Friday, November 19, 2021

Ports of Entry: Epyx

Unknown lead platform:

 

Temple of Apshai Trilogy

An assembly-language remake of Temple of Apshai and its expansions.

First released for Atari 8-bit and C64 on September 1985.

Released for Apple II on October 1985.

Released for PC on July 1986.

Ported to Amiga, Atari ST and Macintosh throughout 1986 by Westwood Associates.


James Hague's list says that the Apple II version was based on Atari code, which weakly suggests it as a lead platform. But it would be strange if this one game was Atari-based when Epyx was very much a Commodore house at this point.


World Games

First released for Commodore 64 on September 1986 by K-Byte

Released for Amiga and Atari ST on December 1986 by Westwood

Released for PC on December 1986 by Designer Software

Released for Apple IIgs on November 1987 by Epyx

Released for Apple II on December 1987 by Designer Software

Released for Amstrad CPC, MSX, and ZX Spectrum on 1987 by Choice Software

 

I am almost certain that World Games' lead platform was C64. Wikipedia says so, but there's a fly in the ointment on Mobygames, where K-Byte is credited with porting it to the C64. But porting from what? Nothing came out earlier, and the only contemporary platform that doesn't imply a port is Apple IIgs. Again, it would be weird if Epyx used the Apple IIgs as lead platform just this one time, and also weird if it was delayed over a year while several outsourced ports came out, but it wouldn't be impossible. More likely Mobygames is wrong here, but I can't be completely certain.


The Games: Summer Edition

First released for Commodore 64 on September 1988.

Released for PC on October 1988.

Released for Apple II on November 1988.

Ported to Amiga and Atari ST on 1988 by The Code Monkeys.

Ported to Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum on 1989 by Sentient Software.


I'm 90% sure C64 is the lead platform. Epyx historically ported games to the Apple II, not from it, and the PC versions' credits specifically credit the team with "IBM Version" work, while the C64 version's credits do not specify "C64 Version" work, which I interpret to mean C64 was the baseline platform.
 

 

4x4 Off-Road Racing

First released for Commodore 64 and PC on September 1988 by Epyx and Ogdon Micro Design.

Released for Amiga on November 1988.

Released for Amstrad CPC on 1988.

Ported to MSX on 1988 by Erbe Software.

Ported to ZX Spectrum on 1988 by U.S. Gold.

Released for Atari ST on 1989.

 

C64 seems the most likely candidate, but we can't rule out the possibility that by late 1988 Epyx had moved on to PC or Amiga as their lead platform.


Select chronology: 

 

Commodore PET era:


Jon Freeman stated in an interview that all of Automated Simulations' early games up to Crush, Crumble, and Chomp were initially programmed on the TRS-80 except for these two.

Title Date Contemporary ports
Starfleet Orion 1978-12 1979 ports to TRS-80 and Apple II
Invasion Orion 1979 1979 ports to TRS-80 and Apple II
 

TRS-80 era:


Title Date Contemporary ports
Dunjonquest: Temple of Apshai 1979 1979 port to Commodore PET
1980 port to Apple II and Atari 8-bit
Dunjonquest: The Datestones of Ryn 1979 1979 ports to Apple II and Commodore PET
Dunjonquest: Morloc's Tower 1979 1979 ports to Apple II and Commodore PET
1980 port to Atari 8-bit
StarQuest: Rescue at Rigel 1980 1980 ports to Apple II and Commodore PET
1981 port to Atari 8-bit
StarQuest: Star Warrior 1980 1981 ports to Apple II and Atari 8-bit
Dunjonquest: Upper Reaches of Apshai 1981 1981 port to Apple II
1982 ports to Atari 8-bit and PC
Crush, Crumble and Chomp! 1981 1981 ports to Apple II and Atari 8-bit
1982 port to VIC-20
Dunjonquest: Curse of Ra 1982 1982-1983 ports to various computers
 

Atari 8-bit era:


In an interview with Computer Entertainer, August 1983, designer states that Jumpman was converted from Atari to C64. James Hague's list of programmers credits J. Fenton with converting Pitstop from Atari to C64, while Jim McBride is credited with doing it the other way around.

Title Date Contemporary ports
Jumpman 1983-3 1983 ports to Apple II and C64
1984 port to PC
Jumpman Junior 1983-7 1983 port to C64
1984 port to ColecoVision
Gateway to Apshai 1983-7 1984 ports to ColecoVision and C64
Pitstop 1983-11 1983 ports to ColecoVision and C64
 

Commodore 64 era:

 
Title Lead Platform Date Contemporary ports
Summer Games Commodore 64 1984-5 1984 ports to Apple II and Atari 8-bit
Impossible Mission Commodore 64 1984-8 1984 port to Apple II
1985 ports to PC-88, Sharp X1, and ZX Spectrum
Pitstop II Commodore 64 1984-12 1984 port to PC by Synergistic Software
1985 ports to Apple II, Atari 8-bit and TRS-80 CoCo
Summer Games II Commodore 64 1985-5 1985 port to Apple II by K-Byte
1986 port to PC by Designer Software
Temple of Apshai Trilogy ??? 1985 Same-quarter releases on Apple II, Atari 8-bit, and C64
1986 ports to 16-bit computers
Winter Games Commodore 64 1985-10 Simultaneous release on Apple II
1986 ports to various computers
Super Cycle Commodore 64 1986-7 1986 ports to Amstrad CPC and Atari ST
1987 port to ZX Spectrum by Canvas Software
World Games ??? 1986-9 Same-year releases on Amiga, Atari ST, C64, and PC
1987 ports to various computers
The Movie Monster Game Commodore 64 1986-10 1987 port to Apple II
California Games Commodore 64 1987-7 1987-1988 ports to Atari 2600 and various computers
Street Sports Basketball Commodore 64 1987-10 1987-1988 ports to various computers
The Games: Winter Edition Commodore 64 1988-5 1988-1989 ports to various computers
Impossible Mission II Atari ST 1988-5 1988-1989 ports to NES and various computers
The Games: Summer Edition ??
1988 Same-quarter releases on Apple II, C64, and PC
1989 ports to various computers
4x4 Off-Road Racing ??? 1988 Same-quarter releases on Amiga, C64, and PC
 

The Games: Summer Edition has same-year releases for Apple II and DOS that are not credited to other companies. I am assuming that none of these games used the Apple II as a lead platform, and while it's possible that Epyx had moved on to PC as their lead platform by late 1988, the team that made it is specifically credited with making the IBM PC version, while the C64 team is simply credited with making the game. So I am pretty confident that C64 is the original version.

 

Post-C64 era:

 
Title Lead Platform Date Contemporary ports
Chip's Challenge Lynx 1989 1990 ports to various computers
California Games II DOS 1990
Battle Bugs DOS 1994

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