| Posted By
MIK
on 2010-04-08
18:58:55
 |  Trailblazer Remake on XBOX 360!!!!
Along Time Ago on a Commodore not so far way...
Shaun Southern's classic Trailblazer, one of the most loved games and the biggest surprise of it's time fell out of the sky from no where Christmas 1986. It made our jaws hit the floor because for the first time we had something very unique and special on a machine you would of thought it impossible. Indeed we are talking about the most colourful, breakneck speed of chess board tiled flooring game since Sega gave birth to Space Harrier the arcades!
Trailblazer was here to test our 8bit reflexes to the limit and the fan's flocked in their 1000's to play it, (on a C64 maybe) but it's one title that has stayed in our hearts for as long as we can count the grey hairs on our head! One such Plus/4 enthusiast DrMistry of Mstar Games has set about making his very own version for XBOX 360 called Blazin' Balls. Once again the Cosmic Causeway is in play as well as the endless chasms of doom and all the colour floor tiles you know and love, but this time things have been taken up a gear with DrMistry adding his own spice to the mix. For the first time you now have coins to collect along the way adding to the challenge for those high score freaks among you! There is also a new ball bounce mechanics in play allowing you to jump higher if you have the skills to pull them off and new to the game is an earthquake like tile which shakes the screen and the floor starts to shrink before your very eyes!! Just like the original this is pure arcade gaming heaven and for only 80mps from the Xbox 360 marketplace this is like taking candy away from a babies hand at that crazy price! Two years in the making and a brand new machine with HDTV 720p support to play it on! What are you waiting for... The original Custom Sound track??? Make your own. :)
In the mean time head on over to the official Xbox 360 Marketplace to find out more: Blazin' Balls
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2010-04-08
20:59:20
 | Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360.
(edit)
hic
No complaints from me :)
Actually I do have one. Where's the C16/+4 version? ;)
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Posted By
MIK
on 2010-04-09
06:19:14
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
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Posted By
Chronos
on 2010-04-09
16:17:39
 | Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
i'm just jtagged my xbox.. so, 1-1 copyright claims-me :D looking forward this game as dumped by FYK or somebody else..
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Posted By
DrMistry
on 2010-04-09
20:03:07
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
Hi everyone, I'm the developer who wrote Blazin' Balls for the Xbox 360. I'm sorry you feel the way that you do about the game, but there are plently of other examples of Trailblazer being released for other platforms (including the Atarti ST, PC, Acorn Electron, BBC and Spectrum) as both full commercial products, indie games or PD/Shareware and I've made reference to the game's origins on our website.
I would never have embarked on the project of writing the game if I thought it would be breaching any intellectual property rights. Microsoft are indeed VERY strict about breaches of IP, and the game was reviewed before release. I don't work for Microsoft, but the terms and conditions of releasing Indie Games are very clear about breaching copyright or using other unauthorised material, and quite rightly. Every single bit of content and code in the game is mine and mine alone.
The entire history of game development is littered with tales of games being remade, adapted and updated - remember how many Uridium clones there were for the 64? How much of a debt modern gaming owes games like Elite, Manic Mansion, Les Mans, PacMan, Tetris, Wolfenstien and other genre-forming games is a matter of public record and no-one involved with making games would deny it. When deciding to write the game, I had to think about the legal issues around creating a "clone" of another game. I looked in to the copyright status of the game, checked for prior examples of "clones" of Trailblazer being availabe on other platforms and what the licence terms were for them both at release and currently. I'm fully confident that my position is defensible. But "legality" isn't really the argument, is it?
I grew up with a Plus/4, a 64C and a couple of Amigas and I remember the games from Mr. Chip, Gremlin, Mastertronic and all the other great 8-bit developers and publishers with real fondness. I've spent a lot of time over the last 2 years writing games for the 360 and getting involved with other game developers, getting advice about what's safe to write and release and what's not, and I've tried really hard to make my game a fitting tribute to Shaun and Trailblazer. It was an absolute breakthrough game when it was released (and one of the few "written for c16 / plus/4" titles to break through to other formats) and I'm sorry that you're willing to dismiss a genuine effort to recreate the joy which I felt playing Trailblazer the first time for other gamers as an attempt to rip anyone off, or insult Shaun or to take the food from his table. In interviews that I've done for indie scene websites I've been very careful to acknowledge Trailblazer as the direct inspiration for Blazin' Balls. That, combined with the fact that I almost certainly won't make any profit from the game at all, in exactly the same way that people who organise emu and retro scene websites and image archives don't make any profit from distributing old games. I think that sites just like this one are very important - we have a serious heratige of superb game makers in the UK and that's something we should be proud of.
You don't have to like the game I've written, you don't even have to play it. But please, I'm not some fly-by-night conman who's ripped of one of your (and my) heros. And the indie scene is most certainly not populated with schoolkids. I'm married, in my mid-30s with a daughter and two cats and I've been programming since the Plus/4 days. It's what I still do for a living. There are even some old Gremlin employees on the scene, one of whom I've had the pleasure of discussing Blazin' Balls with.
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Posted By
Csabo
on 2010-04-09
20:34:27
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
Hey there,
It's unexpected but nice of you to come and visit us. I have little to add to all of this. First, well said! Second, I can see where Lando is coming from, he's an old hardcore fanatic. I mean look at his avatar  But otherwise I don't exactly see eye to eye on this one. In short, I'm okay with games such as yours being released. It's not like you can patent or have copyright on the game's idea. Actually acknowledging Trailblazer or Gremlin in the game is what could get you in trouble, since those could be trademarks.
Best of luck with your game and future developments!
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2010-04-09
20:54:15
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360.
Hi DrMistry.
Apologies for my outbursts. It's not you. It's just a big company such as Microsoft who seems to care about others breaching their copyright, and I was just wondering why they seemed OK breaching any copyrights to this game. But then I shouldn't assume anything. I suppose if Shaun Southern was mentioned as the original inspirator for the game we wouldn't have been so hard, but then as Csabo mentioned above maybe it would've landed you in bother. We're just all Sout fans I guess lol 
I agree with you about clones of classic games, and you are right. Copyrights can hinder progress and gaming creativity anyway. New ideas on an old formula is always good, and I like seeing new classic hi-score games being released. It's just that age-old copyright thing that confuses people a bit. But you're a freelance programmer that obviously don't just create games solely for money, and you know enough about the history of the game and the copyright itself to know what you're doing.
I suppose I was too harsh on the game (typing before I think). After all graphics doesn't account for overall playability. i didn't mean to sound like they're bad, they're pretty good tbf and they seem to suit the game itself but was just thinking that the 360 is capable of so much more. I haven't even seen it in action yet, and imho graphics can still be really good even if they're not utilised to the fullest of potentials of the machines, so I was unfair on that. Also you are keeping it true to the original using the same colours as the original for retro fans such as ourselves who might get confused with it otherwise
Anyway the coins is a nice feature, if only that was included in the original, it seems so obvious.
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Posted By
DrMistry
on 2010-04-10
00:02:36
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
Hi again guys.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean about copyright breaches. Copyright is a very specific thing which refers directly to tangable (but not nessecarily physical) things, like the box art and other graphical assets, the music (and I prefer the original boogie-woogie soundtrack to mine) and so on. Nothing of the original game appears in mine /in that way/, but I'd repeat that I don't think that's really the point.
There is a concept of look and feel, and the risk you take when repliicating any game is focussed primarily on two arguments - prior art for the original and prior art for the "replica". There is some prior art for Trailblazer (but not much and the story isn't 100% clear to me just yet), meaning that there were examples of 1) faux-3D representations of linear game environments, 2) physical simulation of a rolling bass, 3) a combination of those two gameplay elements in to one cohesive game, 4) the interaction of elements of a faux-3d represention and the player's character which prohibit or promote progress through the game world. There's bags and bags of prior art from my position - PD games, shareware and full commercial "remakes" for the ST and Amiga, and games with substantively similar gameplay (with no reference to the original whatsoever which I could find). I am not going to release a game on to a worldwide, well publicised and popular gaming platform which is attended by thousands of websites and millions of gamers which is in breach of ANY IP at all. I would be, quite rightly, torn to pieces. Adding to that the fact that Mr Chip allow ALL their old C16 titles to be distributed on a not-for-profit basis and it's entirely legitimate to take the position that the work is a fir and proper subject for re-writing, with the proviso that no copyrights or other IP for other rights holders or products are breached.
The graphics *aren't* particularly intense, and that was an entirely conscious choice. I felt that if I tried to "overdress" the game then people who remember Trailblazer would be even MORE angry that someone was ripping it off and trying to pass it off as their own idea. I thought by staying faithful to the original people would recognise it for what it is - a reasonable programmer having a reasonable attempt at reproducing the fun of a very good game. I also wanted to make sure the focus was entirely on the gameplay and not the flash. TBH almost anyone could write *something* for the 360 which looks pretty cool. Making it play right is the real challenge, and if it could be done on a 6502 in 16k with no real sprites and no real synth chip and certainly no 3D in the way we understand and use it today then I want to work out why and how it's so much fun to play!
That said, I do have the possibility of updating the game with a "better" graphics engine - or indeed with a credit to Shaun. I already need to do one update because the music looses sync after about 30 minutes of play. Not that I expect people to play the game that long, but if you're going to do a job...
The coins were my wife's idea. So, basically, all the good stuff is her and all the rest is me ;0) I have abolsutely positively no problem at all with people not liking my games - I'm nowhere near a good enough games designer or programmer to expect everyone to enjoy them - but I really honestly hope you guys will give it a try, and to show that it's really not about profit, here are three redeem codes so you can have a copy each for free. The codes are single use. Enjoy the game if you want to try it, if not then maybe I'll tickle your gaming fancy next time out.
MBXYC-BXTRK-XP2CD-GTDTM-4HQ2G
HRKTK-YM4MB-W33VQ-37G7G-BX4WW
B67HM-2K4BB-WQ9XM-G9GRF-48B8Y
Regards,
Mike
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Posted By
MIK
on 2010-04-10
01:02:14
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
DrMistry,
I'm really sorry if it sounds as bad as it reads and I apologies BiG Time!!!
In any normal circumstance the topic title would of been named Trailblazer Remake with a load of exclamation marks on the end believe me. We have a history of remakes and we have taken them all with open arms, each and everyone of them and a Trailblazer Remake would be no different. They all bring a smile to the face and we respect them all even the smallest of efforts!
Your game should of been no different from any other and I hope you can understand because there are many years of history linked to the original post. Please don't be offended by the use of the word rip-off as at the time I did not know the full story, I hope you understand I said those very words in a second post.
To me a version of Trailblazer showed up on Microsoft's XBOX 360, I looked at the screen shots before downloading the demo and I knew what it was. Thats was it, it felt like an insult because I did not know any better. It was the fact that your work was on Microsoft's XBOX 360, it was on Microsoft's marketplace being sold. My small mindedness said big brother was doing something outrageous and the indie community had passed something they had no idea of what it really was. When I say school kids, you know what I mean, people much younger than our selfs. Sometimes the whole XBOXLiVE thing can be annoying when it's meant to be a tight ship yet even the likes of full price retail games in review have leaked video footage ect... So who's running the show kind of thing.
I am not the internet police either.
I am very fond of the C16/Plus4 and it's never gone away. When I first jumped on the internet I spent years building a gaming fan site for this very machine which was all built on an Amiga. Thanks to Csabo and many years of hard work and a lot of evolution with the help of a strong team of Plus/4 enthusiasts that once old site is what you see right now! I gave it up years ago. 
It was all done for free and is still being done for free. Even the web hosting that is being payed for is not making any money. What we have here is a very small community and the only way it has survived was because it was free.
I hope you can see a small insight to where I'm coming from. I'm not saying your game should be free though. It's because I did not know the full story behind of your work with me pointing the finger at Microsoft - not you personally.
You know we have had to watch the Amiga fall to Microsoft with Mac falling behind for a long while.
I'm a big Sega nut and have had to watch Sony kill the Sega Saturn, Dreamcast and then for XBOX to roll in trying to take a cut. XBOX was kicked out from under our feet before we had a chance to play it by the XBOX 360. I'm a really happy chappy. 
I hope that gives you a better picture of this crazy fool. I apologies again.
At your request and you only have to say the word I'm sure Csabo can delete the whole topic if you wish. We are not a busy main stream retro site at all, but still what has been done can be deleted if you so wish.
I'm really sorry you were forced to post in defence of your work when it would of been really cool for you to see some good words about it. It should of never of been this way. I can't say sorry enough.
I will grab it tomorrow and take a proper look!
Many thanks!
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2010-04-10
04:53:21
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360.
Boy, did I swallow a stupid pill the other night!
lol well just as Lando said. I was thinking it was just some large major production too involving big teams and lots of moneymen involved. Shows just how much I know.
I guess you felt you couldn't win when you mentioned the reason for the graphics, and I stand (or sit) corrected. Here you are giving something back to the retro gaming community yet here we are complaining about it, big oops. Apologies.
BTW I like the graphics as they are, apologies if you thought I was complaining about it. I have to backtrack now and this time say what I actually do think that a game doesn't need to be too showy to be enjoyable. I think you've got it spot on in keeping a simple and cleaner retro feel on a retro game.
Think I'll do a Basil Fawlty now and curl up grimacing on the floor in embarrassed error of judgment 
Thanks for the taster. I'd check it out but the stupid pill is still working it's effects on me as I can't find where to download lol.
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Posted By
MIK
on 2010-04-10
07:27:32
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
Sixteen Plus,
Sorry I got you caught up in this, my fault! If I had posted trailblazer remake from the start and said WOW it's really cool you would not off been sucked in. Those tablets make me ill as well. 
If you press the guide button and move the guide blades over to the far left you should see an option for Redeem Codes. Very nice of DrMistry to offer them!!
I don't deserve a free copy so I won't be using one of the redeem codes. I am not worthy!
http://i41.tinypic.com/9rp11g.jpg
When I wake up I'll have a proper look.
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Posted By
DrMistry
on 2010-04-10
08:47:34
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
No need for embarrasment at all guys - the retro scene is important, and you're just doing your bit to protect it. I have no problem with that at all :0)
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Posted By
MIK
on 2010-04-10
09:27:07
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
DrMistry,
May this picture below put a small smile on your face!
Piccy: http://i42.tinypic.com/1f7jtt.jpg
Oblido is not my main gamertag, it's a sliver account I created as a spare some time ago for when I want to keep my self to my self playing the odd game in peace and quite.
My desk is not like that, I dug it all out, got my son to play the game and took loads of pictures in hope I would capture a nice one. He must thinkh is dad is crazy. He's 11 years old and I took him away from Fifa 10 to take the shot haha!
Blazin Balls REMAKE.
That it is and it's a very cool game indeed. I am not sucking up now, honest I am taking a mature look at it and you have captured the magic of the original really well, plus some. It's just as hardcore as it ever was and the new idea to bring the coins in play are a good improvement over the original as it keeps you on your toes and forces you out of the Comfort Zone, (if trailblazer ever had one haha!) trying to bag some more score. It gets the thumbs up by me I swear!!
Where the coins are random you can also get caught out as they may hide a sneaky gap in the floor which is nice as it makes you think twice before you collect.
I need to put more time into it because just like the original I suck from the early plays. Practice makes perfect as with all the classic arcade like titles and it's been such along time playing a game with only 3 lives haha! I was in brain overload again from the reverse floor tiles just like I was back in the day.
Seriously 5 stars!
Really sorry I had to jump straight in looking at it with the wrong point of view. My bad. I hope no harm has been done. It is a classic remake and a very, very good one. You know it is.
Csabo posted the other day a topic named, " I love the Plussy!". I totally agree with the things he said and now I am kicking my self because the bad from the internet I have brought here. His words are very true and it's out of order of me to brake that rule we have kept since day one!!!!
Maybe add the name SOUT in the high score table if that is at all possible. That would be a nice gesture to Shaun Southern's original. That is up to you of course!
I know 80msp is next to nothing and I know you won't make much on the title. I also know the indie games scene needs a major revamp as there are too many applications and games are pushed out of the lime light all too quickly. I hope Blazin Balls does well for you.
Big respects and many thanks for Blazin Balls.
King regards,
Another Mike
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Posted By
DrMistry
on 2010-04-10
11:23:08
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
ROAR! You know what, that gave me more than a smile! Thanks man, I'm going to have that as my desktop background! There's something about the shape of the plus/4 which I still find exciting. I can still get a whiff of that unique plasticy smell from the PSU after a couple of hours playing ACE...happy happy days!
That's a really good idea about adding Sout to the highscores and I can't believe I didn't think of it before! Thanks for the feedback - it's really really important for us little guys to get involved and hear what people think about our work. And I'm very very glad that you're enjoying the game. That's why I do what I do, to bring a little smile to people's faces.
We all have strong feelings about different things, and the best thing about the internet is that, if you're lucky, you get to have a proper discussion with people, just as we have here, and everyone learns something. I've had a very useful reminder about how much people care about the classic games and how important it is to get out and talk to the people who really DO care rather than the goons you get in other parts of the web who think Queen Victoria invented the steam engine ;0)
Thanks again guys, always a pleasure to meet other CBM enthusiasts.
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Posted By
Chronos
on 2010-04-10
12:39:45
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360
this topic deserves a better name now
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Posted By
retroscener
on 2010-04-10
14:33:17
| Re: Trailblazer remake for XBOX360.
that means editing all the topic headings in the replies too, can't be too time consuming. I've just done mine.
well, lando has kind of got me off the hook although i jumped the gun too a bit, but i'm gonna rectify that more and admit i don't own an xbox360. i now think i am beginning to understand why i can't download it, as i now realise it's an xbox360 live download and not a pc download. i feel a bit gutted now lolz.
any very slim chance of a classic xbox or pc version in the future? better still, on the c16/+4 with the new extra features (just kidding)
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Posted By
MIK
on 2010-04-10
15:56:46
| Re: Trailblazer Remake on XBOX 360!!!!
Fingers crossed and it was panic stations hoping I did not mess things up, I pray the title has been sorted forever!
My original post has been reworded 100% beyond recognition.
enjoy!
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Posted By
MIK
on 2010-04-10
16:30:42
| Re: Trailblazer Remake on XBOX 360!!!!
It's now in the news on the front page for all eyes to see!
DrMistry,
Glad the picture put a smile on your face!! Below is a bigger version just in case the 800x600 does not look good on your screen. The new one is 1600x1200
Piccy: http://i41.tinypic.com/2jfk1z9.jpg
Blazin' Balls is now listed under Remakes
Cheers again! I'm off to have a 2 player run with my son.
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Posted By
DrMistry
on 2010-04-24
18:44:48
| Re: Trailblazer Remake on XBOX 360!!!!
I just wanted to pop back and say thankyou to you guys for your support. I get send emails by Google Alerts whenever Blazin' Balls gets mentioned, and your "remakes" post popped in to my inbox today. What can I say? I'm really happy wih how all this turned out, the feedback we've had from the game has been pretty good (least one reviewer still preferrs the original, and who can blame him!). I did an interview the other day about the game and made doubly sure to mention Mr Southern, and I'll post a link when it goes up. Thanks once again for your kindness and open attitudes, and what say next time you have a beer, you raise it to the good ol' days of NovaLoad and 12-page typein games in Commodore User? That's what started me down the crazy road of writing games, and I thank my lucky stars for that Christmas day when I got my Plus/4 with the spiral-bound manuals :0)
Best and fondest regards,
Mike
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Posted By
Chris
on 2010-04-25
03:32:40
| Re: Trailblazer Remake on XBOX 360!!!!
Out of interest there is a great article about Trailblazer in this months Retro Gamer.
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