition
, mine
-layers, smokescreens, oil slicks and rocket
s to be arranged onto an even larger selection of body and chassis
types.
The game was developed using a top-down perspective and featured two distinct setting areas: the arena or highway style area and the city
area. The highway and arenas allowed acceleration and driving skills to be used in a scrolling screen format, while the city area
was a single screen in which stores and other attractions of a city could be visited.
Autoduel is no longer available for commercial sale. However, since the copyright
term is still active, Steve Jackson Games has requested that abandonware
sites remove it from their archive
s.
reviewed the game positively, noting, "The game design is clean, the graphics excellent and no bugs were found." The immense difficulty of the game was noted, as was the long learning curve. In emphasis, the review suggested bypassing the permanent death
feature of the game and expensive in-game clones (backup saves) by making a copy of the character disk, to return to in case of character death.
Game reviewers Hartley and Pattie Lesser commented on the game in their "The Role of Computers" column in Dragon
#120 (1987), noting that the game "combines the feel of the Road Warrior
movies with the fantasy role-playing action of the Ultima adventure games."
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Origin Systems
Origin Systems
Origin Systems, Inc. was a computer game developer based in Austin, Texas that was active from 1983 to 2004...
for the Atari 400 and Atari 800 (and other Atari 8-bits with OS "Transformer"), Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Apple II, Apple Macintosh, and MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
. It was released in 1987 for the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and in 1988 for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
. It was based on the Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
series Car Wars
Car Wars
Car Wars is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in late 1980 .-Game play:In Car Wars, players assume control of one or more automobiles, which may include any powered vehicle, from motorcycles to semi trucks. Optional rules include piloting...
which also includes the GURPS Autoduel worldbook.
Description
Autoduel is based on events in the future in the Northeast part of the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In this future, cars are a primary means of protection and defense and the highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
s are dangerous stretches of land ruled by gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
s and vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
s with armed vehicles. The player's character starts without a car and has to enter amateur night in which they are provided a vehicle in order to raise enough capital
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
to finance the creation of their own vehicle.
With their own vehicle, a character can begin performing courier missions between the various towns along the Atlantic seaboard
Atlantic Seaboard
The Atlantic seaboard watershed is a watershed of North America along both*the Atlantic Canada coast south of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence Watershed &*the East Coast of the United States north of the watershed of the Okeechobee Waterway....
—including Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, Boston, Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
(Origin's headquarters at the time, which could be visited in the game) and Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
among a few. The character may also enter more distinguished Arena events to earn money as well as take to the highways to fight the other cars and salvage their parts. In this sense, the game was very open-ended
Open-ended
Open-ended may refer to:* "Open Ended," song by Sebadoh from their 1996 album Harmacy* Open-ended contract A contract with no definite time limit...
in what the player could do. The game also had a storyline, involving certain critical courier tasks, such as carrying important criminal evidence through the dangerous terrain between cities.
The main feature of the game was combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
involving customized vehicles. The vehicle construction portion of the game allowed a variety of power plants, gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s, ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
, mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
-layers, smokescreens, oil slicks and rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
s to be arranged onto an even larger selection of body and chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
types.
The game was developed using a top-down perspective and featured two distinct setting areas: the arena or highway style area and the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
area. The highway and arenas allowed acceleration and driving skills to be used in a scrolling screen format, while the city area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
was a single screen in which stores and other attractions of a city could be visited.
Autoduel is no longer available for commercial sale. However, since the copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
term is still active, Steve Jackson Games has requested that abandonware
Abandonware
Abandonware are discontinued products for which no product support is available, or whose copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons...
sites remove it from their archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
s.
Reception
Computer Gaming WorldComputer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
reviewed the game positively, noting, "The game design is clean, the graphics excellent and no bugs were found." The immense difficulty of the game was noted, as was the long learning curve. In emphasis, the review suggested bypassing the permanent death
Permanent death
In role-playing video games , permanent death is a situation in which player characters die permanently and are removed from the game...
feature of the game and expensive in-game clones (backup saves) by making a copy of the character disk, to return to in case of character death.
Game reviewers Hartley and Pattie Lesser commented on the game in their "The Role of Computers" column in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#120 (1987), noting that the game "combines the feel of the Road Warrior
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
movies with the fantasy role-playing action of the Ultima adventure games."
See also
- Auto AssaultAuto AssaultAuto Assault was a massively multiplayer online game , developed by NetDevil and published by NCsoft. It combined vehicular combat with role-playing elements, allowing the player to explore a post-apocalyptic future in customizable cars, motorcycles, semis, and tanks...
- Darkwind: War on WheelsDarkwind: War on WheelsDarkwind: War on Wheels is an independently developed 3D turn based racing and vehicle combat massively multiplayer online game for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux...
- Interstate '76Interstate '76Interstate '76 is a vehicular combat video game for Windows. It was developed and published by Activision and released in March 1997.-Gameplay:...
- Roadwar 2000Roadwar 2000Roadwar 2000, sometimes referred to as Roadwar 2K, is a 1986 computer game published by Strategic Simulations, Inc.. It is a turn-based strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic future which greatly resembles the world portrayed in the Mad Max movie series.-Description:In 1999, a terrorist group...
External links
- Images of Autoduel package, manual and screenshots at C64Sets.com
- Autoduel on the Amiga at The Hall of Light (HOL)