It Came From The Desert

[tomcat666]

Hi everyone !

Cinemaware released ICFTD 1 & 2 Amiga (and some other) versions as freeware.

The problem is it seems that (atleast) ICFTD 1 is the cracked version since it has a read error on disk 3 (as most cracked versions on the net do too !!!) and therefore the file BACKS1 from disk 3 is unreadable.
So if you want to do a HD install of it then it prolly wont work without this file (altough it does run from the beginning).

If anyone here has a good version of disk 3 then please share it, since this is one of THE games for the amiga.

btw. the ICFTD 2 has also BACKS1 on disk 3 and it doesnt have a read error BUT the file is not the same as in the first part !

Best regards,
Tom-Cat

I've uploaded your file on the zone. I don't know if it's ok or not.

[tomcat666]

File is OK :-)

Thank you for your upload...

Tom-Cat

[7-Zark-7]

ITCFTD-a brill concept, but a difficult game!!
The best I've ever managed was two parts of the Ant Specimen I think. (& beating the punks at the knife fight). But more often than not I get Wiped out by the Full-screen first person view of the ANTS around the Mine areas.

Ocasionally flown the plane & fought the end battles to "save" the town but fail badly only 'cos I'm crap @ those scenes!!

[tomcat666]

Yep the game is hard to play, especially the arcade sequences, but I think there is a trainer for it around, atleast I had it when I played it 10 years or so ago

TC

[Washac]

I have seen this before, ICFTD II, was this not just something done by some crackers. Because as far as I know there never was a version II released.

I have had this and loaded it and it is the same game.

[Ian]

Seeing as you can download it from the "Official" Cinemaware website, I'd say it was a different game, it was/is officially called Antheads.

Reading the stuff from the website, it was a Europe only release, but definatly an official release.

[RetroMan]

Originally posted by Washac
I have seen this before, ICFTD II, was this not just something done by some crackers. Because as far as I know there never was a version II released.

I have had this and loaded it and it is the same game.

Cinemaware released ICFTD 1 in 1989 and ICFTD 2 in 1990, both came on 3 disks ....

//edit : btw. this game is top of my "GAMES-YET-TO-FINISH" list

[7-Zark-7]

A trained version of It Came From The Desert??!!

If anyone has such a version could they please upload it to the Zone??

[Muzkat]

I adored ICFTD, but I could never really get anywhere in the game. I just didn't really know what to do, or where to go. I think it was a testament to the game however, that I was so addicted to it for such a long time (we're talking years here!) without really getting anywhere.

As for the arcade sequences, well, the only one that troubled me was escaping from hospital. I could never do it. I got the wheelchair, descended the many floors, but the gray guards at the main doors always got me.

Oh yeah, the knife fights sucked IMO. But running Ice and the Hell Cats off the road was fun!

Shooting the ants was easy. Aim for the antennae, but don't aim your hand right at it. Instead, drop it down vertically, so you are still in line with the antennae but with your hand/gun pointing at the ant's head, I guess.

[Drake1009]

I managed to figure out to go to the mine and when going back agian I always got into a game of Chicken with the guys on the road and always ended up in a crash. And couldn't really escape from the hospital.

The only time I managed to run them off the road the game froze next time I tried going somewhere.

[Twistin'Ghost]

I think I actually beat the first game once. I never found it to be that hard, but that was some time ago. I loved the fact that the game was different every time you played it. One of my all-time favs.

[Drake1009]

It changed? It must only have been smaller things. I've seen a walkthrough of the game a couple of times before. Never read them. But I think the same thing always happened to me.

[Twistin'Ghost]

Sure...every time I played it, the order of events changed, and thus the conditions and results.

[Muzkat]

Walkthrough? Did somebody say...
WALKTHROUGH?

Where?

[RetroMan]

here for example : http://www.gamexperts.com/index.php?cheat_id=3507

Here is a walkthrough I have written myself:

Day 1
First you need to convince people that these creatures exist so you need to gather some evidence to prove their existence.
Answer the door to Geez, he will hand you some samples. Once he is gone, talk to Biff then send the samples to the lab. The phone will ring whilst you are talking to Geez and it will be Bert Lamont from the local newspaper, don’t bother with him, he is of very little use to you during the game. Instead, head to the lab and get acquainted with Dr. Wells then head to the Police Station where the sheriff will inform you of strange goings-on at JD’s Farm. Make your way over there.
You will meet the farmer, he will run away and leave you to face the ants yourself. For the first ant, you will need to blow its antennae off. Aim for the centre of each one (where it changes from black to red). Once you have defeated the first ant, you will see an ariel view of the surrounding area and you have so many grenades or dynamites to throw at the rest of the ants. Once you have defeated them, your character will announce that he has taken either a fluid sample or a piece of an ant. You will need this for later.

Day 2
Wake up at about 9am, there will be a knock at the door, it is best to have nothing to do with Jackie because she is of very little help when it comes to defeating the ants. Instead, head to the south west volcanic cone where you will meet more ants. Again, when defeated, your character will gather some more evidence from them.

Day 3
Again, wake up at about 9am, your neighbour will drop off some ant evidence. There is nothing else to do on this day so you may as well wander round and listen to some gossip.

Day 4
Wake up in the morning and head to the SW Cone, you will find an ant track so make a plaster cast of it. Then go to the Police Station for a tape of some ant sounds. You now have all the evidence you need to prove the ants exist so take it to the lab and give it to Dr. Wells for analysis.

Day 5
Wake up at about 0830 and head straight to the lab for the test results on the evidence you dropped off. Take this to the mayor’s office and he will call a general alert. You now have control over all the town’s workers in defeating the ants. You can view the Situation Map at the Police Station and use it to position your forces. It’s up to you which forces you send where but be sure to have some army up at the mines, this way you get tanks to fight in.

Finding the Ant Nest
Now you need to get to Mine 1 as this is where the ants nest is. There are a few ways to do this. Firstly, you can go to the Ore Plant, M2 then M1, you will no doubt meet some ants along the way. You can also place some army at the Ore Plant if there are ants there so you get a tank, get in the tank and head south then east along the track. The other alternative is to take a flight from the airport, head southwest. Either way when you are at M1, head south about two screens and look for the place where you see ants appearing from the ground. The hole will stay open after they have emerged. You need to drop into this hole and you will end up in the ants nest.

In the Nest
Use the maps below to find the queen of the ants. Try to avoid as many of the worker ants as you can as you have limited fuel in your flamethrower. Once you have found the queen, walk right up to her and depending on the version of the game you are playing you will either get a message with your character announcing he has placed some dynamite or the music will simply stop and you will hear ticking. Now head back to the start of the second lair of the nest and it will blow up, killing the queen and saving the town from the giant ants or just hang around for a while and the nest will blow up eventually.



If you are overpowered by the worker ants in the nest, you will end up in hospital. Escape the hospital, go to Elmer’s Service station and he will give you some more flamethrower fuel. However, if you go to the station (about day 9) and there is a note saying he is hiking round the SW Cone, head over there and destroy the ants otherwise Elmer will be injured and unable to help you for the rest of the game.
If you are unable to pick up any of the ant evidence due to ending up in hospital and not escaping, see below for more places you can pick it up.

Ant Fluid
Neptune Hall, Quarry, Jackie’s car on day 2, after fighting ants (the best places are SW Volcanic Cone or M1)
Piece of Ant
Your neighbour (day 3), after fighting ants (try SW Volcano or M1)
Plaster Cast of Track
Cook’s Stud Farm (day 7), they also appear at some of the mines, Geez will drop one off at the lab
Tape Recording
Sometimes the miners can give you one, if not, go to the airport after a few days, Louie will tell you that he has had the planes upgraded with recording machines, fly to a usual ant hang-out (south west), fly over them and head back.


People
Here are some details on the people you will meet in the game and how useful they are to you.

Dr. Wells (University Lab)
Will test any ant evidence for you and give you advice about them. However, he is of very little use when it comes to fighting them.
Biff (Home)
Can give you local gossip and will help you look at the samples.
Ice and the Hellcats (On the road or at Beverley’s Drive-In)
They will appear on the road during some of your trips and challenge you to a game of chicken. Head along the centre lines in the road and all being well, they will turn off at the last minute.
Of no use whatsoever in fighting the ants. However, if you are bored, head to Beverley’s Drive-In and knife their gang leader.
Billy Bob (Neptune Hall)
Will let you have a sample of ant fluid from the premises but in all other instances he is of no use to you.
Quarry Workers
Can give you a sample of ant fluid but are useless in general.
Miners
Will give you info on what is going on at the mines and can provide you with some ant evidence.
Sheriff
Possibly your best source of information about local goings-on. You can always rely on what he tells you.
Bert Lamont (Lizard Breath Star)
No use whatsoever.
Fortune Teller
Can give you information as to where the ants are but isn’t always accurate.
Elmer (Service Station)
Will give you information about Ice and the Hellcats and will fill up your flamethrower provided you save him from getting hurt by ants.
Mayor
Of no use to you until you find enough evidence to convince him that the ants are real.
Army Sergeant
Useless
Mac (builder)
Useless
Pump House Watchmen
May repeat some local gossip but they are too far away from the ants nest to be of much use.
Farmers
May repeat some local gossip and the one at Cook’s Farm will let you have a plaster cast.
Louie (airport)
Will let you use one of his planes to go after the ants.
Jackie
Will turn up at your house and ask you to go to her car, you can get a fluid sample. Don’t let her thank you for your help otherwise you will end up in hospital.
Dusty (KBUG)
Can give you local gossip.
Geez
Will help point you in the direction of the ant nest.
Ben (neighbour)
Will give you a piece of an ant and sometimes appears on Main Street.
Telephone Operator
Can give you some gossip and sometimes tells you where to find people (i.e. Dr. Wells) if they are unavailable.

[EmuChicken]

woah - thanks for your guide- very useful- managed to STILL not complete this one, what about the use of the 4 types of unit when you've called the alert- what do they actually do?

If you place units at a location where ants are present, they will fight against them and the computer determines the result of the battle. You can check the next day to see how many of your troops are remaining. If you place units at a location where no ants are present, they will fight against them when (if) they show up.

However, the best use for them is to place army units at a location you intend to go to (i.e. M1) and you will notice that you have tanks helping you out, you can also get into a tank if you want.