Favorite Game Programmer (any platform)

[Jeff-20]

Who is your favorite game programmer for any platform of console, computer, or electronic games? This poll is only for those who both designed and programmed the work like Gary Kitchen, Tom Griner, Shigeru Miyamoto.

I think mine is David Crane.

[English Invader]

I like David Crane. I always enjoy the interviews he gives for Retro Gamer. Pitfall! and Ghostbusters are among my all time favourite games.

Yu Suzuki has to be up there as well. I love Outrun and Space Harrier in their various forms.

[akator]

^ Yu Suzuki.

Yu Suzuki and his various teams did a lot of stuff right and many of their products hold up well decades later. There are a lot of noteworthy game designers but I can't think of anyone else who so consistently made games I loved then and still love now. Yu Suzuki is the only one I would make a special trip for to hear him present / speak / lecture / talk.

[buzbard]

Who is your favorite game programmer...

Jeff Daniels of course! (What did I win?)

Seriously, I like Jeff Minter a lot, I read his unfinished book that's been floating around, and his story is similar to mine, in that we both learned to program on a PET in high school.

I also like all the Activision stuff, but I would have to say David Crane is my favorite of them.

[Jeff-20]

Jeff Daniels of course! (What did I win?)

haha! Hardly, but thanks.

It's interesting we are going so far back in time. Games designed by a single person are rare now. And some great programmers were not included because of my limited understanding of their portfolios. Markus Persson (Notch)'s Minecraft and Alexey Pajitnov's Tetris come to mind. Consistency should also be a factor.

[English Invader]

It's interesting we are going so far back in time. Games designed by a single person are rare now. And some great programmers were not included because of my limited understanding of their portfolios. Markus Persson (Notch)'s Minecraft and Alexey Pajitnov's Tetris come to mind. Consistency should also be a factor.

Some would argue that the code for Minecraft isn't very good. It was programmed in Java and I've heard the game is quite prone to crashing because of inefficient source code (a common problem with indie games). It's one thing to be able to come up with original ideas but quite another to be a brilliant programmer.

[Vic20-Ian]

For me it has to be Jeff Minter for his dedication to pushing the limits of the hardware and gameplay and his statement defining a programmer as someone who can write a playable game in 1K or less.

[Jeff-20]

Some would argue that the code for Minecraft isn't very good. It was programmed in Java and I've heard the game is quite prone to crashing because of inefficient source code (a common problem with indie games). It's one thing to be able to come up with original ideas but quite another to be a brilliant programmer.

Well, to go further, one could argue Minecraft isn't even an original idea. I have read that it's a clone of a game called Infiniminer. Notch even acknowledges the influence. So, an "unoriginal" game and "bad" code still made a global sensation. Strange.

Jeff Minter would have been my second choice.

[Vic20-Ian]

I would have said the designer / programmer for Galaxian as my number one but he failed to qualify as it was 2 people.

Galaxian is still my go to game to let off retro steam.

I remember seeing it for the first time after Space Invaders and asking if the bombs dropped could still kill you if you had shot the ship that dropped them.

Space Firebird is also fondly remembered as is Rush and Crash aka Speed Rumbler.

[Jeff-20]

Galaxian is still my go to game to let off retro steam.

I remember seeing it for the first time after Space Invaders and asking if the bombs dropped could still kill you if you had shot the ship that dropped them.

What do you think of Galaga, Ian? I really enjoyed the 7800 version. I still feel Space Invaders did the best job of creating atmosphere. It's also the product of a single person's vision.

[Vic20-Ian]

Galaga is ok but I think the extra gameplay actually detracts.

Space Invaders is also extremely playable and atmospheric with the bass sound.

Galaxian just seems to have a fascination for me. I like the shot sound, I like the background hum that gets panic inducingly faster, I like the slight miss timing that makes bullets miss, I like the starfield and the bonus for shooting Galboss last after the 2 wingman.

[Jeff-20]

I assume you're talking about the original arcade then? I'm not familiar with it. I spent much more time with the Atari 2600 version and to a lesser extent VIC and NES ports.

[Vic20-Ian]

Yes, I thought Arcade was ok for any format, if not then I am back to Laserzone or Myriad or Star Defence on the Vic20

Scramble on the Vectrex is also good.

[Jeff-20]

Scramble on the Vectrex is also good.

I know we're drifting from topic, but I have serious issues with that game. I put countless hours into navigating the walled sections around 3:03 of this video:
[youtube]JA5O18j0YlQ[/youtube]

It's a brilliant game but too difficult for me.

[Vic20-Ian]

Oh yes, rarely possible for me too lol.