We’re not entirely sure if a C64 conversion was ever in the works, but after the recent revelation that a C64 conversion of another Broderbund classic actually existed, then we are willing to believe that Ancient Art of War had a C64 conversion in production.
Thanks to contributor Luca Bertoldi, a snippet of news regarding the game was given in an issue of Zzap Italia in 1989. No other evidence has surfaced regarding a conversion of this popular war game.
So was anything ever started? Or was the Zzap news snippet a red herring? Considering that an Amstrad CPC edition did surface, then it is very much a possibility!
Do you know any more?
Contributions: Luca Bertoldi
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I never had it. I never played it. But in my mind… it was a important for my philosophy of the word. Maybe I only red in a games magazine about it, but still, after 40 years I remember the tile… So it was an inspiration for me to think about “is war naturally for humans?”. I am a pacifist, but I think (sadly) it is in the nature ob us to fight in wars. So, although I never see this Game or even played it, is has some impact of my thinking. This is very impressive to me, and is a sign what words has an impact to young youth people. I hope nobody (or just a few) are annoyed me, for a commnt of someone who never played the game…
Jörn
Sadly, the Amstrad version appears to be a much later conversion released in French only, converted by Microids in their early days (http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&onglet=package&num=277). A French-only ST version was made at the same time. As those were the two big machines in France at the time, I doubt a C64 versionw as considered by them. Might be worth checking into why Broderbund never considered it when the game was first developed in 1984?
Good point Martin – I did find it odd that the planned release wasn’t done at the time, may well they never had intention to do the C64 and didn’t think it could do it.