Lets talk or play... Breathless

[Karlos]

The thing which bothered me most about breathless was the "by blocks" level design. It was, essentially, Wolfenstein 3D extended vertically. However, I recognise that this simplicity was in no small part responsible for it's speed.

Breathless was the first AGA FPS (you thought I was going to say game-that-shall-not-be-mentioned clone, didn't you?) that really demonstrated that with appropriate conversion you could have a scalable 1x1 pixelmode engine. On my 040, it was playable at a reasonable size in 1x1.

From a technical achievement perspective though, no amiga-bred FPS game comes close to the AlienBreed 3D game for me though. Pity that TKG was so rushed, it could have been so much more.

[yssing]

Well Breathless runs great on my system. One of the things I find was really great, was the foggy areas, which I don't think the other games had.
Doom didnt had fog AFAIR. The only problem I ever had with Breathless, wass that, though you could control the player with the mouse, you couldnt look up and down using the mouse. But the graphics, the sound, the gameplay, well it left me breathless..

And I so wish for a leveleditor for breathless.

[mailman]

At first I didn't like Breathless. It was way too difficult for me and I just simply put it back on the shelf. When my adventure with AB3D began and I really enjoyed it, I figured out that maybe I should give another try to Breathless. I did and I saw another side of this beautiful game. Although I still considered it as a very difficult game I managed to get through and learnt how to play. Right now, I consider Breathless as one of the greatest Amiga achievements of all times. Amazing graphics, atmospheric tunes, great gameplay. Some might say that the opponents seem to be little out of this planet and they move a bit awkward but after all you have to just kill them not to marry them.

[fishy_fiz]

Im going to be a party pooper here and say that I wasnt particularly keen on Breathless. The graphics where ok, but there was very little color variation. It was basically grey and yellow. All this said it looked quite ok and ran fairly well, but for me the gameplay was quite sterile and that's where it let me down. I wanted to like it, as much as anything so I could show my friends who'd made the jump to PC that the amiga can do FPS games, but it was more engine than game for my tastes. Maybe not the the extent of something like FEARS, but it never made the transition to game as much as something like AB3d. Even Nemac IV, which was also only average felt more immersive.

To each his own though.

[motorollin]

Well, if I'm to do a Let's play-thread, I want video clips and screenshots!

There are some nice videos on YouTube

[motorollin]

Im going to be a party pooper here and say that I wasnt particularly keen on Breathless. The graphics where ok, but there was very little color variation. It was basically grey and yellow.

Fair point. As for the gameplay, I don't remember Breathless being sterile as you say, but perhaps that's the Rose tinted specs talking. I'll have another go at it today and see what I think of it now.

[whabang]

There are some nice videos on YouTube

Well, I did say SA-style Let's play, didn't I?

Link for the ignorant masses

[motorollin]

Well, I did say SA-style Let's play, didn't I?

Link for the ignorant masses

Oh right... I've never heard of that site before, which I guess qualifies me as a member of the ignorant masses

[AmigaNG]

Shameless plug
Amiga FPS! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qd4BW4nNI0

Anyway on to Breathless, i remember a moment when you when down this massive lift and bads guys are shooting at you all over the place, it was a good game.

But for me the best first person shooter on the Amiga had to be Alien Breed, just the sound of the shotgun going off and then the next thing your here was a scream and splat. A great game shame it didn't have 1x1 pixels option. The squeal was just not as good, but technically impressive.

I remember when I went to the shops to get my first doom clone game on the Amiga and there was Alien Breed 3d, Gloom or Fears, I stupidly picked Fears only because it said it had a level editor in it, which it did and was more fun making 3d levels in that then playing the game.

However I must say who ever coded Fears must of been pretty good, full screen on a standard A1200 and not that bad speed.

PS: Genetic Species not running quick enough on 060 with RTS, I find that hard to believe, it run well on my amiga with just aga and 040.

[motorollin]

PS: Genetic Species not running quick enough on 060 with RTS, I find that hard to believe, it run well on my amiga with just aga and 040.

I was lying!

[motorollin]

Well I've just tried Breathless on my 030 A1200 and unfortunately it wasn't particularly smooth

[whabang]

Well I've just tried Breathless on my 030 A1200 and unfortunately it wasn't particularly smooth

Lying again, are you?

Also, the definition of "smooth" has changed quite considerably the last 15 years.

[motorollin]

Lying again, are you?

Clearly

Also, the definition of "smooth" has changed quite considerably the last 15 years.

True, but I think my memories of Breathless were from when I had an 060, so the game performed much better even in full screen with 1x1 pixels.

[Hattig]

Well I've just tried Breathless on my 030 A1200 and unfortunately it wasn't particularly smooth

Does the game have a 2x1 rendering mode - that would halve the complex calculations part of the ray casting...

[runequester]

Set the window size to one or two steps below the max, and it should run pretty good on an 030. At least it does for me

[fishy_fiz]

If I recall correctly I played it on a blizz mk4 50mhz '030 and to look at it, it ran pretty well 1x1 in a step or 2 down from full screen, but really needed 2x1 for more accurate controls (the game seems to put gfx updates before input if I recall correctly).