![]() ![]() Although Boulder Dash has certain similarities to The Pit, Dig Dug and Mr. This direction, according to Peter, wasn’t inspired by any existing games. “We lived far apart, and our occasional meetings weren’t helpful or productive, especially since I took off in my own direction very early on.” “He must have thought he’d have the role of creative director, but it didn’t work out,” says Peter. “In Chris’s version, the action was very hard-coded: rocks followed pre-determined sequences, and there wasn’t much for the player to do.” Contrary to popular belief, Chris’s input largely ended at that point. “The demo was named Pitfall and played just like The Pit, although Chris denied any knowledge of that game,” explains Peter. However, when Peter spent time with the game, he decided it wasn’t worth converting. “They introduced me to Chris Gray, who’d submitted a demo written in BASIC.” Peter remembers that the demo was incomplete, and needed to be translated into assembler to be commercially viable, which he considered “a reasonable first project to get my feet wet”. ![]() I bought an Atari 800 and contacted a local publisher,” recalls Peter. ![]() “In the early Eighties, a friend introduced me to videogames, and I thought ‘I can write a game’. Surprisingly, the initial ‘spark’ that birthed Boulder Dash came from another programmer: Chris Gray. Despite modern versions of the game becoming increasingly complex and lacking the frenetic nature evident in Peter Liepa’s original, the gameplay remains largely unchanged: you explore caves, dig through dirt and collect gems, avoiding obstacles and various nasties.Ĭarefully dig so that you can funnel the boulders. One such game is Boulder Dash, which since its release in 1984 on the Atari 400/800 has gone on to inspire numerous conversions and sequels. A classic is a game that lives on through the ages, touching each generation of gamers anew, but still remaining a firm favourite with those who encounter it over the years. The word ‘classic’ is bandied about all too frequently in the world of videogames, often awarded to titles that are ‘merely’ very good. Here creator Peter Liepa remembers how it all began. Since being released in 1984, it’s gone on to spawn numerous games and has inspired many others. ![]() Boulder Dash remains one of gaming’s most enduring franchises. ![]()
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May 2023
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