BioForge

Infobox VG
title = BioForge


developer = Origin Systems
publisher = Origin Systems
designer = Eric Hyman (producer)
Richard Garriott (executive producer)
Ken Demarest (producer, director, lead programmer)
Jack Herman (script)
Bruce Lemons (art director)
engine = "BioForge" engine
version = f1.01
released = vgrelease|NA=April 1995|EU=1995
genre = Role-playing game, Puzzle, Science fiction, Interactive movie
modes = Single player
ratings = vgratings|ESRB=Mature 17+|ELSPA=15+|USK=16+
platforms = PC (MS-DOS 5+)
media = CD-ROM
requirements = 80486DX 50 MHz CPU
8 MB RAM
double-speed— CD-ROM drive
256-color VGA graphics
Audio: AdLib, Sound Blaster, General MIDI, etc.
input = Keyboard and mouse

"BioForge" (working title: "Interactive Movie 1") is a 1995 computer role-playing game (RPG) published by Origin Systems for the PC. The game was marketed as a movie-like production, because of its in-depth plot and extensive voice acting (with 22 different voice actors for characters and computer voices). The game was localized in four languages: English, German, French and Spanish (screen text and subtitles only).

The game was very hardware demanding in 1995, requiring 8 MB of RAM and a 486 CPU running at 33 MHz at least, due to its use of texture-mapped, detailed 3D models and a software renderer (3D accelerators were not yet common). This level of requirement and technical achievement was usual for Origin games.

Well received, but also going low on sales, it is considered by many to be an overlooked game and is featured prominently at the Home of the Underdogs [cite web | title=Home of the Underdogs: BioForge | work=BioForge has "Top Dog" status at Home of the Underdogs | url=http://www.the-underdogs.info/game.php?id=126 | accessdate=2006-05-11] and has had generally favorable reviews. [ [http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&sql=1:5326~T1 allgame ((( Bioforge > Review )))] - Rating|4.5|5] [ [http://www.csoon.com/issue5/bioforge.html Bioforge - PC Review - Coming Soon Magazine!] - 91%] [ [http://www.justgamesretro.com/PC/bioforge.html Just Games Retro - Bioforge] - 71%]

tory

of man through machine by cybernetic implants, aspire to galactic conquest under the direction of their insane leader, the Prime Paragon.

Years ago, a Reticulum ship called "Ambassadoria" made contact with an ancient spaceship containing alien remains in stasis. One alien was transferred to the ship for examination. However it returned to life and destroyed everything until the ship self-destructs, after her captain recorded a log. The Mondites however received the distress call before the Reticulum could be notified; through studying the black box and the remains, they finally discover the aliens' homeworld, a moon which they name Daedalus (named after the Greek myth) in a remote sector of the galaxy and establish a base while investigating the ruins the aliens left behind; a sentient race known as the Phyxx who were long thought to be extinct

To their end, the Mondites abduct people and subject them on Daedalus for their experiments. A mad scientist called Dr. Mastaba who is the base commander and head of the "ABA Project" (Assassin Biologically Augmented) conducts these experiments under the guise of scientific research, mutilating the bodies of his victims in an attempt to turn them into the ultimate killing machine. However, everyone so far has ended up either dead or insane.

Using technology borrowed from the Phyxx, the Mondites have finally succeeded in their experiments. But when one of the aliens is accidentally revived from suspended animation in its tomb, it goes on a rampage through the complex, damaging the reactor and killing half of the base personnel in the process.

The player takes on the role of a cyborg called Lex [The character is identified as such in the game's "README.TXT" and the game resource files.] ("Experimental Unit AP-127") who awakens in a cell on Daedelus with no prior memories. After escaping the cell, the player seems to be one of the scant survivors of the incident that has devastated the station. He must unravel the truth about himself, the research station, the bizarre Mondite cult that controls it, and the mysterious ancient alien race that once inhabited the moon.

The game ends rather abruptly after Lex escapes Daedalus in an experimental spacecraft in the wake of the moon's destruction, escorted by several Phyxx Blockships. A sequel ("BioForge II") was designed and the team were working on the art when the project was halted and changed to an extension of the original game.cite web | last=Armintrout | first=Bill | title=Who is Bill Armintrout | work= | url=http://theminiaturespage.com/twga/bill.mv#cgames | accessdate=2006-05-22] The extension, however, was also cancelled and subsequently never published.

Gameplay

that doesn't automatically make it an interactive movie, because you have very little control over the actor. Neither is a game in which you click on an icon, then sit back and watch a scene take place." [cite web | author=Cochrane, Nathan| year=1994| title=BIO FORGE by Origin Systems | format= | work=Game Bytes Magazine (Issue 21) | url=http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue21/flooks/bioforge.html | accessdate=2006-05-16]

The player character can rotate left and right, walk and run forwards and backwards, and sidestep. The player can also enter a combat stance that makes several punch and kick movements and hand-to-hand weapons (if carried) available. Combat can be awkward and has somewhat of a learning curve since enemies must be faced at the correct rotation angle for attacks to connect. Also, since camera angles are fixed, the view can change in an unpredictable manner if the player crosses scene-thresholds during the fight, a gameplay problem first seen in "Alone in the Dark".

The body of the player character houses an exchangeable (and depletable) battery that powers various body functions put there by the experimenters. Functions include a regeneration system that heals all damage when activated, as well as a powerful projectile weapon (known as the "PFD Prototype"). Upgrading and swapping the battery is key to the player's progress at certain points in the game. The player can also don a protective armoured suit that enables him to survive the harsh atmosphere outside the facility and explore the archaeological dig.

Various objects, such as data-logs or healing packs, can be picked up and stored in an inventory. Selected objects are shown as if carried in the left hand of the player character. Several hand-to-hand and ranged weapons, as well as batteries and other large or one-use objects, can also be picked up during the course of the game, but only one can be carried, using the right hand, and they can not be stored in the inventory.

Much of the game's backplot is revealed by finding and reading logs on PDAs and notes left behind by characters, including accounts of experimental subjects losing their memories and lapsing into insanity. As the plot progresses, the main character automatically updates his own diary/log summarizing what he has discovered and what has happened for the player to review, an event marked by a sound cue. s in order to remotely control robots, open doors and bypass security systems. The puzzles are realistic and well integrated with the plot, so several have a time limit.

Development

"BioForge" was developed at Origin by a core team of ten people under the direction of Lead Programmer/Director Ken Demarest, during a period of two years from February, 1993 to March, 1995. The game was developed using C++ and 80x86 assembly and used the Phar Lap DOS extender. Internally, the game used a custom script language for world management and animation. It also employed an HTML-like language to code the in-game interface. cite web | title=Ken Demarest Technical Resumé | work= | url=http://ken.demarest.com/resume/KenDemarestTechnical.htm | accessdate=2006-03-09]

The animations were created using the rotoscope technique on live-actor movements captured with the "Flock of Birds" on-body motion detector system, using an in-house pose editor named "System for Animating Lifelike Synthetic Actors" (S.A.L.S.A.) that was capable of displaying captured movement as fully rendered models in real time. [cite web | title=Flock of Birds product page | work= | url=http://www.ascension-tech.com/products/flockofbirds.php | accessdate=2006-04-15]

Regarding the development of BioForge, Ken Demarest said:Fact|date=February 2007cquote| Every aspect of the BioForge was designed with technology in mind. You are on a lonely planet because we could not show more than two to three characters on screen at a time. Your body has been operated on because the fledgeling skeletal animation technology was too stiff to show smooth human animation.

Developing BioForge was a struggle. The first year and a half I ran the team (and made plenty of management mistakes) taking on every type of high risk, fascinating technology challenge. Kudos to Lance Grooms, Brendan Segraves and Jamie Rood for putting up with my hard-driving, technology-centric, no-decent-planning style of management!

The programming team has a lot to be proud of with BioForge. We built our own Flock of Birds suit and had real time motion capture years before other companies. To my knowledge, BioForge had the first single-skin, fully texture mapped, skeleton-based characters ever seen in a computer game (Alone in the Dark used hash textures and convex body pieces, which did not look nearly as good).

Technical details

"BioForge" uses a software-only 3D engine to draw polygonal objects and characters against pre-rendered backdrops with a fixed resolution of 320x200 pixels in 256 colors. In this respect, the game is very similar to the successful "Alone in the Dark" series of games which used hand drawn backgrounds. There are other striking similarities, like the movement scheme incorporating a separate combat mode. The combat element is toned down in "BioForge" with respect to the "Alone in the Dark" series, especially the later titles.

Other elements similar to "Alone in the Dark" are the gory atmosphere and scenery, although "BioForge" is actually sci-fi, the logs and narrations one finds, the lonely and devastated scenery, populated only by enemies, deranged lunatics and dead bodies, is something that boosts this feeling.

Other technical details also worthy of note are:
* As a character gets more and more injured in combat, wounds and blood appear on the model, which will also limp or move awkwardly, indicating its overall health (effects that diminish while the players regains health).
* Laser blaster beams deflect intelligently off metal surfaces in scenes, often bouncing multiple times before dissipating.
* "BioForge" used skeletal animation, with pose interpolation and interchangeable skeletons. This would later become a common technique in 3d computer and video games.

Extensions

"BioForge Plus" was projected by Origin as an extension to the original game, which would directly continue the plot, but it was cancelled after a rushed beta was completed in 10 weeks. A former Origin employee noted that the company was going through a "hard year" in 1995 and that job and production team cuts resulted in the cancellation of "BioForge Plus". [cite web | title=My Origin Systems Experience | work=The Dark Box: The Soul Cage | url=http://home.austin.rr.com/salters/03-26-2001.htm | accessdate=2006-05-17] The cancellation may also presumably have been related to "BioForge"'s weak sales.

This extension was advertised in promotional electronic catalogs bundled with other games of the company, with this blurb: [cite web | title=Trivia for BioForge | publisher=MobyGames | url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/bioforge/trivia | accessdate=2007-01-19]

cquote| "The work of research archaeologists has been interrupted by the machinations of the scheming scientist who plans to use the advanced alien technology for his own ends. Only your advanced skills give you hope of survival."

"As the moon, Daedalus, explodes, you discover the Black Raven - a ship sent by the Ministry of Security to spy on the Mondite base. It's going to be that kind of day - it's a good thing you're still angry. The adventure is far from over."

"Features:
* "Automatic Tracker - shows locations of most enemy lifeforms"
* "Better Energy Source"
* "More Powerful Weapons"
* "Improved Combat"
* "New, Superior Ship"
* "Gauntlet Feature"

Rock, Paper, Shotgun blog reported that EA Mythic received a crate full of old Origin Systems archive materials, possibly containing "BioForge Plus" source code. [cite web | title=Project: Origin (No, Not That One) | url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/08/14/project-origin-no-not-that-one/ | work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun | accessdate=2008-08-15]

Compatibility with modern systems

"BioForge" is not compatible with modern operating systems such as Windows XP but can be run reliably in the DOSBox PC emulator as of version 0.65. [ [http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/comp_list.php?showID=1270&letter=B&search=BioForge BioForge on DOSBox] ] Another way to run the game successfully is through a virtual machine running DOS.

References

External links

*moby game|id=/bioforge
*GameFAQs|id=565028
*fr icon [http://www.abandonware-france.org/ltf_abandon/ltf_dossiers_imprim.php?id=118 Bioforge] at abandonware-france.org