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Don Priestley
Don Priestley (born 1940) is a teacher and former video game programmer who wrote over 20 commercial games for the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum home computers between 1982 and 1989. Despite successful releases for DK'Tronics, such as '' 3D Tanx'' and ''Maziacs'', Priestley returned to teaching in the late 1980s, claiming changes in the video game industry did not suit his style of work. Game development Until 1979, Don Priestley was a teacher. In 1981 both he and his son enrolled in a Pascal course at night school. Although his son dropped out, he carried on. One of his early programs was an adaptation of Conway's Game of Life which was converted to a newly purchased Sinclair ZX81. His first commercial game was ''The Damsel and the Beast'', inspired by a program called ''Mugwump'' and published by Bug-Byte. Further ZX81 games written freelance were ''Dictator'' (a successful strategy game later ported to the Spectrum) and ''Mazogs'' (which was later rewritten for the Spectrum as ''Maziacs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video Game Programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebases for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines, all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer". A game programmer should not be confused with a game designer, who works on game design. History In the early days of video games (from the early 1970s to mid-1980s), a game programmer also took on the job of a designer and artist. This was generally because the abilities of early computers were so limited that having specialized personnel for each function was unnecessary. Game concepts were generally light and games were only meant to be played for a few minutes at a time, but more importantly, art content and variations in gameplay were constrained by computers' limited power. Later, as specialized arcade hardware and home systems became more powerful, game developers could develop d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publishers. Founded in London in 1843 by Scottish brothers Daniel and Alexander MacMillan, the firm would soon establish itself as a leading publisher in Britain. It published two of the best-known works of Victorian era children’s literature, Lewis Carroll's ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and Rudyard Kipling's ''The Jungle Book'' (1894). Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Harold Macmillan, grandson of co-founder Daniel, was chairman of the company from 1964 until his death in December 1986. Since 1999, Macmillan has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group with offices in 41 countries worldwide and operations in more than thirty others. History Macmillan was founded in London in 1843 by Daniel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Living People
Related categories * :Year of birth missing (living people) / :Year of birth unknown * :Date of birth missing (living people) / :Date of birth unknown * :Place of birth missing (living people) / :Place of birth unknown * :Year of death missing / :Year of death unknown * :Date of death missing / :Date of death unknown * :Place of death missing / :Place of death unknown * :Missing middle or first names See also * :Dead people * :Template:L, which generates this category or death years, and birth year and sort keys. : {{DEFAULTSORT:Living people 21st-century people People by status ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1940 Births
Year 194 ( CXCIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Septimius and Septimius (or, less frequently, year 947 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 194 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * Emperor Septimius Severus and Decimus Clodius Septimius Albinus Caesar become Roman Consuls. * Battle of Issus: Septimius Severus marches with his army (12 legions) to Cilicia, and defeats Pescennius Niger, Roman governor of Syria. Pescennius retreats to Antioch, and is executed by Severus' troops. * Septimius Severus besieges Byzantium (194–196); the city walls suffer extensive damage. Asia * Battle of Yan Province: Warlords Cao Cao and Lü Bu fight for control over Yan Province; the battle lasts for over 100 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Of Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colour'' and ''ZX82'', it was launched as the ''ZX Spectrum'' to highlight the machine's colour display, which differed from the black and white display of its predecessor, the ZX81. The Spectrum was released as six different models, ranging from the entry level with 16 KB RAM released in 1982 to the ZX Spectrum +3 with 128 KB RAM and built in floppy disk drive in 1987; altogether they sold over 5 million units worldwide (not counting unofficial clones). The Spectrum was among the first home computers in the United Kingdom aimed at a mainstream audience, and it thus had similar significance to the Commodore 64 in the US and the Thomson MO5 in France. The introduction of the ZX Spectrum led to a boom in companies producing software an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was one of the largest software publishers in the UK, achieved by selling cassette-based software at £1.99. As well as supplying leading retailers such as Woolworth's and Toys "R" Us, Mastertronic sold software in outlets such as newsagents which had not been previously associated with the software market. Their range of budget games were incredibly successful during the 1980's, with titles such as '' Kikstart'', ''Action Biker'', ''Finders Keepers'', ''Chiller'' and ''Flash Gordon'' (released under the M.A.D. Label). Later diversification included the setting up of US operations to source and distribute their software, as well as an unsuccessful arcade games division (Arcadia Systems). However, it was their decision to market the Sega Master System in the UK that ultimately proved most successful. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Trap Door (video Game)
''The Trap Door'' is a video game published for the ZX Spectrum in 1986 by Piranha Software and ported to the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 by Five Ways Software. It was written by Don Priestley and based on the British children's television show of the same name. Gameplay left, 240px, Gameplay In ''Trap Door'', the player takes control of Berk, who must perform tasks for "The Thing Upstairs", a never-seen entity who lives in the upper floors of the castle where Berk works. In order to help him complete his task, Berk must make use of the many objects lying around his part of the castle as well as the creatures that emerge from the trap door. Berk is assisted by Boni, a talking skull, who provides hints when picked up. He is also somewhat hindered by Drutt, Berk's pet who loves eating worms, as well as The Thing's impatience which manifests in form of a time limit for each task. Gameplay is largely based around puzzle-solving and the use and manipulation of the many objects lit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benny Hill's Madcap Chase
''Benny Hill's Madcap Chase'' is a ZX Spectrum videogame featuring Benny Hill and loosely based on his Thames TV show. It was programmed by Don Priestley and published by DK'Tronics in 1985. The plot involves Benny deciding to help his neighbours by completing a number of tasks for them. Reception ''Crash'', a ZX Spectrum gaming magazine, gave ''Benny Hill's Madcap Chase'' a positive review and awarded it 78%. Amongst the features the reviewers liked were the large graphics which avoided attribute clash, and the sense of humour with one reviewer stating that they "ovedit when Benny hit something or the lady chasing him had a fit". The game was described as "playable" and "addictive" although there were concerns about its long-term appeal. Rick Robson, writing in ''Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in cir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flunky (computer Game)
''Flunky'' (sometimes known as ''Mad Flunky'') is an adventure game by Don Priestley for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC. It was published in 1987 by Piranha Software. The player takes control of a wiktionary:flunky, flunky in the service of the British Royal Family. The flunky is given orders by various members of the family which he must carry out. When he is successful in completing a task, he can obtain an autograph from the satisfied individual. Once he has successfully completed tasks for several persons he can go on to perform the final task for Elizabeth II, The Queen herself. Gameplay image:ZX flunky.png, Screenshot The player controls the flunky as he moves around Buckingham Palace, carrying out orders that members of the Royal Family will give him. The flunky can only be given one task to do at a time. The solutions needed to complete the tasks range from the correct use of items in the correct places to tasks requiring skillful playing more reminiscent of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Trap Door
''The Trap Door'' is a British animated television series, originally shown in the United Kingdom in 1986. The plot revolves around the daily lives and the misadventures of a group of monsters living in a castle. These include a blue creature called Berk, a spider-like creature called Drutt and Boni who was a skull of unknown origin. Although the emphasis was on humour and the show was marketed as a children's programme, it drew much from horror and dark fantasy. The show has since become a cult favourite and remains one of the most widely recognised family entertainment shows of the 1980s. Show production The show was created by British animators Terry Brain and Charlie Mills. It was produced through their own companies, CMTB Animation and Queensgate Productions Ltd. Brain and Mills were also responsible for another animated show, '' Stoppit and Tidyup'', a few years later in the late 1980s, and '' Bump the Elephant'' in the 1990s. There was a stop motion movie tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Trap Door (game)
''The Trap Door'' is a video game published for the ZX Spectrum in 1986 by Piranha Software and ported to the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 by Five Ways Software. It was written by Don Priestley and based on the United Kingdom, British children's The Trap Door, television show of the same name. Gameplay image:ZX trapdoor1.png, left, 240px, Gameplay In ''Trap Door'', the player takes control of Berk, who must perform tasks for "The Thing Upstairs", a never-seen entity who lives in the upper floors of the castle where Berk works. In order to help him complete his task, Berk must make use of the many objects lying around his part of the castle as well as the creatures that emerge from the trap door. Berk is assisted by Boni, a talking skull, who provides hints when picked up. He is also somewhat hindered by Drutt, Berk's pet who loves eating worms, as well as The Thing's impatience which manifests in form of a time limit for each task. Gameplay is largely based around puzzle-solving ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piranha Software
Piranha Software was a short-lived video game publishing label created by Macmillan Publishers in 1986 and closed eighteen months later. In that time it gained a reputation for its unusual output from well known developers such as Don Priestley, Design Design and Delta 4. The majority of their games featured licensed properties including the first video game based on the ''Discworld'' novels and two games based on the animated television series ''The Trap Door''. History Education Software Macmillan first entered the computer software market in 1983 when it jointly produced a range of educational software with Sinclair Research for use with the ZX Spectrum home computer. The venture was launched by Clive Sinclair and Harold Macmillan who proclaimed the software to be a "technological advance". The ''Learn To Read'' (based on Macmillan's ''Gay Way'' primary school reading scheme) and ''Science Horizons'' titles developed by Five Ways Software were followed in 1984 with four ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
