Ask a C64 user what their top 10 games are, and you’ll often find Turrican or Turrican 2 high up there. Although Turrican 2 was Manfred Trenz’s last Turrican effort on the C64, this did not deter fans of the game to create their own sequel in years to come.
Games were slowly drying up towards the end of the 90’s, but one or two gems were promised… such as Turrican 3 from Protovision. Rumours of development were spread like wildfire on the C64 scene, but then suddenly a preview appeared unexpectidly, much to Protovision’s dismay…It seems that while the game was being demonstrated at a party, someone stole the disk and spread the game preview around.
It was this sad gesture from the C64 scene which prompted the game’s developers Stefan Gutsch and Chester Kollschen to cancel the game production. Ironically at the same time, Factor 5, who were developing Turrican on other systems threatened legal action against the game. So it was doomed anyway… but maybe in recent times it would have been finished off had they not lost heart in the game due to one person who stole the disk.The game itself is a very faithful update of Turrican, featuring flicker free sprites and even music as the game played!… something not thought possible even by Manfred Trenz.
A few levels were done before the game was cancelled, with one or two large monsters (which looked very impressive). Overall the production looked very promising.Around the same time, Smash Designs started producing their own version of Turrican 3, and in 2004 they finally finished it. Possibly some ideas from Protovision’s version were used as inspiration, but at least a Turrican 3 did make it in the end. Would two versions have been completed had Protovision not had their disk stolen, and didn’t have Factor 5 on their backs?
The preview has been floating around the net for some time, but recently Protovision have been spreading all the remains of Turrican 3 with their other sold products for people to see.
Jazzcat has kindly passed on these remains for GTW to preserve and show some of you for the first time too. Now you can see for yourself the potential of this conversion.
Also check out the words from Protovision, as mentioned on their website.
Case closed…
Contributions: Success and the Ruling Company
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Protovision talk about work on Turrican 3 V1...
At this time, about 1997, Stefan Gutsch met Chester Kollschen, creator of the top games Ice Guys and Bomb Mania. Both coders had always dreamed of creating a Turrican-like game. The idea of an (inofficial) successor of Turrican I and II was born. To get every C64 user the chance to play the game, it was decided not to require the SuperCPU for this one.
Now Stefan could concentrate on what he can do best, great graphics and creative level design. Chester started with the hard work of programming the game, workname "Turrican 3". The goal was to be not only as good as but even better than the predecessors.
Finally music had been implemented, the end monsters got bigger and absolutely flicker free - using a completely new designed multiplex routine. The game could even load data while one could move the player.
n 1998, the project was presented to a small bunch of people during a scene party. But during the night, the disk was stolen and the half completed game was spread around the internet. Shocked by the fact that such things could happen even in the fantastic C64 scene, Chester cancelled the work. Simultaneously, Factor 5, makers of the "Turrican" games on Amiga, threatened because of copyright issues. .
Protovision.
Lookes and plays superb for a first preview!!!
Could have been a fantastic game when it would have been finalized.
Very very sad, that it wasn’t until now.
You halt development because someone “steals” (=spreads!) a preview of your software? What…??
Why would you not want to keep such things private? I’m developing 8-bit software right now and I prefer to work under a non-disclosure agreement because if the game developing is permanently impeded or something falls through then no one needs to know.