Retro References

[steveovery]

Is anybody else interested in the retro computing history references contained within this environment? Some of it is obvious - but who else knows about the Vic "Sepulveda" reference?

So Please - contribute your recognitions to this thread.

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I've just spent 15 minutes going in & out of the game to collect as many boot sequences as possible; here's my list:

1) Roger Conway's "Game of Life" (not as cretited) - I came across Mr Conway in Piers Anthony's: Macroscope (sci-fi) - the game called "Sprouts", a join-the-dots competitive game (fun, both for you & kids). Later, I think in Scientific American, "The game of Life"; I remember programing a version for the Acorn Atom. But in fact this was standard fare for University Computing Students during the 70's - it demonstrates the clasic trade-off between small & slow or big & fast (& probably much more).

2) The Spectrum Loading (from tape) "experience". I'll forget the epilepsy complaints - this is how it was. I'm not quite sure - but is the mountain landscape a "Lords of Midnight" reference? P.S. check out the updated version for Windows (sorry I forget the URL) - beautiful, and good user interface given the game constraints.

3) Ray Tracing - sorry, don't like this one... could have been higher resolution... alternatively how many rave music video tapes do I have with this sort of stuff?!

4) The Matrix - oh yes.

5) Sensible Software - no I don't understand this one... a Google reveals a interesting history... Specie, Commodore - those names from the past!

6) thinking... another I don't understand... maybe a IV come-on?

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In-Game references:

1) Dr. Sepulveda: To quote Steven Levy's: Hackers (highly recommended, was UK published by Penquin: ISBN 0-14-023269-9):
"On-Line's legal team was headed by one Vic Sepulveda, a flip-talking Fresno lawyer with short gray hair, large, aviator-style back glasses, and a laid-back confidence."
Context: On-Line were being sued by Atari for "ripping-off" Pac-Man. Vic Sepulveda won.

2) Polygon 3D landscapes: where did these first appear (suggestions p-lease). Probably the first 3D games were wire-frame (I seem to remember - were they Adventure or Doom?).

3) The Engineers... The Air-Strike Deliverer's - Tron, surely?

4) The Squads: I feel sure I've seen these somewhere.

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Pathetic list really - I'm sure there's much more, please contribute the references ; and if you can give the history - so much the better.

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otherwise (and in any case) - enjoy.[/u]

[Darksun]

Bootloaders:

3) Do you know how much power raytracing uses? Try upping the resolution and see what happens

5) I explained this in another thread, search for it and look for 'Cannon Fodder' on Wikipedia.

6) Doesn't mean anything, just a beatiful bootloader with Introversions kind-of motto

Game:

1) Actually, it's named after a street called Sepulveda Avenue in California. The IV guys saw it and thought it'd be a cool name for a baddie.

3) Engineers - yup, they're tron. Air Strikers are Space Invaders

[roBurky]

Have you never played Cannon Fodder? The sensible software intro gave me such a grin. I was about to start singing the theme tune but the music gave out.

[steveovery]

3) yup certainly do know, stuff I wouldn't touch... but I'm *IX and wouldn't have a clue how to up the res of the what I'm seeing (I'm *IX (note the # #######...) so not that savvy).

5) Well I did see refereces (asking: what the?) to SS. The google search was interesting.

6) basicly my analysis was "in the right diection"?

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1) I'm really entertained by the coincidence!

3) The Air Strikers seemed similar to Tron... maybe Tron had it's own references (seeemed fresah to me)?

thanks for your response (old-timer to the core!)

[steveovery]

roBurky:

no... SS seemed to ring a belll but not something I was really familar with... I came from (board game) simulation gaming & computers seemed such an obvious way of ridding the die-throws, the rule books - but then came "pong"

again, thanks for the interest... but I would love to ID the other retro-refs!

cheers

[Deepsmeg]

The spectrum one was Ultimate's Jetpac Gulpman.
Then it got changed.

[Wyverncrest]

A quick overview of Sensible Software can be found here, along with links to pages about Canon Fodder and Cannon Fodder 2:

http://www.the-underdogs.org/company.php?name=Sensible+Software

A little additional history:
Sensible Software was eventually acquired by Codemasters. Jon Hare, a designer of Cannon Fodder, apparently left Codemasters after leading design of Mike Tyson's Heavyweight Boxing.

[steveovery]

Yes.... Codemasers rings bells

[steveovery]

Ultimare also... we're they the ones who had the 3D platform game (I feel the name was Atcic Attack (but feel sure that is wrong)) that had you depositing stufff in a cualdron which went multi-coloured? enjoyed that is there a XP equiv?)

[directhex]

the protologic 68000 (in the manual) looks a lot like a dragon data systems dragon 32, which was an unpopular spectrum contendor from the 80s

http://www.betuwe.net/~mellemab/homecom ... _Large.jpg

[Darksun]

3) yup certainly do know, stuff I wouldn't touch... but I'm *IX and wouldn't have a clue how to up the res of the what I'm seeing (I'm *IX (note the # #######...) so not that savvy).

Try pressing H, it'll give you the controls for the raytracer (works on the Game of Life bootloader aswell).

[NeoThermic]

1) Actually, it's named after a street called Sepulveda Avenue in California. The IV guys saw it and thought it'd be a cool name for a baddie.

Actually, I hate to nitpick here, but I belive the actual street is Sepulveda Boulevard, of which I have walked down




NeoThermic

[Darksun]

Yes, you're right

[Luigi300]

Did you know that in America, the Dragon 32 was none other than the TRS-80?

[directhex]

Did you know that in America, the Dragon 32 was none other than the TRS-80?

the Tandy CoCo, yes