Ah, Robotron, Alternate Reality, M.U.L.E., Archon, Battlezone, Choplifter--the classics,
the games of the early 80s. The games you grew up with.
We tracked down their creators.
Edited by the maintainer of The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers, and featuring an introduction by John Romero (co-founder of id Software and ION Storm), Halcyon Days is the first collection of in-depth interviews with the creators of the great classic games for the Apple ][, Atari 800, Commodore 64, Atari 2600, Vic 20, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, and arcades. The amount of never before heard information is staggering, even to hardcore trivia buffs. Do you know...
What part George Lucas played in the development of Rescue on Fractalus?
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The point isn't the trivia, though; it's hearing the stories and what went on inside the heads of the people who wrote the classic games we remember so fondly. How did they get started? Where did they get the ideas? What do they think of modern games? Where are they now?
Re-live the glory...With 28 interviews in all, almost 18 months in the making, Halcyon Days is a gold mine of information and nostalgia, of joy and bitterness. And the programmers aren't just all the big names everyone knows; also included are the authors of games like Spindizzy, Alternate Reality, Fort Apocalypse, and ElektraGlide. Many of these people have never been interviewed before. You'll be overwhelmed, stay up all night, and drag the 2600 out of the closet in the morning.The inspiration..."When I finished my version of 'Pong,' it was kind of a magical moment for me. It was night, and I turned the lights off in my apartment and watched the trailing of the ball on the phosphors of my eighty dollar black and white TV."
--Bill BudgeThe exploitation..."They were charging seven quid for that pile of wank, and I thought, hell, I could do better than that, so I started work on what would eventually become 'Andes Attack.'"
--Jeff MinterThe inside information..."I estimate that my games, added together, brought in about $53,000,000 net profit to the company. My earnings for that entire period were about $60,000."
--Tim SkellyThe technical details..."I really liked the machine, even though I made fun of some of its quirks. It was Ken Williams who really hated it. I once described to him how the machine worked, and he remarked, 'What a piece of crap. How can anyone be expected to program for that machine?' I reminded him that he expected me to program for it, and so he said, 'You're right. Make it good, John Harris.'"
--John Harris"My knowledge of the Apple II and assembly language improved so much during this time that I could animate a hundred objects simultaneously without a noticeable slowdown, which probably surprised me as much as anyone."
--Warren Schwader
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"I've already read Halcyon Days on a friend's machine. The Eugene Jarvis interview alone makes me want to give you $20." --Ethan D "Just received my copy of your work and am enthralled by the information." --Kevin W.
"HD arrived today and it's GREAT! I remember virtually all the games
these guys wrote, having owned just about every machine ever made.
Excellent job! When is the sequel due out?
"I got my copy of the book yesterday, and I'm really surprised at how
cool it is. It's just awesome :)"
--Kevin B.
"After an interminable week, Halycon Days just arrived in the mail, and
GREAT STUFF!!! Reading the interviews took me years back..."
--Simon S.
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Order Halcyon Days for $20 (check, money order, Mastercard, Visa) and re-live the golden age of gaming. Worldwide shipping is free.
Questions? Send mail to info@dadgum.com