I just completed my recent playthrough of GearHead1. Xiap and his lancemates- the robot Omega 1004, guardian Meskyfer, and combat medic Joyjen- defeated Typhon and the Clan Ironwind army. During the final battle Xiap also managed to shoot down Yjin’s neko, which was a nice bonus.
Overall I really enjoyed this playthrough. I think the game successfully captures the mood of 80s/90s mecha shows; there’s an ever-present feeling of peril and loss without any sort of grimdark affectation. There are so many things to do. The world feels active and vibrant.
Xiap was created as a basic mode character since I haven’t played the game in ages and chose to play it like a newbie. He didn’t learn mecha engineering for the same reason. I didn’t use save file backups or other cheats because I wanted to see how badly the game could kick my arse.
GearHead is a lot more forgiving than most roguelike games, but this is not to say that it lacks challenge, exactly. Losing a prized mecha can be almost as bad as dying; losing a lancemate can be worse than that. Xiap lost plenty of both over the course of the campaign. I guess I just like that feeling of peril and loss mentioned above? The only time I was ever tempted to cheat was during the great Namok bus stop pineapple salad incident, but I kept going and soon formed a new lance (who probably had lots of difficult questions about what happened to my previous lance). It might be a good idea to add a difficulty setting like DoomRL, though I have no idea right now how that would work in practice.
I didn’t encounter any truly game-breaking bugs, but found plenty of small ones. The homebrew scripting language that all the plots are written in is just as hateful as I remember, but fortunately I remember it better than I thought I would. The same goes for Pascal, honestly.
My goal now is to fix problems and polish up the rough edges. I will probably want to add some new content later- there have been requests for the rusty scepter quest, and there really ought to be more than four guaranteed lancemates- but for right now the emphasis will be on making sure the stuff that’s there works well. There are a number of things which I now regard as bad design decisions that will be left in the game because that’s just the way GearHead-1 is. It’s a fine line between problems that ought to be fixed and problems that are essential identity.
Victory file below the fold.
Xiap 25 year old male recon pilot. 0:31:36, day 38 Reflexes 14 (Great) Body 16 (Amazing) Speed 15 (Great) Perception 13 (Great) Craft 15 (Great) Ego 12 (Good) Knowledge 15 (Great) Charm 14 (Great) Total Exp: 43914 Free Exp: 614 Credits: 1043101 You were promoted to Admiral in the Solar Navy. You are Heroic. (47%) You are Lawful. (42%) You are Sociable. (41%) You are Easygoing. (28%) You are Melancholy. (35%) You are Very Renowned. (60%) You are Slightly Spiritual. (7%) Sure Footed You are an expert with walkers and zoanoids. (+2 Mecha Piloting while walking) Idealist Blood Your family heritage includes some genetic engineering. (+1 to three random stats) Sniper One shot is all you ever need. (bonus to single fire damage rolls) Mecha Gunnery +10 (15) Mecha Artillery +10 (15) Mecha Weapons +5 (10) Mecha Fighting +8 (13) Mecha Piloting +11 (16) Small Arms +8 (13) Heavy Weapons +2 (7) Martial Arts +2 (8) Dodge +11 (16) Awareness +8 (13) Vitality +7 (13) Survival +5 (10) Medicine +7 (12) Spot Weakness +8 (13) Conversation +7 (12) First Aid +5 (10) Stealth +7 (12) Intimidation +8 (12) Science +7 (12) Concentration +5 (9) Leadership +8 (13) +Field Surgery Kit +Regen Boost Pill +Medicated Bandages >Head +Maximus Helmet Memo, EMail, Phone >Electronic Device Memo, EMail, Phone >Body +Military Uniform >Right Arm +Ceram Plate Sleeve >Right Hand +Rocket Rifle DC9 Gun RNG:8-16-24 ACC:+1 SPD:5 BV:5 120/120a ARMORPIERCING ARC:F180 +Aux Grenade Launcher Rifle AddOn DC5 Missile Launcher RNG:6-12-18 ACC:+0 SPD:2 1/1a BLAST 4 BRUTAL ARC:F180 >Aux Grenade Launcher DC5 Missile Launcher RNG:6-12-18 ACC:+0 SPD:2 1/1a BLAST 4 BRUTAL ARC:F180 >AGL Clip DC5 1/1a BLAST 4 BRUTAL ARC:F90 >Rocket Rifle Clip DC9 120/120a ARMORPIERCING ARC:F90 >Left Arm +Plate Sleeve >Left Hand +Laser Pistol DC5 Beam Gun RNG:3-6-9 ACC:+1 SPD:5 ARC:F180 >Right Leg +Plate Legging >Left Leg +Plate Legging You were orphaned as a small child and never knew your parents. You were raised in Hogye. You survived an assassination attempt in Downtown Snake Lake. You discovered the assassin was hired by Gunjoy. You helped discover an arms cache outside of Snake Lake. Cynjin informed you that your parents were murdered. You were ambushed near Wujung; Cynjin helped you. You rescued Princess Yjin from her Martian enemies. You rescued the niece of Namok mayor Starroi. You recovered Hyolee's journal. You were betrayed by your lancemate Yjin. You destroyed the biomonster "Cetus" before it could attack Last Hope. You were defeated by Gunjoy outside of Pirate's Point. You were crowned Mecha Sporch arena champion. You discovered that Gunjoy killed your parents. You survived an ambush by the bounty hunter Keene. You were crowned Warhammer Arena champion. You survived an ambush by the bounty hunter Iades. You were crowned Colosseum champion. You killed a deranged Gunjoy, whose body then dissolved. You killed Gunjoy a second time, with similar results. You discovered that your enemy Gunjoy had been a clone. The clones were manufactured by Clan Ironwind. You discovered that your enemy Gunjoy had been a clone. The clones were manufactured by Clan Ironwind. You defeated Eleoly in the Mauna ruin. You defeated Eleoly and Typhon in combat. RIG-04 Fortress Lucky +Class 3 Leg Armor +Class 3 Leg Armor +Class 3 Leg Armor +Class 5 Arm Armor DC5x10 Gun RNG:28-56-84 ACC:-1 SPD:3 BV:4 60/60a ARMORPIERCING ANTIAIR ARC:F90 >Battle Cannon DC5x10 Gun RNG:28-56-84 ACC:-1 SPD:3 BV:4 60/60a ARMORPIERCING ANTIAIR ARC:F90 >Battle Cannon Clip DC5x10 60/60a ARMORPIERCING ARC:F90 +Class 5 Arm Armor DC5x10 Gun RNG:28-56-84 ACC:-1 SPD:3 BV:4 52/60a ARMORPIERCING ANTIAIR ARC:F90 >Battle Cannon DC5x10 Gun RNG:28-56-84 ACC:-1 SPD:3 BV:4 52/60a ARMORPIERCING ANTIAIR ARC:F90 >Battle Cannon Clip DC5x10 52/60a ARMORPIERCING ARC:F90 +Vulcan Cannon DC5x10 Gun RNG:12-24-36 ACC:-2 SPD:2 BV:8 80/80a ARC:F90 >Vulcan Cannon Clip DC5x10 80/80a ARC:F90 +Vulcan Cannon DC5x10 Gun RNG:12-24-36 ACC:-2 SPD:2 BV:8 80/80a ARC:F90 >Vulcan Cannon Clip DC5x10 80/80a ARC:F90 +Heavy Rocket Pod DC14x10 Missile Launcher RNG:52-104-156 ACC:-1 SPD:2 0/6a ARC:F90 >Heavy Rocket Pod Clip DC14x10 0/6a ARC:F90 +Heavy Rocket Pod DC14x10 Missile Launcher RNG:52-104-156 ACC:-1 SPD:2 0/6a ARC:F90 >Heavy Rocket Pod Clip DC14x10 0/6a ARC:F90 +Class 4 Body Armor Class 4 Arc Thrusters >Class 4 Arc Thrusters Class 4 Arc Thrusters +Haywire Missiles DC4x10 Missile Launcher RNG:40-80-120 ACC:+2 SPD:2 4/4a HAYWIRE ANTIAIR ARC:F90 >Haywire Missiles Clip DC4x10 4/4a ARC:F90 +Class 4 Turret Armor +Class 3 Leg Armor +Class 5 Arm Armor DC5x10 Gun RNG:28-56-84 ACC:-1 SPD:3 BV:4 60/60a ARMORPIERCING ANTIAIR ARC:F90 >Battle Cannon DC5x10 Gun RNG:28-56-84 ACC:-1 SPD:3 BV:4 60/60a ARMORPIERCING ANTIAIR ARC:F90 >Battle Cannon Clip DC5x10 60/60a ARMORPIERCING ARC:F90 +Vulcan Cannon DC5x10 Gun RNG:12-24-36 ACC:-2 SPD:2 BV:8 80/80a ARC:F90 >Vulcan Cannon Clip DC5x10 80/80a ARC:F90 +Vulcan Cannon DC5x10 Gun RNG:12-24-36 ACC:-2 SPD:2 BV:8 80/80a ARC:F90 >Vulcan Cannon Clip DC5x10 80/80a ARC:F90 +Class 5 Head Armor +Rapier DC7x10 Melee Weapon ACC:+2 SPD:2 ARC:F90 +Class 4 Shield Defense +3 +Plasma Pistol DC3x10 Beam Gun RNG:12-24-36 ACC:+1 SPD:2 BV:4 ARC:F90 +Class 7 Wing Armor DC3x10 Missile Launcher RNG:48-96-144 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/5a RUST SWARM ARC:F90 >Acid Spore DC3x10 Missile Launcher RNG:48-96-144 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/5a RUST SWARM ARC:F90 >Acid Spore Clip DC3x10 0/5a ARC:F90 +Class 7 Wing Armor DC3x10 Missile Launcher RNG:48-96-144 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/5a RUST SWARM ARC:F90 >Acid Spore DC3x10 Missile Launcher RNG:48-96-144 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/5a RUST SWARM ARC:F90 >Acid Spore Clip DC3x10 0/5a ARC:F90 +Plasma Spear DC17x10 Energy Weapon RNG:8 ACC:+0 SPD:2 THROWN RETURN OVERLOAD EXTEND ARC:F90 +Class 7 Arm Armor +Typhon Shield Defense +2 +Incendiary Missiles DC5x10 Missile Launcher RNG:32-64-96 ACC:+0 SPD:2 1/12a BURN SWARM ARC:F90 >Incendiary Missiles Clip DC5x10 1/12a BURN ARC:F90 +Incendiary Missiles DC5x10 Missile Launcher RNG:32-64-96 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/12a SWARM ARC:F90 >Incendiary Missiles Clip DC5x10 0/12a BURN ARC:F90 +Class 3 Shield Defense -1 +Heavy Particle Cannon DC6x10 Beam Gun RNG:32-64-96 ACC:+1 SPD:2 OVERLOAD ANTIAIR ARC:F90 +Heavy Rocket Pod DC14x10 Missile Launcher RNG:52-104-156 ACC:-1 SPD:2 0/6a ARC:F90 >Heavy Rocket Pod Clip DC14x10 0/6a ARC:F90 +Heavy Rocket Pod DC14x10 Missile Launcher RNG:52-104-156 ACC:-1 SPD:2 0/6a ARC:F90 >Heavy Rocket Pod Clip DC14x10 0/6a ARC:F90 +Haywire Missiles DC4x10 Missile Launcher RNG:40-80-120 ACC:+2 SPD:2 0/4a HAYWIRE ANTIAIR ARC:F90 >Haywire Missiles Clip DC4x10 0/4a ARC:F90 +Missile Pod DC2x10 Missile Launcher RNG:16-32-48 ACC:+0 SPD:2 30/36a SWARM ARC:F90 >Missile Pod Clip DC2x10 30/36a ARC:F90 +Missile Pod DC2x10 Missile Launcher RNG:16-32-48 ACC:+0 SPD:2 36/36a SWARM ARC:F90 >Missile Pod Clip DC2x10 36/36a ARC:F90 +Body Shield Defense +1 +Swarm Rockets DC2x10 Missile Launcher RNG:36-72-108 ACC:-1 SPD:2 24/24a SWARM ARC:F90 >Swarm Rockets Clip DC2x10 24/24a ARC:F90 +Swarm Rockets DC2x10 Missile Launcher RNG:36-72-108 ACC:-1 SPD:2 2/24a SWARM ARC:F90 >Swarm Rockets Clip DC2x10 2/24a ARC:F90 +Pulse Laser DC1x10 Beam Gun RNG:12-24-36 ACC:+0 SPD:4 BV:5 ARC:F90 >Head +Class 5 Head Armor >Class 6 Sensor >Vulcan Interceptor DC5x10 Gun RNG:12-24-36 ACC:-2 SPD:2 BV:8 78/80a INTERCEPT ARC:F180 >Vulcan Cannon Clip DC5x10 78/80a ARC:F90 >Body +Class 8 Body Armor DC4x10 Gun RNG:24-48-72 ACC:+0 SPD:2 BV:4 56/60a ARC:F90 DC4x10 Gun RNG:24-48-72 ACC:+0 SPD:2 BV:4 60/60a ARC:F90 >Machine Cannon DC4x10 Gun RNG:24-48-72 ACC:+0 SPD:2 BV:4 56/60a ARC:F90 >Machine Cannon Clip DC4x10 56/60a ARC:F90 >Machine Cannon DC4x10 Gun RNG:24-48-72 ACC:+0 SPD:2 BV:4 60/60a ARC:F90 >Machine Cannon Clip DC4x10 60/60a ARC:F90 >Class 1 Sensor >Cockpit >Class 3 Targeting Computer >Gyroscope Class 4 >Engine Class 7 >Combat Laser DC5x10 Beam Gun RNG:12-24-36 ACC:+1 SPD:3 ARC:F90 >Combat Laser DC5x10 Beam Gun RNG:12-24-36 ACC:+1 SPD:3 ARC:F90 >Class 8 Arc Thrusters Class 8 Arc Thrusters >Right Arm +Class 6 Arm Armor DC2x10 Gun RNG:16-32-48 ACC:-2 SPD:2 BV:6 120/120a ARC:F180 >Autocannon DC2x10 Gun RNG:16-32-48 ACC:-2 SPD:2 BV:6 120/120a ARC:F180 >Autocannon Clip DC2x10 120/120a ARC:F90 >Right Hand +Heavy Phase Cannon DC8x10 Beam Gun RNG:28-56-84 ACC:-1 SPD:1 BV:6 ARC:F180 >Right Arm Mount +Heavy Gauss Rifle DC24x10 Gun RNG:48-96-144 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/10a ARC:F180 >Heavy Gauss Rifle Clip DC24x10 0/10a ARC:F90 >Class 4 Arc Thrusters Class 4 Arc Thrusters >Left Arm +Class 6 Arm Armor DC2x10 Gun RNG:16-32-48 ACC:-2 SPD:2 BV:6 120/120a ARC:F180 >Autocannon DC2x10 Gun RNG:16-32-48 ACC:-2 SPD:2 BV:6 120/120a ARC:F180 >Autocannon Clip DC2x10 120/120a ARC:F90 +Class 5 Shield Defense +1 >Left Hand >Left Arm Mount >Class 4 Arc Thrusters Class 4 Arc Thrusters >Right Leg +Class 6 Leg Armor DC2x10 Missile Launcher RNG:32-64-96 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/40a ARC:F90 Class 2 Arc Thrusters >Swarm Missiles DC2x10 Missile Launcher RNG:32-64-96 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/40a ARC:F90 >Swarm Missiles Clip DC2x10 0/40a SWARM ARC:F90 >Class 2 Arc Thrusters Class 2 Arc Thrusters >Right Leg Mount >Class 6 Arc Thrusters Class 6 Arc Thrusters >Left Leg +Class 6 Leg Armor DC2x10 Missile Launcher RNG:32-64-96 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/40a ARC:F90 Class 2 Arc Thrusters >Swarm Missiles DC2x10 Missile Launcher RNG:32-64-96 ACC:+0 SPD:2 0/40a ARC:F90 >Swarm Missiles Clip DC2x10 0/40a SWARM ARC:F90 >Class 2 Arc Thrusters Class 2 Arc Thrusters >Left Leg Mount >Class 6 Arc Thrusters Class 6 Arc Thrusters
3 comments
Is there any chance you could upload a compiled version of GH1? I am, sadly, completely pants when it comes to such things 🙁
Author
I’ll try to do that this weekend. I can compile for Linux on this machine, and I just set up FreePascal on my wife’s Windows box. I want to find the old command line scripts I made for packaging releases just to make sure that I get everything right. It’d be terribly embarrassing if my first release in 9 years didn’t work, after all…
Congrats on the victory. frankly, my only legitimate win came from utterly cheesing the game through a repeated and intense grind – using Arena mode to generate a character super-specialized in mecha combat, then exping extreme amounts by continuous Strongarm matches [low PV = high exp gain], then importing the created ubermensch into the main game. no lie, it was lots of fun, especially running around with a katana and cutting down even the strongest plasma-wielding bots.
character was called Kamina. go figure.
and yeah, the mood, the open world nature but still having a goal [I dislike absolute sandboxes] are the aspects I like the most about the whole GearHead franchise, which remains on my personal pedestal together with ADoM and ToME. Though I never got much into GH2, mostly cause I found GH1 to have more color and ‘personality’ to it. I like the added mechanics a lot, still.