Resource centre for ZX Spectrum games
using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
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Manic Miner & Jet Set Willy Yahoo! Group
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Message: 1930
Author: ewgf3
Date: 17/02/2001
Subject: Re: A 3D JSW/MM rewrite
First of all, I really like 2D platform games,
and I don't see that any move to 3D can make any real
improvement in gameplay. Granted a 3D world introduces more
realism, but who wants realism in a platform game? I play
games to be entertained, not to experience
'reality'.
Of course, many people would argue that a 3D world
offers better graphical possibilities. Not necessarily
so; after all, imagine a version of JSW written for
modern PC's (or MAC's), with 65535 colours on screen and
800x600 resolution and (for our purposes) unlimited hard
drive storage space. If we also assume that the
programming, graphics and sound were all top rate then yes, a
3D version could be superb (as everyone keeps
saying, look at Mario64), but to my mind that wouldn't
necessarily be graphically 'better' than a 2D version. After
all, a large part of JSW's appeal is it's atmosphere,
which is created and maintained to a large degree by
the fact that it's (admittedly superb) graphics are
vary vague, owing to the Spectrum's limitations. Since
Mario64's graphics are so clear and well defined they leave
nothing to the imagination, whereas with the Spectrum
version of JSW, the dancing rabbits, Maria's diembodied
floating head, the monks with ducks heads and so on all
have an eerie quality as they are so vaguely
defined.
And of course, a 2D platform game cannot translate to
a 3D world and be overwise untouched as the
introduction of a third dimension means you can (attempt to)
avoid the enemies rather than jump over them. If the
enemies follow preset paths then this makes it too easy
to slip past them. One possible solution is to have
a 2D world in a (seemingly) 3D setting, as in a
couple of games whose titles I *cannot* remember now (I
never played them), where even though they looked 3D
you were actually in 2D, as you could not deviate
into the Z axis (the games were both on the PC and
Playstation, I think you were a prince or something and had to
go into a castle, they were platform games and I'm
sure one was a sequel to the other. Sorry to be so
vague...).
Of course, a decent new version of JSW with larger
and better graphics MAY work, but it'd need real care
and attention, which is not something most modern PC
games seem to get.
I *wish* Matthew Smith would
give it a go. Who better?
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