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The Horde (DOS)

The Horde DOS
Genre: Action, Strategy / tactics
Perspective: Bird's-eye view
Visual: Isometric
Setting: Fantasy
Published by: Crystal Dynamics
Developed by: Toys for Bob Inc.
Released: 1994

"The Horde" can not be unequivocally attributed to a single genre, this is a great game on a joint strategy, economics and dynamics. The concept is original and the implementation of the game, you can say, just perfect. Graphics impressive and very beautiful. Separately, you can note the excellent sound design (for owners of sound cards): the game is accompanied by a variety of sounds, from tweet to a satisfied murmur after having gorged itself creatures. Moreover, all of the dialogue in the intermediate rollers are "out loud."

The Horde DOS intro FMV
Separately, you can praise the authors' sense of humor game - all happening on the screen is perceived more as a comedy show, not as bleak story of a fierce battle. The game is all cute characters and even a glutton-Critter different kind of charm, and continuous string of failures and "calving" evil Cronus makes it more comic relief.

Besides unpronounceable name, the kingdom Frantspovanki from all other kingdoms, was no different: the same fertile soil, the same hard-working people ... Life in it was perfectly acceptable until the appearance of Flock! Ever hungry nasty critters, which were the out of nowhere, with appetite began to devour livestock, crops, homes and the working population of the kingdom. If creatures from the pack and were gyrus in the brain, it is nothing other than thinking about food, they do not fit.

In the most difficult time because of the mountains came the savior - Barbarian Bran. Its steel muscles and correct the sword Grimtvaker (ie "Ruthlessly Shredding") save the kingdom from the invasion of the Pack. The creatures were wiped out! Grateful people of the kingdom Branagh chose as their king, and life has become peaceful and prosperous.

Fifty years have passed, Bran had forgotten about his exploits, and was called King Winthrop Good, but a sword Grimtvaker lying idle. King of Winthrop grew fat, spends time in feasts and fiercely fought only with the royal chefs cooked foods. However, the nature of it was quite good-natured.
The Horde DOS title screen

Angry royal chancellor Cronus Meylor enjoyed kindness and distraction King, he drew liberally from the royal treasury in his pocket, and then he began to dream and the seizure of the throne. The only obstacle was the living king ... And Chancellor secretly decided to prepare a new invasion of the Pack, thinking that the king will rastolstevshy in the first battle eaten.

During the regular feasts Winthrop King having heard another story of Cronus Meylora and ... choked neprozhevannym piece of turkey! While the court sililis understand why their lord suddenly turned blue and pants, the hope of salvation remains less. Fortunately, the wait at table cook named Chauncey time king clapped on the back and a piece flew safely from the royal throat by accident and ended up in the eyes Chancellor Cronus. Initially, the court decided that Chauncey attacked the king and almost went Food Boy on the block, but catch my breath Winthrop King intervened and made the move Chauncey knighted. Newly made knight handed sword and sent Grimtvaker edit Simto village. Needless to say that the Chancellor Cronus harbor on the former Food Boy and decided to do harm wherever possible.

The main objective of the game is to protect the village from the invasion of the Pack. But this is not all rich and prosperous village will give you more money for protection, and for the payment of taxes at the end of the year (to be sure, Cronus will make sure that you tear off a little more!). So between the invasions Pack must have time to do a lot of cases - to improve and cultivate the land, build defenses, uproot harmful parasitic fungus, Kuja, recruit knights and archers to defend ...

Minimum period of time during which you have to make your actions and stop at the end of which the Pack, - it is the season, that is the time of year. You have about 2 minutes of real time for the season to repair the damaged building, to all of the new work, to buy cows, attract mercenaries - in a word, everything. Time is counted in the hourglass on the bottom right, and when the last grain of sand falls down - will flock and do something other than defense anymore. If you have enough money or you just want to save money, you can skip the preceding period and go directly to the battle (you need to choose from a list of "tools" at the bottom of a red running Creatures).

Even if during the battle creature gobble human or cow, for a short time can be saved swallowed, if you kill the creature. But when a creature rygnet contentedly and went looking for his next victim, nothing can be done.

Consists of four seasons a year, and at the end of the year you have to pay taxes Chancellor. Year-to-year tax increase, so that is carefully calculated their financial capabilities and not end up in jail for tax evasion!

Board each village takes several years. You must protect the flock villagers, crops and livestock, all of which makes a profit at the end of each season. Additional profit at the first level, you can get through the felling of trees, but in the subsequent levels, this method does not pass either cutting down trees reduces your health, or the trees are too necessary to "civilize" the barren land.

Extremely profitable acquisition are cows and each cow per year fully pays for itself. Be careful only to a cow was grass - if a cow chews and wags its tail, it means that it is doing well and it will give you a profit, and still the cow must be moved to another location. At the end of the reign of one village should sell all the cows purchased there, as they will not be moved to the new village, and the money will be gone.

All of your purchase you can sell (for example, to sell a cow, you have to buy a new book and put it on a cow already occupied space). This applies to walls, traps, and lots more, the only sunk costs associated with digging ditches with water. The money spent on digging the trench as well as its filling.

When creature in the vicinity will be left, and the village would be quite safe, you are summoned to the royal palace to instruct the new, more difficult. Only in the castle, you can save your game and get a patent on the use of new "tools", whether magical items, or the right to resort to the help of mercenaries. You will manage the five villages, and the complexity of the problems will increase.

During the battle, Chauncey is a certain level of health - it is shown in the form of a heart next to the bottom right. Fortunately, for the next season, it is fully restored. In combat, the health is lost from enemy attacks and minor troubles like falling into a pit of spikes. When health drops to zero, Chauncey died, so try to time be treated special magic stone (buy it in advance in a magic shop).

Control the actions of Chauncey, you can use the keyboard or mouse, perhaps, from the keyboard to do it better. The game uses the following keys:

VILLAGE AT CONSTRUCTION

Space / right mouse button - to switch between the map and selecting "tools."
When a card is selected:
arrows / mouse movement - to view the map.
Enter / left mouse button - to set the selected item in place.
When "tools":
Arrow left / right / horizontal movement of the mouse-
alternate sorting items.
Enter / Left mouse button - select the object and return to the map.
Up / down / vertical movement of the mouse -
Switching out the map.,
Space / npaean mouse button - return to the map without changing the "tool."
At the Battle of the pack
Bras / right mouse button - switch between the map and the choice of weapons.
When a card is selected:
arrows / mouse movement - the movement of Chauncey.
Enter / left mouse button * Use of weapons.
When you select a weapon:
Arrow left / right / horizontal movement of the mouse -
alternate search of weapons.
Enter / Left mouse button - select the object and return to the map.
Up / down / vertical movement of the mouse -
Switching the map scale

OTHER KEY MANAGEMENT

Enter / left mouse button - to start the game and skip intro.
F1 - pause.
F2 - load a previously saved game.
F3 - setting options to the game.
Esc - exit from the game.

Game

Now a few words about your opponent. Critters (unfortunately, the best translation of the word "hordling" think failed) extremely voracious, numerous and aggressive. Fortunately, they're pretty stupid, and they need to win the intellect rather than brute force.

There are several species of creatures. The most common of them - a common creature (Hordlingus Adolescus eatemupium), this species differs characteristic Critters appetite and intelligence - in other words, stupid, like a cork and very voracious. Of the outward signs attract attention bulging eyes and toothy mouth. Most often, they attack, coming down from the hills in groups.

A few more unpleasant-Critters "piranha" (Hordlingium CaninusEiteum) - They quickly rush to the villages, trampling crops and devouring everything that gets in your eyes. Usually these things are ahead of the pack - increased sense of smell allows them to sniff out the choicest pieces.

Swamp Thing (Gatorus Albertasaurus) outwardly resemble crocodiles. Of course, defend against the water jump is useless - in the water, they feel at home. But on land Swamp Thing move more slowly ...

Forest Creatures (Hordlingium Pygmyus Aggravatum) looks like a cross extremely nasty pygmies armed blowguns, and extremely nasty giggling dwarfs. Their usual tactics - to hide behind a tree and shoot arrows from Chauncey their handsets.

Shamans (Hordlineum Magicus Irritatem) should be regarded as an intellectual elite flocks. Usually, they are slow moving and just terrible smell, but they can use the powerful pagan magic - say, because of the ability to move quickly from one place to catch them is very difficult. In addition to this ability, they shoot straight fire-ball and can animate creatures from scraps scattered on the ground.

Desert Critters (Biggus Diggus) burrow into the sand and dig tunnels under it to appear in the most unwanted places. By moving the jump like rabbits, and kicking like donkeys. Their weakness - a dislike of water, a water-filled ditch, they are not able to move, and if so - surrounding their settlement in the desert ring moat, you can treat the problem is half solved.

Flocks can be considered kings Juggernauts (Reddus Giganticus Extradummus). Although these monsters move slowly, in a battle they are almost indestructible. Compared to them, even other creatures look like rational beings, if Juggernaut meets the stone wall, then continues to push forward as something that * will not crack! Juggernauts best to kill a club, if any, or the sword - then you have to put six, seven strokes, and Chauncey after each stroke must bounce back to avoid a retaliatory attack.

Dangerous Ice Creatures (Hordus Freezus Buttoffium), fortunately, live only in the coldest areas of the kingdom. Beware when the Ice Creatures will decide to play with you in the snow!

To combat the Pack you are using a variety of weapons, basically, it has to buy. Here is a short list of the means of destruction Beasts:

Sword "Grimtvaker" - if Chauncey too often brandish the royal sword, his head spin! That he again came to, it will take some time.

Flamethrower - beats in the distance, but it works poorly.

Ring of teleportation - is used to move faster on the map.

Seven-league boots - exceptional thing; Chauncey in Boots runs faster than the fastest creature.

Bait - Beasts only think of three things: food, just about eating, and nothing but food. So if you can throw in the way of Beasts delicious piece of meat, then it may well turn off track and go for the bait. And next to the piece may well be employed by you knight ...

A bomb explodes at the touch creatures. Bombs can also be used to convert the types of adverse terrain (bombings melted snow).

Stone Healing - restores health in battle Chauncey.

"Morning Star", or, in Russian, bludgeon - when Chauncey begins to swing a club, he simply kills any creature (even the Juggernaut) with a single punch, besides he is temporarily invincible. Very useful, although not cheap thing.

Flute - strangely shrill sounds attract critters and help lure them into a trap.

Trident - allows you to kill the creature "on the map", not coming close. It costs too much and is not economically justified.

There are different ways to lead the battle against slow down the Pack dug ditches, walls and wolf pits, to use a variety of magical items. At the same time all the money is still not enough, so choose the tactics that you think best - whether the benefits from skillful placement of defensive structures, or rely on their quickness, reaction and ability to handle weapons.

Finally, a few small tips

In the village Simto chop trees to get more profit and enrichment, and in all future - on the contrary, plant them! The trees will help consolidate the soil in the swamp and increase living space, extend the boundaries of an oasis in the desert Nharea Kar-or snow-covered wastelands hang.

In the swamps Buuzala watch carefully for jumping frogs. When the frog jump and dive into the water, in this place you can find good money and earn extra money. There, in the marshes, and buried an additional prize - a magical thing, but to get it, will have to dig almost all swamp.

The traps with the stakes at the bottom can cope only with the most weak creatures, and the stronger they are unless detained. Effective means to delay Flock can become moats, perhaps they even someone drowns.

Juggernauts will not stop anything - neither a trap with stakes or moats. It is desirable to destroy the last of all the creatures. For while slow Juggernauts will reach the village, you have time to deal with all the others.

If you got to the icy wastes of hanging, try to have more money.

Make it extremely difficult, and you'll have seven years of the village for their money (usually it takes 3,000-3,500 coins).

Archers and knights of the more, as the experience is not worth the money spent on them.

Archers shoot very feeble, and the Knights hit only those who came to them closely. In general, it is desirable to save money and work hard for yourself.