Editorial Forgotten Ruins: The Roots of CRPGs IV

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Brian Fargo; Interplay; Reggie Carolipio

<p>The fourth part of bitmob's series on the roots of CRPGs is up. This time, <a href="http://www.bitmob.com/articles/forgotten-ruins-the-roots-of-computer-role-playing-games-interplay">Interplay get the run-down</a>:</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Brian Fargo wasn't the stereotypical coder living in his parent's garage or a student at a place like Caltech. He was a sprinter on a track scholarship when he walked out of school to work on his first game: <a title="Demon's Forge" href="http://www.bitmob.com/mobfeed?tag=demons=forge">Demon's Forge</a>. Like Richard Garriott and Jon Van Caneghem (New World Computing), his house was literally his office as he managed marketing and sales from his bedroom.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">[...]</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Interplay's first contract was from World Book Encyclopedia to do a series of small titles. That didn't stop a young Activision Inc. from stepping in later and handing Interplay a contract for three adventure games to the tune of $100,000. Despite creating <a title="Mind Shadow" href="http://www.bitmob.com/mobfeed?tag=mind-shadow">Mind Shadow</a> under contract, Interplay was still an indie, and that left the door open for Electronic Arts to publish one of the genres most memorable CRPGs.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">[...]</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Fargo would eventually go on to found a new company, inXile Entertainment, where in 2004, they released <a title="The Bard's Tale" href="http://www.bitmob.com/mobfeed?tag=the-bards-tale">The Bard's Tale</a> as an action RPG. As humorous as it was and despite the name, it had little to do with the original series. Part of the reason is that EA is still holding on to its Bard's Tale ball (though they apparently allowed inXile to use the name). Surprisingly, EA did sell the Wasteland rights to Fargo in 2003, though, nothing has come of it other than the potential for another post-apocalyptic playground (and, hopefully, not another ARPG like <a title="Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel" href="http://www.bitmob.com/mobfeed?tag=fallout-brotherhood-of-steel">Brotherhood of Steel</a>).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Where's our Wasteland game Fargo?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks <strong>Brett</strong>!</p>

 

[Ausir]

Given that Jason Anderson recently left inXile, I doubt we'll ever see Wasteland 2. Also, EA did not sell the rights to Wasteland to Fargo.

 

[MisterStone]

<p>Where's our Wasteland game Fargo?</p>

SHUT. UP.

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

<p>Where's our Wasteland game Fargo?</p>

SHUT. UP.

Now would be the perfect time for a Wasteland inspired photoshop of the new Bard's Tale cover, including a Fat Freddy/Blobert somewhere on the cover naturally. If only I had shopping abilities...

 

[Daemongar]

Why do these articles on The Bard's Tale and Interplay always reference Rebecca Heinemen, when for all of Interplay's existance it was Bill? Just because he eventually snapped and had his wang cut off, or whatever, does that mean people have to change history so that suddenly a "woman" played a part in the development of Wasteland and The Bard's Tale?

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Why do these articles on The Bard's Tale and Interplay always reference Rebecca Heinemen, when for all of Interplay's existance it was Bill? Just because he eventually snapped and had his wang cut off, or whatever, does that mean people have to change history so that suddenly a "woman" played a part in the development of Wasteland and The Bard's Tale?

Perhaps they are young people that never realised she was a he back then? Either that, or they are trying to be PC.

Bill:

Rebecca:

 

[Jora]

Why do these articles on The Bard's Tale and Interplay always reference Rebecca Heinemen, when for all of Interplay's existance it was Bill? Just because he eventually snapped and had his wang cut off, or whatever, does that mean people have to change history so that suddenly a "woman" played a part in the development of Wasteland and The Bard's Tale?

Is it really a big deal? It's still the same person. If people get married you refer to them by their current surname, not the original one. Or if they just want to change their name for kicks. I doubt anyone's calling Jon Stewart of The Daily Show Stuart Leibowitz or whatever his name was.

If Bill decided that he was more a woman than a man and changed his sex accordingly, there's no reason to be up in arms about it. "OH NO! A WOMAN? IN MY INTERPLAY?!"

 

[Baron]

That, and you update an employee's address rather than send shit to where they lived in 1984. I don't see why the Sex field isn't also updated...

It's not like this happens with any frequency outside of the Codex.

edit- ninja'd

 

[Daemongar]

Is it really a big deal? It's still the same person. If people get married you refer to them by their current surname, not the original one. Or if they just want to change their name for kicks. I doubt anyone's calling Jon Stewart of The Daily Show Stuart Leibowitz or whatever his name was.

If Bill decided that he was more a woman than a man and changed his sex accordingly, there's no reason to be up in arms about it. "OH NO! A WOMAN? IN MY INTERPLAY?!"

It's not a woman, it's a guy who had a sex change. If Shaq got a sex change and dominated the WNBA or whatever is left of it, nobody would say he is striking a blow for womens causes.This isn't about a woman in the project or at Interplay.

This is about misrepresenting the original developers of the game: now it appears there was always a nut in there, instead of someone 15 years later going off the deep end. Changing ones name or address are hardly similar.

Edit: I guess I am not mentioning the interviews with her. I watched them, she's a bitter, angry wreck. A guy who got a sex change so he could be a lesbian. That doesn't even make any sense.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

It's because he probably was a nerd.

 

[MisterStone]

Anyone remember the Wasteland manual or maybe the paragraph book had a photo of the dev team dressed up in Mad Max attire and holding crowbars, etc.? Is one of those people BillBecca?

 

[Daemongar]

Anyone remember the Wasteland manual or maybe the paragraph book had a photo of the dev team dressed up in Mad Max attire and holding crowbars, etc.? Is one of those people BillBecca?

I have the C64 version in my lap, and the people are:
Ken St. Andre, Michael A. Stackpole, Bill Dugan, Nishan Hossepian, Chris Christiansen, Alan Pavlish, Cleveland Blakemore, and Bruce Schlickbernd. No Bill "Burger" Heineman.

 

[DwarvenFood]

lol, Cleve ?? Can you scan that pic please ?

Also a bit off-topic but I have not heard anything about Cleve being in any way associated with Wasteland, until now.

 

[Cenobyte]

Anyone remember the Wasteland manual or maybe the paragraph book had a photo of the dev team dressed up in Mad Max attire and holding crowbars, etc.? Is one of those people BillBecca?

I have the C64 version in my lap, and the people are:
Ken St. Andre, Michael A. Stackpole, Bill Dugan, Nishan Hossepian, Chris Christiansen, Alan Pavlish, Cleveland Blakemore, and Bruce Schlickbernd. No Bill "Burger" Heineman.

Michael Stackpole? Of the Battletech novels?
And yes, Cleve involved in Wasteland is new to me as well.

 

[Pelvis Knot]

From http://project64.c64.org/games/m-z/index.html

CREDITS

IBM version : Michael Quarles

Original program : Alan Pavlish

Design : Brian Fargo, Ken St. Andre, Alan Pavlish, Michael A.
Stackpole

Maps : Bruce Balfour, Elizabeth T. Danforth, Chris Christensen, Jeff
"T.G." Berman, Bill "Weez" Dugan, Nishan Hossepian, Stance Nixon, Alan
Pavlish, Ken St. Andre, Michael Stackpole, Mike Williams, Daniel
Carver

Graphics : Todd J. Camasta, Charles Weidman, Bruce Schlickbernd

Directed by Troy P. Worrell

Playtest and Development : Bruce Schlickbernd, Thomas R. Decker

Moral Support : Susan Quarles

I don't see no Cleve

EDIT: Here is the pdf: http://wasteland.protozoic.com/wasteland/wastedisk/manual.pdf

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Michael Stackpole? Of the Battletech novels?

The same.

And no, Cleve was not involved. Somebody is having a little fun.

 

[DwarvenFood]

Haha, I fell for that one. Nicely done.

Relevant to the thread - also no "BillBecca" in the credits.

 

[mondblut]

A religious wacko, a tranny, the Bard's Tale team sure sounds like a Codexite studio to me.

 

[circ]

Well there was another tranny coder who's name escapes me now. Made M.U.L.E and ugh something else. Died of lung cancer or something some time ago.

 

[fastjack]

re

whos the religous wacko? or did i miss something?

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Re: re

whos the religous wacko? or did i miss something?

I am guessing he is referring to the creator of Bard's Tale, Bard's Tale 2 and Centauri Alliance, Michael Cranford. He left the industry to become a priest, or something of the sort.

 

[circ]

Centauri Alliance had a pretty awesome plot that I remember. But I haven't played it in 15 years because I got stuck at some puzzle and it was pretty unforgiving anyway. Much better plot than any of this Avellone and co. are writing today.

 

[mondblut]

Re: re

whos the religous wacko? or did i miss something?

I am guessing he is referring to the creator of Bard's Tale, Bard's Tale 2 and Centauri Alliance, Michael Cranford. He left the industry to become a priest, or something of the sort.

Yup.

 

[Melcar]

So that´s how it all began.

 

[Daemongar]

Well, there was an interesting thing if you read her interview, though: she wasn't in that photo in Wasteland, but those were all her guns. Before she became a pacifist and got her dick chopped off (related?) she was a marksman.