4 ms·

Classic Game Postmortem: Loom [video]

88 points by cskau 12y ago

thorn 12y ago
Awesome postmortem for an awesome game. This game has so big place in my memories. For anybody making games, this is worth watching.
- hatu 12y ago
  I was a huge fan of Loom too. There really aren't that many original and creative worlds in games and Loom definitely had one. Planescape Torment is another good example.
  - krylon 12y ago
    I haven't really played video games much the last couple of years, which in part is due to hardware, but when I listen to coworkers talk about the video games they play, I have no desire to do anything about my hardware situation. I have the feeling that in video games, like in big blockbuster movies, the trend appears to be replacing substance with special effects / fancy graphics and recycling the same old ideas over and over. (I am probably overgeneralizing somewhat, but I do so to make a point. If there have been any games lately that really disprove my point, I would very much like to hear about them!)
    - ZenoArrow 12y ago
      I'm in the same boat as you, I have very little interest in modern games, certainly not the big blockbuster stuff anyway (sequels and FPSes, very little else). However, I have seen some promising games from indie developers. Haven't played it yet, but would like to play Journey... http://thatgamecompany.com/games/journey/ http://thatgamecompany.com/games/journey/
      - krylon 12y ago
        Indie developers have a hard time, I think, competing with the level of "bling" big companies can afford, but at the same time they have the freedom to try out things large companies would not touch with a ten-mile pole, which is promising. Minecraft blew my mind, even though I stopped playing it much after I got scared of how addictive it is (on the other hand, "it is pretty addictive" is probably the highest praise one can give a game).
    - rictic 12y ago
      A few recommendations of great games that are doing genuinely new things: Factoria - play as a one person industrial civilization. Terraria - more than it looks at first The Stanley Parable - better to go in blind, but plays with the structure of games
      - krylon 12y ago
        Thank you very much! I have a vacation coming up, I think I will look into those! :)
        rictic 11y ago
        Just noticed a phone-related typo. s/Factoria/Factorio/
  - navait 12y ago
    This, I hope is the end result of indie gaming. When your target market mostly consists of 16 year old boys, or people who have the same level of taste, it puts hard limits on what you can build. Add in risk-averse nature of high-budget AAA gaming, and the result could only be stale. Oblivion sold much better than Morrowind, for example, despite Oblivion being one of the blandest gaming experiences I can remember. Many of the worlds developed for D&D Second edition were never renewed. Right now, indie gaming seems to be oriented around recreating gaming experiences from their childhood. But, some games are showing the seeds of true creativity.
nailer 12y ago
I loved this game. There was an excellent moment where you heard a song used to twist something. There was a bridge in the sky twisted around a mountain, playing that same song backwards changed the shape of the bridge and let you travel into the distance.
raverbashing 12y ago
Amazing. Both for the historical (technical) value and for remembering the game. I wonder if the low-res versions of the images (I mean, 4-color/16-color versions) were generated from high-version or if it was a painstakingly redrawing/redithering.
- shdon 12y ago
  The 16-colour versions were the originals. The 256-colour versions came later... he actually mentions this in the video. The 4-colour version was probably generated programmatically.
watson 12y ago
Loved the game! Played it again just a few years ago in an emulator. P.s. Am I the only one who have trouble hearing the audio?
benologist 12y ago
http://www.gog.com/game/loom http://www.gog.com/game/loom
- malyk 12y ago
  It's also available on Steam. http://store.steampowered.com/app/32340/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/32340/
nfoz 12y ago
I would totally help crowdfund an HD remake.
claystu 12y ago
Loom was the one game I never purchased that captured my imagination from the game mag descriptions back when it first came out. It's awesome to have finally been able to "play" it and see what it was all about.
phodo 12y ago
Passion at its finest. Moriarty takes great pride, rightly so, and this comes across. Inspiring to say the least. I loved this game, and also have many fond memories. The post mortem was excellent from every aspect. The Zork series, Wishbringer, Enchanter, Sorcerer, Spellbreaker, Trinity, and others all had a profound effect on me growing up, playing them with my brother and friends. It was great to see some of those mentioned and visualized during the post-mortem.

88 points by cskau 12y ago

thorn 12y ago

Awesome postmortem for an awesome game. This game has so big place in my memories. For anybody making games, this is worth watching.

hatu 12y ago
I was a huge fan of Loom too. There really aren't that many original and creative worlds in games and Loom definitely had one. Planescape Torment is another good example.
- krylon 12y ago
  I haven't really played video games much the last couple of years, which in part is due to hardware, but when I listen to coworkers talk about the video games they play, I have no desire to do anything about my hardware situation. I have the feeling that in video games, like in big blockbuster movies, the trend appears to be replacing substance with special effects / fancy graphics and recycling the same old ideas over and over. (I am probably overgeneralizing somewhat, but I do so to make a point. If there have been any games lately that really disprove my point, I would very much like to hear about them!)
  - ZenoArrow 12y ago
    I'm in the same boat as you, I have very little interest in modern games, certainly not the big blockbuster stuff anyway (sequels and FPSes, very little else). However, I have seen some promising games from indie developers. Haven't played it yet, but would like to play Journey... http://thatgamecompany.com/games/journey/ http://thatgamecompany.com/games/journey/
    - krylon 12y ago
      Indie developers have a hard time, I think, competing with the level of "bling" big companies can afford, but at the same time they have the freedom to try out things large companies would not touch with a ten-mile pole, which is promising. Minecraft blew my mind, even though I stopped playing it much after I got scared of how addictive it is (on the other hand, "it is pretty addictive" is probably the highest praise one can give a game).
  - rictic 12y ago
    A few recommendations of great games that are doing genuinely new things: Factoria - play as a one person industrial civilization. Terraria - more than it looks at first The Stanley Parable - better to go in blind, but plays with the structure of games
    - krylon 12y ago
      Thank you very much! I have a vacation coming up, I think I will look into those! :)
      - rictic 11y ago
        Just noticed a phone-related typo. s/Factoria/Factorio/
- navait 12y ago
  This, I hope is the end result of indie gaming. When your target market mostly consists of 16 year old boys, or people who have the same level of taste, it puts hard limits on what you can build. Add in risk-averse nature of high-budget AAA gaming, and the result could only be stale. Oblivion sold much better than Morrowind, for example, despite Oblivion being one of the blandest gaming experiences I can remember. Many of the worlds developed for D&D Second edition were never renewed. Right now, indie gaming seems to be oriented around recreating gaming experiences from their childhood. But, some games are showing the seeds of true creativity.

nailer 12y ago

I loved this game. There was an excellent moment where you heard a song used to twist something. There was a bridge in the sky twisted around a mountain, playing that same song backwards changed the shape of the bridge and let you travel into the distance.

raverbashing 12y ago

Amazing. Both for the historical (technical) value and for remembering the game. I wonder if the low-res versions of the images (I mean, 4-color/16-color versions) were generated from high-version or if it was a painstakingly redrawing/redithering.

shdon 12y ago
The 16-colour versions were the originals. The 256-colour versions came later... he actually mentions this in the video. The 4-colour version was probably generated programmatically.

watson 12y ago

Loved the game! Played it again just a few years ago in an emulator. P.s. Am I the only one who have trouble hearing the audio?

benologist 12y ago

http://www.gog.com/game/loom http://www.gog.com/game/loom

malyk 12y ago
It's also available on Steam. http://store.steampowered.com/app/32340/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/32340/

nfoz 12y ago

I would totally help crowdfund an HD remake.

claystu 12y ago

Loom was the one game I never purchased that captured my imagination from the game mag descriptions back when it first came out. It's awesome to have finally been able to "play" it and see what it was all about.

phodo 12y ago

Passion at its finest. Moriarty takes great pride, rightly so, and this comes across. Inspiring to say the least. I loved this game, and also have many fond memories. The post mortem was excellent from every aspect. The Zork series, Wishbringer, Enchanter, Sorcerer, Spellbreaker, Trinity, and others all had a profound effect on me growing up, playing them with my brother and friends. It was great to see some of those mentioned and visualized during the post-mortem.