Anime Criticize my computer history timeline

[felipepepe]

I know that you probably get that a lot pepe, but why did you spend all that time elaborating on console games and non-RPGs in a book called "The cRPG Player's Handbook"?

History needs context. How many people today know WTF is an Amiga or an Atari II? Or when mouse, CD-ROM, DVDs, 3D graphics and all that became common?

I always thought that was one of the biggest flaws in Matt Barton's RPG book - because he jumps all around the timeline, you have no sense of time, influence or context. I.e., in his "Golden Age" chapter he starts with Pool of Radiance (1988) and the Gold Box series, goes to Ultima VI (1990) & VII (1992), jumps to 16-bit JRPGs like Chrono Trigger (1995) and Super Mario RPG (1996) and only afterwards talk about Dungeon Master (1988). And he doesn't even gives you the dates, like I'm doing here!

 

[Severian Silk]

In that regard the Mac also served as a kind of haven for outmoded design ideas, which let games like Escape Velocity and Realmz gain a lot of prominence even when the rest of the world was moving on.

Don't forget about Spiderweb Software, which has its roots on the Macintosh I think.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

I know that you probably get that a lot pepe, but why did you spend all that time elaborating on console games and non-RPGs in a book called "The cRPG Player's Handbook"?

History needs context. How many people today know WTF is an Amiga or an Atari II? Or when mouse, CD-ROM, DVDs, 3D graphics and all that became common?

I always thought that was one of the biggest flaws in Matt Barton's RPG book - because he jumps all around the timeline, you have no sense of time, influence or context. I.e., in his "Golden Age" chapter he starts with Pool of Radiance (1988) and the Gold Box series, goes to Ultima VI (1990) & VII (1992), jumps to 16-bit JRPGs like Chrono Trigger (1995) and Super Mario RPG (1996) and only afterwards talk about Dungeon Master (1988). And he doesn't even gives you the dates, like I'm doing here!

This raises a question in regards to the timeline and the book's focus on RPGs: Why give platforms a focus that weren't big on RPGs in the first place?

The Amstrad CPC is the prime example. Some months ago I spent a couple of evenings delving into the "catalog" of Amstrad games, looking to find how many RPGs were available on the computer.

My conclusion was that there are 13 RPGs on the Amstrad CPC, at the most. A couple of games teeter on the edge of the definition, so I thought it better to include them than exclude them. Of those 13 games, only one is an Amstrad-exclusive title, and that one was released after the commercial death of the CPC.

The Spectrum doesn't fare much better. The World of Spectrum page doesn't have a dedicated "RPG" entry, but it does have a "Adventure: RPG" entry which lists 85 titles, but I'm certain that number would drop sharply under proper scrutiny.

With that in mind I think the presence of some platforms can be reduced in the book. Mention them, yes, give a quick rundown of them, yes. But also point out that despite their relevance in gaming history, they weren't known for RPGs, and instead focus on the platforms that did.

 

[felipepepe]

This raises a question in regards to the timeline and the book's focus on RPGs: Why give platforms a focus that weren't big on RPGs in the first place?

Again, context. Same reason I'm talking about consoles or smartphones.

Talking about the history of computers without the Spectrum would be like talking about the history of games without Doom or The Sims... not being directly connected doesn't mean they weren't influential or important