The history of Frederick Raynal's Games

[BusyBee]

i was jsut looking on the internet and i found some games Frederick Raynal has worked on, im not sure if all of you know the games so i thought i would share them with you all.

The first game is a game called "Popcorn (1988)"

Programming:
Christophe Lacaze
Graphics / Artwork:
Frederick Raynal
Popcorn is a rather old and popular break-out style game by Lacral software. As far as I can understand from the documentation (all French), the game is supposed to only run adequately on a 8 mhz 8086, but it ran fine on my 8088 a while back.

The game is rather self-explanatory - break-out with a nice twist (misc. upgrades to your ship, including ball split into three seperate balls, lasers and a time-limited "fence" preventing your ball from being lost).

Popcorn was immensely popular in its day and is considered one of the finer break-out clones ever made (although it's completely in French, so you'll have trouble trying to figure it out if your not french...)
The next game id like to show you is a game called "Continuum (1990)"
Author:
Christophe de Dinechin
PC Adaptation:
Frederick Raynal
Amiga Adaptation:
Fabrice Decroix
Graphics:
Christophe de Dinechin, Frederick Raynal
Colouring:
Philippe Ponticelli
Music:
Frédéric Mentzen, Francois Garofalo

In Continuum, you pilot a Mobile, a craft which bounces off of the platforms that fill the rooms. The game comprises of 256 rooms, which you explore while in search of 16 crystals and 16 cubes. You bounce from platform to platform, making your way around the room to the doors that lead into other rooms. On the way, you will encounter many other creatures and vehicles, as well as exciting suprizes, such as rooms with reversed gravity.

You can play in two modes, emotion and action.

• In action, you start in the center most room, and work your way around, while being timed. You gain time when going into a room you haven't been in before and when you pick up a crystal or cube. When you run out of time, your Mobile explodes.
• In emotion, you can choose to start in any of the 12 regions that reside within the 256 rooms (the 256 rooms are grouped into 12 regions). The regions are arranged in the context of different areas of the human brain. While you aren't timed, you also can't explore beyond the region that you choose.

This game is viewed 3rd person to your Mobile via a camera. Left and right rotate your Mobile, space thrusts you foward, and up and down move the camera up and down for optimal viewing. It is in true 3D.

The next game id like to show you is a game called "Alone in the dark(1992)"


Producer :
Vincent DeNardo
Director:
Frederick Raynal
Screenplay:
Hubert Chardot, Franck Manzetti
Programming:
Krisalis Software Ltd.
Original Programming:
Franck De Girolami, Frederick Raynal
2D Graphics:
Yael Barroz, Jean‑Marc Torroella
3D Graphics and Animation:
Didier Chanfray
Original Music & SFX:
Philippe Vachey
Casting Director:
Lisa Wasserman
Voices Recorded at:
JEL Recording Studios - Newport Beach CA
HP Lovecraft's work is an inspiration for this 3D action adventure game, perhaps the first game which could be termed 'survival horror' and thus an inspiration for hits such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

Jeremy Hartwood has committed suicide in his Louisiana mansion. You take the role of either Edward Carnby, a private investigator, or Emily Hartwood, Jeremy's niece, and investigate the suspicious death. The three-floor mansion is reputed to be haunted by its eccentric past owner. Very quickly, you realise that it is. Warped rats, zombies and giant worms are among the foes who are after you, and you must somehow escape.

The graphics combine 3D people with pre-rendered backgrounds in a manner that was new at the time. Limited weaponry means that you can't go in all guns blazing, you have to plan your attacks. Books in the rooms are not mere props, they can be read to gain further information and clues to solving the game's puzzles. Most of the game is non-linear and encourages exploration.

The next game id like to show you is a game called "Relentless: Twinsen's Adventure (1995)"

Original Idea:
Frederick Raynal
Programming:
Frantz Cournil, Olivier Lhermite, Serge Plagnol, Frederick Raynal, Laurent Salmeron
3D Objects & Animations:
Didier Chanfray
Scenery Graphics:
Yael Barroz, Jean‑Marc Torroella
Story & Design:
Yael Barroz, Didier Chanfray, Jean‑Jacques Poncet, Frederick Raynal, Laurent Salmeron
Dialog:
Jean‑Jacques Poncet
Story Coding:
Frantz Cournil, Jean‑Jacques Poncet, Sebastien Viannay
Video Sequences:
Didier Chanfray, Frederic Taquet
Music Composed by:
Philippe Vachey
Testing:
Lionel Chaze, Alexis Madinier, Vijay Maharaj, Nicolas Viannay
Action/adventure style. You embark as Twinsen, a young Quetch, on a long journey to deliver your home world from the domination of the evil doctor Funfrock. There are different character action modes you can invoke during gameplay--not all of them violent.

The game universe is rendered with characters in full 3D, and the environment using isometric graphic tiles.

The next game id like to show you is a game called "Time Commando (1996)"

Created by:
Frederick Raynal
Lead Design:
Didier Chanfray
Project Manager:
Serge Plagnol
Programming:
Marc Bureau du Colombier, Frantz Cournil, Olivier Lhermite, Mickael Pointier
Game Programming:
Thierry Brochart, Pascal Dubois, Sylvain Truchet
Assembler Specialist:
Cédric Bermond
3D Object Design and Animation:
Arnaud Lhomme, Paul‑Henri Michaud, Sabine Morlat, William Ratajczak, Xavier Wibaut
3D Scenario Design:
Virginie Altayrac, Benoit Boucher, Merlin Pardo, Ludovic Rubin
3D movie sequences:
Frederic Taquet
Music and Sound:
Philippe Vachey
Sound Effects:
Thierry Carron, Christophe Neau
Sound Engineer:
Patrick Sigwalt
A computer infected by virus generates a "time hole". The whole world is in danger, and your task is to save it. You voyage through all kinds of different ages, like roman empire, wild west, our time till to the future. The gameplay itself is Alone In The Dark - like. You control a polygon-hero and fight your way through time. The background graphics are all rendered videos.

The next game id like to show you is a game called "Twinsen's Odyssey (1997)"

Original Idea:
Frederick Raynal
Art Director:
Didier Chanfray
Technical Director:
Serge Plagnol
Programming:
Cédric Bermond, Marc Bureau du Colombier, Frantz Cournil, Laurent Salmeron, Sebastien Viannay
3D Objects & Animation:
Arnaud Lhomme, Paul‑Henri Michaud
Sets:
Yael Barroz, Sabine Morlat, Didier Quentin
Scenario & Design:
Marc Albinet, Yael Barroz, Didier Chanfray, Frederick Raynal, Laurent Salmeron
Dialogue, Acting Direction:
Marc Albinet
Translation, Voice Recordings:
Laurent Salmeron
Scenaric Coding:
Lionel Chaze, Frantz Cournil, Pascal Dubois
Video Sequences:
Benoit Boucher, Merlin Pardo
After freeing the world of Twinsun from it's evil dictator in the previous game, the hero Twinsen has since gotten married is planning to have a child and has settled down at home. When suddenly Twinsen's friend dino-fly is hurt. Further investigation reveals that there is something strange going on in the skies on Twinsun and indeed... visitors from outer space have arrived. Twinsen once again embarks out on a quest for the good of his world...

The game has a similar interface and controls to the first game... indeed, the 4 stances... Normal, Aggressive, Sneaky and Athletic have returned and you will need to use each of them in certain situations, as well as Twinsen's magical ability... to progress. The planet is also still populated with it's various interesting races including Rabbibunnies, Gloums, Blafards and Sups.

The next game id like to show you is a game called "Toy Commander (1999)"

Creative Director:
Frederick Raynal
Art Director:
Didier Chanfray
Original Idea:
Didier Chanfray
Technical Director:
Serge Plagnol
Executive Producer:
David Chomard
Missions Design:
Lionel Chaze, David Chomard
Script Coding:
Lionel Chaze, David Chomard, Pascal Dubois, Alain Jarniou, Hugues Tardif
Project Manager:
Frantz Cournil
Physics, dynamics, algorithmic:
Cédrick Collomb
Libraries, Tools:
Pascal Dubois
Libraries, optimisation:
Sebastien Viannay
Game design:
Lionel Chaze, Didier Quentin
Resources Control:
Lionel Chaze
Animation:
Arnaud Lhomme, Awen Limbourg, Paul‑Henri Michaud
Additional Programming:
Awen Limbourg
Real time 3D intro:
Alain Jarniou
Main Programmer:
Frantz Cournil
Some of the greatest adventures that kids have growing up occur in their imaginations as they play with their toys. Toy Commander is a game that attempts to capture these adventures in an interactive, three dimensional world. The player's perspective is that of the toy vehicles that inhabit a house. The various gameplay areas are all based on rooms in this giant house.

Gameplay in Toy Commander is mission based. In each mission, you control one or more toy vehicles to accomplish certain objectives. The objectives in each mission vary widely. In some missions, you must drive an army truck and shoot things, in some you fly helicopters to pick up and drop off objects, and in some you must race against computer controlled vehicles.

There is a story line that ties together the missions in single player mode. A coalition of old toys has started a rebellion against the new toys in the house. An evil Teddy Bear, the Toy Commander, is leading this rebellion. It's your job to stop him. In each mission, your basic goal is to complete the task in as short a time as possible. If you meet a certain time goal, the mission is completed. By completing 4 missions, you get to challenge the Boss character in the room. If you successfully destroy the boss, he will assist you in the final fight against the Toy Commander.

In addition to the single player mode, there is a 4-player simultaneous deathmatch mode.

The next game id like to show you is a game called: "toy racer (2000)"

Creative Director:
Frederick Raynal
Art Director:
Didier Chanfray
Project Manager, Main Programmer:
Frantz Cournil
Network programming, Menus, Server:
Pascal Dubois
Game & Track Design, Script Coding, Resources Manager:
Lionel Chaze
2D Artist for Menux, Marketing Support:
Sabine Morlat
Menus design:
Olivier Martin
Hidden Vehicles:
Romain Chavanne
Libraries, Optimization:
Sebastien Viannay
Physics, Dynamics, Algorithmic:
Cédrick Collomb
Music, Sound F/X:
Philippe Vachey
Executive Producer:
David Chomard
SEGA CREDITS
Director of Product Development:
Naohiko Hoshino
Producer:
David Nulty
Test Manager:
Jason Cumberbatch
Lead tester:
Nick Bennett
Technical Support Manager:
Serge Plagnol
Spanish Translator:
Roberto Parraga Sanchez
German Translator:
Angelika Michitsch
European Product Marketing Manager:
Jim Pride
European Product Marketing Executive:
Mark Fisher
Marketing Support UK:
Tunde Orelaja, Stuart Turner
Marketing Support France:
Laurent Boby, Karine Marolle
This is an online pseudo-sequel to Toy Commander. Released at the budget price of £5 and a £1 of that went to charity. It had no AI and was only for on/off-line 2-4 player racing. It featured toy cars racing around "real world" environments like the bathroom.

Sorry if you already knew this, but i couldnt find anything about all the games he was involved in and i found this information very intreaging. Thanks for reading. Most of the information in this post is off "http://www.mobygames.com"

[elmuerte]

uhm yeah... most of us knew that..

did you know that you can find Popcorn on your LBA2 or TO CD?

[Darkflame]

Nicely compiled, I knew most myself already

[BusyBee]

no i didnt know that el, thanks and thanks darkflame.