Scorched Earth

aka: Scorch, Scorched Earth: Mother of All Games
Moby ID: 402

Description

It's all-out war in Scorched Earth, an artillery combat game. You and up to nine friends can duke it out on hills and in valleys as you nuke each other into submission in this turn-based tank battle.

At the start of each round, each player purchases their weaponry, and if they choose, shields and parachutes for defense and safety from long drops. Then it's off to battle! Aim your cannon, taking note of trajectory and wind, and fire off your weapons in attempt to take out the opposition.

The game offers a variety of weapons. A small sample of these include the standard nukes, which obliterate the screen. There's the Funky Bomb, which scatters smaller bombs in an unpredictable variety of directions. Or, if missiles aren't your thing, you can send your foes a personal gift of flaming napalm. There are also dirt bombs which can be used to bury opponents or yourself, for safety from opposing attacks.

One of the other features are the amusing quips displayed before a shot is fired, and when a tank is destroyed. These can even be added to by editing the files to give your threats a more personal flavor.

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Screenshots

Credits (DOS version)

Programming

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 80% (based on 1 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 55 ratings with 4 reviews)

Simple graphics yet one of the most fun games I have ever played.

The Good
You can play for hours, great to play with friends, lots of weapons and plenty of options.

The Bad
The graphics weren't great but the game didn't really need good graphics. Stupid sound effects, too.

The Bottom Line
Tank game where you set the angle of your shot and the power and try to blow the other tanks up.

DOS · by Attila (553) · 2001

For all you budding artillery commanders...

The Good
Scorched Earth is fun. Plain and simple. Personally, I've always liked games involving ballistics (doesn't hurt that I can adjust my aim quickly). But the first time that I played Scorched Earth, I was blown away. There was just so much to change, and buy, and avoid. The initial options are fairly complex, as you can change the entire physics of the game, but once you start playing, it's pretty straightforward.

One of the things that really got me when I first started playing, was that if you chose a tank, you could move. Is the enemy closing in on your position? Get the heck out of there! Though some of the AIs are smarter than that, moving can be a good move. Also, the list of weapons and items is very long. There are several different types of weapons, with at least two versions of those. For example, missles range from your basic pea shooter, to a nuke that can take out a sizable chunk of land. As for miscelaneous equipment, there are shields (boy do these come in handy!), guidance systems (iffy at best), parachutes for those long falls, and even gasoline (you did want to drive around, right?).

Along with all of that, you can play with up to 9 opponents, all of which can be human beings. Trust me, add alcohol to this mix and things can get very fun.

The Bad
I only have a few gripes, first of which is the AI (for when I don't have nine friends lying around). The AI seems to be either stupid, or a genius. There is very little in between despite the fact that you can choose about 10 different intelligences. The other problem is that there are a few glitchy weapons, though once you figure out which ones those are, you can avoid them.

The Bottom Line
All in all, this is a must play, particularly with a group of people (alcohol optional). Plus if you have a degree in physics, you'll make a killing!

DOS · by Narf! (132) · 2000

Incredible.

The Good
With Amiga roots (Scorched Tanks) this game emphasizes on a mathematically correct physics model, which makes it both realistic and a great gaming experience. The physics model is extremely accurate and allows for odd manipulations like elastic walls, wind and misc. items. The choice of weapons is huge and the shields add a lot to the general gameplay.

The Bad
The computer AI is either really good or really stupid with nothing in between. Some weapons (mainly lasers) cause bizarre bugs, and the guidance facilities are an extreme no-no.

The Bottom Line
A wonderful classic which you simply cannot miss.

DOS · by Tomer Gabel (4539) · 1999

[ View all 4 player reviews ]

Trivia

The game features AI text messages (e.g. "I shall smash your ugly tank!"), these are both read from plain text files (TALK1.CFG and TALK2.CFG), users can change and translate these files freely.

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  • MobyGames ID: 402
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by MajorDad.

Additional contributors: tarmo888, Wendell Hicken, Aaron A., Crawly.

Game added November 9, 1999. Last modified August 14, 2023.