Why a Fort Apocalypse FAQ? This document can be seen as a guide to the complex world of Fort Apocalypse, for those who don't have a clue as to what it is. Many questions have been posted to comp.emulators.cbm about this game, probably not many enough to motivate a FAQ, but still many enough to motivate me to write one. (Now try to imagine the amount of spare time I have...) I've collected the most relevant (and _important_) questions about Fort Apocalypse that have been asked in comp.emulators.cbm, and added a few questions myself. The answers may not be correct, relevant, funny or even informative, but they should give you some sort of hint as to what this Fort Apocalypse thing is all about. Here we go...
1. What is Fort Apocalypse?
Fort Apocalypse is a computer game, written as early as 1982, and still very popular. The version I know about is for the C-64, and the VIC-20 version probably has never existed, although there were ads for it in computer magazines. If you want to play it (you do), you have to get a C-64 or a C-64 emulator, and preferably a Tac-II joystick (now that was controversial!).
2. Does it really exist, or is it just a joke?
Asking this question definitely qualifies you as a heretic. It definitely exists. It exists very much. I played it this morning. I've played it now and then for the last 15 years, so it should exist. (The word 'exist' is here used in the normal sense, if you're interested in metaphysics, try to think of Fort Apocalypse as something that exists in the same way as a table, a chair or your cat (if you have one). If you don't think that ordinary tables and chairs exist, then you would probably think that Fort Apocalypse doesn't exist either, but in that case, at least it non-exists in the same way as tables and chairs do.)
3. What kind of game is it?
Well, you fly around in caves with a helicopter. It's all very two-dimensional, and there are other, not that friendly, helicopters, other enemies, walls to shoot your way through, and humans to rescue. It's quite difficult, at least until you've spent a few hours playing it. A few hours probably isn't enough, make that a few hundred hours.
4. Who wrote it?
The startup screen says:
Fort Apocalypse
by Steve Hales
Commodore version
by Joe Vierra
5. Where can I find it?
This is probably the most frequently asked question in comp.emulators.cbm, at least in the last couple of weeks. The answer is: everywhere! The first place to look for a C-64 game is at the Arnold FTP archive, you'll find it there. You can also find it at my C-64 site If both these sites would happen to be down, do a websearch or something, you probably can't miss it, as it should be on almost every C-64 games site, and definitely in every C-64 FTP archive.
6. Is it good?
Heresy! Of course it is, why do you think everybody keeps asking for it?
7. What's the point of this FAQ?
Er... To spread the divine truth of Fort Apocalypse, I suppose. Some day, the whole world will be playing Fort Apocalypse, and then the world will be a beautiful place, with no pollution, no starvation and no broken toe-nails.
This document is (c) Linus Åkerlund 1998-1999. You may spread it any way you like, e.g. put it on your own website, send it to your friends (or enemies), print it out and eat it etc., as long as you don't change anything in it, including the copyright. If you want to change anything in it or sell copies of it, first get in touch with the author.