| Cyberdogs Info Cyberdogs is the
game that started it all. Released in 1994, this DOS game, programmed in Borland PASCAL,
captured many elements of innovative gameplay that were sometimes awkwardly
dispersed between genres, or that had not been used at all.
Gameplay
In Cyberdogs, you play a mercenary-for-hire who must embark on a series of
missions to earn money (There's not really any focused plot, which allows you to sort of
imagine the story as you go along). The missions range from simply killing a certain
number of enemies, to collecting items scatterd and hidden in the level, to destroying a
structure of some sort. At the start of each mission, you are able to buy (and sell) extra
lives, armor, and, of course, weapons. Not only must you buy this to keep a few steps
ahead of the baddies, you must also buy ammo for your weapons. Resource management skill
is a plus here.
When you're actually in the game, things get even more fun. The game is a top-down
(with a slight angle) 2D style shooter. You are able to access your automap, which shows
the areas of the level you've explored, and any items in explored areas that you may not
have picked up. When an enemy approaches nearby, an alert warning will quietly show at the
top of the screen. This is useful, as you cannot always see your enemies. Cyberdogs uses
an ingenious system which allows you only to see What would normally be visible to a human
being, except in a full 360 degrees. If there is a wall blocking the way, you cannot see
past it, and so you must tread carefully when there is an enemy alert.
Powerups and Weapons
These are what really drives this game. While you may find some armor or a few
weapons floating about a level (which you can sell later, if you don't want them), your
main source for rearming will be the shop. Here's what they offer:
Pictures coming soon.
Chainsaw:
Whenever you hit enemies, you both do collateral damage to each other. If you get a
chainsaw (which doesn't need arming, it automatically takes effect upon contact), you can
do a world of more damage in close combat. You can carry up to four (Don't ask me how),
and the more you carry, the more damage you can do at close range.
Blaster:
A basic, cheap, all around useful weapon. fairly good rate of fire and damage.
Powergun:
A beefed up blaster. This one has a longer range, much greater damage, but it has a lower
fire rate.
Minigun:
Can we guess where this one came from? ;-) It has a high rate of fire, and does a good
deal of damage.
Flamer:
A short range flame thrower. Does less damage than most other weapons, but has a very high
rate of fire.
Launcher:
A grenade launcher. Low rate of fire. Stay clear of the grenade, it explodes in a few
seconds.
Megagun:
An even more powerful launcher. Low rate of fire, and ammo for this is rare and expensive,
but it does a LOT of damage.
Enemies
What good are weapons without a few beanbag baddies to pour your hard earned ammo
into? Here's the different kinds:
Pictures coming soon.
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