Unknown lead platform:
Mindshadow
First released for Commodore 64 in March 1985
Released for Apple II and PC in April 1985
Released for Atari 8-bit in July 1985
Released for Amiga and Mac in November 1985
Ported to Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum in January 1986 by Softstone Ltd
Released for Atari ST in February 1986
I had a email conversation with artist David Lowery, who said he drew all of the graphics for this game (as well as The Bard's Tale and Borrowed Time) twice, once for Apple II, and again for a platform that he can't remember whether it was a C64 or an Amiga. It seems pretty clear to me that Apple/Atari/C64/PC are all based on the same source, so even if the C64 version came out first, the graphics, at least, are probably converted from Lowry's Apple originals.
The Amiga, Mac, and Amstrad versions also all appear to have distinctly different graphics, while the Atari ST's are very similar to the Amiga's, but with fewer colors and some redrawn elements.
The Tracer Sanction
Released for Apple II, C64, and PC in April 1985.
It would shock me if Apple II wasn't the lead platform, but I have no proof, and I've been surprised before.
Borrowed Time
First released for Commodore 64 and PC in November 1985.
Released for Apple II and Macintosh in December 1985.
Released for Amiga in January 1986.
Released for Atari ST in Feburary 1986.
M.A.X.: Mechanized Assault & Exploration
Released for DOS and Windows 95 on December 30, 1996.
Fallout
Released for DOS, Windows 95, and Mac on October 9, 1997.
And here we have a simultaneous DOS/Windows/Mac release! Given the long development cycle, and the obsolescence of DOS by the time of its release, I can imagine Fallout began as a DOS game and had Windows support added. But I can't rule out the possibility that it switched to Windows-focused development sometime after 1995, with DOS support kept in, since the groundwork for it had already been laid bare, and the use of DirectX is consistent with that theory. Being primarily a Mac game seems very unlikely (can you even play Fallout with a one-button mouse?).
Note that Fallout 2 lacked DOS support entirely, and didn't see a Mac port until 2002.
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
First released for Xbox on January 13, 2004.
Released for PS2 on January 14, 2004.
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
Released for PS2 and Xbox on January 20, 2004.
Select chronology:
8-bit era:
Rebecca Heineman told me by email that Apple II was the lead platform for Tass Times and Neuromancer, and that all ports were based on the Apple II codebase. I am 99% certain I remember reading that The Bard's Tale trilogy and Dragon Wars were also coded for the Apple II first (despite Bard's Tale II coming out for C64 first), but I can't remember where I read this.
| Title | Lead platform | Date | Contemporary ports |
| The Demon's Forge | Apple II | 1981 |
|
| Mindshadow | ??? | 1985-4 | Same-quarter releases on Apple II, C64, & PC Same-year releases on Amiga, Atari 8-bit, & Mac 1986 ports to Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, & ZX Spectrum |
| The Tracer Sanction | ??? | 1985-4 | Simultaneous releases on Apple II, C64, & PC |
| Tales of the Unknown: Volume I - The Bard's Tale | Apple II | 1985-9 | 1986 ports to Amiga and C64 |
| Borrowed Time | ??? | 1985-11 | Same-quarter releases on Apple II, C64, Mac & PC 1986 ports to Amiga and Atari ST |
| Tass Times in Tonetown | Apple II | 1986-9 | Simultaneously released ports on C64 and PC Same-quarter ports to various 16-bit computers |
| The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight | Apple II | 1986-12 | 1986 port to C64, released before Apple II version |
| The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate | Apple II | 1988-3 | 1988 port to C64 |
| Wasteland | Apple II | 1988-3 | 1988 port to C64 1989 port to PC |
16-bit era:
| Title | Lead platform | Date | Contemporary ports |
| Battle Chess | Amiga | 1988-10 | 1989 ports to various computers |
| Neuromancer | Apple II | 1988-11 | 1988 port to C64 1989 ports to Apple IIgs and PC |
| Dragon Wars | Apple II | 1989-10 | 1989 port to C64 1990 ports to various computers |
| Star Trek: 25th Anniversary | DOS | 1992 | 1993 port to Mac |
| Star Trek: Judgment Rites | DOS | 1993-12 |
|
| Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure | Genesis | 11/18/1994 | 1995 port to SNES |
32-bit era:
| Title | Lead platform | Date | Contemporary ports |
| Star Trek: Judgment Rites (Limited CD-ROM Collector's Edition) |
DOS | 1995 | 1996 port to Mac |
| Descent | DOS | 3/17/1995 | 1995 port to Mac & PC-98 1996 port to PlayStation |
| Stonekeep | DOS | 11/8/1995 |
|
| Descent II | DOS | 3/13/1996 | 1996 port to Windows 1997 port to Mac |
| M.A.X.: Mechanized Assault & Exploration | ??? | 12/30/1996 | Same-year releases on DOS and Windows |
| Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | Windows | 9/12/1997 | Same-year port to Mac |
Black Isle era:
| Title | Lead platform | Date | Contemporary ports |
| Fallout | ??? | 10/9/1997 | Simultaneous releases on DOS, Mac, & Windows |
| Fallout 2 | Windows | 10/29/1998 |
|
| Planescape: Torment | Windows | 1999-12 |
|
| Icewind Dale | Windows | 6/30/2000 |
|
| Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter | Windows | 2/20/2001 |
|
| Icewind Dale II | Windows | 8/28/2002 |
|
| Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader | Windows | 8/13/2003 |
|
| Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel | ??? | 1/14/2004 | Same-week releases on PS2 and Xbox |
| Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II | ??? | 1/20/2004 | Simultaneous releases on PS2 and Xbox |
Starfleet Academy began life around 1994 as a DOS game set in the TOS TV show era, as can be seen in early preview articles. It was eventually changed to a Windows title set in the movie era, to accommodate some of the original series' actors appearing in FMV cutscenes.
ReplyDeleteThere was also a SNES port, oddly enough, which came out in late 1994 (though it incorporates the change to the TOS movie era).
I wonder why they dropped DOS support in Starfleet Academy, but not Fallout?
DeleteThe SNES port is kinda odd. Was that based on an early state of the PC game? I never played either.