Freedom Ridge (Dreamland Chronicles) Update

This ALTAR Interactive press release (thanks FREELANCER) confirms news mentioned in passing in a recent Q&A (story) that ALTAR Interactive will be continuing development of a game currently codenamed UFO: Freedom Ridge, which is based on Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge, an Xcom-style strategy game that had been in production at Mythos Games prior to its cancellation earlier this year (story). According to the release, "ALTAR interactive would like to stress that it values highly the work of Mythos Games and will be working closely with designer Julian Gollop to ensure the consistency of vision of the game. At the same time, ALTAR will be making many changes and improvements to the original project. While the atmosphere is important, the main objective is to concentrate on the pure gameplay; to build up on the successful elements of similar games in the past and to creatively evolve them in an up-to-date computer game." According to the release, the name change is due to "possible copyright problems," and the actual name should be confirmed in January, 2002. The current scheduled release date is Christmas, 2002.
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7.
 
No subject
Dec 11, 2001, 13:58
anon@63.143
7.
No subject Dec 11, 2001, 13:58
Dec 11, 2001, 13:58
anon@63.143
 
"While the atmosphere is important, the main objective is to concentrate on the pure gameplay; to build up on the successful elements of similar games in the past and to creatively evolve them in an up-to-date computer game."

Uh-huh... Yeah. This is bureaucratese for "we're gonna lobotomize it into a cheap Quake III clone." If I didn't understand the bureaucratic mindset so well, I'd be amazed how they've progressively stripped everything out of the X-Com series that made the game successful. The latest X-Com games in no way resemble the one that kept me up until the wee hours, but the boardroom types HAVE NEVER PLAYED THE GAME, so they simply do not understand-- and never will.

*sigh* It's so easy, really; if you want to make money, understand your business. As it is, the marketing and director execs spend too much time peering down their nose, across their martini, sneering at "silly children's games", and not enough time trying to understand the market. Capitalism is great, however, in that it will eventually weed these sort of parasites out of the system. If you don't understand your chosen market, you can't make money in it over the long haul. It just takes time. Sure, there'll be a resurgence of profiteering every once in a while, but it will be the exception, not the norm. Give the computer game industry another 15 years to mature, and we'll see much less of the copy-cat tripe that's clogging the shelves now. Just as in the movie industry, expensive advertising and "me-too" scripting can only get you so far; word of mouth about a good movie is something the studio execs can never buy-- much to their consternation.

If they make a "spiritual successor" to X-Com, it'll be known, and it'll sell very well. If not-- oh, well; wait for the next innovation. Somebody will do it; it's a law of capitalism.
6.
 
This just made my day.
Dec 11, 2001, 13:10
anon@64.174
6.
This just made my day. Dec 11, 2001, 13:10
Dec 11, 2001, 13:10
anon@64.174
 
I was so dissapointed when this project was cancelled. I'm very excited that they picked it up. This and Master of Orion 3, excellent!
5.
 
the hell?
Dec 11, 2001, 12:46
5.
the hell? Dec 11, 2001, 12:46
Dec 11, 2001, 12:46
 
This all sounds like a euphemism for making it an RTS. Bizarro. If someone at Mythos gives the imprimatur, I bet it'll be interesting, but I don't really want an X-Com RTS; I want classic turn-based tactical combat strategy. Hopefully this will all be clarified sometime soon.

www.matthewrorie.com
4.
 
Strange
Dec 11, 2001, 12:37
anon@62.254
4.
Strange Dec 11, 2001, 12:37
Dec 11, 2001, 12:37
anon@62.254
 
"Well, I haven't been officially asked to work on Dreamland at all. I have no idea what will happen to the game, or whether it would be anything like the game we envisaged. If I find out anything else, I will let everybody know, but at the moment I know nothing more than is in the article."-Julian Gollop

http://pub73.ezboard.com/fcodogamesfrm1.showMessage?topicID=154.topic
3.
 
Is it still Turn Based?
Dec 11, 2001, 12:35
anon@24.93
3.
Is it still Turn Based? Dec 11, 2001, 12:35
Dec 11, 2001, 12:35
anon@24.93
 
the Dreamland Chronicles was a turn based Tactical /Strat game. Do these "improvements" utrn into another RTS slugfest?


Therel Moore
Austin TX
2.
 
UFO: Freedom Ridge
Dec 11, 2001, 11:44
2.
UFO: Freedom Ridge Dec 11, 2001, 11:44
Dec 11, 2001, 11:44
 
Yipee! I was sad when this title was cancelled, the world desperately needs a new X-COM.

I'm pretty sure "UFO" will be a problem in North America. After all, there was some game [sarcasm] called UFO:Enemy Unknown that had to be retitled for US release since the name was in use. (I believe it was Sublogic's ancient UFO flight sim, but have never been really sure.)

1.
 
No subject
Dec 11, 2001, 11:11
1.
No subject Dec 11, 2001, 11:11
Dec 11, 2001, 11:11
 
So, are they rebuilding the game from scratch or did they get the developed code from Mythos? It kinda sounds like they got hold of the original code and are adding in the latest eye-candy developed since then. I'm still hoping for this to be the spiritual succesor to X-Com.

--------------
Tony Zahn
Sofware Engineer, Achievement Technologies Inc.
Go Blue!
--------------
Go Blue!
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