Posted October 29, 2014
as topic states. hoepfully we can get that game too one day
tryllehans
New User
Registered: May 2014
From Denmark
d1000
New User
Registered: Apr 2013
From United States
Posted November 03, 2014
Oh hell yes. I remember making it 2/3 of the way through that one, couldn't sail the sub under the north pole to get to russia or whatever the hell was going on.
Here it is on the community wishlist, give it a click!
http://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/codename_iceman
Here it is on the community wishlist, give it a click!
http://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/codename_iceman
Baggins
New User
Registered: May 2009
From United States
Posted December 24, 2014
Sierra has a new facebook page, maybe message them there abvout the game? And any others that still need to be rereleased?
d1000
New User
Registered: Apr 2013
From United States
Posted December 30, 2014
Jim Walls came up with an interesting scenario, but writing this kind of thing was way out of his depth. Also, the puzzles are steeped in the typical Sierra nonsense, which is especially disappointing in such a realistic genre of game. The text descriptions are perfunctory at best.
Plus, the minigames each seem to be hours too long. I bet the sub simulator doesn't play nice with doxbox, and no one wants to play Yatzee for five hours these days.
It's not surprising that the "Codename" line of Sierra games was scrapped - or that Jim Walls was sacked in the middle of PQ3.
Baggins
New User
Registered: May 2009
From United States
Posted January 01, 2015
The sub simulator stuff works ok in dosbox. It's actually easy to exploit.
What you do have to worry about is the card game though, as guy you play it with can tell if you are saving and restoring and then punish you for cheating. It's possible to still win, but its tough. Make sure you make backups of your saves.
The game has lots of dead ends, as in if you forget to do something early on, it will haunt you later on.
As for the sequel. It was called Codename: Phoenix IIRC. It was actually following an air force pilot, and would have had flight combat aspects. Dynamix was involved with making it. I think it was advertised in the InterAction magazine between 1993 and 1996 (not long after Jim Walls left).
But it got cancelled about the same time Dynamix started having development issues and getting their games out on time. The same issue that actually lead to King's Quest 8 being delayed, and having to use an in house engine, instead of the Dynamix engine that was being designed for Red Baron 2.
Also I think Jim Walls was a much better developer and story teller than Daryl F. Gates.
A 4th Sonny Bonds game would have been better than Open Season...
Also as I understand it, Jim Walls wasn't sacked, he quit on his own. According to one of the issues of InterAction he was already starting to design PQ4 with Sonny Bonds after PQ3 had already been released.
But apparently he wasn't given enough budget for it, and decided to leave on his own for Tsunami games.
However, apparently he didn't actually do much on PQ3 either. Mark Crowe did most of the work.
What you do have to worry about is the card game though, as guy you play it with can tell if you are saving and restoring and then punish you for cheating. It's possible to still win, but its tough. Make sure you make backups of your saves.
The game has lots of dead ends, as in if you forget to do something early on, it will haunt you later on.
As for the sequel. It was called Codename: Phoenix IIRC. It was actually following an air force pilot, and would have had flight combat aspects. Dynamix was involved with making it. I think it was advertised in the InterAction magazine between 1993 and 1996 (not long after Jim Walls left).
But it got cancelled about the same time Dynamix started having development issues and getting their games out on time. The same issue that actually lead to King's Quest 8 being delayed, and having to use an in house engine, instead of the Dynamix engine that was being designed for Red Baron 2.
Also I think Jim Walls was a much better developer and story teller than Daryl F. Gates.
A 4th Sonny Bonds game would have been better than Open Season...
Also as I understand it, Jim Walls wasn't sacked, he quit on his own. According to one of the issues of InterAction he was already starting to design PQ4 with Sonny Bonds after PQ3 had already been released.
But apparently he wasn't given enough budget for it, and decided to leave on his own for Tsunami games.
However, apparently he didn't actually do much on PQ3 either. Mark Crowe did most of the work.
Post edited January 01, 2015 by Baggins
blueskirt42
I'm a doctor!
Registered: Mar 2010
From Canada
Posted January 23, 2015
Very interesting story regarding Codename: Phoenix!
I also think Jane Jensen helped out on Police Quest III after Jim Walls' departure. That could explain why the game veered so much into sensationalism compared to the police procedural of the earlier Police Quest games. I'd love to know who was responsible for each elements of Police Quest III because at times it very much feels like a quilt, a mish mash of several ideas from different designers.
But yeah, Walls wasn't sacked, Tsunami games, founded by a former business partner of Ken Williams, was actively courting the star designers and the other big names at Sierra with promises of better salaries, and Walls jumped ship and went on to design Blue Force, which, except for the title, felt and played pretty much a fifth Police Quest game. I hope that game gets added on GOG too one day.
I also think Jane Jensen helped out on Police Quest III after Jim Walls' departure. That could explain why the game veered so much into sensationalism compared to the police procedural of the earlier Police Quest games. I'd love to know who was responsible for each elements of Police Quest III because at times it very much feels like a quilt, a mish mash of several ideas from different designers.
But yeah, Walls wasn't sacked, Tsunami games, founded by a former business partner of Ken Williams, was actively courting the star designers and the other big names at Sierra with promises of better salaries, and Walls jumped ship and went on to design Blue Force, which, except for the title, felt and played pretty much a fifth Police Quest game. I hope that game gets added on GOG too one day.
Pat9496
New User
Registered: Apr 2010
From Liechtenstein
Posted February 13, 2015
I know this is old but I wanted to add that Codename: Iceman isn't such a bad game. In fact, I like it quite a lot. It is certainly not the best game Sierra ever made but it is a lot better than you might think.
I always hear about the damn dice game. But what people don`t get is that this is completely optional. You can even answer "no" when he asks you if you want to play.
There are a couple of puzzles you need to do differently then, of course.
The second act of the game is a little slow though.
I always hear about the damn dice game. But what people don`t get is that this is completely optional. You can even answer "no" when he asks you if you want to play.
There are a couple of puzzles you need to do differently then, of course.
The second act of the game is a little slow though.
Baggins
New User
Registered: May 2009
From United States
Posted February 21, 2015
I also think Jane Jensen helped out on Police Quest III after Jim Walls' departure. That could explain why the game veered so much into sensationalism compared to the police procedural of the earlier Police Quest games. I'd love to know who was responsible for each elements of Police Quest III because at times it very much feels like a quilt, a mish mash of several ideas from different designers.
But yeah, Walls wasn't sacked, Tsunami games, founded by a former business partner of Ken Williams, was actively courting the star designers and the other big names at Sierra with promises of better salaries, and Walls jumped ship and went on to design Blue Force, which, except for the title, felt and played pretty much a fifth Police Quest game. I hope that game gets added on GOG too one day.
OlausPetrus
Episcopus
Registered: Mar 2010
From Finland
Posted February 25, 2015
I certainly wish that we would see Codename Iceman on GOG. Codename Iceman is one of the few Sierra classics, which I never got chance to play back in the old days. I also missed Laura Bow -series and both Iceman and the two Laura Bow -games have been on my GOG wishlist for a very long time.
d1000
New User
Registered: Apr 2013
From United States
Posted March 07, 2015
What you do have to worry about is the card game though, as guy you play it with can tell if you are saving and restoring and then punish you for cheating. It's possible to still win, but its tough. Make sure you make backups of your saves.
The game has lots of dead ends, as in if you forget to do something early on, it will haunt you later on.
As for the sequel. It was called Codename: Phoenix IIRC. It was actually following an air force pilot, and would have had flight combat aspects. Dynamix was involved with making it. I think it was advertised in the InterAction magazine between 1993 and 1996 (not long after Jim Walls left).
But it got cancelled about the same time Dynamix started having development issues and getting their games out on time. The same issue that actually lead to King's Quest 8 being delayed, and having to use an in house engine, instead of the Dynamix engine that was being designed for Red Baron 2.
Also I think Jim Walls was a much better developer and story teller than Daryl F. Gates.
A 4th Sonny Bonds game would have been better than Open Season...
Also as I understand it, Jim Walls wasn't sacked, he quit on his own. According to one of the issues of InterAction he was already starting to design PQ4 with Sonny Bonds after PQ3 had already been released.
But apparently he wasn't given enough budget for it, and decided to leave on his own for Tsunami games.
However, apparently he didn't actually do much on PQ3 either. Mark Crowe did most of the work.
How'd you learn all this Sierra history? Is there a book?
Would you write a book?
Baggins
New User
Registered: May 2009
From United States
Posted March 07, 2015
Reading old articles of InterAction magazine, and reading through forums where designers have left 'secrets' about the making of the games!
I put a lot of these facts up on the Sierra wikis I administrate.
I put a lot of these facts up on the Sierra wikis I administrate.
d1000
New User
Registered: Apr 2013
From United States
Posted March 15, 2015
That's excellent. Would you mind sharing the links to those wikis? I love reading that kind of stuff.
Baggins
New User
Registered: May 2009
From United States
Posted March 15, 2015
I put a lot of these facts up on the Sierra wikis I administrate.
http://policequest.wikia.com/wiki/Police_Quest_Omnipedia
You can find links to many others at the bottom of the page.
cbingham
New User
Registered: Apr 2014
From United States
Posted January 31, 2016
I never played this game. I've heard mixed things about it. It seems some people love it and some people hate it, and not everybody who likes Police Quest like Codename:Iceman. I have heard that it has more ways to die than any other adventure game. I'm a little scared to try it. But, I like Jim Walls as a game designer so it intrigues me.
I have heard that the periscope you sometimes see in the lake in "Quest For Glory" is a reference to Codename:Iceman. So apparently this is some kind of submarine game.
I have heard that the periscope you sometimes see in the lake in "Quest For Glory" is a reference to Codename:Iceman. So apparently this is some kind of submarine game.
Wennejoekel
Roll The Dice!
Registered: Mar 2011
From Netherlands
Posted September 28, 2016
Not a submarine game. But as the secrent agent you play, you have to travel by submarine. While doing so, you have to navigate under the ice and also survive encounters with other subs or patrol craft (i.e. shooting them and using decoys to prevent getting hit). Quite difficult as I recall :)