08 August, 2012

Sierra and Maxis


Two new actors entered the Mac-pinball scene, at that point in time: Sierra and Maxis. The first published 3D Ultra Pinball (1995) a three-table game based on the space simulation Outpost 





with a 3D look and really lousy physics. 

At the beginning of computer pinballs I was thinking that it would be interesting to include effects impossible in a real pinball. The first Sierra pinball contained several such effects and this cured me permanently: effects just spoil the simulation. 

The first Maxis pinball, Full Tilt 1 (1996), a three-table game (Space Cadet, Skulduggery and Dragon's Keep)




was slightly better than 3D Ultra Pinball, as far as physics is concerned, but its interest was limited. Moreover the code was so processor-intensive that it could not play on my 180C, 68030 equiped, powerbook. This was due probably to the fact that the first table (Space Cadet) was specially developed for Windows 95 and had somehow to respect the Microsoft tradition that you must constantly upgrade in order to keep up.


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