Had problems loading in Microrot Vista. Terminated the process the process, set compatibility to XP-service pack 2, started again and it loaded perfectly. Excellent game, great graphics, 5-stars & thumbs up.

Got this before - it is a decent game from Star Ashes! The moderator mentions so many free or reduced games on web! Noticed him menyioning tis game distributor and that distributer! So I decided to check game distributers web pages! Seems lots sre giving games away, that used to be shareware! PacDoom, PacDoom II, PacDoom III plus 11 other games are now free from Absolute Games! Checked a few other game makers now and some have free game sections! The games offered are old, but checking game web pages - might find some good old ones! Thanks Star Ashes and gotd!


.........................Moderator Comment.......................

Thanks Dido

I don't know if anyone will agree with me on this but, as a woman, I find the term "VIOLATOR" disturbing and inappropriate; please refer to 4. and 5. below (taken from dictionary.com):

vi·o·late [vahy-uh-leyt]
verb (used with object), vi·o·lat·ed, vi·o·lat·ing.
1.
to break, infringe, or transgress (a law, rule, agreement, promise, instructions, etc.).
2.
to break in upon or disturb rudely; interfere thoughtlessly with: to violate his privacy.
3.
to break through or pass by force or without right: to violate a frontier.
4.
to treat irreverently or disrespectfully; desecrate; profane: violate a human right.
5.
to molest sexually, especially to rape.


....................Moderator comment.................

I don't agree. The story line clearly says that the ship is going to attack across borders and is clearly violating as in your third definition:

to break through or pass by force or without right: to violate a frontier.

The way the introduction is written does not imply any other type of violation, so I really don't see the problem. If we were to ban games just on the basis of a word just because that word taken in a different context could mean something very different (e.g. the fifth definition, then we'd be taking PC a little too far. We'd be living in a world portrayed like in the movie Equilibrium.

Ok Win 8 x64 Pro. Nice selection options. Played before and found game physics difficult as mentioned. But then tried HARD setting. Found more accurate rebounding. Did about Level 5 of first unlocked. But then with 6 lives I got careless thinking I had it down. Surprise. The addition of the shooting bases that must be hit behind or maybe special gun bonus makes it way harder. Even lost catching a LIFE bonus when bat got erratic. I was playing loose figuring why not lose a life or two if it wins the level since gonna get a LIFE or two along the way. Nope. My strategy of clearing one side & trying to build up bonuses ran into the 'hidden' gun bases that open fire once a wall in front of them is cleared. Rats. That finished me off.
Drag seems to be that then you have to restart from beginning of first Unlocked level. That's gonna be rough on higher levels I suspect. Anyway thanks for a challenge in old fave & other suggested free games.


.....................Moderator Comment.......................

Thank you for the feedback Beergas

I think this is a decent game but not as good as some other breakouts I've played. One nice thing about repeating a game that's been offered before is that it reminds me to play something I forgot I had.
Thanks for the game.

Unrelated question to Whiterabbit :)
Regarding Alawars Gamebox, is there a way to reinstall it? I still have Curse of Montezuma as my free game and I can´t remember where I found the installation of it(the Gamebox).

.....................Moderator Comment................

Hi Anki, if you Google Game box and Alawar, it should take you to the download page. :)

http://company.alawar.com/technologies/a_player.php

Die exe-Datei ist die von 2010.

Thanks, but no thanks Stephen. Not really my type of game. Just so you know, the screen for the giveaway at Realore has been that way for several months. They haven't had a giveaway in ages, which I don't really like because they had a couple of good games that I need to get back on my computer.


.....................Moderator comment..................

thanks for the update re Realore. i'd not visited the site in several months so didn't realize.

Het is weer het bekende liedje: allemaal dingen worden geïnstalleerd waar je niet om gevraagd hebt. Zogenaamd gratis, maar het is MIJN computer, niet die van anderen! Ik heb het dus maar gestopt.


.........................Moderator comment.........................

Alle games uit de gamegiveaway site zijn gratis. Ze hebben nog nooit weggegeven demonstratie games. Er is niets anders geïnstalleerd met het spel. Als je het over software Informer, die alleen kan worden geïnstalleerd als u laat hem.

@#1 Whiterabbit
You can add Windows 8 pro 64 bit to the working configurations.

The size difference is probable due to saved data in addition to the installer. This games saves data inside the game folder making it portable.

I did not notice any messed up graphics with my configuration. So if that happens I would suggest an update of the drivers.

If this is the same version of Sawoid that was being given away in the past - and there is no indication that it's a new version - then it's a big thumbs down because this software is not designed properly - it messes with graphics where lots of other games work seamlessly, including various 3D Arkanoid clones


......................Moderator comment.....................

Hi Deed, as I said last time you asked this question of this game, these arcade games are rarely updated, so I would think it's the same version as previously given away. (The game was created three yeas ago) The download size is different, but that's because of the setup.gcd file which wasn't included last time this was given away.

With respect to it messing with graphics, it doesn't mess with the graphics on any of the computers I've installed it to. There are programs available that can make sure your desktop icons are kept in place, or at least remember where they were, (not that I've had to use them). Maybe its the way you have your computer set up that's causing the problem?

Sawoid was created by Stars Ashes, the developer who also created two other familiar breakouts called Egyptoid and Egyptoid 2, as well as a shooter called Incinerate. All have been given away previously and are now available for free via Gametop, as is today’s game. :). Sawoid was previously given away earlier this year (May 2012) where it received a positive 69% out of 290 votes with 30 comments that can be read HERE, previous to that it was also given away back in July 2010 where it received a positive 47% out of 213 votes with 35 comments then again Feb 2011 when it received a positive 72% of 350 votes with 45 comments and finally September 2011 where it received a positive 65% from 306 votes with 34 comments; all of which you can read HERE (July 2010), HERE (Feb 2011) and HERE (Sept 2011) . You will need to click on the view all comments link to see all the comments. Don’t let the relatively low number of positives put you off this game. It’s actually a well-made breakout with decent graphics that was released about 3 years ago.

The download size is 20.1Mb which when installed expands to 25.2MB. The game unpacks to a dual setup and activation module a security file called setop.gcd and a read me file. There is no activation code required as it is automatically activated via the dual activation/setup module. The default installation path is:

C:\Games\Sawoid



There is no shortcut installed or a start menu shortcut. If you're not sure how to create the latter, there's a short tutorial available in the game discussion forums. You'll find it easily as it's in the stickies on the front page of the gaming forum.

The game works on Win XP Pro 32 bit, Vista Home Premium 64 bit and Home Basic 32 bit and Win 7 Pro and Ultimate 64 bit. (these are just the iterations that I personally have, the game should work on all versions)

I've checked to see if there is a version number but cannot find one. The downloaded file and the installed game were both the same as the previous giveaway, so I can only assume that this is the same version. right clicking on the executable, selecting properties then checking details and previous version tabs gives no information as to whether it is an upgrade.

Storyl>:

You volunteered to be assigned to the VIOLATOR ship. Your objective is to conduct a raid into enemy territory and destroy the troop supplies. For this particular long-term mission away from the supply ship, the scientists have developed Sawoid, a totally new type of armament not requiring resupplying! Nothing can stand the wrecking Sawoid; however, there is one shortcoming, Sawoid is hard to control!

Good luck, private!

reference accessed HERE 1st July 2010


The Gamel>

There’s not a lot you can say about a breakout/arkanoid that most community members won’t already know, so I’ll try and keep this short. I’ll describe the features I found in Sawoid before writing a brief conclusion to the game.

The most striking difference between Sawoid and most other breakouts is that Sawoid doesn’t have a ball; instead it has circular saws. You get three lives to start with, but can easily build these up to several lives as there are a generous number of bonus lives available. Otherwise it’s a typical 3D breakout with average looking graphics. The game has 20 bonuses that include ball and bat changers, additional lives, bombs, a magnet, armor, different types of cannon and four different types of Sawoid power ups as well as a few other bonuses.

You can change the games resolution if needed to one of several choices via the options menu. There’s also the usual sound and music sliders, a windowed toggle and the ability to turn on improved lighting. I’ve posted a couple of screen-shots to illustrate the difference between the advanced lighting and no lighting.

When you complete a level the level scrolls onto the next level as though you are in a ship. There are three difficulty settings. On medium I found the Sawoid was a little too slow for me unless I picked up the speed up bonus a couple of times. You’ll find gun emplacements, and moving ships that fire back at you. When you start a level your ship has 100% armor. If you get hit by the pulse cannons or missiles you’ll lose 5% of your armor by each hit. They fire dual cannons so this can result in a 10% loss depending where you are in relation to the incoming shots; however, there are armor bonuses that are quite common, though most armor bonuses give only 1% armor back.

Thankfully there are three or four different sizes of armor bonus available. There is a damage indicator to the bottom right of the playing area. Some of the gun emplacements and ships are protected from damage when hit from the front. To destroy these you need to use your guns or hit them from behind.

You don’t get unlimited ammo with the guns and lasers, so you need to use these sensibly. I counted about 30 shots, which is ample to do a significant amount of damage to the level in terms of destruction.





When you are left with only a few bricks they are automatically destroyed by powerful lasers. All bonuses apart from new lives are lost when you move on to a new level, though any damage to your ships armor is automatically repaired.

Comparison between no lighting and advanced lighting:

Imagesl>

You can see lots of images of Sawoid as a slide show via the following link:
HERE




System Requirementsl>

Processor - Pentium 1.0 GHz or equivalent
System RAM - 128Mb
Direct3D compatible3D graphics card
32 MB Graphics RAM
Windows 98/ ME/ 2000/ XP/ Vista/ 7



Conclusionl>

I found the default speed of the Sawoid too slow, and therefore too easy to win. (though I have played a lot of breakouts regularly for years so could be considered an expert) However you can pick up speed ups which when set can increase the Sawoid speed to a more challenging level. However if you are a novice to this genre of games I’m sure the speed of the Sawoid is fine. :) I’m a little biased over this issue because arkanoid's/breakouts are one of my favourite arcade genres. Another problem for me was the bat. It was mounted on two arms that took it a significant way into the level. You can see from the images posted that it protrudes about an eighth of the total depth of the playing arena. I rarely lose balls (or in this case saws) when playing breakouts but lost a significant number in this game despite me finding it easy. This occurred more often when the saws came at you in an acute angle as it was hard to judge where the saw was in relation to the bat. I would suggest the developer adds the ability to choose different sizes of bat at the beginning of the game to counter this problem or change the bat style altogether.


Compared to the 200 plus arkanoid's/breakouts that I’ve owned over the many years that the first breakout was created by Taito Corps I’d give this one a 7 out of 10 for decent game play and graphics. It’s not the best, but is playable and better than most free breakouts that are available.



I've also posted this review over in the forums where the images are visible. you can see that review HERE


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Similar Games available for freel>


You'll find loads of Arkanoid/breakouts HERE, HERE (Giveaway forums) and HERE (Caimans - 169 breakout games)


You can also download today’s game every day for free over at Gametop as well as several others such as A-Ball (which is also known as Nuclear Ball), Geometry Ball, Scaraball, Cosmoball plus others, though you will get your browser opening every time you shut the game down. Thankfully this is one of the games they have had for quite some time so there’s no tool bar or home page tick boxes to bother with, but just in case they've changed it since I last checked make sure when you are installing the game that you watch each step of the installation wizard.



You’ll also find 13 breakout titles over at MyPlayCity HERE, that now include several of Alawars breakouts such as all of the Strike Ball games (Strikeball, Strikeball 2 and Strikeball 3), as well as one of my early favorites called Actionball Deluxe and it's sequel Actionball 2; oh yeah and not forgetting the second Hyperballoid game, which in my opinion was a big improvement on the original despite the first one having a massive number of levels (over a thousand) with gorgeous graphics called (not surprisingly) Hyperballoid Complete Edition (or if you purchase it from Big fish Hyperballoid Gold edition) - the down side w.r.t. the original, was that even with the speed up power-ups, the ball used to go too slow for me, (however; GMMan did create a speed-up mod for me); there's also previous giveaways (though not Alawar games) such as Egypt Ball and Egyptian Ball as well as several others that you can download for free. I recommend all of the Alawar titles especially Hyperballoid 2 (Which has an editor for making more levels - there may be custom made levels to download via Alawars site, but I've not checked in some time) and the original Actionball Deluxe (the sequel also has upgradeable power-ups) and Strikeball 3 (The third in the series is similar to the earlier Magic Ball games {Magic Ball 2} but with better graphics and power ups that are also upgradeable, plus the game is slightly more challenging than any of the Magic Ball series (which for some reason Alawar decided to change the name from Magic Ball to Smashball Frenzy)). Unfortunately the best (IMO) arkanoid/breakouts such as Ricochet infinity, Acky's XP Breakout, Reaxxion and Shatter are not available for free via any of the free game sites apart from illegal ones. You can purchase Shatter from Steam for £6.99, though during the big sales over the summer and Christmas period and maybe thanksgiving you can get up to 75% off. Both Ricochet infinity and Acky's XP Breakout have editors and for the former thousands (literally well over 60 000) of downloadable levels for free. There are also free level packs for Acky's XP Breakout, but not to the same extent as Ricochet. you download the levels for ricochet directly from the game and can upload your own creation from the game as well (which probably explains why there are so many - all the levels are graded for game play, graphics etc and get a score of A to D with +'s and -'s (for example B+; though the best of the best are starred as well). Please be aware of the problems associated with downloading games from the free sites such as Gametop and MyPlayCity, i.e. Toolbar installation, home page changes and search engine changes.

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Games, Games, and yet more Games plus Download, Installation & Game play Problemsl>:



If you have any problems installing today's game please go HERE for help.


If you're looking for something other than today's game check the didimatic site via THIS link for some brilliant deals.
There are several other deals available from Steam as well as many more from Gamersgate, Gamestop, Desura, Greenman Gaming and GOG; all of which you can find via the Didimatic site.

This weekends Steam deals include a free weekend play of the excellent Red Orchestra 2 GOTY version, which can also be purchased for only £3.74 (75% off) and there's also 75% off the Crysis franchise (one of PC's benchmark games with amazing graphics. You'll need a decent computer to run any of the Crysis games at maximum graphics. You can get Crysis even cheaper than Red Orchestra 2 at only £2.49 its a steal.




You can get Turtle Oddysey 2 for free from Realore this weekend (you need to subscribe to get the free games) and a new game is available from Alawars game box called Finding Doggy (a Match 3 similar to 4 Elements). You need to install the free game box from Alawar to access the free games, which for newcomers change over approximately every month to six weeks. If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals.


You'll find details of all live game bundles (eg Bundle in a box and Indie Galla 11) over in the Game discussion forums HERE
as well. :). also don't forget to check out the IndieGameStands 96 hour deal. The present game is Blueberry Garden a cute physics based platformer.

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A Request for helpl>:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen