Eye of the Storm
| Eye of the Storm | |
|---|---|
| Studio |
 Rebellion Developments
|
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1994 |
| platform | Amiga , PC ( DOS ) |
| genre | Space flight simulation |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Mouse , joystick or keyboard |
| medium | Floppy disk or CD-ROM |
| language | English , German , French , Spanish |
Eye of the Storm is a video game developed by Rebellion Developments . It was published in 1994 for the Commodore Amiga and MS-DOS - PC , but has been mostly negative valued at publication.
Background story and gameplay
In the year 2124, extraterrestrial life is discovered in the atmosphere of the planet Jupiter . The Great Red Spot , a gigantic cyclone, is then declared a protected area, but attracts poachers and other profit-seeking adventurers. On behalf of an authority known as the Interstellar Conservation Executive (in German as the Interstellar Environmental Protection Agency ), the player has the task of documenting the life forms in Jupiter's atmosphere, fighting poachers and highwaymen, but can also illegally capture and sell life forms.
The player controls his spaceship using a mouse, keyboard or joystick. The starting point of every mission is a base station to which the player has to return for repairs, to equip his spaceship and to deliver trapped creatures. The player can acquire improved equipment, especially improved weapons and sensors as well as reinforcements for the hull of his spaceship, as this can be damaged by the hydrostatic pressure , which increases with increasing depth , which drastically restricts further penetration into the Jupiter atmosphere.
Origin and technology
Eye of the Storm was the first game developed by Rebellion Developments. Sole designer and graphic artist of the game was Rebellion founder Jason Kingsley, who also wrote the manual. Programming was done by Alister Perrott and Paul Gomm.
The environment and all moving objects are shown with a simple vector graphic in the form of untextured polygons ; Bitmaps are only used for the intro and in menus. Jupiter's atmosphere is shown in reddish tones and brightens towards the horizon . The extraterrestrial life forms are partly abstract geometric shapes, but partly also modifications of terrestrial marine animals such as whales or dolphins .
Eye of the Storm allows the selection of several graphic formats. In addition to the VGA / MCGA standard in 320 × 200 pixels and 256 colors that was common at the time of its publication , EGA (16 colors) and CGA (4 colors) were also supported with the same resolution . In addition, a VGA mode with 400 × 320 pixels and two SVGA modes with 640 × 400 pixels and 256 colors ( VESA as well as a special mode tailored exclusively to graphics cards from the Western Digital manufacturer Paradise Systems ) could be selected.
A simple query of numerical values from a table in which the distance between two coordinate sectors was given served as copy protection . The PC version was delivered on two 3.5 "floppy disks and mainly on CD-ROM . The manual supplied with the game consisted largely of information about the background story. The language of the user interface can be changed in the game itself; there is a curiosity included that both British and International English are available.
reception
Eye of the Storm was rated moderate to poor in contemporary reviews. Above all, the outdated graphics and the simple gameplay were criticized, although the latter was compared to Elite . The magazine Amiga Joker was the most benevolent and gave the game a rating of 60%:
"The handling via keyboard, rodent or stick works [...] relatively problem-free after a short familiarization [...] As far as the presentation is concerned, after the pretty intro accompanied by groovy rock music, the best is already behind you: the viewer becomes the viewer in the game with inconspicuous, but at least lively 3D vector graphics, in which only the fine animations of galactic whales, dolphins, sharks etc. really know how to please. [...] In addition, the superficial gameplay even elicits a tired yawn from even the connoisseur of the ancient "elite" - a lack of complexity cannot replace an ecologically valuable background story. "
The PC Games rated Eye of the Storm in issue 8/1994 with 52% and criticized above all that the data volume of 2.8 MB did not require a CD-ROM. Furthermore, the graphic was criticized, which according to tester Alexander Rizzi "was maybe up to date in 1990" and with which "nowadays you really don't [lure] a dog from behind the stove".
The PC players , who rated the game in issue 6/1994 with only 23%, were particularly negative :
“Didn't anyone tell the programmers that you can actually bring variety to the screen with 256 colors? Red and black with green dots does not exactly put the privateer- spoiled eye into ecstasy. [...] The next shock is the control of the spaceship, which makes space combat a torture. [...] At the latest when you've been shot down for the fifth time in front of your home base because the darned spaceship just didn't want to dock, you press the reset button in exasperation. "
In retrospect, the abandonware site Home of the Underdogs rated the game more positively . She awarded the Eye of the Storm the Top Dog and praised individual aspects of the game as follows:
“[…] What makes Eye of the Storm much better than average is the very smooth, fast polygonal 3D graphics that is much more advanced than most space opera games of the time. Ship handling is excellent, and in contrast to pure space action games such as Wing Commander series, you'll really feel that you are fighting in space. [...] While Eye of the Storm won't take the crown away from Elite or Wing Commander , it's a fun space simulation that deserve a closer look. "
“[…] What does Eye of the Storm way better than average is the very smooth and fast polygonal 3D graphics that are much more advanced than most space opera games of the time. Operation of the ships is excellent, and unlike pure space action games like the Wing Commander series, you really have the feeling of fighting in space. […] Eye of the Storm does not necessarily dethrone Wing Commander or Elite , but it is a fun space simulation that deserves a closer look. "
Web links
- Eye of the Storm at MobyGames (English)
- Screenshots and packaging photos for the game on TheLegacy
- Eye of the Storm - Review at Home of the Underdogs (English)