Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome

ACTION FEATURE
INVESTIGATION
HUGH POYNTON investigates the work of
new Canadian Amiga developer, Aurora
Aurora
Perversely, as the future looks more and
more gloomy lor the Amiga, small
software and games publishers have
sprung up. As larger developers and
publishers have almost raced each other to
abandon the format, smaller, more dedicated
niche software companies emerge to fill the
vacuum. Tor those who have exploited the
situation, the rewards have been great.
Developers such as Binary
Emotions and
publisher/developers such as
Vulcan have laid claim to a still
lucrative market.
Aurora is one of these
brave new Amiga dedicated
developers. This Canadian based
games company has declared it
is dedicated to supporting the
Amiga and at present has three
games under development. Although Aurora
intend to produce games that can be run on
a bog standard AT 200, it is also interested in
developing for higher spec machines and
even the eagerly awaited next generation
Amigas such as the Phase 5 A/Box Amiga
Compatible.
Aurora currently has three
games in development for
release in 1997. The first is a two player
action game called Zone 99. Due for release
in March 1 997, Zone 99 promises to be a
blend of action, strategy and puzzle that
requires brains as well as fast reactions.
The aim of the game is to pilot your
hover tank around 99 levels attempting to
find your way to the final zone. This is done
by collecting clues as to the zone's
whereabouts on every level. To do this you
will have to solve various puzzles and,
depending on the level, battle against, or
work with, the other player.
Each level will be different from the last
with underwater, space and jungle zones. As
zones are completed and clues found,
modifications will be made available for the
hover tanks. Although at the moment
planned as a serial linked game, Aurora has
plans to add TCP/IP so the game can be
played over the Internet.
Aurora is also working on an
RPC/puzzler mix - Betrayed - we are told it
will comprise of seven chapters each
containing four levels. Despite the
project being in its early
stages, there are a
few things that
we do know
about the
game. It is set
in a research
station on a distant
moon from which a
scientist, betrayed by his
superiors, must escape. It will be a scrolling
game on an impressive scale with the largest
level 1 9 screens across and 1 9 down.
Because of the size and complexity of the
game Betrayed will only be available on
CD-Rom.
Betrayed isn't scheduled for release until
November 1997 and Aurora has a number
of other projects in development including a
galactic conquest war game and a texture
mapped spaceship simulator. On top of this
it is already starting work on the second part
of the Betrayed adventure.
Keep your eyes on Aurora, its projects
look impressive and in defiance of the
Amiga's doom sayers, it has a list of projects
planned for well into 1998.
FEATURE AMIGA ACTIOIU