Has anyone from Atlantis Software (Gunfighter etc) ever been interviewed?

[Lost Dragon]

We've been discussing the lack of support for the A8 Range here in the UK, for a while now, along with how in the later years it was mostly Budget Houses that supported it and i thought of Atlantis Software.

 

 

Their output was always rather 'mixed' shall we say as i picked up Encounter, The Survivors, Dawn Raider etc under their label, but a few reet stinkers as well :-(.

 

I'd be interested to hear if anyone from there (Mike Cole, now retired?) or coded games for them: Tony Love, Geoffrey Storey etc, have ever been interviewed.

 

Just to hear thoughts on how they viewed the A8 market, how the A8 games sold, anything that was never released etc.It'd just be another outlook on the A8 scene.

 

Anywhere anyone knows of?.

 

Quick Goggle search threw up nowt.

 

:-(

[snicklin]

I don't think that I know of any of them ever being interviewed so it would be interesting if you could find somebody.

 

That is where it may be difficult. Weren't they more of a publisher than a software development house? I think that is why there were such a mixed bag with their output.

[Lost Dragon]

Off the top of my head, i cannot recal them getting a company profile article un likes of Retro Gamer, whilst i was a subscriber, where as Tynesoft, English Software etc pretty sure were featured...so part of me is wondering if 'they' once looked at it, but abandoned the idea as the founder and people behind the games, proved far too difficult to find or if were found, simply did'nt want to chat. :-(

All i've got to go on is a few names, Mikes just threw up company's he used to run, is now listed as retired, the coders did'nt exactly produce a huge number of games it seems an Encounter was just a re-release.

1 key reason i wanted them, was based on a quote from Mike, back in the A8 days saying the A8 games had always sold well and was looking for more games to publish.

It'd been interesting to get another idea of just what sort of volumes the A8 titles were doing at retail and just how many people were submitting games to Mike, that sort of thing.

It'd be yet another piece in the jigsaw as it were....

[Geoff storey]

Nope i have never been interviewed. I only spoke to mike cole on the phone in the 80's.

[Mclaneinc]

Would you be up for it if Kevin Savetz (our resident interviewer) did it..

[Geoff storey]

Yes I'm up for it.

[Mclaneinc]

Well done that man, I've messaged Kevin, he's interviewed a whole lot of Atari related folks..

 

Thank you..

[Geoff storey]

No problem. I'll have to rack my brain back to the 80's.

[Mclaneinc]

No problem. I'll have to rack my brain back to the 80's.

 

I'm 55 and its a pain in the bum remembering half the stuff so I feel your pain

 

Thanks for considering the interview, its nice to get the background on what we mostly as players never got to see, my background meant I got a view of the many sides of both Atari and computing in general but it all makes for a great read.

 

Kevin is over the big pond so it might be a bit later on before he logs on..

 

Paul.

Edited December 9, 2016 by Mclaneinc

[Geoff storey]

Ok no problem. This post is over a year old. I found it by accident when googling one of my games chopper rescue.

 

I had two games with Atlantis software dawn raider and air rescue. And two type in games published with a magazine called Atari user. Money bags and chopper rescue.

 

I've done quite a few remakes for the pc too.

 

Aztec

Diamonds

Ralph pooyan type game

Lemmins aka lemmings

Fruit machine simulator Marketed by guildhall leisure

Rockrunner boulderdash type game guildhall leisure again

Pacman

Panik

Space invaders.

[Geoff storey]

I can't figure out how to edit my above post, but regarding the game panik by spike (atlantis software) is it possible to find out how many levels there is and how many monsters per level? without me trying to complete the whole game.

[Lost Dragon]

Hi Geoff

 

 

Fantastic to see you here.

 

I'm very glad this thread i created caught your attention, i had hoped the likes of Retro Gamer magazine etc would of found someone like yourself for a feature, but they never did, it seemed to be the same voices used time and time again, Chuck Peavey yet again talking about Panther this month, that makes the 3rd time i've paid RG to read his thoughts on the A8 hardware and how he got around the PMG limitations....

 

So it'll be great to hear your thoughts.

 

 

Looking forward to Kevin's interview with you and thanks yet again for responding to the thread.

[Mclaneinc]

Not heard back from Kevin as yet, don't know if he's contacted Geoff so anyone is open to do an interview I guess, I just went for Kevin as he seems to be our resident person reviewer but that's not to say our esteemed Lost Dragon can't also do one.

[Geoff storey]

Kevin has been in touch. He asked for my email address.

[Lost Dragon]

Edit time..as news came in as i was typing.

 

 

 

I'm delighted to hear Kevin has been in touch/interview will be going ahead.

 

As for myself...

 

 

I'm far from being worthy of being classed as 'esteemed', i'd say more along lines of simply being fourtunate enough to of been able to establish contact with those i did, for:Classic Console Magazine, ST Gamer, Pro Atari, Grumpy Old Gamers, GTW, Unseen64 and anyone who could make good use of them.

 

I wanted the Atari Panther interviews to be my last, as that way i'd covered all the formats i had a personal interest in (A8, ST, 7800, Lynx, Panther and Jaguar), even if i had not owned all of them (7800) or they simply never appeared.

 

 

As i've explained to Frank over at GTW and Luca over at Unseen64, along with Shinto for his Jaguar podcasts...i'm simply done with it all now...passed on what remaining material i had so others can use it, but time to saddle up and move on.

 

It's very, very time consuming, the folks who do reply are really struggling to cast their minds back and explain events in the clarity they could of say even 10 years ago. so interviews from my self are no longer an on-going concern.

 

Looking forward to what comes forth from Kevin and Geoff chatting.

Edited December 10, 2016 by Lost Dragon