Announcing Towers II Enhanced Stargazer Edition

[doctorclu]

I'm interested in the GD release option.

[walter_J64bit]

Remastered Jag game that's sounds interesting, good work.

Edited April 10, 2023 by walter_J64bit

[Songbird]

Uploaded gameplay footage #1 to first post:

 

 

[Songbird]

On 4/7/2023 at 3:21 PM, ZylonBane said:

Hopefully there's been a relook of the game strings as as well, because I remember some really goofy typos in the original Jag version.
...
You guys should probably fix that.

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, we have tried to make some grammar corrections, but good point on the title screen. Here's the current version.

 

[Shaggy the Atarian]

5 hours ago, Songbird said:

Uploaded gameplay footage #1 to first post:

 

 

Looks great, can't wait to get this. I did a brief comparison between the above and the original, trying to promote this as best I can within my little realm:

 

 

[agradeneu]

CRY 24 bit? 

 

I am pretty sure that mode was 16 bit. 😅

 

 

Also, the Jaguar does not support 32 bit color! 

 

Edited April 13, 2023 by agradeneu

[Songbird]

Correct, I mistakenly called it 24-bit at first. Sorry for the confusion! A couple of days ago I updated the pages to show Towers II ESE is using 16-bit CRY mode. The main benefit switching from RGB to CRY in this case is for the lighting effects.

 

2 hours ago, Shaggy the Atarian said:

Looks great, can't wait to get this. I did a brief comparison between the above and the original, trying to promote this as best I can within my little realm

Thanks for sharing the video, I appreciate that!

 

[Songbird]

I'm doing a live stream 30 minutes from now to talk about Towers II ESE. Feel free to join us, or watch the replay later.

 

 

[agradeneu]

What is the exact speed improvement in FPS?

 

I think the original version runs at 12 FPS. 

[Shaggy the Atarian]

21 hours ago, agradeneu said:

CRY 24 bit? 

 

I am pretty sure that mode was 16 bit. 😅

 

 

Also, the Jaguar does not support 32 bit color! 

 

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind, glad my dire mistake could entertain!

[Songbird]

According to the devs, the original game ran about 10 FPS, and the new one runs at least 12 FPS. To be conservative, we're calling it a 10-15% improvement. They also mentioned there was slowdown in some of the large open areas which should now be mitigated, so the frame rate should remain consistent throughout the game.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

20 hours ago, Songbird said:

According to the devs, the original game ran about 10 FPS, and the new one runs at least 12 FPS. To be conservative, we're calling it a 10-15% improvement. They also mentioned there was slowdown in some of the large open areas which should now be mitigated, so the frame rate should remain consistent throughout the game.

Dang, I always knew that the game ran a little sluggish but it didn't feel like 10fps, to me anyways  We'll take all the extra frames we can get!

[agradeneu]

Iam pretty sure the devs said 12 FPS when the game was released in 1997 ?? 

 

Honestly, I did not eye any siginificant improvements in FPS when watching the comparison video. However, tighter gameplay is still possible. 

 

 

 

Generally the improvements seem to be substantial and I am still pondering about getting this game, if the price could be under 100$.

 

I was not exactly a big fan of the original, I sold my copy a long time ago, but I want to give this game a second chance. 

 

 

With prices for the original going through the roof, the new edition should be a no brainer for collectors and fans of RPGs anyway. 

 

 

[ColecoGamer]

I really want this game, but I’m late to the party. Checked the website and couldn’t find any pre-order information. Did I miss it?

[ColecoGamer]

Never mind… pre-orders happen next month.

[+jgkspsx]

I’m in for this one. I am relieved that the preorder price is under $100 even if only just. It’s a lot cheaper than the Telegames UK price for the original.

[PeterG]

On 4/15/2023 at 2:37 AM, Songbird said:

According to the devs, the original game ran about 10 FPS, and the new one runs at least 12 FPS. To be conservative, we're calling it a 10-15% improvement. They also mentioned there was slowdown in some of the large open areas which should now be mitigated, so the frame rate should remain consistent throughout the game.

https://web.archive.org/web/20140915073222/http://justclaws.atari.org/jagudome/towerview2.html

Just had a look according to that interview the original version was around 12 FPS, but in any case the improvements sound good nonetheless 🙂

[+jgkspsx]

17 hours ago, PeterG said:

Just had a look according to that interview the original version was around 12 FPS, but in any case the improvements sound good nonetheless 🙂

They may have been fibbing as well

[+cubanismo]

Games rarely have a consistent frame rate if it's below the monitor refresh. Maybe it was mostly 10 before, mostly 12 now. Both are factors of 60, so it seems likely it's hitting both at specific times or in specific areas, rather than averaging them.

[ZylonBane]

On 4/13/2023 at 7:38 AM, Songbird said:

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, we have tried to make some grammar corrections, but good point on the title screen.

Cool. I went back and looked at my review of Tower II in JEO #1, and I actually mentioned a couple of the typos in the review: There were confusions of aloud/allowed and stock/stalk. In case you haven't already fixed those. Also in "You don't need anymore sleep" that should be "any more". Also "Iron Gardian" should probably be Guardian.

 

Does the end still do the thing where it forces you to waste time dumping all your inventory items for no reason?

 

Now, I haven't actually played this since it first came out, so my memory of the endgame is VERY hazy, but I do vaguely recall trying to actually leave the tower after defeating the big bad, since that was literally my main quest, but for no reason I wasn't allowed to leave and instead had to jump into the big crystal, again for no reason. If I'm remembering all this correctly, it would be nice if there was some in-game explanation given for all this.

[Songbird]

I know we caught most of those grammar errors already but we'll double-check.

 

The ending has been improved.

[Swansea_Mariner]

What's the story behind this then?

 

It's great to see a dev revisiting and enhancing an old game like this. I'll definitely be picking up a copy.

[Songbird]

Next preview video is live! This one highlights (ahem) the CRY lighting that is exclusive to Towers II Enhanced. You can also catch some other small features, such as quality of life improvements and more details when picking up items.

 

 

[+Saturn]

This looks great! Love the health bar above the enemies. Hearing the music brings back a lot of memories. Haven't played in a while, really excited for this.

[Songbird]

Enemy health bars is such a big improvement IMO, and obviously a common feature in modern games. It gives the player an important feedback loop especially when attacking new, stronger foes.

 

Also did you notice that the fist graphic has been improved? You only see it in the first few minutes of gameplay, but I never liked how the fist looked in the original release. Glad it looks better now.