Talk:Archon: The Light and the Dark

Additions

I just added the fact that this game was released for the NES to the article

Minor note: If both sides just move around a lot and not attack, the game will eventually call a stalemate. Usually happens when only a few pieces are left. --Pelladon 18:08, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

I linked Archon on the List of NES games to this article. - New User 11:07, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Internet project

I moved this section:

Another rewrite of the game called Archon Evolution was developed by Leigh Bowers of Curve Software. The game was to feature both single player mode and the ability to compete over the internet with other people. This version used original code from FreeFall, and was to be very close in feel to the original game. A public beta of the game was released in late 2005, but, unfortunately, the project disappeared with no notice in mid 2006. This left the original group of eight private beta testers quite disgruntled. They felt as though they had stuck around for many years waiting for the game's release and deserved at least an email explaining why the game and website vanished.

from the article to here for at least two reasons:

1. It is not cited at all. Some of the other stuff from the article isn't cited either, but is all verifiable. It is, therefore, original research.
2. This doesn't sound like a very high-profile or important project. It just sounds like a personal project that someone got bored with, and doesn't deserve mention in the article.

— Frecklefoot | Talk 21:15, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

The project seems to be back up, and I was able to find a citation for the fact that it uses the original code. The citation is from http://www.blitzbasic.com/Community/posts.php?topic=55600 and the current site is http://archon.curvenet.co.uk/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.231.251.242 (talk) 04:43, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Unit Descriptions

Cleaned these up a bit, they were inconsistent. Note: All the units in-battle in the original version had the same combat movement speed, except for the troll/golem and earth elemental. I've tested it; it is the truth. 12.175.230.37 00:39, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

This is correct. The Archon manual for the NES explicitly states that most icons move at the same speed, although some move a little slower. Furthermore, I clearly remember playing as a knight against a dragon. They move at the same speed. The dragon normally beats the knight because the dragon has a longer life span, higher attack power, and longer range. 157.160.3.143 19:12, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

Gameguide stuff

Moved from: User talk:SharkD#Archon

Good afternoon! I've reviewed the article Archon: The Light and the Dark after you tagged it with gameguide. At the time of writing, the article has two relevant sections: "Description" and "Layout and pieces." Neither meets the strict definition of gameguide: their contents are descriptive, not instructive. Inspected instead from the broader perspective of good article writing, the recently added unit ability tables are redundant and add little to the article. These should be removed and maybe a sentence or two added where the issue is addressed elsewhere.

Other things of note are the board layout and the spell list, which seem to have valid reasons for their presence. Archon is extremely unorthodox, with a grand total of one game and one Mortal Kombat sub-mode anything like it in the last fifteen years (outside the sequel and remakes). It's also significant as an exploration of the potential of the medium, as Orson Scott Card is quoted as saying. Both of these makes conveying the game mechanics exceptionally important and difficult. To that end, the board layout delivers very basic information that most likely couldn't be equally expressed in text. Sure, it's enormous, but on a web page scrolling past it is a negligible obstacle to readability. If it were a text block of similar size, then I'd object. The seven-entry spell list is small, unobtrusive and central to the game mechanics enabled by the medium, so that merely saying that there are spells and leaving it at that would be unacceptable.

I'd like to nuke the tables, tweak the text a small bit and remove the tag. Is this an acceptable solution to you?

Oh, and thank you for your help with the Overlord (1990 video game) article. I'm not fond of that game myself, but everyone I know seems to be. --Kizor 13:55, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

Can't the same information in the table be conveyed using the screenshot? This would have the secondary benefit of strengthening the fair use justification for the image. SharkD (talk) 14:35, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

So it would. I got the time to think this through properly as I was taking a few loads of laundry to the wash, and I don't think it can. 1983 graphics and reduced-size screenshots can only go so far. --Kizor 12:24, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Per a request at WT:VG, here's an outside perspective. I believe the screenshot adequate conveys enough information—screenshots are never perfect, but this does a good job. The caption can be expanded some to give extra info too. If I were writing this article article for GAN or FAC, I would condense some of the sections into smaller paragraphs; like the spellcasting, layout, and pieces. Though the information is essential to playing the game, they are not essential to understanding the game as a topic. I got the gist of the game from reading through the first description paragraph and combat. One thing to keep in mind about sub sections is that they can give undue weight to content about the topic, and most times are not needed for gameplay. (Guyinblack25 ^talk 18:48, 20 January 2009 (UTC))

Yeah, I would condense the "description" section into "gameplay", change the "sequels" section into "sequels and remakes" or something like that, and add some development information for a "development" section. The tables can be destroyed and a description of the various pieces in prose be instituted. Also, it would look better if the game board was centered in the article. To clarify, I think the lower tables are unnecessary, but the large game board table is informative, and useful in my opinion.--_{ZXCVBNM [TALK]} 03:08, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

You can always increase the size of the screenshot if you feel it's too small for readers to "get". SharkD (talk) 15:19, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Star Wars Origin

According to here (http://retro.ign.com/articles/940/940523p1.html) and other sources I can't find now, Archon is based in a Star Wars scene where c3po played archon inside the Millenium Falcon. The board was rounded, but the essence of the game is the same. --Sbassi (talk) 19:19, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

That article doesn't say Archon was inspired by Star Wars, it just says it's similar to the game Chewie and 3PO were playing. If you can find reliable sources that say it was definately inspired by Star Wars, then RIGHT ON (like this, for example). Otherwise, it'd just be original research, forbidden here on the 'pedia. — Frecklefσσt | Talk 20:20, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Archon for Q3:A

Hi! I just wanted to know if you think it is possible to mention the fact that a mod for Quake III Arena has been created (a decade ago): Archon for Q3:A, also known as ARQ. Some infos here: http://openarena.wikia.com/wiki/ModCompat/ARQ. Being simply a mod, not released by an official software house, one may think it's not enciclopedic... but I'm not telling to write an article about it, simply to add some words. I'm unsure... what do you think? And where, in the "Remakes" section? --Gig (talk) 08:10, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

Significant omitted strategy detail

I'm not used to editing things here so I'll add this comment and let others see if anything like it warrants inclusion in either the article or where this might go in the talk page.

One of the major game mechanics that is not listed on the page is that the "lifespan" (term used on the page, equivalent to hit points) was variable based on the color square that the fight occurred on. On a white square a white piece would have double lifespan that it would have on a black square and vice versa for the black pieces. There are also squares that would oscillate between white and black through many shades of gray and the lifespan scales based on how dark or light the square is. There are 25 white squares on the board, 25 black squares and 31 oscillating squares.

I feel that this is far more significant of a gameplay/design detail than many of the other details presented on the page.

--Jim Leonard — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.131.85.172 (talk) 01:02, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

Unsourced material

Below information was tagged for needing sources long-term. Feel free to reinsert with appropriate references. DonIago (talk) 13:56, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Legacy

Free Fall Associates developed a sequel to the game called Archon II: Adept in 1984. It features improved graphics, different creatures, and requires different strategy to win. The players in this version represent either Order or Chaos and possess four adepts that can cast powerful spells, including "Apocalypse spell," where one player or the other can call for a final battle to determine the outcome of the game. The Amiga version features full stereo sound, unusual for games of the day. The Unholy War is a PlayStation game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive in 1998. It was designed by Paul Reiche III and featured a similar style of strategy and combat as Archon. An unofficial sequel, Archon III: Exciter, was created by unknown Archon fans for the Commodore 64 in 1985. Paul Reiche and Fred Ford went on to create the Star Control series of video games. The combat component of the first Star Control game is very similar in that each player has a group of spaceships with different abilities which they send into one-on-one combat. Paul and Fred went on to found Toys for Bob, and create many other games together.

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