BioForge
| Bioforge | |
|---|---|
| Bioforge | |
| Developer(s) | Origin Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Origin Systems |
| Designer(s) | Eric Hyman (producer) Richard Garriott (executive producer) Ken Demarest (design) Jack Herman (script) Bruce Lemons (art director) |
| Engine | Bioforge engine |
| Platform(s) | DOS |
| Release |  April 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game, Puzzle, Science fiction, Interactive movie |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
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 an interactive movie, a term which has since fallen out of favor. This possibly refers to its rich plot and above-average voice acting more than its gameplay. It was localized in four languages.
The game was very hardware demanding in 1995, requiring 8 Megabytes of RAM and a 486 running at 33Mhz at least, as was usual for Origin games.
Well received, but also going low on sales, is considered by many to be an overlooked game and is featured prominently in the Home of the Underdogs site.
Story
Template:Spoiler In the far future, a mad scientist called Dr. Mastaba is the Prime Paragon of a fanatical group of religious extremists known as the Mondites who believe in the evolution of man through machine by cybernetic implants and aspire to galactic conquest. The Mondites abduct people and subject them to cybernetic experiments. Unfortunately, everyone so far has ended up either dead or insane.
On the moon (Daedalus) housing their headquarters, the Mondites have discovered the remnants of a long extinct alien civilization of unimaginable power in an achaeological dig. Daedalus is a highly unstable and subject to high seismic activity. One of the aliens is accidentally revived from its tomb and is now running rampant throughout the complex.
The player takes on the role of a cyborg called Lex who awakens in a cell in a Mondite research station with no prior memories. After escaping the cell, the player seems to be one of the scant survivors of an incident that 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 plot ends abruptly after the player escapes Daedalus in an experimental spacecraft in the wake of the moon's destruction. The intention was for there to be a sequel, but this was unfortunately never published. Template:Endspoiler
Gameplay
Bioforge centers mainly on exploration and puzzle solving using items, and also on fighting and interaction with NPCs. The ultimate goal of the game is not obvious at the beginning, since the player is unaware of his identity, which depends on his actions during the game.
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 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.
A large portion of the puzzle element relies on accessing control and computer terminals 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.
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 a 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.
Development
Bioforge was developed at Origin by a core team of ten people under the direction of designer 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.
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.
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.
Technical details
Bioforge uses a sofware-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, 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.
- 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 technique would later be used in Half-Life.
Extensions
Bioforge Plus was projected by Origin as an extension to the original game, which would directly continue the plot, but it was cancelled at an unknown state of development, presumably due to the weak sales of Bioforge. This extension was advertised in promotional electronic catalogs bundled with other games of the company, with this blurb:
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