CRPG BOOK RELEASED!

[J_C]

I don't mind the cover, it's probably safer not to infringe on copyright.

Although, if I could choose, it would probably be the one from Baldur's Gate with 90s desktop computer and swords and shields all around it. Funny, I can't Google it.

This one?

 

[J_C]

felipepepe Are you planning a new, updated version by any chance? And if yes, will there be a similar quality book version from it?

 

[felipepepe]

felipepepe Are you planning a new, updated version by any chance? And if yes, will there be a similar quality book version from it?

I want to do an updated version with some missing old games (SpellForce, Black Crypt, Adventure Construction Set, Elvira, etc), new releases from 2016-2019 and that distant dream of a hardware section about C64, Amiga, etc... but that's something for 2021.

Would be cool to do another physical book then, but I don't know if the audience will be there for another release, and if we can bend the laws of physics to add like 50-70 more pages

 

[Jimmious]

Since it will be like a "Complete Edition", you can give it for free to everyone that has the normal edition

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

felipepepe Are you planning a new, updated version by any chance? And if yes, will there be a similar quality book version from it?

I want to do an updated version with some missing old games (SpellForce, Black Crypt, Adventure Construction Set, Elvira, etc), new releases from 2016-2019 and that distant dream of a hardware section about C64, Amiga, etc... but that's something for 2021.

Would be cool to do another physical book then, but I don't know if the audience will be there for another release, and if we can bend the laws of physics to add like 50-70 more pages

Just divide the book into volumes, what's the problem?

 

[ScrotumBroth]

I don't mind the cover, it's probably safer not to infringe on copyright.

Although, if I could choose, it would probably be the one from Baldur's Gate with 90s desktop computer and swords and shields all around it. Funny, I can't Google it.

This one?

Yep, that's the one. Only I think my memory merged it together with this one.

But then again, these days every amateur artiste draws "retro" pics (and gets half of it wrong anyway), thus making it uncool. Bastards.

 

[Ranselknulf]

felipepepe Are you planning a new, updated version by any chance? And if yes, will there be a similar quality book version from it?

I want to do an updated version with some missing old games (SpellForce, Black Crypt, Adventure Construction Set, Elvira, etc), new releases from 2016-2019 and that distant dream of a hardware section about C64, Amiga, etc... but that's something for 2021.

Would be cool to do another physical book then, but I don't know if the audience will be there for another release, and if we can bend the laws of physics to add like 50-70 more pages

I think waiting at least 2 years before another physical release would be wise.

It will give you time to collect new content and then re-release the upgraded version. Continue to sell the old version for sure.

As for interest in this project, I would buy an upgraded version. I think you should add at least another 100 pages though.

A lot of printing companies hate to make books larger than a few hundred pages, so you may need to raise the price a little bit and release the updated version as a set of volumes.

 

[J_C]

Pictures taken with shitty phone camera. But look what I got today:

It was wrapped around pretty nicely, so it arrived in perfect condition. It looks soooo good. And it smells good! :D Loving it.

 

[80Maxwell08]

I was checking the contributors section and I noticed the shout out to SuicideBunny in there. Miss that dude. RIP.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Got mine today. I hate to say this, but I hope that proofreading job wasn't expensive... There also seem to be a number of contributions by unlisted authors. In the 1975-79 section alone there are reviews from JY and SS, neither of which appears in the index. Who are these mysterious benefactors?

Other than that bit of minor bitching, it's a terrific job. Massive kudos for donating the proceeds to charity.

 

[Zed]

Got mine today. I hate to say this, but I hope that proofreading job wasn't expensive... There also seem to be a number of contributions by unlisted authors. In the 1975-79 section alone there are reviews from JY and SS, neither of which appears in the index. Who are these mysterious benefactors?

Other than that bit of minor bitching, it's a terrific job. Massive kudos for donating the proceeds to charity.

I'm unlisted too (wrote the anvil of dawn piece) although I don't care too much

 

[felipepepe]

Got mine today. I hate to say this, but I hope that proofreading job wasn't expensive... There also seem to be a number of contributions by unlisted authors. In the 1975-79 section alone there are reviews from JY and SS, neither of which appears in the index. Who are these mysterious benefactors?

Yeah, the proofreading was done by the publisher and was lacking... almost all reviews mention this. And I fucked up some contributors. Added Zed and fixed almost all in the last PDF, but still missed two: JY is Jeff Yeutter, SS is Stew Shearer. :/

BTW, nothing confirmed but I got an offer to officially release the book in China. Same deal as the Bitmap Books one: limited edition, all royalties go to charity, after contract ends/book sells out we make the translated book available for free as a PDF. Not sure I'll do it, but seems like a good deal.

 

[Ranselknulf]

Personally, I'd like to see an ebook version of the CRPG manual with optional DLC upgrades and an online store with bonus content available.

 

[felipepepe]

Personally, I'd like to see an ebook version of the CRPG manual with optional DLC upgrades and an online store with bonus content available.

I'm light-years ahead of EA: you have to pay me to make a DLC store.

 

[Rahdulan]

So, RPG Watch wrote a review.
https://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?articleid=478

Nostalgia can be a wonderful thing and I've been around long enough for it to really take hold. I remember when there were only mainframes and punch cards; I remember seeing Pong when it first took the world by storm; I remember buying an Intellivision and playing two simplistic DnD games for hours; I remember being excited when I bought a Commodore 64 and played 'Bard's Tale', 'Phantasie', 'Might and Magic' and 'Ultima'. I remember buying my first IBM clone PC and being extremely annoyed when it wouldn't play the first PC game I'd ever bought 'Quest For Glory' because it needed a '286' to run. (Who reads the fine print on the back of a box?) I remember having to upgrade to a '386' a '486' and a Pentium (complete with assorted memory managers) just so I could play the latest game in the Ultima series. Ah, the joys of nostalgia.

All of this came flooding back as I sat down recently to peruse the incredible 'CRPG Book' from Felipe Pepe and a host of other contributors. What a monumental effort this has been. What an unbelievable accomplishment.

The book itself is quite impressive; it's huge, heavy and produced on high quality paper in full colour. I believe it's what people call a 'coffee table' book. It will certainly have pride of place on mine.


After an interesting and informative introduction to the project which presents details of its conception, history and production, it dives quickly into the meat of its raison d'etre, the games; specifically the history and development of CRPG's. It presents the material in chapters which encompass five year periods of games development and growth beginning with 1975 and principally finishing with 2014, though there is a small section which highlights some of the later and more current developments. If the book ever receives a well-deserved re-print, then hopefully this section might be expanded.

Each chapter begins with a quick overview of the time period under review and offers some of the key hardware developments of the period, such as the introduction of the Commodore 64, or the first 286 PC. This is helpful for understanding not only the progressions in game development during this 5 year span, but also the restrictions under which the developers worked. In a true chicken and egg conundrum, we are left to ponder the question did a game such as Ultima 7 progress hardware development and expansion, or did what was occurring with hardware push the game developers to great heights and achievements. Perhaps it was a little of both.

It needs to be stressed here, that the reviews which form the heart of the book are not just the work of one or two people, but are comprised of a host of famous, well-known and not so well-known contributors who simply love CRPG's. Sure there might be a few inconsistencies, but on the whole they are excellent, well thought out and honest. If a game was terrible it will tell you why and if it deserves your attention that is conveyed as well.


Each review is accompanied with several screen-shots, notes about the games development history, occasional comments from the developer and where appropriate notes on updates, sequels and transitions to other platforms. The amount of detail is extraordinary and I learned many new things about games I have played and re-played several times and never knew. Everyone will learn something from the pages of this book even when you thought you already knew everything there was to know about a certain favourite game. It's always interesting too to read someone rave about a game you disliked, or criticise a game you love. Reminds me of the forums I've frequented and moderated over the years.

One thing which amazed me as I poured over and devoured each page was the incredible number of games produced over this period of time. Not only have I been playing CRPG's for over 30 years, but I have been actively involved in several gaming forums and been a beta games tester and game reviewer for much of that time. However, there were probably a couple of hundred games included which I had never heard of. Though from the comments about poor sales for many of them, I assume not many other people heard about them either.


The book concludes with a small section addressing Japanese RPG's (JRPG"S) which is something I know little about though I have played one or two. There's a section dealing with Fan Translations, and finally a small though fascinating conclusion concerning games we'll likely never play. Though, who knows, some people once said that 'Grimoire' would never see the light of day.

By now you might have gathered that I really, really liked and enjoyed this book. I did. Is it perfect? No, of course not. There are a few typographical errors which weren't picked up, but not many; the Index at the back of the Book is not always intuitive; some reviews could have used more detail and some, perhaps, less, but this was a monumental task done brilliantly. If you love, enjoy, or even have any interest at all in CRPG's then you MUST buy this book and put it in pride of place. It is the most complete and definitive work on this topic I have ever seen and should not be missed.

All photos by Bitmap Books / Chris Daw.


Editor’s note: as our system has been made for games, the automatically placed text below the rating mentions the word game a few times. Just mentally replace the word game by book and it reads as it should.

Summary
Pros

• Top Notch Production Values
• Beautifully Presented
• Incredible Attention to Detail
• Full Colour on Quality Paper
• Covers an Amazing Number of Games

Cons

• Very Heavy to Hold
• A Few Small Typos
• Index not Totally Intuitive

Rating: Excellent
An outstanding game that will be remembered as a classic. It is a game that is equal to the best gameplay available in the genre at the time of writing. This doesn't say that the game is flawless, but none of these flaws really impact the game all that much

Review version
Book version first print

 

[Bohr]

Very Heavy to Hold

 

[North Gibraltarian Dog]

Ey felipepe, I visited bitmapbooks web some weeks ago and the collector's edition option was out of stock, but seems to be in stock again. Was that collector's edition modified or fixed or it's the old one?

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Just bought the collectors edition!

 

[felipepepe]

Ey felipepe, I visited bitmapbooks web some weeks ago and the collector's edition option was out of stock, but seems to be in stock again. Was that collector's edition modified or fixed or it's the old one?

Sadly it's still the same, I can't change anything for now. This will be the last print with this version. If we ever do another, it will be years from now, with 2016-2019 games added.

 

[North Gibraltarian Dog]

Just bought the collectors edition!

#me too!

Sadly it's still the same, I can't change anything for now. This will be the last print with this version. If we ever do another, it will be years from now, with 2016-2019 games added.

Ah, no problem, I just wanted to know if I should wait for an upcoming upgraded edition.

But the best option is to share the same first edition that any other prestigious codexbro, obviously

 

[ScrotumBroth]

Was it really necessary to mention Beamdog though?

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

The CE just arrived - beautiful!
felipepepe I salute you and all contributors for this magnificent work! A real monument to CRPG and video game history, I can't even imagine how many hours went into this. A true project of passion and it shows, great job

 

[North Gibraltarian Dog]

Mine arrived some days ago also. It's brilliant, congratulations to felipepepe and all collaborators:

 

[ManaJunkie]

Mine arrived yesterday. Thank you very much!

 

[LESS T_T]