Universal Warrior

The game was developed by the British software house Zeppelin Games Ltd. and originally released in 1993 for the Amiga under the name of Universal Warrior. The PC port (published by Merit Studios, which had bought Zeppelin in 1994) was renamed to The Machines. The two versions differ greatly.

Most importantly, the level design is completely unique for each platform. The Amiga version ends at level 40, while the PC port contains 60 levels. The Amiga levels make much more use of the third dimension, featuring climbs and canals. The equipment differs in parts. Its availability is randomized on the Amiga, while the PC has a logical progression.

Here's a list of the most important differences between the Amiga original and the PC port:

```

                AMIGA               |           PC
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     40 unique levels               |  60 unique levels
     About 10 enemy types           |  13 enemy types
     Some enemies spawn on the map  |  All enemies on the map from the 
                                    |     beginning
     Terrain height levels used     |  Terrain height levels used 
        frequently                  |     almost never
     Goal tokens required in some   |  Goal tokens required in all 
        levels                      |     levels
     Variable time limit            |  Fixed time limit (3:00 or 1:00)
     No Destruction Zone levels     |  10 Destruction Zone levels
     Less time bonus and cool bonus |  More time bonus and cool bonus
     -------------------------------|---------------------------------
     About 45 equipment items, some |  49 equipment items, some unique
        unique                      |
     Randomized equipment in shops  |  Equipment becomes available 
                                    |     progressively
     2 chassis (= lives)            |  4 chassis (= lives)
     Illegal info long and detailed |  Illegal info short and mediocre
     -------------------------------|---------------------------------
     32 color graphics              |  256 color graphics
     No intro sequence              |  Short rendered intro sequence
     Digitized pics in shop screens |  Drawings in shop screen

```

The PC port improves on the Amiga original in many ways, most notably in level design, fairness, equipment progression, enemy variety and graphics. It can thus be considered the better version, even though it is a lot more bug-ridden than the Amiga game. The game is slightly easier on the PC, mainly because it is less unfair there.