Terminal Reality
Encyclopedia
Terminal Reality is a video game development and production company based in Lewisville, Texas
. Founded in 1994 by ex-Microsoft
employee Mark Randel and former Mallard Software general manager Brett Combs, Terminal Reality develops a variety of games including racing games (such as 4x4 EVO 2
), 3D action games (such as BloodRayne
), and more. It is part of the many game development companies in the Dallas area, known as the Dallas Gaming Mafia.
to write add-on products for the just released Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0. This led to Mark becoming the co-designer and lead programmer for Flight Simulator 5.0 and designing the next generation flight technology standard. This technology is still in use today by Microsoft in various Flight Simulator releases.
After leaving the Bruce Artwick Organization in mid 1994, Mark and Brett founded Terminal Reality in October 1994, which required Mark leave Chicago where he had just finished up on his BSE and MS in electrical engineering
from University of Illinois. The goal of Terminal Reality was to exploit texture mapped
3D game engines, with only $1000, and working out of Brett Combs' home. During that time they were developing their first release, Terminal Velocity, and pulled together $120,000, received advances on the game and were basically able to avoid giving up ownership and primary decision rights to venture capitalists. After that first year the company generated $1.2 Million and nearly doubled it the second year with $2.1 Million.
Terminal Reality's first game, Terminal Velocity, was a 3-D air combat
game, Brett Combs pitched to Garland-based publisher 3D Realms
. 3D Realms was the new division started by the popular Apogee Software
known for its arcade style action shooters and titles such as Wolfenstein 3D
. Scott Miller was intrigued by Randel's technology and Combs' management. Scott later said in a Dallas Business Journal report that "They had the backgrounds and track records with proven experience to pull off the game they were pitching to us."
Terminal Reality went on, after the success of Terminal Velocity with 3D Realms, to publish titles with Microsoft
such as Fury3
, Hellbender
, Monster Truck Madness
, CART Precision Racing
and Monster Truck Madness 2
. By January 1998, Terminal Reality became an equity partner and founding developer of Gathering of Developers
, a Dallas, Texas based publisher in which Brett Combs sits on the Board of Directors.
A key component to the Infernal Engine is the VELOCITY Physics Engine: an advanced physics simulator that offers an advanced collision system, dynamic destruction for scenery and environmental objects, accurate vehicle driving dynamics, real human body physics with anatomical joint constraints and simulated muscles/tendons, advanced hair and cloth simulation for actors.
engine. The first game built on this technology was CART Precision Racing
, and the final game was Fly! II
, which used Photex3. Monster Truck Madness 2
was heavily promoted by Microsoft
(its producer) for using the Photex2 engine, which, at the time of its release, was a cutting-edge rendering engine. Most of its games used the Terrain geometry engine. This engine was known for its very fast rendering in low-end pcs, photorealistic images and true color textures.
The Photex2 game engine was composed of two components: the Photex2 rendering engine and the Terrain5 geometry engine.
.
API. Parts of its code was released as open source.
and 4x4 EVO 2
.
Lewisville, Texas
Lewisville is a city in Denton County in the U.S. state of Texas. The 2010 United States Census placed the population at 95,290 within . The city also includes of Lewisville Lake....
. Founded in 1994 by ex-Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
employee Mark Randel and former Mallard Software general manager Brett Combs, Terminal Reality develops a variety of games including racing games (such as 4x4 EVO 2
4x4 EVO 2
4x4 EVO 2 is a video game developed by Terminal Reality for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It is the sequel to 4x4 Evolution and features more trucks, and more racing tracks than the original game....
), 3D action games (such as BloodRayne
BloodRayne
BloodRayne has received mostly mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Xbox version 73.53% and 76/100, the GameCube version 68.88% and 73/100, the PlayStation 2 version 68.87% and 75/100 and the PC version 65.78% and 65/100.-External links:*...
), and more. It is part of the many game development companies in the Dallas area, known as the Dallas Gaming Mafia.
History
Mark Randel began programming commercial software at age 15, but it wasn't until 1991 that Mark entered the computer game industry when he teamed with game programmer Bruce ArtwickBruce Artwick
Bruce Artwick was the creator of the first consumer flight simulator software. His original Apple II software was purchased by Microsoft and eventually became Microsoft Flight Simulator...
to write add-on products for the just released Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0. This led to Mark becoming the co-designer and lead programmer for Flight Simulator 5.0 and designing the next generation flight technology standard. This technology is still in use today by Microsoft in various Flight Simulator releases.
After leaving the Bruce Artwick Organization in mid 1994, Mark and Brett founded Terminal Reality in October 1994, which required Mark leave Chicago where he had just finished up on his BSE and MS in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from University of Illinois. The goal of Terminal Reality was to exploit texture mapped
Texture mapping
Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture , or color to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...
3D game engines, with only $1000, and working out of Brett Combs' home. During that time they were developing their first release, Terminal Velocity, and pulled together $120,000, received advances on the game and were basically able to avoid giving up ownership and primary decision rights to venture capitalists. After that first year the company generated $1.2 Million and nearly doubled it the second year with $2.1 Million.
Terminal Reality's first game, Terminal Velocity, was a 3-D air combat
Combat flight simulator
Combat flight simulators are video games used to simulate military aircraft and their operations...
game, Brett Combs pitched to Garland-based publisher 3D Realms
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
. 3D Realms was the new division started by the popular Apogee Software
Apogee Software
Apogee Software, LLC is a video game publisher based in Garland, Texas, established in 2008 as a spin-off of 3D Realms .- History :The original Apogee Software was established in 1987 as Apogee Software Ltd. In 1994, Apogee established its 3D Realms brand for publishing 3D video games distributed...
known for its arcade style action shooters and titles such as Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded by critics and gaming journalists as having both popularized the first-person shooter genre on the PC and created the basic archetype upon which all subsequent games of the same genre would be built. It was created by id Software and...
. Scott Miller was intrigued by Randel's technology and Combs' management. Scott later said in a Dallas Business Journal report that "They had the backgrounds and track records with proven experience to pull off the game they were pitching to us."
Terminal Reality went on, after the success of Terminal Velocity with 3D Realms, to publish titles with Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
such as Fury3
Fury3
Fury3 is a video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft in 1995 for Microsoft Windows. It is not a sequel to Terminal Velocity, but the two games share basic game mechanics and use the same engine...
, Hellbender
Hellbender
The hellbender , also known as the hellbender salamander, is a species of giant salamander that is endemic to eastern North America...
, Monster Truck Madness
Monster Truck Madness
Monster Truck Madness is a monster truck racing PC game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft, in 1996. During development it was referred to as Heavy Metal Truck or by the internal codename Metal Crush.-Development:...
, CART Precision Racing
CART Precision Racing
CART Precision Racing is a racing game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft Games, based on the defunct Champ Car World Series . It was released in 1997 containing the cars and tracks from the 1997 CART season...
and Monster Truck Madness 2
Monster Truck Madness 2
Monster Truck Madness 2 is a monster truck racing PC game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft Games, in 1998.- Overview :...
. By January 1998, Terminal Reality became an equity partner and founding developer of Gathering of Developers
Gathering of Developers
Gathering of Developers was a Texas-based PC and video games publishing company, founded in January 1998 with the mission to bridge the gap between publishers and independent game developers, allowing independent developers creative control over their projects, ownership of their IP, and...
, a Dallas, Texas based publisher in which Brett Combs sits on the Board of Directors.
Infernal Engine
In addition to game development, Terminal Reality is also the creator of the Infernal Engine: a cross-platform, full-featured foundation for building video games that the company licenses to other developers and publishers. The Infernal Engine is a unified system, providing superior rendering, physics, sound, AI, and even metrics in a single package.A key component to the Infernal Engine is the VELOCITY Physics Engine: an advanced physics simulator that offers an advanced collision system, dynamic destruction for scenery and environmental objects, accurate vehicle driving dynamics, real human body physics with anatomical joint constraints and simulated muscles/tendons, advanced hair and cloth simulation for actors.
Photex engine
The Photex (Photo-texture) engine was the first photorealistic game engine created by Terminal Reality, developed from the Monster Truck MadnessMonster Truck Madness
Monster Truck Madness is a monster truck racing PC game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft, in 1996. During development it was referred to as Heavy Metal Truck or by the internal codename Metal Crush.-Development:...
engine. The first game built on this technology was CART Precision Racing
CART Precision Racing
CART Precision Racing is a racing game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft Games, based on the defunct Champ Car World Series . It was released in 1997 containing the cars and tracks from the 1997 CART season...
, and the final game was Fly! II
Fly! II
Fly! II is a virtual flight simulator developed by Terminal Reality and released on April 26, 2001, by Gathering. It is a sequel to Fly! and Fly! 2k....
, which used Photex3. Monster Truck Madness 2
Monster Truck Madness 2
Monster Truck Madness 2 is a monster truck racing PC game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft Games, in 1998.- Overview :...
was heavily promoted by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
(its producer) for using the Photex2 engine, which, at the time of its release, was a cutting-edge rendering engine. Most of its games used the Terrain geometry engine. This engine was known for its very fast rendering in low-end pcs, photorealistic images and true color textures.
The Photex2 game engine was composed of two components: the Photex2 rendering engine and the Terrain5 geometry engine.
Nocturne engine
Previously named "Demon engine", it's the rendering engine used in Nocturne and Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin ParrThe Blair Witch Project (video games)
The Blair Witch video games are a trilogy of Survival Horror action-adventure games , based on the backstory of the movie The Blair Witch Project...
.
KAGE engine
Developed by the now former TRI employee Paul Nette using the OpenGLOpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
API. Parts of its code was released as open source.
EVO engine
Probably based on MTM2 Photex2 engine, it's the game engine used in 4x4 Evolution4x4 Evolution
4x4 Evolution is a video game developed by Terminal Reality for the Windows, Macintosh, PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast platforms. It is one of the first console games to have cross-platform online play where Dreamcast, Macintosh and PC versions of the game appear online at the same time...
and 4x4 EVO 2
4x4 EVO 2
4x4 EVO 2 is a video game developed by Terminal Reality for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It is the sequel to 4x4 Evolution and features more trucks, and more racing tracks than the original game....
.
Games developed
| Game | Codename | Year | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal Velocity | Velocity Brawl | 1995 | DOS |
| Fury3 Fury3 Fury3 is a video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft in 1995 for Microsoft Windows. It is not a sequel to Terminal Velocity, but the two games share basic game mechanics and use the same engine... |
CyberUI | 1995 | Windows |
| F! Zone (Fury3 Fury3 Fury3 is a video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft in 1995 for Microsoft Windows. It is not a sequel to Terminal Velocity, but the two games share basic game mechanics and use the same engine... expansion) |
FurySE | 1995 | Windows |
| Hellbender Hellbender (computer game) Hellbender is a PC video game developed by Terminal Reality in 1995–1996 and released by Microsoft in 1996, as the sequel to Fury3. A demo version of the game was included on later CD-ROM versions of Windows 95.- Gameplay :... |
Maximum Velocity | 1996 | Windows |
| Monster Truck Madness Monster Truck Madness Monster Truck Madness is a monster truck racing PC game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft, in 1996. During development it was referred to as Heavy Metal Truck or by the internal codename Metal Crush.-Development:... |
Metal Crush | 1996 | Windows |
| CART Precision Racing CART Precision Racing CART Precision Racing is a racing game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft Games, based on the defunct Champ Car World Series . It was released in 1997 containing the cars and tracks from the 1997 CART season... |
Indy Car | 1997 | Windows |
| Monster Truck Madness 2 Monster Truck Madness 2 Monster Truck Madness 2 is a monster truck racing PC game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft Games, in 1998.- Overview :... |
Metal Crush 2 | 1998 | Windows |
| Fly! Fly! Fly! is a flight simulator for PC and Apple Macintosh computers developed by Terminal Reality and published by Gathering of Developers. It included simulation of air traffic control features as well as aircraft's on-board systems, and was acclaimed for its highly detailed fully working interactive... |
1999 | Macintosh, Windows | |
| Nocturne | 1999 | Windows | |
| Fly! 2K | 2000 | Windows | |
| 4x4 EVO | Metal Crush 3 | 2000 | Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... , Dreamcast, Macintosh, PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... , |
| Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr The Blair Witch Project (video games) The Blair Witch video games are a trilogy of Survival Horror action-adventure games , based on the backstory of the movie The Blair Witch Project... |
2000 | Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... |
|
| 4x4 EVO 2 4x4 EVO 2 4x4 EVO 2 is a video game developed by Terminal Reality for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It is the sequel to 4x4 Evolution and features more trucks, and more racing tracks than the original game.... |
Metal Crush 4 | 2001 | Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... , Nintendo GameCube Nintendo GameCube The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia... , Macintosh, PlayStation 2, Xbox Xbox The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console... |
| Fly! II Fly! II Fly! II is a virtual flight simulator developed by Terminal Reality and released on April 26, 2001, by Gathering. It is a sequel to Fly! and Fly! 2k.... |
2001 | Macintosh, Windows | |
| BloodRayne BloodRayne BloodRayne has received mostly mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Xbox version 73.53% and 76/100, the GameCube version 68.88% and 73/100, the PlayStation 2 version 68.87% and 75/100 and the PC version 65.78% and 65/100.-External links:*... |
2002 | Nintendo GameCube, Macintosh, PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox | |
| RoadKill RoadKill RoadKill is a video game of the action genre released in 2003 by Midway Games. The game has been described by Midway as “the only mission-based combat driving game set in a post-apocalyptic world.” Indeed, RoadKill’s gameplay features many characteristics of famous automotive combat franchises such... |
2003 | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube | |
| BloodRayne 2 BloodRayne 2 BloodRayne 2, developed by Terminal Reality, is a third-person horror-themed action-adventure video game and the second game in the BloodRayne series. It does not follow on directly from where BloodRayne finished; instead, it takes place 60 and 70 years later in a contemporary 2000s... |
2004 | PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox | |
| BlowOut BlowOut BlowOut is a 2004 side-scrolling action video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Majesco, released for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC. It is a run-and-gun shoot-em-up in the tradition of games such as Contra and Metal Slug, with a power-up-based exploration structure... |
2004 | Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... , Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
|
| Æon Flux Æon Flux (video game) Æon Flux is the video game adaptation of the 2005 science fiction film of the same name, with elements of the Æon Flux cartoon series. The game was released on November 15, 2005 in North America for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox gaming consoles.... |
2005 | PlayStation 2, Xbox | |
| Metal Slug Anthology Metal Slug Anthology The Metal Slug Anthology was criticized for its lack of Classic Controller support on the Wii, and sluggish, "laggy" controls on the PAL PlayStation 2 version, which had a noticeable delay when entering button presses.-External links:* * *... |
2006 | Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP | |
| Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run (video game) Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run is a racing video game for Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation 2 released on September 5, 2006. A PC version was released in 2009. It is the first installment in the Spy Hunter series to allow the player to play as the character and not only the vehicle.Nowhere to Run was... |
2006 | PlayStation 2, Xbox | |
| SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 is a video game compilation created and published by SNK Playmore which includes sixteen Neo Geo games.The compilation was released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the Wii... |
2008 | Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP | |
| The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga | 2008 | Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP | |
| Ghostbusters: The Video Game Ghostbusters: The Video Game Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a 2009 cross-platform action game based on the Ghostbusters film franchise. Terminal Reality developed the Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions, while Red Fly Studio developed the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii versions, and Zen Studios... |
Proton | 2009 | Windows,Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS |
| Def Jam Rapstar Def Jam Rapstar Def Jam Rapstar is a rapping game produced by 4mm Games and developed by Terminal Reality. The game was released on October 5, 2010 in the United States of America , and released on November 26, 2010 in Europe. An official launch event was held at New York's Hudson hotel on October 6, 2010 to... |
2010 | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii | |
Games cancelled
- Demonik (Windows, Xbox 360) (cancelled by the publisher, Majesco) when they ran into money problems. Gameplay footage taken from this game was used in the film Grandma's Boy.
- Monster Truck Madness 3, was rumored (namely, about Bill Gates and an MTM3 alpha) but never confirmed, was later canceled.
External links
- Terminal Reality's website
- Infernal Engine website
- Infernal Engine full game list
- Terminal Reality profile on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...