Movies / TV
The Official Bruce Lee Videogame FAQ
By Jay Spree
Jan 23, 2003, 20:37

Welcome to the official page for the upcoming videogame, Bruce Lee: The Final Game of Death. TheSmartMarks.com is the only site with EXCLUSIVE rights to host information, screenshots, and ultimately demos of the game, so if you’re downloading stuff from somewhere that isn’t TheSmartMarks… well, it’ll be unofficial, out of date, riddled with viruses, and generally be a bunch of crap.

Here you’ll find the only FAQ with answers directly from the programmer himself, Frank Goertzen. You’ll also find the latest updates on the game’s progress, screenshots from the latest builds, and as soon as the full demo is released to the public, you’ll be the first to have access to it. Remember, since Frank is likely to leave the demo open source, this is the ONLY place where you’ll find access to the official release as he intended it, rather than a build of the game that’s been modded in bizarre, unnatural ways. If you know of anyone who's ripping off our stuff without giving us due credit, do the right thing and let us know so we can show them some broken rhythm..

With that all said and done, let’s explore all that heavenly glory:


FAQ

SCREENSHOTS

DEMO




FAQ
(Updated January 21^st 2003)

These answers came directly from Frank Goertzen himself, so you can’t get better than that. Whenever there’s an update, the new answers will be highlighted to save you having to scroll through everything again. We’re just that kind.

If you have any questions or comments that aren’t covered in this FAQ, send them in and I'll pass them along to Frank (or, if they’ve already been answered, send you some biting sarcasm).


The Game/Development

What is the full title of this game?
I don’t have a final title but my working title is The Final Game of Death. It might change if I come up with something better.

What format is it being developed for? If PC, what specifications are/will be required?
So far it’s only being developed for the PC, but I’m contacting Macintosh developers to get a Mac version released. As for specifications, they don’t have to be anything too special, but I’ll test out the minimum requirements once I release an official demo.

Will it be developed for other formats in the future?
As I said, maybe on the Mac, but I can’t see it going any further than that.

When can we expect to see the game released?
Not for a while yet [Frank has recently taken on some extra projects that will slow progress a little]. However, the demo should be out in approx. 2-3 weeks, more or less.

Is there a beta version available?
Yes, I sent a VERY early beta test out to a some devoted Bruce Lee fans, and I’m sure that’ll spread around the various forums. But everyone should keep in mind it is just a test, to see how the levels are displayed and basic key controls. It’s in no way a reflection of the final product.

Will the game be released commercially, or privately/by download?
I’m not sure if there are any legal issues with releasing a game using the Bruce Lee likeness, so before do anything I will check with the Bruce Lee estate to make sure everything's okay. But it would be freeware, for download, and most likely open source.

What development kit or compiler is the game built with?
That’s a good question. It’s written in a language called Turing 4 (www.holtsoft.com), and one of the reasons I made the game is to get this language more exposure. Compared to, say, C++ or VB, Turing is extremely simple yet powerful enough to make any game you can think of. It’s really the best language if you’d like to make games in days rather than months; you really can make games quickly and easily. I’m also the owner of a site, www.ooturing.cjb.net (undergoing reconstruction at the moment), where we offer free help for all Turing programmers from beginner to advanced.

"I have a great idea about (such and such). Are you open to suggestions?"
No, but that’s only because the game will be open source, so what I hope to see happen is that fans will take a little time to learn the language and get a compiler from www.holtsoft.com ($100US includes S&H) and make their own modifications - I’ll even set up a site to host these modifications if I see enough interest. Even without learning the language, you can edit the sprites using basic graphic programs like Paintbrush, so the number and type of characters/levels really are endless. What I might even do is just release a single level with open source so that everyone who's interested can start making their own levels. This way I think we would see a lot of interesting versions of Game of Death; for example, Bruce Lee vs Jackie Chan, Bruce vs Jet Li or whoever you want. Me personally, I'd probably do something like Bruce Lee vs a snowman. =)


Storyline

What is the storyline for this game? Does it follow any of the Bruce Lee films?
It’s essentially very close to the GoD storyline, as told to me by a few fans [I believe what Frank is referring to is the original storyline of the '72 version]. But I’ve added my own ideas, and even one additional level with an additional character. There are also some secret levels you can access depending how you play the game.

Will it feature other characters/locations from Bruce Lee’s films?
That’s very possible.

What other characters – allies and enemies – will feature in the game?
Chieh and James Tien [the characters from the '72 version of GoD] are the only other characters in the game, other than the secret ones. You might come across them in the secret levels.


Gameplay

Is it a 2D or a 3D game?
It’s 2D, it’s some what close to a Street Fighter/ Mortal Kombat type game…but better quality

What style of game is it – one-on-one fighter, side-scrolling beat-em-up, adventure game?
Essentially it’s a one-on-one fighter, but it’s a LOT more complicated than just beat each other up. There’s usually a second or third goal to every level - for example, in one of the levels you have to get James and Chieh to the other side without your opponent noticing, and still win. The tasks will get more complicated, but there’s always a simple and direct method of accomplishing the goals and winning; the hints are in the dialogue and intros to the level, as well as various objects on the ground or hanging on the walls that'll help you. So every level has multiple missions as well as multiple conclusions.

How many levels/stages/missions are there?
All the GoD levels plus 4 secret levels/characters and more depending on time.

Secret levels?
There aren’t any special onscreen indicators that you’ve entered a secret level, so you have to play the game multiple times using various stratigies, each of which will bring different conclusions and open up different secrets - secret levels, secret characters, who knows what else?

What kind of enemies will there be - is every enemy an established character (e.g. Colt, O’Hara, Hakeem), or are they saved for bosses and you fight generic enemies?
Other than the first level there aren’t any generic enemies - all the characters are unique and have a special/specific purpose in the game, and there will even be special A.I.; you can "anger" your opponent, which in some cases you want to do because anger is weakness and you can use that weakness to win. Of course, angering your opponent may not always be a good idea...

Will it feature any form of multiplayer – either versus or co-operative?
I hadn’t thought of that, but I could add a feature like that, which I think I might do. If so, it would be a versus mode.


General Requests

Could you PLEASE include the Game of Death outfit as a selectable costume? Bruce Lee game’s just aren’t right without it.
The GoD outfit is currently the default and only outfit. "How do you like that?" =) It'll be a while before I make any additional outfits, but like I said, you can easily edit the sprites so he could be wearing a little black dress if that's what you want.

PLEASE include Bolo in this game in some form. As a boss, as a selectable character, whatever – it’s about time he was in a videogame.
He already is =)



SCREENSHOTS

The first two screenshots are the only ones that have been made available, and are taken from the (aforementioned) early beta version. At this early stage of development, they are still a little rough, and really only illustrate the layout of the levels, and to indicate how and where things will be displayed on-screen.






However, this third screenshot is one I put together myself. As Frank said, the beta version (and the screenshots taken from it) really are not a fair reflection of the final version. So I cleaned up some of the textures and cropped the image down to present a more accurate idea of what we can expect the game to look like.






DEMO

Currently, the beta version of the game is only available to "sifus" of the Bruce Lee community for preliminary feedback. Don't bother asking for a copy, because nothing is being released to the public until the final demo version is complete. If you insist on asking where you can find a copy, or if I can give you a copy, or anything else of that nature... well, I'm sure I'll find some appropriate spam list to sign you up to.

As soon as the official demo is ready to roll, you'll be able to find it right here, and ONLY here, so keep checking back.




Thanks to Frank Goertzen for all his efforts not only in making a new Bruce Lee game happen, but for designing it with the real Lei Siu Loong fans in mind. Thanks to Jt and everyone at The Temple of The Unknown - the ONLY Bruce Lee forum - for spreading the word about the game, and thanks to Dames, Dr Tom and GoodHelmet for making this all happen. Any questions or comments, just send me an email.

Be water, my friends.

Jay Spree