From: rsrodger@wam.umd.edu (Yamanari)
Subject: Comanche: Maximum Overkill
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 17:45:36 GMT

Some comments to add to the review posted by someone else:
 
1) The game will play just fine on a 386 SX-20 if you set detail to medium
or low and turn off small pixels.  While this isn't as nice as the game on
the DX2-66 local bus system (which, IMHO, plays a little too fast even with
all the nice stuff turned on), it is playable and even a lot of fun.

2) Without sound, forget it.  

3) Without at least a joystick, forget it.

4) The game is "just right"--most of the training missions you can solve on
	the first run.  You get plenty of ammo (always check what you've got
	before you get moving) and rather simple goals. 

	The Maximum Overkill missions are much the same, but the average
	goes up to two or three times.

	The main reason for this is that you're much more likely to
	flat out *die* before you can alt-a (abort) the mission.

	If you abort the mission, everything is fine.  You get to
	replay from the current mission.  If, however, you *die*
	you get set back a mission and have to play the previous one
	over again before you can repeat the one you died on. I find this
	terribly annoying, because I'm up to one (the MO mission where
	they've given the enemy several truckfulls of tracking missles) 
	and I have been blown away before I could ALT-A twice already,
	which means I have to repeat the previous mission (mots of helicopters)
	again and again--which gets dull.

	
5) The enemy isn't very bright.  While the ground units will *sometimes* 
	get their hides moving and flee, or try to steer behind terrain,
	most of the time they just sit there and shoot at you.  The
	enemy helicopters are worse--they are just plain stupid.  Their
	fighting method seems to be to get real close so that they crash 
	into you or get below you and wait for you to crash into them.
	(the ground units sometimes do this to, but it's not as important).,
	Also, your wingman isn't too bright--he flies *way* too close when
	you've got him turned on and doesn't maneuver out of the way (if anything,
	he pulls *into* you--watch him).  

6) The graphics are *fantastic*.  The flight is wild (*always* use
	auto hover or keep yourself as close to the ground as possible.
	Pop up to blast enemy copters with stingers, but otherwise keep
	down.  Just cruising along at top altitude makes the game *boring*.

7)  Because the game is not in 3d (that is, you cannot *really* tell
	how far away something is) -- it is played on a 2d monitor --
	it is sometimes impossible to tell just how far away something
	in front of you is.  While your targeter gives a distance for
	current targets, it wont tell you how near or far the canyon wall
	is.  I tend to fly very low and very close to the wall, and I find
	myself bumping into it now and then, and not at other times when
	it is identical in appearance.  It would be nice if they would ad 
	4 numeric indicators along the top of the screen representing 
	the clear distance between the AH66 and the walls in front,
	behind, and to the sides.  

	This problem becomes especially apparent if you're flying in a
	dark, shaded canyon and cannot really see the walls, while you
	probably could if you were in a genuine chopper.

8)  If I remember what I've read properly, the Hellfire is an air to 
	ground laser guided missle designed to take out armored units.
	However, in C:MO, you can use the hellfire against just about 
	anything.  In fact, you can use it against helecopters (stingers
	work better, tho) if you want to, and this is probably unrealistic.

9)  The enemy rarely uses their chaff or flare, assuming that their choppers
	have them.

10)  I wish they'd add support for at least the top 3 or 4 accellerated
	video cards.  If C:MO supported, say, my SS24x's bitblt function
	it would run a lot faster and smoother.  

11) One other thing:  Sometimes the radar seems a little funny.  If I
	am below a hill on all sides, I probably shouldn't be able to
	see targets on the overhead map that are obscured by the surrounding
	terrain.

	Also, it would be nice if they did an auto target highlight--
	that is, sometimes targets are hard to see--it would be nice if
	they were all assigned target boxes in yellow so that you could
	pick them out from the terrain and not miss one.  (This would be
	targets too far off to be on the overhead map even at it's farthest
	distance).  The reason I point this out is that it's just as easy,
	but a pain in the neck, to cycle through the targets with tab
	or the joystick and identify them.  


Ob Hint:  When you've got three or four guys to hit (ground units) with
	hellfires, target the nearest one and fire 3 hellfires, with
	maybe 8 seconds between then.  Then, as soon as the first one
	hits, switch targets to the second closest, and when that one's
	toast, to the third.  That way, you don't have to wait and make
	multiple passes.  <Also, it let's you switch weapons and make your
	damn wingman back off>.

	Hint 2:  Artilery seems to take out a number of targets in an area.
	If you think you're going to need more than one artillery strike,
	wait around and see how the first one comes out before launching 
	it.

	Hint 3:  When the mission says, "take care of air support first",
	ignore it.  Take out the missle launchers first and handle the
	choppers as they come.


-- 
	Blaming society for your problems is like blaming clouds for rain.
	---
	Do I even need to point out that my views do not represent
	those of my employer, institution or relations?