War Stories: Jordan Mechner on Making Prince of Persia (ArsTechnica)
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- Опубликовано: 16 мар 2020
- ArsTechnica interviewed me in January 2020 for an in-depth look behind the scenes of making Prince of Persia. The story of how and why Shadowman came into being (when the prince jumped through a mirror) has never been better told on video. If you're curious and would like to dig even deeper into how Prince of Persia and its sequel, The Shadow and The Flame, got made, check out the new Stripe Press illustrated collector's edition of my old 1985-1993 journals: jordanmechner.com/journals.
Courtesy of ArsTechnica 
Игры
Absolute genius. This game is so ahead of its time that it spawned it’s own genre of “cinematic platformer”. I remember playing Super Mario Brothers at home and seeing this running at my cousins house on his PC and having my jaw dropped instantly.
Amazing story, and what a hard job you had to do back at the time, drawing animation pixel by pixel, the limitation of memory, and programming in assembly language, at a young age! No wonder it took 4 years of development, yet it made its name as one of the best games in history!
Great job Jordan, please don't stop making games, you're absolutely genius game developer, I hope we could see it again on a new prince of Persia game, now that you don't have the limitations you had, and much better tools to work with, add the element of your genius and I'm sure you'll make another remarkable game that everyone will talk about for another 30 years.
That's very kind of you! Thank you!
This seriously deserves millions of views to be honest
I remember the Prince of Persia 2 intro was so incredibly artistic, emotionally moving and culturally respectful, I will never forget that narration. Thank You
Simply genius, so creative and effective for his time. One of the few games that I don't mind playing for hours even now. I really hope that Ubisoft bring Prince to us
My childhood hero! I am still in love with this game!
What an intriguing story! I had no idea the game I played in my childhood had such a fascinating origin story behind it. Kudos to you, Sir.
I remember playing Prince of Persia on my buddy's Apple when I was like 7. I friggin' **hated** that game because it was so hard for me, but I couldn't stop playing.
Fast forward to Sands of Time on the GameCube when I was in college. That game is still in my top 20 games of all time.
Your friendships and brilliance is just so refreshing. Prince of Persia was my favorite childhood game, loved playing it.
I am very happy that can write to you directly in here. Actually I am from Persia. I lived there for 30 years before my migration to one of western countries. I want you to know that you made lots of amazing moments for me. I completely remember the first time I attracted to the game. I was 13 years old and for a short time it was an agricultural exhibition near our school. Because I always loved animals when I was free from school, I was in that exhibition for watching lab mice, bees in their transparent hives, big cows and white camels.
A nice guy in information office of that exhibition had a PC and was playing "Prince of Persia" after hours of his work. It was like dream came true for me.
Not only me and my friends but also some adults like my uncle was the fan of your game. He was smiling and watching us playing the game and was enjoying the nice music of the game. Because the game was related to history of that area and he knew the true story of the game from historical books.
Long story short, I would like to tell you: I wish that childhood good feeling and pure energy you tried hard to make for us by making the game, would come back to your life one day or night you really need it.
Maybe you can not imagine how far away around the globe your masterpiece have been gone.
We survived from 8 years civil war and sometimes happiness can be a very rare jewellery in middle east.
Wish you good luck and all the best!
Peace 🕊️
You have no idea how much us 90's gamers appreciate you, not just as a developer but as a great human first and foremost!!! Really detailed and easy-to-understand insight here as well. You're a fucking legend!!! PoP & Jordan Mechner fan forever
💙
I started playing this game when I was 3 or 4, the PC version, I couldn't read but I memorized the order of the letters to write: cd prince of persia on the DOS screen ... I played it every single day!!! I still play the mods I find... Thank you Jordan for making POP part of my childhood and giving me such a unforgettable days of entertainment(even nowdays)!!!
You immortalized your brother ! haha He must feel so honored, I can only imagine ! It's amazing to see how groundbreaking was all of this at the time. Innovation at its best ! One of the best games I played on my 286 with 1 MB RAM NO HARD DRIVE , Hercules monochrome monitor. Prince of Persia is engrained in my brain pretty much since then. Thanks Jordan !
Thank you!
this was the first ever computer game i have ever played in my life. Though it was published in 1989 ( i wasn't even born then), i played it in one of my school's mandatory computer lessons back in 1998 when i was just in second standard. Though our computer teacher took us there to learn the very basic commands of a computer, i just saw the icon of this game in one of the drives labeled GAMES, and right after double clicking............ From that day onwards, i never stopped playing computer games and never stopped praising prince of persia. This game is my origin of gaming, i am humbly thanking you sir for making this game as it wasn't and still isn't just a game for me! it's my life and memories coiled with the game reminding me that time is indeed an ocean in a storm!
The first Prince of Persia is My favourite game in the world ❤ love everything about it. The sound of the guillotine is still haunting me haha
He worked so hard on this game. He deserves his success.
Legend! So fascinating listening to him speak about how he created such a revolutionary game.
Damn, this guy is brilliant. Shame we have so few games from him.
longlive JORDAN MECHNER AND HIS WORK. you are part of my childhood. i began to know KARATEKA since 1986 (APPLE II- apple cloned computer Dolphin) . can't forget and I really miss that year with my grandpa and grandmom and akinun. i miss them all.
This was the first game I played as a kid and it really stuck with me and is prob one of the reasons I love vintage games to this day. The constraints of making a game back then really forced some amazing creativity.
This started off my foray into computers and gaming in general, you are an absolute inspiration to many of us. I played this on our first PC (686) in 1996 (I know it's much later). And I played all the sequels from then on :-)
Thanks for making my childhood so good with this game! I will appreciate if u will make a new Prince of Persia
OMG. I played Karateka on Apple II, Prince of Persia I, II, and Sands of Time on 16, 32, and 64 bits PCs, and the new Karateka on my iPhone. It is a really amazing and nostalgic moment to find this channel and finally see the procedures making those games in my childhood made by Jordan Mechner as late as today in my 40s. I’m so much grateful for your genius and diligent endevor to make these characters alive even today. I have actually recorded and still have the happy ending and finale song of Karateka in my play list. Your father’s music still plays from time to time in my room, which brings me to the Japanese fortress, Akuma, and beautiful Mariko. Thank you so much for those precious memories from Korea.
Thank you! That's wonderful to hear. More coming soon that will make you happy, I think!
@@JordanMechner Can’t wait to see that more to come!!!
Ah... I couldn’t help buying your two books of making Karateka and Prince of Persia from Amazon.com. Looking forward to reading the details when the books come.
You are a legend Jordan! Thank you!
Thank you!
I read your book quite a while back, when eager to find other books about the development of classic games by small teams, after reading Masters of Doom. I'm glad to see it getting some attention again!
This guys played a huge part of my childhood, fucking legend!
The game of my childhood and later versions accompanied me during my adolescence.
What can I say - thank you 🙂
Thank you Jordan. I've always liked games since very young kid and don't even have idea how many I've played. But one thing is for granted and will stick to me and that's Prince of Persia. It's a game that I haven't even to this day actually completed, but it's absolutely and easily within Top 5 of all time games that I've seen and gotten that "Wow, is this even possible" experiences. Flashback is one of my favorites of all time, but it's so incredibly obvious were it's roots have came. In Top 6 for me are and I don't think I can put any of these in particular order, but all of these are incredible: Doom, that's obvious when it came the game engine itself with all the lighting etc. were just unbelievable, it really felt like 3D. Ultima VII that just had so much in it and in detail I really wasn't expecting and it's game world was just.. Huge. Dune 2 which just was something so compelling and different to me. X-Com/U.F.O Defence with it's insane level of strategy elements, likely the game that I've played for hour amount I can't even dare to think, just.. A lot. Prince of Persia is as said also most definitely on this list. I still remember vividly when I visited my friend when they had gotten IBM PS2 with vga and when I still had Hercules XT computer he showed me Prince of Persia. Level of animation just struck me that how this kind of animation could've ever been done and left that permanent memory to me. Ironically I thought of Karateka, but didn't realize that it's made by same developer and btw I was really impressed seeing it in c64 and have completed it and gotten kicked to nuts, that one was vicious, lol :D . Also one still belongs to the group and for me it has to be Frogger for c64. Simply because it was the first game I've ever played and it just showed that even simple thing with good controls and elements can be super fun and got me into seeking more experiences with games.
Jordan, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for creating one of the most amazing game series ever. Lots of love and respect from Nepal 🇳🇵
We Love Jordan Mechner
Prince of Persia was one of the first video games I played in my childhood. There were times when there was only one computer (I had an IBM 286) at home for the use of the whole family, no smartphones, no Internet, and Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, existed only in a quantum world.
Very interesting to listen to you, Mr. Mechner. Good personal and contextual story.
I remember playing it as a kid, it freaking blew my mind how realistic the movements were, n still today lol
Thank you for making such a great game❤
Absolutely loved this game when i was a young kid playing it on my pentium 386 - it inspired me to get into the creative field and programming. And POP The Sands of Time just blew me away...thanks for the inspiration : ]
This is the best resume of PoP history of creation! Thanks a lot for spending your time making this classic!!!
I absolutely loved Prince of Persia back then on my 286 PC. No idea how many hundreds of hours I sunk into trying to beat it. I've come almost to the end a few times, only for time to run out. You really should have given us a little more than the 1 hour.. ;-)
nice story, this game gave so much colors to our childhood all over the world, thanks Master! 👏👏👏🌹
my childhood game, when I was 7 years old. Now I'm 30 and I want to bring it back
I would give David's left kidney for a Last Express remaster, someone get this guy on the phone to do it. Or at least another great retrospective like this - the old Making-Of is cool but it's pretty lo-fi, and that game needs some love.
Jordan Mechner is really a genius, every games he had maked, are so deep and proufound.. Such an underated games developer, Just look at the Last Express, Such a deep and tragic story. IT should have got more recognition and so should Jordan
So, so awesome.
Using a gravis game pad, it plays so well and is still fun today! thanks for sharing the behind the scenes
Amazing look into Prince of Persia’s creation! Thank you for sharing!
You are a real gem!
Awesome video. A million times, thank you for this! Jordan is a true pioneer. So wonderful to get a first person account of his story.
Great. Do u have plan to make video about what improvements / evolution from Prince of Persia to Prince of *Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame* ?
I was always sad by not having the sequel of PoP 3 (continuing the original story). Gladly I found what was with the old hag and the serpent symbol by reading your game design doc. You're my hero.
Just wow!!! Absolute hard work done by you! You gave a lot of people a lot of good memories ! Thank you for that!
Very insightful!!
Thank you Mr. Mechner.
Jordan I love your talks about the good old days. Please keep it up. I would love to see a documentary about your work on Karateka and POP. Possible ?
Big fan of prince of persia game waiting for new game of pop
Beatiful experience and result. Thank you for the story. Nice memories... Happy hacking!
Awesome. Finally got to know the backstory about the game? Where's the one for Karateka?
Also I found out that VHS has lower quality footage compared to film.
Amazing video
Thank you for this game, Jordan!!! It was a huge, fun and exciting part of my childhood. I played it on PC in grade school in the mid 90s and I loved every second of it. I would get sweat on my forehead at times. It was amazing. I could never finish it, I am not sure at what level I got stuck, maybe 10 or 11. I remember the mouse, the mirror, Shadow Man, the skeletons, the fat guard dude and the high altitude drop between levels was something else! So imaginative, so great. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! And now seeing how you got to create it and your brother helping you and actually being the Prince... Such a JOY! I FINALLY finished the game a couple of years ago at 35, lol. Better late than never, right? 😅😁😊💙
Back when i first rented this cartridge for Master System, i was 4 years old. I wasn't able to pass through the first guard. After many rents trying, i sadly gave up. But, even as a child, I could note the good animations of the prince.
Great video!
Please make a new one w Ubisoft!
Today I learned that Karateka (and that annoying bird!!) was made by the same genius that created prince ... awesome games - prince way ahead of its time and the reboot (sands of time) inspired all games to this day !
This was fantastic & a lesson about trusting your inner voice, whilst being open to inspiration. As a fellow creative, i can wholly relate tp the two voice scneario. In those still moments, you'll get the answer(s) you need, wether it's solo or from others; that's God working to help you out.
I've also learned how to pronounce Karateka another way. In the UK, it was pronounced quickly and without splitting it as you do.
Thank you for doing this, Jordan.
Great story and very inspiring of a game that marked my childhood, thanks for sharing.
Ps: I didn't know that you had created Karateka too, congratulations again :)
Remember playing this and Shadow and the Flame on a 2-game CD in Windows 98. The rotoscoping story sounds very familiar, I think I remember him talking about the rotoscoping in Karateka in the dev diaries for Sands of Time. This is truly an awesome behind the scenes gift from my all-time favorite game franchise.
Also, would've been awesome to fight the sand tigers and sand griffins in Sands of Time! I guess we got the latter in Warrior Within but that's a story for another time!
Thank you for making our childhood awesome and creating the best Game Franchise Prince Of Persia hope Ubisoft brings it back i
This is pretty much the gaming community’s answer to movies like Jason and the Argonauts & The 7th Voyage of Sinbad! I actually started with the Amiga version I believe it was summer ‘89..
This series is truly timeless.. I’m also a big fan of the Sands of Time.. In that respect I look forward to the new one coming out.. The movie stylistically was not what I was expecting nonetheless it was indeed delightful..
and now is 2020, only few days prior to 2021....wow sir, you have witnessed and worked much in computing technology
Awesome!
Great video. Jordan, we spoke a long time ago on Twitter about PoP. :-) I have many Apple IIe's, IIc's, IIgs's and a couple II+'s. I still load up PoP on my IIe on a somewhat regular basis. Apple II forever!
One of the best games ever made hands down.
Epic graphics, epic soundtrack, epic plot twists.
This man is a genius! Thank you 🙏
Fantastic. Technical genius aside, Sands of Time was such a beautifully executed game, there is a sequence toward the end of the game that evoked a heartbreaking sense of loss. Truly memorable moment of a game as a storytelling medium.
Yes please tell us the story ⭐Great One ⭐
The more I learn about your games the more interested I am in them! Awesome job creating them. I know it's a question you probably get a lot of times but I gotta ask: PoP2 the shadow and the flame ends with kind of a cliffhanger for a third game with the witch staring into a crystal ball. Did you ever share what the plot or ideas were for that witch story arc? I would love to hear what the idea was originally for that one :)
Os gráficos podem evoluir e tudo mais ... porém esse jogo sempre vai ter um lugar especial aqui comigo. O primeiro jogo a gente nunca esquece. Obrigado Jordan Mechner !!!
Respekt. I played when i was 14 years in year 1995 by Snes. It was amazing at that time. This game is genial in all what you make.
Wow to see that how you make it and who, that is also amazing...
Jordan Will a new part of the Prince of Persia series be released?
This is amazing wow
you are legend and legends never dies
This guy is godlike in my eyes
Thank you
You are my inspiration, you're always my inspiration.
But wait there sir, imma make a clone game of Karateka, must thanks to my dad, in Vietnam, he showed me this wonderful art game.
thanks for the game man
mr. Mechner. Thx you for prince. Respect from Russia.
Hi Jordan big fan here, there’s two questions I’ve always wanted to ask you 1. what did your peers and friends think of the digitised film frame by frame rotoscoping for both Karateka and Prince of Persia? and 2. Being a one man developer were you surprised by the original games success and the fact that it went on to spawn not only a franchise but that it directly led to the creation of assassins creed?
13:33 Shadow Man maybe the most scariest video game villain ever created.
I loved the smooth animation provided by PoP. Back then not all ms-dos games were like this. I remember getting to lvl 12 with still 7 minutes to go. I loved this game. I am thinking about buying a handheld console just to play this, any thoughts?
We need a new Prince of Persia please...
I ❤️ Prince Of Persia
Thank you for making our childhood)
Greetings from Ukraine👋
Jordan your great and so is your games:)
If Eric Chahi and Jordan Mechner made a game together it would be like when the Ghostbusters crossed the streams
Your genius Mr mechner!
This was extremely interesting for us older generation who have enjoyed the game for so many years!
I'm just surprised he didn't give his brother Francis any credit for composing the epic music...
I've always wanted to know what happened with the prince and the princess at the end of prince of persia 2! And I still do..28 years after playing It for the First time. Prince of Persia 3, continuing from where prince 2 endeded in Platform style is possible? Sorry about my english, but always wanted prince 3 to know what happened with that witch with the crystal ball and how the prince beat It.
Thank you for your awrsome work.
Greetings from Brazil!
And all this time, I didn't know that I was pronouncing Karateka incorrectly.
Moral of the story; Always Listen To Tomi Pierce. R.I.P
love u Jordon
In the interview you mention the 48K memory several times. But the game was released for 128K machines only, wasn't it?
I love the POP series. I'm 45 yo.
For me, stories from the "old days" are highly engrossing .
Someone knows the make of the background sound starting @ 1:56?
MS DOS version with Adlib/Soundblaster 16 sound card.