Leonard Tramiel Exclusive Text Interview - Great Commodore & Atari Insight

[DavidD]

I read one of the linked articles, and now I'm just confused...

[Lostdragon]

On 8/11/2021 at 3:28 PM, youxia said:

So has this been exposed as false? I can live with the other fantastical industry claims, but faking this kind of stuff makes me all sorts of angry.

 

Here is their page from ZXDB database. Its creators are about as thorough as you can get, but there's not much there apart from one type-in. Certainly no mention of a bestselling ZX 81 game...

 

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/x-list?label_id=19056

Jane changed the claim some time ago, think now reports as born with mixed male and female body parts? 

 

 

Too late though as Jane's Birth certificate was found and has been passed onto the courts. 

 

Jane's false claims go much deeper than mere games industry plagiarism. 

 

Public Record Office documents have been obtained and given to the legal proceedings, how on earth Jane is going to explain all the claims made to the various press over the years is beyond me. 

 

It's going to have to be a mental health issue defence for sure. 

 

 

There's no Stellar Trader being advertised, Jane never worked with John Maitheson on designing the Jaguar hardware, didn't drop the only prototype Atari STE, never best friends with H. R GIGER, was never asked to design and create Dark Seed.. 

 

It's all world class bullshit. 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Lostdragon

[Lostdragon]

Regarding Jane and The Tramiel Family. 

 

Before the lines of communication went dead, we couldn't find the family owning any HOMES in Sunnyvale, only business buildings, Leonard Tramiel disputed claims Jane, then Andrew Whittaker was taken to live with the family as a teenager. 

 

 

Purple Hampton gave the opinion that when Sam Tramiel met Jane as part of the AVP team flown to the USA to finish AVP, he felt it was obvious this was the first time the 2 had met. 

 

The coffee machine Ancedote is absolute rubbish

 

The V. P of Atari aged 19 claim is absolute rubbish. 

 

 

But Sam DID visit Jane's Father in the UK we believe either in final stages of AVP coding or after. 

 

The last line of enquiries were being done to establish an exact time line, as Jane tells the story he and Mike Beaton flew back from the USA to finish coding AVP in Jane's Parents house, Purple Hampton stated Mike Beaton stayed on in the USA till game was finished. 

 

Other sources claim similar, saying Jane abandoned Mike to try and make sense of the mess of his code. 

 

Mike Beaton was contacted long ago by myself, around the time Jane thought Luca of Unseen64 was going to walk blindly into an interview with him, was never going to happen.. 

 

 

As soon as I mentioned clearing up some claims about AVP Jane had made, Mike cut off all communication, rather telling, but made fact checking a lot harder. 

 

 

Having had enough industry figure experience with serial bullshitters, Hooley San, Cale and others, let alone community ones (and my very own sister can join the list)... 

 

 

They trip themselves up by telling so many lies and exaggerating the lies each time they are told they forget exactly what the original lie was. 

 

There's usually a degree of truth buried deep within the lie, but it's hidden beneath layer apon layer of events that didn't happen, people that were never there and you have a history that never happened,but suits them far better than the one that actually did. 

 

 

 

Side note. 

 

The liquidation documents, proving Perceptions had little to no cash reserves and went into bankrupt months before Panasonic pulled the plug on the M2 were pulled from public records. 

 

As were Birth Certificates and more. 

 

All the research into Jane has been conducted above board, findings passed onto the legal teams and Judge to examine. 

 

 

For all Jane's talk of being a target of Hate Speech, he's been investigated in a calm and professional manner from the start. 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Lostdragon

[Lostdragon]

Potted history of the whole Siamese Twin claim fiasco. 

 

Jane currently describes himself as being born with a very rare, inter-sex condition, mix of male and female body parts, had something like 60 surgical operations... 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet told Retrogamer Magazine he was born as a conjoined Siamese Twin, spent childhood in hospital... 

 

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/retro-gamer/20180222/281685435312402

 

 

 

I've got to be very careful what i say about the next quote:

 

"

Whittaker is also the subject of a BBC series about his life story, for major worldwide TV release in 2018. He was born as a conjoined twin with a very rare mix of male and female body parts and medical.

In the early 1980s, he and his sister endured more than 40 operations in order to successfully separate them – making them one of only four male-female twins in the world to survive this process."

 

 

https://businesscloud.co.uk/games-industry-legend-joins-xr-games/

 

 

How to put it? 

 

 

It was based around what was claimed above by Jane that the BBC researchers, just doing due diligence research and wanting to speak to other sources shall we say? became very aware Whittaker had been lying and suddenly Jane became the subject of a very different investigation and very different planned program. 

 

Notice also how it's now only 40 surgical procedures, sure Jane says in the Haptic video, he really can't remember the exact number, but that's quite a leap from 40 to 60.

 

A situation made worse when Jane didn't specify a number for RG Magazine but could clearly state 40 when interviewed here, but is now a type of Siamese twin.. 

 

 

I was determined to be a games developer since a child, but over 40 surgeries (I am a type of siamese twin) threatened to get in the way. I actually was determined not to slow down and the hospital became my college. I had programming books and a small Sinclair ZX81 computer by the bedside and I taught myself to code and make games whilst spending the long months in hospital. 

 

 

http://gametyrant.com/news/editorial-keystone-games-develops-and-publishes-games-for-charities?format=amp

 

And yep, 40 again here:

 

 

Jane didn’t have an easy start in life. Born a type of Siamese twin meant undergoing more than 40 operations and spending a huge amount of time in hospital. Time that was put to good use learning the art of video game programming from a hospital bed!

 

 

https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/280992/Lifersquos_a_game_for_pioneer_Jane.php

 

For his Gamestm interview, Jane described himself as being born a conjoined twin, Siamese Twin, but reverts back to not naming number of operations. 

 

 

I'm not going to upload Jane's Birh certificate, but Jane's full name at Birth:

 

Anthony Douglas Whittaker... 

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Lostdragon

[Lostdragon]

Going to try and upload the Gamestm interview. 

[Lostdragon]

[Lostdragon]

Hopefully these are working. 

[Lostdragon]

Jane staying hidden ?

 

 

Interview by ZX Spectrum Press whilst briefly at Graftgold, Mirage team photo, during time of data entry on Ashes Of The Empire and couple days Amiga Dark Seed playtesting. 

 

 

Jaguar Gamers Guide interview. 

 

 

 

http://alive.atari.org/alive8/andreww.php

 

 

 

http://mleguludec.free.fr/dossiers/interview/jc_interview_Andrew_Wittaker.htm

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Lostdragon
Added the Mirage team photo, Jag Gamers guide interview

[Lostdragon]

The  Coffee Machine Ancedote debunked by Sam Tramiel. 

 

 

Back to 60 surgical procedures, now born with Female Lower half, no longer a conjoined twin, siamese twin.. 

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Lostdragon

[Lostdragon]

OMCOURT LIMITED trading as Perceptions. Liquidation, date of Appointment 28th February 1997.

 

Yet Jane wants history to have Power Crystal pulled 100% finished, review scores of 100% when Panasonic pulled the plug on the 3DO M2. 

 

 

 

[Lostdragon]

JANE WHITTAKER :For my part, I like to do my research. I spent hundreds of hours with Fox researching the Alien and Predator movies and now I am all ready to go researching James Bond.

The advantage of being Development Director at MGM is that you can actually go to the James Bond stage at Pinewood and see the real movies being filmed! I defy anyone not to be creatively enthused by watching Pierce Brosnan (or at least his double!) jump over obstacles amid all the noise and pyrotechnics of a Bond shoot at the massive Bond stage in Pinewood. I was a little kid in a candy shop. Well actually it was all serious research for Goldeneye honestly! (if you believe that you will believe anything as I literally had a blast and was allowed to trigger an explosion by the special effects team!)

I came back to the USA from Pinewood Studios refreshed, invigorated and with a mind whirling with ideas. Would the powers that be take the plunge and create something new and exciting for Goldeneye? Would Nintendo be happy with James Bond fighting his way across their new console in typical MI6 style.

Trailer on YouTube for Goldeneye N64
Well you all know the answer to that, as it sits in the annals of history thanks to the talents of Rare, some very forward-thinking executives and a willingness from everyone to make a game that stands the test of time. Me being me, couldn’t resist sticking my oar in to the game, with AI, gameplay and environment stuff and generally annoying comments at every turn.

 

 

https://train2game-news.co.uk/2017/08/23/train2game-news-20-years-of-goldeneye/

 

 

Shane then Jane it wasn't actually Pinewood... They were all booked up ?

 

 

1994  Leavesden Flight Centre (a private flying club) used the site for flying until March 1994. At its peak in 1990, there were some 60,000 aircraft movements at the site.
Around May 1994, EON Productions (makers of the James Bond series) and Production Designer Peter Lamont were in pre-production for the James Bond film GoldenEye. As Pinewood Studios was all booked up, as well as designing the sets, Lamont was given the task of building an entire film studio to house them, utilising the 1 million square foot floor area of the former Rolls Royce factory at Leavesden Aerodrome. As Eon Productions was only leasing the site from Rolls Royce, only work required for the production was carried out.
Temporary planning consent was obtained to enable the production work to go ahead.

 

 

http://www.thestudiotour.com/wp/studios/leavesden-studios/history-leavesden-studios/

 

 

Taking YOUR claims your interviews, your quotes Jane and exposing them for the lies they are isn't Hate Speech, it's not about your Gender, it's about making people very aware of the type of individual you are. 

 

The above posts are merely a selection of examples over the years how you've lied to the press and how easily the truth has been found. 

 

 

There's the start of your Game Pro interview, during your staying hidden in USA due to death threats, people didn't want to see a girl's name on game credits bullshit. 

 

You hawked yourself out to any publication and website that would give you a platform even then. 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Lostdragon

[Lostdragon]

A few more, including Jane once again claiming to be a conjoined twin

 

 

Plus The Socks.. 

 

The Game box imagery from Jane's old website, which was active during Jane's period of deliberatelstaying hidden, as were  the  Star Tip and Tricks Of The Trade pieces... ?

Edited August 14, 2021 by Lostdragon

[Lostdragon]

Jane drastically changed his account of N64 Goldeneye, his Jaguar AVP routines being used, him being involved with the games creation etc.. 

 

After due diligence research showed his timelines didn't match, nobody at RARE knew of any Andrew or Jane whittaker etc

 

 

Jane was also completely unaware the title was originally intended for the SNES, had no idea original Previews showed the N64 version being an on-rails affair like Virtual Cop.. 

 

 

This on top of the Pinewood studios gaffe highlighted earlier. 

 

Jane now says he wasn't directly involved with RARE 

 

 

Grabs from the Pocket interview.. 

 

Jane claiming he never worked for Rebellion, only Atari, the Goldeneye and PC AVP A. I bullshit claims.. 

 

 

Whittaker telling Alive that Fox, H. R GIGER and ATARI approached him to make AVP on Jaguar. 

 

Reality Rebellion hired him late into their work on the game when they expanded the initial team. 

 

 

I don't think I have ever encountered someone who has gone to such extremes to lie as Whittaker has. 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Lostdragon

[Lostdragon]

The last interview with H. R Giger where he talks about Dark Seed and looks to have changed his opinion on it. 

 

 

It's included here in the interests of full transparency, at no point has Giger ever mentioned working with any Andrew or Jane Whittaker. 

 

CD32 Gamer Magazine Interview with Giger, Cyberdreams team, staff pictured with Giger. 

 

 

 

Giger was only ever photographed with Cyberdreams staff.. 

 

 

We knew he had lied about his involvement with the title, but when we were informed all he'd done was a couple of days playtesting on the Amiga version, it still came as something of a shock. 

 

We expected some minor coding role at least. 

 

 

I've also included staff photo of the original Rebellion AVP team, before the expansion when they hired Whittaker, as it highlights his nonsense about Atari, Giger and Fox approaching him to make AVP for the Jaguar 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Lostdragon

[Yak]

Not only is the constant, relentless name-dropping annoying in its own right, for someone who claims to have been an integral part of Atari, and presumably therefore knowledgeable about their history as a result, he gets basic details wildly wrong.

 

He claims that Nolan Bushnell "wrote Pong, Breakout and Asteroids".

 

Nobody "wrote" Pong. It's a game based on hardwired logic; it doesn't have a CPU or any ROM so there's no code to get "written". Bushnell instructed Al Alcorn to implement it, almost certainly after having seen Ralph Baer's tennis game on the Odyssey.

 

"Breakout" is also hardwired logic, and even non-Atari-historians know about this because of the famous story of Jobs and Woz, where Woz produced a more efficient hardware design and Jobs didn't share the resultant bonus. That's just common nerd lore.

 

"Asteroids" was written by Ed Logg and Lyle Rains.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

21 minutes ago, Yak said:

Not only is the constant, relentless name-dropping annoying in its own right, for someone who claims to have been an integral part of Atari, and presumably therefore knowledgeable about their history as a result, he gets basic details wildly wrong.

 

He claims that Nolan Bushnell "wrote Pong, Breakout and Asteroids".

 

 

Next thing you know, the Computer Space story will change from it being developed in Ted's daughter's room to JW's bedroom.

[Lostdragon]

23 hours ago, Yak said:

Not only is the constant, relentless name-dropping annoying in its own right, for someone who claims to have been an integral part of Atari, and presumably therefore knowledgeable about their history as a result, he gets basic details wildly wrong.

 

He claims that Nolan Bushnell "wrote Pong, Breakout and Asteroids".

 

Nobody "wrote" Pong. It's a game based on hardwired logic; it doesn't have a CPU or any ROM so there's no code to get "written". Bushnell instructed Al Alcorn to implement it, almost certainly after having seen Ralph Baer's tennis game on the Odyssey.

 

"Breakout" is also hardwired logic, and even non-Atari-historians know about this because of the famous story of Jobs and Woz, where Woz produced a more efficient hardware design and Jobs didn't share the resultant bonus. That's just common nerd lore.

 

"Asteroids" was written by Ed Logg and Lyle Rains.

We are talking an individual who thinks Flying Shark developed by Toaplan and published by Taito in Japan, Romstar in North America and Electrocoin in Europe,is the sequel to Capcom's 1942.

 

 

An individual who claims Mike Singleton R. I. P invented both solid 3D and Texture-Mapping. 

 

 

An individual who thinks Jaguar AVP was the first AVP title, ignoring the Capcom Coin-Op and dreadful stand alone SNES and GB titles. 

 

 

As for the name dropping, tell me about it ?

 

 

As a film fan to see him name drop John Hurt and Stan Winston, all of whom just happen to sadly be no longer with us, add Jack Tramiel into the long list of deceased people Jane claims to of known on a personal level, think he also name dropped Yaphet Kotto, Parker from Alien, on Twitter, once news of his passing was made public. 

 

 

It's beyond morbid, it's simply disgusting. 

[youxia]

Let's not forget Salvador Dali and Bill Gates...?

 

I must say, their absolute chutzpah with telling these things to the (allegedly) serious journos and them buying it wholesale would be quite astonishing/fascinating, and the character a mix of Zelig and Frank Abagnale of the videogame industry.  But there is that gender/charity/indie ripoff murky side, which makes the whole thing rather yucky.

[Yak]

Reading through some of his linkedin stuff. There's stuff in there which causes me to question how involved he really was with the coding of AvP. Consider the following statement:

 

"During final testing, CFO of Atari, August (Augie) Ligouri lent my girlfriend and I myself a mobile phone. Off we went to Disneyland as a thank you from Atari. If the phone rang, we would have to return to the office immediately to fix a bug."

 

Now I've been through final test at Sunnyvale. And if you've got critical code in the game, then your ass is going to be in the office for the duration, so that you can respond immediately to the test team and fix whatever they find ASAP. You are absolutely NOT going to be fucking off to Disneyland DURING final test. Tempest wasn't even in "Christmas crunch" and yet by the end of it I was utterly rinsed, couldn't even look at a computer except to play DOOM for a month after. Shit was intense, and exhausting.

 

If they really did send him away during final test... how critical could his code have been?

[LordKraken]

8 minutes ago, Yak said:

If they really did send him away during final test... how critical could his code have been?

Maybe he was the reason for the bugs... keeping him away from the code was the smartest thing to do then.

[ThatGuyMike]

16 hours ago, youxia said:

Let's not forget Salvador Dali and Bill Gates...

Oh the names that were dropped when I worked for Jane.

Just about every major celebrity, all the big names in gaming. Heck, at one point Jane claimed to work with/be friends with Peter Molyneux. I ended up working for Peter a year or so later, guess who had no idea who Jane/Andrew Whittaker was? And then guess what story changed?

[Lostdragon]

A general post to respond to all the points raised, in no particular order.. 

 

 

Peter Molyneux had left Bullfrog by the time Jane joined. 

 

 

Jane openly admits 'his A. I code' was responsible for killing the frame rate of Jaguar AVP.. 

 

 

Steve Turner of Graftgold contacted numerous magazine editors etc to point out Jane's Graftgold claims were utter shite, never had an apology or correction issued.. 

 

Jeff's point about 'Now I've been through final test at Sunnyvale. And if you've got critical code in the game, then your ass is going to be in the office for the duration, so that you can respond immediately to the test team and fix whatever they find ASAP. You are absolutely NOT going to be fucking off to Disneyland DURING final test'

 

Ties in with statement Purple Hampton made about Mike Beaton staying for the duration, giving up months of his time staying with the Atari team till AVP was finished. 

 

Jane's version has a homesick Mike being allowed to fly back to the UK with Jane and code, once Atari spent cash shipping equipment to Jane's parents house, to finish coding there. 

 

 

This sports car/Disney/huge wad of cash from Sam Tramiel Ancedotes is a mess, as Jane changes it each time it's told. 

 

The sports car was Sam's, no wait his daughters... 

 

He was given $20,000, no $40,000...

 

 

He was given it  and took the break during 

AVP development, no wait as a thank you for developing it. 

 

Bill Gates? ? 

 

I seem to remember Trip Hawkins was asked about Jane, Trip couldn't remember any Jane or Andrew Whittaker 

 

 

He name dropped Sigourney Weaver on his Twitter feed as well ?

 

 

That wasn't an MGM magazine, it was Gamestm

 

 

The Bond Premier was at his local cinema ?

Edited August 16, 2021 by Lostdragon

[Lostdragon]

IJane trips himself up here... 

 

 

 

 

By August 1998, the game's engine had been completely revamped, and the setting was no longer the 1920s.^[The game was focused at 3D hardware, and had an engine capable of "displaying enormous levels".^[

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Indestructibles_(video_game)

 

 

Jane headed up this third and final team whilst at E. A

 

 

So 100 long Haul flights in 1998 or 2 hrs? 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Lostdragon

[JagChris]

6 hours ago, ThatGuyMike said:

Oh the names that were dropped when I worked for Jane.

Just about every major celebrity, all the big names in gaming. Heck, at one point Jane claimed to work with/be friends with Peter Molyneux. I ended up working for Peter a year or so later, guess who had no idea who Jane/Andrew Whittaker was? And then guess what story changed?

What did you do for Jane?

[+Stephen]

What an imbecile.