The 1990s were the decade of great innovations: thanks to Doom, Duke Nukem 3D and Quake, first-person shooters shot like weeds. Command & Conquer and Warcraft fueled the real -time strategy. The rulers ruled the spirit of playing and the courage to go completely new ways. During this time, Bullfrog’s dungeon master Dungeon Keeper also appeared. To date, many fans remember the unusual strategy simulation by the British studio Bullfrog Productions.
The game design, the bitterly human humor or simply the option to slap your own subordinates with the virtual demon hand are just a few points that have remained in the memory to this day. But what many do not know: The development of Dungeon keeper could hardly have been more chaotic. At times the game was even completed in the private house by creative head Peter Molyneux. For the 25th anniversary of the classic, we look back on the curious history of an equally curious game. Off to the dungeon!
Contents
1st page 125 years Dungeon keeper: Review page 1
1. 1.1bullfrog Productions and Electronic Arts
2. 1.2 complications
2nd page 225 years Dungeon keeper: Review page 2
1. 2.1 How do you build a dungeon simulator?
3rd page 325 years Dungeon keeper: Review page 3
1. 3.1 Banned from the office
2. 3.2Hectic final sprint
4. Page 425 years Dungeon keeper: Review page 4
1. 4.1dungeon keeper 3? Very unlikely!
5. Page 5bildergalerie on “25 years of dungeon keeper: This is how it was created, that’s why part 3…
- Open up
Bullfrog Productions and Electronic Arts
The strategy game published in 1989 founded the genre of “god simulations” and has sold over four million times to this day. At that time it was sold by Electronic Arts who recognized the potential behind Bullfrog early on and their ideas. The strategy game Powermonger (1990) and finally Populous 2: Trials of the Olympic Gods (1991) followed the pressure from EA Hin.
Bullfrog grew extremely quickly at the beginning of the 90s and moved into larger office space in the Surrey Research Park in Guildford. Peter Molyneux himself became a video game Promi, who symbolically stood for the credo behind Bullfrog Productions as a creative head.
“It was primarily Peters idea. She came from a group (in the team) that played many warlike board games that developed an amazing dynamic,” said Dungeon keeper programmer and Bullfrog employee Jonty Barnes to the magazine Retro Gamer.
The thought behind it was: “What if I or the player would live in a dungeon as an evil person? And all of these world impersions and knights would be concerned to destroy what is important to you. What if they believed that they thought that they The right thing, even though they actually had no place in your empire in the underworld? “, Barnes explained this point.
And while the development of Dungeon Keeper officially began in November 1994, Electronic Arts acquired Bullfrog Productions for allegedly $ 44 million in January 1995. This development had an enormous impact on the orientation of Bullfrog. The measure allowed a massive expansion, the workforce grew from 35 to 60 to over 150 employees within a very short time.
Peter Molyneux became Vice President of Electronic Arts and also led EA Europe. He was supported by Les Edgar, who acted as Vice President of EA Europe under Molyneux. The result: Bullfrog Productions lost his creative leadership because Molyneux and Edgar rarely stayed on site and instead often in the EA headquarters.
With this change at the top, an almost three-year developer-mode began, which, among other things, was characterized by release shifts, controversial personnel decisions and, above all, a lot of crunch.
first complications
Lead Programmer Simon Carter, Artist and Producer Mark Healey and Designer Barry Meade are now taking responsibility for the further development of Dungeon keeper. The graphic engine of the first-person game Magic Carpet from 1994 was used as a technical basis for the first prototype.
_ It continues on page 2! _
Page 1 25 Years of Dungeon keeper: Review page 1
Page 2 25 years of Dungeon keeper: Review page 2
Page 3 25 Years of Dungeon keeper: Review page 3
Page 4 25 years of Dungeon keeper: Review page 4
Page 5bildergalerie at 25 years of dungeon keeper: This is how it was created, which is why part 3 is excluded
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