Nightfall (video game)

Last updated
Nightfall
Nightfall computer game cover.jpg
Developer(s) Altor Systems
Publisher(s) Altor Systems
Platform(s) Mac OS 7,8,9 - PowerPC
Release1999
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Nightfall is an American computer game released in 1999 by Altor Systems, Inc. Although claimed to be the first real-time 3D first person adventure game, [1] there are earlier examples of 3D first person adventure games, however, such as Total Eclipse, released in 1988. It employs a three dimensional world and sprites for objects such as vases and rats, as well as true 3D objects such as blocks and statues. Essentially, the gameplay is a combination of 3D first-person shooters such as Doom , the gameplay found in Myst, with some additional elements.

Contents

Gameplay

The gameplay hand based interface is detailed in a Game Developers Conference paper [2] that compares Unreal, Quake, Trespasser, Tomb Raider, Myst, and Nightfall styles of interaction. Gameplay is also described in the reviews listed in the Reception section.

Players can move and turn using arrow keys, but can also point and click via the mouse pointer (symbolized as a hand icon) to move or turn. In addition, the hand provides a means to grab 3D or sprite objects in the view, move them closer or further away, re-arranging objects on top or underneath each other, and drag/dropping them onto a user satchel icon. The objects act according to game physics – i.e. dragging an object next to another pushes the other object along if it's lightweight, or restricts the ability to move the grasped object if the other impacted object is heavy. In a novel interface behavior, if the grasped object is immobile, the user location is moved – a bit like grasping a protrusion and climbing or swinging from it.

The game can be completed by solving the puzzles, or in some cases utilizing alternative means to bypass puzzles such as climbing, throwing objects to trigger remote locations, or finding alternative routes to the objective. This solves a problem with Myst's gameplay – that some puzzles cannot be solved, so gameplay cannot proceed as the player is "stuck". In the case of Myst, a workaround is that the player obtains the solution from elsewhere – e.g. friends, hint books or websites, breaking out of the game. While playing Nightfall, alternative solutions can be found within the game itself.

The user can alternate between a first person 3D view of the world, and a top down map based view of the world. The map dynamically refreshes to show the areas the user has visited or can see, much as games like Marathon do. In addition, the map coloring changes relative to the users altitude, so they can see if rooms are above or below them, or if they are falling or rising.

A plot-line is also revealed through notes located through the levels. This reveals the experiences of another person who traversed the complex at some earlier date. The fourteenth levels also has notes revealing a hidden purpose to the complex.

Plot

The player takes the role of an archaeologist exploring an ancient Egyptian tomb for a wonderful secret. Unfortunately, an earthquake occurs, sealing the entrance with rubble. Rather than waiting to be rescued, the archaeologist decides to explore the tomb for another exit and the treasure he was searching for.

The game is patterned after the journey of Ra through the underworld in Egyptian myth. After the game's first level, which serves as an entrance to the underworld, there are twelve levels corresponding to the twelve hours of Ra's journey. Many of the game's puzzles are based on the actions of Ra in the underworld. From the thirteenth level it is possible to escape the tomb and thus win the game. However, there is also a fourteenth "secret" level, which can be accessed from the thirteenth, and which leads to an alternative ending.

Development and technology

The game was developed by Altor Systems, a company founded in 1995. [3] The engine was custom written for the game. [4] [5] The 3D Engine List site [6] lists attributes of the engine, which contribute to the appearance and gameplay. These include "Volumetric real-time light model", "Dynamic depth cued colored fog and dust', 'Physics model for collision, gravity, and object stacking", and a 'VR hand to select and pick up objects during game play or editing'. The game had both hardware 3D and software rendering support.

Both the Altor Web Site and the 3D Engine List give details of the ability to customize the game. A game editor was shipped with the game, and code could be written via a "Plug-in DLL architecture with source code".

Reception

Mac Gamers Ledge gave it 5/5 [9] and states that 'Nightfall has breathed new life into the adventure genre by truly allowing you to explore a vast and interesting new world. You are no longer confined to a few preset paths but can instead go where you choose to.'

Just Adventure gave the game a rating of B+, "a bit below a perfect score, just for what I felt was a redundancy on the design of the levels and some puzzles", [10] with music, sound and puzzles receiving the highest praise. On a technical note, the reviewer states 'Nightfall was designed using a first-person engine, and it was designed from scratch, a feat involving writing two million lines of code, which should get an A even though we don't give scores for programming!'.

A MacObserver article gave it a 'Pretty Cool' [11] rating, and it received a 'gold star' [12] from Four Fat Chicks.

Legacy

The game is only compatible with Apple computers which use the Mac OS running on PowerPC processors, and it was not ported to other operating systems.

While not directly related, other 3D adventures such as realMyst followed, and some of the gameplay mechanics were similar to those in Nightfall. A review of realMyst compared its freedom of motion to 'Altor Systems with their ahead-of-its-time game, Nightfall'. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Starship Titanic</i> 1998 video game

Starship Titanic is an adventure game developed by The Digital Village and published by Simon & Schuster Interactive. It was released in April 1998 for Microsoft Windows and in March 1999 for Apple Macintosh. The game takes place on the eponymous starship, which the player is tasked with repairing by locating the missing parts of its control system. The gameplay involves solving puzzles and speaking with the bots inside the ship. The game features a text parser similar to those of text adventure games with which the player can talk with characters.

<i>Myst</i> 1993 video game

Myst is an adventure video game designed by Rand and Robyn Miller. It was developed by Cyan, Inc., published by Broderbund, and first released in 1993 for the Macintosh. In the game, the player travels via a special book to a mysterious island called Myst. The player interacts with objects and traverses the environment by clicking on pre-rendered imagery. Solving puzzles allows the player to travel to other worlds ("Ages"), which reveal the backstory of the game's characters and help the player make the choice of whom to aid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video game remake</span> Closely adapted game

A video game remake is a video game closely adapted from an earlier title, usually for the purpose of modernizing a game with updated graphics for newer hardware and gameplay for contemporary audiences. Typically, a remake of such game software shares essentially the same title, fundamental gameplay concepts, and core story elements of the original game, although some aspects of the original game may have been changed for the remake.

A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebases for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines, all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer". A game programmer should not be confused with a game designer, who works on game design.

<i>Riven</i> 1997 video game

Riven: The Sequel to Myst is a puzzle adventure video game, the second in the Myst series of games. Developed by Cyan Worlds, it was initially published by Red Orb Entertainment, a division of Broderbund. Riven was distributed on five compact discs and released for Mac and Windows personal computers on October 31, 1997, in North America; it was later released on a single DVD-ROM in 1998. Riven was also ported to several other platforms. The story of Riven is set after the events of Myst. Having been rescued from the efforts of his sons, Atrus enlists the help of the player character to free his wife from his power-hungry father, Gehn. Riven takes place almost entirely on the Age of Riven, a world slowly falling apart due to Gehn's destructive rule.

<i>Pathways into Darkness</i> 1993 video game

Pathways into Darkness is a first-person shooter adventure video game developed and published by Bungie in 1993, for Macintosh personal computers. Players assume the role of a Special Forces soldier who must stop a powerful, godlike being from awakening and destroying the world. Players solve puzzles and defeat enemies to unlock parts of a pyramid where the god sleeps; the game's ending changes depending on player actions.

<i>Uru: Ages Beyond Myst</i> 2003 video game

Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is an adventure video game developed by Cyan Worlds and published by Ubisoft. Released in 2003, the title is the fourth game in the Myst canon. Departing from previous games of the franchise, Uru takes place in the modern era and allows players to customize their onscreen avatars. Players use their avatars to explore the abandoned city of an ancient race known as the D'ni, uncover story clues and solve puzzles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyan Worlds</span> American video game developer

Cyan, Inc., also known as Cyan Worlds, Inc., is an American video game developer and publisher based in Mead, Washington. Founded as Cyan Productions by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller in 1987, the company created the Myst series.

<i>Myst IV: Revelation</i> Adventure video game in the Myst series by Ubisoft

Myst IV: Revelation is a 2004 adventure video game, the fourth installment in the Myst series, developed and published by Ubisoft. Like Myst III: Exile, Revelation combines pre-rendered graphics with digital video, but also features real-time 3D effects for added realism. The plot of Revelation follows up on plot details from the original Myst. The player is summoned by Atrus, a man who creates links to other worlds known as Ages by writing special linking books. Almost twenty years earlier, Atrus' two sons nearly destroyed all of his books and were imprisoned; Atrus now wishes to see if his sons' imprisonment has reformed them. The player travels to each brother's prison, in an attempt to recover Atrus' daughter Yeesha from the brothers' plot.

<i>Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss</i> 1992 first-person role-playing video game

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss is a first-person role-playing video game developed by Blue Sky Productions and published by Origin Systems. Released in March 1992, the game is set in the fantasy world of the Ultima series. It takes place inside the Great Stygian Abyss: a large cave system that contains the remnants of a failed utopian civilization. The player assumes the role of the Avatar—the Ultima series's protagonist—and attempts to find and rescue a baron's kidnapped daughter.

<i>Myst V: End of Ages</i> 2005 video game

Myst V: End of Ages is a 2005 adventure video game, the fifth installment in the Myst series. The game was developed by Cyan Worlds, published by Ubisoft, and released for Macintosh and Windows PC platforms in September 2005. As in previous games in the series, End of Ages's gameplay consists of navigating worlds known as "Ages" via the use of special books and items which act as portals.

<i>Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel</i> 1990 video game

Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel is a graphic adventure computer game for the Macintosh computer line created by Cyan, Inc. It was published in 1989 and won the 1990 Mac User's Editors' Choice Award for the "Best Recreational Program" category.

An action role-playing game is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre.

<i>Shivers</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Shivers is a single-player horror-themed PC adventure game, released on CD-ROM by Sierra On-Line in November 1995. It was developed with Sierra's Creative Interpreter. Being the first Sierra first-person adventure game, Shivers was compared to contemporary Myst and The 7th Guest, gaining praise mostly for its atmosphere. The game takes place in a fictitious haunted museum.

<i>Monuments of Mars</i> 1991 video game

Monuments of Mars is a third-person puzzle-platform game developed by Scenario Software for MS-DOS and compatible systems. It was published by Apogee Software. The game consists of four 20-level episodes, the first episode being shareware, the rest being commercial software. It is similar to the games Arctic Adventure and Pharaoh's Tomb but uses an unrelated engine.

An escape room video game, also known as escape the room, room escape, or escape game, is a subgenre of point-and-click adventure game which requires a player to escape from imprisonment by exploiting their surroundings. The room usually consists of a locked door, objects to manipulate, and hidden clues or secret compartments. The player must use the objects to interact with other items in the room to reveal a way to escape. Escape the room games were born out of freeware browser games created in Adobe Flash, but have since become most popular as mobile games for iOS and Android. Some examples include Crimson Room, Viridian Room, MOTAS, and Droom. The popularity of these online games has led to the development of real-life escape rooms all around the world.

<i>Tomb Raider: Underworld</i> 2008 video game

Tomb Raider: Underworld is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS in November 2008. Later versions were released for mobile in December 2008, PlayStation 2 in 2009, and OS X in 2012. Various companies ported or developed the different versions. The ninth overall entry in the Tomb Raider series and third in the Legend trilogy, Underworld follows archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft as she searches for Mjolnir, an artefact key to entering the realm of Helheim, while confronting adversaries from her past. Gameplay features Lara navigating levels set across the world through platforming, fighting enemies and solving puzzles to progress.

An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media, such as literature and film, encompassing a wide variety of genres. Most adventure games are designed for a single player, since the emphasis on story and character makes multiplayer design difficult. Colossal Cave Adventure is identified by Rick Adams as the first such adventure game, first released in 1976, while other notable adventure game series include Zork, King's Quest, Monkey Island, Syberia, and Myst.

<i>Ether One</i> 2014 video game

Ether One is a 2014 first-person adventure game developed and self-published by White Paper Games, a Manchester-based studio. The gameplay is set within a virtual world, where players assume the role of a "Restorer", tasked with reconstructing the memories of a dementia patient. As the studio's debut title, Ether One focuses on exploration, puzzle-solving, and narrative, featuring themes centered around mental illness and memory retrieval.

References

  1. ↑ Poels, Geert (February 25, 2001). "David Rees of Altor Systems". idevgames.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2001. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  2. ↑ David Rees (July 2000). "Mostly Armless: Grabbing the 3D World". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  3. ↑ "About Altor Systems". altorsys.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2000. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Nightfall game". Altor Systems Inc. 2001-03-27. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  5. ↑ Rees, David (February 25, 2001). "Nightfall Postmortem". idevgames.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2002. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Nightfall Engine". 3D Engines List. 1999-01-25. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  7. ↑ Newman, Adam. "Nightfall". Inside Mac Games . Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  8. ↑ Cummins, Rodger (September 2, 1999). "Nightfall". The Age . p. 72. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Erica J. Marceau (1999-03-14). "Nightfall". Mac Gamers Ledge. Archived from the original on 2006-08-12. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  10. ↑ Darcy Danielson. "Nightfall". Just Adventure. Archived from the original on 2001-07-19. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  11. ↑ Gary Randazzo and Randy Soare (1999-03-30). "Nightfall: An Idiot's Guide". The Mac Observer. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  12. ↑ Orb. "realMyst". FourFatChicks.com. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  13. ↑ Orb (July 2002). "Nightfall". FourFatChicks.com. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.