Plunge into a dark future where the Darksiders rule. Nobody knows exactly from where they came, or how they got here, but now they are on the road to conquering the known world.
After assisting his fellow Darksiders in consolidating their power, the Decimator decided to plan a tournament. The purpose: to rid themselves of any meddling fools who might stand in the way of their plans.
Each battle puts two competitors in tanks opposite each other. The tanks fire missiles at high velocity towards an opponent. They also are equipped with shielding, but it won't hold out for long.
Every one of the 10 characters has a special ability. Every ability is unique. At various times in the battle, competitors may call upon these powers to even the odds. They include faster missiles, armor, missiles that follow their opponent, more powerful missiles, and more...
Welcome to DUEL.
This is the culmination of the DUEL project, the way I originally envisioned the game. This is the way it was meant to be played. It may not look like much to the 2004 gamer, but... go program something better =)
This is the third version of DUEL. The first was created in free time (which I had plenty of at the time) during late 1995. The second was started in early 1997 and finished in 1999, and ran in the Pseudopod computer facility for one semester. It gained a small following, spanning a few addictions and one tournament.
The first two versions contained fast head-to-head action, which was my aim. But they also contained horribly ugly text-based graphics, which made it look like Pong, at best. In fact, it was compared to Pong many times. =)
This "Version C," started in 2001, scraps the old "graphics" and replaces them with 100% real VGA graphics. They're not incredibly impressive by any means, but they're simple, pleasant and look 100 times better than the old ones (I measured). They essentially complete the game.
In addition to the major graphics update, the special ability system has been refined, many needless characters were removed, and several other subtle gameplay changes have been made. I feel that this is most certainly the best version of the game. It's not perfect; the story is gone (due to lack of time and other reasons), the AI's difficulty ramping is not perfect, and the game probably needs some balance fixes, but I'm content with it for now. (If suggestions roll in, I'll certainly listen and possibly revise.)
Please enjoy my final QBasic project: DUEL: Shadow of the Darksiders, Version C.
DUEL: SotD Personal Version
For DOS and Windows NT/2000/XP. Will NOT run correctly on Windows 9x/ME. See ReadMe file for details.
Click here to download DUELC.ZIP (156K). Unzip and then run DUEL.EXE. Follow the onscreen directions if you want to access Test Mode.
Click here to peruse the ReadMe file.
Click here to read the DUEL FAQ.
Click here to enter the DUEL museum, containing the strategy guide for Ver.B and pics of Ver.B, and more... (coming never)
Quick Q&A
Q: Why can't I change the Coin Options?A: The Coin Options are locked. In the Personal Version it's set to 4 credits, Free Play off. The ONLY things that require a credit are starting and continuing a 1-player game. A buy-in that begins a two-player match will NOT cost a credit. The game's only eight stages long, don't worry.
Q: Where's the Pseudopod?
A: The Pseudopod is on SUNY-Binghamton's campus, in Dickinson Community's O'Connor Hall, and is run by the CoRE Special Interest Housing Module. I managed it for several semesters and debuted quite a few games in there. DUEL may run in the Pseudopod, if the current manager decides to allow it, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Q: What's with the Test Menu? Where's the user-friendly Options screen? Why aren't there any extra modes?
A: Unlike my "home" revisions of the Pseudopod games Nibbles2 and MegaClick-3, I did not add any special features or options menus to the Personal version of DUEL. The original "home" version of DUEL Ver.B contained extra Versus, Survival and even Pong modes, but with this version, I just wanted to focus on completing the game, making it the way I wanted it to be and not focusing on extra stuff. As a result, it is pretty much exactly the same as the Pseudopod version. (Pseudopod versions of the previous games worked the same way, with a Test Menu to set options and view statistics.)
Q: Can I play as the bosses?/Are there any unlockables?
A: There are four characters that are unplayable at the start. Two are the standard bosses (Dementia and Darkman), and you'll battle them on Stages 7 and 8 (under most circumstances). One is Multi-Plex, a player-only character whose ability (and color) is randomly chosen at the time of use. And one is a hidden ultra-tough CPU-only character that you can only battle if certain conditions are met. This character cannot ever be unlocked, but the other three can. They will be permanently unlocked when game time reaches a certain level; check the Test Menu to see how long you've been playing. You may still play as them before that happens...
Q: Some of the Abilities seem way better than others.
A: There are advantages to all of the Abilities. For example, Psycho's Power Drain may seem useless because it works so slowly. However, it is the only way to cause damage without actually shooting the opponent. If you can't get that last hit in, Power Drain might finish them off anyway. Some Abilities also have disadvantages. Homing Shots travel a bit slower than normal ones. I'll admit that some of the Abilities aren't as effective against the computer, or in certain situations, but you'll find a use for all of them.
Q: Will there be a revision to fix some of the balance issues?
A: This is the 1.1 version and contains a few adjustments I found necessary. Speedup shots now have a damage penalty, Regeneration and Power Drain work a little bit faster, and Life Up recovers a little bit less. If there is a demand, I will tweak the game further.
-end-
Free counters provided by Andale.