Clusterball

{{Short description|2000 video game}} {{Infobox video game | title = Clusterball | image = File:Clusterball retail game box cover.jpg

| alt = | caption = British box art | developer = Daydream Software | publisher = Daydream Software<br />Strategy First (retail reissue) | series = | engine = | platforms = Macintosh, Windows | released = July 17, 2000<br />November 20, 2001 (retail reissue)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-08-18 |title=Strategy First - Press |url=http://www.strategyfirst.com/press/DisplayArticle.asp?sLanguageCode=EN&iArticleID=25 |access-date=2023-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040818143336/http://www.strategyfirst.com/press/DisplayArticle.asp?sLanguageCode=EN&iArticleID=25 |archive-date=2004-08-18 }}</ref> | genre = Racing | modes = Multiplayer }}

'''''Clusterball''''' is a 2000 video game featuring futuristic sport gameplay created by the Swedish Company Daydream Software and published by Strategy First, RealNetworks and Daydream Software itself.

''Clusterball'' began development in early 1997 as a research and development experiment at Daydream. It was the company's first fully 3D game, as its other projects were pre-rendered.

== Gameplay == thumb|left|In ''Clusterball'', the player must collect as many balls as they can from the playing field. ''Clusterball'' is an action-sports game that plays out in a three-dimensional graphical environment. The player controls a sci-fi aircraft and maneuvers environments based on the Arctic, the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge and other locations.

In ''Clusterball'', the player must collect as many balls as they can from the playing field then fly them through a ring in the center of the stage to collect points. Various weapons and power ups are strewn around the stages, enabling players to steal their opponents' balls or invert the controls of the other player, making movement much more difficult. The balls lie on magnetic ramps and the aircraft must slide on these ramps to collect the balls. As the player tows more and more balls, which create a tail behind the aircraft, the aircraft becomes gradually heavier, therefore more vulnerable to enemy attacks.<ref name=euroint />

The game was designed to enable online multiplayer gameplay.

== Development == ===Origins=== ''Clusterball'' began as a research and development experiment at Daydream Software.<ref name="macgate">{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991004150535/http://www.macgate.torget.se/articles/interviews/Traitorsgate/ | url=http://www.macgate.torget.se:80/articles/interviews/Traitorsgate/ | title=Interview with Nigel Papworth on ''Traitors Gate'' | date=May 8, 1999 | author=Unland, Brice | work=Mac Game Gate | archive-date=October 4, 1999 | url-status=dead | access-date=July 5, 2019 }}</ref> Initially, it was spearheaded by company co-founder Jörgen Isaksson.<ref name="umea">{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821192105/https://www.umea.se/arkiv/langaartiklar/artiklar/daydreamomettforetagforesintid.5.30ef415915f7bdea1ee1ecec.html | url=https://www.umea.se/arkiv/langaartiklar/artiklar/daydreamomettforetagforesintid.5.30ef415915f7bdea1ee1ecec.html | title=Daydream – om ett företag före sin tid | author=Staff | publisher=Umeå | language=Swedish | archive-date=August 21, 2018 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The project derived from Daydream's worry, according to the team's Nigel Papworth, that the production pipeline used by its titles ''Safecracker'' and ''Traitors Gate'' was "too costly and time consuming to be a viable long term solution" for the company.<ref name=macgate /> Development began in early 1997.<ref name="macgate2">{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991004110744/http://www.macgate.torget.se/articles/interviews/Daydream0499/ | url=http://www.macgate.torget.se/articles/interviews/Daydream0499/ | title=Interview with Matti Larsson of Daydream | date=April 28, 1999 | author=Unland, Brice | work=Mac Game Gate | archive-date=October 4, 1999 | url-status=dead }}</ref> In designing ''Clusterball'', the team sought to create a unique online multiplayer game without violence, as Daydream did not release violent titles.<ref name=macgate2 /> The company told investors in June 1997 that "feasibility study and research" was underway for a game codenamed Project 3,<ref name="pro3">{{cite report | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030426150902/http://www.daydream.se/finans/rapporter/release0624.htm | url=http://www.daydream.se:80/finans/rapporter/release0624.htm | title=Delårsrapport, september 1996 - maj 1997. | date=June 23, 1997 | publisher=Daydream Software | language=Swedish | archive-date=April 26, 2003 | url-status=dead | access-date=July 5, 2019 }}</ref> later revealed as ''Clusterball''.<ref name="sep-nov97">{{cite report | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030426150554/http://www.daydream.se/finans/rapporter/release0115.htm | url=http://www.daydream.se:80/finans/rapporter/release0115.htm | title=Delårsrapport september 1997 - november 1997 | date=January 15, 1998 | language=Swedish | publisher=Daydream Software | archive-date=April 26, 2003 | url-status=dead | access-date=July 5, 2019 }}</ref> A prototype had been created by that time to test the game's technology.<ref name=pro3 />

They settled on a combination of sports and flight simulator gameplay,<ref name="euroint">{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010716010336/http://www.eurogamer.net/features.php3?name=i_daydream | url=http://www.eurogamer.net/features.php3?name=i_daydream | title=Interview; Daydreamers | author=Bye, John | date=August 4, 2000 | work=Eurogamer | archive-date=July 16, 2001 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=macgate2 /> with elements of racing and inspiration from the game ''Diamond Mine''. The design was also driven by a desire among certain Daydream employees for "a game where you could fly around in a landscape and see very far" into the distance, according to the team's Matti Larsson.<ref name=macgate2 /> ''Clusterball'' was started concurrently with ''Traitors Gate'' and was developed side by side with that game.<ref name=macgate /> When asked how the team initially came up with the idea for ''Clusterball'' in an interview with ''Eurogamer'', Daydream Software's Nigel Papworth responded with "We sat around and discussed what we thought were the greatest aspects of real life games and computer games, and concluded that ball games rule in real life, flight sims in the digital universe. The conclusion was to build a flight sim ball game!"<ref name=euroint />

===Release=== The game was released on July 17, 2000 for both PC computers and as a downloadable title off of Real.com.<ref name=ign /> Plans for a Mac OS X version of the game were announced but later scrapped.

==Reception== {{Video game reviews | IGN = 6.8/10<ref name=ign>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040614231159/http://pc.ign.com/articles/167/167089p1.html| url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/167/167089p1.html | title=''Clusterball'' | date=January 8, 2002 | author=Sulic, Ivan | archive-date=June 14, 2004 | work=IGN | url-status=dead }}</ref> | EuroG = 8/10<ref name=eurogamerrev>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011222044435/http://www.eurogamer.net/content/r_clusterball/ | url=http://www.eurogamer.net/content/r_clusterball/ | title=Review; ''Clusterball'' | author=Bramwell, Tom | date=September 18, 2001 | work=Eurogamer | archive-date=December 22, 2001 | url-status=dead }}</ref> | GSpot = 6.7/10<ref name=gamespotrev>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050127163947/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/clusterball/review.html | url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/clusterball/review.html | title=''Clusterball'' | author=Osborne, Scott | date=September 24, 2001 | work=GameSpot | archive-date=January 27, 2005 | url-status=dead }}</ref> | PCZone = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=pczone>{{cite journal | author=Shoemaker, Richie | title=Reviews; ''Clusterball'' | journal=PC Zone | issue=108 | date=November 2001 | page=97 }}</ref> | GSpy = 7.0/10<ref>{{cite web|first= Kevin|last=Rice|url=http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/december01/clusterball/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020220115206/http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/december01/clusterball/|title=Clusterball (PC) Review|website=GameSpy|date=December 11, 2001|archivedate=February 20, 2002|accessdate=October 10, 2019}}</ref> }}

During the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, ''Clusterball'' received a nomination for the "Online Gameplay" award by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2001&idGame=604 |title=D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Clusterball |publisher=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |website=interactive.org |access-date=2 August 2023}}</ref>

== Legacy == A sequel to ''Clusterball'' called ''Clusterball Arcade'' was released for iPhone by Resolution Interactive, a team consisting of ex-Daydream Software members.

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110424143304/http://wireless.ign.com/articles/926/926263p1.html ''IGN'' article] *[http://toucharcade.com/2008/08/15/flight-sports-title-clusterball-2-for-iphone-demonstrated/ ''TouchArcade'' article]

Category:2000 video games Category:Daydream Software games Category:Fantasy sports video games Category:Multiplayer video games Category:Strategy First games Category:Video games developed in Sweden Category:Windows games Category:Windows-only games