Cosmic Frontier: Override is on Kickstarter

_Em

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cosmicfrontier/cosmic-frontier-override

From the creators of Escape Velocity and Escape Velocity: Override (minus the engine designer Matt Burch) we (potentially) have a new game!

The concept is kind of neat. Since Ambrosia closed its doors, EV and EVO copyrights have reverted to their creators, who in this case is the developers and engine designer Matt Burch. Matt's fine with the project as long as it gets a new name (hence the new name), and it will have a new cross-platform engine (Kestrel) that will be open sourced once this first game is released.

The goal is to make the game compatible with the original plugins (scenarios, ships, stations, weapons, etc), plus have a game modding layer, plus a core gameplay modding layer, plus the engine itself.

The Kickstarter currently has 12 days left to get from £28,107.05 to £36,500 raised. They're doing an "all or nothing" which means this may not go any further if they don't get the rest of their backing. Which would be a shame.

I for one would love to see this bit of history revived; EV was one of my first forays into serious game modding.

jetboy

_Em wrote:
I for one would love to see this bit of history revived; EV was one of my first forays into serious game modding.

Thanks for sharing. Yep... EV was awesome! Good old forklift cannon ;)

menace690

One of my fav games of all time.

for those that don't know:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/404410/Endless_Sky/

https://github.com/dmaulikr/OpenNova

Also: Oddly enough, i'd love to back the game but it wont let me. Options greyed out. I paid to keep captain hector off my ass once, ill do it again

Squishy Tia

I'd kill for EV: Override's Babylon 5 plugin to work with Nova. It made the game so much fun. Shame Ambrosia Software went belly up because the authors didn't give a wiggle about their products.

But what I'd really kill for is Ferazel's Wand in OS X. But it'd require a rewrite of the HID code as the original game in OS 9 used InputSprockets (loved by end users, hated by programmers because it was janky ass shit that predated standardized HID).

As for Endless Sky, sadly it isn't really compatible with controllers (yet). I can't do the old keyboard style play anymore. Too much RSI. But remapping the combat controls to the controller would be lovely. Unfortunately it won't even see any DirectInput controllers even with Steam's controller compatibility modes.

mossy_11

Squishy Tia wrote:
But what I'd really kill for is Ferazel's Wand in OS X. But it'd require a rewrite of the HID code as the original game in OS 9 used InputSprockets (loved by end users, hated by programmers because it was janky ass shit that predated standardized HID).

That could happen. Ben Spees owns the rights to it and has suggested from time to time that he'd like to do put it (or a remake/sequel) on modern systems. His company 5 Elements even made a Ferazel website.

Richard Bannister

For what it's worth, if there are any other classic Mac games you'd like to see reimagined speak up – I've been working on a whole series of them lately.

Details here:
https://www.bannister.org/software/

menace690

Squishy Tia

Heh. I guess I'll keep an eye on that website from time to time. Ambrosia Software had good games, just really shitty implementation and a piss poor user experience with licenses that kept expiring for no good reason. I think the only company I hated for licenses as much as I did Ambrosia was Little Wing, and that would have been far less of an issue had they actually supported their games better (LWP).

A Ferazel's Wand port on a modern OS (preferrably Windows at this point as Apple's direction is driving devs away in droves) would be an instant "take my money" scenario.

Richard Bannister wrote:
For what it's worth, if there are any other classic Mac games you'd like to see reimagined speak up – I've been working on a whole series of them lately.

Details here:
https://www.bannister.org/software/

Thexder comes to mind. ;)

Richard Bannister

We'll see.

At this stage I'm up to sixteen remakes, including five of the eighties titles that Ambrosia popularised as Apeiron, Barrack, Bubble Trouble, Chiral, and Maelstrom.

I have a vague idea that I'd like to get to twenty, though now that I'm back in full time employment my development time is effectively limited to weekends only.

Squishy Tia

Heh. Unlike my younger 8-bit self, I don't demand timelines for anything these days. Besides, if you aren't enjoying what you're doing, you get a lesser product in the end, so things like that get done as they can.

Besides, I've got my hands full helping my dentist get his new server set up for OS + RAID (he still doesn't get why having the OS on the RAID is a bad idea). Thankfully his network switchover went without a single hitch. Setting everything up identically to the existing network wasn't the easiest route for me, but it meant that I could literally just unplug the cables from his crappy old Cisco 100 Mbit/sec VPN router into the new TP-Link + switch combo and the whole thing "just worked". You know, like Macs used to. :P

Here's hoping your new job works out for you. :)

Richard Bannister

Looks like my target of twenty is going to happen after all. Number nineteen went live this morning, and the final planned entry in the series has reached first playable state.

I've already started adding additional polish to the earlier projects; my current focus is eighties-style cheat codes with references to current affairs and popular culture. The next release of Fascinating Fruit will have at least a dozen fun things you can type that impact the game – among those implemented thus far are "DRFAUCI", "FIVEADAY", and "RIDDIKULUS" :)

Check out https://www.retrogamesformac.com/ for more details, and please do support me if you can.

menace690

If you ever feel like getting even more retro.. I have a few requests (apple II-IIGS era)

Zany golf
Conan
Floppy (still may be the game that i have the most hours in my life)
Lode Runner
Thexder

.. I feeling tlike the games you picked are simpler in the design aspect.. no levels for the most part.. but an idea for sure.

Richard Bannister

And here we go:

https://www.retrogamesformac.com/

menace690

As always, purchased and supported.

Richard Bannister

Thank you for your support, I really appreciate it.

menace690

And honestly, we appreciate you.. you made the mac a viable emulation machine for at least a decade. OS and processor changes aside, you stuck with us. I owe you many a beer and rollercoaster ride. :)

Richard Bannister

menace690 wrote:
And honestly, we appreciate you.. you made the mac a viable emulation machine for at least a decade. OS and processor changes aside, you stuck with us. I owe you many a beer and rollercoaster ride. :)

Maybe I'll get to do both again some day.... damn COVID....

Richard Bannister

menace690 wrote:

Zany golf
Conan
Floppy (still may be the game that i have the most hours in my life)
Lode Runner
Thexder

I have had a look at some of these suggestions. Watch this space :)

Games 21-23 are live:

https://www.retrogamesformac.com/

Richard Bannister

Apropos of nothing:

https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/chicken-rocks/id1548187872?mt=12

menace690

What!!!!! Thank you.. god i owe you a day of rollercoasters