The Journeyman Project

This article is about the first computer game titled The Journeyman Project. For the entire series, see The Journeyman Project (series).

The Journeyman Project
Developer(s)	Presto Studios
Publisher(s)	Presto Studios Sanctuary Woods Bandai
Designer(s)	David Flanagan
Engine	Macromedia Director 2.0
Platform(s)	Mac OS, Windows
Release date(s)	(The Journeyman Project) 1993 (TJP Turbo) 1994
Genre(s)	Adventure game
Mode(s)	Single player
Media/distribution	CD-ROM (1)
System requirements PC 33MHz 386DX or faster, Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later, 4MB RAM, Super VGA Color Monitor (256 colors), Sound Blaster or compatible sound card, CD-ROM Drive, Mouse Macintosh Macintosh Color Computer, System 7.0 or later, 8MB of RAM, CD-ROM Drive, 13" Color Monitor or (256 colors), External speakers recommended

The Journeyman Project is a time travel adventure computer game developed by Presto Studios.

Gameplay

The game features a first-person perspective. The protagonist sees a display, a rectangle shaped visor (acting as a monocle for Agent 5). This user interface helps to reduce the movie size and maintain relatively high frame rates. Controls work as four interface buttons located below the screen. They move Agent 5 forward and backward, and rotate Agent 5 left and right.

An adventure game, where the player is presented with several clues and puzzles that must be solved in order to move on or finish the level.

Different items are found throughout the game, and can prove to be vital or helpful in the player's attempts to solve the problems and situations given. The most important of these items are the biochips. There are a total of 7 Bio-Chips:

Bio-Chip	Function	Found in
Interface	Store present or load a previously saved game.	Customized from game start.
Pegasus	Link the traveler to the time machine Pegasus whenever he is inside a time zone. Automatic recall for emergencies or completed tasks.	Ready room.
Mapping	Record a location that the Agent has stepped on. The location appears on the display screen seen from above.	Ready room.
Trace	Scans residues left by a time traveler.	Ares' central processor chamber. Near Mars.
Shield	Prevents plasma rays from draining too much energy from an Agent.	Mercury's central processor chamber. World Science Center, Sydney.
Retinal	Simulates the Agent's retina, when analyzed by an eye scanner.	Mercury's central processor chamber. World Science Center, Sydney.
Optical Memory	Stores and plays previously recorded video files.	All Prototypes' central processor chambers.

For speed purposes, a Bio-Chip panel is found below the screen, in which all collected Bio-Chips are stored. This avoids the player having to look for such chips in the inventory list, which takes longer.

Story

What an Agent sees when he activates the time machine

The game takes place in the distant future, after the Earth has been united to a peaceful global community. A scientist has discovered the technology of time travel but because of its dangerous nature, it has been apprehended and guarded in tight security. Temporal Protectorate is an agency tasked with preventing the alteration of history and if not, to correct it.

The game begins as humanity welcomes an alien delegation and is prepared to give a positive answer to the invitation to join the interplanetary "Symbiotry of Peaceful Beings". Three temporal disturbances, referred to in-game as anachronisms, are detected and an officer, known only as Agent 5, is sent to investigate and correct the anachronisms.

The Morimoto Mars Colony

He discovers that the anachronisms are all related to an event that occurred ten years prior to the beginning of the game. An alien race had come to Earth and offered to induct Earth into a federation of planets called the Symbiotry of Peaceful Beings. The aliens promised to return in ten years for Earth's answer. The anachronisms would prevent Earth from joining the Symbiotry, either by preventing the aliens from coming to Earth or by changing Earth's reaction to the aliens. Each anachronism is caused by a robot. The events which the robots are sent to alter are as follows:

• The conference of 2112 which led to peace and prosperity through the unification of Earth over opposing voices. The robot Poseidon sends a nuclear missile to detonate above Ghorbistan so that fear prevents the countries from proceeding with the acceptance of the treaty.
• The first acknowledged contact with an alien ship in 2185 above Mars. The robot Ares is sent to sabotage the Morimoto Mars Colony so that humanity connects the aliens with the colony's destruction, and grow skeptical of the aliens.
• The Pro-alien rally of 2310 where the speech of Dr. Enrique Castillo persuaded the opposing scientists to accept joining the Symbiotry. Robot Mercury was sent to assassinate Castillo so that the opposition prevailed.

It is revealed that the robots belong to Dr. Sinclair, who is also the inventor of time travel. He fears that the aliens are a malevolent force rather than a peaceful race, and is doing everything in his power to make Earth an unsuitable candidate for joining the aliens. In all three cases, the player has two ways to neutralize the robots, one 'peaceful' and one 'aggressive', which will affect the score at the end. The player also gains bio-chips from each robot to be used later by the player.

Elliot Sinclair, giving instructions and confessing his intentions to his last Prototype, Poseidon, as seen on an Optical Memory Bio-Chip

After correcting the anachronisms, Agent 5 learns that Dr. Sinclair plans to assassinate the alien delegate coming for Earth's answer to their offer. Agent 5 finds Dr. Sinclair hiding on top of an apartment building and holding a rifle, ready to fire on the delegate as soon as he arrives. After a brief scuffle, Agent 5 arrests Dr. Sinclair, allowing history to take its course.

Development

The Morimoto Caverns as seen in The Journeyman Project

The Journeyman Project was released in 1992 after 2 years of development. The game impressed the gaming press with its use of static high quality rendered graphics, stylist artwork and great immersive feeling with the help of digital audio. It suffered from performance problems and slow animations due to its early reliance on Macromedia Director. These problems were mostly overcome with the version 2.0 release that was retitled The Journeyman Project Turbo! and published by Sanctuary Woods in 1994.

Reception

The game was reviewed in 1993 in Dragon #196 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.

Releases and bug fixes

The game suffered from performance problems and slow animations due to its early reliance on Macromedia Director. These problems were mostly overcome with the version 2.0 release and retitled as The Journeyman Project Turbo! under the publisher Sanctuary Woods in 1994.

• The Journeyman Project v1.0 - (1992) original self-published release for Macintosh
• The Journeyman Project v1.1 - (1992) bug fixes
• The Journeyman Project v1.2 - (1993) performance upgrade, fastest Mac version until TJP Turbo
• The Journeyman Project MPC v1.0 - (1993) first release for Windows 3.1
• The Journeyman Project Turbo - (1994) unified release for Mac and PC with major speed improvements
• The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime - (1997) a complete remake of the original

External links

• The Journeyman Project at MobyGames
• The Journeyman Project at the Internet Movie Database
• The Journeyman Project: Turbo! at MobyGames
• Archived homepage for The Journeyman Project Turbo
• Interview with Tommy Yune, Adventure Classic Gaming (2007).
• Legacy of The Journeyman Project, Adventure Classic Gaming (1999).