Outlaws (1997 video game)

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This article is about the 1997 first-person shooter. There was also an earlier game called Outlaws for the Commodore 64.

1997 video game

Outlaws

Developer(s)	LucasArts
Publisher(s)	LucasArts
Designer(s)	Daron Stinnett, Stephen R. Shaw and Adam Schnitzer
Engine	Dark Forces
Platform(s)	PC
Release	1997
Genre(s)	FPS
Mode(s)	Single player Multi player

Outlaws is a first-person shooter released by LucasArts in 1997 using an enhanced version of the Jedi game engine, first seen in Star Wars: Dark Forces. It is one of the very few FPS games with a Wild West setting. CG animation (using special filters to look hand drawn) sequences play between each mission and set up the action in the next area.

Although not a huge economic success it does enjoy a strong cult-like following that is still strong ten years after the initial release.

In 2001, LucasArts released a patch to add Direct3D ability to the game, complementing the existing Glide and software rendering support.

Tagline: Dyin's too good for 'em.

Plot

James Anderson, a retired U.S. Marshal, comes home after a trip to the general store to find his wife Anna murdered and his daughter Sarah, kidnapped by two outlaws known as Matt "Dr. Death" Jackson and "Slim" Sam Fulton, under the employ of the evil railroad baron named Bob Graham. Graham has hired several wanted outlaws to "enlighten" the people of the county to sell their land to him, so that he can make money on a huge railway. To get his daughter back, Anderson takes out his gun again and travels across the West to hunt down each prominent member of Graham's gang of outlaws. However, on his journey, Anderson is haunted by dreams of his father's murder as a child; while the two were camping out in the wild, an unknown assailant shot him in his sleep, but left young James alive. Anderson's quest takes him through old western towns, the canyonlands, a Spanish villa, a moving train, an abandoned mine, and a ruined indian village, where he finally finds out where Graham is keeping Sarah; at his estate, the Big Rock Ranch. Anderson blasts his way into Graham's villa, and finally confronts him. However, Anderson loses his gun, and at gun point, it is revealed that Graham was his father's murderer. Just as Graham is about to deliver the final blow to Anderson, however, Sarah manages to shoot Graham. After a tearful reunion, father and daughter ride into the sunset.

Single Player

In the lower difficulty levels, termed "Good" and "Bad", the player is able to sustain several bullet wounds with no apparent ill effects. In the hardest difficulty level, "Ugly", the player's resistance is reduced to one or two shots. This forces the player into a different style of play. Where on the easier difficulty levels a player might charge into a gunfight heedless of Anderson's personal health, in Ugly mode, the player must use stealth and cover to win.

Historical Missions

Aside from the main single-player campaign, Outlaws includes a set of 5 discrete missions that chronicle Anderson's rise to the rank of U.S. Marshal. Each of the missions requires Anderson to either capture or kill a specific outlaw. Ranks (Deputy, Sheriff, and Marshal) are awarded on the accumulation of a set number of points. Points are awarded for recovering stolen gold, capturing/killing the outlaw, and for killing enemies.

Each outlaw that the player captures appears in a jail cell in Anderson's field office. More points are awarded for capturing an outlaw than for killing one, due to the difficulty in capturing one alive. Completion of the Historical Missions is not a requirement for playing the single-player campaign.

In 1998, LucasArts released a set of 4 unconnected single-player missions, called Handful of Missions, for download from the official website. The package includes several new multiplayer missions, and a patch to update the game to version 2.0. The single-player missions take place outside of the original game's storyline.

Multiplayer

The player can assume the role of 1 of 6 characters from the main game: Matt "Dr. Death" Jackson, "Bloody" Mary Nash, James Anderson, Chief Two-Feathers, "Gentleman" Bob Graham, and "Spittin'" Jack Sanchez. Each character has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of speed/maneuverability, weapons selection, and resistance. As a result, a majority of players used Dr. Death, James Anderson, and Jack Sanchez with hardly any opting to play as Bob Graham. From 1997-2000, the IRC channel dedicated to Outlaws hosted a tournament every Sunday, sometimes with prizes and sometimes without.

More than 1,500 custom multiplayer maps have been created since Outlaws was released. New maps continue to be released as of 2007.

Almost all players agreed not to use items deemed unfair (weapons like the Sawed-Off Shotgun or the Invisibility Lotion) that could be found in the original multiplayer maps (very few custom maps included these). The community was very close-knit especially on IRC and KALI networks. Some players joined "Posses" or "Gangs", the Outlaws equivalent of computer gaming clans. Outlaws was one of the very first games to spawn clan-based gaming.

Original score

The game's original score by Clint Bajakian received a great deal of praise, and won several awards for best game soundtrack of 1997, including from Computer Gaming World. It closely follows the style of Ennio Morricone's spaghetti Western scores, combining orchestral instruments with male choirs chanting and grunting, as well as a variety of unconventional sounds.

The music is contained on the games' two CD-ROMs in the standard Red Book CD-audio format, and are played in-game. A stand-alone soundtrack CD was released by Lucasarts featuring all of the music included with the original Outlaws game, but on one CD and minus the game data.

Track Listing (name and time)

CD 1

Outlaws - 3:21
Sanctuary - 4:22
The Shack - 3:52
Anna's Theme - 3:55
Revenge - 4:49
The Train - 3:46
Sanchez the Outlaw - 3:37

CD 2

The Ballad of Dr. Death - 4:46
Hideout - 5:38
The Sawmill - 3:30
The Mine - 7:18
Two Feathers - 4:07
Wild Card - 5:16
The Last Gunfight - 3:45
Showdown - 2:25

Awards

Best Music - Computer Gaming World - 1997
Best Story - PC Games - 1997

Post-release life

In spite of there being no plans of a sequel, the game still lives on through a very dedicated, though small, fanbase. As of September 2005 as many as 20 players can be found in the MSN Gaming Zone and several websites still serve up new levels that are still being created to this date.

A less popular game, The Outlaws Mod for Half-Life, also exists. The Half-Life port of the classic game of Outlaws never caught on, but like the game it was based on, there also exists a cult-like following.

Decline in popularity

Outlaws and its Jedi engine have become quite dated in terms of gaming technology. Thus very few players are found playing it on MSN Gaming Zone or IRC and its small community on the KALI program is basically extinct. Tournaments are no longer held in the IRC channel or on MSN gaming zone.

Other reasons for the decline in multiplayer play is that it has become less and less compatible with newer versions of Microsoft Windows. Outlaws was originally intended to be played on Windows 95. Windows 98 brought compatibility issues which LucasArts issued a patch for, but still problems persisted. Windows XP brought further problems that have made online play even more difficult.

Sequel petition

A petition has been made by the fans to get LucasArts to consider making a sequel for Outlaws but so far no plans have been made. The petition has received over 2900 signatures so far. In interviews LucasArts staff have claimed that they consider Outlaws one of its best classic games, however it seems unlikely it will get a sequel, much to the dismay of its fanbase.

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