Difference between revisions of "MTropolis"
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** Segment Startup File -- name of the project with extension ".mfw" | ** Segment Startup File -- name of the project with extension ".mfw" | ||
** Other Segment File -- name of the project and number starting at "2" with extension ".mxw" | ** Other Segment File -- name of the project and number starting at "2" with extension ".mxw" | ||
*mTropolis v1.0 Runtime Files (Mac) | |||
**"mPlayer 68K" | |||
**"mPlayer PPC" | |||
*mTropolis v1.0 Runtime Files (Win) | *mTropolis v1.0 Runtime Files (Win) | ||
**mTropolis Windows Player v1.0.0.1 -- "MTPLAY16.exe" | **mTropolis Windows Player v1.0.0.1 -- "MTPLAY16.exe" | ||
Revision as of 03:43, 7 June 2022
| mtropolis | ||
|---|---|---|
| Engine developer | ||
| Companies that used it | Various | |
| Games that use it | Dozens | |
| Date added to ScummVM | Not Added | |
| First release containing it | None | |
mTropolis, (pronounced like the English word "metropolis"), was a multimedia creation tool by mFactory. It had a userbase of a few thousand during the mid-to-late 90s but was outcompeted by Macromedia's Director. A few games were built on mTropolis with high profile titles including Obsidian and Muppet Treasure Island. Though mTropolis lent itself to the development of HyperCard-like point-and-click games, the tech was a fully-featured multimedia project creation suite that was used for various niche projects.
Games targeted by the engine
See mTropolis/Games.
mTropolis Files
Built mTropolis projects used standard file-naming conventions although there were some deviations. The runtime files, known as "mTropolis Player" tended to be renamed or have their icon changed to match the game. If a mTropolis game was small enough, they tended to be have a single release on a hybrid CD-ROM with separate Mac and Windows partitions. Larger or multi-CD games tended to utilize separate releases for each OS.
- All mTropolis versions Data Files
- External Video Files -- folder "Videos"
- mTropolis v1.0 or v1.1 Data Files (Mac)
- Segment Startup File -- name of the project and "1"
- Other Segment Files -- name of the project and number starting at "2"
- mTropolis v1.0 or v1.1 Data Files (Win)
- Segment Startup File -- name of the project and "1" with extension ".MPL".
- Other Segment Files -- name of the project and number starting at "2" with extension ".MPX"
- mTropolis v2.0 Data Files (cross-platform)
- Segment Startup File -- name of the project with extension ".mfx"
- Other Segment File -- name of the project and number starting at "2" with extension ".mxx"
- mTropolis v2.0 Data Files (Mac)
- Segment Startup File -- name of the project with extension ".mfm"
- Other Segment File -- name of the project and number starting at "2" with extension ".mxm"
- mTropolis v2.0 Data Files (Win)
- Segment Startup File -- name of the project with extension ".mfw"
- Other Segment File -- name of the project and number starting at "2" with extension ".mxw"
- mTropolis v1.0 Runtime Files (Mac)
- "mPlayer 68K"
- "mPlayer PPC"
- mTropolis v1.0 Runtime Files (Win)
- mTropolis Windows Player v1.0.0.1 -- "MTPLAY16.exe"
- mTropolis Windows Player v1.0.0.1 -- "MTPLAY32.exe"
- mTropolis v1.1 Runtime Files (Win)
- mTropolis 32-Bit Windows Player v1.1.2.241 -- "MTPLAY31.EXE"
- mTropolis 32-Bit Windows Player v1.1.2.241 -- "MTPLAY95.EXE"
- mTropolis v2.0 Runtime Files (Win)
- mTropolis 32-Bit Windows Player v2.0.0.0 -- "Mtplay32.exe"
History
mTropolis was released to the public at 1995's Macworld Expo in San Francisco. The mTropolis "authoring system" was designed for Mac System 7 and supported both 68K and PowerPC CPUs. Despite the Mac-centric development ecosystem, runtimes or "playback systems" were available for Mac and Windows. A web target and accompanying Netscape plugin was also developed.
mFactory's assets were purchased by Quark in 1997 who released mTropolis v2.0 in 1998. This was a final update and the end of all support for the product. A usergroup attempted to purchase the mTropolis IP and possibly make it open-source but negotiations fell through.
Versions
- mTropolis v1.0: January 1995
- mTropolis v1.1: May 1996
- mTropolis v2.0: March 1998
External Links
Articles
- Game Developer Magazine: "Goodbye, mTropolis" by Kevin S. Willis of Ransom Interactive (1998-06)
- King of Dragon Pass (Blog): An Architecture Overview (2011-02-06)
- Salon: The Software that Refused to Die (1998-10-06)
Emulating a 68K or PPC Mac to Run the mTropolis Authoring Software
The authoring software isn't needed to run any games though it may be useful for research about the engine.
- The Patch Bay: A Guide to Legacy Mac Emulators
- E-Maculation wiki: Basilisk II Setup
- E-Maculation wiki: SheepShaver Setup