History of Death Axle Rage. How PlayStation 3 killed Russian Cyberpunk 2077

ranjit October 7, 2024 in Blog - 12 Minutes

Talking last year about a sad fate "Adventures of Captain Blad", I mentioned about Axle Rage, a friend of a potential domestic hit that we never saw. Well, it seems, it's time to talk about his difficult fate. And I would like to open a story in a quote from the book “Time of Games!"Andrei Podshibyakin:“ If the cause of the “Captain Blad” can be called the victory of the business over gameplay, then in the case of Axle Rage, the wording will be different, more prosaic and common: the victory of technology over the dream ”.

Racing, bit, face: Axle Rage, which we have lost

Crazy Axel

They started working on Axle Rage at about the same time with Captain Blade – in 2002. Akella then I was on a horse and could afford bold experiments. With one phrase, her new project could be described as follows: “The coolest game about bikers in the world”. The concept included an open world, an unpredictable plot, and the development of the hero, and the pumping of his iron horse, and the shock dose of two -wheeled romance, and God knows what else. In different periods of life, the game combined elements of various works: from "Mad Max" And "Escape from New York" to Cyberpunk 2077 And neoar Max Payne.

The authors called the film sources of inspiration "Harley Davidson and the cowboy of the Malborough" And even "Akiru"

Futuristic metropolis Neilsdale, where the events of the Axle Rage were to develop, would have shut up behind the belt and Night City. Moreover, not so much the scale (the development manager Andrei Belkin spoke in an interview about six to eight square kilometers), but by interactiveness. For example, it was assumed that much in it could be destroyed. True, I slightly imagine how this can be realized today – what can we say about 2002. But the simulation of life was also supposed: with cars, pedestrians and a change of time of day! Well, of course, without evil corporations, corrupt police and narcotic wars, https://golden-lion-gb-casino.co.uk/ could not be. How do you like it, CD Projekt Red?

Moreover, Akella planned to make a thing that the Poles failed: normal driving. They promised to let go in cars, but the main entertainment, of course, should have been motorcycles. They were promised a lot: very different, from classic chopper to licked racing soap men, but equally well worked out. Of course, it would not have been without racing and all kinds of tricks like "Willie" or the launch of smoke from under the wheels.

The developers called motorcycles in Axle Rage as a fetish as ships in "Corsarers". Accordingly, it was supposed to improve them in every possible way. And the analogue of the sea battles should have been battles on motorcycles – just like in Road Rash , Only cooler. For example, normal fixation on the target would allow you to steer and at the same time shoot, and in addition to weapons, various improvised means like garbage tanks would be used.

Moreover, it was assumed that the brains and in the saddle can be knocked out not only with bare hands, but also with a weapon (the favorite of the protagonist was supposed to be a baseball bat), and indeed any improvised objects. They promised to pay special attention to the near battle. Dynamics-"somewhere between Devil May Cry, Lotr And Dead to Rights". Several types of blows with hands and legs, throws, blocks, combinations, finishing, repetitions of particularly cruel moments in the spectacular SLO-Mo … Of course, all this fired only in the Mature rating.

Moreover, the story was promised no less adult than gameplay. The plot tie was all in the spirit of the series GTA (or, if you want, Deus Ex ). Everything turned around a mysterious substance called “Miro”-not some ordinary drug, but a real biocomputer endowing the consumer with super-signs. The title biker Axel was to become his dealer, which suddenly became interested in where this world came from, what is his catch and how to make more. Naturally, where illegal substances are there – there are bikers gangs. It was assumed that these fractions would receive complex relationships with each other, will fight beyond the territory and periodically throw up tasks for us. In the appendage, the hero would receive his own gang No Dice, which was supposed to develop and then crush competitors. Sounds like a mixture San Andreas And The Lost and Damned.

Only freedom was supposed less: at the level not GTA, but rather, Mafia. The main feature was still not variability (although the plot forks were supposed), but a powerful main story.

Art Axle Rage from Anry

Artists such as Andrei Ivanchenko, known under the pseudonym Anry, worked on art (maybe remember the covers of Nika Perumov’s novels from about the same time?) and Vadim Bakhlychev (aka Molotov). Before that, they had already worked on Corses. And the soundtrack is generally a separate topic, I strongly recommend listening. Feel the scale? Yes, the beginning of the zero was for the Russian Gamdev something like this-the time of "Dream Games".

What is characteristic, the developers used not some 3D-explosion, RPG with an open world or, at worst, a motorcycle simulator. Nothing of the kind. According to Dmitry Arkhipov, Vice President of Akelly for Development and Development, Axle Rage was supposed to be .. Full Throttle In 3D.

I do not promise pleasure from listening, but it helps atmosphere to penetrate

If you do not know what Full Throttle is and what it was for gamers of the nineties, then I will call you a happy person. After all, you can play a masterpiece Lucasarts For the first time! Formally, this is an ordinary Point’N’Click quest. But this is formally. In fact, Full Throttle is dusty highway, chromium shine, skin crunch and generally the most masculine adventure in history. The notorious biker romance was above the roof there, even for fights on motorcycles there was a place – not very interesting, but still. It was the combination of artistic style, not bad humor, severe brutality, worked out narrative and that elusive substance that is commonly called the “atmosphere”, made Full Throttle with what it was. In general, this game became a legend thanks to not technologies (although for 1995 Full Throttle had everything in perfect order)-and for some reason we forgot about it for some reason. Damn is unusual for a country where it is customary to bet on such ephemeral matters as “soul”, “atmosphere”, “love” and other scrapers, and not for cold dead training grounds with God -dimensional shaders. But in the end it turned out that it was technology that was gobbled up this game.

Where are dreams

The point is what: now any schoolboy can master some free to master in a week Unity 3D or Unreal Engine , Therefore, for most developers, the problem of technology is not so much. Self -recorded engines use less and less, because their shortcomings most often outweigh possible benefits. But at the beginning of the zero, everything worked a little differently, and the Axle Rage was done on their own motor … with which the programmers did not cope elementarily. The project was simply a brilliant picture – the developers really worked on the graphics of the graphics – but the engine simply could not chew it.

However, the team was not going to cancel the project and throw the work done to the landfill. Akella made a truly Solomon decision and licensed Renderware from Criterion Studios , authors Burnout. Not on this engine did not work, but, say, the second part of Max Payne already mentioned above, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon And the order is already forgotten The Movies. But the main thing is as many as three Grand Theft Auto: number third part, Vice City And San Andreas. As you know, it is difficult to find a more suitable engine for action with transport in the open world.

No wonder the "Gambling" back in 2003 dubbed Axle Rage "of our GTA 3". Moreover, in a large preview, published a year later, it was said that “at the time of Akellla’s adoption of a decision to licensing Renderware about GTA 3, no one has heard yet!"Although this, of course, is a controversial question, because GTA 3 came out in 2001, and the active stage of Axle Rage development began no earlier than 2002 … Well, let's write off on the enthusiastic style of the then game journalism.

At first, the working name for Russia was a “night wolf”, and the first version without embellishment was simply called the “biker” and was a fighting motorcycle arena

One way or another, Akelly programmers had to independently teach Renderware to physics. They created a model of behavior of two -wheeled transport: in GTA 3, if you remember, there were no motorcycles at all, and then “ Rockstar It took 11 months to simply introduce motorcycles into Vice City! Eleven!", As the same Belkin said joyfully.

Moreover, according to eyewitnesses, the game looked just perfectly, especially in the version for PC: there were a realistic fog, shadows, and high -resolution textures. And for the accuracy of the animation, Motion Capture technology and professional actors were responsible, whose movements were shot at the base "Mosfilma".

Gambling Cover with Axle Rage

However, despite all the tricks of the developers, the motor counted on the ninth year, and in terms of technology the game was hopelessly stuck in the past. This is if not saying that moving an almost ready -made game to a new engine always means on actually restarting development and zeroing most of the achievements.

The game was waiting in 2004 (in March Axle Rage even appeared on the cover of gambling). Then-in 2005. Then she changed the name to Rage Rider , She moved in 2006 and survived a conceptual transformation into a post -apocalyptic action with role -playing elements. The events of the game were transferred from a fictitious metropolis to a completely ordinary Nevada, albeit ruined by war. It was no longer so much Cyberpunk 2077 as Days Gone – with scattered settlements, motorized gangs of looters and other anarchy on wheels. And even then Rage Rider looked very, very old.

But outside the studio, time continued to follow its turn. The industry developed, gaming series were born and died, console generations were replaced. And it was the last fact that the Axle Rage finally finished off. Working on the game, Akella, of course, did not forget about PC, but as target platforms she considered home game consoles – she was even called "the first in Russia the real multifaceted gaming project".

The first minute of the video is a rare footage of Rage Rider gameplay in her second hypostasis

In the early 2000s, the ball around the world PlayStation 2 Rules: convenient for developers, inexpensive and just the best console in history. According to the authors, the console and PC version of the Axle Rage were developed in parallel, but it was on PS2 that the release was supposed to take place earlier. If the game was created specifically for the second “curling”, then, most likely, it would still be born, let it and in a very premature form. That's just known for his cunning Sony I decided not to wait until the stupid Haijes are expanded by their Opus Magnum, and released the PlayStation 3. And now it was already fatalities: to develop a game for a completely new, and even a platform known for its whims was like death.

Then, apparently, being in desperation, the developers promised the release on PSP. And in 2006, they completely closed the project-for reasons of expediency: the next restart was there for the publisher too expensive. Gambling in the material about promising games who did not see the light, wrote literally the following: “Akella” really wanted to release Axle Rage/Rage Rider on PS2. When Sony representatives came to look at the game … In general, they never gave permission to release it on PS2 ”(No. 2 for 2007). I don’t know whether this is the truth or just the artistic exaggeration of the authors, but it sounds quite believable.

By the way, Urban Dictionary defines the phrase “Rage Rider” as follows: “A bad ass Motherfucker Whill Knock You Out For Pissing Them Off in the Least Bit”

Perhaps if the game had a Western publisher, he would not allow her to drown in the production hell, the gonor of the developers and their pity for himself. Something like ThQ I pulled out at one time "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl ", Another long -term construction from the CIS of zero. But what happened: Akella never found a foreign savior. There was no one to pull out the next hope of Russian Gamdev.

Dmitry Arkhipov in the book of Podshibyakin on this occasion said the following: “Just the team could not cope. They declared a large serious brand, mastered money and got into a puddle ". Very capacious characteristics of the entire domestic gaming industry.

The decision to change the name Axle Rage to Rage Rider "Akella" and 1C was accepted on their own. Why it was needed – a mystery

In total, Axle Rage has agonized for almost ten years. With her death, as Andrei Podshibyakin notes, the “romantic period of Russian gaming development” ended. The time of the dreamers ended-the time has come to the pragmatists with their session Free-to-Play MMO and mobile, excuse me for the straightforwardness, milkmaids.

And based on the Axle Rage workings, they made "Battle with Shadow" and a lot of other trash, including the notorious Postal 3. Moreover, in the same “battle with the shadow” of the fight (the central element of gameplay in the game about boxing!) Zaiden so that you involuntarily ask the question: or maybe it’s good that Axle Rage never came out? All the same, a beautiful legend is better than another lousy game with giant ambitions.