Flight of the Intruder

This game was based on the novel by the same name written by Stephen Coonts. The story is set during the Vietnam War. It is a flight simulation that allowed you to fly A-6 and F-4 off a carrier for missions over the Gulf of Tonkin and into Vietnam. It was my very first flight simulation game, and I had many hours of fun flying the various missions and trying out different weapon loads. It got me interested in flight simulations, not the hardcore type of flight simulations based on very detailed flight models, but rather the average flight simulation that balances reality with gameplay.

It also introduced to me the author Stephen Coonts and his series of books, with the main character Jake Grafton. I went on to read every Jake Grafton novel, and have in my collection every novel written by Stephen Coonts. Talk about the positive effect that games can have. Playing games got me more interested in reading books.

So for those parents who worry that your children are not reading enough, it is time to introduce them to computer games! But off course, find those games that have some links with books.

Sword of the Samurai

This great game by Micropose brings RPG, strategy and action into one game. You play the game as a young samurai, get married, have children who will succeed you. You get to go to war against rebels and rivals, which brings in the strategy aspect of the game. You get to duel with Japanese swords, and also go against multiple opponents with sword and bow. The game was great because you get to play different genres in one game. There is a role-playing element. The battles fought require some use of strategy. And the duels and melees bring action. And all the while, you are advancing through the ranks, gaining more troops, progressing towards you eventual goal of becoming the Shogun.

 

Update 10 December 2022: Oh my!!! This game is actually available on Steam!

Sunset over Singapore City

Taken while fishing at Bedok Jetty

Dune 2 - The Building of a Dynasty

Anyone remembers Dune 2?

While most people will remember Command & Conquer as the hit real-time strategy PC game, not as many will remember Dune 2, which was actually the granddad of RTS games. Based on the sci-fi world created by Frank Herbert for his Dune series of novels, the player gets to play as one of the three Houses, Atreides, Harkonnen or Ordos. Each House comes with similar basic units, and special units peculiar to each House. The standard units of foot soldier/infantry, fast scout, tank and resource gatherer have made it in one form or another into future RTS games. The basic concept was simple: gather resources, build up a base, create an army, destroy the opponent's army and base. Sounds familiar?

I got so hooked to the game, I used to play 10 hours straight during the weekends. I was still a student then, else I would have been playing 10 hours straight on weekdays too. The result? My CRT monitor decided it had enough abuse, and burnt out on me. But that didn't stop me. I took out an older CRT monitor (from a previous computer) and continued to play.

The game got me interested in the world of Dune. I went on to read the whole Dune series by Frank Herbert, all six books. The interest in Dune did not stop there. When Frank Herbert's son Brian decided to expand on the world created by his father, I read the books written by him and Kevin J. Anderson. It was a computer game that drew me into the intriguing world of Dune.

New Blogs!

I have decided to move my entries on fishing and taiji away from this blog. This will make my blogs more focused, each will be around a central theme. Do check out my thoughts on taijiquan at "My Taiji Journal" and my experiences in learning to fish at "Learning to Fish in Singapore".