Stephen A Mitchell - Interview Questions Needed - Created Highlander on the Jag CD

[+davidcalgary29]

Just now, CyranoJ said:

 

Maybe, but the game uses footage from the cartoon in cutscenes.

Yes, I recall that from the few times I played the game. I'm just speculating, of course, but with money as tight as it was at Atari, I believe that you'll always get to the answer if you follow the dollar.

[Lost Dragon]

16 hours ago, JagChris said:

Probably. The one poster asked about the criticism it received and I was just throwing out what was said. 

 

Atari Owl is of course entitled to his own perspective on it and far more qualified than myself to assess the merits of the code itself... 

 

 

I'm just firmly of the mindset that when you approach the work of any commercial developer at the time on the Jaguar CD, you can't help but feel the titles were done either due to contractual obligation or are now looked on with deep regret. 

 

 

Sarah Avory has stated working on Jag CD Soulstar meant development on Saturn Thunderhawk was well behind. 

 

 

ATD that doing Battlemorph was due to contractual obligations and meant they were late getting into Playstation and Saturn development. 

 

 

Writing software for an add-on device is always risky in itself as it's for a fractured market, but when it's for something like the Jaguar CD who's base unit has failed to gain commercial traction, your not going to waste much time refining code. 

[Lost Dragon]

14 hours ago, JagChris said:

Or maybe it's what you said earlier:

 

 

https://atariage.com/forums/topic/233549-finally-i-have-the-proof-behind-those-jaguar-cd-screenshots/?do=findComment&comment=3149417

Comments which I stand by to this day. 

 

Highlander simply doesn't work as a game,plain and simple and something I made clear back then. 

 

You put criticism about the games coding up, Chris:

 

 

On 8/17/2020 at 9:14 PM, JagChris said:

Somehow somewhere Atari Owl got to look at the sources. He seemed to indicate he believed they made a lot of really dumb coding decisions. And stated there was no real reason for the engine to perform so poorly.

 

Game engine performance a totally different aspect to poor game design. 

 

And this  what I said back then:

I'm so with sd32 when he talks of: 'The coders of Highlander just werent good game designers. Alone in the Dark was a work of art in comparison, but not due to a better GFX engine. It just trounces Highlander with better artwork, music, a much better atmosphere, better story, puzzles... just much better game design 

 

 

I make perfectly clear for myself the game falls down on art direction, music, puzzles.. the entire atmosphere created. 

 

I never leave criticism about dumb coding decisions. 

 

Two completely separate issues. 

 

 

Side note to Arcade Attack:

 

 

I spoke with Steve myself back in 2018 and he was kind enough to reveal the planned 4 player mode for Lynx Kung Food, but wouldn't answer anything about the Batman Jaguar game talked about on the Atari documents Scott Stilphen passed on, so you might find not all Q's get answers. 

Edited August 19, 2020 by Lost Dragon

[Lost Dragon]

The Lore Design NDA documents regarding Batman Forever on Jag are here:

 

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-jaguar-batman-forever-the-arcade-game_s23247.html

 

 

If you guys want to try your luck and ask him about it? 

 

 

No idea how long these NDA's stay in effect mind. 

Edited August 19, 2020 by Lost Dragon

[+davidcalgary29]

13 minutes ago, Lost Dragon said:

The Lore Design NDA documents regarding Batman Forever on Jag are here:

 

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-jaguar-batman-forever-the-arcade-game_s23247.html

 

 

If you guys want to try your luck and ask him about it? 

 

 

No idea how long these NDA's stay in effect mind. 

"Working title: Blinko". Yup, pretty much sums up both the movie and video game for me.

 

Wait -- Sam Tramiel read the script for this in 1994 and still wanted to pony up 100K for its rights? Wow.

 

Also: project is started in May, 1994. July, 1995: "...we haven't yet found a programming team for the Jaguar version. I know that this may seem like bad news..." I had to laugh at that one.

[JagChris]

Having trouble viewing documents in my browser. 

[Lost Dragon]

14 hours ago, davidcalgary29 said:

"Working title: Blinko". Yup, pretty much sums up both the movie and video game for me.

 

Wait -- Sam Tramiel read the script for this in 1994 and still wanted to pony up 100K for its rights? Wow.

 

Also: project is started in May, 1994. July, 1995: "...we haven't yet found a programming team for the Jaguar version. I know that this may seem like bad news..." I had to laugh at that one.

I still can't bring myself to watch the movie ?

[doctorclu]

I've played the whole game using the chicken.  Would love to hear more behind the scenes on how the chicken option became a thing. 

 

[tripled79]

8 hours ago, doctorclu said:

I've played the whole game using the chicken.  Would love to hear more behind the scenes on how the chicken option became a thing. 

 

I'm playing the game right now. Getting stuck. I remember years ago using the chicken but I don't remember how I found it. The chicken makes the game fun! One hit kills!

[KidGameR186496]

I have one question for Stephen: What was like to work with the Atari Lynx compared to the Jaguar? Was it easier due to the less complex hardware architecture and if you still had a development kit in your hands, would you make one game or two for the Lynx?

[doctorclu]

16 hours ago, tripled79 said:

I'm playing the game right now. Getting stuck. I remember years ago using the chicken but I don't remember how I found it. The chicken makes the game fun! One hit kills!

I used a code.  Here is what I found...

https://www.consoledatabase.com/cheats/atarijaguar/highlanderthelastofthemacleods/

 

It is called "The Chicken God". 

[Rugar]

You also can find "Chicken" in secret cave in Canyon next screen after passing two guards with guns. This is hidden cave with cheats and teleports.