| Notes: | [1] Game distributed by Epic Marketing. Original game & concept by Mark Sibly; concept management by James Caygill and additional software design by Dave Newton; game story by Chris Murfin; and level design by Gareth Murfin.
Coding by Gareth Murfin; utilities created by Dave Newton; chunky-to-planar (c2p) routines by Peter McGavin and Iain Barclay. Graphics by Gareth Murfin and James Caygill; additional gfx by Jason Jordache. Sound FX & intro voices by Chris Burns and Richard Murfin.
[2] Magazine Publisher: Amiga Future 75, Nov/Dec 2008 [download HERE - AF website registration required!]
[3] Min. Requirements: ECS chipset, 68020 CPU, 2MB ram, CDROM drive, HD.
Recommended: AGA chipset, 68030 CPU, 4MB fastram, fast CDROM drive, HD, joypad.
Recommended (fullscreen only): AGA chipset or gfx card, 68040/25 CPU or better, 6MB fastram, CDROM drive, HD, joypad.
[4] GLOOM 3 supports the following features:
** 68020/030/040/060 CPU or Akiko (CD32 only) optimised versions
[NOTE: Double-click the 'Setup' icon on CD from WB (or execute from CLI/shell) before launching the game and select the appropriate CPU and c2p options to play the most optimised version of the game for your Amiga set-up. For example, execute 'Setup' in the root directory on CD and select the 'Akiko' and 'Akiko c2p' options to play the version of the game that has been optimised specifically for the CD32.]
** Quit back to WB option (ineffective on CD32 unless the game has been launched from WB)
** Null/serial modem play
** Keyboard/joystick/joypad control
** i-Glasses (for virtual reality 3D gameplay)
** Window play (256 colours with AGA or gfx card only)
** Comprehensive rendered game intro with full speech
** 2-player co-operative or combative gameplay
** 10 new horrific zombie enemies
** 50 new fast-paced, gory levels
** 30 new scary 2-player combat levels with zombies!
[5] Despite developers giving players the option to play an optimised CD32 version of the game off CD, there is no possibility of autobooting the GLOOM 3 CD on the CD32 (due to the absence of the 'CD32.TM' trademark and startup-sequence files). However, it has been verified on real hardware that the game can be executed from a CLI/shell after making the appropriate assigns if you attach a keyboard to the CD32 and 'boot with no startup-sequence' from the early startup menu (hold down the red and blue buttons on a joypad OR hold down both buttons on a mouse plugged into joy port 2).
Alternatively, it may be possible to play the optimised CD32 version of the game on a standard CD32 by double-clicking the game icon from WB after first booting into WB off CD. This is unverified and requires testing on real CD32 hardware, however. This process should prove no problem, though, for owners of expanded CD32s who have the ability to boot into WB first off hard drive.
Nevertheless, before launching the game on CD32, however, ensure that you have set the appropriate CPU/c2p options for CD32-optimised gameplay first using the game preferences program (i.e. execute 'Setup' in the root directory on CD, go to 'Other Settings' and select the 'Akiko' and 'Akiko c2p' options for CD32 gameplay).
GLOOM 3 will work on a standard CD32 according to the game manual, but without at least an SX1 add-on and extra hardware it may seem slightly sluggish unless players use low pixel rates together with a small screenmode.
[6] GLOOM 3 (manual) - including the background story and specs - is contained on the game CD (see HERE).
[7] GLOOM 3 utilises the same basic game engine of its predecessor GLOOM DELUXE, but uses enhanced chunky-to-planar (c2p) routines.
[8] ***GLOOM 3 (full release)** is available for download from these sources:
- GLOOM 3 (full release) [Source: Aminet]
- GLOOM 3 (full release) [Source: Aminet CD 30, courtesy of the Internet Archive]
- GLOOM 3 (full release) - AF website registration required! [Source: Amiga Future]
***GLOOM 3 (full release)*** was also included on Aminet Set 8 and Amiga Future 75 (cover CD).
[9] GLOOM 3 (demo) V1.3, which includes 5 playable levels, is available on Aminet HERE (dir: game/demo/Gloom3demo.lha).
[10] GLOOM 3 enthusiasts can download various patches and other goodies from Aminet:
(a) GLOOM 3 (official patch) V0.2 fixes crashes that may occur in quitting back to WB and also offers some troubleshooting tips on getting the game/demo to work on particular Amiga set-ups (dir: game/patch/Gloom3fix.lha).
(b) GLOOM 3 (AGA patch) for window play on machines that don't use gfx cards (dir: game/patch/G3WindowPatch.lha).
(c) GLOOM 3 (level selector/cheater) that gives players a choice of levels and more (dir: game/patch/Gloom3Cheat.lha).
(d) GLOOM 3 (unreleased gfx/sound) that weren't good enough for inclusion in the game (dir: game/patch/Gloom3rejects.lha).
[11] The planned optimised PPC version of GLOOM 3 mentioned in the game manual was never released. Neither was the promised sequel GLOOM 3: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT, although a slideshow demo is available on Aminet HERE (dir: game/demo/G3DCpreview.lha).
TRIVIA: Coder Gareth Murfin was the ripe old age of 16 years and still completing high school when he took on the development of this third installment in the GLOOM franchise. By that time, Black Magic - the original developers of the previous two installments in the franchise - had abandoned both the franchise and the Amiga platform leaving young Murfin to shoulder the burden of development, while honing his coding, graphical and level design skills from the recesses of his home bedroom. |
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