That's true, as long as you've rescued at least half of your quota of pilots, the mothership will return to orbit. But if it's not there, then you're Jaggi fodder.
That alien banging on the windscreen brings back brilliant memories! Used to love playing this on my Atari 800, waiting for ages each time for the cassette tape to load.
I loved this game! So much fun. The alien always scared the crap out of me. I just remember all the detail they put into these games. like if you took too long to open the door the pilots knocking got slower and more deliberate and the fact that if you turned on the shields they got fried.
Looks very basic today but fractal graphics were a real breakthrough at the time and most Holywood digital animations, by Pixar for example, are based on them.
Жуткая игрушка. Первый и единственный раз с ней я видел, как человек в панике падает со стула, отскакивая от экрана. ))) (да, да, когда чужой голотит кулачищами в стекло)
Playing this back in the day on a small portable B/W telly in the bedroom made it...intresting. Especially when you couldn't tell which were the aliens and which were the humans running towards you. o_o
The fact that they pulled off a voxel playfield at any frame rate back then in itself is amazing. Then actually put a good playable game on top of it? Bravo!
@3gdosrsfs Is it actually voxels though? I've heard others say that it's not. It's definitely a heightmap field though, using a vertical scanline renderer -- that was used in a lot of games, Comanche, Outcast, the Lords of Midnight 3D remake in the late 90's.
I mean, this was the first game using "random fractal graphics" in game! Also great work !!! I had a lot fun and today playing this, you must set the pop-up blocker to off!
;-)
Dont worry, this alien has not an "x" at its right upper sight.
@SouthOCmixdown Yes, you also dodge cannons on the mountains. Oh, and have a heart attack when the monster jumps out at you. This game scared the hell out of us kids back in the day.
Wouldn't it be great if George Lucas went back and replaced the models with CGI? And made the alien more kid-friendly (perhaps he could be Jar Jar Binks banging on the window to give you some flowers).
I also am a fully paid up member of the brown pants brigade - thanks to that alien!, I did however have an excuse; the first time I played fractalus was on an old black&white portable TV - so there was no way to tell the difference between genuine pilots and aliens as they ran towards you.
I still remember as I played this game the first time. The music game me goose bumbs. And I was so scared as I saw the Alien the first time. Thank you for uploading.
For those who don't know, you can play this on a modern PC with an emulator. I used Atari800Win Plus a few years ago, but it hasn't been updated for a while. Maybe it still works on Vista/Windows7... Or maybe you can find other (newer) emulators.
Rescue on Fractalus / Eidolon / Koronis Rift. Still the most 'ahead of their time' games of all time. I never worked out how they did the graphics. We know it's fractals but how did they render them? It doesn't look like polygons. I've never seen the technique used before or since. Real time 3D from a 1Mhz 8bit!
@shalroth That's probably because the Atari had a cpu that was twice as fast as the one in the C64 - and Rescue On Fractalus relies on cpu performance for its graphics.
@nukinetix I was lucky that my father had both computers, making a comparison, the graphics, and the framerate always were better in the Atari (also it had more colors), but I used more the c64 because it was the first computer I ever used (the c64 came when I was 4, the Atari when I was 7), had better sound, and in my country it was easier to obtain c64 games than atari´s games
Wow is this cool. History was not very kind to C64 users when it comes to Lucasfilm games...both Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus dodn't get a faithful port on the good old trusty Commodore (they are, in fact, the top reason for me to go out and buy an Atari 8bit ;) ).
I cannot count the number of hours I played this game... And I remember vividly my former partner falling out of her chair the first time that alien punched a hole in the screen...
as the levels progressed, the aliens wouldnt always have a green helmet/head... you would need to let the pilot knock a bit, almost till he dies from lack of oxygen before the alien would jump up.
Right - in higher levels, the aliens would have white helmets - they learned that the green head was a give-away). But if you heard knocking, you could always open the airlock immediately. Aliens always jumped up, never knocked, as long as the airlock door was closed. If it was open, they'd just come on inside and wreak havoc inside your ship.
This brings back fond memories, especially the last 5 minutes (I'm the guy who's EMail you read in your Lecture -- part 3 of 12 here on YouTube. If you still have the same EMail Address you did back in 2003, I'll contact you again).
This brings back fond memories, especially the last 20 seconds (I'm the guy who's EMail you read in your Lecture -- part 3 of 12 here on YouTube. If you still have the same EMail Address you did back in 2003, I'll contact you again).
Video brings back many fond memories, especially the last 30 seconds!! (I'm the guy who's Email you read in part 3 of 12 of your Lecture here on YouTube. If your EMail is the same as it was in 2003, I'll EMail you and get in touch with you again).
(apologize if this post shows up more than once, YouTube's posting doesn't seem to be working right today).
@DavidBFox Brilliant game, still love to play it now and then. Like everyone else I will never forget my first alien encounter....scared to death !
I always loved the "launch" sound of the engines which sounds VERY much like a sound used in Star Wars.
Sometimes I opened the airlock to let in an alien when a mothership had arrived, by blasting off to the mother ship you could hear the alien fight going on but would usually make it to the mothership OK.
@AtariAndre42 Thanks! Yes, we were going for a combination of jet turbine engines (w/a high frequency whine), inspired by Star Wars sounds. We all had stereo systems always hooked up to our Ataris to remind us how important sound was (try playing the game with the sound turned off - really weak!).
And the alien "fight" sounds must have been very real to some people as well. Someone once congratulated me on the effect of the alien's arm reaching out in front of you! All in his imagination.
The alien scared me too the first time I saw one, I noticed in the video he's green running to your ship, but I don't remember it being that way. Anyways, what do you suppose L-D-C-P next column C-F-K-L means? That's from the aliens shirt turned sideways.
You've discovered one of the game's Easter Eggs - those are the initials of the creators of the game (Loren Carpenter, David Fox, Charlie Kellner, Peter Langston).
It really was! A friend of mine got an original Apple ][ in 1979 or so and it was pretty amazing until this game came out. Once I loaded it into the Atari 800XL, he was pretty speechless :D It's in a box somewhere, wonder if it still works...
I've used to play this on old monochrome tv, so I didn't recognize if the pilot was alien or not, and also didn't know that green bastard will pop up before my cockpit view, uff I've nearly had shit my pants and had heartattak, but anyway that was absolute great game that days and I'm still lovit it now....
Games like this, The Eidolon, Mercenary, were great examples of 8-bit sims on the C64 and Atari. That alien almost gave me a coronary when I first saw it and on the later levels you never know when they're gonna appear...
Fractalus, Behind Jaggi Lines, or whatever name you know this game as, was a significant technical achievement for its time. A lot of these types of games were really 2D with a viewer perspective of a 3D environment. With this game, I could never make up my mind, or work out how it was done. Sheer brilliance. Although relatively shallow by today's terms, it was certainly a paradigm in its time (from a technical perspective for sure). Beautiful. Thanks Lucasfilm.
It does run about 50% faster on the Atari 800 - around 6-8 fps vs 4-5 fps on the C64. Mostly due to the Atari's faster 6502 (1.79 MHz vs 1.0 MHz for the C64).
Memories!! LOL I remember how much my first alien scared me to death!!! This game was just awesome for its time, and probably the best 8 bit simulator ever.
I had this game on an Atari computer when I was a kid. I had no instructions for it. It took me months to figure out all the controls and that I was supposed to rescue the pilots (gimme a break I was a kid) Man incinerating my first alien with the shields was fun (and it was totally a gut reaction after it scared the shit out of me! Lucky it worked!).
Anybody know if the alien could actually break through the glass? The aliens scared me shitless enough I never gave them a chance. 0:-)
Yes, they could. If you did not start the engines again, they´d break the glass and you got killed by the acid atmosphere. Besides that, you could allow -by mistake- an alien to get in the Valkirie and kill all the crew, including yourself of course.
Actually, if they got into the ship and you hit the boosters right away, if the mothership was overhead, you got an Alien Captured bonus! You had to do that in SECONDS, or it'd have enough time to destroy the ship.
The thing about the atari XL and XE is that the graphics were aweful and amazing at the same time... they definitely had much less detail than the NES and Master System... but they were able to fake 3D environments pretty darn well!
A good friend of mine had this game, and we must have played this for months and never had a Jaggie pound on the window. When that fateful day arrived, we needed new underwear...came out of nowhere.
This was one of my favorites back in the day. I must've been 6 or 7 when i played this for the first time, and I'm sure my older brother got a kick out of my first experience with the green alien... AHHHhhhh!!!
THIS was classic LucasArts (I know, they were called LucasFilm Games back then, but same company regardless).
Focusing on quality rather than quantity. And what quality they produced. For years they focused purely on original IP's like Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island. And when they did start making games based around Indiana Jones and Star Wars, the quality STILL carried over for many years.
8=-Bit gaming is like reading a book - it leaves a lot more to kids imagination than modern gaming which just has it all there for them in glorious technicolor. I am also one of the 'crap my pants' brigade at the green alien dude!
You are a bit of a louzy shot on those mountain guns.... I liked it best when you could fry the downed pilot, by turning your sheilds back on. The first time I saw that alien, on the windscreen, I nearly cacked my load, then I knew to look for the green helmet, and fry him before he had the privilage to scare me again.
I fondly remember this game, the first time I played not knowing what to expect and that alien making me nearly jump out of my seat. Lucasfilm had a great track record back then for both Atari and Commodore. Who woulda ever guessed they'd create Guybrush Threepwood and keep us into their games well past the 800xl and c64 going out, but they did. More Threepwood please. And these old games, totally need some console ports :)
You know, one of the things I like about LucasArts games is how they throw in little references to other LucasArts games. Does anyone else here remember using the telescope in Maniac Mansion, specifically what would happen if you turned it to look at the moon instead of the other part of the mansion? :-D
Not much between this and the C64 version but it all moves a bit nicer on the Atari.Sound is a little beefier on the C64 but it's still perfectly excellent here
THANK YOU! I have been wondering the name of this game for years now! It was my favorite when I was a kid, and I still think about the aliens jumping out occasionally.
I'd completely forgotten about this game. Wow! This brings back so many memories. I remember being terrified that I'd pick up an alien! The graphics look so bad now, but in those days they seemed so brilliant! Love those sound effects, though.
This game terrified my sister. You can tell the aliens (when you can see them coming) because they have blue heads. However in later levels, they put on human helmets. And in very later levels, it's dark most of the time so you can't see much of anything.
I encountered this game in my mid teens and must say that to this day it remains the damn scarest I ever played. The second most scary then was "Blood" on the PC, but it came nowhere as close. Today's commercial video games just don't seem to be the thing any more :-(
As someone who did play Rescue on Fractalus on a Color Computer II, I regret to inform you that you did indeed miss out. ;-)
The CoCo version of RoF didn't have the intro like this version has (unless you count the part where you go flying out the launch corridor into space, which the CoCo did have). And the windshield-thumping alien wasn't as detailed as this version; he didn't turn his head and his face was less detailed. Still spooked me the first time he jumped up, though.
I used to play this for hours on end, and couldn't leave an area until I was sure I'd rescued every pilot. I'd feel so guilty if I set off back to the mothership only for the control panel to bleep telling me there was another guy stranded out there!
Regarding the aliens, it got to the stage where I couldn't stand the tension and so I would let everyone into the ship!
Today's games last 6-12 hours before you've finished, Fractalus lasted me months and months.
I believe this was a development title that ended up getting leaked, copied, and distributed by customers and pirates.
The game used some new experimental anti-aliasing code to make it look more realistic. Therefore, "jaggies" were the enemy. The aliens don't use the anti-aliasing code.
i just found my old 800 xl and come on who smiled when you saw this and remembered how you thought it was good graphics lol i have been told its worth a few quid is that true?
That dang alien... The first time he scared me was pretty bad, but then, after I knew that it could happen, EVERY rescue attempt was suspenseful. Then I realized that the alien had a different tinge of colour to his helmet. Then I used that to my benefit and would call my little brother in to watch. =)
That was an (illegally spread) beta - Atari held the game back for several years, wanting to have it exclusively on the 5200 (which flopped). Differences: "Behind Jaggi Lines!" doesn't feature an intro,you can select levels up to 99 from the title screen (up to 16 in this version), the font was different and you hat to toggle "e"ngine instead of "s"ystems.
This game is great i used to purposely open the airlock door to let in the suspicious looking humans and they turn out to be alien which bashes and bangs at the back of the spaceship. I then struggle and pull up and pressed B for mothership when this happens the alien dies.
The alien used to scare the sh~t out of me!
simplyeightiesdotcom 2 days ago
looks advanced
nooblet911 2 months ago
Man - great to see this vid... I played this ENDLESSLY on my Atari ST.
mmorrell2007 2 months ago
That's true, as long as you've rescued at least half of your quota of pilots, the mothership will return to orbit. But if it's not there, then you're Jaggi fodder.
DavidBFox 3 months ago
That alien banging on the windscreen brings back brilliant memories! Used to love playing this on my Atari 800, waiting for ages each time for the cassette tape to load.
combatwombat71 4 months ago
I loved this game! So much fun. The alien always scared the crap out of me. I just remember all the detail they put into these games. like if you took too long to open the door the pilots knocking got slower and more deliberate and the fact that if you turned on the shields they got fried.
Shiznaft1 5 months ago
The guy should have destroyed the last ship where the alien came out or he'd have to face them again.
nathantw 5 months ago
Looks very basic today but fractal graphics were a real breakthrough at the time and most Holywood digital animations, by Pixar for example, are based on them.
Twirlyhead 5 months ago
Жуткая игрушка. Первый и единственный раз с ней я видел, как человек в панике падает со стула, отскакивая от экрана. ))) (да, да, когда чужой голотит кулачищами в стекло)
SirMaxFrei 5 months ago
Playing this back in the day on a small portable B/W telly in the bedroom made it...intresting. Especially when you couldn't tell which were the aliens and which were the humans running towards you. o_o
RevImhotep 6 months ago
The fact that they pulled off a voxel playfield at any frame rate back then in itself is amazing. Then actually put a good playable game on top of it? Bravo!
3gdosrsfs 6 months ago
@3gdosrsfs Is it actually voxels though? I've heard others say that it's not. It's definitely a heightmap field though, using a vertical scanline renderer -- that was used in a lot of games, Comanche, Outcast, the Lords of Midnight 3D remake in the late 90's.
MediaFilter 2 months ago
I have this game on my old Amstrad CPC computer! The alien scared me totally senseless when I saw it for the first time!
Diamondblade2008 8 months ago
I mean, this was the first game using "random fractal graphics" in game! Also great work !!! I had a lot fun and today playing this, you must set the pop-up blocker to off!
;-)
Dont worry, this alien has not an "x" at its right upper sight.
Musikkapierer 8 months ago
@thelleht That scared the crap out of me too.
GameHopping 8 months ago
So you basically fly around and rescue guys wearing Devo plastic hats?
SouthOCmixdown 9 months ago
@SouthOCmixdown Yes, you also dodge cannons on the mountains. Oh, and have a heart attack when the monster jumps out at you. This game scared the hell out of us kids back in the day.
gamesDAMNED 8 months ago
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thefootmans 9 months ago
@thelleht yeah to that time a alien on the window was a real crazy shit! i was shocked too at first i see that!
Regenwurmbaendiger 9 months ago
This is the first game that uses Fractals, isn't it? It can be naive, but it supposed the future, years ago.
Nubro 9 months ago
Great game and ahead of it's time with it's fractal rendered backgrounds!
Quaid2k 10 months ago
Dude just wants to get in. You humans are all racist!
joebbi 11 months ago 2
@joebbi Yeah, he wants to get it in and kill me. Simple choice..... :D
AtariAndre42 4 months ago
Wouldn't it be great if George Lucas went back and replaced the models with CGI? And made the alien more kid-friendly (perhaps he could be Jar Jar Binks banging on the window to give you some flowers).
AshleyMarkPomeroy 1 year ago
First game I ever had. Alien made me jump out of my skin!
Krys1304 1 year ago
@thelleht I know, it's so true, i jumped too. Boy this brings back memories.
deMoutonnoir 1 year ago
I played this on C64. One of the first truly immersive sci-fi games,the likes of which consoles never saw
SardaukarPrime 1 year ago
@SardaukarPrime ???? Atari 5200 has this game, and its a console.
phonedork 11 months ago
OMG! I've seen this landscape in intro for MasterBlazer for Amiga! So that's where it came from...
ZXRulezzz 1 year ago
Me also, What a great game, used to like frying the green alien
Also how many people had problems loading the game 3hours later!!!
davuk1972 1 year ago
Me also, What a great game, used to like frying the green alien
davuk1972 1 year ago
Me also, What a great game
davuk1972 1 year ago
I also am a fully paid up member of the brown pants brigade - thanks to that alien!, I did however have an excuse; the first time I played fractalus was on an old black&white portable TV - so there was no way to tell the difference between genuine pilots and aliens as they ran towards you.
am1933 1 year ago
XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD!
OMG that alien... I just realized... It also appears in Maniac Mansion, when we watch the moon through the very big telescope!
:):):):)
Anyway is there a Maniac Mansion and Zack McKracken port to the Atari 8-bit. On C64 they're awesome!
1xWertzui 1 year ago
Wow... Shades of "Star Wars", but definitely one of the best Atari games I've yet seen.
Shufei 1 year ago
I'm currently developing my own physics/render engine as one and still have lots of respect for the developers back in the day :)
stonerscolony 1 year ago
Why are we not having 100's of TV, You Tube, Web celebrations for 25th anniversaries 8 bit games like this on the Atari and Commodore 64?!
HardWarUK 1 year ago
I still remember as I played this game the first time. The music game me goose bumbs. And I was so scared as I saw the Alien the first time. Thank you for uploading.
Hadbanger 1 year ago
they should join this with elite.
strwag 1 year ago
Holy shit. This was released in '85? Amazing graphics.
DisembowelMe 1 year ago
For those who don't know, you can play this on a modern PC with an emulator. I used Atari800Win Plus a few years ago, but it hasn't been updated for a while. Maybe it still works on Vista/Windows7... Or maybe you can find other (newer) emulators.
segalvez 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Great game, used to play this one a lot on the 800XL. Load time from cassette was really long.
Probably still have it too, but I wonder if the magnetic tape has survived after all these years.
HHRich 1 year ago
Great game, used to play this one a lot on the 800XL. Load time from cassette was really long.
Probably still have it too, but I wonder if the magnetic tape has survived after all these years.
HHRich 1 year ago
Sweet. I remember playing this game a lot back in the day. Atari 8-bit FTW!
Gamezalot 1 year ago
For the day an Amazing technical achievement.
Those aliens used to scare the crap out of me when I was a kid.
Boardy1846 1 year ago
Holy crap, LA knew how to use the XL/XE!
poopskinTheLiar 1 year ago
Rescue on Fractalus / Eidolon / Koronis Rift. Still the most 'ahead of their time' games of all time. I never worked out how they did the graphics. We know it's fractals but how did they render them? It doesn't look like polygons. I've never seen the technique used before or since. Real time 3D from a 1Mhz 8bit!
vapourmile 1 year ago
the crysis of 1985
brickman409 1 year ago
It still amazes me how much better the Atari version looks over the C64 version... better frame rate, better colour and that pokey sound track!
shalroth 1 year ago 2
@shalroth That's probably because the Atari had a cpu that was twice as fast as the one in the C64 - and Rescue On Fractalus relies on cpu performance for its graphics.
nukinetix 1 year ago
@nukinetix I was lucky that my father had both computers, making a comparison, the graphics, and the framerate always were better in the Atari (also it had more colors), but I used more the c64 because it was the first computer I ever used (the c64 came when I was 4, the Atari when I was 7), had better sound, and in my country it was easier to obtain c64 games than atari´s games
tulkasainur 11 months ago
@nukinetix
Yep. The 64 was fantastic for 2D arcade games, but it did suffer when you needed math-intensive raw CPU work, as in most 3D games.
KaitainCPS 9 months ago
Thanks for posting this, total 13 year old memories!!!
tsheets 1 year ago
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sentry75 1 year ago
Wow is this cool. History was not very kind to C64 users when it comes to Lucasfilm games...both Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus dodn't get a faithful port on the good old trusty Commodore (they are, in fact, the top reason for me to go out and buy an Atari 8bit ;) ).
hoques1432 1 year ago
oh my g- a 3d atari 800 game??
littleboyred1 1 year ago
This looks so damn cool, I wish I had gotten an Atari XE instead of an NES hand-me-down.
Deokishisu 1 year ago
Holy Crap early survival horror.
CIApunisher916 1 year ago
this game is very realistic for the time
ichbinpwnzilla 1 year ago
I cannot count the number of hours I played this game... And I remember vividly my former partner falling out of her chair the first time that alien punched a hole in the screen...
Lucas Arts needs to update those old classics.
Thanks for sharing
SpotterOz 1 year ago 2
the topographical mapping in this game was ahead of its time I swear
ancalites 1 year ago
as the levels progressed, the aliens wouldnt always have a green helmet/head... you would need to let the pilot knock a bit, almost till he dies from lack of oxygen before the alien would jump up.
Thrymm 1 year ago
Right - in higher levels, the aliens would have white helmets - they learned that the green head was a give-away). But if you heard knocking, you could always open the airlock immediately. Aliens always jumped up, never knocked, as long as the airlock door was closed. If it was open, they'd just come on inside and wreak havoc inside your ship.
DavidBFox 1 year ago 8
@DavidBFox
Hi David,
glad to see you here again ! :)
I think many people hope for a remake of Rescue On Fractalus with actual technology...
It would be great !
What do you think about that ? Thanks :)
StaxX28 1 year ago
Thanks StarX28, I think a remake would be great too!
DavidBFox 1 year ago 2
@DavidBFox
maybe it will be in your projects ?
Rescue On Fractalus 25th anniversary ! ;)
ps: sorry for my bad English
StaxX28 1 year ago
Comment removed
Abazek 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Best game ever for the Atari 8 Bit...!
This brings back fond memories, especially the last 5 minutes (I'm the guy who's EMail you read in your Lecture -- part 3 of 12 here on YouTube. If you still have the same EMail Address you did back in 2003, I'll contact you again).
Abazek 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Best game ever for the Atari 8 Bit...!
This brings back fond memories, especially the last 20 seconds (I'm the guy who's EMail you read in your Lecture -- part 3 of 12 here on YouTube. If you still have the same EMail Address you did back in 2003, I'll contact you again).
Abazek 1 year ago
@DavidBFox
Best game ever for Atari 8Bit...!
Video brings back many fond memories, especially the last 30 seconds!! (I'm the guy who's Email you read in part 3 of 12 of your Lecture here on YouTube. If your EMail is the same as it was in 2003, I'll EMail you and get in touch with you again).
(apologize if this post shows up more than once, YouTube's posting doesn't seem to be working right today).
Abazek 1 year ago
@Abazek Hi! Yep, you can reach me at the same address, or via my website, ElectricEggplant
DavidBFox 1 year ago
@DavidBFox Brilliant game, still love to play it now and then. Like everyone else I will never forget my first alien encounter....scared to death !
I always loved the "launch" sound of the engines which sounds VERY much like a sound used in Star Wars.
Sometimes I opened the airlock to let in an alien when a mothership had arrived, by blasting off to the mother ship you could hear the alien fight going on but would usually make it to the mothership OK.
AtariAndre42 1 year ago
@AtariAndre42 Thanks! Yes, we were going for a combination of jet turbine engines (w/a high frequency whine), inspired by Star Wars sounds. We all had stereo systems always hooked up to our Ataris to remind us how important sound was (try playing the game with the sound turned off - really weak!).
And the alien "fight" sounds must have been very real to some people as well. Someone once congratulated me on the effect of the alien's arm reaching out in front of you! All in his imagination.
DavidBFox 1 year ago
@DavidBFox Interestingly at this point you could retreat to mothership and kill the enemy in the dock - if MS clearance was previously granted.
krbosak 3 months ago
The alien scared me too the first time I saw one, I noticed in the video he's green running to your ship, but I don't remember it being that way. Anyways, what do you suppose L-D-C-P next column C-F-K-L means? That's from the aliens shirt turned sideways.
ofdiscordia 2 years ago
You've discovered one of the game's Easter Eggs - those are the initials of the creators of the game (Loren Carpenter, David Fox, Charlie Kellner, Peter Langston).
DavidBFox 1 year ago
Wow, this is quite a spectacular game for its time. Kind of makes me wish I had more access to games of its time.
KewlioMZX 2 years ago
It really was! A friend of mine got an original Apple ][ in 1979 or so and it was pretty amazing until this game came out. Once I loaded it into the Atari 800XL, he was pretty speechless :D It's in a box somewhere, wonder if it still works...
kirk1968 1 year ago
I used to bloody love this game!
KGMDMusic 2 years ago
I've used to play this on old monochrome tv, so I didn't recognize if the pilot was alien or not, and also didn't know that green bastard will pop up before my cockpit view, uff I've nearly had shit my pants and had heartattak, but anyway that was absolute great game that days and I'm still lovit it now....
ewrewrasdas 2 years ago
I think a lot of people playing this game on monochrome screens could tell the same story ;-)
trophy242 2 years ago
totally agree - this game was so much fun though - man..those damn aliens would scare the shit out of me when I was 10
drevsdre9 2 years ago
God i remember that, playing this game on an old Black and White TV was a pain in the ass.
Gumball was also impossible to play in B&W.
Giradius 2 years ago
Ooo, The Great XE/XL machines. Cool ...
Entuzioparade 2 years ago
Games like this, The Eidolon, Mercenary, were great examples of 8-bit sims on the C64 and Atari. That alien almost gave me a coronary when I first saw it and on the later levels you never know when they're gonna appear...
odraconiandevil79 2 years ago 2
Fractalus, Behind Jaggi Lines, or whatever name you know this game as, was a significant technical achievement for its time. A lot of these types of games were really 2D with a viewer perspective of a 3D environment. With this game, I could never make up my mind, or work out how it was done. Sheer brilliance. Although relatively shallow by today's terms, it was certainly a paradigm in its time (from a technical perspective for sure). Beautiful. Thanks Lucasfilm.
fronkenpoop 2 years ago 3
woah, and it runs surprisingly much smoother on Atari. I played the C64 Version as a kid.
SarahKreuz31 2 years ago
@SarahKreuz31 I just watched this video while watching the game running on my C64 - identical...!
HardWarUK 2 years ago
It does run about 50% faster on the Atari 800 - around 6-8 fps vs 4-5 fps on the C64. Mostly due to the Atari's faster 6502 (1.79 MHz vs 1.0 MHz for the C64).
DavidBFox 1 year ago 5
Memories!! LOL I remember how much my first alien scared me to death!!! This game was just awesome for its time, and probably the best 8 bit simulator ever.
helipilot27 2 years ago 4
Ooops I forgot about F-15 strike Eagle...that was the best
helipilot27 2 years ago
I had this game on an Atari computer when I was a kid. I had no instructions for it. It took me months to figure out all the controls and that I was supposed to rescue the pilots (gimme a break I was a kid) Man incinerating my first alien with the shields was fun (and it was totally a gut reaction after it scared the shit out of me! Lucky it worked!).
Anybody know if the alien could actually break through the glass? The aliens scared me shitless enough I never gave them a chance. 0:-)
RWT683 2 years ago
Yes, they can, If you sit there and do nothing after they jump up, the eventualy shatter the screen and kill you.
Crosis2814 2 years ago
Yes, they could. If you did not start the engines again, they´d break the glass and you got killed by the acid atmosphere. Besides that, you could allow -by mistake- an alien to get in the Valkirie and kill all the crew, including yourself of course.
vaganet 2 years ago
Actually, if they got into the ship and you hit the boosters right away, if the mothership was overhead, you got an Alien Captured bonus! You had to do that in SECONDS, or it'd have enough time to destroy the ship.
loboguara1 2 years ago
The thing about the atari XL and XE is that the graphics were aweful and amazing at the same time... they definitely had much less detail than the NES and Master System... but they were able to fake 3D environments pretty darn well!
steelbath66 2 years ago
A good friend of mine had this game, and we must have played this for months and never had a Jaggie pound on the window. When that fateful day arrived, we needed new underwear...came out of nowhere.
JaysonAych 2 years ago 2
This was one of my favorites back in the day. I must've been 6 or 7 when i played this for the first time, and I'm sure my older brother got a kick out of my first experience with the green alien... AHHHhhhh!!!
DEFkon001 2 years ago
looks awesome
MinisterZdrowia 2 years ago
THIS was classic LucasArts (I know, they were called LucasFilm Games back then, but same company regardless).
Focusing on quality rather than quantity. And what quality they produced. For years they focused purely on original IP's like Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island. And when they did start making games based around Indiana Jones and Star Wars, the quality STILL carried over for many years.
Then came the Post Star Wars Episode I era...
GullGet9 2 years ago 3
We will never get that time back again but at least we can remember how good it used to be as opposed to how shit it is now.
blade004 2 years ago
8=-Bit gaming is like reading a book - it leaves a lot more to kids imagination than modern gaming which just has it all there for them in glorious technicolor. I am also one of the 'crap my pants' brigade at the green alien dude!
oxfordbiker 2 years ago 31
I loved this game
mrmaciejm 2 years ago 2
You are a bit of a louzy shot on those mountain guns.... I liked it best when you could fry the downed pilot, by turning your sheilds back on. The first time I saw that alien, on the windscreen, I nearly cacked my load, then I knew to look for the green helmet, and fry him before he had the privilage to scare me again.
greenbriggs9 2 years ago
so true, same here!
Dargakis 2 years ago
play that theme tune again, all the way through. man! I fucking loved it.
greenbriggs9 2 years ago 2
this game was truly amazing i can say it has taken many many hours off me in th distant past, where did the summer go?
mrmososdad 2 years ago 3
I fondly remember this game, the first time I played not knowing what to expect and that alien making me nearly jump out of my seat. Lucasfilm had a great track record back then for both Atari and Commodore. Who woulda ever guessed they'd create Guybrush Threepwood and keep us into their games well past the 800xl and c64 going out, but they did. More Threepwood please. And these old games, totally need some console ports :)
ofdiscordia 2 years ago 2
rare
schieese 2 years ago
You know, one of the things I like about LucasArts games is how they throw in little references to other LucasArts games. Does anyone else here remember using the telescope in Maniac Mansion, specifically what would happen if you turned it to look at the moon instead of the other part of the mansion? :-D
BloodyBay 2 years ago 2
Oh wow habe ich nächtelang gespielt.
Schade eigendlich das es das nicht mehr giebt
ThommyGerhard 2 years ago
Not much between this and the C64 version but it all moves a bit nicer on the Atari.Sound is a little beefier on the C64 but it's still perfectly excellent here
Always wanted an Atari computer
Adropacrich2 2 years ago
Kids these days are missing out on a lot. Video games used to be so human and charming with its 8-bit wonder. And that scary green mofo? Priceless.
tjhuang 2 years ago 4
THANK YOU! I have been wondering the name of this game for years now! It was my favorite when I was a kid, and I still think about the aliens jumping out occasionally.
Favorited.
haqzombie 2 years ago
The first time an alien hit my screen i crapped in my pants. Awesome.
alienorbiter 2 years ago 2
I wonder how they could desing the 3D world in 2D engine :)
Marek126 2 years ago
For some reason I think that took a LOT of work.... :)
1981Myname 2 years ago
its too bad it wasn't finished for the atari 7800!!!1
smashupdriver 2 years ago
Wow!! This game looks AMAZING!!
I can't believe a game like that works as well as it does on the Atari 800!
Doom2Guy 2 years ago
I agree. My first 'puter was an Atari 130 XE and I made love to it several times.
bigpoopie69 2 years ago
Dear God! I think I've found a peice of my childhood! :o
RevImhotep 2 years ago
Thanks for a genius post. My fave 80s atari game - wish I could play it now.
Those aliens were scary in the dark but I'd let the odd one in on purpose to see if I could get back to base before it destroyed my ship!!!!
christschinwon 2 years ago
my favorite ATARI game too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BALTAZARFAP 2 years ago
Eu queria baixar esses jogos.
Na onde que baixa esses jogos de Atari.
Eu já tenho o emulador..
eduardoorkut37 2 years ago
I'd completely forgotten about this game. Wow! This brings back so many memories. I remember being terrified that I'd pick up an alien! The graphics look so bad now, but in those days they seemed so brilliant! Love those sound effects, though.
simplyeighties 2 years ago
i used to love this game lol
Contentibus 2 years ago
Very cool animation.
nickmctrick 3 years ago
This game terrified my sister. You can tell the aliens (when you can see them coming) because they have blue heads. However in later levels, they put on human helmets. And in very later levels, it's dark most of the time so you can't see much of anything.
MazeleyFanClub 3 years ago
I encountered this game in my mid teens and must say that to this day it remains the damn scarest I ever played. The second most scary then was "Blood" on the PC, but it came nowhere as close. Today's commercial video games just don't seem to be the thing any more :-(
ChOwToo 3 years ago 2
because u've gotten old! man... XD
edi1088 3 years ago
Oh yeah ?! I haven't seen a joystick advert for AGES. How's that ?
ChOwToo 3 years ago
any1 figure out? how 2 spot the alien.
TJae1 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Jaggi suxs; no wonder it was pronounced, jagga.
TJae1 3 years ago
Makes me think of Starfox...
lemurboy12 3 years ago
was deemed, behind jagga lines; loooonnnnngggg time, no C. :)
TJae1 3 years ago
Behind Jaggi Lines actually :)
Heilemann 3 years ago
Not jagga w/ an I?
TJae1 3 years ago
HeileMann, Know of any good, 800xl rom sites or any1 else.
TJae1 3 years ago
If im right in saying this had one of teh longest loading times of any 800xl game.
cheekyleopard 3 years ago
longest loading games was International Karate . about 30 minutes. incredible :-)
KlastaVorec 3 years ago
another great game - not that hard by todays standards I guess but the music was fantastic!
christschinwon 2 years ago
How cool.
I just picked up a 65XE for my collection, and have been looking on youtube to see what good games there are for it.
I'm *so* gonna have to get my hands on this one.
SteveBenway 3 years ago
A brilliant piece of software !
Excellent !
alex76gr 3 years ago
awesome. my Radio Shack color computer never got this game...I missed out.
moezilla68 3 years ago
As someone who did play Rescue on Fractalus on a Color Computer II, I regret to inform you that you did indeed miss out. ;-)
The CoCo version of RoF didn't have the intro like this version has (unless you count the part where you go flying out the launch corridor into space, which the CoCo did have). And the windshield-thumping alien wasn't as detailed as this version; he didn't turn his head and his face was less detailed. Still spooked me the first time he jumped up, though.
BloodyBay 2 years ago
That looks good for 8bit! Never had ATARI computers as I happily grew up a Commodore boy but looking into collecting them now!
MaximumRD 3 years ago
I used to play this for hours on end, and couldn't leave an area until I was sure I'd rescued every pilot. I'd feel so guilty if I set off back to the mothership only for the control panel to bleep telling me there was another guy stranded out there!
Regarding the aliens, it got to the stage where I couldn't stand the tension and so I would let everyone into the ship!
Today's games last 6-12 hours before you've finished, Fractalus lasted me months and months.
effeffeff 3 years ago 2
haha i was just the same
unothelaw 3 years ago 2
yes. and in advanced levels.. you experience night time, and you can distinguish aliens from normal pilots.. NO MORE GREEN ADVICE HELMET
Federicoxxx 3 years ago 5
Such a cool game, remember the first time one of those aliens jumped up, scrared the **** out of me at the time!
supers54 3 years ago
Damn, i'm kind of bummed that I never got to play this. It looks great.
LuminarNightblade 3 years ago 3
wasent this called behind jangi lines as well
mmattys30 3 years ago
"Behind Jaggi Lines"
I believe this was a development title that ended up getting leaked, copied, and distributed by customers and pirates.
The game used some new experimental anti-aliasing code to make it look more realistic. Therefore, "jaggies" were the enemy. The aliens don't use the anti-aliasing code.
ForcedToSignUp 3 years ago
We just put a reference to ROF in our Clone Wars episode of PipersPicksTV!!! We're hoping someone that sees the episode actually gets what it is!
TeamPiper & Piper Reese
PipersPicksTV 3 years ago
i just found my old 800 xl and come on who smiled when you saw this and remembered how you thought it was good graphics lol i have been told its worth a few quid is that true?
lorryt0 3 years ago
omg, I had that game :) This brings back memories...
I can't believe there's a video of it on youtube.
peterfaj 3 years ago
I almost had a siezer at 0:55
DrClay999 3 years ago
Sweet game, had a beta version but still worked well. Good draw in graphic for the day.
zenswing 3 years ago
This game scared the crap out of me as a kid.
PrivatePenguin1 3 years ago
I can't believe that, as a teenager, I was scared stiff of the alien, whilst my peers looked on at me in disdain.
Foebane72 3 years ago
Oh gosh, those were they heydays of Atari's allright.
Wished they still had that game. . . .Sigh
freakylaurent 3 years ago
I used to have that game. Often I would land in an area when you can't get a good look at the pilot. Then you just had to wait and pray...
Ovabeck 3 years ago
That dang alien... The first time he scared me was pretty bad, but then, after I knew that it could happen, EVERY rescue attempt was suspenseful. Then I realized that the alien had a different tinge of colour to his helmet. Then I used that to my benefit and would call my little brother in to watch. =)
emilygrae 3 years ago 2
I did the same thing with my sister :D
The Alien was a great idea it scared us all ;D
Al99NextGeneration 3 years ago 2
Impressive graphics for it's time :D
jonnykarlsson82 3 years ago
I had this game - what a blast from the past :o)
Contentibus 3 years ago
Alas, the war was lost once the aliens began wearing white helmets and learned how to knock :(
FrakAttack 3 years ago 7
I still have the pamphlet the game came with somewhere (had awesome ship models in it).
That game got hard in a hurry.
Lightcycle 3 years ago
The alien scared the crap out of me the first time!
lesandallyssa 4 years ago 6
great, i had this on 7800 ... i looks a pre-voxel engine (like Commandos)
nice video, thanks!
8esferas 4 years ago
that was impressive.
GamingPalooza 4 years ago
Wow. 3D in 1985... When was Elite again ?
Dennemark 4 years ago
1984
Jawattdenn 3 years ago 2
Get it? FRACTAL-us?
But really though. Wow!
Having never seen the game in action until now, those stills in the Atari magazine adverts of old never really did the game any justice.
A true technological feat for a mid 80's 8-bit computer, if you ask me.
machinesbreathe 4 years ago 2
Wow,looks pretty cool
Krowsnest 4 years ago
This was one of my Atari 800 favs. My version was called "Beyond Jaggi Lines" for some reason.
stephenleal01 4 years ago
That was an (illegally spread) beta - Atari held the game back for several years, wanting to have it exclusively on the 5200 (which flopped). Differences: "Behind Jaggi Lines!" doesn't feature an intro,you can select levels up to 99 from the title screen (up to 16 in this version), the font was different and you hat to toggle "e"ngine instead of "s"ystems.
thorstenguenther 4 years ago
This game is great i used to purposely open the airlock door to let in the suspicious looking humans and they turn out to be alien which bashes and bangs at the back of the spaceship. I then struggle and pull up and pressed B for mothership when this happens the alien dies.
timewaster72 4 years ago