Forums | MacLife

Bat · 2009-04-14 10:16 pm

Didn’t Quite Make It
Drew Haworth
Creative Director
Terminal Reality

Despite everyone’s efforts to cleave as close to authentic Ghostbusters as possible, there are some aspects—or specifically: talents-- that we just couldn’t get in the game, namely Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. As we understand it, there were different reasons at different times, but we regret not being able to bring the entire key cast back for the game. I will admit, though, that we were a lot less sad later on, once we realized we needed to juggle, record, and animate up to seven major characters at the same time!

By the end, if Louis Tully had made an onscreen appearance, we had already half-decided he would be consigned to a wheel chair and rigid full body cast as the result of an unfortunate accident that occurred just before the player was hired as his replacement. He’d be able to talk, but probably not do a whole lot more. By the time Ms. Weaver voiced interest, the only part we had left for her would have been the voice of the computer (which Egon would have encoded to annoy Venkman).

Now, the following may be a sore point, even heresy, for some GB fans, but early on everyone involved elected to avoid incorporating elements from Real Ghostbusters and the other animated series into the game. The reason for that is, once again, authenticity. While those series were excellent, and undoubtedly responsible for generating many newer or younger Ghostbusters fans, they branched away from the continuity of the films.

Since the GB game is intended to follow as a direct sequel, we all agreed to let the animated series remain separate. But an interesting potential upside there is that they could generate their own lines of games in the future.

Codename: Proton
Because the deal had so many moving and delicate parts at the outset, we began the game in total blackout secrecy. The project was codenamed ‘Proton.’ No one at Terminal Reality or the publisher was even allowed to mention the word ‘Ghostbusters’—and the blackout extended beyond industry colleagues and press to friends and family, too. We had fake Proton title screens, the whole works.
..

In retrospect ‘Proton’ sounds like a dead giveaway for Ghostbusters, but no one ever guessed what we were really working on, and we had external friends that literally began obsessing over guessing the game title.

Looks like it lives. Fetch me my unlicensed nuclear accelerator! cool

http://blogs.ign.com/Atari_Ghostbusters … 13/117629/

Bat · 2009-06-14 10:32 pm

Ghostbusters comes out the 19th, but there're some other things that did/didn't make the cut, broken down by platform. The PC version

Got: DRM.
Lacking...

Local Co-Op: No
Number of Players Offline: 0 Players
Online Co-Op: No
Number of Players Online: 0 Players
LAN or System Link: No
Number of Players via LAN or System link: 0 Players
Splitscreen: No
Playable Online with Splitscreen: No
Number of Players Online with Splitscreen: 0 Players
Drop-In / Drop-Out: No
Co-Op Specific Content: No
Single player content available in Co-Op: No

...i.e., any fricka-frackin' form of multiplayer, or online anything at all- no LAN play, multiplayer, DLC. None, and not even campaign co-op, on the platform that invented it. Even the Wii gets that. Hel-lo, Atari! Anyone home, or were you scared off by free-roaming vapors or focused non-terminal repeating phantoms?

Stiffish sysreqs, too, with the curious exception of 'Intel G45 Express' integrated graphics; otherwise it's 'ATI Radeon X1800-series 512 MB or NVIDIA GeForce 8400 512MB' min, and no 256MB cards of any stripe need apply. Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 or AMD Athlon X2 3800+, 2GB RAM, 9 GB free hard disk space etc.

Oh, wait- there is one online feature:

Internet connection required for first-time authentication (connection not required after authentication)

Well, what else would you use it for?

WII
..
* Eliminate paranormal threats in the co-op campaign mode!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Requires 2 Wii remotes and nunchucks for co-op play.

hmm

http://www.ecto-web.org/~spookcentral/s … acks-specs

http://www.co-optimus.com/game/1154/PC/ … sters.html

Booksley · 2009-06-15 6:06 am

Damnit, PC gaming is dying again!

Bat · 2009-06-15 8:34 pm

Solo Campaign mode better have a damn good squad AI and good banter. Co-op is so much more the movie. Maybe that's why the high, dual-core+ CPU req...

...or I could be dreaming again. hmm

Earendil the Mariner · 2009-06-16 12:35 am

Gametrailers' preview was pretty positive...
How many of those multiplayer features does the 360 version have?

Bat · 2009-06-16 2:00 am

Other platform info is in teh linkies, but basically the 360 and PS3 get the goodies.

Bat · 2009-06-20 2:37 pm

Atari defends lack of multiplayer in Ghostbusters PC

Ghostbusters has launched to pretty positive reviews from the online press so far. Err, let me clarify, the console press. PC gamers are pretty upset over the game's DRM scheme (online activation required) and more importantly, the game's lack of support for multiplayer. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game not only support multi, but up to 4-player co-op as well.

Curious as to why the console editions of the game ship with multi support and the PC version doesn't, Big Download contacted Atari and received the following response:

"Multiplayer for the PC version of Ghostbusters is something that Threewave and Terminal Reality always wanted to do. However, our focus was on making the console version the best that they could be - an experience that allows multiple players to re-live and re-fight many of the themes from the movies. When we looked at the resources necessary to pull off multiplayer on the consoles and the PC, it became a question of what could we do and still be excellent in our execution. We couldn't do all versions with multiplayer simultaneously with the resources that we had available - there was simply too much to do."

The one bright side for PC gamers is that the PC version of the title does sell for just $30. That's half off the $60 that the PS3 and Xbox 360 ports sell for.

Read: "Atari's in trouble, we had a ship date to make, half the devs were laid off already, and we saw more moneyz short-term with the console versions, so we let [s]Books[/s] the PC crowd go fish- y'all are all playin' L4D anyway. So we tossed the PC version out half-baked for a low price to make SOMETHING back on time [s]wasted[/s] used already. Don't expect patches, DLC or much support tho, for $30."

Ever hope you were really wrong about something? This game had real potential... my po' favorite platform... *sniff* sad , another victim of Atari's woes and the recession. 25 years. Wait for reviews. ::goes to watch movie::

http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsart … chid=21773

Bat · 2009-07-09 3:10 am

Anyone else wondering why the PC version couldn't have been delayed to include the missing features, other than to make the arbitrary 25th anniversary ship date?

Geez, guys... half the target demographic wasn't even born when the movie came out. They sure don't remember their magic first theater viewing, a gleam in Dad's eye.

Anyway, see it savaged in another NSFW Zero Punctuation.

mrreet2001 · 2009-07-09 11:00 am

I would have been 1 when the 1st one came out. I do remember seeing the second one. However I grew up on "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon. I have piles of beta tapes that I recorded that off the air. I also remember how horrible the first GB game was. eek I had it for the ][e and I had a friend who had it on NES.
big_smile

user · 2009-07-09 11:23 am

:: waits for the Mac version ::

Bat · 2009-07-09 3:18 pm

user wrote:
:: waits for the Mac version ::

http://homepage.mac.com/oatmeal/MAF/maxes/zombieTC1.gif

About the time STALKER for Mac comes out, yeah... so maybe wait 'til it's down to $20, say Fall, and Boot Camp it.

Mr. T · 2009-07-09 5:29 pm

mrreet2001 wrote:
I also remember how horrible the first GB game was. I had it for the ][e and I had a friend who had it on NES.

I had it for the Apple //e, NES, and Master System --They were all pretty much the same. The Genesis version, on the other hand, is completely different (more of a platformer) and is now a rare collectible.

Mr. T · 2009-07-09 5:39 pm

Bat wrote:
Anyway, see it savaged in another NSFW Zero Punctuation.

That's pretty accurate (obviously exaggerated). I picked the game up a week or so ago. My main complaint is that the capture stream is not inverted when look inversion is enabled. Also, Murray doesn't put much effort into readinghis script. It's a good game, but not great.

Bat · 2009-07-10 1:17 am

WSGF gives it a B for WS support. I think you need more monitors (and Books, well... roll )

wink

==Supported resolutions==
List of widescreen resolutions the game successfully ran at: 1280x720, 1280x768, 1280x800, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1080, 1920x1200, 2560x1600, 3840x1024, 5040x1050.

List of widescreen resolutions that were not tested: None
List of widescreen resolutions the game fails to run at: None

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/fo … hp?t=16318

Go see some reeeeaally wide aspect ratios.

I don't think even the Sega Master System could do that. wink tongue

Last edited by Bat (2009-07-10 1:19 am)

Forums | MacLife

#1 2009-04-14 10:16 pm

Codename: Proton

#2 2009-06-14 10:32 pm

Re: Codename: Proton

#3 2009-06-15 6:06 am

Re: Codename: Proton

#4 2009-06-15 8:34 pm

Re: Codename: Proton

#5 2009-06-16 12:35 am

Re: Codename: Proton

#6 2009-06-16 2:00 am

Re: Codename: Proton

#7 2009-06-20 2:37 pm

Re: Codename: Proton

#8 2009-07-09 3:10 am

Re: Codename: Proton

#9 2009-07-09 11:00 am

Re: Codename: Proton

#10 2009-07-09 11:23 am

Re: Codename: Proton

#11 2009-07-09 3:18 pm

Re: Codename: Proton

user wrote:

#12 2009-07-09 5:29 pm

Re: Codename: Proton

mrreet2001 wrote:

#13 2009-07-09 5:39 pm

Re: Codename: Proton

Bat wrote:

#14 2009-07-10 1:17 am

Re: Codename: Proton

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