John Plaster - Revision history

Amycjgrace: /* Game Credits for John Plaster */

2022-12-04T16:40:00Z

‎Game Credits for John Plaster

Amycjgrace: /* Game Credits for John Plaster */

2022-09-27T22:32:56Z

‎Game Credits for John Plaster

Amycjgrace: /* Game Credits for John Plaster */

2020-12-08T21:52:35Z

‎Game Credits for John Plaster

Amycjgrace: /* Game Credits for John Plaster */

2020-12-07T13:54:48Z

‎Game Credits for John Plaster

Amycjgrace: /* External Links */

2020-11-30T13:56:49Z

‎External Links

Amycjgrace: /* Interview */

2020-11-30T04:16:34Z

‎Interview

Amycjgrace: /* External Links */

2020-11-30T04:14:52Z

‎External Links

Amycjgrace at 04:14, 30 November 2020

2020-11-30T04:14:30Z

Amycjgrace: /* Interview */

2020-11-30T04:10:40Z

‎Interview

Amycjgrace: /* Interview */

2020-11-30T04:05:54Z

‎Interview

@@ Line 155: / Line 155: @@
 * [[Integers]]
 * [[Laws of Arithmetic]]
 * [[Tombstone City]]

@@ Line 151: / Line 151: @@
 ==Game Credits for John Plaster==
 * [[Chisholm Trail]]
 * [[Integers]]

@@ Line 152: / Line 152: @@
 ==Game Credits for John Plaster==
 * [[Chisholm Trail]]
 * [[Laws of Arithmetic]]
 * [[Tombstone City]]

@@ Line 152: / Line 152: @@
 ==Game Credits for John Plaster==
 * [[Chisholm Trail]]
 * [[Tombstone City]]

@@ Line 159: / Line 159: @@
 ==External Links==
 * [https://dadgum.com/giantlist The Giant List of Classic Games Programmers]
 [[Category:Software programmer]]

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 The following is from an interview done by Gary M. Kaplan that appeared in the 1982 Vol. 1, No. 5 issue of 99'er Magazine, pages 34-35, pages 47-48 and page 52:<ref>An Interview with John C. Plaster - Designer and Programmer of "Tombstone City:21st Century" - ''99'er Magazine: 1982 Vol. 1, No. 5, pgs. 34-35, 47-48 and 52''</ref>
-[[image:Jim Dramis - Designer's Spotlight.jpg|400px|thumb|left|An Interview with John C. Plaster - Designer and Programmer of "Tombstone City:21st Century"]]
+[[image:Jim Dramis - Designer's Spotlight.jpg|400px|thumb|left|An Interview with John C. Plaster - Designer and Programmer of "Tombstone City: 21st Century"]]
 '''GMK:''' Have you programmed many games?

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 John C. Plaster was a software programmer and game designer working for Texas Instruments. He created two well-known games for the TI-99/4A. In 1981, he released his game [[Tombstone City]], and in 1982, [[Chisholm Trail]] was released.
@@ Line 147: / Line 156: @@
 ==References==
 <references />
 [[Category:Software programmer]]

@@ Line 116: / Line 116: @@
 '''GMK:''' What did you learn from the experience of designing and programming this game?
-'''JCP:''' Well, of course, the main thing was learning the
+'''JCP:''' Well, of course, the main thing was learning the 9900 code. I was really impressed with the capabilities of the home computer-in the speed we could actually get from the 9900. I now realize that graphics are probably the most important thing in a game. I think you can probably be all right by throwing graphics on the screen and designing the game around your graphics rather than designing the game first, and then doing the graphics. Sometimes it works better one way, sometimes the other. But a lot of times your graphics influence how the game is going to be played.
 ==Game Credits for John Plaster==

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:05, 30 November 2020
Line 92:		Line 92:

	'''JCP:''' Certainly, the hardest level to play on is Level 3, so that would present the most challenge. It is also very challenging to get yourself trapped in the safe area and allow nine monsters to be on the outside. From this position, it is very hard to recover.		'''JCP:''' Certainly, the hardest level to play on is Level 3, so that would present the most challenge. It is also very challenging to get yourself trapped in the safe area and allow nine monsters to be on the outside. From this position, it is very hard to recover.
		+
		+	'''GMK:''' Is it really possible to play well on Level 3?
		+
		+	'''JCP:''' Yes. I quit playing on Levels 1 and 2, since I found they could be mastered fairly easily. Level 3 I still haven't been able to master, so it is still very challenging.
		+
		+	'''GMK:''' When one becomes a better player of Tombstone and is able to score s significantly higher and advance farther, it appears that the game takes on a different character and becomes more addictive. Is this a fair assessment, and if so, how did you achieve it?
		+
		+	'''JCP:''' I think that's a fair assessment. I really didn't have in mind what would happen on the higher levels - when you have more cactus out there to start with. That's when the game, to me, becomes more interesting . . . when you've got maybe twenty generating pairs out on the screen to start with. since I didn't intend it to, or even realize it would be this way, it was actually an accident.
		+
		+	'''GMK:''' You must have become quite happy when you discovered this . . .
		+
		+	'''JCP:''' Yes, happy that it did become more interesting at that level, but maybe a little disappointed that it wasn't that interesting when you first started playing it.
		+
		+	'''GMK:''' How did you feel letting the game go after the final polishing was done?
		+
		+	'''JCP:''' Overall, I felt pretty good about the game. I was a little upset about a few things. One thing that I guess didn't make a whole lot of difference was the title of the game. They changed it from its original title to Tombstone City: 21st Century-the 21st Century to sort of justify the Western-based conflict. The other thing that I had to change was the actual tombstones to saguaro cactus. What are saguaro now, were originally old Western-type crosses-with the two sticks forming a cross. That was objected to because of religious reasons. It made a little bit more sense originally when you actually had the tombstones in there. So when the tombstones were taken
		+	out and replaced with the saguaro cactus, it didn't make as much sense to me ... but I guess it's not a big difference.
		+
		+	'''GMK:''' When you finally let the game go, were there any things that you thought about that you might have liked to have added?
		+
		+	'''JCP:''' I thought about several things I could have added, but I was still pleased with the play of the game. You can go on and on with games, but there has to be a cut-off somewhere. Since I was pretty well satisfied with the point I had reached, I was ready to let it go.
		+
		+	'''GMK:''' What did you learn from the experience of designing and programming this game?
		+
		+	'''JCP:''' Well, of course, the main thing was learning the

	==Game Credits for John Plaster==		==Game Credits for John Plaster==