Thought I'd try something different with the presentation as I thought my usual documentary style might not show off the character and "flavour" of the universe. So I extracted the sound files and made it more audio drama and less documentary. A few notes: - Did you know that the Black Swan is a devout Russian Orthodox who insists on having a chaplain with her joining a gang? Or that Major Loyle "Showstopper" Crawfords squadron symbol is a diamond apple? Apparently the old sourcebooks have TONS of information that was either briefly shown or never even stated in the games, Hell I just finished reading a blurb about a Navajo pilot. I'm going to try to get ahold of some of these books for future videos. - Use Game Extractor to view and pull out from the Crimson Skies ZBD files. You'll need Java, but I think it's the only program that'll work on the file format. But the .wav files are kinda "weird" straight out of the archives, and don't play nice with some players (BeeMP3 works) and video editing software (ie mine). So like me, you may have to convert them to mp3, but just make sure the kpbs is high enough. Good luck getting the texture files into a usuable format though, nothing I have will open them. - The Aspect ratio: It took a long awhile to get Crimson Skies to play nice with my system. Frankly I'm not even fully sure what fix/edit/patch/wrapper/thing got it working. So at the end I was too afraid of accidently causing the whole to just not run. I'll see about fixing it now that the video is done, but there's a chance I might not be able to. If you made it this far down, then Congratulations! You get this Crimson Skies fansite kit I was able to salvage from a web archive copy of the original game site: drive.google.com/file/d/1_eS35D2ndicmkO_6K3KxjpUF5qDfo2qa/view?usp=sharing
I really hope you do come back to the series- when I discovered and fell for Crimson Skies, I found the premise grossly underrated. I await your future playthroughs or similar for Crimson Skies.
@@KlaxontheImpailr there were like...two books? released in the early 00's, one was a collection of short stories and i think the other followed Paladin Blake there must have been three because i think another followed the fortune hunters.
Such a pity this game is a forgotten gem. It’s like Top Gun crossed with Indiana Jones. Figured something like this would’ve been much more popular considering the likes of Uncharted and Nathan Drake. I’ve gotten it working on an old 2010-15 ish laptop mostly (saving plane variants doesn’t work though).
Also I found this out after I uploaded the video (Because, of course), but Stan LePard seems to have a complete, High Quality version of the Crimson Skies soundtrack on his soundcloud: soundcloud.com/stanlepard/sets/crimson-skies-1999-original-soundtrack
Oh man, talk about a blast from the past...Crimson Skies was my VERY first Xbox love. I played the HELL out of that game. I got SO confused when I looked it up online and lo there was another game before it! And a whole universe too... Oh the nostalgia.
This was AWESOME!! Hopefully more Crimson Skies videos will be in the pipeline eventually. Appreciate all the work you put into these and bringing underappreciated worlds and lore to the forefront.
I keep an old Windows 95 / DOS 6.2 machine around to play games like these! I spent MANY hours playing Crimson Skies and loving it! Customizing each aircraft's load-out to the MAX for each mission and relishing at being an ACE! Being a child of the 80's and a computer gaming nerd I used to buy these BOXED CD/ROM games when they were released... still have a closet shelf FULL of them...lol Only problem is CD/ROMs are NOT forever and eventually WILL develop bit errors as time creeps up on them. Thank god for CD cloning!!
For the love of God,we have 2023! It's unbelievable we can't replay this masterpiece of a game. At least,I, don't know a way to find and play the game again. If anyone knows any simple way for people with no massive computer skills to find and reply the game please tell...
Same, and the original TTG really does look fascinating. If you're lucky like I was a few years back, you may even be able to find some of old the Wizkid releases in old comic book stores like I did once. Just maybe don't look too closely at how they did their pilots: twitter.com/MacsLore/status/1398317096266776579?s=20
Wish this game was available on Xbox. I've got High Road to Revenge on my Series X, just recently played it and i miss the soundtrack while flying dangerously thru Chicago. Fortune Hunters aloft is probably my fav song from the game.
I wish we could return to it in some form of another. It really captured my imagination as a kid and the setting is just ripe for a proper creative revisit.
The first Crimson Skies started off as a boardgame, then made into a PC game in 2000. Unfortunately a variety of gameplay issues and technical bugs kneecapped it in the review magazines of the time and limited it's popularity. It got an Xbox-exclusive in '03(?) but now I think it's lost in IP-Ownership hell since '09 with no end in sight.
Thought I'd try something different with the presentation as I thought my usual documentary style might not show off the character and "flavour" of the universe. So I extracted the sound files and made it more audio drama and less documentary. A few notes:
- Did you know that the Black Swan is a devout Russian Orthodox who insists on having a chaplain with her joining a gang? Or that Major Loyle "Showstopper" Crawfords squadron symbol is a diamond apple? Apparently the old sourcebooks have TONS of information that was either briefly shown or never even stated in the games, Hell I just finished reading a blurb about a Navajo pilot. I'm going to try to get ahold of some of these books for future videos.
- Use Game Extractor to view and pull out from the Crimson Skies ZBD files. You'll need Java, but I think it's the only program that'll work on the file format. But the .wav files are kinda "weird" straight out of the archives, and don't play nice with some players (BeeMP3 works) and video editing software (ie mine). So like me, you may have to convert them to mp3, but just make sure the kpbs is high enough. Good luck getting the texture files into a usuable format though, nothing I have will open them.
- The Aspect ratio: It took a long awhile to get Crimson Skies to play nice with my system. Frankly I'm not even fully sure what fix/edit/patch/wrapper/thing got it working. So at the end I was too afraid of accidently causing the whole to just not run. I'll see about fixing it now that the video is done, but there's a chance I might not be able to.
If you made it this far down, then Congratulations! You get this Crimson Skies fansite kit I was able to salvage from a web archive copy of the original game site: drive.google.com/file/d/1_eS35D2ndicmkO_6K3KxjpUF5qDfo2qa/view?usp=sharing
I really hope you do come back to the series- when I discovered and fell for Crimson Skies, I found the premise grossly underrated.
I await your future playthroughs or similar for Crimson Skies.
I love Crimson skies, it sucks so much that there isnt more then two games, a tabletop mini game and parts of an RPG.
For TTRPGs "Flying Circus" gives me a lot of the same feelings, despite being a bespoke setting and maybe 20 years earlier tech-wise.
I'm surprised no-one's even tried book or tv spin offs.
@@KlaxontheImpailr there were like...two books? released in the early 00's, one was a collection of short stories and i think the other followed Paladin Blake there must have been three because i think another followed the fortune hunters.
@@OmegablueWolf thx I'll look them up
So good, classic game. I'd kill for a remake/reboot/sequel
And a crossover with Homeworld.
Ideal to go with the growth of Steampunk movement
Such a pity this game is a forgotten gem. It’s like Top Gun crossed with Indiana Jones. Figured something like this would’ve been much more popular considering the likes of Uncharted and Nathan Drake. I’ve gotten it working on an old 2010-15 ish laptop mostly (saving plane variants doesn’t work though).
Also I found this out after I uploaded the video (Because, of course), but Stan LePard seems to have a complete, High Quality version of the Crimson Skies soundtrack on his soundcloud: soundcloud.com/stanlepard/sets/crimson-skies-1999-original-soundtrack
Oh man, talk about a blast from the past...Crimson Skies was my VERY first Xbox love. I played the HELL out of that game.
I got SO confused when I looked it up online and lo there was another game before it! And a whole universe too...
Oh the nostalgia.
Please do more on this universe! I've never heard of it, but it's so very dieselpunk which I love!
This was AWESOME!! Hopefully more Crimson Skies videos will be in the pipeline eventually. Appreciate all the work you put into these and bringing underappreciated worlds and lore to the forefront.
I keep an old Windows 95 / DOS 6.2 machine around to play games like these! I spent MANY hours playing Crimson Skies and loving it! Customizing each aircraft's load-out to the MAX for each mission and relishing at being an ACE! Being a child of the 80's and a computer gaming nerd I used to buy these BOXED CD/ROM games when they were released... still have a closet shelf FULL of them...lol Only problem is CD/ROMs are NOT forever and eventually WILL develop bit errors as time creeps up on them. Thank god for CD cloning!!
This game was my childhood! Didn't expect much when I bought it, but they really nailed the atmosphere
lol Man, making me want to dust off my copy of Crimson Sky to play it again
For the love of God,we have 2023! It's unbelievable we can't replay this masterpiece of a game. At least,I, don't know a way to find and play the game again. If anyone knows any simple way for people with no massive computer skills to find and reply the game please tell...
just google it :P found it at myabandonware and there is a discord ...
It’s backwards compatibility on the Xbox one
A man of excellent taste in games, I see.
I loved the PC game back innaday. I've always regretted not getting into the tabletop game.
Same, and the original TTG really does look fascinating. If you're lucky like I was a few years back, you may even be able to find some of old the Wizkid releases in old comic book stores like I did once. Just maybe don't look too closely at how they did their pilots:
twitter.com/MacsLore/status/1398317096266776579?s=20
This is cool!
You know what I find interesting in this video... How do the opponents know what radio frequency the other side is always on 🙂?
Wish this game was available on Xbox.
I've got High Road to Revenge on my Series X, just recently played it and i miss the soundtrack while flying dangerously thru Chicago.
Fortune Hunters aloft is probably my fav song from the game.
I wish we could return to it in some form of another. It really captured my imagination as a kid and the setting is just ripe for a proper creative revisit.
Is this video and the video you posted today the only two Crimson Skies videos you have?
Why haven't I heard of this series before?
The first Crimson Skies started off as a boardgame, then made into a PC game in 2000. Unfortunately a variety of gameplay issues and technical bugs kneecapped it in the review magazines of the time and limited it's popularity. It got an Xbox-exclusive in '03(?) but now I think it's lost in IP-Ownership hell since '09 with no end in sight.
Bc you've been living under a rock and didn't have a childhood with the original Xbox you clown
@@MacsLore I have half a mind to start my own dieselpunk, alt-history series out of spite. 😉
What about "High Road to Revenge"?
I gotta come back and finish off the rest of the first game before that.
Who else thought he meant Nathan Drake?