They said "War never changes". To some extent, that's true. Men keep marching toward enemy's base although there's enemy's chopper landing behind them and proceed to slaughter them with bullet barrage. That's what happens in: Information Access Technologies Inc's Armor Alley (1988-1991).
The chopper image looks good but that paratrooper looks like childish drawing though. I played this game back when i was kid and i gave up because i miss some important controls. So in order to avoid the same mistake, i will consult to help before starting the game.
So you take control of a helicopter by keyboard and mouse. Also you can or rather must summon ground troops to aid you on defeating the enemies. They can be summoned/purchased by pressing the button of their first letter which is pretty handy. "V" button for calling Van, "T" button for calling Tank, etc. As for helicopter, that's just your "life" reserve. Needless to say that once you're out of helicopter, you're practically defeated.
Here's what young me missed back then. The helicopter's control for its armament. The helicopter isn't only for scouting ahead, y'see. "Left shift", "Z", and "X" button are quite good arrangement but if you press too many "Left Shift" button you may summon. "Sticky Keys". You can either disable it or change the button to fire the machine gun. To reconfigure the control, you have to click on "Special" tab on top menu. But you can only do so after you start the game. You can pause the game by holding "Alt" button and pressing "P" button. Do mind that to selecting menus on every tab on top menu you have to hold down the mouse button as opposed to nowadays interface navigation where you only need to click once on the tab you want.
The ground units (or as the game dub them as convoy): 1) Van, that has ability to jam radar 2) Missile launcher, which is missile-carrying truck that once launch a missile on enemy's helicopter, it will self-explodes. God bless it. 3) Tank, is arguably the strongest ground unit that you can purchase. It will decimates infantries pretty easily. You probably think the tank will tread or blast them with its cannon like that tank in Mass Destruction. Sadly that's not how it works. The tank will parks near enemies and spray them with either bullet or flamethrower within very close range. Nonetheless, tank has strong defense capability allow it to take many damage. Wait a minute! This tank has the same method of working like in Tank role of MOBA, huh? 4) Infantry, is the footsoldiers that are destined to die miserably in many cruel way. Ok, i admit i'm being too harsh to them. They're essential to take over bunkers that exist throughout the map. You can take them with your helicopter to move them significantly faster to enemy's zone. 5) Engineers, are pretty much like infantry but in smaller quantity even with same price. Infantry consists of 5 men per deploy while Engineers only consist of 2 men. Engineer carries big backpack to make them different from regular soldiers. When you pick engineers with helicopter, they will slightly refill your armament and fuel.
Here's of the explanation on some structures. Bunkers will fly a balloon that's lethal to touch. It's only hostile for the opposition's helicopter. But if its chain is severed, the balloon can kill anyone's helicopter that come in touch. The balloon can respawn if infantry get inside of the bunker. There's also landing pad that built near bases that's helicopter's starting point. You can refill your ammo and fuel by landing on it.
Here's the scoring system that apparently there's morality on it. You will get penalty for prolonging battle, which sounds too idealistic for me. Destroying building seems negative but it's useful in my opinion.
Okay without further ado, this is the game. Or to be more precise the training battle. So there's my tank currently battle enemy's in very close range as conventional as can it be. [Tank sized sarcasm]
There's the balloon that i mentioned before. You can tell the difference between your ground unit's from enemy's because they're in different color. The green colored ones are on your side while the grey colored ones are enemies. But that's not the case with bunkers. Their color remain the same regardless who occupy them. The only way to differentiate them is by looking at the yellow arrow mark on them. If it points left (like in this screenshot), the bunker is enemy's because enemies attack to the left (which is your base located) and vice versa. If you can grasp this fairly weird logic, that is. The balloon serves as obstacle for the helicopter. You or your enemy is forced to stay still for awhile to shoot the balloon down by using the machine gun or you can fly above it when it's on low altitude.
I reckon i need some ammo and fuel resupply so i pick those engineers. Soldier_thanks02.wav
Of course, i'm not the only chopper in this game. Enemies has one too. The main method to deal with other chopper is firing missiles that lock on to it but note that they can't turn up or down quickly so they have limited reliability. In this case, i'm not sure the enemy can dodge those 2 missiles coming from its top. Heavy_specialcompleted01.wav
By pressing Space Bar, i can send my men to the ground with parachute. If i fly too low while doing so, they don't have enough time to deploy their parachute and goes *Splat!* instead. The safest way to send them is to dispatch when i land on the ground. As you can see, that i made stupid decision by sending paratrooper before enemy's infantry and tank. Someone please inform their families about their courageous to be deployed by some imbecile chopper pilot!
While my chopper is currently being refilled on landing pad, i like to talk about the radar on the top. Choppers are represented by big arrow. The balloon represented by dot in mid air. My convoy is presented by green dots along the ground while enemy's convoy is presented by grey dots along the ground. Yellow dots on the ground represent bunkers. You can see your money on top left while on top right is the name of the mission map. Initially, the border on the radar is green which mean you can purchase/summon ground units at the time. The border will goes white afterward which mean you can't purchase/summon ground units temporarily.
Then our helicopter collide at each other making some spectacular explosion. No, game. Hide in bunkers, doesn't help in this situation. The bunker doesn't fit, anyway. I notice there's scrolling tutorial messages throughout the game. Here's some of them...
Some of them are functional. But some of them are cryptic or puzzling. Tips about dodging are fine. "If you can hit it, it's not yours" means there's no friendly fire. Your bullets will go through allied bunker or balloon. "Smoke is a dead giveaway" means if vehicles emit smoke, they're dying. "Beware of lightning". As far as i know i don't see any lightning so that message is probably dud. Same goes to "Don't burn the trees". I don't think i bring harm to any tree in this game. But then there's this message...
Never believe everything i read?
Is that also mean i can't believe this message too or not? It's quite abhorrent
to put this kind of text in this modern game. All those obedient players will
go crazy or become slightly mad philosopher because of this trolling text. The
point is some tutorial message are believable and other are not and exist only
for comedy purpose.
Enough of that mind puzzling matter! There's enemy's tank and i bombard it with bombs which is sensible method. Keep in mind that your bomb drop is affected by momentum of your chopper so you have to stand still for accurate bombing. It takes 3 bombs to destroy a tank. I notice that bomb isn't efficient to clear enemy's infantry because it doesn't make big splash explosion when land on ground. How disappointing.
Occupying bunkers on left-half of the map is easy. The rest are not. because naturally enemy's convoy can reach them more easily. So the easy way is to destroy them. I aware that will earn me some negative score but in other hand my tank automatically engages them instead of occupying them because tank can't do that. I naturally think the bunkers as checkpoint but in practice they aren't. Bunkers only provide balloon that slightly hinder enemy's chopper and nothing more. If my infantry manage to occupy them, we will get extra fund but keeping them intact seems not worth the effort in my opinion.
I'm men of my word so here's: enemy troopers about to be gunned down by me from their behind. Any ground units will only moving and facing toward their opponent's base so they're all susceptible to attack from their behind. Note that: pressing Left-mouse button will make my chopper turn around swiftly.
Hold on! That message is very suspicious. I heard that in some Real Time Strategy game, the enemy bot can see our base location or whatnot. Let me see...
Forsooth! Those bastard computers are clearly cheating! They have unlimited free helicopters at their disposal while i have to save for bloody 20 money to expand my life by 1. The enemy's helicopter isn't eager to engage combat with me. It doesn't launch any missile or firing machine gun unlike me who like to empty my armament at it whenever it flies in my detection. Even so, having unlimited helicopters without any cost, is clearly advantageous cheat!
Besides earned by occupying bunkers, i have no idea how to increase my fund. I thought it was periodically regenerated. Then this message sheds a glimpse of hint about it. If i travel further to enemy's territory, my fund is indeed increasing or even if when i go back to my base to resupply. So the fund is generated based on the length of my flight travel, apparently.
I can't be bothered with struggling over bunker anymore. I just bombard this one even though bunker take lots of damage before destroyed.
Finally! We win the war! Cm_sniper_gamewon_07.mp3
It's not easy to win the game. You have to make allied van reaches (near) enemy's base, then their base blow to bits! Demoman_specialcompleted11.wav
Time for the real game. Don't mind me, my sworn enemy! I'm just bombing your tank in order to safe mine, that's all.
There's some difference between practice battle compared to real ones: 1) The player's helicopter can carries more ammo and fuel, plus more durable. 2) Ammo & fuel refill in landing pad is faster. 3) Fund generates faster. 4) You can select level you want. In real battle, the game keep tracking of your score so you can put it on top score table. Yeah, that's the only benefit you get from real mode.
I manage to destroy bastard helicopter but the pilot manages to jump...into tank's tread. Talking about "Out of the frying pan into the fire". There's also the same metaphor in Indonesia: "Lepas dari mulut harimau, masuk ke dalam mulut buaya". The translation is: "Out of tiger's mouth, goes into crocodile's mouth".
No, game! Low fuel isn't the most useful thing on the game. Scout_jeers10.wav
Oh, i see. Now i understand with the message says "Don't tailgate the enemy". If i do that, their base launch missile to me swiftly. There's no other way to deal with it, except having allied van arrives to it.
After some prolonging battle...
Hey! I win again and in very tight situation. I'm down to my last helicopter and that missile is about to hit me. Cm_engie_matchwon_04.mp3
On next battle...
I manage to destroy enemy
helicopter in very close range. The question is: whose missile is that which
destroy my helicopter a brief moment later? I don't think enemy chopper ever
launch missile at me. It only know drops some bombs or gunning down balloon.
Also i don't think i ever see it order missile launcher. So the conclusion is:
it's allied missile or i get hit by shrapnel of the enemy's remain as hinted by
the flying texts. It must be the latter because it's very stupid to get hit
by my own missile.
The game kindly gives me initial convoy for free and i saw 2 tanks walk in tandem from it. That gives me an idea how to build my convoy. Purchasing 2 tanks in consecutive seems a good idea. Believe it or not! That the most front tank get obliterated by the 5th man on enemy infantry. Given 1 tank cost less than a batch of infantry by 1 fund. But at least i have another tank to accompany me.
Using machine gun also valid method to deal with other chopper. Here, i unleash bullet barrage at the enemy until it's smoked. the bullets are tiny yellow dot that can easily mistaken with stars on background so you have to take my word for it. In motion, they will be more easily visible.
In this map, there's automatic anti-air gun on the center. It's hard to tell whether it belongs to ally or enemy except when it starts shooting at me now i know it's enemy's. It's inadvisable to take it out yourself. Because it only engages helicopter, you ground unit can deal with it safely. So let your tank and infantry do the counter anti-air measure for you. Once it turns into rubbles, your engineer can rebuild it and it will engage you enemy's helicopter while you can pass its detection harmlessly.
My engineers are about to face with enemy's tank. But don't worry, i'll "Tenchu" it with my gun. Whoever ask "Why not use bombs from above?" You hush up!
Well, this is new. Apparently there's capacity of how many infantry or engineers are allowed in the field a time. No need to rush them to kill themselves that fast, y'know.
Of course! Low fuel means low fuel, game. No need to point out something so explicit like that!
The last escort has been exterminated by enemy's chopper. So no one else that protect van except me. I manage to fend off the cheating git by emptying my machine gun. There's another way to deal with the chopper but it's very stupid idea. Bomb it from above.
Oh no! It flies higher than me. But i manage to distract it from allied van. It's all up to you, little dude. Soldier_moveup03.wav
Yes, you did it! I mean we did it. Cm_heavy_gamewon_05.mp3
It takes more or less 2 hours to finish this one. What a grueling war!
There's 4 mission in total. So i beat half of them. Thus i call it quit and save the game for later.
Because it always takes quite forever to win the war, i figure i want to change the game speed. This is the default setting, it's on slow setting. I'm afraid that if i make it faster, the helicopter will goes beyond controllable than as it is. So i choose not. Besides i never change game speed setting in any real time strategy game.
Information Access Technologies Inc's Armor Alley (1988-1991) is hybrid between horizontal shoot 'em up and real time strategy. The idea is great although it stills need some tweak in execution. The victory condition feels tedious because it depends on the weak armless unit to get throughout entire map. Also the van moves slow. Actually, every ground unit have the same movement speed. If only the enemy bot doesn't have unlimited helicopter, the game will be more enjoyable, significantly. Because enemy can be defeated by depleting their helicopter. Because that's not the case, the practice battle feels more fair or at least enjoyable. Besides if you're against unlimited helicopter, might as well as playing as stronger helicopter all the time. Occupying bunker feels not worth the effort. While repairing anti-air gun is very beneficial. Each ground unit is worth your fund. Van is essential for winning the game. Tank is the strongest ground unit. Infantry is useful to occupy bunkers and rebuild balloon. Engineer is useful to repair anti-air gun and resupply your fuel and ammo in the middle of the map. Missile Launcher is perfect to deal with other helicopter. You can make some pincer attack: by firing missile after the missile launcher does that. I witness, the ai tend to be overwhelmed with that trick and one time it accidentally bump into balloon. So satisfying. Speaking of missile, it's quite often that my helicopter refuse to fire it because no available locked-on target yet or so it feels. The ai most likely can dodge single missile without breaking a sweat. It seems the ai has some Firebrand/Red Arremer's (from Makaimura/Ghosts 'n Goblins series) intelligence. Worse of it, i can only carry 2 missiles at a time (in real battle)! My complaints about the machine gun is i can't fire it downward unlike in Choplifter III. If that happens, i can bombard enemy's convoy more easily. The bomb drop is certainly excellent to destroy tank. The enemy chopper sometime like to fly below me so i can decimate it with bomb. Sounds silly but it works. The music is nowhere to be found so feel free to put anything in your music player while playing this game. The explosion sounds is as crispy as the one in Metal Slug. Remarkable!
Armor Alley (1988-1991) is fun to play even though the graphic is pretty simple. I surely can recommend you to play this one and i suggest that you just play the practice mode. Apparently, this game has multiplayer mode but i don't how the connection works nowadays. In demonstration, i see 2 helicopters at the same side so you can play this co-op. If both players have their own fund, the game will be easier. But if they share same fund, the cooperation will be hectic and they will break up and start to exchange swears. Oh my goodness! That's horrible.
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