SoulBlazer
07-22-2005, 05:17 PM
Okay guys, I'm looking for the help of some gamers here to work on a project I've been considering for a while.
Basicaly, I need people to help me with Heart of Africa for the C64 (either real or emulated). It's a adventure game.
Here's the situation and some background -- Heart of Africa was published only for the C64 computer back in 1985. It was made by Ozark Software, the same people who did other great classics such as MULE and Seven Cities of Gold. Dan/Danni Burten was the main designer.
How the game plays -- the year is 1890 and you have been employed by the estee of a wealthy man, Mr. Primm, to go on a expedition to Africa. Mr. Primm was obessed with finding the lost tomb of Egyptain ruler Ankh Ankh, somewhere in Africa. One man sealed the tomb and traveled around many of the African tribes before dying, and those tales are still contained in the oral legends of the tribes. You have to go around Africa alone, win the trust of the tribes, get the clues to the 'Lost Man', and find the tomb, in a six year period. It plays like Seven Cities of Gold and MULE in that you use a joystick or keyboard to move a man around a map and push the button to do things.
I had a C64 growing up, but although I had many games I missed Heart of Africa. Recently I found the game for download, got nowhere with it, and looked online for a manual or a FAQ or SOMETHING to help with the game. To my surprise, I could find NOTHING. I know the game did'nt sell as well as other Burten games, but it got good reviews back in the day (THAT I recall) and I was shocked nothing was out there.
I like doing FAQ/guides for obscure games -- games no one has done anything before. I've written stuff for Startropics 2, Konami Arcade Advance, and several other games. So I took it as a challenge in order to see what I could find out about the game.
First, I found out through conversation that our own Zach M. has a actuall copy of the instructions. He was kind enough to scan that for me. It also came with a map of Africa. Now the manual for this game is a MUST READ, due to the hints and clues contained in it. With that information and the map I tried the game again and was finally able to make some progress.
However, with me being as busy as I am, I was looking for help. I'd like other people to play the game also, take notes, and then we can compare them. Not only can I see then what changes from game to game versus what is fixed (I know the tomb is moved, but not sure wht else), but it will help me to make a better and more accurate guide.
So, here's what I'm looking for -- people willing to play the game, take notes, and share them with me. I can provide the scanned copy of the manual Zach did for me and tell you where you can download the game from (Home of the Underdogs) as well as where to find Commodre 64 emulators.
In return, you will get:
-- Credit in the guide for the parts you worked on
-- Meseta determined by how much you did (can be anywhere from a hundred to a few thousand)
-- Bonus item I have around here (game, gaming related book or music, etc.)
Please post a reply here if interested with a e-mail address so I can send the needed files.
And please ask if you have any other questions or have actually PLAYED the game and can help out! ;)
Basicaly, I need people to help me with Heart of Africa for the C64 (either real or emulated). It's a adventure game.
Here's the situation and some background -- Heart of Africa was published only for the C64 computer back in 1985. It was made by Ozark Software, the same people who did other great classics such as MULE and Seven Cities of Gold. Dan/Danni Burten was the main designer.
How the game plays -- the year is 1890 and you have been employed by the estee of a wealthy man, Mr. Primm, to go on a expedition to Africa. Mr. Primm was obessed with finding the lost tomb of Egyptain ruler Ankh Ankh, somewhere in Africa. One man sealed the tomb and traveled around many of the African tribes before dying, and those tales are still contained in the oral legends of the tribes. You have to go around Africa alone, win the trust of the tribes, get the clues to the 'Lost Man', and find the tomb, in a six year period. It plays like Seven Cities of Gold and MULE in that you use a joystick or keyboard to move a man around a map and push the button to do things.
I had a C64 growing up, but although I had many games I missed Heart of Africa. Recently I found the game for download, got nowhere with it, and looked online for a manual or a FAQ or SOMETHING to help with the game. To my surprise, I could find NOTHING. I know the game did'nt sell as well as other Burten games, but it got good reviews back in the day (THAT I recall) and I was shocked nothing was out there.
I like doing FAQ/guides for obscure games -- games no one has done anything before. I've written stuff for Startropics 2, Konami Arcade Advance, and several other games. So I took it as a challenge in order to see what I could find out about the game.
First, I found out through conversation that our own Zach M. has a actuall copy of the instructions. He was kind enough to scan that for me. It also came with a map of Africa. Now the manual for this game is a MUST READ, due to the hints and clues contained in it. With that information and the map I tried the game again and was finally able to make some progress.
However, with me being as busy as I am, I was looking for help. I'd like other people to play the game also, take notes, and then we can compare them. Not only can I see then what changes from game to game versus what is fixed (I know the tomb is moved, but not sure wht else), but it will help me to make a better and more accurate guide.
So, here's what I'm looking for -- people willing to play the game, take notes, and share them with me. I can provide the scanned copy of the manual Zach did for me and tell you where you can download the game from (Home of the Underdogs) as well as where to find Commodre 64 emulators.
In return, you will get:
-- Credit in the guide for the parts you worked on
-- Meseta determined by how much you did (can be anywhere from a hundred to a few thousand)
-- Bonus item I have around here (game, gaming related book or music, etc.)
Please post a reply here if interested with a e-mail address so I can send the needed files.
And please ask if you have any other questions or have actually PLAYED the game and can help out! ;)