Half Life never came out on consoles besides ps2, no ? HL on xbox ?
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DF Retro: Turok Dinosaur Hunter - How An N64 Classic Evolved The Console FPS
- Thread starter chandoog
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Half Life never came out on consoles besides ps2, no ? HL on xbox ?
I was too young to play "the violent dinosaur game" when it was relevant, and I feel like the modern reputation of pea soup fog and dubious platforming kept me away from it in later years. Definitely feel like Turok is a series that mostly exists in the popular memory to remind all of us that Goldeneye was apparently the only good pre-Halo console shooter and that the N64 didn't have very many games.
That said, I'm always fascinated by the various techniques and shortcuts developers used to make games like Turok run on a console as underpowered as the N64, and I feel like John makes a compelling enough case that I'll probably end up picking up the Night Dive version when it's on sale for like $5.
That said, I'm always fascinated by the various techniques and shortcuts developers used to make games like Turok run on a console as underpowered as the N64, and I feel like John makes a compelling enough case that I'll probably end up picking up the Night Dive version when it's on sale for like $5.
Still waiting on that Switch release of the Turok 2 remaster, can finally play that game with (hopefully) decent framerate.
Finding out some of the key people that worked on Turok also made Metroid Prime MAKES SO MUCH SENSE
I had no idea.
I had no idea.
Man, I never knew about that "quack mode". Cheeky. I remember hearing a similar rumor about a cheat code in the original Jazz Jackrabbit where if you typed in a code containing the word APOGEE, it would switch to a 16-color mode with terrible framerate. But this was allegedly patched out in the first update. I've never managed to confirm if this was real.
I wonder if the static mesh approach to level design was also specifically chosen due to the system's native texture filtering. Typically in BSP-style 3D games environmental surfaces were much more repetitively tiled. Static meshes allow you to be much more flexible with how you can scale and stretch the assets around to use them in a variety of ways, but without texture filtering you're going to run into some very blatant pixelation issues doing that. Having a filter just smudge everything out makes the scaled up textures more palatable and easier to get away with in comparison.
I've retroactively noticed a trend around the time when texture filtering was getting more and more common with developers much more liberally stretching out textures across surfaces rather than tiling them. Ironically this seemed to result in a dip in texture fidelity compared to the more primitive 3D games coming out earlier in the 90s.
I wonder if the static mesh approach to level design was also specifically chosen due to the system's native texture filtering. Typically in BSP-style 3D games environmental surfaces were much more repetitively tiled. Static meshes allow you to be much more flexible with how you can scale and stretch the assets around to use them in a variety of ways, but without texture filtering you're going to run into some very blatant pixelation issues doing that. Having a filter just smudge everything out makes the scaled up textures more palatable and easier to get away with in comparison.
I've retroactively noticed a trend around the time when texture filtering was getting more and more common with developers much more liberally stretching out textures across surfaces rather than tiling them. Ironically this seemed to result in a dip in texture fidelity compared to the more primitive 3D games coming out earlier in the 90s.
Even when I didnt play it during it's original release it was a game that most knew and always looked intersting from mags, commercials. Did end up playing some of it but not much so this will be a perfect time to play it fully. I actually did play the 2nd game all the way through during it's initial release.
Another great DF Retro video. Probably my favorite series on YouTube, and I'm glad to see John covering this game specifically. I was 14 when Turok came out, and it was the first game I ever bought with money I earned.
By today's standards, I think Turok on N64 holds up a LOT better than Golden Eye. GE is very ambitious but it has a lot of technical shortcomings and limitations as a result. Turok is more refined and easy to jump into today.
Great video as always. The Switch version looks pretty damn playable to me!
I've only played N64 Turok 2 and Rage Wars, which I Stockholm Syndrome'd myself into believing were amazing games. I'd love videos on both of them, *and* Turok 3, which I remember being insanely ambitious for its day.
I've only played N64 Turok 2 and Rage Wars, which I Stockholm Syndrome'd myself into believing were amazing games. I'd love videos on both of them, *and* Turok 3, which I remember being insanely ambitious for its day.
Another thing I've mentioned in other threads before. I've played Turok on the N64 methodically and in the exploration sense as outlined in the video. The new Nightdive version on PC I've played completely different, like a high speed racing game. Maybe partly because I already knew how Turoks level work but also because it works so well with mouse & k-board, the high framerate and the reduced fog while that was not exactly the case with the N64 controller and the N64 tech back then. It's the first and only time where that is the case for me anyway.
I dunno why I said Half-Life 1, but I meant to say Half-Life 2 on the Xbox. But yeah, Half-Life 1 is also on the PS2.
Fantastic video, playng Turok on N64 was just as much of a revelation as SMB64 was at the time.
Seeds of Evil wasn't too bad either, sure it had some serious performance issues but playing with a friend was incredible at the time and I still remember shooting arrows in my buds add as he climbed a ladder.
Seeds of Evil wasn't too bad either, sure it had some serious performance issues but playing with a friend was incredible at the time and I still remember shooting arrows in my buds add as he climbed a ladder.
It's interesting you say that, because the Nightdive PC remaster was my first experience with Turok (just a couple weeks ago, actually), and I sat through the DFR video's praise of Turok's exploration-driven map design with a degree of confusion. The maze-like Catacombs map took some rooting around, but the rest of the game felt like either linear corridors or simple hub-and-spoke, a far cry from the complex interlocking maps of Build engine shooters from the same period. Keys were almost all either directly on the critical path or clearly visible from it, so I never had trouble collecting all the keys on my first visit as long as I bothered to look around a bit. Now I'm wondering whether the fog distance helps explain the difference in perception, as a performance work-around that actually helped the game feel more expansive than it really is.
That Qturoc mod looked really weird. Neat to see... and the dancing dino's made me chuckle.
I saw it in a YouTube or Twitter video recently. Was called "apology mode" or something like that.
Interesting point. Increasing the draw distance probably break the game in subtle ways. OTOH, I never got around to playing Turok as I through there was too much fog, even back in '97. The remakes seems much more appealing without that fog right in front of your nose.
I don't understand how you can say this.
And Turok pops up in every other DF video!
I think the fog does help, yeah, but I also still believe this is a more expansive game than the Build Engine titles from that era. More importantly, those games were a series of self-contained levels. What makes Turok different is that the hub acts a gate to return to previous stages. You're encouraged to find the Chronoscepter pieces which take some searching.
Many keys are on the critical path but definitely not all of them. It does take a bit of rooting around.
It's true that pulling back the fog changes things somewhat but, at the same time, when you completely disable it, it's also possible to appreciate just how massive the stages really are. There's a lot of ground to cover which was novel at the time.
For sure. Remember - Turok doesn't support light maps so everything has a flat look to it. It works fine with the original aesthetic of Turok but not so much with Quake.
Watched the whole thing with my teenager this afternoon, who loved it (he loves retro stuff). Stellar work again John and crew! :)
Definitely motivated my ass to pick up the remaster on Xbox One now.
Definitely motivated my ass to pick up the remaster on Xbox One now.
That's totally fair. I'm sure the sheer size of Turok's levels must have been astonishing at release, though appreciating that requires me to try to reach a 1997 mindset, while the much smaller but more intricate maps of the best PC shooters from the mid-late 90s continue to impress me today. I will admit that I didn't bother to complete the Chronoscepter, which seemed unnecessary with the collection of ridiculous super-weapons that the last couple levels have scattered everywhere. The core shooting action in Turok holds up without nostalgia, especially near the end when encounters get larger and ammo more plentiful.
Just about the only thing that's genuinely hard about returning to this masterpiece on 64 is the inverted controls being stuck in place. If it weren't for that, switching to left handed mode would outright turn it into an easy to play shooter that don't even require the adjustment period that was talked about in the video.
Played the hell out of this (and T2) back on the N64. Picked up the remaster when it came out and loved it, too. Completely modern controls and PC options, etc, but still feels like Turok (at least as far as my nostalgia glasses can remember, I haven't played the original in years).
As for Turok 2, I'll just say this: Picture four drunk Marines playing Frag Tag. 'nuff said.
As for Turok 2, I'll just say this: Picture four drunk Marines playing Frag Tag. 'nuff said.
Hey Dark1x where did you get that PC Engine controller shirt?
I got it here!
They do a bunch of different designs. Cool stuff!
Thanks for the video, can't watch it yet though. I do remember being super impressed with the game. I used to just slowly move the camera around and watch the lens flare for minutes at a time. J J Abrams favourite N64 game?
Great video, I was hoping the sequels to be covered as well, but I understand why they were left out.
Hey John, how do you feel about this Turok?
Hey John, how do you feel about this Turok?
These were the kind of games I thought were impossible on PSX. I never had an N64 beyond temporarily loans with friends, I didn't like the system much but I was jealous of games like these and Goldeneye.
Great work! Loved the editor stuff shown. Would love for you guys to do another video for Turok 2 and 3 or even one on another N64 shooter Perfect Dark. Overall I always love DF Retro doesn't matter what is covered.
DF Retro is great. I'm old enough that I had to wait though the initial N64 drought as a teenager getting hyped for each new release. Looking back at what was going on behind the scenes with the games from a technical nature is fascinating.
And I agree with the dude above, Cerebral Bore forever.
And I agree with the dude above, Cerebral Bore forever.
Now we just need to Ubisoft to acquire the Turok license and give us a Far Cry Turok game.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
You are absolutely correct on the public perception of the game back when originally released, Dark1x. At least I can corroborate. I remember all the hype about the amazing weapons and animations, and I rented it expecting to blaze through levels Doom-style. Instead I got open worlds, portals and platforming, which I totally didn't expect. I gave up on it shortly after, but always respected what I thought it was trying to be.
I got the Nightdive ports anticipatong the day I would revisit them, looks like that time is coming soon after watching your video. Fantastic work as always!
I got the Nightdive ports anticipatong the day I would revisit them, looks like that time is coming soon after watching your video. Fantastic work as always!
I imagine that after Dictator made that comment about the n64 controller Dark pulled him into a room and gave him a noogie for his sins.
I'm considering picking up Turok 64 (based PAL version) and Turok 08 as well. HMMMmMMmMmm.
I'm considering picking up Turok 64 (based PAL version) and Turok 08 as well. HMMMmMMmMmm.
Yeah, this prompted me to redownload the PC version and buy it on Switch lol
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Greatly looking forward to watching this. Turok has a special place in my heart and for a long while I thought it might only have to do with nostalgia, but replaying it on Steam last year only confirmed how good this game is. It aged wonderfully as far as I'm concerned.
There's a HL2 chapter already, with the Xbox version covered. Take a look.
The leveldesign was a bit streamlined in the Nightdive remaster. Some keys were moved a bit closer to the main path than they were in the original, for example.
