The Making of Prince of Persia: A Labor of Love That Defined an Industry
In the early 1980s, Jordan Mechner, a Yale University student at the time, wanted to create a video game that captured the excitement of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Inspired by the 1984 film's fluid rotoscoped animation and its sense of urgency, where one wrong move could lead to instant death, Mechner poured his heart and soul into creating Prince of Persia.
Mechner began by filming himself running, jumping, and climbing in a parking lot, using an Apple II computer as a makeshift motion capture system. He then spent months manually digitizing the footage, retouching it in black and white, and reanimating it frame by frame to create the game's iconic fluid animation.
As he worked on the character animation, Mechner knew that adding combat elements would be crucial to making the game engaging. However, his Apple II was running low on memory, and he had maxed out its capacity. Desperate for a solution, Mechner employed a technique called byte-shifting, which allowed him to create a "dark" version of the prince – the Shadowman – that could run without using more memory.
The addition of sword-fighting animations and guards was a crucial step in completing Prince of Persia, but it also took a toll on Mechner's time and energy. He had been working tirelessly for months, taking breaks only to help his girlfriend, Tomi Pierce, who was programming in the same office space.
When the game finally emerged in 1989, it received widespread critical acclaim for its innovative animation, engaging gameplay, and strong narrative. Despite the Apple II's dwindling popularity, Prince of Persia performed well on other platforms, including Europe and Japan, where it built a cult following.
The success of Prince of Persia not only revitalized Mechner's career but also paved the way for future action-adventure games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted. It also marked an important milestone in the transition of film technology to video game development, with Pixar's early work on graphics software for Lucasfilm serving as a precursor.
In the end, Prince of Persia became more than just a game – it was a testament to Mechner's dedication, creativity, and perseverance. As he reflected on the experience, Mechner realized that his time away from the project had been beneficial, allowing him to return with renewed energy and focus.
"The problem for a lot of programmers is that they get 90% done, and don't have the stamina to finish the last 10%," Mechner noted. "My finish quality was always superb; he's a very detail-oriented guy." For Mechner, Prince of Persia represented a turning point in his career, one that would shape the future of video games for years to come.
The game's enduring legacy is a tribute to Mechner's innovative spirit and his willingness to push boundaries. As Doug Carlston, publisher of Broderbund, noted: "Jordan was one of five or six independent developers working in our attic space. The time away was probably good for the game... It had an intangible quality that kept thinking about it when you weren't playing it."
In the early 1980s, Jordan Mechner, a Yale University student at the time, wanted to create a video game that captured the excitement of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Inspired by the 1984 film's fluid rotoscoped animation and its sense of urgency, where one wrong move could lead to instant death, Mechner poured his heart and soul into creating Prince of Persia.
Mechner began by filming himself running, jumping, and climbing in a parking lot, using an Apple II computer as a makeshift motion capture system. He then spent months manually digitizing the footage, retouching it in black and white, and reanimating it frame by frame to create the game's iconic fluid animation.
As he worked on the character animation, Mechner knew that adding combat elements would be crucial to making the game engaging. However, his Apple II was running low on memory, and he had maxed out its capacity. Desperate for a solution, Mechner employed a technique called byte-shifting, which allowed him to create a "dark" version of the prince – the Shadowman – that could run without using more memory.
The addition of sword-fighting animations and guards was a crucial step in completing Prince of Persia, but it also took a toll on Mechner's time and energy. He had been working tirelessly for months, taking breaks only to help his girlfriend, Tomi Pierce, who was programming in the same office space.
When the game finally emerged in 1989, it received widespread critical acclaim for its innovative animation, engaging gameplay, and strong narrative. Despite the Apple II's dwindling popularity, Prince of Persia performed well on other platforms, including Europe and Japan, where it built a cult following.
The success of Prince of Persia not only revitalized Mechner's career but also paved the way for future action-adventure games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted. It also marked an important milestone in the transition of film technology to video game development, with Pixar's early work on graphics software for Lucasfilm serving as a precursor.
In the end, Prince of Persia became more than just a game – it was a testament to Mechner's dedication, creativity, and perseverance. As he reflected on the experience, Mechner realized that his time away from the project had been beneficial, allowing him to return with renewed energy and focus.
"The problem for a lot of programmers is that they get 90% done, and don't have the stamina to finish the last 10%," Mechner noted. "My finish quality was always superb; he's a very detail-oriented guy." For Mechner, Prince of Persia represented a turning point in his career, one that would shape the future of video games for years to come.
The game's enduring legacy is a tribute to Mechner's innovative spirit and his willingness to push boundaries. As Doug Carlston, publisher of Broderbund, noted: "Jordan was one of five or six independent developers working in our attic space. The time away was probably good for the game... It had an intangible quality that kept thinking about it when you weren't playing it."
. I mean, sure it's a classic and all that jazz, but have you seen the gameplay mechanics? So clunky and outdated! I think it's overrated as a pioneer in animation, too. The rotoscoping effect was just a gimmick back then. And don't even get me started on how short the game is - 20 levels and it's over? Not exactly immersive gaming experience if you ask me 
. Give me some modern games with more complex narratives and fluid gameplay any day 
u know wat's crazy? like jordan mechner made prince of persia w/ no money n only 1 computer 
& create the shadowman to save memory 
. that's dedication right there 
!
I mean Jordan Mechner is like a hero to me, he poured his heart and soul into making this game and it shows. the animation was so ahead of its time, I remember being blown away by the fluid movement of the prince 
. and can you believe he used an apple ii as a motion capture system? that's some old school magic right there 
. anyway, I think its awesome how this game paved the way for future action-adventure games like tomb raider and uncharted 
its like, wow!
. Byte-shifting the Shadowman character was pure genius 
. It's crazy to think that this game helped pave the way for future action-adventure games 
. The fact that it built a cult following in Europe and Japan is no surprise - there's something special about exploring new lands on your console 
I think Prince of Persia is still pretty iconic today. Mechner's dedication to making it just right is really inspiring 
. Like, who else would put in all those hours perfecting the animation? 
It's crazy to think that without that solution, the game might not have made it out the door as well as it did 
. Mechner's willingness to experiment and try new things is what makes this game so special. And let's be real, who wouldn't want to play a game with fluid animation like that? 
). And the fact that Prince of Persia paved the way for future games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted is just amazing 
. The fact that it became a cult classic even outside of North America is really cool, I mean who wouldn't want to play a game with sick fluid animation and sword-fighting animations?
It's like they're trying to make me appreciate the nostalgia or something. Anyway, what really grinds my gears is that it took Jordan Mechner months to manually digitize his footage just to get the character animation right. Can you imagine doing that for 8 hours a day? 
I mean, I know he was trying to create something innovative and all, but come on, couldn't he have used some kind of motion capture technology back then? 
And don't even get me started on the byte-shifting technique – what a pain to implement! 
that's some next level dedication.
like, don't get me wrong she's a programmer and all, but it sounds like she had to take a backseat to his solo project. anyway, gotta give props to Mechner for making something so iconic and influential – Prince of Persia is definitely one of those games that stands the test of time 
I mean, can you even imagine putting like a million hours into a video game just to make it happen? Jordan Mechner's dedication is literally inspiring! He basically created this masterpiece from scratch using nothing but an Apple II and his own creativity 
. And the fact that he found ways to solve problems like byte-shifting to keep the game going, despite running out of memory... genius! 
. And I love that he took breaks to support his girlfriend, who was also working on the project - it just goes to show that having a supportive partner can make all the difference in achieving your goals 
.
. Also, how reliable are those " byte-shifting" memory hacks, really? Can they be replicated today with modern tech? 