Beneath A Steel Sky - Remastered Related content
-
EG Expo 2009 Developer Sessions: Charles Cecil of Revolution Software
- Interview When Comics Met Videogames [23]
- News EDGE returns triumphant to App Store [43]
PreviousBeneath A Steel Sky - Remastered Preview
iPhone Preview by Simon Parkin
Page 1 of 3.
Page 2 
If we had a new point-and-click adventure game for every time someone said: "That was definitely the last point-and-click adventure game," then we'd pretty much be where we are today. Long pronounced dead, the adventure game never really departed. From Broken Sword 4 to Grim Fandango to Zack & Wiki, new releases in the genre may be sparse but they are undeniably steady. And as a slew of LucasArts and Sierra classics make their way onto the Steam download service, just as Monkey Island introduces a new generation of console gamers to insult sword-fighting, the genre is enjoying, if not a resurrection, then certainly something of a resurgence.
Beneath A Steel Sky (BASS) is the latest venerable adventure game to undergo a nip and a tuck in preparation for re-release. While less iconic than some of the LucasArts big-hitters, it is nevertheless the most widely played adventure game of all time. Nine years after its original release in 1994, British developer Revolution Software released the game's source code as freeware, to be offered for free to all users of ScummVM, the popular adventure game emulator. As a result, millions have played it. So why now choose to bring it to the iPhone? And why charge players for the privilege? By combining a mobile telephone, a map and a diary, we solved these puzzles and more at a meeting with the game's creator and MD of Revolution Software, Charles Cecil. And when it comes to talking to the grandfather of the adventure game about his genre's future, passions run high.
The new logo.
"Everything is f***ed up." Something dark flashes behind Cecil's normally kind eyes and his bald pate turns a darker shade of rosy. "When it comes to retail, everything is f***ed up, all the way down the line. If we sell a game in a shop, the retailer takes 40 per cent of the cover price, the format holder takes 15 per cent and the publisher pays us 20 per cent of what's left. That money has to be set against our development costs, so you can imagine how many copies of a game we have to sell to recoup. But on iPhone we receive 70 per cent of the game price immediately and we can sell direct to our audience. So we can charge a fraction of the price of a boxed product."
So is this re-release just a quick way to make a quicker buck? "Not at all. We've put a lot of effort into this BASS port," he explains. "It's not shovelware. As with Broken Sword: Director's Cut, we've added content that I think makes it a very justifiable and worthwhile project." That new content includes, amongst other things, fully animated cut-scenes, notable for being created by renowned comic book artist Dave Gibbons. In motion the sequences are beautiful, perfectly capturing the game's dystopian ambiance. But the proposed $2-3 asking price for the game isn't all being spent on new art and re-sampled dialogue. Rather, as Cecil is quick to point out, buyers are investing in the genre's future.
"Yes, you can jailbreak your phone and play the game for free. But if you like the game and like the kind of games we make, then pay us a little bit of money and, if it's a big enough success, we can reinvest the funds. We can start to look at a potential BASS sequel. You know, I think a massive part of the piracy problem is due to a broken-down relationship between game makers and consumers. There's no respect between the two parties anymore. So I'm very excited at the prospect of repairing the relationship. I think this is the model we'll take with our future games. If you like adventures and like what we write, then please work with us. We're looking at ways of including fans names in future games and so on. It's more exciting than ever before. It reminds me of the early eighties where anything seemed possible for smaller game-makers."
Are you excited about Beneath A Steel Sky - Remastered on iPhone?
View Eurogamer readers most anticipated games
Related Games
Beneath A Steel Sky - Remastered
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
|
dominalien
30/07/09 @ 06:50
+3
Is it just me or do the blocky 320x200 gfx look better than the new ones? Applies to this one, but just as much to MISE.
|
|
commissar\'s_handgun
30/07/09 @ 06:54
+2
There is SCUMM VM for the iPhone, but you need to jailbreak your phone to use it. I'd gladly pay a couple of quid to get an enhanced version though, and I can't be bothered with jailbreaking.
|
|
dominalien
30/07/09 @ 06:54
+3
yes there is.
EDIT: beaten to it. Yes, it has to be jailbroken. Which is a bit of a chore. RANDOM RANT: This is why I actually prefer my PSP to the iPhone as a media device. With the PSP, I can just sit in front of any computer, fire up Handbrake, convert some movies, and then copy them along with some music to the memory card. With the iPhone, I have to use iTunes, with the whole syncing, etc. The closed platform is a pain :-(
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 30/07/09 @ 07:58
|
|
0
A remastered version on iphone only (for now?). Seems a bit of a waste considering that many fans of the original won't have one.
I don't think they care that much about playing to their old fans, but rather appealing to the demographic that do have iPhones. They need to make money to fund further projects like this, and like he explains, the App Store business model has the potential to reward them well. |
|
0
I've never played it, so this is the first of the current spate of point 'n' click re-releases I'm actually interested in. :)
Ironically, though, I'm not that interested on it on the iPhone as I don't think the screen is big enough and that my finger will be far too big a pointer. I'd be more interested in a new version of this for the DS, but I have no intention of ever buying a DSi, and don't want to play on the clunky SCUMMVM system for DS.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 30/07/09 @ 08:41
|
|
Laserbream
30/07/09 @ 07:44
+1
Nice interview! I hadn't realised Capt'n Bob was involved in the games business.
|
|
0
This probably won't handle very well on mobile devices. I've got scummvm on mine and it just doesn't feel right. The finger and such is just too big, actions too complex, etc. I can't imagine that an even smaller screen would improve that. The DS version works because they use a pen, which is far more like a mouse than finger controls.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 30/07/09 @ 08:50
|
|
kangarootoo
30/07/09 @ 08:20
+2
I was waffling on in the Ubi piracy thread about DLC being more expensive because of the number of middlemen.
This... ""Everything is f***ed up." Something dark flashes behind Cecil's normally kind eyes and his bald pate turns a darker shade of rosy. "When it comes to retail, everything is f***ed up, all the way down the line. If we sell a game in a shop, the retailer takes 40 per cent of the cover price, the format holder takes 15 per cent and the publisher pays us 20 per cent of what's left. That money has to be set against our development costs, so you can imagine how many copies of a game we have to sell to recoup. But on iPhone we receive 70 per cent of the game price immediately and we can sell direct to our audience. So we can charge a fraction of the price of a boxed product."" is exactly what I was on about. Change the delivery chain, and prices will come down. |
|
0
"RANDOM RANT: This is why I actually prefer my PSP to the iPhone as a media device. With the PSP, I can just sit in front of any computer, fire up Handbrake, convert some movies, and then copy them along with some music to the memory card. With the iPhone, I have to use iTunes, with the whole syncing, etc. The closed platform is a pain :-("
Well if Sony bring out a PSP device to rival I-Phone (as has been reported) then I think a lot of people will feel the same as you. Hopefully we'll see some better prices with a rival PSP too, since the I-Phone/Pod are laughably and unjustifiably overpriced. |
|
Flying_Pig
30/07/09 @ 08:40
+1
Currently enjoying Monkey Island on my iPhone, and I loved BASS, so am pretty excited by this.
More please! |
|
dominalien
30/07/09 @ 08:44
+1
Well if Sony bring out a PSP device to rival I-Phone (as has been reported) then I think a lot of people will feel the same as you.
Provided that Sony keep the current method of access to the memory and don't go all iTunes on us. Which may happen as they're notoriously unable to keep the platform secure as is. Of course, the software will be Windows-only. |
|
+3
"Wasnt this abandonware? "
Nope, it's freeware now. You can download it legally for free from the ScummVM website. Revolution are nice like that. (Abandonware is technically still copyright infringement, although more of a grey area as the Copyright holder is out of business or the copyright ownership situation is forgotton/unclear).
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 30/07/09 @ 09:59
|
|
Mentalist(air)
30/07/09 @ 08:58
+2
I started playing BASS recently on ScummVM for Wii. The trouble was, I had to stop because the godawful sample quality of all the speech and sound effects were hurting my ears.
As such, I'll gladly pay a couple of quid for this, just like I did with Monkey Island last weekend. Hopefully Revolution will make their control system a bit less irritating than Lucasarts did. |
|
Mentalist(air)
30/07/09 @ 09:03
0
This probably won't handle very well on mobile devices. I've got scummvm on mine and it just doesn't feel right. The finger and such is just too big, actions too complex, etc.
Hmmm... maybe lucasarts were right after all. Can anyone comment on how Flight of the Amazon Queen works on iPhone? |
|
Moribundman
30/07/09 @ 09:12
0
Nice to see someone openly touting Android as a potential platform. I would imagine that when you have a PC and an iPhone version its not the hardest job in the world to convert... And there's a free unofficially supported SCUMMVM app in the android store that got me right back into point and click even before SMI:SE was announced (not that my old point and clicks ever really went away... ;-)
|
|
Kirly_Wombat
30/07/09 @ 09:17
0
The iphone does seem like an ideal platform for the point and click style of games, although guess its point and tap in this case. If they can resurrect some old greats like BASS and Curse of enchantia etc, would be very cool indeed.
Edited 3 times,
most recently on 30/07/09 @ 10:21
|
|
+1
Nice as it is to see old classics being re-vamped and available, there is a little voice in the back of my head which is telling me that it is just another excuse for ancient games being re-hashed and sold again for profit by tapping into the iPhone retro niche market (which is currently quite small, but I can easily see it being flooded with cash-in retro reissues in the future - Sega seem to already be having a crack at this, and Capcom with their rubbish MegaMan port).
|
|
StooMonster
30/07/09 @ 09:21
+5
Crofto says since the I-Phone/Pod are laughably and unjustifiably overpriced
If iPhone and iPod were overpriced they would not sell, however, they sell tens of millions so the price is right. Apple's strategy is to create high margin goods at a price the market supports in order to increase shareholder value; for example it was reported this week that iPhone has a 60% margin. Apple has more cash in the bank than Microsoft, and is now 70% of its market capitalisation too; Apple's strategy is obviously working, so the iPhone/iPod is justifiably priced. |
|
+1
@Greyscale
I see your point, but I don't see why it's a problem, nor why you raise it now but not when retro classics started appearing on XBLA, or when Nintendo announced their Virtual Console releases on Wii. If studios want to release old games and charge for them either buy them or don't. Their presence makes absolutely no difference to anyone really. Secondly, I do think there's value on what Revolution are doing. They're testing the waters with very little risk by releasing a slightly tarted up version of an existing game and if it makes them money they'll be able to invest in further original projects and re-releases. Where's the FAIL? |
|
poopmonster
30/07/09 @ 09:29
0
Monkey Island works well on iPhone - better than SCUMM VM, so there's no reason BASS shouldn't.
|
|
StooMonster
30/07/09 @ 09:29
0
Domovoi: that's not strictly true, depends on who owns it.
For example, if a company owned some intellectual property such as an old 8-bit game but ceased trading and the assets (i.e. the games) were not sold before the company closed then the asset ownership reverts to "the Crown", even if it's valued at nothing, that's how I understand it to work in the UK. Anyone can contact the right department in the UK government and buy these defunct assets (e.g. old games from defunct publishers); although they will charge what they think is fair market value, so if you plan to revitalise an old 8-bit game as new title they'll probably charge a lot. BASS on the other hand, the authors/creators retailed the copyright but have said that the game is free for anyone to download and use. |
|
0
@mentalist
"Can anyone comment on how Flight of the Amazon Queen works on iPhone?" Yeah it's a nightmare... you use the touch screen as though you're moving a mouse on a mat. By that I mean the cursor doesn't follow your finger, but instead moves in the direction you swipe your finger from anywhere on the screen. You have to tap to "click" the "mouse" too... it's pretty shit. But at least it's a decent working version of FOTAQ. I'm quite excited about BASS. I didn't buy Monkey Island on iphone due to the fact I bought it on XBLA. BASS is one of my all time favorite P&Cs so I'll happily buy it on iphone! I do wish they would have considered a Special Edition on XBLA though. |
|
0
@MrED209
I am happy to pay cash money for decent updated versions of old games - the recent Monkey Island remake showed how it should be done. Hopefully with BASS it will be the same. What I am worried about is unscrupulous companies seeing this gap in the market and spamming it with endless crap ports of ancient games with no added value. It riles me even more when I consider that they are potentially exploiting our love of classic old games to maximise their own profits while putting in as little effort as possible. I'm kinda cynical that way I guess. |
|
+1
"There's no such thing as abandonware. It's not even a grey area: it's just illegal. "
Nope. There is a grey area. Copyright law isn't straight forward enough for a statement like that. On an extreme case, technically, pirating a 'foreign' game that hasn't been released in the UK (and has no company representation in the UK) is not copyright infringement until the company 'releases' it in the UK or claims ownership for it here. This is a gross oversimplification, but the principal is present enough to give you an example of a grey area. StooMonster's example is another good one. IP Laywers make a lot of money because of how complicated Copyright and IP Laws are. |
|
Pac-man ate my wife
30/07/09 @ 09:53
0
It's great that old classics such as these are getting a new lease of life and, more importantly, the developers are getting the lion's share of cash. It's also great that the iPhone is offering a platform whereby indie devs can compete against the big boys on an equal playing field. There are fears that shovelware ports (I'm looking at you Sega) will become the norm so I hope that developers like this who are willing to take time and effort to deliver an excellent experience for the platform iPhone are rewarded accordingly. Thankfully has a wonderful range of games from the fully featured titles like Let's Golf and Real Racing, to more experimental titles like Eliss and :Shift:, all at great prices that mean you can take a punt without much risk.
As for the nonsense above about putting video onto the iPhone: you can rip DVDs and set up iTunes to automatically add them to your library, it's really not that big an issue as some might make out. It's a one step more than dragging and dropping, but most iPhone users will be using iTunes to manage their device so I don't think it's a massive problem. |
|
-1
What I am worried about is unscrupulous companies seeing this gap in the market and spamming it with endless crap ports of ancient games with no added value. It riles me even more when I consider that they are potentially exploiting our love of classic old games to maximise their own profits while putting in as little effort as possible
I don't buy any of those games, ever. I imagine you don't either. So I ask again - where's the actual harm? |
|
Mentalist(air)
30/07/09 @ 09:56
0
@XdarXideX
Monkey Island is pretty much the same. Maybe the touchscreen-as-laptop-trackpad paradigm is just something we'll have to get used to. To be honest, my main problems with monkey island's controls are the spotty double-tap detection and the fact that moving your finger over the inventory icon whilst dragging the cursor about opens it up when you clearly don't want it to. I'm sure both of these problems could be sorted with a stricter usability QA cycle.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 30/07/09 @ 10:56
|
|
0
As for the nonsense above about putting video onto the iPhone: you can rip DVDs and set up iTunes to automatically add them to your library, it's really not that big an issue as some might make out. It's a one step more than dragging and dropping, but most iPhone users will be using iTunes to manage their device so I don't think it's a massive problem.
But as you know and forgot to mention, once that DVD is ripped it needs to be converted to an iTunes friendly format before iTunes and your iPhone will recognise it. Generally, people attempting to make iPhone users feel small about their device's video capabilities will make the point that their non-Apple device will play any format, reducing the faff needed. For example, the Archos things will play a DVD VOB file (or whatever they are) direct from it's HDD. The iPhone would need you to convert that down to mp4 or whatever. |
|
Pac-man ate my wife
30/07/09 @ 10:16
0
@ MrED209
If you know how to rip you know how to convert. I'm not saying it doesn't take a wee bit longer, just that it's really not a big deal. Anyone with the nouse to rip a DVD should be able to convert it to suitable format without any problem. |
|
+1
What I am worried about is unscrupulous companies seeing this gap in the market and spamming it with endless crap ports of ancient games with no added value. It riles me even more when I consider that they are potentially exploiting our love of classic old games to maximise their own profits while putting in as little effort as possible.
Arguably, LucasArts has done this by releasing a bunch of their old games on Steam. It allowed me to finally play The Dig for a measly €3,99. Why anyone can possibly think that is a bad thing is beyond me. |
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
