Development Information – December 1994

Tom Gillen – I am relatively new to the position, and am currently working on Hardball III and a Motocross style game titled Supercross 3D. There are other Sports titles currently in development, but until I get my Producer feet all wet, they will be handled by their original producers, and I might co-produce several of them. 

<AEO-Travis> Hi Atari-dudes, we’re really glad to have you here with us for the evening! Tom, as far as Sega titles, I’m partial to World Series Baseball. Would you say that Hardball III on the Jag will give WSB a run for the money in terms of realism/action? GA

<Tom @ Atari> I agree with you about WSB, and yes, if you already like Hardball, it should give it a run for the money. We are incorporating as many enhancements as we can into the game… (Atari Holiday RTC, File Courtesy: GEnie Atari Roundtables, Wednesday Night Real Time Conference, December 14, 1994, Host- Mike Allen, Guest Speakers – Dan McNamee, Tom Gillen, Volume 3, Issue 14 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 18 December 1994).

Development Information – Atari Press Release 1995

Hardball Baseball will provide a graphically and statistically true-to-life simulation of real baseball. Players will have the added option of customizing teams and scheduling themselves for one game, a playoff series or an entire season. Special software builds players’ statistics as games are played making Hardball Baseball even more realistic. Atari plans to ship Hardball Baseball before the 1995 All-Star game, if there is one this year.  (Atari Press Releases, Sports titles coming from Atari, Jan. 6, 1995, Volume 4, Issue 1 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 16 January 1995).

Highlander Series, from Lore Designs 

Purple Hampton, in all of his free time away from AvP and Club Drive, <grin> has managed to begin on another project, the Highlander Series. Highlander, based on the previous movies and upcoming animated series, promises to be one of the first video games to be planned to be released as a series. James said that the games would roughly follow the ongoing plot of the animated series and include different “episodes” on different discs. (For example, episode 1 might be on disc one, with episodes 2 and 3 on disc 2 following several months later.) When asked what the game would look like, Purple stated that they plan to take Alone in the Dark, and make it better, also adding tremendous backdrops to the game straight from the series (in addition to hundreds made specifically from the game). While at Atari, Purple showed me some of the slide from the animated series that will appear in the game… quality is not in question! (Other developments, SCES 1994 Edition ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 29 July 1994).

Interview with Developer, James “Purple” Hampton

[AEO] Can you let us know about when you started to develop Highlander?

[James “Purple” Hampton] The license for an Animated Series based on the Highlander mythos was first passed by Atari in December 1993.

[AEO] When did you decide to make Highlander a series of games? How will future CDs in the series differ from the first one?

[JPH] It was a fateful day in the middle of the summer of 94… after studying the content for the Animated series over and over, we reached the conclusion that there just wasn’t any nice way to chop down the overall storyline to fit within one game. This combined with a strong desire to incorporate the just emerging Motion Capture technology into the gameplay, we decided to make a bold pitch to make the game huge. Three discs huge. Enough space and backing to do the content justice. The future discs will differ from the first in the size of the adventures and complexity of the features we include. Disc One is meant to be an introduction to the Highlander universe, with a shorter, self-contained story that is based on the first episode of the animated series. The second disc expands into a much larger adventure into the Highlander world. The Player will guide the lead character, a young Quentin Macleod on his quest to gain the knowledge and “quickening” of other immortals in the land. This will prepare him for his final adventure in Disc Three where Quentin must have his ultimate showdown with Lord Kortan, the evil force that has ruled the planet for seven centuries. We intend on including a straightforward one-on-one, polygon rendered, swordfighting game as part of the final battle!

[AEO] Are there any tools and design experiences that will be useful in other Jaguar games? Have other developers incorporated what you’ve learned into their games? How has the development process of this game been different from other titles?

[JPH] The Highlander series is different from most development processes in terms of the scope of the project. When Atari had the foresight to make the big leap into doing Highlander to the magnitude we were after, they were committing themselves to a new approach to developing games. By utilizing the talents of six dedicated programmers, each working individually on modular code that is put together to form a cohesive whole, we were able to accomplish a great deal of work in a relatively short amount of time. By having some of the programmers be dedicated to creating “user-friendly” software tools for non-programmer types to use, we were able to put a great deal of power over the content of the game into the hands of the artists and designers on the project, and leave the programmers’ hands free to work on more code. The best thing about this code is that it’s fully transplantable and ready to be used for any future projects that Atari may have in mind. While I can’t think of any titles that have utilized the software tools or programming engine we’ve developed yet, we’re all hoping that Atari will be able to capitalize on their investment and continue to take the technology further.

[AEO] Is there a goal to be achieved in the game, or is the Highlander series one long continuing story?

[JPH] The Highlander series as a whole, has the ultimate goal of the Player, as Quentin Macleod, defeating the evil Lord Kortan. This will make Quentin the last immortal and give him “the prize”, which is all of man’s knowledge that has been lost in a “Great Catastrophe.” (Once done, Quentinhas the huge responsibility of giving back to the human race all of the information that the post-apocalyptic society has lost.) Defeating Kortan will be no easy task, and will require an experienced warrior to succeed. As the project is a series of games, we will give Quentin (the Player character) a number of challenges he must overcome before he faces Kortan. For instance, in the first disc, Quentin must rescue his clan, which Kortan has taken to his fortress city of Mogonda to be slaves.

[AEO] What is the basic story of the first disc? Can you give us a preview of the stories on the other discs?

[JPH] The story for the first disc pretty much follows the plotline of the first episode of the animated series – The Last of the Macleods. The background for the Animated and Game Series follows: The world has fallen to ruin after a “Great Catastrophe” has occurred. The immortals who populate this earth get together on the Hill of Oaths, taking a vow to lay down their arms and stop fighting each other, so that they can use their knowledge to help mankind. By taking this vow, they become what is known as Jettators. Kortan, an immortal who refuses to take the vow, declares himself the last, and lays his claim to the “prize” – supreme knowledge and absolute power. He is warned by the Jettators that there will be another immortal who will come, one not bound by the Jettators’ vow, and can stop Kortan in his evil reign. Seven centuries pass until a young Quentin Macleod, the next Highlander, first discovers he is an immortal. This is where the Player takes control in the first disc and the adventure begins. Quentin must first find Ramirez, who has been holding onto the Macleod sword waiting for Quentin’s arrival. Ramirez will be at Quentin’s side to train and advise the young Highlander throughout the series. After meeting Ramirez, Quentin must go to fortress-city of Mogonda, where the Dundee clan he has known as his family has been taken prisoner for use as slaves. Being inexperienced, this is a dangerous undertaking as the road to Mogonda is patrolled heavily by Kortan’s Hunter Patrols, who if they find the Highlander, will take him straight to Kortan to end this adventure all too soon.

The storylines for the later discs will follow Quentin through a “growing- up” period, where he seeks out other immortals to gain their knowledge, experience and “quickening.” On the way to his final destination, Quentin will have to overcome a great deal of dangers and gain the wisdom only an experienced warrior can have. Once ready, Quentin will make his way back to Mogonda to confront Lord Kortan and challenge him to a duel to the end, as, “there can be only one!”

[AEO] Are the stories from the games based on the series, or are they totally original?

[JPH] The first disc follows the story of the first episode, The Last of the Macleods pretty closely. The later discs will borrow heavily from the Animated Series (as we want to be as faithful to the original material as we can be), but we are including some new, original plot threads and twists to make the game series unique.

[AEO] Is this a one or  two person game? Will there be compatibility with the CatBox or JagModem?

[JPH] Discs One and Two will strictly be one-player adventure games. But for Disc Three we intend to include a one-on-one polygon swordfighting game (in addition to the one-player adventure), that will definitely be playable with two players. As far as the JagModem or CatBox are concerned, all we can say is – we hope so!!

[AEO] Will the game be compatible with the new controller being designed?

[JPH] We hope to be compatible with the new six button controller. Those extra three buttons will be especially useful for the one-on-one fighting game segment of Disc Three. (Old Interview of James “Purple Hampton, Highlander Producer, James “Purple” Hampton on Highlander, by Dimitri M. LaBarge, Development, Volume 1, Issue 2 JAGUAR EXPLORER ONLINE July 1, 1997).

Horroscope, from V-Reel

V-Reel also plans to develop Horrorscope, a Jaguar fighting game based on the 12 characters of the Zodiac. (From Atari press release, March 7, 1994, Volume 3 – Issue 4 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 7 March 1994).

Hosenose and Booger, from ASG (All Systems Go) Technologies, Inc. 

Here’s one for the sick and twisted. Hosenose has a cold and as fate would have it, he’s managed to sneeze and suck his girlfriend Hotsnot deep into his brain. In a unique gaming experience that fully showcases Jaguar’s monster graphic capabilities, you’ll take a nose-dive into Hosenose’s sinuous nasal passages in search of the lovely yet cerebral Hotsnot. Through every organ and orifice you’ll meet a wild cast of disgusting characters, including Mickki Mewkus, Logjam Sam, Vicki Virus, and the Evil Dr. Bile. An off-beat animated adventure only the 64-bit power of Jaguar can deliver.  (Upcoming Games, AEO Vol 3, Issue 1, January 22, 1994). 

Development Information – June 1994

Moving on to software, ASG keyed AEO in on their upcoming Jag game, Hosenose and Booger. Keep in mind that ASG is primarily interested in doing polygonally rendered games in real time. When asked why they chose to do Hosenose and Booger in the first place, they said “It was too funny to pass up.” They described it as an action platform adventure. You will do battle with all sorts of human fluids, substances, products, viruses, etc, all inside Hosenose’s infested body. While it may sound rather humorous, H&B is being taken very seriously by ASG. H&B was in design for over a year before any code was even written. They are committed to making H&G the Jaguar’s Sonic or Mario. They emphasized superb gameplay and unreal comical graphics as two key features in H&B not to mention the downright gross creatures you come across throughout the game. H&B is definitely planned to be out before Christmas, in fact, ASG reported that they were hoping for a late fall release. I can’t wait! (64 Bits-Jaguar News, By: Tal Funke-Filu, GEnie: Exploere.5, Issue 9 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 6 June 1994).

Development Information – AEO Roundtable Conference

<[Tal] EXPLORER.5> Hosenose and Booger should be another great platform!

<[Aaron Leis] A.LEIS> What do you know about it?

<[Tal] EXPLORER.5> The guys at ASG were really ampped about it. They

want it to be the Sonic/mario of the Jag. They are going all out in terms of game play and grossness. The platform takes place inside hosenoses body. I think you are booger, but I’m not sure; you meet and kill all sorts of weird bodily enemies stuff like  

<[Internet.Tim] AEO.8> Snotnose ain’t it?

<[Tal] EXPLORER.5> (no hosenose) Lucy Liver and Bobby Bile, etc. It has been in planning stages for over a year, before the code was even started. They said it was too funny to pass up. Anything else? (AEO Roundtable Conference with the staff of AEO!!!, host Brian H. Harvey, Volume 3 – Issue 10 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 2 July 1994).

Jack Nicklaus’ Power Challenge Golf 

The Golfer of the Century is just one of four fully-digitized golfers in this award winning game that features two Nicklaus designed golf courses, English Turn Golf Club in New Orleans and Sherwood Country Club in California. (Jaguar Tackboard, Items collected by: Travis Guy, , From Accolade’s press release, Volume 2, Issue 20 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 23 November 1993).

Jag + Jag CD

Ah, the integrated Jaguar/CD. At WCES, there was a “prototype” all-in-one Jaguar and Jaguar CD that was shown briefly. It has been reported that this unit will ship this year.

There is an integrated (Jag + Jag CD) in development now. I cannot comment on projected release dates.

What will this unit be called? Jaguar 2?

I do not know what it will be called. There is already a Jag 2 in development as mentioned by John Mathieson and this is not it.

Why go to an all-in-one console?

There should be certain cost advantages in making an integrated unit.

Will current non-CD Jaguars continue to be built?

We will continue to make the current Jaguar and the current add on CD-ROM. (Laury Scott:  Building Atari, Interview by: Travis Guy, GEnie: AEO MAG Delphi: AEO_MAG, Volume 4, Issue 2 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 6 February 1995).

Jag Bomberman, from Genetic Fantasia

Next Generation Online Q&A April 2, 1998 Q: UGP online says that Bomberman was finished for the Jaguar, but was never released. Do you guys know anything about this? 

A: Sure do. Actually, one of the staff members of Next Generation Magazine was the lead programmer on the project. Essentially, Atari was going to get the license from Hudson for it (after the game was nearly complete) and then in the face of the Atari merger with JTS, the project was deemed not feasible by Atari and canned. (CyberChatter, Random topics about the Jaguar,  Volume 2, Issue 3 JAGUAR EXPLORER ONLINE October 18, 1998).

Jagdaptor

The ultimate game machine – the Jaguar Interactive Multimedia System from Atari – has just been granted a new range of versatility…through the introduction of the JagDapter. The JagDapter allows the Jaguar to interface completely with a wide range of video and audio peripherals – maximizing the gaming experience for consumers in a way other systems simply cannot. The JagDapter features -* Composite video AND stereo output (take video to tv and the stereo to your amplifier or tv if you have stereo tv) * Split composite signal capabilities for luma and chroma (for older composite monitors) * RGB signal output (completely compatible with the Atari SC1224 (color) and Atari SC1435 (stereo color) monitors) * s-video output (for connection to s-video tvs) This exciting new interface extends the connectivity of the Jaguar…sealing its position as the Number One gaming system available to consumers. And best of all, the JagDapter is completely affordable. Boasting made-in-America quality and ingenuity, the JagDapter is priced at just $49.95… making it a perfect add-on accessory for any Jaguar owner. For the price of a single game, a Jaguar owner can purchase the JagDapter and dramatically expand their gaming pleasure and horizons. The JagDapter is available now at local Jaguar dealers and retailers, or can be ordered directly from Mark at: MARS Merchandising 1041 E. St Charles Rd; Lombard, Illinois 60148 (phone (708) 627-7462) (Jaguar Tackboard, Confirmed information about Atari’s Jaguar, Compiled from online and official sources, From press release, Volume 3 – Issue 6 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 2 April 1994).

Jaguar II

In an effort to continue to stay ahead of the competition, Sam Tramiel quickly touched on the fact that Atari has plans for Jaguar II already in development. It is expected to maintain 100% downward compatibility with the Jaguar, so as not to eliminate the current software library. This announcement was geared more towards long-term investors than current game players, so do not worry, Jaguar owners – Jag II is not going to turn up next year! (Tal Funke-Filu, Reports from Atari Shareholders’ meeting, AEO News Bulletin #4, Saturday, June 18, 1994).

Interview with Developer 

Known world-wide as the “father of the Jaguar”, John Mathieson is seen by many as Atari’s 35 year old savior. Born and raised in Scotland, Mathieson obtained his education at Fettes in Edinburgh, then at Cambridge University. He currently holds a master’s degree in engineering and in computer science, as well as the title of Vice-President of Advanced Technology at Atari Corp.

Atari has announced plans for the Jag II in their 1993 financial statements. Do you have any input or information you can share concerning the development of this new platform? Will it be marketed as “Jaguar II”?

Jaguar 2 is currently in development, and that is my main responsibility. I cannot discuss technical htmlects of it, and I don’t think anyone knows what to call it yet.

I spoke to a lot of developers regarding where they saw the shortcomings of the current hardware. As a result of this, and our own experience, I set out with main design aims of better polygon performance, better texture map performance, better audio, and compatibility. You will have to wait and see how well we do with these aims. (A Weekend with the Jaguar’s Dad, Interview by Travi Guy, Volume 4, Issue 1 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 16 January 1995).

Jaguar Control Station, from All Systems Go (ASG)

 ASG plans to release the Jaguar control station. ASG described this working wonder as “The couch potato’s dream.” A small infrared receiver will attach to your Jaguar’s joypad ports allowing remote communication with the “station” itself, situated a certain distance away (most likely 15′ to 20′, but don’t quote me on that <g>). If you haven’t already figured it out, your JagJoypads will plug into the station allowing an extended playing range, but the fun doesn’t stop there. The station will enable you to activate various game playing features such as rapid fire, slo-mo, etc., without having to buy another special joypad!

Sound too good to be true? There’s more…the station will come with a universal remote control that will support the VJ, control station, and a wide range of TVs and VCRs! Look for this in early ’95. (64 Bits-Jaguar News, By: Tal Funke-Filu, GEnie: Exploere.5, Issue 9 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 6 June 1994).

Jaguar Dustcover 

The JagCover is sleek black nylon. Designed specifically for the Jaguar, the JagCover hugs the contours of your cat and allows space in the back for cables to remain connected. The edges are stitched and bound for a high-quality feel that all your friends will envy! The JagCover also sports the blood-red Jaguar logo. I’m proposing a special GEnie early-bird price of $7.00+S/H until an as-of-yet-undetermined date. After that date, the price will go up to $10.99+S/H. DO NOT SEND MONEY NOW! I’m basically wanting to collect intents right now…Once I see there is sufficient interest, the JagCover will go into production. I’m also looking into producing special covers for the Jag+CD-ROM and a carrying case. (Editor: This message was recently posted in the GEnie ST/Jaguar RoundTable, and is copyright GEnie, author, Rod Martin of Network 23, Vol. 3, Issue 12 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 9 October 1994).

Jaguar Exercise Machines

One company has approached Atari in an effort to incorporate the Jag in exercise machines. This, combined with the “ANL” project (stay in touch with AEO, and you will find out more about -that- after SCES), represents Atari’s outreach to non-game projects. The Jaguar is definitely a “multimedia machine”. (Tal Funke-Filu, Reports from Atari Shareholders’ meeting, AEO News Bulletin #4, Saturday, June 18, 1994).

Jaguar Interface

Hi everyone, Just a little tid-bit of info to all Jaguar enthusiasts. I spoke several evenings ago with an ex-Atari employee who was working with John Mathiesan in Atari’s Jaguar hardware division. Apparently Atari and Time Warner were inking a deal with which Atari was building an interface board and cartridge setup for the Jaguar. The interface board could use standard PC keyboards and Mice and external modems. The cartridge would supply the browser needed for communication. Although he is still digging around looking for it, a few prototypes of the interface board do in fact exist. Hmmm, too bad Sam Tramiel had to have that untimely heart attack (then again, when is a good time for a heart attack?) and his father Jack had to step in and just shut Atari down and sell it to his friend over at JTS. 

If Sam hadn’t have fallen ill, I’m sure a lot of those unbelievably hot looking unreleased software titles, the Jag Modem and the Time Warner Cable interface system would have all been released and the Jaguar Duo probably would have been out. However the bright side to all this is that now Richard, John, Bill and most of the other top Atari Jag people are now VM Labs with probably the hottest piece of hardware since the Atari VCS, bound for glory. (CyberChatter, Random topics about the Jaguar, Compiled from online public discussion areas, Jag Internet Interface, March 13, Jaguar Interactive 2/12/98, from bas01.csfb.com, Subject Jaguar Internet Terminal, Volume 2, Issue 2 JAGUAR EXPLORER ONLINE July 20, 1998).

Jaguar PC

Atari Corporation today announced that it has exclusively licensed Jaguar technology to Sigma Designs  to deliver PC cards incorporating the award-winning Jaguar 64-bit technology with Sigma’s Reel-Magic(TM) full-motion video capabilities. This deal will expand Jaguar’s market reach by allowing more than 10 million users to play Jaguar software titles on their IBM-compatible personal computers by year’s end. “Atari will once again jump ahead of the market by bringing the world’s most advanced game technology to a new group of consumers in record time,” said Sam Tramiel, president of Atari. “Knowing there would be great demand for Jaguar on personal computers – we designed the system to talk easily to the leading computer architectures. This has allowed us to move quickly to partner with Sigma Designs to make this happen before Christmas.” “We are pleased to join Atari in its mission to expand the industry standards for video game play,” said Julien Nguyen, vice president of engineering and chief technical officer of Sigma Designs. “Jaguar’s 64-bit technology will be extremely attractive to the MPC customer base of more than 10 million users. By combining Sigma’s Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) technology with Atari’s 3D animation, we look forward to bringing the hottest video game technology and software titles to the desktops of users worldwide.”  

Sigma Designs, headquartered in Fremont, Calif., is a leading manufacturer of high-performance multimedia computer products and document imaging display solutions. With the release of its ReelMagic MPEG controller in October 1993, Sigma Designs redefined affordable video playback for the PC. ReelMagic allows users to experience a new generation of realistic entertainment, education, training, and business presentation software titles with full-screen, full-motion video and CD-quality sound. All Sigma Designs products are sold worldwide through a network of dealers, distributors and system integrators.  (Atari News, Atari Press Release, ATARI and SIGMA DESIGNS PARTNER to DELIVER JAGUAR for the PC, May 3, 1994, Volume 3 – Issue 8 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 10 May).

James Pond III – Operation Starfish, from Telegames

If you have just seen Zool 2 you will have some idea of what this game is like. Bright colors, great music and the kiddies will love it. I don’t. Sure it will be improved over the Genesis version and it will have redesigned levels, but I want a bit more than this. (Cuppa with the Dooz, by Darren Bates, Volume 4, Issue 1 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 16 January 1995).

Kick Off 3, from Anco

Kick Off 3 is a soccer game from Anco. Versions 1 & 2 (available on the ST) were the most playable soccer games ever made. Kick Off 3 is of course better and offers many new features. The game is now side-on view (watching from the stands) with much, much larger and better animated players. It is scheduled to be released in June/July time frame, Kick Off 3 on Jaguar sounds very exciting. (News From Third Parties, Volume 3 – Issue 7 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 23 April 1994).

Time of Release

Imagineer reported that KickOff 3 “development is taking place on schedule.” EPROMs of this great soccer game have been reported in the Atari HQ, but the latest reports show a reworking of the code to correct a bug. Look for this one towards Fall. (Developer News, Atari News, Volume 3 – Issue 8 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 10 May).

Konan

Konan (I thought it was spelt with a ‘C’) is a Final Fight style, side on scrolling hack-em-up. I must say, this looks just as good as many arcade games of this style, with huge bold sprites, fantastic scenery, and bone crunching sound fx. Little is known about this game so far, as no playable version has been available for us to play, we can only judge from what we’ve seen. And that alone impresses me. (Cuppa with the Dooz, by Darren Bates, Report from Spring ECTS in London, Special Jag Edition E3 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE May 20, 1995).

Lapcat Pros

One of those innovative developers is Ben Aein creator of the LapCat and the LapCatPro. These two units being laptop or tabletop controllers that use arcade quality parts. All buttons are the same as those used on video arcade machines, the same with the joystick. The big difference is that, unlike arcade machines, these buttons and the joystick have not been wrecked buy years of use and abuse. The play of the joystick is beautiful. I have the LapCatPro. This unit has the extra buttons that the Atari Controller 2 will have. Including 7 and 9 along with the 4,5,6 buttons that the standard LapCat has. The LapCatPro has a nice black laminate top, too.

Features in common to both units include the Arcade joystick, six large buttons for A, B, C and 4, 5, 6 plus two smaller buttons for Pause and Option. The original joypad controller is mounted onto either LapCat version with a swivel base so that your templates can still be used. The buttons on the original controller are still active. Both units come is a nicely stained box that is about twelve inches on a side and about five inches tall with the top slanted at about a fifteen degree ergonomic angle. The LapCatPro adds buttons 7 and 9 plus the black laminate top.

If you decide that you don’t like your buttons to be in A-B-C order it is a simple matter of removing the bottom of the case and switching the plug-in wires to move them around to C-B-A, if that is your preference or 4-5-6 to 6-5-4, etc.

You can have your LapCatPro made as either a left-handed or a right-handed unit. I have two LapCatPros, one for left-handers and one for right-handers. Being a leftie, I am very pleased to have the ONLY alternative available to the standard Atari joypad controller. The right handed unit is reserved for guests who might see my LapCatPro as an unfair advantage over the standard Atari joypad controller.

The Lap Cat 6 Button Arcade Joystick is a conversion of your current Joypad to a Real Arcade joystick. It is a finished wood box using real arcade parts. Lap Cat is set up as 2 rows of 3 buttons, just like the Street Fighter format. The Pause and Option buttons are located for easy and efficient use. The Lap Cat Pro 8 button Arcade joystick has the same standard features of Lap Cat but, it adds 2 more fire buttons (keypad 4 and 6) and has a beautiful silky smooth black laminate top.

Lap Cat and Lap Cat Pro both use the standard keypad overlays. And the keypad is conveniently located just above the main fire buttons, so it is quick and easy to access.

Pricing and Ordering: LapCat 6 Button Controller $80 + $10 Shipping, LapCatPro 8 Button ControllerCat Pro $93 + $11 Shipping (Add $25 to either unit if you want Ben to buy the Standard Atari Controller for the modification. Add $2 for a left-handed LapCat).

Mail your order to: Ben Aein, 613 NorthCliffe Dr, Rockville, MD 20850, EMail: b.aein@genie.com, Voice: +1-301-251-0997 (Jaguar Review: LapCat Pro, by John King Tarpinian, Volume 4, Issue 8 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE October 10, 1995).

Legion Force Jidai

Krunch Force is made of the Krunch Korporation and FORCE Design and is working on two games, Gorf 2000 and Legion Force Jidai, this interview is focused on Legion Force Jidai, for information on Gorf see the preview here. 

1. What is the background story to the game?

I don’t want to spoil it for the JagCommunity. hehe

2. What graphical features are in the game?

Well, goes like the following:

• Resolution: 320×240
• 16-bit RGB color (65,536 colors)
• 8-bit color (256 colors)
• Hand-drawn, render art, etc…

3. What kind of game is it, first-person shooter, side scrolling. vehicle shooter, etc.?

It’s not a first-person shooter, and it’s not a vehicle shooter. That  only leaves umm…

4. When are you expecting to release it?

Now you should know not to ask me that!:) I will pretend I didn’t read  this question.

5. Do you have a publisher?

Nope, I need a more complete package to show before I even think about  going to a publisher with it.

6. Could you give me some background information on your company.

Well, I started FORCE Design back in late 1995. What I do at my in-house company is I design graphics. Also, I am part of the KrunchFORCE.

Related Links: Force Design Krunch

I would like to thank Terance Williams for this interview! (Interview with Terance Williams on Legion Force Jidai – OMC by Heath Anderson, from Area 64: The Jagzone, 1998). 

Legions of the Undead, from Rebellion

“…We’re hoping to do a 24meg version AND also a CD version.” “How would the CD version be different?” “Size, mainly. I want it to be absolutely huge – hundreds of levels, endless new graphics, and above all a massive, massive challenge. I think it’s a con how so many CD games these days are just sonically enhanced, with some video bunged on the beginning. Game players want so much more than that, but it all takes time and money.” (O4 Bits – Jaguar News, By Tal Funke-Bilu, GEnie: Explorer5, Other Jaguar News, Jason Kingsley in the May 1994 issue of Die Hard GameFan, Jaguar Edition #2 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 27 May 1994).

Further Descriptions

Programmers: Dan Mitchell, Jamie Lokier. Artists: Rebellion art team. (Toby Harrison-Banfield, Stuart Wilson, Justin Rae). Director: Jason Kingsley. General nice guys: Brainstorm.

This is a first-person 3-d dungeon exploration game, based on an engine that could best be described as a hybrid between AvP and Doom. Enhancements over the AvP engine may include arbitrary-angled walls, enhanced lighting effects, alteration of view angle up and downwards, variable height of player (though not floors/ceilings), algorithmically animated textures, etc.

The basic idea behind the game, to use already-extant examples again, is a cross between Dungeon Master and AvP; plot, puzzles, problem-solving; but with the freedom of motion and speed that one expects from a modern 3-d game. Current progress: 30% (varies with platform). Expected completion date: Jaguar; early ’95. (Surfing the Jagged Edge,  by Dimitri Mark LaBarge, Rebellion Plans, Vol. 3, Issue 13 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 9 October 1994).

Progress Report – December, 1994

<Host Mike> Dan – any good RPGs in the works? AmberMoon, Ishar types?

<Dan @ Atari> Mike> Legions of the Undead is the only one I know of for sure. I’m lead testing that one too. 😉

<Sven!!!> Legions of the Undead? Is that anywhere near test?

<Dan @ Atari> Sven> Not yet, unfortunately.

 (Atari Holiday RTC, File Courtesy: GEnie Atari Roundtables, Wednesday Night Real Time Conference, December 14, 1994, Host- Mike Allen, Guest Speakers – Dan McNamee, Tom Gillen, Volume 3, Issue 14 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 18 December 1994).

Final Progress Report

I wonder how far Legions of the Undead was along (it was a redone AVP engine which would included angled ceilings and a higher framerate).

I don’t think it was very far along. (Unfinished Games/Hyper Image, Posting on Jaguar Interactive, by Thunderbird (Doug Engel), in response to subject: More strange Jaguar rumors…That may be true!, 1/17/98,  Volume 2, Issue 1 JAGUAR EXPLORER ONLINE February 9, 1998).

Lester the Unlikely, from DTMC

DTMC has also confirmed that a Christmas release is likely for Lester the Unlikely.  (Developer News, Atari News, Volume 3 – Issue 8 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 10 May).

Lobo, from Ocean

Ocean is currently working on two Jaguar projects: one cartridge and one CD ROM… The CD-ROM project is based on the violent comic character LOBO. Ocean said this game is a very new concept and doesn’t want to talk about it for the moment. The only thing we know, is that all the graphics and animations have been rendered on Silicon Graphics Unix workstations. (News From Third Parties, Volume 3 – Issue 7 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 23 April 1994).