today, some obscure sierra on-line & dynamix history that shouldn't be obscure yet is due to how gaming culture developed: Front Page Sports Baseball. this just came in the mail, and i'm so glad to finally have my own copy after playing a demo from a CD-ROM Today! magazine cover disc as a kid.
this dynamix-produced and sierra-published title is weird for a bunch of reasons.
first, it's one of the last few DOS-only games that came out in the mid-90s.
second, it runs in hi-res mode using what i suspect is a blend of software-rendered 3D and 2D sprites that were a holdover from dynamix's 3Space engine used in almost all of dynamix's titles. (pic 2) the animation is crisp, the sprites are beautifully rendered in a very compressed colour palette.
third, the Front Page Sports series were massive hits - outselling other sierra/dynamix titles of the time. but no one talks about it, because sports games often get irritated yawns from gamers.
fourth, this game is fun to play. it's not just an average EA sports-style title. the batting/pitching gameplay is addictive, and the simulation of the players and teams is deep.
and finally, there is - unbelievably - still an active FPS Baseball community still modding and developing rosters for the game. someone maintains a tool that generates websites that lets other people see the outcomes of your baseball games like a late-90s ESPN network site 🤣 https://www.silverbox.com/biorhythm/
After a bit of a hiatus, I've been putting some more work in my Sierra SCI0 renderer/compositor. Wanted to try out some thoughts from VileR on measured CGA colors on an actual 5153 Personal Computer Color Display. #sierra#RetroComputing#cga
A group of autumn aspen trees with twisting trunks
Dense, twisting little aspen trees are common in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. In our imagination, aspen groves are full of tall, strong trees that stretch on for great distances. Such things exist in the Sierra, generally on a small scale, but they are not the norm. More typical are these stunted, twisting trees — which in many ways are more interesting than those perfect tall trees...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/12/08/twisting-trunks/
Some more early screenshots of the first Legend of Kyrandia game. By this point the game had pivoted from a CRPG hybrid in the vein of Quest for Glory to a more standard adventure.
However, the GUI in these images shows that Brandon's amulet at one point had six gems instead of four.
Early screenshots of Leisure Suit Larry 3, from Game Player's PC Buyer's Guide, vol. 2 no. 5 (Nov/Dec 1989).
The comedy club has different-colored chairs. Meanwhile, Patti has a different hairstyle, both arms visible, and no top... #sierra#leisuresuitlarry#adventuregames
Early screenshots of Conquests of Camelot from Game Player's PC Buyer's Guide, vol. 2 no. 5 (Nov/Dec 1989).
Notice that in Merlin's study, the tapestry on the wall has a "fylfot" (swastika) on one side. This was probably meant in the ancient sense of a sun symbol. It was removed in the final game, but the description of the tapestry still mentions it. #sierra#conquestsofcamelot#adventuregames
🔴Rappel amical que The Legend of Skye sera disponible dès ce mardi 2 avril.
Comme d'habitude, je vous proposerai le jour même de sa sortie une review complète du jeu, partageant avec vous mes impressions sur ses points forts et points faibles.😉
I told myself I'd stop buying big box PC games, so check out the 3 big boxed PC games I bought recently: Space Quest IV, King's Quest IV and Conquests of Camelot. #vintagepc#sierra#msdos#mt-32
An earlier design of Laura Bow from The Colonel's Bequest. The first is from the non-interactive promo release, the second is from the commercial release/final version. Also included, the sketch from the original design document. 😀
@JuliaMinamata@32bitkid I may have mentioned this before, but in the Colonel's Bequest demo, not only does Laura's sprite (like her closeup) have a different hairstyle, her suitcase has green cloth sides that were later removed.
Sierra Leone Election: Country awaits results in tense poll (www.bbc.com)
The outcome is expected to be announced in the next few days, after a high turnout of voters