Crystal Caves
Encyclopedia
Crystal Caves is a trilogy of side-scrolling platform game
s, developed and published by Apogee Software, released on 23 October 1991. The three episodes have the titles "Troubles with Twibbles," "Slugging it Out" and "Mylo Versus the Supernova."
The first episode is available for free, while the remaining two need to be paid for. According to the designer Frank Maddin, this marketing method "worked pretty well for the time." All three games have identical gameplay, and differ only in level design, some graphics and the story.
On October 24, 2005, 3D Realms
(formerly Apogee) released a maintenance patch
to fix a bug
in the game which set the player's computer's clock backwards 100 years after playing on Windows XP
. As the game was released 14 years and one day earlier, 3D Realms may now hold the record
for longest time between an initial game release and a maintenance patch.
s. He travels to the Altairian star system
and ventures into the caves in the planets there to harvest large, naturally grown crystal
s.
The objective of each game is to complete all 16 levels
. There is no fixed order in which to play them.
Each level is a labyrinthine structure, where the player controls Mylo's movements. The objective in each level is to find all the crystals and then reach the exit. On his way, Mylo is typically hindered by coloured locked doors which have to be opened by finding and flipping the corresponding levers. There are switches that activate moving platforms, deactivate gun turrets or turn the lights on and off. There exists enemies of all kinds, most of which can be killed with Mylo's "rocket pistol". There are environmental hazards such as stalactites or wall-mounted gun turrets. Mylo begins a level with three health points, and if he loses all three, he dies, and the level restarts. Eating poisonous mushrooms, landing in trash sludge and shooting a level air-generator all kill Mylo instantly.
Some levels require the player to pick up and use a powerup that temporarily reverses Mylo's gravity, allowing him to walk on the ceiling to access normally unreachable areas. Certain levels have slight variations: "reverse gravity", where Mylo is permanently walking on the ceiling; "low gravity", where Mylo is pushed back with each shot he fires; or "falling rocks", where stones constantly fall from above at regular intervals, harming Mylo if they touch him.
Apart from crystals, Mylo can also pick up other items: Ammunition for his pistol, a power-up that temporarily makes his pistol able to kill any type of enemy, a red mushroom
which temporarily renders him invincible and allows him to kill enemies by touch, a stop sign
that temporarily freezes enemies in place and makes them harmless and a number of bonus items (mushrooms, candle
s, shovel
s and pickaxe
s), which provide the player with points. Gold keys allow the player to open treasure chests that yield large amount of points. Occasionally, a fruit
will appear on the screen. Collecting it before it disappears adds 5000 points. Some levels also contain five eggs which, when shot, cause a letter to appear; collecting all five letters (that spell out the word "BONUS") will, too, give 10000 points.
. The main character's name, "Mylo Steamwitz", was coined by George Broussard
and was meant to sound like a loser's name. Most graphics were created by Frank Maddin.
Development on Crystal Caves began back when George Broussard was still releasing games under the name Micro F/X. A few months into the development (when about 50-70% of the game was complete) George joined Apogee and Crystal Caves became an Apogee product.
David Gerrold
, the script writer for the Star Trek
episode "The Trouble With Tribbles
" (which was parodied by the title of the first Crystal Caves episode) played Crystal Caves, and referred to it in a computer magazine for which he was a contributor.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
s, developed and published by Apogee Software, released on 23 October 1991. The three episodes have the titles "Troubles with Twibbles," "Slugging it Out" and "Mylo Versus the Supernova."
The first episode is available for free, while the remaining two need to be paid for. According to the designer Frank Maddin, this marketing method "worked pretty well for the time." All three games have identical gameplay, and differ only in level design, some graphics and the story.
On October 24, 2005, 3D Realms
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
(formerly Apogee) released a maintenance patch
Patch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
to fix a bug
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
in the game which set the player's computer's clock backwards 100 years after playing on Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
. As the game was released 14 years and one day earlier, 3D Realms may now hold the record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for longest time between an initial game release and a maintenance patch.
Gameplay
The player controls Mylo Steamwitz, a space trader who wants to invest in a number of get-rich-quick schemeGet-rich-quick scheme
A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to acquire high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 1900s....
s. He travels to the Altairian star system
Star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems.-Binary star systems:A stellar...
and ventures into the caves in the planets there to harvest large, naturally grown crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
s.
The objective of each game is to complete all 16 levels
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
. There is no fixed order in which to play them.
Each level is a labyrinthine structure, where the player controls Mylo's movements. The objective in each level is to find all the crystals and then reach the exit. On his way, Mylo is typically hindered by coloured locked doors which have to be opened by finding and flipping the corresponding levers. There are switches that activate moving platforms, deactivate gun turrets or turn the lights on and off. There exists enemies of all kinds, most of which can be killed with Mylo's "rocket pistol". There are environmental hazards such as stalactites or wall-mounted gun turrets. Mylo begins a level with three health points, and if he loses all three, he dies, and the level restarts. Eating poisonous mushrooms, landing in trash sludge and shooting a level air-generator all kill Mylo instantly.
Some levels require the player to pick up and use a powerup that temporarily reverses Mylo's gravity, allowing him to walk on the ceiling to access normally unreachable areas. Certain levels have slight variations: "reverse gravity", where Mylo is permanently walking on the ceiling; "low gravity", where Mylo is pushed back with each shot he fires; or "falling rocks", where stones constantly fall from above at regular intervals, harming Mylo if they touch him.
Apart from crystals, Mylo can also pick up other items: Ammunition for his pistol, a power-up that temporarily makes his pistol able to kill any type of enemy, a red mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
which temporarily renders him invincible and allows him to kill enemies by touch, a stop sign
Stop sign
A Stop sign is a traffic sign to notify drivers that they must stop before proceeding.-Specifications:The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals proposed standard stop sign diameters of 0.6, 0.9 or 1.2 metres. UK and New Zealand stop signs are 750, 900 or 1200 mm, according to sign...
that temporarily freezes enemies in place and makes them harmless and a number of bonus items (mushrooms, candle
Candle
A candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...
s, shovel
Shovel
A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
s and pickaxe
Pickaxe
A pickaxe or pick is a hand tool with a hard head attached perpendicular to the handle.Some people make the distinction that a pickaxe has a head with a pointed end and a flat end, and a pick has both ends pointed, or only one end; but most people use the words to mean the same thing.The head is...
s), which provide the player with points. Gold keys allow the player to open treasure chests that yield large amount of points. Occasionally, a fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
will appear on the screen. Collecting it before it disappears adds 5000 points. Some levels also contain five eggs which, when shot, cause a letter to appear; collecting all five letters (that spell out the word "BONUS") will, too, give 10000 points.
Development
Crystal Caves was inspired by Miner 2049erMiner 2049er
Miner 2049er is a video game created by Bill Hogue that was released in 1982 by Big Five Software. The game was licensed in conjunction with International Computer Group . At the time of its release, Miner 2049'er was notable for having ten different screens, which was a large number for a platform...
. The main character's name, "Mylo Steamwitz", was coined by George Broussard
George Broussard
George Broussard is a game producer and designer known in the PC game community as one of the creators of the Duke Nukem series ....
and was meant to sound like a loser's name. Most graphics were created by Frank Maddin.
Development on Crystal Caves began back when George Broussard was still releasing games under the name Micro F/X. A few months into the development (when about 50-70% of the game was complete) George joined Apogee and Crystal Caves became an Apogee product.
David Gerrold
David Gerrold
Jerrold David Friedman , better known by his pen name David Gerrold, is an American science fiction author who started his career in 1966 while a college student by submitting an unsolicited story outline for the television series Star Trek. He was invited to submit several premises, and the one...
, the script writer for the Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "The Trouble With Tribbles
The Trouble With Tribbles (TOS episode)
"The Trouble With Tribbles" is a second-season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast on December 29, 1967 and repeated June 21, 1968...
" (which was parodied by the title of the first Crystal Caves episode) played Crystal Caves, and referred to it in a computer magazine for which he was a contributor.
External links
- Official home page including shareware download
- Perilous Crystal Caves Website fan site