So how it all began was actually due to a member, and until now, I had sort of forgotten... but AKRATEN is to thank.
AKRATEN is who informed me about the x68000, I didnt know they existed before AKRATEN. After our conversation I figured out the incredibly difficult process of getting x68k emulation working on Mac. Also MJClark is who I got my first games for the x68k from. Shoutouts to MJClark
So I guess it would have been in 2011? I saw the video on youtube of Illumination Laser by Perkinson78.
I think I messaged perkinson78, but his reply was without hope, iirc he told me he didnt have it.
The video was the most crucial piece though, because the video proved its existence.
So after knowing it existed, I sort of became obsessed... 1 reason why I became so utterly obsessed was because I thought the game was incredibly beautiful. like 1 of the most beautiful games ever. To me the game was artistically brilliant.
Around the same time I made a twitter account, on said twitter account, I began trying to find x68k focused individuals to follow/communicate with.
There were many many great people in Japan who helped. It started with the chief x68000 repair man in japan Nagai, then onto pipixvi, then mucom, transamgta92, then through many other people, especially IcKaZe. after it was all said and done I probably had spoken with 14 people in japan who were deep in the x68k scene. maybe more.
There was complication along the way, because the x68k scene itself was in a bit of turmoil, there was some betrayal amongst the great people I mentioned unfortunately. It involved 1 of the magic x68000 mirrors and floppies. 2 of the people I was in contact with were holding events for x68k, but the betrayal caused a disbanding. A 3rd individual had stolen the mirror and floppies iirc. 1 of those floppies being illumination laser.
After a little over a year of devoting my focus, I finally was put into contact with the creator of the game TERRA. Upon contacting TERRA and asking him about Illumination Laser, he informed me that he had gone to his parents home and dug his x68k out of his closet. (presumably he had not taken it out of his closet since the 90s (the interview dictates since 2000)) his x68k had a faulty power supply which needed recapping. Luckily I knew the chief x68k repair man over there, so I put them into contact and might have aided that process.
Then no response... it seemed unlikely at this point. this was 2013 iirc.
I remained obsessed though, literally thinking about the game every single day, imagining it, envisioning it, posting about it almost daily on twitter in broken japanese/english. I remember at 1 point I went into the x68k IRC chat and announced that soon the game would be released (iirc nobody really believed me haha) After the better part of the year I became distracted with a girl. Then finally received a response after almost exactly 1 year.
The response was that Illumination Laser had been rebuilt from the ground up basically to make it compatible with lesser hardware than just the x68030. He wanted me to test the game. I believe I was 1 of 2 testers of Illumination Laser, although I never was informed of who the other tester was. I can say what the test version is like. The test version has a bar on the right side of the screen, the bar rises and lowers depending on how intensive the graphics were hitting. Also on the main screen by hitting a specific input sequence, infinite lives and invincibility were accessible. So I was 1 of the first people to ever see the end of the game I guess.
I remember TERRA telling me he worried it was TOO difficult. but I laughed and told him that was a good thing.
but really the game is incredibly difficult. I was very relieved to see Emuser had 1cc'd it.
So I should say that I dont actually speak japanese, all my communication was done through careful machine translation and cross comparisons between machine translations. which Im not that proud of, but that was the reality, and I guess its a miracle it worked out the way it did.
I interviewed TERRA, I will post that, although please excuse the flaws and redacted sections. either he requested it be redacted or it was lost in machine translation.
If I can find the original japanese text I will post that here in case someone who actually speaks the language is curious.
2. Can you tell the people when your x68k introduction began? How were you introduced? How long did you use the x68k?
A: It was 1994 that I obtained an x68000 At a considerably late time on the timeline of x68000. x68000 was already losing commercial value then, therefore the used x68000 goods of an old generation became the price that even I could buy somehow. I bought a new model on the way, but used x68000 until 2000.
2. Oh, it is beautiful!
O.K.
What was it in 1,994 years like in those days?
Were you familiar with takeru machine?
A: I have used takeru several times.
Because you were able to buy ???????? of MSX only in takeru, I purchased these.
It is Yoshida Komuten or Dante.
I have not purchased software of X68000.
3. Can you tell the people of experiences accomplished through x68000? Any crazy stories?
A: people who used x68000 each had a significant and unique purpose, and I do not know all of them back then. Therefore I want to avoid mentioning the scene as a generalization.
As far as my purpose in game development goes?
x68000 was the choice that was the best for a home PC that was able to make the game with 2d action characteristics and details that were top of the line in those days. That is why it was it was an attractive model for the person who wanted to create a game by its self, particularly the person who wanted to become professional.
However, the mainstream of the game was gradually moving towards 3d gaming and the charm of x68000 as the PC for making home game development possible gradually decreased when I made a 3d game, because x68000 was not a good choice at that time.
It was such an experience that made x68000 2d game lose charm at the time when mainstream moved towards 3d. That I experienced.
3. There was possibility of a right large majority.
Do you like designs of 3d or 2d?
Truly, in spite of the mainstream, your 2d is splendid!
Do you think that you make a game of more 2d for x68k? The people love them!
A: I think that I am divided which of 2D and 3D adapts to the game by a style and the aim of the game more.
Therefore I think that I should choose the style along the plan.
But I think that it is hard to make a 3D game in X68000.
5. What is your favorite type of music? Do you like 80s music?
A: I hear almost none of the music in life.
I only hear BGM when I play a game.
I like such a music and remember it well.
5. What kind of specific favorite BGM do you have in? Or it is top 3?
A: BGM of an interesting game is degree remembering well.
BGM of Ultima IV was good. Towns,Wanderer,Shrine was particularly good, but likes other music, too.
9. Do you play video games in your spare time?
A: I have been separated from games by *withheld information*. If *other withheld information* appears, I want to begin a game again.
10. What do you think the future of gaming is?
Personally, I dislike an "all in one" console personally.
How do you feel about modern gaming?
A: I know nothing at all about the newest generation of console now. I do not say I dislike it, only by the reason that there is not a game I am interested in for them at the moment.
I played the xbox360 in previous generation the same way, but did not the play a ps3 or wii at all. I am interested in OculusRIFT.
10. So do you imagine the future in OculusRift?
A: I am worried how long a burden depends on the eyes of the player.
11. What kind of genre in video games is your favorite?
A: It is a strategy game.
11. Beautiful! Do you have a favorite?
A: A lot of titles which I played are the one which I cannot really enumerate which there Is.
Because I cannot often arrive in RTS, there are many turn-based things.
12. what was the first game you ever played?
What environment was it?
A: It is Championship Lode Runner for Nintendo.
13. Will you explain your experience related with x68000? It does not seem to be limited as far as aesthetic, creativity and design go.
A: X68000 was equipped with hardware Sprite. Therefore it was not necessary to make a character indication program when I made 2D game. This was a big advantage of X68000.
On the other hand, there was the limit of the hardware in X68000. There was the case which Sprite of was still chipped off even if I used ????????.
From the limitation of the processor, I did not use the floating point number and used the fixed point number.
In addition, I had to suppress multiplication and the use of the division that were not replaced with a bit shift to a minimum.
14. What made you decide to make IlluminationLASER an STG?
A: 2DSTG was the one of the low game genres of the production degree of difficulty and was able to complete an outline immediately.
So I made 2DSTG.
15. Was there arcade stg which helped suggest illuminationLASER system?
A: As for the laser which turned, the crystal was come up with the idea of from Darius lateral biography by ?????? II and ?????? lateral biography.
16. Was IlluminationLASER first STG which you made?
A: It is with a thing first for a finished game and to date, the only thing.
18. What was your inspiration of the illuminationLASER art design? Most games are based on a typical theme.
This game seems to come from another world! Were you able to explain it you designed the thing, and how it was generated?
You were able to get inspiration from anything specific or was it just natural?
A: An enemy character was constructed according to the same rule, and I was controlled.
Then, for the program of the individual enemy character, I can apply common processing.
Anyway, the program takes labor for the follow of the exception handling. I did not do an exception handling if possible by constituting an enemy character not to be off a common rule and finished it.
This policy had a good effect, but had a bad effect.
Development becomes monotonous by all means. In other words the character of the same appearance, the stage which there is not of the substitute brilliancy, the attack of the same pattern continue even if I advance to wherever. Too long.
I think that I should have narrowed the length of the stage in half of all degree.
19. Do you explain a past of illuminationLASER for anyone? How did it begin? Please develop?
20. What was used to make illuminationLASER?
21. How long did that of schedule come to like illuminationLASER complete at first? Will you explain a process?
A: It was a job shortage in those days. It was necessary to show demo software to show the technique that the person had to the company so that an inexperienced person got a job of the game development. This software was a thing of that purpose.
It took two years for me by completion for development using X68030.
26. Are you proud of game ???????? level most?
A: I like four BGM in particular. Therefore four win through up to an impression.
But four bosses were not good.
27. To you, is there a favorite boss?
A: Seven bosses took time very much to make it. I borrowed a track-and-field book in a library and measured the angle of the mosaic of the form of the contestant every part and made animation data.
Because it was serious, I remember it well. I think that it is two that bosses grow well.
28. How did it act with a grand I.C.KaZe?
29. It must be big honor to have his music for your game!
And to hear best - visually!
A: It was really splendid for this game to have been able to prepare BGM into I.C.KaZe.
I approve of the thought that most of the value of STG is decided on in BGM.
And this game had a fault at the time of the first design as spoke earlier.
In other words it means that development is easy to become monotonous.
Nonetheless this game thinks of me if a favorable reception was got by players when after all BGM contributes to it.
For example, it is hardly different even if I compare the screenshot of one and four.
However, BGM is totally different. In other words the variety of this game greatly depends on BGM.
I still thank I.C.KaZe.
30. I think that same day that it was released on NFG, you released IlluminationLASER on a x68kholiday? How was it? It must have been very splendid!
A: It was the day that was hot like midsummer on that day. There was the meeting place close to the place where there was the shop where I bought X68000 for 20 years ago.
I carried same X68000, and I went ahead through the way where I went to when I took X68000 home with me adversely and went to the meeting place.
30. Was the receptions of your beautiful game good at a meeting place? After having been very long, the people must have been very fun!
A: There were many opinions to be difficult. I think that it is a real difficult game.
32. Do you intend to release illuminationLASER2 for x68k?
If you will do so it, I will like it! Please make most more!
(please smile!)
A: It is very difficult for the moment.
I did not know till when it worked either, and anyway X68000 failed one during this work!
36. Thank you, Terra,
A: Likewise, thank you!
37. What promoted decision to release this?
What was the reason of this release to gajin?
A: Because you gave an inquiry to me, as for me, I started restoration.
38. Why was your big game made a secret during approximately ten years?
A: Because nobody minded it, I think that, as a result, it became so.
Thank you once again Terra
Also TERRA did supply 1 file to me that as far as I know isnt elsewhere online. If I can find that, I will also post it here.
Sorry for the years of delay.
Hopefully this helps inspire someone. because all it takes is to try.
It helps if you do it for good, without ulterior motivation. (that was a huge part of my focus then)
EDIT: OH, I forgot to mention, shortly before TERRA had scheduled release in Japan and online, a member on NFG had bought a x68k bundle that included the original Illumination Laser version that could only run on x68030. IIRC for around $800+. Presumably with the intention of dumping. TERRA requested I ask for that version to not be released. Which put me in a unfortunate situation. I did not want to ask for that, but I understood TERRA's reasoning. Since he spent so much time into reworking it and making it more accessible on a variety of hardware with the intention to legitimately release his game for free. So a member on NFG does own a sort of priceless version of Illumination Laser. TERRA informed me that the game design itself was unaltered from the original. Luckily the owner understood as well and complied and honored TERRA's wishes.
I have not kept in touch with TERRA. He was quite a mysterious bloke. While interviewing him he was adamant about avoiding personal questions. He was also adamant about not selling the game. Despite many requests and offers to pay for physical copies.
I hope he is well though. I still appreciate how the stars aligned and our paths crossed. & I look forward to the next time.
Interesting read, thanks for posting!
