Falcon's Eye
 Screenshot | |
| Original author(s) | Jaakko Peltonen |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Clive Crous / community |
| Initial release | Fall 1999 to spring 2000[1] |
| Stable release | 1.9.3
/ July 3, 2001 |
| Preview release | 2012-10-27[2]
/ October 27, 2012 |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Single-player,multiplayer,roguelike |
| License | NetHack General Public License |
| Website | falconseye |
Falcon's Eyeis a version of theroguelikevideo gameNetHackwhich introducesisometric graphicsandmouse control.[3]Falcon's Eyehas been praised for improvingNetHack's visuals and audio to an almost commercial level[3]and has been noted byLinux Journalas among the bestfree gamesavailable.[4]Afterdevelopmentstalled in 2001, the game wascontinuedasVulture's Eyeand laterVulture for Nethack.
Gameplay[edit]
The main change ofFalcon's Eyeover earlier Nethack variants is a massive improved graphical representation: it switched from atext-based80x25terminalrepresentation to a3Disometric perspective graphical representation.[3]The objects and enemies in the game are no longer represented by minimalisticASCII characters,but now have actual graphical representations.
Whilst adding some features, such as apath findingtool,Falcon's Eyedoesn't alter theNetHackgameplay. Peltonen says that this was to ensure that future versions remain compatible with future releases ofNetHack.[3]Falcon's Eyeprovides acontext menuwhen a creature or item isright-clicked.[3]Users can customize the interface by configuring the keyboard commands or by adding sound effects.[3]
History[edit]
Development[edit]
Falcon's Eyewas developed by Jaakko Peltonen, aresearcherofneural networksatHelsinki University of Technology,originally as a separateengine,and then grafted ontoNetHack.[3]The artwork and sound effects are largely his, with some submissions from users.[3]NetHack's code assumes little about the user interface, telling which dungeon maps and messages to display, but leaves the implementation details to the interface. Peltonen explains that this versatility helped him to createFalcon's Eye,as he did not have to work around a fixed character-based interface.[3]
Falcon's Eyeis released under theNetHack General Public License.[5]
Falcon's Eyewas mostly programmed inC,with someC++functions. BothSDLandDirectXare used for the graphics and sound in order to make the base code assystem-independentas possible.[3]
Development stall[edit]
Since the release of version 1.9.3 in 2001, development ofFalcon's Eyehas not progressed, with the game based on a now out-of-date version ofNetHack.In the interim, at least one unofficial update has appeared in theportagepackage managementsystem.
Peltonen had planned to add more customization options, allowing users to add their own graphics. As some users reported difficulty in compiling and installingFalcon's Eye,he also wished to simplify this procedure.[3]He also envisions an application forNetHackthat allows a user to switch between differentuser interfaces,similar tosoftware skins.[3]
Continuation: Vulture's Eye[edit]
The level of inactivity between 2001 and 2005 prompted Clive Crous toforkFalcon's Eyeto createVulture's EyeandVulture's Claw,[6]which have significant improvements on the original. The development happened onbitbucket,[7]a switch from the previous repositorySourceForge.The game was ported toseveral platforms,for instance theOpenPandorahandheld.[8]
Later this development branch was just calledVultureand is under continued development (as of February 2017).[9][10]While still beingfree and open source softwarethe game iscommercializedvia the author's website andDesurafor $2.99. In October 2013 the game was put into theSteam Greenlightprocess[11]and successfully released onSteamin February 2015.[12]
Reception[edit]
Falcon's Eyehas been praised for improvingNetHack's visuals and audio to an almost commercial level.[3]In 2003NetHack: Falcon's EyereceivedThe Linux Game Tome'sBest Free Role-Playing Gameaward.[13]A 2008 review of Vulture's Eye on gamesetwatch called the graphics "well done".[14]Linux Journalnoted the game as among some of the bestfree gamesavailable in 2010.[4]
Between 2001 and March 2018Falcon's Eyewas downloaded nearly 580,000 times fromSourceForge[15]while by March 2018Steamspyreported over 22,000 owners ofVulture for Nethackpurchased via Steam.[16]
References[edit]
- ^nethackatwebarchive.org (2001)
- ^master[permanent dead link]on bitbucket
- ^abcdefghijklmHoward Wen (2003-01-02)."Falcon's Eye: The Making-Over of Nethack".ONLamp.O'Reilly Media.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-11-06.Retrieved2008-11-19.
- ^abMore Free Games for Linux-Linux Journalby Mike Diehl (Jan 19, 2010)
- ^licenseon nethack.org
- ^The History of Rogue: Have @ You, You Deadly Zsby Matt Barton & Bill Loguidiceon onGamasutra"Falcon's Eye lives as a fork called Vulture's Eye."
- ^vultureArchived2017-02-19 at theWayback Machineon bitbucket.org/clivecrous
- ^Vulture's Eye 2.2.100.1on repo.openpandora.org (August 24, 2012)
- ^Vulture
- ^VultureArchived2011-08-11 at theWayback Machineon darkarts.co.za
- ^Vulture for NetHackon steamcommunity
- ^Vulture for NetHackon steam
- ^"Linux Game Tome Awards".happypenguin.org.2003-01-28. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-09-19.Retrieved2008-04-01.
- ^COLUMN: @Play: Eye of the Vultureby John Harris on gamesetwatch (August 28, 2008)
- ^[1]onsourceforge.net/projects/falconseye
- ^Vulture for Nethackonsteamspy(March 2018)
External links[edit]
- Official Falcon's Eye Homepageatsourceforge.net
- Homepage of Jaakko PeltonenArchived2011-06-12 at theWayback Machine,author of Eagle's Eye
- Official homepage of Vulture's Eye,the later continuation on darkarts.co.za