Dona Bailey, who just lately left Atari and joined Videa Inc., is outwardly the one lady who designs coin-operated video games in the USA right now, although a number of different girls design house video games. Centipede was her first try, and it was a smashing success. She attributes it to newbie’s luck, a collection of accidents, and instinct.
“After I acquired to Atari, everybody was doing an area sport or a battle sport,” she stated. “I didn’t need to do both. I assumed video games could possibly be extra enticing, however I didn’t know what to do, so I didn’t say something. I used to be imagined to do a laser sport, and I didn’t need to do it.”
“Atari stored a pocket book of sport concepts, and there was one sentence—a multisegmented worm comes out, will get shot at, and breaks into items—that I stored coming again to. It wasn’t {that a} worm was enticing, however it was the one totally different thought in the entire e-book. So when a number of folks stated possibly we shouldn’t do one other laser sport, I stated, ‘Did you see that worm?’”
This text was first printed as “Centipede: the worm that turned a development.” It appeared within the December 1982 subject of IEEE Spectrum as a part of a particular report, “Video video games: The digital massive bang.” A PDF model is obtainable on IEEE Xplore.
“Designing Centipede—it was at all times known as Centipede—was a logical development; nothing acquired taken out as soon as it acquired put in, which is uncommon. For instance, I needed to ensure I used to be turning the centipede in the correct locations because it moved throughout the display, so I put some visible markers in to assist me program—simply little dots. Individuals got here in and stated the dots have been actually dumb, and I ought to make them rocks. I by no means meant to depart them in, however it made the display a maze, and it was higher. I didn’t like the thought of rocks, so I began playing around with graph paper and got here up with the mushrooms.
“Then I needed one thing that was extra threatening to the participant, one thing that got here near the underside of the display. I considered a spider, as a result of I’ve at all times been frightened of spiders—after I see a spider I feel it’s coming to get me. I did the spider over the Thanksgiving holidays. And I fooled round making an attempt a bunch of various actions for per week.
“They have been all crummy. Then I hit on the thought of constructing the spider bounce up and down—it seemed like bouncing on one thread of an online. I used to be so pleased.”
Apart from the spider, the sounds of Centipede have been achieved by Ed Logg, a designer at Atari. “All of the sounds have been deep,” Ms. Bailey stated. “I needed one thing higher-pitched so I did it.”
“Since Centipede did so effectively, Atari has began in search of designers who’re into issues aside from house and battle.”
Evaluations of the sport Centipede give attention to the “unimaginable colours” that stand out; they have been totally different from something in arcades. “At first Centipede was black and white,” Ms. Bailey recalled, “however Missile Command got here out eight months earlier, and it had colours, so I needed colours. I argued for a very long time and at last acquired the eight commonplace major colours. I stated that wasn’t sufficient. I needed extra colours, like purple, as a result of there was a trend craze then for purple, and I used to be at all times sporting purple and brightly coloured garments. They by no means had a feminine programmer earlier than, and so they teased me as if I have been from a special planet.
“I stored asking for various colours, and solely my technician would hear. He got here up with a special set of actually shiny colours, however I needed some pastels. Sooner or later he was standing behind the cupboard, tweaking the resistors, and by chance he hit on an astounding set of colours. I stated, ‘Cease!’ He hated the colours and needed to alter them again, however I wouldn’t let him. For days I sat round enjoying with new shade combos. Individuals would come look and say, ‘Blah!’ Even after it did effectively, the opposite designers stored saying ‘Blah!’ however girls inform me they like the colours.”
One other factor reviewers like is the easy trackball management used to play Centipede. “They didn’t need me to make use of a trackball,” Ms. Bailey defined. “Ed was actually massive on buttons. He thought in case you give folks sufficient buttons to maintain their palms busy, they’ll be pleased. I assumed that with all these buttons, I wasn’t going to have the ability to play it—I by no means might play Missile Command or Defender—and I needed to play it to program it. On prime of that, individuals who seemed on the sport thought I is likely to be designing a little bit youngsters’ sport—and little youngsters can’t deal with a whole lot of buttons.
“For some time it had a joystick, however that was awkward, and I feel controls must be pure. I lastly satisfied them to strive a trackball, simply so I might use it whereas I used to be working—the sport was produced with a trackball.
“Since Centipede did so effectively, Atari has began in search of designers who’re into issues aside from house and battle.”
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