First game with a day/night cycle?

[Ed Oscuro]

Poster A-Yty of The CV Dungeon Forums asked this question and I thought it'd be worthwhile to ask it here as well.

I wouldn't mind getting two answers (one for the computer side, another for consoles, or preferably one for RPGs and another for action games).

So far we have Tau Ceti, a 1985 computer game, and Castlevania II from 1988 (Ultima V was also from 1988, a bit too late to take a distinction of being earlier from Castlevania).

Anything earlier come to mind?

[yok-dfa]

Anything earlier come to mind?

Well, Enduro for the Atari 2600 had a day/night cycle (sort-of). I'm not sure about the year of release, but it's somewhere around 1983 i guess...

[Kitsune Sniper]

Wouldn't Super Mario Bros. count, technically? There's stages that take place in the dark (black instead of blue backgrounds).

[j_factor]

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

It has an in-game clock, with a deadline on apprehending the thief, and it forces you to sleep every night. I think its first release was in 1985.

[Lord_Magus]

This is probably irrelevant, but the first game that came to mind was Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Even though it was by no means the earliest game to implement a day\night cycle, it was the first one I played that actually put the whole real-time day\night idea to good use. I still think it was a game WAY ahead of its time, which sadly never got the recognition it deserved...

Anyway, carry on! :)

[Towlie2110]

Im currently playing Majoras mask for the first time.

OoT had a day night cycle too, and it's the first to come to mind. Levels like SMB don't count because you can't sit during a level long enough to make it turn to night.

Majoras mask just seems like a good idea with the wrong game. Zelda has always been concerned with story and what not, and here we have a game where the story repeats every day and the only one who remembers is the main character which leads to a pretty uneeded story so far.

Also, why can't he go back in time to the time right before that guy took his horse and flute? Who cares about termina, whose this friend he's looking for.

[Mayhem]

Satan's Hollow? You play during day and night...

[Scissors]

Archon had a day/night cycle. I believe it was released in 1983.

[le geek]

Forbidden Forest on C64?

[c0ldb33r]

I immediately thought of Castlevania II and that horrible 10 second pause between day and night

[icbrkr]

Robot Tank for the Atari 2600 (1983), Enduro as well :)

[scooterb23]

Lemonade Stand comes to mind...even has a rising and setting sun (you buy your supplies during the night section, although I don't remember if the screen showed it to be night or not).

[mailman187666]

Frog Bog for intellivision/frogs and flies for atari 2600 you start in the morning and end at night. I'm not sure what year those games came out though.

[ccc---]

The Intellivision version of Atlantis from Imagic?

[backguard]

the ultimas had day/night cycles. i'm pretty sure they all had it from #2 on. 5 implemented it really well though.

ultima 2 was released in 1982.

[tom]

Volleyball on VCS also has a day and night cycle, if I remember right? And a shark!!

[Towlie2110]

Define day/night cycle?

Are we talking it's day, and if you sit there idle long enough it will eventually turn to night and you can still play? (Real D/N cycle imo)

Or just games that let you play levels that were night and day like wave race 64 lol.

[Haoie]

Maybe a better question is what title first implemented an in game clock.

[Ed Oscuro]

Maybe a better question is what title first implemented an in game clock.
Agreed. Updating the first post.

The games *must have a clock that eventually changes the time to day or night* after a set period of time/turns/rounds. SMB's underground areas don't count for a number of obvious reasons (you don't even know if it's actually nighttime; it's just dark down there).

[lkermel]

Kiki Kaikai for the Famicom disk system has a day/night cycle. It was released in 1987. The screen has full color during the day and it will turn blue at night.

[Damaramu]

Heh, first game that came to mind was Drakkhen on the SNES.

[kentuckyfried]

Too lazy to research what year it was, but Rygar in the arcade went from day to night while playing.

[Ed Oscuro]

Too lazy to research what year it was, but Rygar in the arcade went from day to night while playing.
'86, actually.

[kentuckyfried]

Too lazy to research what year it was, but Rygar in the arcade went from day to night while playing.
'86, actually.

Well, Rygar seems to fit the criteria, do I win? ;)

[Lord_Magus]

Too lazy to research what year it was, but Rygar in the arcade went from day to night while playing.
'86, actually.

Well, Rygar seems to fit the criteria, do I win? ;)

uuh... correct me if I'm wrong, but Rygar didn't have a real-time day to night change - it simply changed to dark when you ran out of time, which also is when the "time boss" appeared.

[Ed Oscuro]

*edit* argh double posts

[Ed Oscuro]

Yeah, that's a good description of it, though it seems to fit. There isn't any change from night back to day, though.

[NE146]

I agree on Enduro.. that definitely has a daytime to nightime (and phases in-between) during it's gameplay. And that's what.. 1982-ish?

[Aswald]

Red Alert?

[aegis]

Red Alert, one of my favs from the arcade. Wish mame emulated the sound correctly. 1981

[Aswald]

Should've posted this above:

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=R&game_id=9288

Man, I could spend hours at this website.

[Ed Oscuro]

That seems to be settled.

What about console games? There's gotta be some Atari VCS game with a day and night cycle, or even a Coleco/Inty game with one, long before Castlevania II.

[staxx]

C64 and Spectrum
Tau Ceti
Academy (Tau Ceti sequel)

Amiga
Millenium 2.2
Deuteros
Drakken
Starglider 2 (I think if you wait for the planet to orbit the sun, not 100% sure since I haven't played this game in over 10 years)

SNES
Drakken
Dragon View

GB and GBA
some of the Pokemon Games
Boktai 1,2

Diablo 2
Bards Tale

Just to name a few

[DogP]

Didn't Monaco GP have a night cycle also? http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=8733 ... looking at the pic I see one with headlights, so I think it does, but it's possible that is a tunnel (like I remember Turbo had)... it's been a while since I've played it, and I don't believe it's emulated (no CPU IIRC). That game came out in 1980.

I don't remember any B/W games that had a day/night, so I'd say we're getting pretty close with the beginning of color games.

DogP

[NE146]

What about console games? There's gotta be some Atari VCS game with a day and night cycle

Are you even reading the replies to your thread or are you just posting your thoughts randomly LOL

3 people (including myself) mentioned Enduro. And another mentioned Robot Tank

[mregashu]

Enduro fits the description (1983), but also in 83 was Krull, which had a definite day night cycle. I'm not sure which was first.

[RJ]

NE146 said:
re you even reading the replies to your thread or are you just posting your thoughts randomly

I was thinking the same thing, & "voting for" Enduro & RealSports Volleyball, thought IIRC it just goes back to daytime if you play that long, w/ no "early morning"...

(hmm, good reason to plug in 10-in-1 for some v-ball...)

[NE146]

thought IIRC it just goes back to daytime if you play that long, w/ no "early morning"...

Enduro has an early morning! After nighttime it has a definite dawn before it hits full blown daytime. It has that fog part in the night too..

[RJ]

No, I meant volleyball...I should check. I knew Enduro did.

EDIT: After 15-20 mins of late night reasearch, I found the Jakks 10-in-1 vball doesnt seem to have an early morning or even a next day...the sun sets & it stays dark the rest of the game- I was taking my sweet time too. I once had the VCS cart version but not anymore.

There wasnt even a shark... :roll:

[Ed Oscuro]

Thanks for the updates/reminders, everybody. Been a while since I could get at this thread, but I didn't forget about it :)

[Ed Oscuro]

Heh, I remember this thread. So, have the verdicts changed?

It's cool to see that developers were doing so much to push the envelope back in the 8-bit days.

[k8track]

Just confirmed - if you play long enough (or if you simply land, turn your engines off, and wait) it will cycle from day to night to day continuously.
If I remember right, that's only on the higher levels. On the lower levels, you're at the polar region of Fractalus where the sun never sets, but on Level 16 (I think) and above, you're near the equator where it cycles through 9 minute days and nights.

[Technosis]

Forbidden Forest on C64?

Yeah this one is memorable... even though the graphics were meh, the progressing darkness and awesome music set a really good atmosphere.

http://www.c64.com/games/screenshots/f/forbidden_forest_01.gif