Black & White from Lionhead Studios released originally back in 2001 went on to great reviews, and won various awards. Sadly, it's one game that has also been lost to time but the openblack project plans to revive it with open source.
I originally covered this project way back in 2019, and it seems it's come a long way since then, although still heavily under development. Yesterday, September 4th, the openblack project had a first actual release.
Features implemented:
- Camera movement system which matches Black & White.
- Landscape with higher resolution thanks to intermediate rendering of the landscape texture.
- Model rendering and animation.
- Morphable mesh rendering.
- Audio support.
- Dynamic sky controls.
- Pathfinding for villagers.
- Physics using bullet physics.
- Early AI state machine.
- The LHVM virtual machine is integrated and reverse engineered.
- Runs on modern Windows, MacOS and Linux.
- Experimental Android, iOS, web assembly support.
There are some known issues like some colours being off and no launcher or global configuration options, so you need to launch it with command line arguments to find the assets. All of this of course will be improved as the project matures.
See more on the GitHub. You need a copy of the original game to run it which sadly is not easily available since Lionhead Studios no longer exist and the publisher Electronic Arts hasn't put it up anywhere.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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15 comments
Cool. The original was an interesting idea, but the implementation was super janky and unresponsive. Hopefully the reimplementation can squeeze a fun game out of the idea and framework.
1 Likes, Who?
I wanted to love this game, but it was pretty frustrating trying to train your avatar to do what you wanted.
Haha - it reminded me of the actual angry frustration I'd feel in later games like RimWorld where I want a certain job done right away, prioritise it as high as possible, deprioritise or remove EVERYTHING ELSE, and my workers either ignore me completely, continuing what they were already doing, or just to rub it in, sit around doing nothing! I'm practically shouting at the screen - DO THE THING!
Man, these colony-builders are clearly not for me.
Haha - it reminded me of the actual angry frustration I'd feel in later games like RimWorld where I want a certain job done right away, prioritise it as high as possible, deprioritise or remove EVERYTHING ELSE, and my workers either ignore me completely, continuing what they were already doing, or just to rub it in, sit around doing nothing! I'm practically shouting at the screen - DO THE THING!
Man, these colony-builders are clearly not for me.
3 Likes, Who?
Oh this is neat. I really hope someone adds in VR support. It really feels like it was designed to be a VR game before VR was a thing.
3 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje Sep 5
I wanted to love this game, but it was pretty frustrating trying to train your avatar to do what you wanted.I stopped Rimworld because my cat starved to death.
Haha - it reminded me of the actual angry frustration I'd feel in later games like RimWorld where I want a certain job done right away, prioritise it as high as possible, deprioritise or remove EVERYTHING ELSE, and my workers either ignore me completely, continuing what they were already doing, or just to rub it in, sit around doing nothing! I'm practically shouting at the screen - DO THE THING!
Man, these colony-builders are clearly not for me.
Oh this is neat. I really hope someone adds in VR support. It really feels like it was designed to be a VR game before VR was a thing.Yes! There were a few early games where you were kind of a god, but everyone in forums basically wanted Black & White in VR... Picking up little dudes and flinging them through the air would be highly entertaining in VR.
3 Likes, Who?
I remember trying to train my ape to throw rocks. I would hand him a boulder, then pick one up myself and chuck it.
After a couple of throws, the ape would get this "Ah, hah! I got it!" face, then...toss the boulder in its hands behind it, and run off.
I followed, only to find the ape picking up a horse and throwing it, then looking at the camera like, "Did you see that? Are you proud of me?"
And I felt bad because the only way to provide negative reinforcement was to slap your creature.
I still have my copy of the game, and I might need to check out this project. Thanks!
After a couple of throws, the ape would get this "Ah, hah! I got it!" face, then...toss the boulder in its hands behind it, and run off.
I followed, only to find the ape picking up a horse and throwing it, then looking at the camera like, "Did you see that? Are you proud of me?"
And I felt bad because the only way to provide negative reinforcement was to slap your creature.
I still have my copy of the game, and I might need to check out this project. Thanks!
3 Likes, Who?
Oh wow. I thought I would never see this cracked gem reimplemented. What a time to be alive! Despite it being somewhat experimental and janky, I have some of the fondest memories about it. The last game by Peter Molyneaux that I've played. I never even heard about a Fable for a million years and then I don't see his handwriting there. An RPG? What? Was it any good? Then he went completely off the rails seemingly, what a shame.
Somehow Bullfrog Productions were in the business of making groundbreaking games from the start and Peter was very lucky with the people that went to work for him. Did you know that Demis Hassabis started as a level designer in Syndicate, then went to be a lead programmer in Theme Park, then he designed the AI in Black & White, made Evil Genius and then went to create a DeepMind? - an AI startup that started to beat starcrafters and fold proteins, making a serious advance in the scientific avant-garde (and online ass-whooping)
Somehow Bullfrog Productions were in the business of making groundbreaking games from the start and Peter was very lucky with the people that went to work for him. Did you know that Demis Hassabis started as a level designer in Syndicate, then went to be a lead programmer in Theme Park, then he designed the AI in Black & White, made Evil Genius and then went to create a DeepMind? - an AI startup that started to beat starcrafters and fold proteins, making a serious advance in the scientific avant-garde (and online ass-whooping)
4 Likes, Who?
I still have my box for this game.
It's good to see it get an open source revival.
Hoping to see some fan mods with fixes and improvements.
Certainly a memorable virtual pet mixed with town manager.
I do hope the sequel gets some attebtion too never tried that.
I remember reading some guides on how to get the good ending the best way was to be a little evil or discipline a lot which gives the player's hand cursor a dark mean look.
Seemed silly.
Also thought the local weather in real life matching feature was neat for the tine.
Could be implemented much better now but back then I could never get it working but not inportant anyway.
Definitely gotta give this a run.
Just hope my game disc is still intact heh.
That and a working disc drive.
It's good to see it get an open source revival.
Hoping to see some fan mods with fixes and improvements.
Certainly a memorable virtual pet mixed with town manager.
I do hope the sequel gets some attebtion too never tried that.
I remember reading some guides on how to get the good ending the best way was to be a little evil or discipline a lot which gives the player's hand cursor a dark mean look.
Seemed silly.
Also thought the local weather in real life matching feature was neat for the tine.
Could be implemented much better now but back then I could never get it working but not inportant anyway.
Definitely gotta give this a run.
Just hope my game disc is still intact heh.
That and a working disc drive.
0 Likes
Woodlandor Sep 5
How long until someone forks the Openblack project and names it Openwhite?
There must be balance in the universe.
There must be balance in the universe.
2 Likes, Who?
Mountain Man Sep 5
There's a reason Black & White was quickly forgotten. This was the game that marked the beginning of the end for Peter Molyneux. It had some neat ideas, but it all felt rather disjointed, like it was just a prototype, and came nowhere close to fulfilling Molyneux's lofty promises which quickly earned Lionhead Studios the unfavorable nickname Lyin' Head Studios.
0 Likes
Cloversheen Sep 6
Ooooh, we got this notion
That we'd quite like to sail the ocean
So we're buildin' a big boat to leave here for good.
We're not keen on sinkin'
So we're all sittin' here and thinkin'
Cos we built it too big and we've run out of wood.
Eidle eidle eee
Eidle eidle eee
We simply can't leave til we get some more wood.
Oooh, we're note keen on sinkin'
so that's why we're sittin' thinkin'
cos we simply can't leave til we get some more wood.
That we'd quite like to sail the ocean
So we're buildin' a big boat to leave here for good.
We're not keen on sinkin'
So we're all sittin' here and thinkin'
Cos we built it too big and we've run out of wood.
Eidle eidle eee
Eidle eidle eee
We simply can't leave til we get some more wood.
Oooh, we're note keen on sinkin'
so that's why we're sittin' thinkin'
cos we simply can't leave til we get some more wood.
6 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje Sep 7
Oh wow. I thought I would never see this cracked gem reimplemented. What a time to be alive! Despite it being somewhat experimental and janky, I have some of the fondest memories about it. The last game by Peter Molyneaux that I've played. I never even heard about a Fable for a million years and then I don't see his handwriting there. An RPG? What? Was it any good? Then he went completely off the rails seemingly, what a shame.Ha, the beginning of Bullfrog Productions is one of the best stories I've ever heard for a video game company... Peter had started a company shipping baked beans named Taurus. Commodore called him up one day, thinking he was running a company named Torus that made software, and they gave him an Amiga 1000... so he and a friend started learning how to program for it, eventually coming up with the idea of Populous and the rest is history.
Somehow Bullfrog Productions were in the business of making groundbreaking games from the start and Peter was very lucky with the people that went to work for him. Did you know that Demis Hassabis started as a level designer in Syndicate, then went to be a lead programmer in Theme Park, then he designed the AI in Black & White, made Evil Genius and then went to create a DeepMind? - an AI startup that started to beat starcrafters and fold proteins, making a serious advance in the scientific avant-garde (and online ass-whooping)
5 Likes, Who?
I replayed Black & White a few years ago and it was quite fun until I got to a level where you start getting attacked straight away and I didn't enjoy that. I'm more into a more relaxed gameplay where I don't need to rush.
I tested out this a bit and it works well. Is the creature implemented in the game yet in open black?
Last edited by harre on 10 September 2024 at 10:04 pm UTC
I tested out this a bit and it works well. Is the creature implemented in the game yet in open black?
Last edited by harre on 10 September 2024 at 10:04 pm UTC
0 Likes
redneckdrow Sep 17
I prefer the second game, but I have to admit I miss some features of the first, such as Creature Isle. Not to mention the creature variety and skirmish mode.
You had 5 choices in B&W2's base game, but the tiger and lion were functionally identical. The creature a.i. is much improved (in that it acually works half the time), but the game is also a good deal shorter. Battle of the Gods is basically the antithesis of Creature Isle, being ludicrously difficult, and somewhat double-plus-un-fun. You get a sixth creature choice, but only if you don't import a save, making things even harder for a good deity.
Man, I'm really talking myself out of playing B&W2 again. It is a bit of a slog. The fan patches help iron out issues in both games.
You had 5 choices in B&W2's base game, but the tiger and lion were functionally identical. The creature a.i. is much improved (in that it acually works half the time), but the game is also a good deal shorter. Battle of the Gods is basically the antithesis of Creature Isle, being ludicrously difficult, and somewhat double-plus-un-fun. You get a sixth creature choice, but only if you don't import a save, making things even harder for a good deity.
Man, I'm really talking myself out of playing B&W2 again. It is a bit of a slog. The fan patches help iron out issues in both games.
0 Likes
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