Sierra Online
Sierra Online, now Vivendi Games, is a global developer, publisher and distributor of multi-platform interactive entertainment.
The company is the leader in the subscription-based massively multi-player online
(MMO) games category, holds leading positions in the PC, console, handheld and mobile
games markets, and is an emerging player in casual online games
Sierra Online, and its subsidiary Berkeley Systems, makers of the acclaimed and
financially successful "You Don't Know Jack" series of games, needed to continue
publishing innovative casual multiplayer games. They devised several game packs
to combine several new and innovative non-violent, easily accessible, yet challenging
games. This combination of play features, in a format not yet seen, was no
easy order to fill.
A totally new play mechanic was created in the form of the game "LumaSpheres" TM.
LumaSpheres is a game that is a single player solitaire/puzzle game, and for multiple
players, a challenging struggle for territory in the fashion of the ancient board
game Go.
Alien entertainment brought to Earth; LumaSpheres is the game that the 'Grays' play
while on their interstellar voyages. An Abuductee friend told us of this game, and
we made it into software.
Specific technologies used were: Microsoft
Visual C++, Microsoft Direct X (DirectDraw,
DirectSound, DirectPlay).DirectPlay).
The player is dealt a 'hand' of spheres, each representing a primal element: Air,
Water, Fire, Stone, Metal, Wood, Energy, and Matter. Each sphere reacts with
every other sphere in a positive or negative manner when placed on connecting board
receptors, creating circles of light or circles of darkness. A maximum of
three circles of light can be created on each receptor, giving all play boards a
maximum score. Using the spheres available, in solitaire mode, the player
tries to get the highest score. Boards get progressively more complex.
For multiplayer, it becomes a game of territory capture and defense. Each
player gets a different color and turns take place in round robin fashion.
Multiplayer play can be hot-seat or take place over any TCP/IP network using DirectPlay.
One player becomes the 'host', and the other players connect to the host via TCP/IP.
Up to four players can play the multiplayer version.
Extra sphere packs and additional boards were planned for this product, but during
several rounds of acquisitions and mergers, the entire product line was put aside.
Due to the specifics of the original contract, LumaSpheres was merely licensed to
Sierra for specific use and as of 2006 it has fully reverted to Code4Software.
Look for this game to be re-released soon in a variety of formats!