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Crimson Skies (video game)
Encyclopedia
Crimson Skies is an arcade flight computer game
developed by Zipper Interactive
and published in 2000
by Microsoft Game Studios
. Although a flight-based game, Crimson Skies is not a genuine flight simulator
, as the game is based less on flight mechanics
than on action
. According to series creator Jordan Weisman
, Crimson Skies is "not about simulating reality—it's about fulfilling fantasies."
The game is set in an alternate history of the 1930s in which the United States
has balkanized
into a number of smaller sovereignties
, and in which air travel
has become the primary mode of transport
ation in North America
. The game centers around Nathan Zachary, an adventurous air pirate seeking to rob the affluent of their wealth and power. Throughout the campaign, Zachary leads his gang of air pirates, the Fortune Hunters, on a quest to gain fame and riches.
Crimson Skies is often regarded as a "cult success," commercially successful only to a limited extent. The game has received generally favorable reviews; it has been noted for its high-quality voice acting, gameplay, and atmosphere. Notable technical issues, however, have been known to plague the game, the most notorious of which was the tendency to delete saved game files until a patch
was released.
and an arcade flight game. Although flight mechanics such as lift
are still present, the game's planes are generally overpowered, allowing them to perform aerobatic maneuvers impossible in reality under similar circumstances. According to lead game designer John Howard:
GameSpot
has stated that "the flight model in Crimson Skies is light on the physics and heavy on the barnstorming
." In this way, the site likened the game's arcade flight model to the "stunt-flying heroics of pulp novel
fame," in which "daredevil pilots performed unbelievable (and quite impossible) feats of showmanship and gunnery." To this effect, the game features select "danger zones"—difficult spaces situated throughout the environment through which the player can fly to dissuade pursuing aircraft. Such stunts are also documented in the player's "scrapbook," which is the game's record of the player's accomplishments throughout the campaign.
The gameplay of Crimson Skies takes place through the player controlling an aircraft through the game's various environments. The game offers three cameras during missions: first-person perspectives with or without a cockpit visible, and a third-person view. The game's heads-up display
features basic flight instrumention
such as the compass, altimeter, and speedometer, as well as a damage indicator for the player's aircraft and ammunition displays for the plane's primary and secondary weapons. The game also provides the player with a feature known as the "spyglass," which provides a magnified image of the selected target and indicates its current heading.
The game features eleven different playable aircraft, each of which can be customized. For any aircraft, the player can select its airframe
, engine
, armor, weapons layout, and paint scheme, although customization is limited by the weight capacity of the airframe and—in the single player campaign—the player's cash on hand. Outfitting an aircraft with different components affects its performance in terms of speed, maneuverability, stamina, and offense. The player is also able to equip his/her aircraft's guns and hardpoint
s with different types of ammunition and rockets, respectively.
The game's single player campaign has three difficulty level
s, and spans twenty-four missions. Before the start of a mission, the plane and ammunition for both the player and his/her wingman can be selected, although wingmate commands are not available during gameplay.
In addition to the campaign, an instant action mode is available which allows the player to play individual missions or customized scenarios. Multiplayer is also available through the Reverb Gaming lobby, over a LAN
or the Internet, or via a direct serial connection
. Players can host games or join existing ones; the host selects the game's victory conditions and allowable aircraft components/ammunition. Multiplayer game modes include dogfight
, capture the flag, and Zeppelin-to-Zeppelin combat.
The Crimson Skies universe is set in an alternate history of the year 1937. According to the game's backstory, factors such as the growing strength of the "Regionalist
Party," the division between "wet" and "dry" states
, and a quarantine
caused by an Influenza outbreak
resulted in a general shift in power from federal to state and local levels. After the Wall Street Crash of '29
, states began seceding from the U.S. A number of independent nation-state
s form from the fractured United States; hostilities between these sovereignties
eventually escalate into outright war.
After the breakup of America, the former nation's railroad and highway systems
fell into disuse as they crossed hostile borders. Consequently, the airplane and the airship
became the primary modes of transportation in North America, which in turn gave birth to air piracy. Although air militias formed to defend against the air pirates, continuous brushfire wars between the nations prevent the established governments from effectively repelling the pirate threat.
is Nathan Zachary, a man well known in the game world as a reputable ladies' man and a notorious air pirate. He is the leader of a group of sky pirates, the Fortune Hunters. Zachary dislikes the wealthy and privileged, seeing them as selfish and insensitive towards the less privileged; as a result, Zachary and his gang have a penchant for stripping the rich of their money and influence. Zachary's "articles of piracy" insist that his gang are not to harm the innocent, and that they steal only from those who can afford the loss. IGN
has stated that the Fortune Hunters are "wonderfully ambiguous […] in the moral sense," qualifying that "It's always great to see heroes […] who aren't too good to be true."
The Fortune Hunters are based on the Zeppelin Pandora, and comprise the airship's crew as well as six pilots—Nathan Zachary and his wingman Jack Mulligan, "Tex" Ryder and her wingman "Buck" Deere, "Big John" Washington and Betty "Brooklyn" Charles. Later joining Nathan and his gang are Dr. Wilhelm Fassenbiender, a scientist and friend of Nathan's since World War I
, as well as his daughter, Dr. Ilse Fassenbiender.
Opposing the Fortune Hunters are rival pirates and privateer
s, such as The Black Swan, Jonathan "Genghis" Kahn, and Ulysses Boothe. Also fighting Zachary and his gang are private security firms such as Blake Aviation Security and militia squadrons such as the Hollywood Knights. Many of these opponents are old rivals or former love interests of Nathan Zachary.
Soon later down south in Cuba, Nathan and the Fortune Hunters fight against the British and the Medusas in Cuba. He also finds that his former partner, Lucas Miles betraying him. Just as well he orders his crew to open fire on Miles' Zeppelin where it burns and crashes, while the Fortune Hunters flee to safety.
Soon later, the Fortune Hunters and Medusas are chilling out, while Nathan is stuck in the PANDORA. He refuses to come down, until he mentions of a gold steal which he tells Jack. They then head to a group of Hawaiian islands, where they successfully find the treasure, although after finding it they are suddenly attacked by the Medusas and a cargo Zeppelin who wants the treasure for themselves they survive the attacks and destroys the cargo Zeppelin, while facing resistance from the British, who plan to take over the islands. The Fortune Hunters prevail shooting down two out of three of their British bombers and took one, surviving the attacks, taking over a British work camp and prevents a sub called the Barracuda from reclaiming it, getting their wanted loot and saving the Hawaiian islands from a British invasion.
On the trip heading away from Hawaii, Nathan receives a call from Dr. Wilhelm Fassenbiender, an old friend he met during the Great War. However it turns to be his daughter Ilsa and she explains of the predicament where her father was captured by the Cheka(Russian secret police) for their reasons, which leads the Fortune Hunters to Pacifica. The Dr. appears to be on a cruise Zeppelin called the WORKER'S VOYAGE belonging to the CCCP, he then fights the Russians and also an old friend the Black Swan with her crew. After downing her crew, he daringly saves the Dr. while up in the air out high. Later back down on land, he saves Ilsa and steals the Blue Streak Bloodhawk, a prototype plane the Dr. works on with his daughter. later at the Rocks he steals vital fuel & cargo supplies from the Russian tanker October for the PANDORA by disabling the harbor lighthouse, make the tanker hit rocks, and fights its backup escort the Pacific's Patrol boats and the Russians with their escort Zeppelin the VOSTOK and its fighter escort. He later battles Blake Aviation Security, including Paladin Blake himself with his military Zeppelin the PROMISED LAND . Blake loses, and Zachary begins to leave Pacifica when he saves a hospital ship called the Compassion rescuing passengers from the now destroyed WORKER'S VOYAGE Zeppelin under attack from the vile gang the Black Hats and their commander Ace Dixon who are using attack boats to try and sink the ship.
At the Nation of Hollywood, Nathan remembers his rival Johnny Johnson now handling security affairs while Howard Hughes, president of Hughes Aviation (the aviation company there) is away. Nathan decides to knock Johnny's tooth and is able to sneak in Betty into a movie studio where she has a role. The Fortune Hunters then rescue Lana Cooper who is not happy with her contract and wish to escape. After she is rescued, Johnny, now embarrassed that he fails to keep Hollywood safe, tries to show off publicity by showing the biggest plane ever, the Spruce Goose. Nathan gets on stealing the giant plane with the help of Betty, and later has a showdown with Hollywood ace Charlie Steele and the Hollywood Knights. With all his convictions, he is invited to a competition with aces, pirates, aviators, aviatrixes and even Johnny Johnson himself in the race, to prove the best. Nathan, after the competition realises it is a trap to lure him away from the PANDORA so it can be destroyed by Hughes Aviation and he goes on a one-to-one anti-Zeppelin battle with his crew against Hughes Aviation and their big military Zeppelin the GEMINI. Though after battle, the PANDORA was victorious but was in terrible shape, which fortunately the crew spotters have found a cargo Zeppelin called the FIGAROA flying through the Nation of Hollywood which can help them get into Sky Haven by towing the damaged PANDORA they hijack the Zeppelin using Tex's Bomber, keeps it in perfect shape, knock down the wreckage it's carrying, and fights Blake Aviation Security again who tries to shoot down the Zeppelin .
While in Sky Haven, Nathan and the Black Swan had lost their crews and now try to get them back. It turns out that the Black Hats have captured their crews for some reason. Nathan first battles the Black Hats and commander Ace Dixon then they learn that Sparks is imprisoned onboard the Rocky Express train so he and Black Swan stops the train and rescues Sparks. Later Nathan goes on a military autogyro fight with Ulysses Boothe, who turns out to be the leader of the Black Hats. Nathan searches around Sky Haven's most popular restaurants and finds Boothe finally with his wingmen and shoots all of them with the help of Black Swan and decides to capture Boothe, use him as bait to know of the crews' location in exchange for Boothe. Nathan and Black Swan drops Boothe at the valley of the Devil's Horn when the Black Hats respond but after doing so they learn that they have been double-crossed when Boothe tells them that they are going to kill the crews by locking them in a cargo Zeppelin thats about to explode, they rush to the Zeppelin's location they released it from its docking support and fights the Black Hats who try to stop them after that Nathan docks with Zeppelin as it begins to catch fire caused by exploding dynamites placed around it and rescues all of the crews and stops the Black Hats from destroying the PANDORA, Nathan also at last destroys the Black Hat mansion as payback, and rescue the Black Swan who was held prisoner after captured in the battle for their crews and steals aerial torpedoes. Then, he finds out that the Black Hats are attacking Blake Aviation Security and Nathan feels that something isn't right. He goes back with Blake, their enmity gone, fights the Black Hats after protecting Blake's cargo Zeppelins the MERCURY and the TWAIN and having a showdown with the Black Hats,Ulysses Boothe,Ace Dixon,and their Zeppelin the DARK DERBY.
Nathan later realizes that the new Security firm Sacred Trust Incorporated is corrupt, led by his former partner Lucas Miles who survived the last battle. They are planning to conquer the entire divided America, especially with their influence over the Empire State and its capitol Manhattan in favor of Germany. Working together with the Black Hats they attempt to destroy Blake Aviation Security to ensure no resistance will be present. Nathan and Blake head to New York, where Nathan with the guidance of the taxi pilot Cabbie sabotages the Sacred Trust in one of their illegal operations and destroys a ship called the Steinman and warehouse containing Mile's loot which was to be shipped to Berlin. Zachary then learns that an accountant named Waldo Carney who has information about Sacred Trust's evil schemes is under attack by the Black Hats while flying onboard the Zeppelin liner ARCADIA he saves Carney and sabotages attempts by the Sacred Trust to get their loot away all the way to Germany by using Sacred Trust cargo Zeppelins including the Spruce Goose as well. Finally after downing the Zeppelins Nathan learns that Lucas is going to destroy all of Manhattan, in a fit of rage about Lucas' crazy plot, Nathan and his crew (sometimes with the help of Black Swan) aggressively shoots down the Sacred Trust Zeppelin the DANTE as payback. Nathan then fights Lucas one more time, and emerges victorious with Lucas supposedly dead. After the battle Nathan is offered membership to Blake Aviation but turns it down, Paladin Blake though became ultimately upset with his choice to stay a pirate, but does not try to hunt him down.
In the end, Nathan appears to return back with the Black Swan on stealing South American treasure....
, series creator and creative director of Crimson Skies, has said of the game: "Our whole goal is to give the player the kind of role of being Errol Flynn
in a 1930's, 1940's great pirate adventure film of the air." According to Weisman, the inspiration for the game came after he had done research on the early years of aviation; he wished to create a game about the era. Weisman and Dave McCoy came up with the concept of "combining the classic fantasies of pilots and pirates." They then created the series' backstory by proposing changes to the history of the United States that would allow the rise of air piracy.
Development on the game originally began for Virtual World Entertainment, and was changed to a PC game under the name "Corsairs!". This original project was shelved, however, prompting Weisman and others to create the board game
Crimson Skies. When FASA later became a part of Microsoft, Weisman was given the opportunity to work on a new project; his choice was to restart production of the Crimson Skies PC game.
The original version of the game shipped with numerous technical problems, one of the most notorious was the tendency to delete the player's saved game files. Shortly after the game's release, Microsoft released Crimson Skies Update Version 1.01, a patch
specifically designed to fix this problem. Microsoft later released Update Version 1.02 to address other issues, including multiplayer game stability and mission load times.
Recent ATI
and Nvidia
drivers do not support this game. As such it was only possible to play it in Software Rendering mode. Several fans tried to identify and find the causes of this problem, later gathering at the Nvidia forums, and asking the Nvidia for a fix. Nvidia did not show availability for this. The fanbase tried several paths to a solution, culminating in asking known game graphic modder Timeslip if he could devise a fix.
The unofficial patch is available at Timeslip's homepage http://timeslip.chorrol.com/, fixes the issue with current graphic drivers and improves the game in some aspects, such as allowing higher resolutions. Timeslip's homepage may now be unavailable, but the file is named csfix2.7z and is still available on the net.
." The game, however, has received generally favorable critical reviews. GameSpot said that "Crimson Skies does an excellent job of taking the elements of flight simulations that have broad appeal—the shooting and the fancy flying—and embellishing them with a great environment and a good story." IGN called the game "highly inventive, tons of fun and ridiculously addictive," and ranked the game as #65 and #75 respectively on its 2003 and 2005 lists of the "Top 100 Games of All Time."
IGN lauded the game's arcade-style physics model, stating that it made gameplay "exciting and immediate." GameSpot likewise complimented the arcade flight model, stating that it fit with the game's pulp fiction
setting and allowed for elaborate stunt flying and fast-paced dogfight
ing. Other positively received aspects of gameplay include the game's "scrapbook" and aircraft customization features.
The game's visuals were generally well-received, as was its audio. Critics took particular note of the game's voice talent, which was described as among the best found in computer games up to that time. The Crimson Skies universe was also well-received by critics, who found it highly original and described it as an "alternate history that is rare in being both compelling and believable." Critics also commended the way these elements—voice acting, soundtrack, graphics style, and story—combined to contribute to the game's 1930s pulp fiction atmosphere.
The single player campaign in Crimson Skies was criticized for its overall linearity, and GameSpot found that multiple playthroughs of a mission would become "tiresome." The game was most heavily dispraised, however, for its numerous and notable technical issues, which include choppy framerate, missing texture
s, crash bug
s, slowdown during menu screens, flawed wingman AI
, long loading times for game levels, and the unreliability of saved game files.
IGN commented that "there are some serious issues with the game that need to be addressed […] in order to help the game realize its amazing potential." According to GameSpot, "Unfortunately, the game is […] a reminder of how easily technical problems can defeat a promising design." Edge magazine
has stated that gameplay is directly affected by these problems, as long loading times force players to "play it safe" and avoid the "improbable stunts that should be the signature of [the] game"; the review concludes it's "A shame, because in its variety of missions and sheer panache, the dashing Crimson Skies almost steals your heart. "
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
developed by Zipper Interactive
Zipper Interactive
Zipper Interactive is an American video game developer part of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios and is located in Redmond, Washington. It was founded in 1995 by Jim Bosler and Brian Soderberg. It has created many different games, including the popular SOCOM series of games...
and published in 2000
2000 in video gaming
-Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association...
by Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Studios is the video game production wing for Microsoft, responsible for the development and publishing of games for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and Windows Phone platforms. They were established in 2002 as Microsoft Game Studios to coincide with the release of the Xbox, before...
. Although a flight-based game, Crimson Skies is not a genuine flight simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
, as the game is based less on flight mechanics
Aircraft flight mechanics
In aeronautics, aircraft flight mechanics is the study of the forces that act on an aircraft in flight, and the way the aircraft responds to those forces.Aircraft flight mechanics are relevant to gliders, helicopters and aeroplanes....
than on action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
. According to series creator Jordan Weisman
Jordan Weisman
Jordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded four major game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry.-Biography:...
, Crimson Skies is "not about simulating reality—it's about fulfilling fantasies."
The game is set in an alternate history of the 1930s in which the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
has balkanized
Balkanization
Balkanization, or Balkanisation, is a geopolitical term, originally used to describe the process of fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or non-cooperative with each other, and it is considered pejorative.The term refers to the...
into a number of smaller sovereignties
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, and in which air travel
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
has become the primary mode of transport
Mode of transport
Mode of transport is a term used to distinguish substantially different ways to perform transport. The most dominant modes of transport are aviation, land transport, which includes rail, road and off-road transport, and ship transport...
ation in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The game centers around Nathan Zachary, an adventurous air pirate seeking to rob the affluent of their wealth and power. Throughout the campaign, Zachary leads his gang of air pirates, the Fortune Hunters, on a quest to gain fame and riches.
Crimson Skies is often regarded as a "cult success," commercially successful only to a limited extent. The game has received generally favorable reviews; it has been noted for its high-quality voice acting, gameplay, and atmosphere. Notable technical issues, however, have been known to plague the game, the most notorious of which was the tendency to delete saved game files until a patch
Patch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
was released.
Gameplay
Crimson Skies is a cross between an authentic flight simulatorFlight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
and an arcade flight game. Although flight mechanics such as lift
Lift (force)
A fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts a surface force on it. Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the surface force parallel to the flow direction...
are still present, the game's planes are generally overpowered, allowing them to perform aerobatic maneuvers impossible in reality under similar circumstances. According to lead game designer John Howard:
We're not trying to build a realistic flight simulation, but at the same time, Crimson Skies isn't a cartoony, arcade-type game, either. We had to find a middle ground, where the planes were more powerful, more responsive and more intuitive to fly, so that the player can just concentrate on being a hero.
GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
has stated that "the flight model in Crimson Skies is light on the physics and heavy on the barnstorming
Barnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
." In this way, the site likened the game's arcade flight model to the "stunt-flying heroics of pulp novel
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
fame," in which "daredevil pilots performed unbelievable (and quite impossible) feats of showmanship and gunnery." To this effect, the game features select "danger zones"—difficult spaces situated throughout the environment through which the player can fly to dissuade pursuing aircraft. Such stunts are also documented in the player's "scrapbook," which is the game's record of the player's accomplishments throughout the campaign.
The gameplay of Crimson Skies takes place through the player controlling an aircraft through the game's various environments. The game offers three cameras during missions: first-person perspectives with or without a cockpit visible, and a third-person view. The game's heads-up display
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
features basic flight instrumention
Flight instruments
Flight instruments are the instruments in the cockpit of an aircraft that provide the pilot with information about the flight situation of that aircraft, such as height, speed and altitude...
such as the compass, altimeter, and speedometer, as well as a damage indicator for the player's aircraft and ammunition displays for the plane's primary and secondary weapons. The game also provides the player with a feature known as the "spyglass," which provides a magnified image of the selected target and indicates its current heading.
The game features eleven different playable aircraft, each of which can be customized. For any aircraft, the player can select its airframe
Airframe
The airframe of an aircraft is its mechanical structure. It is typically considered to include fuselage, wings and undercarriage and exclude the propulsion system...
, engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
, armor, weapons layout, and paint scheme, although customization is limited by the weight capacity of the airframe and—in the single player campaign—the player's cash on hand. Outfitting an aircraft with different components affects its performance in terms of speed, maneuverability, stamina, and offense. The player is also able to equip his/her aircraft's guns and hardpoint
Hardpoint
A hardpoint, or weapon station, is any part of an airframe designed to carry an external load. This includes a point on the wing or fuselage of military aircraft where external ordnance, countermeasures, gun pods, targeting pods or drop tanks can be mounted.-Rail launchers:Large missiles and...
s with different types of ammunition and rockets, respectively.
The game's single player campaign has three difficulty level
Difficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console...
s, and spans twenty-four missions. Before the start of a mission, the plane and ammunition for both the player and his/her wingman can be selected, although wingmate commands are not available during gameplay.
In addition to the campaign, an instant action mode is available which allows the player to play individual missions or customized scenarios. Multiplayer is also available through the Reverb Gaming lobby, over a LAN
Län
Län and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....
or the Internet, or via a direct serial connection
Direct cable connection
Direct Cable Connection , is a feature of Microsoft Windows that allows a computer to transfer and share files with another computer, via a connection using either the serial port, parallel port or the infrared port of each computer...
. Players can host games or join existing ones; the host selects the game's victory conditions and allowable aircraft components/ammunition. Multiplayer game modes include dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
, capture the flag, and Zeppelin-to-Zeppelin combat.
Setting
The Crimson Skies universe is set in an alternate history of the year 1937. According to the game's backstory, factors such as the growing strength of the "Regionalist
Regionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
Party," the division between "wet" and "dry" states
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, and a quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
caused by an Influenza outbreak
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
resulted in a general shift in power from federal to state and local levels. After the Wall Street Crash of '29
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , also known as the Great Crash, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout...
, states began seceding from the U.S. A number of independent nation-state
Nation-state
The nation state is a state that self-identifies as deriving its political legitimacy from serving as a sovereign entity for a nation as a sovereign territorial unit. The state is a political and geopolitical entity; the nation is a cultural and/or ethnic entity...
s form from the fractured United States; hostilities between these sovereignties
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
eventually escalate into outright war.
After the breakup of America, the former nation's railroad and highway systems
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
fell into disuse as they crossed hostile borders. Consequently, the airplane and the airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
became the primary modes of transportation in North America, which in turn gave birth to air piracy. Although air militias formed to defend against the air pirates, continuous brushfire wars between the nations prevent the established governments from effectively repelling the pirate threat.
Characters
The player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
is Nathan Zachary, a man well known in the game world as a reputable ladies' man and a notorious air pirate. He is the leader of a group of sky pirates, the Fortune Hunters. Zachary dislikes the wealthy and privileged, seeing them as selfish and insensitive towards the less privileged; as a result, Zachary and his gang have a penchant for stripping the rich of their money and influence. Zachary's "articles of piracy" insist that his gang are not to harm the innocent, and that they steal only from those who can afford the loss. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
has stated that the Fortune Hunters are "wonderfully ambiguous […] in the moral sense," qualifying that "It's always great to see heroes […] who aren't too good to be true."
The Fortune Hunters are based on the Zeppelin Pandora, and comprise the airship's crew as well as six pilots—Nathan Zachary and his wingman Jack Mulligan, "Tex" Ryder and her wingman "Buck" Deere, "Big John" Washington and Betty "Brooklyn" Charles. Later joining Nathan and his gang are Dr. Wilhelm Fassenbiender, a scientist and friend of Nathan's since World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, as well as his daughter, Dr. Ilse Fassenbiender.
Opposing the Fortune Hunters are rival pirates and privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s, such as The Black Swan, Jonathan "Genghis" Kahn, and Ulysses Boothe. Also fighting Zachary and his gang are private security firms such as Blake Aviation Security and militia squadrons such as the Hollywood Knights. Many of these opponents are old rivals or former love interests of Nathan Zachary.
Storyline
Nathan Zachary is a great war hero pilot. Before he meets up with his crew and forms the Fortune Hunters, he saves damsels in distress and fights enemies. Until when he arrives in New York he and his three other wingmen present (Jack, Tex and Buck) hijack the Empire State Zeppelin the FULCRUM and reconstructed it, to the current PANDORA. Three of the FULCRUM's crew also joins the Fortune Hunters (Big John, Betty and Sparks).Soon later down south in Cuba, Nathan and the Fortune Hunters fight against the British and the Medusas in Cuba. He also finds that his former partner, Lucas Miles betraying him. Just as well he orders his crew to open fire on Miles' Zeppelin where it burns and crashes, while the Fortune Hunters flee to safety.
Soon later, the Fortune Hunters and Medusas are chilling out, while Nathan is stuck in the PANDORA. He refuses to come down, until he mentions of a gold steal which he tells Jack. They then head to a group of Hawaiian islands, where they successfully find the treasure, although after finding it they are suddenly attacked by the Medusas and a cargo Zeppelin who wants the treasure for themselves they survive the attacks and destroys the cargo Zeppelin, while facing resistance from the British, who plan to take over the islands. The Fortune Hunters prevail shooting down two out of three of their British bombers and took one, surviving the attacks, taking over a British work camp and prevents a sub called the Barracuda from reclaiming it, getting their wanted loot and saving the Hawaiian islands from a British invasion.
On the trip heading away from Hawaii, Nathan receives a call from Dr. Wilhelm Fassenbiender, an old friend he met during the Great War. However it turns to be his daughter Ilsa and she explains of the predicament where her father was captured by the Cheka(Russian secret police) for their reasons, which leads the Fortune Hunters to Pacifica. The Dr. appears to be on a cruise Zeppelin called the WORKER'S VOYAGE belonging to the CCCP, he then fights the Russians and also an old friend the Black Swan with her crew. After downing her crew, he daringly saves the Dr. while up in the air out high. Later back down on land, he saves Ilsa and steals the Blue Streak Bloodhawk, a prototype plane the Dr. works on with his daughter. later at the Rocks he steals vital fuel & cargo supplies from the Russian tanker October for the PANDORA by disabling the harbor lighthouse, make the tanker hit rocks, and fights its backup escort the Pacific's Patrol boats and the Russians with their escort Zeppelin the VOSTOK and its fighter escort. He later battles Blake Aviation Security, including Paladin Blake himself with his military Zeppelin the PROMISED LAND . Blake loses, and Zachary begins to leave Pacifica when he saves a hospital ship called the Compassion rescuing passengers from the now destroyed WORKER'S VOYAGE Zeppelin under attack from the vile gang the Black Hats and their commander Ace Dixon who are using attack boats to try and sink the ship.
At the Nation of Hollywood, Nathan remembers his rival Johnny Johnson now handling security affairs while Howard Hughes, president of Hughes Aviation (the aviation company there) is away. Nathan decides to knock Johnny's tooth and is able to sneak in Betty into a movie studio where she has a role. The Fortune Hunters then rescue Lana Cooper who is not happy with her contract and wish to escape. After she is rescued, Johnny, now embarrassed that he fails to keep Hollywood safe, tries to show off publicity by showing the biggest plane ever, the Spruce Goose. Nathan gets on stealing the giant plane with the help of Betty, and later has a showdown with Hollywood ace Charlie Steele and the Hollywood Knights. With all his convictions, he is invited to a competition with aces, pirates, aviators, aviatrixes and even Johnny Johnson himself in the race, to prove the best. Nathan, after the competition realises it is a trap to lure him away from the PANDORA so it can be destroyed by Hughes Aviation and he goes on a one-to-one anti-Zeppelin battle with his crew against Hughes Aviation and their big military Zeppelin the GEMINI. Though after battle, the PANDORA was victorious but was in terrible shape, which fortunately the crew spotters have found a cargo Zeppelin called the FIGAROA flying through the Nation of Hollywood which can help them get into Sky Haven by towing the damaged PANDORA they hijack the Zeppelin using Tex's Bomber, keeps it in perfect shape, knock down the wreckage it's carrying, and fights Blake Aviation Security again who tries to shoot down the Zeppelin .
While in Sky Haven, Nathan and the Black Swan had lost their crews and now try to get them back. It turns out that the Black Hats have captured their crews for some reason. Nathan first battles the Black Hats and commander Ace Dixon then they learn that Sparks is imprisoned onboard the Rocky Express train so he and Black Swan stops the train and rescues Sparks. Later Nathan goes on a military autogyro fight with Ulysses Boothe, who turns out to be the leader of the Black Hats. Nathan searches around Sky Haven's most popular restaurants and finds Boothe finally with his wingmen and shoots all of them with the help of Black Swan and decides to capture Boothe, use him as bait to know of the crews' location in exchange for Boothe. Nathan and Black Swan drops Boothe at the valley of the Devil's Horn when the Black Hats respond but after doing so they learn that they have been double-crossed when Boothe tells them that they are going to kill the crews by locking them in a cargo Zeppelin thats about to explode, they rush to the Zeppelin's location they released it from its docking support and fights the Black Hats who try to stop them after that Nathan docks with Zeppelin as it begins to catch fire caused by exploding dynamites placed around it and rescues all of the crews and stops the Black Hats from destroying the PANDORA, Nathan also at last destroys the Black Hat mansion as payback, and rescue the Black Swan who was held prisoner after captured in the battle for their crews and steals aerial torpedoes. Then, he finds out that the Black Hats are attacking Blake Aviation Security and Nathan feels that something isn't right. He goes back with Blake, their enmity gone, fights the Black Hats after protecting Blake's cargo Zeppelins the MERCURY and the TWAIN and having a showdown with the Black Hats,Ulysses Boothe,Ace Dixon,and their Zeppelin the DARK DERBY.
Nathan later realizes that the new Security firm Sacred Trust Incorporated is corrupt, led by his former partner Lucas Miles who survived the last battle. They are planning to conquer the entire divided America, especially with their influence over the Empire State and its capitol Manhattan in favor of Germany. Working together with the Black Hats they attempt to destroy Blake Aviation Security to ensure no resistance will be present. Nathan and Blake head to New York, where Nathan with the guidance of the taxi pilot Cabbie sabotages the Sacred Trust in one of their illegal operations and destroys a ship called the Steinman and warehouse containing Mile's loot which was to be shipped to Berlin. Zachary then learns that an accountant named Waldo Carney who has information about Sacred Trust's evil schemes is under attack by the Black Hats while flying onboard the Zeppelin liner ARCADIA he saves Carney and sabotages attempts by the Sacred Trust to get their loot away all the way to Germany by using Sacred Trust cargo Zeppelins including the Spruce Goose as well. Finally after downing the Zeppelins Nathan learns that Lucas is going to destroy all of Manhattan, in a fit of rage about Lucas' crazy plot, Nathan and his crew (sometimes with the help of Black Swan) aggressively shoots down the Sacred Trust Zeppelin the DANTE as payback. Nathan then fights Lucas one more time, and emerges victorious with Lucas supposedly dead. After the battle Nathan is offered membership to Blake Aviation but turns it down, Paladin Blake though became ultimately upset with his choice to stay a pirate, but does not try to hunt him down.
In the end, Nathan appears to return back with the Black Swan on stealing South American treasure....
Development
Jordan WeismanJordan Weisman
Jordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded four major game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry.-Biography:...
, series creator and creative director of Crimson Skies, has said of the game: "Our whole goal is to give the player the kind of role of being Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
in a 1930's, 1940's great pirate adventure film of the air." According to Weisman, the inspiration for the game came after he had done research on the early years of aviation; he wished to create a game about the era. Weisman and Dave McCoy came up with the concept of "combining the classic fantasies of pilots and pirates." They then created the series' backstory by proposing changes to the history of the United States that would allow the rise of air piracy.
Development on the game originally began for Virtual World Entertainment, and was changed to a PC game under the name "Corsairs!". This original project was shelved, however, prompting Weisman and others to create the board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
Crimson Skies. When FASA later became a part of Microsoft, Weisman was given the opportunity to work on a new project; his choice was to restart production of the Crimson Skies PC game.
The original version of the game shipped with numerous technical problems, one of the most notorious was the tendency to delete the player's saved game files. Shortly after the game's release, Microsoft released Crimson Skies Update Version 1.01, a patch
Patch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
specifically designed to fix this problem. Microsoft later released Update Version 1.02 to address other issues, including multiplayer game stability and mission load times.
Recent ATI
Ati
As a word, Ati may refer to:* Ati, a town in Chad* Ati, a Negrito ethnic group in the Philippines* Ati-Atihan Festival, an annual celebration held in the Philippines* Ati, a queen of the fabled Land of Punt in Africa...
and Nvidia
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
drivers do not support this game. As such it was only possible to play it in Software Rendering mode. Several fans tried to identify and find the causes of this problem, later gathering at the Nvidia forums, and asking the Nvidia for a fix. Nvidia did not show availability for this. The fanbase tried several paths to a solution, culminating in asking known game graphic modder Timeslip if he could devise a fix.
The unofficial patch is available at Timeslip's homepage http://timeslip.chorrol.com/, fixes the issue with current graphic drivers and improves the game in some aspects, such as allowing higher resolutions. Timeslip's homepage may now be unavailable, but the file is named csfix2.7z and is still available on the net.
Reception and criticism
Crimson Skies is regarded as a "cult favorite" or a "cult success," generally popular only within a limited "cult followingCult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
." The game, however, has received generally favorable critical reviews. GameSpot said that "Crimson Skies does an excellent job of taking the elements of flight simulations that have broad appeal—the shooting and the fancy flying—and embellishing them with a great environment and a good story." IGN called the game "highly inventive, tons of fun and ridiculously addictive," and ranked the game as #65 and #75 respectively on its 2003 and 2005 lists of the "Top 100 Games of All Time."
IGN lauded the game's arcade-style physics model, stating that it made gameplay "exciting and immediate." GameSpot likewise complimented the arcade flight model, stating that it fit with the game's pulp fiction
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
setting and allowed for elaborate stunt flying and fast-paced dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
ing. Other positively received aspects of gameplay include the game's "scrapbook" and aircraft customization features.
The game's visuals were generally well-received, as was its audio. Critics took particular note of the game's voice talent, which was described as among the best found in computer games up to that time. The Crimson Skies universe was also well-received by critics, who found it highly original and described it as an "alternate history that is rare in being both compelling and believable." Critics also commended the way these elements—voice acting, soundtrack, graphics style, and story—combined to contribute to the game's 1930s pulp fiction atmosphere.
The single player campaign in Crimson Skies was criticized for its overall linearity, and GameSpot found that multiple playthroughs of a mission would become "tiresome." The game was most heavily dispraised, however, for its numerous and notable technical issues, which include choppy framerate, missing texture
Texture mapping
Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture , or color to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...
s, crash bug
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
s, slowdown during menu screens, flawed wingman AI
Game artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
, long loading times for game levels, and the unreliability of saved game files.
IGN commented that "there are some serious issues with the game that need to be addressed […] in order to help the game realize its amazing potential." According to GameSpot, "Unfortunately, the game is […] a reminder of how easily technical problems can defeat a promising design." Edge magazine
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
has stated that gameplay is directly affected by these problems, as long loading times force players to "play it safe" and avoid the "improbable stunts that should be the signature of [the] game"; the review concludes it's "A shame, because in its variety of missions and sheer panache, the dashing Crimson Skies almost steals your heart. "
External links
- Crimson Skies Official Site on MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
site - Crimson Skies at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Crimson Skies Forums