Comments for The Joy Of Sticks http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com New developments and old inspirations in Atari ST gaming. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:38:54 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Unidentified Flying Objects Spotted Over Mt. Fuji by TomChi http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/attack-wave-released/#comment-311 TomChi Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:38:54 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=700#comment-311 Good news the game has finally been released :) Really cool improvements since outline , congrats paradize !! Good news the game has finally been released :)
Really cool improvements since outline , congrats paradize !!

]]> Comment on Starball review by Andrew Pomianowski http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/starball-review/#comment-310 Andrew Pomianowski Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:45:51 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=668#comment-310 With regards to the old artwork for the fighting game - if I find anything lying around (that I actually think might be worth preserving) I'll consider forwarding it on. My work at Argonaut was actually after the Super FX chip development - there were a couple of other 3D acceleration projects after that that I worked on as well as some simulation work for the ARC processor core. As a side note - I just read back through the write-up above, and I guarantee that no disrespect was intended to Jeff Minter in the content of the hidden bonus screen. :) With regards to the old artwork for the fighting game – if I find anything lying around (that I actually think might be worth preserving) I’ll consider forwarding it on.

My work at Argonaut was actually after the Super FX chip development – there were a couple of other 3D acceleration projects after that that I worked on as well as some simulation work for the ARC processor core.

As a side note – I just read back through the write-up above, and I guarantee that no disrespect was intended to Jeff Minter in the content of the hidden bonus screen. :)

]]> Comment on Starball review by stickhead http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/starball-review/#comment-309 stickhead Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:12:44 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=668#comment-309 More bad news! Shame about the PC sequel, that would have been a blast. So many good projects fell by the wayside... It would be really interesting to see the preliminary artwork for the fighting game. <a href="http://www.guardiansofthepast.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Guardians Of The Past</a> (an ST software preservation site) have a 'software that wasn't' section, so I'm sure they would be interested to hear of this project, too. Good to hear that you're still connected to the industry. I bet it was pretty exciting over at Argonaut back then. Was this around the time they were developing the Super FX chip? More bad news! Shame about the PC sequel, that would have been a blast. So many good projects fell by the wayside…

It would be really interesting to see the preliminary artwork for the fighting game. Guardians Of The Past (an ST software preservation site) have a ’software that wasn’t’ section, so I’m sure they would be interested to hear of this project, too.

Good to hear that you’re still connected to the industry. I bet it was pretty exciting over at Argonaut back then. Was this around the time they were developing the Super FX chip?

]]> Comment on Starball review by Andrew Pomianowski http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/starball-review/#comment-308 Andrew Pomianowski Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:55:38 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=668#comment-308 After Starball I worked for Argonaut Technologies (the technology and hardware wing of the company that developed Starglider etc.) developing 3D graphics acceleration technology During this time Dave had been working to port the Starball code to the PC, and I left Argonaut to work with him to do some updates to the graphics so that the game could be sold. This version of the game was actually released commercially on a budget label. We then actually got a contract to develop a PC sequel, which was going to be a much larger scale game than the original (multiple full-size interconnected tables, each about as big as the whole original Starball table), but eventually that fell through. We did quite a lot of development work on this. These days I work for AMD, heading up their D3D graphics driver optimization team, so I guess I'm still indirectly associated with a lot of gaming software that people play... :) Regarding the ST fighting game we unfortunately never got beyond some early art development - it was clear by that point that there was no way that the proceeds from Starball registrations were going to fund any more work on it. I might still have some of the preliminary artwork lying around somewhere if I look for it. After Starball I worked for Argonaut Technologies (the technology and hardware wing of the company that developed Starglider etc.) developing 3D graphics acceleration technology

During this time Dave had been working to port the Starball code to the PC, and I left Argonaut to work with him to do some updates to the graphics so that the game could be sold. This version of the game was actually released commercially on a budget label. We then actually got a contract to develop a PC sequel, which was going to be a much larger scale game than the original (multiple full-size interconnected tables, each about as big as the whole original Starball table), but eventually that fell through. We did quite a lot of development work on this.

These days I work for AMD, heading up their D3D graphics driver optimization team, so I guess I’m still indirectly associated with a lot of gaming software that people play… :)

Regarding the ST fighting game we unfortunately never got beyond some early art development – it was clear by that point that there was no way that the proceeds from Starball registrations were going to fund any more work on it. I might still have some of the preliminary artwork lying around somewhere if I look for it.

]]> Comment on Starball review by stickhead http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/starball-review/#comment-307 stickhead Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:49:27 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=668#comment-307 Great to hear from you, Andrew! Congratulations on the top quality work on Starball. Undoubtedly, one of the games greatest appeals was its lovely visuals. It is disappointing to hear about the lack of funds you received for this top game. If your ST development ended there, were did you move on to? Amiga? or a console maybe? Are you still in the Video Game Industry? How far did you get with the fighting game? Does any of it still exist? This genre was quite under-represented on the ST, and it's a shame it didn't make the light of day. Any extra info would be gratefully received. Cheers, StickHead Great to hear from you, Andrew! Congratulations on the top quality work on Starball. Undoubtedly, one of the games greatest appeals was its lovely visuals.

It is disappointing to hear about the lack of funds you received for this top game. If your ST development ended there, were did you move on to? Amiga? or a console maybe? Are you still in the Video Game Industry?

How far did you get with the fighting game? Does any of it still exist? This genre was quite under-represented on the ST, and it’s a shame it didn’t make the light of day. Any extra info would be gratefully received.

Cheers,
StickHead

]]> Comment on Starball review by Andrew Pomianowski http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/starball-review/#comment-306 Andrew Pomianowski Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:50:45 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=668#comment-306 I created the graphics for Starball back when I was at university - it's certainly great to find people still playing the game 15 years later. We appreciated every donation that we received (but there weren't very many of them - I think we got a couple of hundred registrations in the end) I think that Dave replied to many of the people who registered, but Tom if you didn't get a reply originally then thanks for your donation. As I recall we actually started development of an Atari fighting game after Starball, but with so few registrations from the original game it was impossible to continue the work (we needed to eat!) Thanks - Andy. I created the graphics for Starball back when I was at university – it’s certainly great to find people still playing the game 15 years later.

We appreciated every donation that we received (but there weren’t very many of them – I think we got a couple of hundred registrations in the end)

I think that Dave replied to many of the people who registered, but Tom if you didn’t get a reply originally then thanks for your donation.

As I recall we actually started development of an Atari fighting game after Starball, but with so few registrations from the original game it was impossible to continue the work (we needed to eat!)

Thanks
- Andy.

]]> Comment on Super Sprint review by stickhead http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/super-sprint-review/#comment-304 stickhead Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:32:31 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=688#comment-304 Yes, it's one of my favourites too. In fact, it is one of the first games I ever played on an ST. I was at a friends house, and one of his mates brought it over. I remember it well: huddled over the keyboard (I was the youngest there, and therefore relegated to the keyboard-controlled blue car. It was quite an eye-opener; a world away from my copy of Championship Sprint for my Amstrad CPC 464. I have played as blue ever since. Yes, it’s one of my favourites too. In fact, it is one of the first games I ever played on an ST. I was at a friends house, and one of his mates brought it over. I remember it well: huddled over the keyboard (I was the youngest there, and therefore relegated to the keyboard-controlled blue car. It was quite an eye-opener; a world away from my copy of Championship Sprint for my Amstrad CPC 464.

I have played as blue ever since.

]]> Comment on Super Sprint review by ThorN http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/super-sprint-review/#comment-303 ThorN Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:05:43 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=688#comment-303 Interesting to read, that Super Sprint was a sequell to Sprint. I really like this game, it's one of the best games for the ST Interesting to read, that Super Sprint was a sequell to Sprint. I really like this game, it’s one of the best games for the ST

]]> Comment on Starball review by stickhead http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/starball-review/#comment-296 stickhead Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:10:27 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=668#comment-296 That's not naive, Tom. The whole spirit of shareware on the ST was built on those sentiments exactly. Jeff Minter wrote an <a href="http://www.dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/MISC/LLAMA.HTM" rel="nofollow">interesting piece</a> on the state of the industry and why he released Llamatron as shareware. Apparently, he got a really generous response from the ST scene. That’s not naive, Tom. The whole spirit of shareware on the ST was built on those sentiments exactly. Jeff Minter wrote an interesting piece on the state of the industry and why he released Llamatron as shareware. Apparently, he got a really generous response from the ST scene.

]]> Comment on Starball review by Tom http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/starball-review/#comment-294 Tom Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:23:45 +0000 http://thejoyofsticks.wordpress.com/?p=668#comment-294 I was a young ST evangelist back when this came out. The ST was nearly dead and there weren't many decent releases coming out when this was on the cover of ST Format, and it was such a quality release for the time. I was about 16, I put some money aside to register it, then tried to get other people to register as well, so that I could send the author a bit of money to encourage development. I was very naive ;-) I was a young ST evangelist back when this came out. The ST was nearly dead and there weren’t many decent releases coming out when this was on the cover of ST Format, and it was such a quality release for the time. I was about 16, I put some money aside to register it, then tried to get other people to register as well, so that I could send the author a bit of money to encourage development. I was very naive ;-)

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