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Schmudde

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Posts posted by Schmudde

  2. Posted

    It was Gamefan that gave it game of the month according to wiki.

     

    Yeah, I remember that. I read GameFan avidly in those days. They were really pulling for Atari to get this one right. They gave Cybermorph great coverage all around with at least a two page spread on top of the usual reviews.

     

    Their support really fell apart when Checkered Flag was released. I clearly remembered one reviewer simply asking "What happened?" Essentially, how could the team behind Alien Vs. Predator mess up such a simple formula with such promising early demos.

     

    It didn't help that it was reviewed in the same issue as Club Drive.

     

    ~ü

    • Like 2

  3. Posted

    I guess to many developers/publishers, the Jaguar seemed like an odd 'patch-together' of different technologies: Risc Chips, a 68000, Blitter, etc plus it wanted to offer both Cart and CD technology...Psygnosis for example mentioned the confusion (it being either an over-priced cart machine or under-specced CD machine).

     

    This is an interesting take on the Jaguar that puts it in the context of the mass-market consumer entertainment industry.

     

    There has been a lot of money spent since 1993 on trying to find a new entry into the living room. The television was a revolution. The VCR was a revolution. But the DVD was just an evolution. TiVo and OnDemand are interesting candidates but the holy grail has always been a new general-purpose box.

     

    If you look at it from the Tramiel's early-90s perspective, I think they were dead serious about the "Interactive Multimedia" aspect of the Jaguar. Commodore's C64 success was based on a couple of low-cost but powerful chips and a cheap base-price that locks you into a system that you can expand. The Jaguar was similar: a CD add on + MPEG Cart, a modem, an oft-touted Time-Warner stake in Atari Corp (Sam mentioned their cable network on more than one occasion), and a chip set with a broad number of features and no particular emphasis (like 3D).

     

    But the differences were more important:

    • With both the C64 and the ST, the first feature touted out of the gate was the amount of memory you could get for the price. A no brainer, clear as day, bang-for-the-buck. A lot of companies don't understand this. It was why Jack Tramiel was so successful. But 64K of memory for the $595 Commodore 64 and $1000/1MB 1040ST is only good for so long. The C64 lasted because VIC & SID chips. The ST lasted because of DTP, and more importantly, MIDI. In both cases, the value of the hardware and its purpose are self-evident.
    • What does the 64-Bit Interactive Multimedia System offer to the living room?
      • 64-bit? Why does my living room need 64-bit?
      • "Interactive Multimedia"? What sort of killer experiences are you offering?
        • Games? I already have a SNES and you're showing me 68000 Genesis ports?
        • Multimedia? Great peripherals, but you still haven't sold the game system.

    The Jaguar was trying to be everything and became nothing. Even before it was irrelevant, it was confusing developers with both its mission and its design. This is actually a very tempting and easy mistake to make.

     

    ~ü

    • Like 2

  4. Posted

    If I'm thinking about hype during the Jaguar's lifetime, it would have to be Fight For Life.

     

    Francois Bertrand's name was intentionally used to give weight to the game. "If this is the guy who 'made' Virtual Fighter, this is going to be an awesome game on the Jaguar!"

     

    He didn't stand a chance.

     

    In the early 90s, we were just moving from a time when small or individual developers were being totally replaced by AAA teams on consoles. The team and the company that made Virtual Fighter was totally different than the guy that made Flight For Life.

     

    I personally believe that the Jaguar was the last of that kind. In fact, I sort of left video games after the Jaguar until recently. I love what is happening on X-Box live and Steam. Weird games made by small teams are still my favorite. I guess I'm just indie at heart.

     

    ~ü

    • Like 3

  5. Posted

    Except this is a thread on which games are overhyped, which I gave examples of and why I think they are overhyped which was the fact that certain fans who go overboard have overhyped these games.

     

    So, despite you getting all upset, my comments were totally in keeping with the very nature of the thread. Never did I say it was pertaining to people in this or any other thread on the site in particular, but based on things I have run across.

     

    So you can stop the white knighting now. It was not a pre-emptive strike, it was explaining why certain games have been overhyped in the past and who I think have been responsible.

     

    You know, explaining why they have been overhyped, rather than just list games with no explanation.

     

    I don't disagree with any of this, nor do I necessarily disagree with your original post.

     

    All I've said: attempting to correct the record by using some strawman Jaguar fanboys and apologists is a theme around here. Even before I posted, there was already a digression on to trolling, etc.. because this strategy is both negative and tired. You may not have meant to elicit these reactions, but the broader context of your post matters.

     

    Anyway, I've clarified and I'll refrain from further digression.

     

    ~ü

    • Like 1

  6. Posted

    That is cause for trolling in my book. After all is trolling not just picking an opinion and going to extrems with it to get a reaction. it works both ways.

     

    There are plenty of people who love the jag who don't indulge idiotic fanaticism.

     

    I think I made it pretty clear I named the troll comment at the sort of people that say stuff thats way over the top, not, as you suggest, just your average Jag fan who loves the machine.

     

    ... and those people who love the jag and don't indulge idiotic fanaticism are the people who thus far populate this thread. Your pre-emptive strike against some strawman troll by "putting the Jaguar in its place" seems a little out of sync in a forum that is built for people who enjoy the system.

     

    There are several users on this forum who don't seem to understand this. There is so much of this Jaguar "reality checking," it becomes just as obnoxious as the trolls you guys claim to be guarding against. Sorry to use your post as an example, AtariORdead, but it would be nice if some of this noise just dissipated.

     

    ~ü

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    They've still got a number of stores, according to their website. The last one I saw was downtown, underground in a train station. That company really fell off the map.

     

    Okay, I'll contribute to some good ole fashioned thread hijacking.

     

    I grew up downstate, but wasn't the franchise's decline a direct result of the Brown's Chicken massacre? Or is that just a simplistic reduction of their larger problems?

     

    Speaking of massacre, I really killed it on Rayman last night (see what I did there, I just tied it all together).

     

    /Schmüdde

  11. Posted

    Hindsight is 20/20, but they probably should have waited until autumn 1994 to launch anywhere. By then, they had T2K, Wolf 3D, AvP, and Doom. I think AvP would have made the best choice for a pack-in. It was like Doom, but it was exclusive to the system. I do recall violence in gaming being a major issue at the time, especially since I was 13 y/o in 1994. Pack-ins were also a big deal in that they added to the cost of the system, and if the console is received as a gift, one might be playing that one game for quite a while. I got the Jaguar for Christmas in '94, and I was stuck playing Cybermorph for weeks. No one should have to do that. (J/K) I can see where Atari would only want to produce and market one SKU, so perhaps they should have just ditched the whole concept of a pack-in game, and allowed the consumer to choose. Had anyone launched a console by then without a pack-in game?

     

    Acknowledging your J/K, I bought the system Summer-ish 1994 and I loved Cybermorph. But I was hungry for a 2nd title. I was so close to buying Trevor McFur because the graphics were so cool looking. However, the rave reviews of Tempest 2000 sold me on that game.

     

    Man did I dodge a bullet. I wouldn't have the money to buy another game for months. Between Cybermorph and Tempest 2000, I was pretty darn content. After that, the wait was on for Alien Vs. Predator (Wolfenstein 3D ended up being an unexpected game to tide me over).

     

    /Schmüdde

    • Like 2

  13. Posted

    Clever question.

     

    I like Bill's line of thought. When considering this Jaguar dream project, it would be nice if it was something that really exploited the Jaguar's strengths.

     

    I wouldn't immediately throw out all 3D. Specifically, I'd throw out the idea of doing a texture-mapped game but shaded polygons or a raytracing engine seem as Jaguar-idiosyncratic as sprites.

     

    The Jaguar controller also makes me think that the designers felt like this would be the first home system that was truly capable of handling PC strategy and simulation ports. The multimedia focus also furthers the idea that this was just a platform for more than watered-down arcade conversions.

     

    So I love the RPG ideas. What about an adventure game? I'm thinking something like Sierra's later Quest for Glory games. They combined adventure, RPG, and arcade-style battle scenes. This takes advantage of the Jaguar's mix of arcade controller and keypad.

     

    Now here's where I get really crazy:

    • Initial game on cartridge.
    • Expansion libraries on CD Rom.
    • Voice Modem and Networking compatible, so two+ people can explore the world simultaneously. Simultaneous gameplay is classic prisoner's dilemma:
      • You can collaborate and beat the beasts more easily
      • But there can only be one winner: Whoever assembles the "triforce."
      • Meaning that at any one time, any human may hold some number of fragments of the "triforce."
    • Number pad directly tied to 2nd screen (Lynx), which simply tracks inventory. That way, no one can peek at your screen and see your inventory in networked play.

    While I'm financing this, I might as well create a world-building toolkit for the ST/Falcon, so others could build new expansions and burn them to CD. This would work under emulation on a Mac/PC, of course. ;)

     

    /Schmüdde

  14. Posted

    Actually in all seriousness, on the 32X they pulled off T-Mek, but instead of 3D they used pre-rendered sprites and scaling to simulate actual 3D texture mapped polys. What you end up with is barely playable junk that isn't even appealing to the eyes. In other words, it would've been perfectly at home on the Jag.

     

     

    Meh. IIRC, T-Mek was a mix of 3D enemies and sprite-based obstacles. The landscape wasn't even as complex as Hoverstrike. Decent T-Mek pastiche seems quite doable on the Jaguar.

     

    However, the feeling of the gameplay really relies on the environment's chaotic speed. I remember the frame rate being rock solid and incredibly smooth, which made the game feel crazy fast. Not even the Jaguar's gouraud shaded I-War accomplishes this.

     

    The designers of the 32x version might have made the compromises you mentioned to replicate the feel of the game. The system was certainly capable of more (Virtua Racing and Metal Head come to mind). In the end, the game really fails at all levels. You'd be better off playing Battlewheels on the Lynx.

     

    I certainly don't miss T-Mek. If there is one aspect of the Jaguar library that feels pretty complete, it's the plethora of tank and low-orbit aircraft simulators.

     

    ü

  15. Posted

    Here you go gang - ask and you shall receive…. in the form of many triangles. Behold Battlemorph

     

     

    Did I hear that correctly, you've never played Cybermorph? I can't imagine there is another person on the planet that has played Battlemorph for the Jaguar CD but never played the much more common original pack in. :)

     

    I actually still really like this game. It's funky and the music is awesome. There's something about going around and blowing up bridges just as the vehicles are about to cross that is supremely satisfying to me.

     

    ü

  16. Posted

    :rolling: :rolling: :rolling: So.... without all the "facts" at hand, I called you out on it and now its not true :roll:. Oh what a surprise!

     

    Actually, it was very clear from the original excerpt he posted. At least, to me.

     

    I don't understand why these eMails are causing people to react so poorly. What gives? LD asked for some time from industry insiders about things that happened 20 years ago. The results are a mixed bag and almost entirely anecdotal. That's fine. It's still interesting (or not), but I don't see any reason not to treat the messenger with a little courtesy.

     

    ~ü

    • Like 3

  18. Posted

    Mason is one of the better players to pony up to the Jag Bar so far. It might help that his drink of choice is non-alcoholic. :)

     

    I recently restarted Rayman after a decade+ away. Love the game. I'm about ~45% in. The difficulty definitely requires some patience.

     

    ~ü

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    I’ve owned the same Jaguar since 1994, so I’m sure I don’t remember every game I’ve completed.

     

    Completed
    Alien vs. Predator - All
    Atari Karts - Highest race level
    Battlemorph
    Blue Lightning
    Checkered Flag
    Club Drive
    Cybermorph
    Doom
    Fight for Life
    Highlander
    Hover Strike
    Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands
    I-War
    Iron Soldier
    Kasumi Ninja
    NBA Jam
    Super Burnout
    Tempest 2000
    Trevor McFur
    Ultra Vortek
    Vid Grid
    White Men Can’t Jump
    Wolfenstein 3D

    Could never beat, but really close
    Iron Soldier II - the last level requires perfect timing
    Towers II - I got stuck on one of the floors and could never advance.

    On Deck
    Flashback
    Rayman
    Skyhammer

    Also, I just beat AVP as the Predator and the Marine for the first time in > 10 years. What a brilliant game.

     

    ~ü

  21. Posted

    Actually, if you follow the money, the reality is quite simple.

     

    Every commercial game has an associated P&A (Prints and Advertising) budget. The strategy has been the same since the 90s - get your game/movie/book everywhere. Buy as much real estate as you can possibly afford. The problem with releasing on multiple platforms at different times is that you break up that budget. Rayman didn't have a huge advertising budget, and if you put the Jaguar version out 6 months before the PS and SS versions, you'd be squandering what few resources you have.

     

    Advertising campaigns are coordinated efforts with a lot of moving parts and a ton of overhead. You want to minimize that as much as possible. Multiple launches just add to that overhead.

     

    ~ü

    • Like 5

  23. Posted

     

    Thats exactly the route I had in mind!! Love traveling by train and it will a good excuse to put in some serious time on the Lynx!

     

    Now I really do need to get one of those foam lined Jaguar travel cases...

     

    Amazing. I really hope this happens toward the end of summer. I'll be in Berlin April-June, so I obviously couldn't attend in that window.

     

    This would be the first Jag-Fest I've been to since the first Jag-Fest in the Chicago suburbs many years ago.

     

    RE: Cases

     

    I have one of those cases. They're awesome. Perfect w/ the Jaguar CD. I actually found them in Peoria, IL at a store called UFS - basically a place that bids on unclaimed freight and the resells whatever it gets. They got a huge stack of those and sold them for $1-$3 each. I can't remember the exact price.

  24. Posted · Edited by Schmudde

    Yeah, if it happens later in the summer (late July or August), I'll definitely take the train down from NYC!

     

    @Travis - Amtrak will take you straight from Burlington to Baltimore on the Vermonter line for $90 one way. It's a 12 hour train ride, but if you bring your Lynx, it shouldn't a problem filling the time. :-D

     

    ü

    • Like 1

  25. Posted

    well, good news, Alice's Mom's Rescue, my new pixel 2D platformer game is fully working on Jaguar !

    It will play at 30Fps, on Jaguar CD, Memory Track support, and this will be a world premiere Hybrid CD !

    You get both Jaguar and PC Windows version on the same CD !

     

    This is great! The game looks really clever!

     

    I'll definitely want want for the Jaggy CD.

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