The return of MicroProse!

Sylvester

Sylvester

Vice Admiral
Fellow Wingnuts, I know we were all saddened all those years ago when Origin left us. But I recently discovered some good news - one of the other giants of 80s/90s Software development seems to be back - MicroProse - who was founded by Sid Meier and Bill Stealey and who developed amongst other games the original XCOM and Civilization titles.

MicroProse/News

www.microprose.com www.microprose.com

It really seems like they are trying to be a continuation of the original company, to include the fact that Bill Stealey is back running it. They've announced three new military strategy games, including one developed by the team that made Cold Waters (which I love). I'm glad the military strategy game is really making a comeback.
 
European Air War, Gunship, Gunship 2000, F-15 Strike Eagle, Silent Service, Rollercoaster Tycoon (Which I usually made coasters that killed my park people) Sad, I know. Falcon 4.0 was an advanced game for me but loved it! This is real exciting!
 
Uh-huh. Yep, they're back. Based in a warehouse in a rural backwater in New South Wales, Australia, apparently. Sure, I guess that's where Microprose had always been based ;).

Nothing exciting whatsoever about the Microprose brand returning, because it's not actually Microprose returning. I'll judge them on their present track record, not on the past.

Task Force Admiral is another story, though. If Klavs says it will be awesome, that certainly demands attention :).
 
yep, F-15 Stike Eagle, F-117 Stealth Fighter, F16 Falcon, Railroad Tycoon, all great games back in the day, also Silent Service and I recall F-15 Strike Eagle III had a pretty awesome intro !
 
Task Force Admiral looks great!
Features list
  • As an Admiral, command legendary American carriers task forces in 1942
  • Innovative approach to serious wargaming in a full 3D simulation-based environment
  • Pausable real-time, time compression available, no clickfest
  • The most detailed & authentic WW2 naval command game ever made for PC
  • A powerful in-game narrative engine managing scripted & random events
  • Lead the US Navy in 30+ historical & hypothetical single scenarios
  • Over 90 classes of ships and 40 types of aircraft meticulously researched & recreated
  • Accurate real-life ship, aircraft camouflages & markings
  • Advanced realistic ballistics and damage modelling
  • Play it the way you like it: fully customizable realism & difficulty settings
  • High-level of sound immersion, dynamic original soundtrack
  • Post-battle replay player & full scenario builder included
https://www.microprose.com/games/task-force-admiral

Will it be able to match the excellence of F-19 Stealth Fighter?
 
Quarto said:
Uh-huh. Yep, they're back. Based in a warehouse in a rural backwater in New South Wales, Australia, apparently. Sure, I guess that's where Microprose had always been based ;).

Nothing exciting whatsoever about the Microprose brand returning, because it's not actually Microprose returning. I'll judge them on their present track record, not on the past.

Task Force Admiral is another story, though. If Klavs says it will be awesome, that certainly demands attention :).
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My understanding was that Bill Stealey, who co-founded the original iteration with Sid Meier, returned to get this company up and running. Is that not a good sign?
 
Sylvester said:
My understanding was that Bill Stealey, who co-founded the original iteration with Sid Meier, returned to get this company up and running. Is that not a good sign?
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I honestly don't think it makes a whit of a difference. Firstly, I'm not sure his role in MicroProse was that significant on the creative side. He was the business guy. Secondly, as I understand, his role is purely unofficial. It's not like he's going to relocate to Australia. Thirdly, the guy is deep into his seventies, and on the verge of retirement.

Ultimately, it will come down to the people who are there now. And don't get me wrong, I'm not crossing them off. All I'm saying is that I'm not going to give them credit for someone else's achievements - I'll assess them on their own merits. Over the years, I've already seen a few of these brand revivals, and even when the people standing behind them are genuine fans of the original company… it takes more than love of the past to get the present right.
 
It’s worth noting that each of these three games started as and continue to be passion projects by groups that started making the games they always wanted to play. The Microprose thing Came later and hasn’t changed the development process one whit, except to grant these projects some much needed publicity and a tentative, albeit well deserved connection to a well known name in game development history. I would judge these games, as you should any game, on their individual merits and not in connection with the company name.
 
Quarto said:
I honestly don't think it makes a whit of a difference. Firstly, I'm not sure his role in MicroProse was that significant on the creative side. He was the business guy. Secondly, as I understand, his role is purely unofficial. It's not like he's going to relocate to Australia. Thirdly, the guy is deep into his seventies, and on the verge of retirement.

Ultimately, it will come down to the people who are there now. And don't get me wrong, I'm not crossing them off. All I'm saying is that I'm not going to give them credit for someone else's achievements - I'll assess them on their own merits. Over the years, I've already seen a few of these brand revivals, and even when the people standing behind them are genuine fans of the original company… it takes more than love of the past to get the present right.
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Good points - Microprose made the first games I played - I guess I have an unreasonable amount of nostalgia when it comes to them.
 
Klavs81 said:
It’s worth noting that each of these three games started as and continue to be passion projects by groups that started making the games they always wanted to play. The Microprose thing Came later and hasn’t changed the development process one whit, except to grant these projects some much needed publicity and a tentative, albeit well deserved connection to a well known name in game development history. I would judge these games, as you should any game, on their individual merits and not in connection with the company name.
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...Exactly! And I'll say it again - TFA does look like potentially a very exciting game.
 
You are missing the real highlight, Sea Power, by mostly the Cold Waters Team.

Task Force Admiral looks awesome, but the other team has one awesome game under their belt, a track record. A proven team is more likely to impress, the Hobbit-movies not withstanding.
 
I was (well still am) a huge fan of the Blue Byte games Historyline 1914-1918 and Battle Isle (before it went weird in BI2)

Always wished for a WW2 version of Historyline. So much so that I looked into creating an editor for the game, but the map data files were compressed using a packer that I can not find a TPWM (the compression program) utility for windows, so I abandoned the project.
 
Flashpoint said:
I was (well still am) a huge fan of the Blue Byte games Historyline 1914-1918 and Battle Isle (before it went weird in BI2)
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Wait, it went weird in BI2? Don't you mean The Andosia War? I at least thought that BI2 was brilliant as a strategy game. Never got around to playing BI3, but I understand that's pretty much a relabelled data disk for BI2, so I guess it would also be reasonably good.
 
Quarto said:
Wait, it went weird in BI2? Don't you mean The Andosia War? I at least thought that BI2 was brilliant as a strategy game. Never got around to playing BI3, but I understand that's pretty much a relabelled data disk for BI2, so I guess it would also be reasonably good.
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From what I remember BI2 changed the game significantly.
HL and BI both had the same mechanics where one side moved while the other side shot in true TBS fashion. With this you were able to hem in an opponent to increase damage and the like.

If memory serves, BI2 made it so you moved and then shot immediately, making hemming in not a thing. The changes may have been enjoyed by others, but for me it changed things quite significantly and so the enjoyment kinda got sucked out of it.
 
Flashpoint said:
If memory serves, BI2 made it so you moved and then shot immediately, making hemming in not a thing. The changes may have been enjoyed by others, but for me it changed things quite significantly and so the enjoyment kinda got sucked out of it.
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Fair enough! I certainly felt that BI2's turn system was a significant improvement over the original, but certainly it was a big change, and I can definitely see how it could be controversial for others.
 
Sylvester said:
Fellow Wingnuts, I know we were all saddened all those years ago when Origin left us. But I recently discovered some good news - one of the other giants of 80s/90s Software development seems to be back - MicroProse - who was founded by Sid Meier and Bill Stealey and who developed amongst other games the original XCOM and Civilization titles.

MicroProse/News

www.microprose.com www.microprose.com

It really seems like they are trying to be a continuation of the original company, to include the fact that Bill Stealey is back running it. They've announced three new military strategy games, including one developed by the team that made Cold Waters (which I love). I'm glad the military strategy game is really making a comeback.
Click to expand...
I Love Red Storm Rising. Best submarine game IMO.
 
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