Featured on the xxxx issue of PC Gamer was a shareware puzzle action game called Abysma. In Abysma, you are
presented with a rectangular grid of pieces, over which a horizontal bar slowly descends. If the bar passes
over any holes in the grid, you lose energy. As the bar passes over complete lines, it regains this lost
energy. The objective of Abysma is to arrange the pieces within the grid so that only no holes remain in
the path of the bar. With a shiny new copy of DarkBASIC at my disposal, I set about attempting a 3D
remake.
NeoRail is a fully 3D remake of Abysma for Windows made with
DarkBASIC. Based around a space/technology theme, every aspect of
the Abysma experience has been totally overhauled. The menu and game are recreated using superior
3D graphics using unique high-detail textures. Ingame graphics are further enhanced by the inclusion of
complex particle and lighting special effects. NeoRail features an original high-quality soundtrack, with
Abysma remixes and original songs by Jonathon Carr and Mathew Carr.
Unfortunately, NeoRail may never approach completion (at least, not from it's current state) for a number
of reasons. The most important of these should be strikingly obvious to those familiar with it: DarkBASIC.
In development, NeoRail acquired a number of pretty serious performance bottlenecks during gameplay, even
with particles and animated textures disabled. I believe that if NeoRail were ever recoded as far away from
DarkBASIC as is possible, then it would run and look a damn sight better than it does.
Through an agreement with
Astraware, Abysma was released for the Palm OS and Pocket PC as
Tantric... although I haven't played it myself.
NeoRail won't be finished anytime soon. ._.
Also, NeoRail is pretty unique in the way that it is the only remake project for which I have been in contact
with the original developers, Trixiam Studios, who have given me
express permission to remake Abysma. With the help of Sylvain Dufour, I was able to analyze Abysma
sufficiently to program NeoRail. However, I do not know if I am actually allowed to distribute NeoRail.
Hopefully, I will find my concept designs and design notes for NeoRail and put them online. If I forget folks,
feel free to prod me until I do it.
