Two Digital Illusions

[Photon]

Just a tiny thing that I just noticed here:

Seems a little strange to me to have the Amiganoid devs (likely made up) DI logo among the others.

Can the database handle multiple devs with the same name but different logos? Or rename the impostor () to Digital Illusions(PD) or something.

[lilalurl]

Separate entries should not be a problem. This was done for instance in the case of the artists Matt Furniss.

However, if you check the entry for Amiganoid, the game appears to be featured in the Pinball Nights compilation (MIA and from 2002 though).

So I'd imagine there is a possibility that the non-PD DI took the PD developers under their wing at one time and therefore the PD developers decided to make a logo for that.


Well, that's just what I suppose from checking the entries. Perhaps someone else has more specific info on the matter?

[Photon]

Comparing the games, developer names, and publisher for likeness would be more fruitful than to go by likeness by name, don't you think?

In the case of the Furnisses, were those attributes similar or different?

You made up that under your wing bit while writing the post, I think I would instead argue for splitting up until the MIA pack with this odd duckling is found.

While it's possible that there is a free PD games pack with 4(?) commercial games+a PD one (I'll be fair tho, maybe an assumption again and nobody can know everything about every game), it just stands out a bit.

[lilalurl]

I know it stands out quite a bit. That's why I mentioned in my post 2002 and MIA.

And guessing from just looking at the entries is exactly what I did. I expect the people who originally filled the entry wondered if there were 2 DI and/or had a reason to put the PD part with the non-PD part. Same goes with the compilation.

A mistake is still a possibility. But I'd like to see a fully conclusive reason to split before something is done.


IMO, One thing in favour of the non-splitting is the logo that you mention in your original post.

Check the entry for Amiganoid:
http://hol.abime.net/4710

Then check the two bottom logos of the DI entry:
http://hol.abime.net/hol_search.php?...itstart=&find=


The last ones look more professional but the similarity of the three is obvious.
To me it would mean that the one from Amiganoid was an early version and the two others were improved versions. Hence a hint of affiliation.

From your first post I would guess you suppose that the Amiganoid logo is rather a copy/tribute of "original" DI logo. Am I right?


Still, checking the screenshots on HOL I have not found were the 2 bottom logos are from. So right now I cannot even conclude whether they belong to a commercial DI release or not.

Unless someone comes with more info. I guess I will have to check each DI games to see if it appears at one time or another. Hopefully there will be longplays/gameplay videos available because I am not really tempted to play some games up to the end just to check that .


So to sum up, my opinion is a bit like: yes it is strange that there is one PD entry among the DI releases and this hints towards two separate developer entries.
None of the PD developers* have worked on other DI titles (or Amiga title) apparently. So while it is not a reason to split, it is not a reason to keep them with the commercial part either.
On the other hand there are some slight hints that there is affiliation between the PD part and the commercial part (logo + compilation).

-> nothing conclusive for either side -> need for more investigation and until something fully conclusive for the split appears I see no reason to actually split.


*: Just from the name, I would expect the Amiganoid coder "Mikael Björn" to be from a Nordic country (just like DI).
If all the developers had been called something like Pedro Ramirez Rodriguez Inigo Montoya then I would have more doubts about the links between the PD and commercial DI(s).

[Photon]

I guess I would just have different reasons for merging. What's makes me so "suspicious and evil" is that I'm trying to come up with a reason why DI, possibly a commercial enterprise in 1992, would lend their name to a PD release.

Sure, I guess, possibly it could be friends of theirs joining DI to try, but then why is the logo so different while in the later releases this new official looking logo is dropped. (I agree it could be because it looked like generic crap put in front of an imported VHS tape or such... )

Who knows. Reason for merging vs reason for splitting. But as I said just a small thing I noticed, no reason to spend oodles of time 'investigating like Sherlock Holmes'

[lilalurl]

Actually part of the fun is spending some time investigating .

Now that the question has been raised it might be very interesting to know if there is indeed a link between the PD developers and the commercial DI and if yes how it was established.*


Meanwhile:
- I have checked the review listed on HoL (Génération 4 magazine, available here, page 074: http://www.abandonware-magazines.org...=390&album=oui )

1) some people might want to have a look at that page and the following as it is some round up of the arkanoid/breakout clones from that time.

2) nothing much of interest and nothing at all related to DI

3) more importantly, it is very likely that this is the review for a different Amiganoid game.

The screenshot from the review and the one from the DBS on HoL look completely different.
Besides, the issue of the magazine including the review dates from 1988 (March/April) whereas the game in HoL is listed as a 1993 game.

Therefore there are probably 2 games called Amiganoid.
The other possibility I can imagine is that the Amiganoid reviewed is an old revision and that the one in HoL is a later revision. That would involve a lot of cosmetic modifications from what I can judge though.
Another thing to investigate .


- The "nice" DI logo is in Benefactor. Check the longplay at 02:20:
[ Show youtube player ]

Back on that matter the PD logo would make me think of an early draft. Perhaps even scanned from a paper version and then colorized on computer, while the "nice" logo would be a full rework?



* : Ah, just found an interesting video by s2325 (thanks for another of your recordings ) which is actually of Amiganoid:
[ Show youtube player ]

In the first 30 seconds you can see previews of forthcoming DI games. More importantly, just after (0:34) s2325 clicks on About and you get details about the game.
To sum up what is said, if you intend to use the game you must buy a new DI game.

So I would conclude that this is legitimately a DI game.
I still wonder if Amiganoid may have started outside of DI and was later taken under DI's wing or not.