#the 3do company

[retrocgads]

UK 1998

[waterkirby--64]

WaterKirby__64's Video Game Hall of Fame:

Portal Runner

[numberxxisora]

Today, we play a couple innings of baseball and see how well we can smack the air around.

[vgadvisor]

[wojakgallery]

Title/Name: Heroes of Might & Magic 3 Known As: Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia (commonly referred to as Heroes of Might & Magic 3, or Heroes 3, or abbreviated HoMM 3) is a turn-based strategy game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing originally released for Microsoft Windows by The 3DO Company in 1999. Its ports to several computer and console systems followed in 1999–2000. It is the third installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series. Country: USA. Wojak Series:  Withered (Variants), Bloomer (Variant). Images by: https://vk.com/repouiii Main Tag: Heroes 3 Wojak

[ui-alcoholic]

Panasonic FS-A1GT (1992)

The Panasonic FS-A1GT MSX turbo R is the last MSX computer ever produced and follows the latest standard for the MSX line.

Originally, in 1990, Yamaha and ASCII announced the V9978 Video Display Processor, the video chip for the MSX3. It was a very capable video IC, with two different sets of video modes. In bitmap modes, it was capable of up to 768 x 240 resolution (up to 768 x 480 in interlace mode), up to 32,768 colors, superposition, hardware scrolling, and even a hardware cursor for Windows-like operating systems. However, the most impressive feature of these modes was the use of a fast hardware bitblock data mover. The MSX2 video IC was also equipped with a hardware bit mover, but the new one would be 20 times faster!

In pattern mode, it was able to use SNES class features. Multiple layers, 16k patterns, different palettes, 128 sprites, maximum 16 sprites per scanline. So basically an SNES but without mode7. However, something went wrong and the project was cancelled. Probably because of the great interest in marketing MSX machines and the growing interest in game consoles and powerful PC-like computers (mainly for word processing purposes), companies were less enthusiastic about making a new MSX machine. MSX's biggest software supporters defected to Nintendo and other computers/gaming machines. Sony chose to make their own game console.

Instead came the MSX Turbo-R, a supercharged MSX2+. Some people say that ASCII failed to deliver the new VDP in time for the 1990 release, so they only opted for the new CPU (named R800). However, the specifications and pinout of the V9978 were in some data books of the era.

Panasonic was the only company to manufacture and market MSX turbo R computers, and they were only sold in Japan. Several machines were imported to Europe via gray market imports.

The FS-A1ST was the first and was succeeded by the FS-A1GT, which had more RAM and MIDI IN and OUT.

After these two machines, it ended when Panasonic moved to their 3DO game console.

Detailed Specifications

CPU R800 (DAR800-X0G), with 28.63630 MHz external clock and 16-bit ALU.

CPU Z80A 3.579545MHz compatible (included in the MSX-Engine)

256kB of main RAM (can be natively expanded to 512kB internally)

16kB SRAM for backup (used internally)

32kB BASIC/BIOS ROM and 32kB sub-ROM

TC8566AF disk controller

3.5" double sided double density (720kB) disk drive

S1990 MSX Bus-controller

T9769C MSX-ENGINE (also contains Z80A & AY-3-8910)

MSX-JE (a simple Kanji input interface)

Kanji-ROM with approx. 32000 characters

MSX-Music (Yamaha YM-2413 OPLL)

DAC to PCM 8-bit sample rate up to 16kHz

Internal microphone for the PCM unit

More info: https://www.msx.org/wiki/Panasonic_FS-A1ST

[selene-lunette]

Fumito Ueda's interview from the 5th issue of PSM (July/August 2024)

Interview done by John Kaminari for PlayStation Magazine (Italy). I translated it to the best of my abilities.

He who transformed video games into art. "PSM" had the great opportunity to interview Fumito Ueda exclusively, after a silence that lasted many years.

There are giants (colossi) of the video gaming industry who mass-produce games merely to fill a schedule increasingly saturated with cookie-cutter products, and then there are small giants (colossi) like Fumito Ueda who, with only three games under his belt, developed for Sony Computer Entertainment, can undoubtedly be considered among the most talented and innovative game creators of all time. After leaving Japan Studio, Fumito Ueda founded the independent studio genDESIGN which, in the upcoming months, will present us with something that could rewrite the rules of video games yet again, and make our favorite hobby even more similar to a work of art of inestimable value. When we interviewed him he spoke to us about him as a gamer, as a game designer, as an artist and as a person. And he told us many anecdotes that make us understand the reason for some of his choices along his path, even painful ones. Because Fumito Ueda isn't a game designer... he is an artist who makes video games.

When did your "first contact" with video games happen? I think it occured with Block Kuzushi or Space Invaders. I remember playing both around the same time. Back then my parents ran a café and they had these two arcade video games there. However, I only remember playing them a few times.

What was your first experience in the video game industry? I was a computer graphics animator at Warp Co., Ltd.. Before that I had an experience in the creation of computer graphics at a movie company, but that was my first time working on a video game. My first experience with Warp Co., Ltd. involved the movement of the main character Laura in the CG sequence added in the 3DO version of D's Dining Table Director's Cut. However, it consisted of only a few cuts. I later became the main CG animator for Enemy Zero.

What prompted you to start working as a game designer? The reason I left Warp Co., Ltd. was due to the fact I wanted to create works that I had designed myself. I was lucky enough to be able to do this at Sony Computer Entertainment (Sce) and I was assigned the role of game designer and game director.

Did you know from the beginning that you wanted to become a game designer or did you want to take up another career? When I was in college I wanted to become a contemporary artist. The reason I got into the video game industry was primarily to a earn a living. Obviously I loved video games and I was what everyone today would call an "otaku", but back then I wouldn't have thought of making it my career.

Simply put, what kind of person is Fumito Ueda? I'm someone who can't help but feel anxious if I'm not constantly creating, even if it's something small.

How did you get involved with Japan Studio? After leaving Warp Co., Ltd., I had started developing Ico as an independent production, but I was worried because I didn't have enough money. In 1996, while I was looking for a job as a freelance CG artist, I turned to Sony Computer Entertainment. At first I approached Sce with the intention of simply helping out with the CG production for their games, but I was asked if I wanted to continue developing Ico with them, no longer as an independent production but as an internal Sce project. I jumped at this opportunity and a production team was formed. Ico was completed in 2001.

How did the idea of Ico come about? The idea was to create an heroic fantasy game similar in setting to Resident Evil, which had just been released in that period and which adopted a fixed camera system. Furthermore, at the time, I wondered if it would've been possible to feature NPCs' animations (non-playable characters) using an artificial intelligence, like in Ganbare Morikawa-kun No. 2, Hello Pac-Man and Wonder Project J', which I personally liked a lot. Eventually Ico was born.

I think Shadow of the Colossus is the most pioneering game ever made. Can you tell us an anecdote about your production process? While producing the game, I imagined that the henkei collision technique would become common in future action video games. And this was precisely my strongest motivation: to reach the goal faster than anyone else.

[There's a little section explaining the henkei collision technique] What is the "henkei collision"? In Shadow of the Colossus the playable character Wander is able to cling to the bodies of gigantic bosses, which made the interaction with the colossal enemy very "intense" and required a very different method of management and control compared to other video games. In English the term could be translated to "deforming collision".

I heard that the development of The Last Guardian was long and difficult. Without giving too much away, could you tell us what happened during that time? The game development engineers wanted to create something overly sophisticated. Using those various technologies was very difficult (like Ico's hand-holding or the deforming collision from Shadow of the Colossus). I think there hasn't been much investment in the foundations that support that advanced engineering; on the contrary, they were rather neglected and the company management did not fully understand the importance of issues of this caliber.

What impact did the 2011 Fukushima tragedy have on Fumito Ueda's sensitivity as an artist? Immediately after the earthquake I couldn't help but feel a decline in power in the entertainment world... and I'm not just talking about video games. However, I felt that my mission was to continue to fulfill my role and in fact I continued to create. Regardless of the type of "unpredictable" difficulties that one may encounter in life, such as the Coronavirus for example, people adapt to the changing environment and little by little this becomes everyday life again. It is something very precious for us living beings, but also a little scary I would say.

What are your sources of inspiration outside of the video game industry? Are there any artists you particularly admire? I think there has been strong video games influences, but I'm convinced that movies, especially anime, have also greatly influenced my works. Not only by legendary Japanese animators, such as Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki and Yasuo Otsuka, but also by manga and anime artists, both national and international, such as Moebius, Katsuhiro Otomo, Paul Grimault and René Laloux.

Thinking back to the games you created, I can imagine that you have a great appreciation for European art and architecture. Do you also like Italy? I actually don't have much knowledge of European architecture, but I like Italy. I also really appreciate Italian food and have been riding a Vespa for about 35 years. I went to Rome once while I was a member of Warp in 1995 and I visited yet again in 2017.

What do you think is more important to be successful in the video game industry today: money or ideas? Ideas are a means to solve most problems, not just economic ones; I'm speaking in general, not just referring to the world of video games.

What games have you enjoyed in recent years? They are not exactly new releases, but some time ago I was very engaged in Humanity and PowerWash Simulator. The first game embodies the charm of programming, while the second is a game that extracts the principle of pleasure hidden in everyday life.

[Two of his top 3 were also added]

TOP 3: Fumito Ueda's favorite places in Tōkyō 1) Tōkyō Gate Bridge - Reiwa Island 2) Tōkyō's Museum of Contemporary Art 3) Daikanyama Tsutaya Books

TOP 3: best video games of all time according to Fumito Ueda 1) Prince of Persia (1989) 2) Virtua Fighter (1993) 3) Half-Life 2 (2004)

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Saturn - Creature Shock

Title: Creature Shock / クリ���チャーショック

Developer: Argonaut Software / Interactive Studios

Publisher: Data East

Release date: 19 January 1996

Catalogue No.: T-1303G

Genre: FMV Shooting

It's no wonder Data East ended up with financial problems releasing crap like this. Again, another Japanese company has released some Western poop in Japan, and again the question "WHY?" must be asked. Developed by the British company Argonaut Software of Star Fox fame, Creature Shock was originally a PC game, and it shows when you see it on the Saturn (it was also released on the 3DO, Philips CD-i, and Sony PlayStation). The game is basically a poor-looking CG video with sprites overlaid on it that you must blow away. Why anyone would want to play this over the likes of Virtua Cop 1 and 2 or even Henry Explorers (Crypt Killers) is beyond me.

[xinfinityl0ve17]

By Mana-sama

Nostalgic Game Inferno

The Xbox, which I will be discussing this time, made a striking impression with its beautiful, green-glowing icon that was visible beyond the earth sliced by an "X."

When the announcement of a new hardware invasion from America came i was excited back in 2002. At the time of the Xbox's arrival, the gaming market had seen Sega's Dreamcast defeated, while Nintendo's N64 and GameCube were struggling. The market had become a stronghold for Sony, led by the PS2.

Speaking of the PS2, it had a significant advantage with its DVD playback function. Even though the DVD market wasn’t established yet, the ability to play games and watch DVDs was quite impressive… Sony’s strategy was ahead of its time. Then, Microsoft which had dominated the global PC market launched an attack on the firmly established PS2 empire from across the sea! "Microsoft's game entry with immense wealth. They must be a terrifying enemy for Sony," I shivered at the thought.

The reason I felt this way was due to my encounter with the "ATARI 2600" from the American company Atari. I recall when I was still a young child. At a time when even the Famicom hadn’t been born yet I was familiar with games through a system at toy stores where I could play for a few minutes by inserting 50 yen. Despite being in such an era, the price of the ATARI 2600 was around 60,000 yen. It was an astonishingly expensive item for a child, and of course, I couldn’t get one. In the midst of this, the infamous "Atari Shock" occurred leading to Atari's downfall! This created a dark history in the gaming market with its collapse.

Now, back to the Xbox's invasion of Japan. The advertising campaign was tremendous. Leading up to its release, Shibuya was dyed in Xbox colors, creating a huge buzz! My first encounter with the actual Xbox was during an interview with Famitsu about the Xbox. I visited the Famitsu editorial department to be interviewed and got to see the console before its release!

As a result, the first American attempt at entering Japan ended in failure. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the first attempt, but let’s leave it at that for now.Then, in 2002, a time leap occurred, marking the start of America’s third attempt at entering Japan with the black ship Xbox.

Why is it the third attempt? Because the 3DO, which I love dearly and discussed in the first installment of this series, attempted its second entry in 1994. Some might think it’s a Japanese-made game console since it was released by Matsushita Electric Industrial in Japan, but in reality, the 3DO is American-made. Japanese companies had licensing agreements with the "3DO standard."

Now, getting a bit sidetracked—my first impression of that black, square object was striking. It felt substantial, and a line forming an X ran across the middle. Inside it was a semi-transparent green dome of the Xbox, which gave it a presence that made me think, "This is really cool!" and I couldn’t help but shout that in my heart.

The only disappointment was that the green dome didn’t light up. If it had lit up, it would have been perfect. That said, the original Xbox is one of my favorite consoles.

[dungeonsynthguide]

Gene Rozenberg Meridian 59 (1996) Soundtrack for the 1996 MMORPG, developed by Archetype Interactive and published by The 3DO Company.

[retrocgads]

USA 1997

[lesvegas]

Did you know 3DO released a console back in the day that was also 700 fucking dollars when calculating for inflation? Did you also know it- yeah of course you know it flopped because you've never even heard of it. Also 3DO doesn't even exist anymore. They went bankrupt in 2003. Not because of their shitty console, no, but because they decided to make like 5 shitty Army Men games a year instead of 1 good one every 2 years. The only reason I even know they existed is because a game that came out a year after they went under credited them because they did technically develop parts of it before someone else bought the IP and finished the game for them. It was also the last Army Men game ever made. Sorry this was supposed to be an enraged post about the price of the PS5 and how it reminded me of a much dumber game dev company but the Army Men autism took over.

[tetley1173-igb220-blog]

What is this blog about?

By Shannon Tetley

I'm creating this blog to document my journey learning game design and it will be submitted as part of my assessment for the class IGB-220 taught at the Queensland University of Technology. It's my aim to create an interesting record of my learning and to share what I learn with others in an informal yet professional manner.

Why am I studying game design?

Well, I'm actually studying for a bachelor in IT believe it or not. My major and passion is in computer science and I'm studying minors in mobile/cloud applications and user experience. I'm learning game design for the purpose of gamifying mobile apps but that's just the academic reasoning. I've loved video games from a young age and have dreamed of making them for a living since I was a teenager. I chose to study computer science for job security and only discovered my passion for it after beginning my studies. Studying game design for my user experience minor was a happy accident but due to my interest I have embraced it enthusiastically.

How did I become obsessed with video games?

I became interested in them by watching other people play them from a young age. I've always had an active imagination and a lust for adventure. I enjoyed playing make believe and video games are a natural extension of that for me. There's nothing more fun to me than to be immersed in a fictional world were you can explore and act out fantasies.

I don't remember the first game that I ever payed but I do remember being frustrated when I had to stop playing other peoples games when I had to go home from a friend or families house. Eight year old me was determined to get hold of my own games, so when my parents gave me the option of pocket money or a PlayStation for Christmas I gave up the pocket money 😂.

Army Men: Air Attack developed by The 3DO Company

My first game was Army Men: Air Attack published by 3DO. I loved this game because I got to play with army men that could actually shoot! I loved the light-hearted and comical story of this game but it was all about the action for me. From that point, I collected games over the years and even swapped consoles with friends, including an N64 which introduced me to the world of Nintendo. In Lecture 1; Fundamentals of Game Design (Conroy), we discussed how culture naturally forms around games and play. This resonated with me, given my own experiences, sharing and playing video games with friends. My friends and I have incidentally formed a unique culture of our own which stemmed from our mutual ownership and playing of games throughout our lives.

What kind of gamer am I?

While studying in my first week of game design I came across a concept I found interesting written by Richard A. Bartle (Bateman, Step 4). Professor Bartle talks about the four main types of player, from the point of view of a game designer.

My interpretation of the four gamer types are:

Achiever - That friend who brags about getting 100% in every game they get their hands on.

Explorer - They love to learn the lore of the world and discover all the cool things in the game world.

Socialiser - Plays the game to hang out with friends or to meet new people. Often found hanging out at the grand exchange in their favourite MMO.

Killer - They're those SOBs that hang out on your ship spawn killing you in Sea of Thieves! Yes I'm still salty about that 😠, they didn't even take my loot 😂.

Metroid Prime developed by Retro Studios

I can safely say that I'm an explorer. The first game I ever got truly obsessed with was Metroid Prime developed by Retro Studios. To me, Metroid was about exploring an abandoned and corrupted alien world. I got hooked on finding all the lore walls to piece together the story about why the world was corrupted and to find out what happened to the mysterious Chozo who left behind such beautiful and intriguing ruins.

What do I hope to get out of game design?

My dream is to write backend code for games and to have the skills to turn boring old phone apps into more enjoyable experiences. Even if that dream doesn’t pan-out, this class will be a valuable opportunity to learn design practices which I wouldn’t normally learn in my more technical computer science degree.

Gaming has always been an integral part of my life. I’ve always been subconsciously aware of the culture my friends and I formed and I internally knew what kind of gamer I was – I just never had the vocabulary to describe it. Just one lecture of Fundamentals of Game Design, has prompted me to critically reflect on why my experiences playing games have been positive ones and making these links has shown me how I can tie academia to my game design.

So far, the theoretical concepts I’ve been introduced to have been very insightful and have inspired me to apply these theories to my own game design. I hope this class will continue to open my eyes to the concepts which make good games so enjoyable.

References:

Conroy, David. “Fundamentals of Game Design Lecture 1.” IGB-220 Fundamentals of Game Design, 25/7/2023, Queensland University of Technology, Online. Lecture.

Bateman, Chris. Beyond Game Design : Nine Steps Towards Creating Better Videogames, Course Technology, 2009. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/detail.action?docID=3136230.

[jedwardsmedia1970]

Army Men Video Game Ad

Army Men is a series of video games originally developed by The 3DO Company and then by Global Star Software. It is based on various conflicts between four kinds of plastic army men, distinguished by their color: the Green, the Tan, the Blue, and the Grey. Two other factions, the Red and the Orange, as well as a much smaller army, the Black, also contribute to the story. Two additional factions, the Galactic Army and the Alien Army, were introduced in Army Men: Toys in Space.

[digicloudm]

3DOS launches decentralized global 3D-printing service on Sui

Decentralized manufacturing network 3DOS recently launched its peer-to-peer 3D printing network on the Sui blockchain. 3DOS, a company that dubs itself the “Uber for 3D-printing,” announced the launch on Sept. 12. According to the company, it now boasts 79,909 3D printers in its ecosystem in more than 120 countries.  A heat map of 3DOS’s decentralized infrastructure. Source: 3DOS Decentralized…

[alln64games]

BattleTanx

NA release: 29th December 1998

JP release: N/A

PAL release: N/A

Developer: The 3DO Company

Publisher: The 3DO Company

N64 Magazine Score: 74%

In the future year of 2001, a virus will ravage the Earth and have a 98% death rate amongst “females”. The governments of the world tried to create “quarantine zones” to protect the “females”. The men of the world aren’t happy and civil wars break out, eventually some people get their hands on nuke and a nuclear war started.

After the dust settles, there are millions of men but only 50,000 “females” (the game keeps using that one term and I found it odd). Without the guidance of women, men have reverted to tribal instincts and have formed gangs. Thankfully, there are hundreds and hundreds of working tanks for them all to use. One man, Griffin, is trying to make it to the quarantine zone in order to find his wife.

BattleTanx is an over-the-top arcade-style tank game. While the plot is presented in a serious manner, the gameplay itself is silly and fun. It’s mainly focused on multiplayer, but there’s still a campaign to work through, using a mixture of modes. You get to control one of two types of tank. The BattleTanx is the main tank, but in some stages you also get to defend your base using a tank attached to a rail.

I was initially annoyed that I couldn’t aim my tank’s cannon while the AI could, but I found out (a bit too late) that different control methods did allow this to happen.

Two of the modes you’ll encounter are quite straightforward: either kill all enemy tanks or get to the end of the level. Another has you using the rail tank to defend against waves of enemies. The better you do, the more tanks you’ll have on your side in the next level.

The maps themselves are nicely detailed and manage to look distinct from each other (even if some things, like the lights in Vegas working, make no sense). The buildings are destructible and can even form new paths. There are power-ups, health and weapons to find amongst the rubble, too.

The main mode is essentially “capture the flag”, with “Queen Lords” (a female that each gang has) instead of flags. You need to blow up the enemy bases, kidnap the woman and return her to your base. The game says you’re “rescuing” them, but it semes dubious.

While the serious story and the “Queen Lord” part are a bit strange, especially as they’re mainly done to justify the gameplay, it’s a really fun multiplayer game. I do find it odd that this was never released in Europe – N64 Mag expected it to come out in March 1999, so there were definitely plans to do so.

It’s good, unfussy fun, mind, and with the story becoming ever more ludicrous as you progress, you’ll find, despite being able to complete the game in a day, you won’t be able to hate Battletanx. Instead, you’ll wish that there was a bit more to it.

- Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #26

NA release: 29th December 1998

JP release: N/A

PAL release: N/A

Developer: The 3DO Company

Publisher: The 3DO Company

N64 Magazine Score: 74%

In the future year of 2001, a virus will ravage the Earth and have a 98% death rate amongst “females”. The governments of the world tried to create “quarantine zones” to protect the “females”. The men of the world aren’t happy and civil wars break out, eventually some people get their hands on nuke and a nuclear war started.

BattleTanx is an over-the-top arcade-style tank game. While the plot is presented in a serious manner, the gameplay itself is silly and fun. It’s mainly focused on multiplayer, but there’s still a campaign to work through, using a mixture of modes. You get to control one of two types of tank. The BattleTanx is the main tank, but in some stages you also get to defend your base using a tank attached to a rail.

https://djcube.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/tanx-009.jpg

Two of the modes you’ll encounter are quite straightforward: either kill all enemy tanks or get to the end of the level. Another has you using the rail tank to defend against waves of enemies. The better you do, the more tanks you’ll have on your side in the next level.

The main mode is essentially “capture the flag”, with “Queen Lords” (a female that each gang has) instead of flags. You need to blow up the enemy bases, kidnap the woman and return her to your base. The game says you’re “rescuing” them, but it semes dubious.

While the serious story and the “Queen Lord” part are a bit strange, especially as they’re mainly done to justify the gameplay, it’s a really fun multiplayer game. I do find it odd that this was never released in Europe – N64 Mag expected it to come out in March 1999, so there were definitely plans to do so.

It’s good, unfussy fun, mind, and with the story becoming ever more ludicrous as you progress, you’ll find, despite being able to complete the game in a day, you won’t be able to hate Battletanx. Instead, you’ll wish that there was a bit more to it.

Remake or remaster?

A remastered collection of both games would be nice, especially as the game would benefit from an online mode.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to play BattleTanx