Difference between revisions of "Realtime Games Software"

From Sega Retro

(it was in "Amiga Computing" and not "Crash" ... unfortunately the journalists confused Andrew Onions with Ian Oliver and vice-versa =) ... but the article is "pure gold"...)
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{{stub}}'''''{{PAGENAME}}'''''{{ref|http://www.crashonline.org.uk/29/realtime.htm}} was a video game development company founded in Leeds, United Kingdom on May 8th 1984 by Ian Oliver{{ref|http://www.carriercommand.com/newweb/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ian_oliver_80s_logo.jpg}}{{ref|http://www.carriercommand.com/newweb/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ian_oliver_now_spectrum_logo.jpg}}, Andrew Onions and Graeme Baird. It was the very  first third-party software developer hired by [[Sega of America]], for developing games, expecially for porting the PC version of [[M-1 Abrams Battle Tank]] to his 16-bit console ('''''Realtime Games Software''''' founders{{fileref|AmigaComputing UK 005.pdf|page=20}} had been making games since college{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (2012-05-10) by Bohemia Interactive}}{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (1998-01) by World of Stuart}} having developed a wireframe tank simullation called ''3D Tank Duel''{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (1998-01) by World of Stuart}} for [[ZX Spectrum]] based on the [[Atari]] arcade game ''Battlezone''). It was during the development of [[M-1 Abrams Battle Tank]], that Ian Oliver, facing dificulties in porting the PC version of the game to the [[Mega Drive]] (according to Ian Oliver's testimony in the book [[Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games]], his main problem was the fact that the PC version of the game had been coded in C and there wasn't a way to port it over with the cartridge size and RAM available), created the command-line assembler [[SNASM68K]] (the original ''SNasm'' developed by [[SN Systems]], was at the time licensed{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19970709123924fw_/http://www.snsys.com:80/snsys.htm}} to and already being sold by Ian Oliver's [[Cross Products]] for the [[Atari ST]] and [[Amiga]] computers, however, it  needed some modification for use with the [[Mega Drive]], which overall wasn't much different from an [[Atari ST]] computer, save for a lack of RAM for screen buffering) which made porting games more easier and gave developers high speed download to target machines and remote debugging (replacing developers reliance on the limited{{ref|http://birdsanctuary.co.uk/carrier-command/2/}} PDS ''Programmers Development System''{{ref|http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/PDS_development_system}}, which was originally created for computers like the [[Amstrad CPC]], [[C64]], [[MSX]], [[ZX Spectrum]] and [[Atari ST]]{{ref|http://trastero.speccy.org/cosas/JL/PDS/Introduccion.html}} and was pratically obsolete, however, this was not a problem when '''''Realtimes's''''' founders  adapted it for being used on a Apple Macintosh, despite not having been made for this computer{{fileref|AmigaComputing UK 005.pdf|page=20}}{{fileref|AmigaComputing UK 005.pdf|page=21}} when they developed the Macintosh version of the video game ''Carrier Command''{{ref|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_Command}}, in 1988), thus expanding his relationship with [[Sega]], which turned out to be the largest costumer of [[Cross Products]], a company founded by Ian Oliver in 1989{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (1998-01) by World of Stuart}} that [[Sega]] ended up buying in 1994{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (1998-01) by World of Stuart}}, as part of his ongoing development tools strategy at the time.
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{{stub}}'''''{{PAGENAME}}'''''{{ref|http://www.crashonline.org.uk/29/realtime.htm}} was a video game development company founded in Leeds, United Kingdom on May 8th 1984 by Ian Oliver{{ref|http://www.carriercommand.com/newweb/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ian_oliver_80s_logo.jpg}}{{ref|http://www.carriercommand.com/newweb/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ian_oliver_now_spectrum_logo.jpg}}, Andrew Onions and Graeme Baird. It was the very  first third-party software developer hired by [[Sega of America]], for developing games, expecially for porting the PC version of [[M-1 Abrams Battle Tank]] to his 16-bit console ('''''Realtime Games Software''''' founders{{fileref|AmigaComputing UK 005.pdf|page=20}} had been making games since college{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (2012-05-10) by Bohemia Interactive}}{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (1998-01) by World of Stuart}} having developed a wireframe tank simullation called ''3D Tank Duel''{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (1998-01) by World of Stuart}} for [[ZX Spectrum]] based on the [[Atari]] arcade game ''Battlezone''). It was during the development of [[M-1 Abrams Battle Tank]], that Ian Oliver, facing dificulties in porting the PC version of the game to the [[Mega Drive]] (according to Ian Oliver's testimony in the book [[Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games]], his main problem was the fact that the PC version of the game had been coded in C and there wasn't a way to port it over with the cartridge size and RAM available), created the command-line assembler [[SNASM68K]] (the original ''SNasm'' developed by [[SN Systems]], was at the time licensed{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19970709123924fw_/http://www.snsys.com:80/snsys.htm}} to and already being sold by Ian Oliver's [[Cross Products]] for the [[Atari ST]] and [[Amiga]] computers, however, it  needed some modification for use with the [[Mega Drive]], which overall wasn't much different from an [[Atari ST]] computer, save for a lack of RAM for screen buffering) which made porting games more easier and gave developers high speed download to target machines and remote debugging (replacing developers reliance on the limited{{ref|http://birdsanctuary.co.uk/carrier-command/2/}} PDS ''Programmers Development System''{{ref|http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/PDS_development_system}}{{ref|http://trastero.speccy.org/cosas/JL/PDS/software.html}}, which was originally created for computers like the [[Amstrad CPC]], [[C64]], [[MSX]], [[ZX Spectrum]] and [[Atari ST]]{{ref|http://trastero.speccy.org/cosas/JL/PDS/Introduccion.html}} and was pratically obsolete, however, this was not a problem when '''''Realtimes's''''' founders  adapted it for being used on a Apple Macintosh, despite not having been made for this computer{{fileref|AmigaComputing UK 005.pdf|page=20}}{{fileref|AmigaComputing UK 005.pdf|page=21}} when they developed the Macintosh version of the video game ''Carrier Command''{{ref|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_Command}}, in 1988), thus expanding his relationship with [[Sega]], which turned out to be the largest costumer of [[Cross Products]], a company founded by Ian Oliver in 1989{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (1998-01) by World of Stuart}} that [[Sega]] ended up buying in 1994{{intref|Interview: Ian Oliver (1998-01) by World of Stuart}}, as part of his ongoing development tools strategy at the time.
  
 
Realtime Games Software was hired by [[Sega]] for two projects, though only [[M-1 Abrams Battle Tank]]  would see completion. The other, a racing game based on 70's police show ''Streets of San Francisco''{{ref|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets_of_San_Francisco}} was cancelled because developers couldn't get the frame rate to a level high enough to make it enjoyable. The game was 75% complete when it was discarded for not meeting '''''Realtimes's''''' standards for quality.  
 
Realtime Games Software was hired by [[Sega]] for two projects, though only [[M-1 Abrams Battle Tank]]  would see completion. The other, a racing game based on 70's police show ''Streets of San Francisco''{{ref|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets_of_San_Francisco}} was cancelled because developers couldn't get the frame rate to a level high enough to make it enjoyable. The game was 75% complete when it was discarded for not meeting '''''Realtimes's''''' standards for quality.  

Revision as of 18:10, 13 May 2018

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Realtime Games Software[1] was a video game development company founded in Leeds, United Kingdom on May 8th 1984 by Ian Oliver[2][3], Andrew Onions and Graeme Baird. It was the very first third-party software developer hired by Sega of America, for developing games, expecially for porting the PC version of M-1 Abrams Battle Tank to his 16-bit console (Realtime Games Software founders[4] had been making games since college[5][6] having developed a wireframe tank simullation called 3D Tank Duel[6] for ZX Spectrum based on the Atari arcade game Battlezone). It was during the development of M-1 Abrams Battle Tank, that Ian Oliver, facing dificulties in porting the PC version of the game to the Mega Drive (according to Ian Oliver's testimony in the book Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games, his main problem was the fact that the PC version of the game had been coded in C and there wasn't a way to port it over with the cartridge size and RAM available), created the command-line assembler SNASM68K (the original SNasm developed by SN Systems, was at the time licensed[7] to and already being sold by Ian Oliver's Cross Products for the Atari ST and Amiga computers, however, it needed some modification for use with the Mega Drive, which overall wasn't much different from an Atari ST computer, save for a lack of RAM for screen buffering) which made porting games more easier and gave developers high speed download to target machines and remote debugging (replacing developers reliance on the limited[8] PDS Programmers Development System[9][10], which was originally created for computers like the Amstrad CPC, C64, MSX, ZX Spectrum and Atari ST[11] and was pratically obsolete, however, this was not a problem when Realtimes's founders adapted it for being used on a Apple Macintosh, despite not having been made for this computer[4][12] when they developed the Macintosh version of the video game Carrier Command[13], in 1988), thus expanding his relationship with Sega, which turned out to be the largest costumer of Cross Products, a company founded by Ian Oliver in 1989[6] that Sega ended up buying in 1994[6], as part of his ongoing development tools strategy at the time.

Realtime Games Software was hired by Sega for two projects, though only M-1 Abrams Battle Tank would see completion. The other, a racing game based on 70's police show Streets of San Francisco[14] was cancelled because developers couldn't get the frame rate to a level high enough to make it enjoyable. The game was 75% complete when it was discarded for not meeting Realtimes's standards for quality.

Softography

Mega Drive

References

  1. ↑ http://www.crashonline.org.uk/29/realtime.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.carriercommand.com/newweb/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ian_oliver_80s_logo.jpg
  3. ↑ http://www.carriercommand.com/newweb/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ian_oliver_now_spectrum_logo.jpg
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 File:AmigaComputing UK 005.pdf, page 20
  5. ↑ Interview: Ian Oliver (2012-05-10) by Bohemia Interactive
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Interview: Ian Oliver (1998-01) by World of Stuart
  7. ↑ http://www.snsys.com:80/snsys.htm (Wayback Machine: 1997-07-09 12:39)
  8. ↑ http://birdsanctuary.co.uk/carrier-command/2/
  9. ↑ http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/PDS_development_system
  10. ↑ http://trastero.speccy.org/cosas/JL/PDS/software.html
  11. ↑ http://trastero.speccy.org/cosas/JL/PDS/Introduccion.html
  12. ↑ File:AmigaComputing UK 005.pdf, page 21
  13. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_Command
  14. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets_of_San_Francisco
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