Chapter 16: Game Analysis: Myth: The Fallen Lords

Overview

Designed by Jason Jones Released in 1997

Designer/programmer Jason Jones games have always exploited technology in ways no one else has quite managed. His first title, Minotaur , was a network-only game before such things were fashionable (1992). It created a uniquely stimulating game by using networked human opponents who could not see each other s screens. Pathways into Darkness took simple 3D technology and applied it to an action/adventure hybrid to create an immersive, story-driven world. Marathon and Marathon 2 improved that 3D technology and applied it to an action game setting, but with a more thought provoking game-world than was found in other first-person shooters of its day. Most recently, Halo refined a lot of the concepts introduced in Marathon , taking the crude physics found in the older game and bringing it to a new level, while also incorporating vehicles, massive indoor/outdoor environments, and keenly smart AI characters , and finally wrapping it all in an intelligent and captivating science fiction setting. Between the first-person action of Marathon and Halo , however, Jones went off in an entirely new gameplay direction with the strategy game Myth , immersing players in epic battles of strategic combat as no other game had. What is most important to note, however, is that in none of these games does the technology come to dominate the gameplay, as is so often the case when a game uses cutting-edge technology. Instead, in Jones games, technology and game design work together to accentuate each other s strengths and create uniquely compelling experiences.

All the way back to his second game, Pathways into Darkness , Jason Jones games have exploited technology to create new gameplay experiences.