The '2nd battalion' Page

As the monsters of the movies tend to rise again, so battalion returns from the grave.

2nd battalion is the working title for the sequel to battalion. There were lots of things I wanted to put in the original game but ran out of time, and enthusiasm. But as the months have passed I have been drawn back to the game, and the idea of an improved version of battalion appeals to me once again.

The first step in creating 2nd battalion was to rewrite the original battalion in OpenGL(r) so I would have a supported platform to work on. That was done with the help of toogl and the Hershey font library. This version now becomes the supported version of battalion, and while I intend to keep the previous GL version available, I don't plan on spending much, if any, time on it.

I plan on making additions and enhancements to the OpenGL version as the mood strikes me, so check back every once in a while to see if there is a new version.

My current effort is directed at getting the versions for other platforms up and running at an OK speed.

If you would prefer not to wait, and want to try and compile a version for your computer using the OpenGL library or the Mesa library then the source code for battalion is avaialable from the Main battalion Page.

I wanna play! / Ich will es spielen!
Je veux jouer! /
Voglio giocare! /
Zelim se igrati / Quiero jugar!

Click to download your very own COMPRESSED(.Z 1476K) copy of battalion 1.3 to play.

System Requirements:

• Silicon Graphics Workstation (for other platforms see the 'SGI-less' battalion page)
• IRIX 5.3 or newer (works fine on 6.0 and 6.2beta w/ infinite reality)
• software or hardware z-buffer
• 5 megabytes of free disc space

What do I do after downloading?

• "uncompress battalionO.tar.Z"
• "tar xvf battalionO.tar"
• blow up buildings

This executable was compiled under Irix 5.3. It has been tested on Indy, Indigo2, and Onyx machines and should run fine on any Silicon Graphics machine supporting OpenGL with a hardware or software z-buffer. It takes up about 5 megabytes of disc space when uncompressed and untarred. The help files are in Showcase, and a small man page is included. The program will take advantage of audio-out does not require it.

While the GL version of battalion would run pretty well with a software z-buffer, this version pretty much needs a hardware z-buffer to run at a decent speed.

Obvious disclaimer: This software is provided 'as is' without any warrenty whatsoever. Googelon. Flutter, Techs, the Vapour, and I disclaim any bad things that may happen to you, your loved ones, your co-workers, your pets, your social life, or your electronic equipment as the result of downloading and playing this game ... so if you go on a shooting rampage at a fast-food restaurant please don't blame me.

coming in future versions

• speeding up and cleaning up the Macintosh version
• Windows '95 compatibility
• Sound for the Linux version
• Getting stereo visuals to work again

changes in version 1.3 (8/17/96) - the 'first anniversary' release

• new music (finally)
• more textures in the highest detail mode
• new vector graphics mode (for that 'retro' look)
• 'controls' overlay rearranged slightly (again)
• faster drawing of monsters from the monster's viewpoint
• more small graphics changes (black is now dark grey, roads tweaked)
• updated the Showcase documentation
• reorganization of code and renaming of supporting files (making this version incompatible with the data files of previous versions - sorry)
• default Mesa version graphics window is now slightly larger

• new lower level detail mode (ie there are now 3 levels of detail) with simplified graphics for slower machines (by Johan Hagman and Andy J.)
• sound effects and music now work (mostly) in the SunOS and Solaris versions (by Johan Hagman and Andy J.)
• game now pauses when iconified, as in the original GL version (by Johan Hagman)
• ctrl key now activates monster beam rather than toggling it on/off, as in the original GL version (by Johan Hagman)
• user can now lock the pointer so it can not leave the window (this is REALLY REALLY nice!) (by Johan Hagman)
• faster Solaris port (by Johan Hagman)

changes in version 1.2 (5/17/96) - the 'Googelon: King of the Monsters' release

• first try at multi-player (no army in multi-player mode)
• Mesa compatible (Linux and SunOS so far)
• Mesa version has slightly simpler graphics to improve speed
• remaining hershey fonts replaced with tk fonts
• help files now available as gifs for non-SGI machines
• more small graphics changes (fires)
• 'controls' overlay rearranged

changes in version 1.1 (4/17/96) - the 'Destroy All Monsters' release

• high-score list
• multiple monsters battling the army simultaneously - computer controlled monsters will now ocassionally appear during the game, giving the military more than one target to shoot at.
• the game is somewhat faster
• few minor graphics changes (logo, summary screen, helicopters, plane rotation rate)
• turning is now smoother (vehicles and flutter's banking)
• points now allocated for hitting a target rather than destroying it
• corrected compatibility problem when the indizone 3 version is on the same system as the on-line version, due to SGI not including the sound for Techs shooting
• back to the original (prerelease GL version) maser beams
• fixed a small (<1K per game) memory leak in version 1.0
• fixed colour problem when compiling under Mesa
• version number is now on the intro game screen
• updated the man page to talk about the high score list
• updated showcase documentation to include the new map of the town and contact information

changes in version 1.0 (3/17/96) - the first release of the OpenGL version

• There are 2 new military vehicles: a mobile rocket launcher, and a jet fighter
• The visible battlefield is slightly larger and looks better in `detail mode'
• The control key now toggles the monster's weapons on/off
• The Showcase documentation has been updated
• The water tower now contains water
• The Vapour, the roads, and one of the heros look a little different
• `detail mode' is now low/high rather than on/off
• The tree/building data file has a couple small fixes

• The game is currently slower than the GL version (sorry)
• Stereo-video is currently unavailable (sorry)
• The textures for the drive-in theatre have been modified to work under OpenGL making the texture data files for the GL version INCOMPATIBLE with this OpenGL version (sorry)

More battalion stuff

Copyright © Andrew Johnson 1996