Gloom Reforged
==============
Gloom Reforged is an enhanced native Amiga version of Black Magic Software's
1995 first-person shooter Gloom. It is based on the original 68k source code
and keeps the original gameplay, atmosphere and data formats while extending
the engine for modern classic-Amiga setups.
Background
----------
Gloom was programmed by Mark Sibly for Black Magic Software, with graphics by
the Butler Brothers and music by Kevan Stannard. The original source code was
made publicly available in 2017.
Gloom Reforged grew out of work on the original source tree. That code
contained parts of a more advanced Gloom engine, but required substantial
work before it could be used as a complete game again. The Reforged project
restores that base and extends it while trying to remain faithful to how an
enhanced Amiga-era Gloom could have looked and behaved.
Development, debugging and code analysis were assisted in parts by AI tools;
all changes remain part of a normal human-reviewed and real-hardware-tested
Amiga development process.
Main features
-------------
- Native Motorola 68k Amiga version
- ECS/EHB, AGA and Picasso96 graphics-card support
- Direct 8-bit CLUT Picasso96 output
- P96 screen-mode requester with remembered mode and L-Shift override
- Optional experimental Low Bandwidth P96 mode for slow RTG buses such as
pVision/PCMCIA
- Supported P96 output sizes include 320x240, 320x256, 428x240,
640x480, 640x512 and 854x480
- Standard 4:3, 5:4 and widescreen presentation modes
- One-player and two-player split-screen rendering
- Selectable 1x1, 2x1, 1x2 and 2x2 world-render resolutions
- Improved keyboard and mouse handling
- Reworked wall, floor/ceiling and distance rendering
- Optional Bayer-dithered distance shading
- Extended visibility/range option
- Optional blob shadows and reflections
- NASTY violence mode with additional blood/gore effects
- Reworked weapon, muzzle-flash and top HUD rendering
- Optional FPS counter
- STOCK mode for a more classic Gloom-style renderer without the
Reforged-only visual effects
- Compatibility work for Gloom, Gloom Deluxe/Ultimate Gloom,
Gloom 3 and Zombie Massacre data sets
- Optimized C2P paths for different 68k CPU generations
- Numerous renderer, palette, menu, input and real-hardware fixes
The higher P96 screen modes are presentation/output modes. The original Gloom
renderer is still fundamentally a low-resolution software renderer; this is
not a replacement high-resolution 3D engine.
Usage and configuration
-----------------------
The original standalone Gloom Config program is not required for Gloom
Reforged. Configuration is handled by the game itself: normal gameplay and
renderer options are changed through the title and in-game menus, and persistent
settings are written automatically to PROGDIR:gloom.cfg. The P96 requester can
also remember the selected screen mode and the Low Bandwidth setting.
A few startup-only options remain available as Workbench ToolTypes or CLI
tokens. ToolTypes are case-insensitive and may be combined by adding them as
separate lines to the program icon. From the CLI they can simply be supplied
together after the executable name.
Available ToolTypes / CLI tokens:
- AGA
Force the native AGA renderer.
- ECS
Force the native ECS/EHB renderer.
- P96
Use the Picasso96 renderer. A requester lists the supported 8-bit CLUT modes.
- FPS
Enable the two-digit gameplay FPS counter. This is a runtime-only option and
is not stored in gloom.cfg.
- STOCK
Use the more classic Gloom rendering behaviour by disabling Reforged-only
effects such as Bayer shading, the extended fog/range behaviour, reflections
and blob shadows. Saved menu preferences are preserved and become active
again when Gloom Reforged is started without STOCK.
- P96MODEID=$xxxxxxxx
Optional advanced P96 override using an exact Picasso96 ModeID. It must be
used together with P96. A valid ModeID skips the normal P96 mode requester;
an invalid or unsupported ID falls back to the normal selection process.
AGA, ECS and P96 are alternative display selectors, so normally only one of
them should be used. If none is specified, Gloom Reforged chooses the native
renderer automatically according to the detected chipset. FPS and STOCK can be
combined with AGA, ECS or P96 and may also be used together.
Note: To play on ECS Amigas, you need to copy the relevant subfolder from
"ECS-EHB-Assets" into the game folder!
Example Workbench ToolTypes:
P96
FPS
STOCK
or, for a fixed P96 mode:
P96
P96MODEID=$502F1000
FPS
Equivalent CLI example:
GloomReforged P96 FPS STOCK
When "Save Screenmode" is enabled in the P96 requester, the selected ModeID is
stored in gloom.cfg and reused on later P96 starts. Hold the left Shift key
while starting Gloom Reforged to ignore the saved mode for that launch and show
the requester again. "Low Bandwidth" is also selected in the P96 requester and
stored in gloom.cfg; it is not a separate ToolType.
Requirements
------------
Minimum technical requirements:
- AmigaOS 3.x
- Motorola 68030 (68060 recommended)
- ECS or AGA chipset, or a Picasso96-compatible RTG graphics card
- Compatible Gloom game data
- Sufficient Chip/Fast RAM for the selected game and display mode
For Picasso96 mode:
- Working Picasso96 installation
- Graphics card providing compatible 8-bit CLUT modes
Performance note:
Gloom Reforged performs more work than the original game. A fast 68060 or,
preferably, a PiStorm-class system is strongly recommended when using the more
advanced visual features. Slower systems can use STOCK mode, reduced render
resolution and/or native ECS/AGA settings according to their performance.
Game data
---------
Gloom Reforged is an engine executable and does not grant additional rights to
the original commercial artwork, music or other game data. Use legally obtained
or otherwise legitimately distributed Gloom-compatible data files.
Project and source code
-----------------------
https://github.com/Andiweli/Gloom-Reforged
Legal / source code notice
--------------------------
The original Gloom was developed by Black Magic Software and published in 1995
by Guildhall Leisure Services. The original development credits include Mark
Sibly (programming), Kurt Butler and Hans Butler (graphics), Laki Schuster
(additional artwork), and Kev Stannard (music). These names and credits are
listed here to acknowledge the people and companies behind the original game.
Ultimate Gloom / Gloom 3 and Zombie Massacre were later created from the Gloom
Deluxe engine by Alpha Software and additional contributors. Credits across
these games include Gareth Murfin (production, design and map work), James
Caygill (graphics and concept work), Jason Jordache (additional/still graphics),
Dave Newton (utilities and additional software), Liam Weford (additional
sprites, textures and artwork), William Morton (music and sound effects),
Chris Murfin (story), and Peter McGavin, Iain Barclay and Frank Wille
(C2P routines, where credited). These contributors are likewise acknowledged
for their work on the Gloom-derived games supported by Gloom Reforged.
The original Gloom source release states that the included .s and .bb2 source
files were released into the public domain / under the Unlicense. This applies
to the released source code only. Graphics, music, game data and other assets
were not covered by that source-code dedication and were provided separately
for historical and archiving purposes.
Gloom Reforged is an independent preservation and enhancement project based on
that publicly released source code. It is not an official product of Black
Magic Software, Guildhall Leisure Services, or any of the original developers
and contributors named above, and no endorsement or affiliation is implied.
Gloom, Gloom Deluxe and related names, artwork, music, game data and trademarks
remain subject to the rights of their respective rights holders where
applicable. No claim is made here regarding the present ownership or succession
of those rights. Gloom Reforged does not claim ownership of the original game
assets or trademarks.
This archive does not grant permission to redistribute third-party material
that is not already legally redistributable. Users are responsible for using
legally obtained or otherwise legitimately distributed game data.
The program is supplied as-is, without warranty. Use it at your own risk.
Gloom Reforged modifications and project work:
Copyright (C) Andreas 'Andiweli' Stuermer.
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