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'''GMK:''' What did you learn from the experience of designing and programming this game?
'''JCP:''' Well, of course, the main thing was learning the9900 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. '''GMK:''' Does this reasoning also hold true for sound effects? '''JCP:''' To me, sound isn't that important. The sound, I think, can be added as an afterthought. If you have a game that plays well, I think that should be the thing that holds the interest of the user. The sound should be just a fringe benefit. '''GMK:''' What are your personal high scores on each of the three levels? '''JCP:''' On Level 1, I never really played for a score - it's really a slow level. On Level 2, my high score was 528,000 occurring on Day 42. On Level 3, my high score was 136,500. That occurred on Day 13. '''GMK:''' Do you think it's possible for other players without the intimate knowledge of the game that you obviously have-to score this high? '''JCP:''' Yes. Once you reach a certain point on Level 2, your score can almost go on indefinitely. On Level 3, I was never able to get past Day 13. I think that a person would have to spend a lot of time to get a high score on Day 13, although it probably isn't impossible. '''GMK:''' What final tip s can you offer to players of the game? '''JCP:''' The whole key for beginning players is to kill the monsters immediately when they've generated. This [advice] also goes for any player, regardless of skill. You must know beforehand when the monster is coming out, andexactly where it is coming out from so that you can immediately shoot it to destroy the generating pair. For the more advanced player, keeping the safe area clear is probably the most important thing; you can't afford to kill the monsters next to the safe area. If this happens, try to set it up where you can use your "dragging" tactic tomove the cactus away from the safe area. '''GMK:''' One final question. In Level 3, how can you stay alive the longest? '''JCP:''' In Level 3, you just cannot afford to make mistakes - you cannot kill the monster and form another generating pair. If you start forming other generating pairs by your mistakes, it becomes almost irrecoverable after you get so many on the screen ...
==Game Credits for John Plaster==
