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HESware
Human Engineered Software (HES, also known as HesWare) was an American software developer and publisher from 1980 until 1984. The company sold video games and educational and productivity software, in addition to several hardware products. It focused on the Commodore 64, VIC-20, and Atari 8-bit family home computers. History The company was located in Brisbane, California. Published titles included games, educational and productivity programs. Among them were ''Project Space Station'', ''Mr. TNT'', Turtle Graphics by David Malmberg, several Jeff Minter games (Llamasoft), such as '' Attack of the Mutant Camels'', ''Gridrunner'', '' Hes Games'', and HesMon, Graphics BASIC, 64Forth (a cartridge-based Forth implementation), and the HesModem and HesModem II. The company was started by Jay Balakrishnan and Cy Shuster in 1980. The company was founded in Balakrishnan's apartment in Los Angeles, where he took down the door to his bedroom, put it across two file cabinets, and used that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert (born January 1, 1964) is an American video game designer, video-game designer, video game programmer, programmer, and video game producer, producer. His games are generally focused on interactive story-telling, and he is arguably best known for his work on several LucasArts adventure games, including ''Maniac Mansion'' and the first two ''Monkey Island (series), Monkey Island'' games. While a student in 1983, he co-wrote Graphics BASIC and he then worked on action games for HESware, which went out of business. He afterwards joined Lucasfilm Games (later LucasArts), and was given the opportunity to develop his own games. He invented SCUMM, a technology used in many subsequent games. After leaving LucasArts, Gilbert co-founded the children's gaming company Humongous Entertainment in 1992 and its sister company Cavedog Entertainment in 1995, where he produced games such as ''Total Annihilation'' for adults. He cofounded Hulabee Entertainment with Shelley Day, releasing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Project Space Station
''Project Space Station'' is a simulation game written for the Commodore 64 computer published in 1985 by HESware. It was ported to the Apple II and DOS. Summary In the game the player is put in control of NASA and tasked with building and maintaining a space station and generating enough money with commercial contracts to make up for an anemic yearly budget. This can be seen as a discrete set of phases, except that they all proceed simultaneously. The exception is at the beginning of the game where the player has unlimited time in the planning phase before the game clock starts. In the planning phase, the player first allocates the funds they have to various budget items, like crew selection, station modules, and research and development. Then they choose their crew, who have intrinsic task sets (like piloting and physics), and varying levels of competence and compatibility with other potential employees. From there the player purchases equipment like space suits and satellites ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lawrence Holland
Lawrence Holland is an American video game designer and founder of the now defunct Totally Games. He is best known for the ''Star Wars: X-Wing'' series published by LucasArts. Early life His interest in computer programming started when his college roommate attempted to program a game onto his computer. After buying his own computer, Lawrence Holland studied to figure out how the computer worked and began his career in game design. In 1983, Holland was hired by Human Engineered Software (HESware) to program and convert arcade games to home computers. He started his own team, Micro Imagery, while working with HESware in 1984. During this time, he invented his own game and composed/programmed music for numerous video games. Career His first game was called ''Slime'' for the VIC-20. He went on to do the music for the Commodore 64 and Apple II versions of ''The Bard's Tale''. Other early games include ''Spike's Peak'', ''Super Zaxxon'' and ''Project Space Station''. He became ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hes Games
''Hes Games'' is a 1984 sports game released for the Commodore 64 by HESware. It was originally developed by 3-2-1 Software for the C64 . It was later upgraded by Michael Crick and released in the UK by Americana as ''Go For The Gold'' (#1 hit September 1986) and in the US by COSMI CORP under the label Celery Software. The US title, ''World Games'', was changed to ''Gold Medal Games'' to avoid confusion with an Epyx product also called ''World Games''. Reception ''InfoWorld'' in 1984 stated that ''HES Games'' "may be one of the best" of several Olympics-related games, especially praising the weightlifting simulation. The game was positively reviewed by Zzap!64 magazine who gave it a 95% rating. References External linksReviewin GAMES Magazine ''GAMES World of Puzzles'' is a puzzle magazine formed from the merger of Games and World of Puzzles in October 2014. The entire magazine interior is now newsprint (as opposed to the part-glossy/part-newsprint format of the origin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
OMNIWRITER
OmniWriter is a word processor for the Commodore 64 home computer HESware. Called the "dean of Commodore 64 word-processing programs" in Stewart Brand's '' Whole Earth Software Catalog and Review'', OmniWritersold at a list price of USD$79. It was specifically recommended for home business use. The package included a reference card that fits around the Commodore's function key A function key is a key on a computer or terminal keyboard that can be programmed so as to cause an operating system command interpreter or application program to perform certain actions, a form of soft key. On some keyboards/computers, function ...s, customizable colors and a scrolling 80-column width display. The maximum file size is 23 pages, but multiple files can be chained for printing. OmniWriter can import up to 240 columns of data from Microsoft ''Multiplan''. References External links * Commodore 64 software Word processors Discontinued software {{WordProcessor-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gridrunner
''Gridrunner'' is a fixed shooter video game written by Jeff Minter and published by Llamasoft for the VIC-20 in 1982. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit family, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore PET and Dragon 32. Many remakes and sequels have followed, including versions for the Atari ST, Amiga, Pocket PC, Microsoft Windows, and iOS. Gameplay The game is similar to the Atari, Inc. arcade game ''Centipede'', with long, segmented enemies that progress in a zig-zag fashion and can be broken apart. Players control a small ship that can fire upwards and move freely around the screen. The player must also avoid pulses emitted by the X-Y zappers which patrol the edges of the grid. The game has twenty waves of enemies to complete. Development Llamasoft released ''Gridrunner'' in 1982 for the unexpanded VIC-20. The game was written over the course of a single week, which Minter refers to as "the best week of work I've ever done." Although it draws its inspiration from the arcade ga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
VIC20
The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit home computer that was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET. The VIC-20 was the first computer of any description to sell one million units. It was described as "one of the first anti-spectatorial, non-esoteric computers by design...no longer relegated to hobbyist/enthusiasts or those with money, the computer Commodore developed was the computer of the future." The VIC-20 was called ''VC-20'' in Germany because the pronunciation of ''VIC'' with a German accent sounds like the German expletives "fick" or "wichsen". The term ''VC'' was marketed as though it were an abbreviation of ''VolksComputer'' ("people's computer," similar to Volkswagen and Volksempfänger). History Origin and marketing The VIC-20 was intended to be more economical than the PET computer. It was equipped with 5 KB of st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TRS-80 Model I
The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of ''Tandy Radio Shack, Z80 icroprocessor'. It is one of the earliest mass-produced and mass-marketed retail home computers. The TRS-80 has a full-stroke QWERTY keyboard, the Zilog Z80 processor, 4 KB dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) standard memory, small size and desk area, floating-point Level I BASIC language interpreter in read-only memory (ROM), 64-character per line video monitor, and a starting price of US$600 (equivalent to US$ in ). A cassette tape drive for program storage was included in the original package. While the software environment was stable, the cassette load/save process combined with keyboard bounce issues and a troublesome Expansion Interface contributed to the Model I's reputation as not well-suited to serious ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Word Processor
A word processor (WP) is a device or computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some additional features. Word processor (electronic device), Early word processors were stand-alone devices dedicated to the function, but current word processors are word processor programs running on general purpose computers. The functions of a word processor program fall somewhere between those of a simple text editor and a fully functioned desktop publishing program. However, the distinctions between these three have changed over time and were unclear after 2010. Background Word processors did not develop ''out'' of computer technology. Rather, they evolved from mechanical machines and only later did they merge with the computer field. The history of word processing is the story of the gradual automation of the physical aspects of writing and editing, and then to the refinement of the technology to make it available to corporations and Indi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video Game Development
Video game development (or gamedev) is the process of developing a video game. The effort is undertaken by a developer, ranging from a single person to an international team dispersed across the globe. Development of traditional commercial PC and console games is normally funded by a publisher, and can take several years to reach completion. Indie games usually take less time and money and can be produced by individuals and smaller developers. The independent game industry has been on the rise, facilitated by the growth of accessible game development software such as Unity platform and Unreal Engine and new online distribution systems such as Steam and Uplay, as well as the mobile game market for Android and iOS devices. The first video games, developed in the 1960s, were not usually commercialised. They required mainframe computers to run and were not available to the general public. Commercial game development began in the '70s with the advent of first-generation video gam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BASIC
BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College in 1963. They wanted to enable students in non-scientific fields to use computers. At the time, nearly all computers required writing custom software, which only scientists and mathematicians tended to learn. In addition to the program language, Kemeny and Kurtz developed the Dartmouth Time Sharing System (DTSS), which allowed multiple users to edit and run BASIC programs simultaneously on remote terminals. This general model became very popular on minicomputer systems like the PDP-11 and Data General Nova in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Hewlett-Packard produced an entire computer line for this method of operation, introducing the HP2000 series in the late 1960s and continuing sales into the 1980s. Many early video games trace their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LucasArts
Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game brand licensing, licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a larger 1990 reorganization of the Lucasfilm divisions, the video game development division was grouped and rebranded as part of LucasArts. LucasArts became known for LucasArts adventure games, its line of adventure games based on its SCUMM engine in the 1990s, including ''Maniac Mansion'', the ''Monkey Island (series), Monkey Island'' series, and several ''Indiana Jones'' titles. A number of influential game developers were alumni of LucasArts from this period, including Brian Moriarty, Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and Dave Grossman (game developer), Dave Grossman. Later, as Lucasfilm regained control over its licensing over the ''Star Wars'' franchise, LucasArts produced numerous action game, action-based ''Star Wars'' titles in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
