Aldebaran is a 3D action-strategy game released in 1992 for the Acorn Archimedes. The game combines fast-paced gameplay with tactical decision-making. Set in the 27th century in the Aldebaran star system, a massive red star is under alien attack. Players control the FlashLight, a spaceship tasked with travelling between planets to gather resources, build weapons, and protect a team of specialists. Time is of the essence, as the star is doomed, and players must carefully manage their movements to balance the need for resources with the time required to travel between planets.

Developed by Paolo Baerlocher, a key member of the demo-making group Arc Angels, Aldebaran was notable for its real-time 3D rendering and texture mapping on various objects. Whereas Baerlocher’s former game Poizone drew on his childhood experience of playing arcade games, Aldebaran’s development was heavily influenced by intensive engagement with efficient programming close to the processor, which is necessary to create fluid 3D animations –whether for artistic works for the demoscene or for a fast 3D shooter video game.

A key inspiration for Aldebaran was David Braben’s Zarch, published in 1987 for the Acorn Archimedes. Braben himself served as a role model to Baerlocher after the latter read that Braben earned an actual income from video game development. Working in the video game industry, especially in Switzerland, was not a common career choice. Learning that these possibilities exist motivated Baerlocher to pursue them nonetheless. After successfully publishing two games together with Marc Andreoli and others, he continued to work in the game industry in France, where he specialised in video game engine development and in porting games.

The source code of the original Archimedes game is freely available, together with contextual materials from the time of publication, design documents, and additional resources. An interview on ROMchip with the programmer Paolo Baerlocher provides further details and insights into the development period.

https://github.com/PaoloBaerlocher/Archimedes
https://romchip.org/index.php/romchip-journal/article/view/225