Another Writer In Need Of Help

[robm]

Hi there everyone.

Apologies for using my first post for a request, but I'm a freelance writer currently working for Retro Gamer magazine and I was wondering if any of you guys could help me out on a couple of articles I'm hoping to put together:

Firstly, I'm looking to write a "Making Of" based on Batman The Movie (the Amiga and/or C64 version). In order to do this I'm going to need some input from the original designers, so if any of you here can help me out with this I'd be extremely grateful. As far as I know, the people I'm looking to talk to are:

C64 version -

Andrew Sleigh (graphics)
Zach Townsend (programming)
Matthew Cannon (music)

Amiga version -

Mike Lamb, Jobbeeee, Shorty (coding)
Dawn Drake, Bill Harbison, John Palmer (graphics)
Jon Dunn, Matthew Cannon (music and FX)

Secondly, I'm interested in writing a "Coin-op Conversions" article that looks at the home versions of Operation Wolf, so again if anyone here can help me out with getting in touch with the relevant people then that would be fantastic.

Once more, apologies for barging in on the forum and making a request with my first post, but if anyone could point me in the right direction via a PM or this thread then I'd be much obliged.

Oh - and thanks for all the fantastic games I played as a kid back in the late 80's/early 90's. ;D

[sem]

Obviously a writer rather than someone who actually "lived" those days judging by the regurgitation of the game's credits screens.....

Still - you could try Frank Gasking for pointers to Colin Porch who did the 64 version of OpWolf - it's mentioned in the interview on www.gtw64.co.uk about Parasol Stars. A fine conversion and neat code judging by the brief comments in the interview.

Don't mistake the tone of the first par - it's just that I WAS at Woodstock. Well, I wasn't but working at Ocean was a bit of a dream in those days....mumble.

cheers, sem.

[Paulie]

Yep, Colin did the C64 version, for the 16 bit versions you'd need to track down the chaps from Ocean France.

Spectrum and Amstrad versions were done by Ivan Horn and Andy Deakin.

Drop me a PM and I can put you in touch with Colin and Ivan.

[robm]

Thanks for the help, guys. Very good of you.

Anyone care to volunteer for Batman The Movie? I notice a few of those responsible post here. Nothing painful, just a basic interview.

[sem]

Rob

For the C64 Batman, Frank Gasking (www.gtw64.co.uk) may be able to help again. He's got an interview up with Zach Townsend regarding the lunatic idea of bringing Race Driving to the 64. Well, I suppose it's not that crazy as they'd have made it forced perspictive. Anyway.....

BTW - Paul - are any more ocean sources going to be made available for scrutiny? Just found www.pauliehughes.com via mobygames - marvellous! Any chance of some comments on some of the old games?

cheers, sem.

[Paulie]

I would if I could - things like freeload and the music driver were written by me prior to joining Ocean so I was OK to release the code for posterity. The copyright to the code for the games now belongs (I believe) to Infogrammes, so that would be "dodgy" to say the least. That and its a pain in the arse to convert the code to something PC readable! )

Glad you like the site - I've just turned into a MAC snob so I'm having fun writing all the drivel with decent software! There'll be tonnes more goodies once I've finished this ruddy PSP renderer I'm working on.

[sem]

That and its a pain in the arse to convert the code to something PC readable!

Ha - and I thought you lived for the obsessives!

I've just turned into a MAC snob so I'm having fun writing all the drivel with decent software

Hmmm - been on the brink of this for years. Just need that extra "push over the cliff" and I thought a reconditioned G4 iMac was it. But then the intel came along....

Seriously, I know retro stuff relies on time, memory, enthusiasm etc but your site has so much potential - and to be honest, it doesn't matter how many retro mags are published with "in-depth" interviews etc - they still print inexcusable things such as "Monty mole originated on the commodore 64 written by Steve Crowther", for crying out loud, when everyone knows his name was Derek. The more people who were on the front line that can offer an insight the better - even though I guess they remember things wrong too sometimes

cheers, sem