Robotech: Crystal Dreams
Encyclopedia
Robotech: Crystal Dreams was a canceled Robotech
video game for the Nintendo 64
. The developer, GameTek
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy before the game could be completed, and was subsequently liquidated. The game was announced on May 1995 as one of the first titles going to be released at the launch of the Nintendo 64 under the working title, Robotech Academy but was eventually cancelled days after being shown at the 1998 E³ trade show. Antarctic Press
produced a promotional comic book that was handed out at E³ and is now considered a collectors item.
everything using models in real dimensions, with no background sprites
making up the scenery. Planets and stars were all rendered in 3D
and in perspective; this resulted in the entire rendered universe requiring six months of real time to traverse from one end to the other. The game was also going to include over 40 minutes of dialogue and featured open-ended gameplay
, allowing the player to pick up missions and help the various organizations at his own discretion.
Since work began on Crystal Dreams well before Nintendo finalised their console's hardware, Gametek were unsure on the amount of processing power
the system would have and wanted to ensure they could have fast gameplay while having many enemies on screen at the same time. To ensure this, the team used very simple crystal models for the enemies and created a story based around them. Ultimately the low-resolution
models were unnecessary, but the design and story had already been established.
The resources and money required to produce a quality 3D title during this transitional period from 2D
to 3D was not well understood and the project fell behind schedule. The game's original publisher pulled out, GameTek were unable to find another and did not have the capital to fund the project alone. The developers concede that their design was probably too ambitious, particularly from such a small company; Gametek had only three programmers. Despite this the developers hold the opinion that they only needed another six more months to bring the title to a beta stage before Gametek folded. Unfinished Nintendo 64 ROM images
are available to download via the Crystal Dreams developers website.
Robotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
video game for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
. The developer, GameTek
GameTek
GameTek was a video game publisher based in North Miami Beach, Florida well known for publishing video game adaptations of game shows in the early 1990s. GameTek was a trade name for IJE, the owner of electronic publishing rights to Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune...
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy before the game could be completed, and was subsequently liquidated. The game was announced on May 1995 as one of the first titles going to be released at the launch of the Nintendo 64 under the working title, Robotech Academy but was eventually cancelled days after being shown at the 1998 E³ trade show. Antarctic Press
Antarctic Press
Antarctic Press is a San Antonio-based comic book publishing company which publishes "American Manga" style comic books.Founded by Ben Dunn in 1984, Antarctic Press has produced over 850 titles with a total circulation of over 5 million...
produced a promotional comic book that was handed out at E³ and is now considered a collectors item.
Game Play
Crystal Dreams was primarily a space fighter simulation game, but between levels the player would return to base and be able to interact with a variety of other characters, the game also had a continuing war time line that the player could get reports of what was happening in various parts of space, and could help out by rushing to the aid of those that needed their help most.Background
The game was originally conceived as an ambitious title that involved renderingRendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
everything using models in real dimensions, with no background sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
making up the scenery. Planets and stars were all rendered in 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
and in perspective; this resulted in the entire rendered universe requiring six months of real time to traverse from one end to the other. The game was also going to include over 40 minutes of dialogue and featured open-ended gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
, allowing the player to pick up missions and help the various organizations at his own discretion.
Since work began on Crystal Dreams well before Nintendo finalised their console's hardware, Gametek were unsure on the amount of processing power
Clock rate
The clock rate typically refers to the frequency that a CPU is running at.For example, a crystal oscillator frequency reference typically is synonymous with a fixed sinusoidal waveform, a clock rate is that frequency reference translated by electronic circuitry into a corresponding square wave...
the system would have and wanted to ensure they could have fast gameplay while having many enemies on screen at the same time. To ensure this, the team used very simple crystal models for the enemies and created a story based around them. Ultimately the low-resolution
Image resolution
Image resolution is an umbrella term that describes the detail an image holds. The term applies to raster digital images, film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution means more image detail....
models were unnecessary, but the design and story had already been established.
The resources and money required to produce a quality 3D title during this transitional period from 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
to 3D was not well understood and the project fell behind schedule. The game's original publisher pulled out, GameTek were unable to find another and did not have the capital to fund the project alone. The developers concede that their design was probably too ambitious, particularly from such a small company; Gametek had only three programmers. Despite this the developers hold the opinion that they only needed another six more months to bring the title to a beta stage before Gametek folded. Unfinished Nintendo 64 ROM images
ROM image
A ROM image, or ROM file, is a computer file which contains a copy of the data from a read-only memory chip, often from a video game cartridge, a computer's firmware, or from an arcade game's main board...
are available to download via the Crystal Dreams developers website.
External links
- OpusGames.com - Download E comic and unfinished ROM from the developers of Crystal Dreams.
- Robotech: Crystal Dreams game profile at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
.