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Talk:Magician (NES)

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Proto Page

This article need a proto page badly.

File:MagicianNESSource.rar

Converted sources for a very early proto released by author: File:MagicianNESBinary.rar

Compiled working binaries, there a LOT of differences, apart from the game itself totally unplayable at this point.

CHANGES LIST for PROTO page:

  • 1. A very early version of the game in these sources, they just started to work on it. All known dumped protos from cartridges (beta 1 and goodness Proto) as against of this version, are mostly complete games close to the final version, except some internal changes of code and texts.
  • 1.0 In this source the debug output is enabled by default. All spells are inserted from start, mana nad money are infinite. Some of the quest handlers didn't written at all, but instead they set the debug trigger flag, displaying in the debug output.
  • 1.1 Main game design however is the same as in the final version, all levels, enemies, quests are designed as well, including the level order, riddles, secrets, but all is not polished.
  • 1.1.1 Some of the enemies has a different look and behavior (ghosts for example).
  • 1.1.2 Level design a little different from the final version, but the same as in beta 1 version (a tablet "pub" instead of "guild" for example).
  • 1.1.3 Tavern background graphics also identical to Beta 1.
  • 1.1.4 Spells are the same as in Beta1, but there is one extra spell NINTENDO (the final version still has a cheat flag for it and routines, but the spell itself is removed).
  • 1.1.5 In this build the main character moves from left to right with a special turning animation, which is kinda slow. In Beta 1 they already removed it and the character is flipping to the right or to the left immediately without any anmations.
  • 1.1.6 There is no FLIGHT animation at all, the character just float in the air in standing animation.
  • 1.1.7 The title screen has an instrunction for the controls, Taxan logo is different, wizard is drawn differently.
  • 1.2 Main flaw is in interface, it has far away from the final form. Current version is a very complex, messy and uncomfortable.
  • 1.2.1 There are no save/load slots and state system at all. They planned to use the password system consinsts of 64 symbols!!! In the game itself this password is generating, saved in the buffer when you transiting to the next stage on the map, but never displayed. After the game over this pass is inserted in to the password screen automatically, so you couldn't write down your urrent pass unless you die first. ;)
  • 1.2.2 Spell/Item interface is separated to two different screens. The Select button is for spell book, the Start button is for info/inventory screen.
  • 1.2.3 The main info screen doesn't display the magic shields info at all (it seems thy aren't implemented or not working at all), there are no max mana info and so on...
  • 1.2.4 Spell selection interface is overcomplicated: there are the different panels with spell level input, spell input, and spell select. Also there is a different option and sorting for the spell type, doesn't included in the final version (it does automatically by the fist spell symbol). To enter the spell you must complete three stages: enter level, spell type (first rune), enter the rest of the runes. Check the spell with Start, exit with Select, A to select a spell as current in hand. There is an extra display for mana needed for current spell. Also there are a bugs in input logis, which may loch the input at all.
  • 1.2.5 The rune letters are totally different from all later versions, so all spells aren't compatible with the released versions.
  • 1.2.6 There are no level increase output, the only sound effect is present. Exp gain for quests isn't working. Total exp system isn't finished.
  • 2. A lot of bugs
  • 2.1 The FLASK item listed in inventory as a regular item with number of kinds beneath, there are no display for gulps count, but it is displayed when using in the tet window.
  • 2.2 A lot of items costs 0.
  • 2.3 You can take a letter in the church, but can't send it.
  • 2.4 There are no NPC or other objects animation scripts/coding at all, they are always standing.
  • 3. The main text resources of the game are missing. The only compiled packed text block is different from any of available raw texts in the sources. There are no the crunch/uncrunch tools in the sources, so you couldn't just recompile the raw text resources, you may only use already compiled ones. — The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cah4e3 (talk • contribs)

Release Date Discrepancy

Several places list this game as being released in March 1990, this is supported by Eurocom's own website for the game. However, this date is incorrect. They either completed the game in 03/1990 or the year is a typo. The reason is because popular magazines of the era didn't start previewing the game until mid 1990, and didn't review the game until 1991. Here are the sources: Nintendo Power vol 16, page 91. Nintendo Power vol 21, page 85. EGM vol 13, page 61. EGM vol 21, page 28. GamePro vol 19, page 51.

I also emailed Ken Lobb, who was Taxan's product manager at the time. Here's the email exchange:

Me:
"Nintendo Power says Magician came out in 1991, but Eurocom’s official page says it came out in March 1990. Do you remember what’s the real date the game was released? Maybe Eurocom completed development of the game in 1990? Or maybe the game was going to be released in 1990, but then pushed back to 1991?"

Ken:
"It released in 1990. Not sure where 91 came from."

Me:
"I don’t know what your specific role was at Taxan, but is it possible the game got delayed and you didn’t know about it? I ask because Nintendo Power previewed the game in September 1990 and never mentioned the game again until 1991 when the game was reviewed and has it as being released in 1991 (it was only released in North America). I also checked EGM and on the August 1990 issue they mentioned that Magician was shown at the Summer CES, and they never mentioned the game again until the March 1991 issue, where they said it was in stores. Same deal with GamePro, they reviewed the game in their Feb 1991 issue and said the game is slated to be released in “Spring 1991”.

It would be weird for the game to already been in stores in March of 1990 (according to Eurocom’s website), but then also have the game featured a few months later in the Summer CES? And it’s also weird all three magazines list the game as a 1991 release. Could it be that Eurocom’s website has a typo? Instead of March 1990 it should read March 1991?"

Ken:
"Ha, your data is better than mine😊 If that’s the case, I was gone. I remember playing the basically final version, but left Taxan in feb ’91… so yea. Stick with yours. My part was as it was on all the games from Taxan. I was “product manager” which was NOT marketing, more like an EP as the industry grew to have more aligned titles. But with a LOT of design involvement, as that’s just what I do. Play, comment, play more… add stuff, repeat!"

So there you have it, not even Ken Lobb knows for sure. There's no source confirming the specific month the game was released, the closest I could find was GamePro saying the game had a "Spring" release. I'm going to take a gander here and say that Eurocom's date is a typo and it should read "March 1991", that fits perfectly with all the coverage from magazines. ReyVGM (talk) 02:38, 1 February 2023 (UTC)

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