Fire Zone Download (1988 Strategy Game)

2160. Beam technology, energy shields, and ground-skimming propulsion systems have revolutionized ground combat into high-speed, wide-ranging battles. World powers like the Pacific Combine and the European League spar and vie for territory with Grav tanks, striders, and Leviathans. Take the role of a commander overseeing one of these skirmishes and match your tactical wits with the computer or another player.

Firezone translates pen-and-paper, tactical wargaming to the computer screen. Your primary view is a hex battle map with up to seven different types of terrain, showing stacks of infantry, artillery, armor, and command bases. There is a structured turn sequence, with players alternating movement, fire, and retaliation. The game stretches beyond a table-top wargame by allowing hidden units and providing a map-editor with which to create your own scenarios (nine are included).

A very little known game, Fire Zone is an ambitious tactical-level wargame that boasts PSS' usual top-notch AI, but unintuitive interface and questionable logistics. The game is similar to QQP's celebrated The Perfect General II in that it is a hypothetical wargame that's not grounded in any historical battle. You control either the "League" or "Combined" side in a fight to the death. Production is very simplistic, although the varied types of combat units you can deploy (e.g. the "leviathan" tanks) make for some interesting battles. Unit statistics are vastly simplified, though-- encounters are resolved simply by comparing the "attack" and "defend" statistics of the two sides, although terrain do have marginal effects. Overall, a neat little gem that's notable more for its efforts than for real longevity or addictiveness. Definitely worth a look for all fans of futuristic wargames e.g. Ogre.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

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