Making Prince of Persia: A Recipe for Success Without Animation Software
When Jordan Mechner sat down to design his next game after Karateka, he had one goal in mind – the same sense of excitement that defined Raiders of the Lost Ark. He wanted players to feel like their hero was an adventurer from a foreign land, fighting for survival every minute of every hour. But, there was a catch; it would take him four years and countless setbacks to bring this vision to life.
The journey began in 1985 with a simple yet innovative approach – the use of rotoscoping. By filming his brother David running, jumping, and climbing, Mechner digitised the footage frame by frame, creating an animation style that was unlike anything seen before. However, the lack of software made this process painstakingly slow. The images had to be developed, retouched in black and white, and then re-digitised, a laborious task that took months.
With the character animation finally complete, Mechner turned his attention to building levels, but found it a dull exercise in avoiding traps alone. His girlfriend Tomi Pierce suggested adding combat to the game, which led him down an innovative path – using a technique called byte-shifting to create a 'Shadowman' that could run around and steal potions, bringing much-needed excitement to the gameplay.
When Prince of Persia was released in 1989 on the Apple II platform, it was already an outdated machine by most standards. However, its success in Europe and Japan eventually led to a re-release in the US, where it found new life and sales picked up. The game's impact on the industry was significant – it created an action-adventure template that would influence later 3D games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted.
Mechner's experience with Prince of Persia also paved the way for his future projects, including helping to adapt the game into a Hollywood movie in 2010. The film's success was a welcome respite for Mechner, who had spent all his savings on developing another failed game, The Last Express.
Prince of Persia remains an iconic game that showcased the potential of animation in video games and paved the way for future innovations. Its impact is still felt today, 30 years after its release, making it a testament to Mechner's vision and perseverance in the face of adversity.
When Jordan Mechner sat down to design his next game after Karateka, he had one goal in mind – the same sense of excitement that defined Raiders of the Lost Ark. He wanted players to feel like their hero was an adventurer from a foreign land, fighting for survival every minute of every hour. But, there was a catch; it would take him four years and countless setbacks to bring this vision to life.
The journey began in 1985 with a simple yet innovative approach – the use of rotoscoping. By filming his brother David running, jumping, and climbing, Mechner digitised the footage frame by frame, creating an animation style that was unlike anything seen before. However, the lack of software made this process painstakingly slow. The images had to be developed, retouched in black and white, and then re-digitised, a laborious task that took months.
With the character animation finally complete, Mechner turned his attention to building levels, but found it a dull exercise in avoiding traps alone. His girlfriend Tomi Pierce suggested adding combat to the game, which led him down an innovative path – using a technique called byte-shifting to create a 'Shadowman' that could run around and steal potions, bringing much-needed excitement to the gameplay.
When Prince of Persia was released in 1989 on the Apple II platform, it was already an outdated machine by most standards. However, its success in Europe and Japan eventually led to a re-release in the US, where it found new life and sales picked up. The game's impact on the industry was significant – it created an action-adventure template that would influence later 3D games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted.
Mechner's experience with Prince of Persia also paved the way for his future projects, including helping to adapt the game into a Hollywood movie in 2010. The film's success was a welcome respite for Mechner, who had spent all his savings on developing another failed game, The Last Express.
Prince of Persia remains an iconic game that showcased the potential of animation in video games and paved the way for future innovations. Its impact is still felt today, 30 years after its release, making it a testament to Mechner's vision and perseverance in the face of adversity.
jordan mechner's journey with prince of persia is like something out of a movie! i mean, rotoscoping was so ahead of its time and now we're still using similar techniques 
. the byte-shifting trick for combat is pure genius 
and it's crazy that the game was released on an outdated apple II platform 
. but yeah, it shows how innovative thinking can lead to success even with limited resources 
. prince of persia will always be a classic in my book 
Jordan Mechner was like super determined to make Prince of Persia an amazing game without having access to modern animation software 
! i love how he experimented with new techniques like byte-shifting to make the gameplay more exciting 
. it just goes to show that creativity & perseverance can lead to amazing things 
like this! The way Jordan Mechner used rotoscoping was so cool, I can see why it took him four years to get it right 
Interesting how he had to do everything by hand, from developing images to re-digitising them frame by frame 
. And that byte-shifting technique for the Shadowman? Genius 
The game's influence on the industry is still felt today, 30 years later, and it's amazing to think about how much it paved the way for future games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted 
I mean, can you even believe how much innovation went into creating this game?! Jordan Mechner is like a GENIUS 
for coming up with that rotoscoping technique and using byte-shifting to create the Shadowman. And let's not forget how the gameplay added combat and excitement to the level-building process! 
I love how it influenced later games and even inspired movies. Prince of Persia is still so iconic today, and I'm so grateful that Mechner didn't give up on his vision. 
I think what really made Prince of Persia stand out was Jordan Mechner's willingness to experiment with new techniques, like rotoscoping, which was super ahead of its time 
. And that combat mechanic using byte-shifting? Genius! 
. The fact it took four years but ultimately led to such an iconic game is just a testament to Mechner's dedication 
The game's success is still mind-blowing, especially considering it was released on a pretty outdated machine back in the day 
. And can we talk about how influential it was for future games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted? 
. The rotoscoping technique may have been innovative at the time, but let's be real, it's not like it set a new standard for graphics or anything 
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. I'm sure Mechner's vision and perseverance would've been wasted if he had waited for more advanced hardware to be developed.
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The rotoscoping technique was pure genius, and I love how he experimented with different ideas like adding combat and using byte-shifting. It just goes to show that sometimes, mistakes can lead to something amazing! 
! Did you know that Jordan Mechner spent 4 whole yrs working on this game? 
. The fact that it inspired Tomb Raider & Uncharted is insane! 
It's crazy to think that a game made with outdated hardware could still sell so well in different regions 
. The game's impact is still felt today, and it's amazing how much perseverance & vision Mechner had to bring this game to life 
. It's awesome that Prince of Persia has still got an impact on the gaming industry today, and its influence can be seen in many modern action-adventure games 
.
But seriously, it's humbling to think about the countless hours he spent tweaking his work, even when it felt like it was never going to come together. And yet, that dedication paid off in a big way. It just goes to show that sometimes, it's not about having the flashiest tools or tech, but about putting your heart and soul into something. 
but for real the way Jordan Mechner designed the game was so ahead of his time 
. The use of rotoscoping was genius, and who wouldn't have been impressed by the 'Shadowman' mechanic? 
. It's crazy to think about how much time and effort went into developing it, like, months just to re-digitise the footage 
! The game still holds up today, and its impact on the gaming industry is still felt 
. And did you know it was initially released on an old Apple II platform? Still managed to make waves in Europe and Japan 
. Anyway, 30 years later and Prince of Persia still holds up as a classic. Mechner's story is like, totally inspiring 
I can imagine how frustrating it must've been for Jordan Mechner to work on Prince of Persia without access to modern animation software 
It's like, you can do similar things today with software that doesn't take months to complete 
. And don't even get me started on how slow those gameplay mechanics were 
. Give me some games with modern graphics and gameplay mechanics any day 
️. And I love how Mechner's experience influenced future games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted