Zak 2 - Between Time and Space

Work on the current version began in 2002, but for the first year everything kept changing. Steady progress began in 2003. The first (and only) demo was released in 2004.
Intended Roadmap: playable version for in-house testing by July; public release by the end of 2005.
It was a lot of hard work, but the team is determined to finish the game.
The Visionnaire engine looks excellent, and seems very stable
30 of the 35 sections are complete (?)
The finished game will probably cover two CDs - though it may be possible to squeeze it onto one.
The game is high res, and has nearly twenty 3D sequences
No magazine cover disk deals so far. The team are concentrating on just vgetting it finished.
It works in Windows, but should also work under WINE for Linux
The story includes travel by taxi and airplane
The team is impressed by LucasFans' 'New Adventures of Zak McKracken.' One team member - Simon - was originally involved in 'New Adventures' but wanted to do a bigger game, so moved on to BTAS.
The team admires the high quality of the other big sequel, 'Zak McKracken and the Alien Rock Stars.' But the high quality is "a double edged sword." The 'Rock Stars' team set themselves such high standards that really need a paid professional team. As time goes by, people leave and others join - none of the original team remain. The BTAS team wants high standards as well, but not so high that the game may never be finished. However, in recent months the 'Rock Stars' project is showing more signs of life. Everyone really wants it to be finished.
"All readers are cordially invited to our release party. Visit our homepage www.zak2.org to find out where, when and how the Event starts."

How it all began

Between Time and Space', started as a replacement for the original Zak 2 in 2001, which at the time was presumed dead. In November 2001 the team was led by 'Marvel' and 'Cydone' (his screen name is taken from Cydonia, the region of Mars that contains the famous 'face.'). Cydone and Titus ( the leader of the original fan project) spoke on the telephone, and the new game was launched on 6th December 2001.

The earliest web site called the new game 'Zak McKracken and the Return to the Beginning of Time' or sometimes 'Revenge of the Alien Mindbenders,' attributed to 'MasterFX Games.' It was linked to MSI (Mars Science International), a science fiction site. Since Zak dealt with the face on Mars and other sci-fi issues, it would have been a wonderful twist to have MSI sponsor Zak. Sadly it was not to be, and eventually the MSI link was dropped.

The original plan was to have a combined Zak and Maniac Mansion sequel. Zak and Maniac Mansion have always shared much in common: Maniac Mansion was the first SCUMM engine game, and Zak was the second. Zak contained various subtle references to Maniac Mansion (a poster on the wall, the gas can needed for the chainsaw in Mansion, the music on the boom box, the voice on the telephone, etc. So it seemed like an obvious idea for a sequel to combine elements from both games.

Making a game is a big commitment, and requires a lot of time. A team leader who has a lot of free time one year may have less time the next year, so it's normal that people sometimes have to leave for personal reasons. In late 2002 Cydone had less time to devote to the project, so 'Marvel' took over as team leader, and Cydone finally left the project in 2003. Marvel took the project in new directions, including 3D elements and a major web site upgrade. The artwork gets better and better, and it looks like some very dedicated people at work on the project. Great things are happening! Go to Zak2.org and see for yourself.

Some of the old art is no longer in the game, but has been revised and improved by Cydone for his own game, "Pit Porta" see www.pit-porta.de.vu for details!

3D screenshots from 2005

Actually, the old artwork was pretty good apart from the figures and text. But the new stuff is better all round. Just to whet your appetite, here are some screenshots from the newer version. Yes that's right, part of it is pre-rendered in 3D! Enjoy. Then pop over to Zak2.org to see the rest.

The game is being designed for Windows [ PC ], in German, English, and possibly other languages. Resolution: 1024*768 px using OpenGl, DirectX & Direct3D. It's created using "Visionaire" - see http://www.visionaire-online.de - it looks good!

From a 2004 interview:

How it all began

Old screenshots (early 2001, not in the final game)

Old artwork (early 2002, not in the current game)

3D screenshots from 2005

New improved, even better 3D for 2006

Final release: April 19th 2008

Coming soon: dozens of screenshots!