I’ve been reading The Making of Prince of Persia Journals 1985 — 1993 for the past few weeks. Absolutely wonderful insight to the creative process as a whole and the hurdles of game development. While the book may span only eight years, the experience comes off as timeless.
One element I am captivated by is Jordan Mechner’s obsession with fluid, lifelike animation and how he pulled it off on an Apple II. Watch the game in action. Remarkable stuff. In the book, there is an ad that was used to promote the game. It’s a typical advert with quotes from reviews and some screenshots.
The emphasis on the animation was certainly justified. Mechner would film people then take the film frame-by-frame and animate the game characters.
“September 23, 1986 — …It sounds like a pain, but I think it’s the best way.” Jordan Mechner, page 38 of The Making of Prince of Persia Journals 1985 — 1993
I find it fascinating that nearly 35 years later, the video game industry is still obsessively pursuing lifelike animation.
Even after years of working on it, I’m still blown away by the animation in Part II. We have one of — if not the — best animation team in the industry — both in raw animation skill and technical knowledge. Can’t wait for you to experience their incredible work. – Neil Druckmann via Twitter
Our animation team is super talented… This is just a small part of what is to come! – Almudena Soria Sancho via Twitter