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Citadel of the Black Sun, cancelled SSI-published German RPG

:Flash:

Arcane
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I only stumbled across this because the crpgaddict linked it in his blog, but this is a must-read:
The story of how Rainbow Arts developed "Citadel of the Black Sun" for SSI.

So Rainbow Arts was working on a Black Sun CRPG for SSI. SSI thought it was so good that they wanted to switch completely to their engine. Stuff happened and it never got released. But Teut Weidemann still has it running on DosBox and posts Screenshots. Incredible.

This was 16 color graphics in 1988:

Cobs_012_29092013_103458.jpg


Cobs_009_29092013_103237.jpg


Cobs_005_29092013_102343.jpg


Cobs_008_29092013_103105.jpg
 

felipepepe

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Yeah, I just stumbled on this too, RPG Watch's Arhu posted it on my blog.

Reminds me a lot of Shadow Sorcerer, which SSI released in 1991:

Shadow_Sorceror_2.png


Impressive how Shadow Sorcerer was 3 years newer but still requires a limited viewport, while Citadel had a full viewport AND line of sight mechanics.
 

:Flash:

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Yeah, I just stumbled on this too, RPG Watch's Arhu posted it on my blog.

Impressive how Shadow Sorcerer was 3 years newer but still requires a limited viewport, while Citadel had a full viewport AND line of sight mechanics.
These German developers from the demoscene often had technically impressive games back then, but they always shot themselves in the foot with the other things you need in order to to be a successful developer.
 
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Melan

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The demoscene people tended to have the technical wizardry to create that one jaw-dropping technical feature we are still in awe of, and very little of the patience actually needed to deliver a game. I am, sadly, old enough to have seen several projects like this announced in the game press or diskmags, only to crash and burn. Hungarian game development largely followed this model in the 90s: all promise, no fulfillment (the lack of reliable capital didn't help).

It is the equivalent of the modern game mod / total conversion with three neat models, five breathtaking screenshots, followed by crickets. And a bunch of failed Kickstarters. Sapiens is not a learning animal.
 

mindx2

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Yeah, I just stumbled on this too, RPG Watch's Arhu posted it on my blog.

Reminds me a lot of Shadow Sorcerer, which SSI released in 1991:

Shadow_Sorceror_2.png


Impressive how Shadow Sorcerer was 3 years newer but still requires a limited viewport, while Citadel had a full viewport AND line of sight mechanics.

I want to play this game!!
 

Mortmal

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its a nice find but i dont understand why they boast about graphics for a 1988 game ."compare this to other RPG's of 1988/1989!" its ok but here's the competition:
Drakhen in 1988:
 

:Flash:

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its a nice find but i dont understand why they boast about graphics for a 1988 game ."compare this to other RPG's of 1988/1989!" its ok but here's the competition:
Drakhen in 1988:
Um, yes, the Amiga could display more colours than the PC, that's a given. But that game uses static screens. Do you have an example of a game with a full-screen scrolling isometric engine from 1988?
Ultima V came out in 1988:
210360-ultima-v-warriors-of-destiny-dos-screenshot-the-famous-spooky.png
 

octavius

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I guess for once EA was not responsible?

Also, would this engine have been instead of the Gold Box engine?
 

Mortmal

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Um, yes, the Amiga could display more colours than the PC, that's a given. But that game uses static screens. Do you have an example of a game with a full-screen scrolling isometric engine from 1988?
Ultima V came out in 1988:
210360-ultima-v-warriors-of-destiny-dos-screenshot-the-famous-spooky.png
Theres more than color in drakhen, full 3D movement , interactive rooms and all..The amiga was the superior machine and i guess citadel could have been multiplatformwith more colors and better musics too.
As for full screen scrolling isometric engine i remember cadaver but thats 1990, close enough still:
 

Vernacular

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In it's heyday the Amiga ruled with an iron fist. Nothing could touch it. It was ahead both technically and it's library of sheer awesomeness.

It was also THE porn machine of choice. Dem pixels man... dem pixels....

Hungarian game development largely followed this model in the 90s: all promise, no fulfillment (the lack of reliable capital didn't help).

What games were being developed in Hungary? I'm actually really interested in this. Having originally been born in Budapest I'm kind of intrigued as I know zero about it, having ended up in Australia by this point.
 

mondblut

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What games were being developed in Hungary? I'm actually really interested in this. Having originally been born in Budapest I'm kind of intrigued as I know zero about it, having ended up in Australia by this point.

That, uh, Prisoner? Newcomer? whatever thingy laughing at Grimoire from the height of its own unrivaled vaporwareness.

A studio called Rainbow Arts, game about, uh, black sun (people aware of the subtleties surrounding Death In June, Coil and similar purveyors of shooting from behind might snicker here)...they could have given bioware a run for its money.

I'd play the alpha or whatever he has. And yeah, screenies do have a certain Knights of Legends vibe. Which means we were probably fortunate SSI ultimately stuck with the Goldbox engine.
 
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Vernacular

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Interesting. I wish I could brofist you guys, but yeah I'm either not seeing the button, or as is more likely, my account is still too new.
 

octavius

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What games were being developed in Hungary? I'm actually really interested in this. Having originally been born in Budapest I'm kind of intrigued as I know zero about it, having ended up in Australia by this point.

Abandoned Places 1+2, IIRC.
 

GarfunkeL

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Shadow Sorcerer? LOL, no, you don't.

Trust me, It's best appreciated from screenshots.
I remember being super excited about it, getting my hands on it finally, playing for 10 hours and then deleting the crap, never to touch it again.

Funnily enough, I can't remember WHAT was so bad about it, just that I was hugely disappointed.
 

:Flash:

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Theres more than color in drakhen, full 3D movement , interactive rooms and all..The amiga was the superior machine and i guess citadel could have been multiplatformwith more colors and better musics too.
I don't think anyone is doubting that the Amiga was the superior machine. Teut Weidemann even says in the blog post that developing this for the PC as a primary platform was an exception. Rainbow Arts and other German / European studios normally developed for Amiga / Atari ST. I think that is even part of why he thinks it's impressive. It's impressive for a PC game in 1988.

As for full screen scrolling isometric engine i remember cadaver but thats 1990, close enough still:

I see neither fullscreen nor scrolling in there. It is a limited viewport engine that switches between single screens.
 

Melan

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What games were being developed in Hungary? I'm actually really interested in this. Having originally been born in Budapest I'm kind of intrigued as I know zero about it, having ended up in Australia by this point.
Those already mentioned, and especially Newcomer. There was also Redshit's Off, which started out as a sprwaling Ishar-style dark fantasy epic, and ended up as mobile game. There was an RPG project that would have pioneered the high environmental interactivity of the Looking Glass games, only with sprites (e.g. you could set things on fire, which would spread or get contained; destroy terrain; those kinds of things). Plenty of adventure games. But I don't even remember most of the titles. It was long ago, my game magazines are at my parents', and the diskmags are long gone.

Mind you, a lot of adventure games actually got published: Time Astrologer, The New Wild West,The Revenge, and so on. They were graphically unimpressive but fairly sophisticated in plot and gameplay. Also, the infamous, primitive and lovable Scruffy Bum, a text game where you played a homeless guy harrassing random people in an underpass for their money, and having to drink booze and huff glue to avoid death. Classy!

However, it is telling that most of the successful games were made in the C64 period, which kept ambitions in check. With the Amiga and early PCs, it was easier to run against your limits. Games from that time which actually got published include Perihelion, Reunion (followed by the pajamas-in-space Imperium Galactica series), Abandoned Places I-II, Ecco the Dolphin and OneScapee. The big issue of the time was that at this crucial stage of development, there wasn't enough local capital and management skill to sustain a large development project, while westeren publishers were often looking for cheap sweatshop conditions, and didn't give local studios the funding, and creative control they allowed at home. I think Abandoned Places II was one typical case where arguments over money ended a project prematurely, and killed any further collaboration, but it apparently happened to a lot of projects. Even much later, promising RPG-like games, like Rebels: Prison Escape, a social stealth prison breakout thing; and The World of Chaos (based on a fantasy series that was Hungary's Witcher, kinda), ended up as horrid failures as development was scrapped halfway through, and rushed out in a crippled form thanks to publisher pressure.

Unfortunately, Hungarian game development has remained kinda shitty ever since; it is mostly shovelware, uninspired B-grade projects, and a lot of contract work as middlemen. Very little in the way of actual creative things, although I think that's partly because most of the talent goes into business software.
 

V_K

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Um, yes, the Amiga could display more colours than the PC, that's a given. But that game uses static screens. Do you have an example of a game with a full-screen scrolling isometric engine from 1988?
Ultima V came out in 1988:
It's not quite fair to compare a game that started development in 1988 to one released in 1988. Citadel would probably release closer to 1990 or 1991.
 

DavidBVal

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I had never head about it, thanks for sharing, OP.

Since we are in 1988/1989, any of you played Bloodwych?

Bloodwych_in-game_screenshot_%28MS-DOS%29.png


Even if it was mostly non-special in every way, I have very fond memories of the dual-screen cooperative mode.
 

Ladonna

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I played Bloodwych on the C64 then the Amiga (with data disk). Not bad for a lower grade dungeonmaster game. Had some nice spells too.

As for the OP, pity they didn't finish the game. It seems allowing a moron into the workplace, and starting a relationship with your best friends partner (best friend and business partner....) is not the most conducive action you can take when it comes to running a business.

I still don't understand how the all powerful 'moron' managed to take over the company. I suppose the 'moron' also used dark magic to make him jump upon his mates girlfriend.

Oh well, again, pity about the game.
 
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Um, yes, the Amiga could display more colours than the PC, that's a given. But that game uses static screens. Do you have an example of a game with a full-screen scrolling isometric engine from 1988?
Ultima V came out in 1988:
210360-ultima-v-warriors-of-destiny-dos-screenshot-the-famous-spooky.png

The Faery Tale Adventure? (yes, I keep bringing it up...)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Faery_Tale_Adventure:

The Faery Tale Adventure is a 1987 role-playing video game by MicroIllusions.
...
At the time of its release, the game featured the largest game world yet (over 17,000 computer screens) with no loadings.

nLlAq.png


9CjuzUM.gif


:avatard:
 

octavius

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I think I've never been so blown away by screenshots as I was by the ones I saw of Faery Tale Adventure.
Ah...to be young and inexperienced and easily impressed again...
 

Mortmal

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I had never head about it, thanks for sharing, OP.

Since we are in 1988/1989, any of you played Bloodwych?

Bloodwych_in-game_screenshot_%28MS-DOS%29.png


Even if it was mostly non-special in every way, I have very fond memories of the dual-screen cooperative mode.

Dungeon master clones were not so numerous back then , and yes i remember trying it in coop, it was the first coop rpg i could remmber , that option only makes the game special.Pretty good crawler and quite forgotten.


I think I've never been so blown away by screenshots as I was by the ones I saw of Faery Tale Adventure.
Ah...to be young and inexperienced and easily impressed again...
Same here, the next time it happened it was for ultima 7.


If you all remember faery tales adventure , maybe do you remember times of lore too ? i still have the box for the C64 , very nice artwork on it.CRPG addict dont rate it highly yet i had lot of fun on it back then and it had really good graphics for its time ,1988 as well.


box_front.jpg



Amiga version is of course the best:

 

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