History - In den GARGOYLE (History and softografiya).

<b>History</b> - In den GARGOYLE (History and softografiya).

(C) CHRIS BURN
Translation: SPIDER / Olive-Branch
Music HARMONY OF DREAM 2 (C) MR.Z / HWC



            In the den "GARGOYLE"



     We penetrate into the lair of Gargoyle and get into
Kuhuleyna mystical world of folklore and Celtic ...



  Royston Carter (left) and Greg Fallis (right)



     As written adventyurnye games - six best examples in the 
development process. "We have written software for others, but 
they do not spread, "- says Greg." We have written an 
integrated database for microsystems and sold it Steel 
Stockholders Association. God knows why. We got paid

and all. It's not inspiring for further growth. "Remember, 
these guys are dreaming of wealth. ROYSTON smiles when it 
dissolve the memories. "You're a little interested in dirty 
sex" - accuses Greg - and could not afford anything. A I could 
not help it. "There was a time when millions of Lasers flashed 
in the evenings by holders of Spectrum from across Britain. It 
was 1983, the year of "shoot them all" and games such as 
Time-Gate, Arcadia, Zzoom, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and 
many, many other fashionable at the time. Greg and Roy is no 
exception, they decided to make their own game, keeping the 
work on the master problems in his research developments. "So 
they wrote Ad Astra. The game was large graphics, which later 
became synonymous with the brand Gargoyle. Sustained it is in 
the style of resistance to the invaders, with asteroids, 
norovyaschie hurt you, and crowds of strangers. She was very 
good, anyway - before place, which flew up with a bit of humor. 
For example, the Star Ship Enterprise, appears briefly. She 
bought up bad. "We had a very arrogant view of the market 
games," - explains Greg. 


     Naturally, with time, everything changed after nine 
months, after reflection, all fanateyut from clones of Jet Set 
Willy - multi-screen games like "Jump and dodge."


     Greg and Roy tried to predict demand and made
instead of something of their own. They traveled the world
Celtic mythology and fired two of the best
games ever released on the Spectrum - Tir na
Nog and Dun Darach. Everything started with the "walking man" - 
14-frame animation, written by Greg, representing a cartoon: 
going through the whole screen people. This became the basis 
for the Tir na Nog. 

     To explain, where did Kuhuleyn need to go back to the 
youth of Greg and Roy. 



              TIR NA NOG (1984)



     "I first and then Roy obsessed with science fiction and 
fantasy. I gave Roy a list of books you want to read, and in 
the afternoon we went to lower in London Dark They Were and 
Golden-eyed, bookshops on Tottenham Court Road. Now they are 
there no more. "Also, they have been an ardent admirer

Tolkien. They do not speak Elvish, but you can bet they have 
read all the runes. "... And Thomas Kavnent and black cauldron, 
and books Katerina Kertz ...", continues Greg. "I even played 
in the Castles and Dragons and Tunnels and Trolls. And, of 
course, the mythology of real life, and - well, I confess! - I 
still read the magazine Imagine. "This is only part of the sort 
fantasy, ideal for walking humans. "At first we thought it 
would be Gilgamesh ..." Here Greg demonstrated his fine 
literary taste. Epic poems about Gilgameshe - this is the first 
known example of fiction written by Sameriyskih boards, whose 
age - for thousands of years. "The Unfortunately, Gilgamesh a 
bit solitary, if we collect piece by piece all the dark sides 
of his life - not much left. And we started looking for 
something more interesting. "During the searches, they have 
clung to Irish myth about a mighty warrior Kuhuleyne. "We 
decided that it was not just Irish, but in a Celtic myth that 
went to Europe." Then they looked full of Celtic magic and 
mysteries television series "Robin of Sherwood", staged Mary 
Whitehouse. "It was great. There was still a super soundtrack, 
written by Clannad, which is well suited for the Celtic game." 
In Tir na Nog Kuhuleyn looking print Calum in the land of the 
dead. Graphic system simply Super and a little different from 
those already seen on the computer. 

     In Gargoyle games and plans to draw all the pictures Greg 
and Roy programming. "We both started as programmers, but Roy 
is better. I am no longer on the design side. I remember the 
day when Roy hardly drew a duck. He looked up and asked:

"The ducks big ears?" Since then, he never
not draw. "They're a bit modest about his ability to program, 
but at the same time does not enthuse others. Their strength 
lies in vast experience. "Looking into the past," - said Greg - 
"I do not know why we have not written Dun Darach four years 
ago. We have mastered, then it would be easier to sell software.

Would earn a million ...."



              DUN DARACH (1985)



     Dun Darach was launched Feb. 10, 1985.
"We are very lazy in December and January," - recognized
Greg. Although Dun Darach looks very similar, they
both swear that the code is completely different, but
the central character and procedures scroll are the same. Dun 
Darach is placed in the Celtic metropolis, charming city, where 
the sorcerer Scar concluded Loega - another Kuhuleyna. You will 
explore the city, to open a series of secret doors, collect 
items and solve visual puns and puzzles to use them in the 
right place, pick a lock and deal with the behavior, at least a 
dozen independent characters, such as the gentleman Mhor, 
hopelessly in love with the Bard's Dane and Reid, that behaves 
like a cop, but really wants to back out to sea and return to 
his home in Golitsiyu. Dun Darach in the original contained 
more than 55 streets. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find 
character, when you need it - though street is in memory of 30 
or 40 bytes, but the character takes a lot of places, and 
therefore, adding new characters was banned. Censorship also 
slipped its ugly head. If you drew a map of Dun Darach, you 
must have noticed an empty space in the city center. Closed 
location, the Lady Ku, a quarter of pleasure Iomeyn, brothel, 
and in the original open area in step away from the area shaded 
in red. Now everything you see - it is a sign saying 
"forbidden" - and the moral foundations of distributors and 
retailers in immunity. They even reduced the speed of the 
central character, Kuhuleyna. His slow, seemingly depressing 
offset the complexity of the animation, and because for other 
characters using the same procedure of motion,

Kuhuleyn goes along with them, and there is no time to
evasions.

     The new game, Marsport, the central character
moves a little faster than others. "Codes for
Marsport written from scratch, "- says Greg, and he
wilts when Royston said that people can see that the games look 
the same. Pure coincidence, of course. 

     "See, when you buy adventyuru, then
you buy the story, not the interpreter of a text "- Roy says. 
And he insists that the Tir na Nog and Dun Darach - it 
adventyury that seem clear, unless of course you are not 
overgrown with hair sissy, said Scott Adams, best man bu bu bu 
bu. (Kate Campbell, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 ...) "Honestly, I 
hate it," - says Greg. Marsport much more than their 
predecessors, and with sci-fi theme - an unusually for the 
Gargoyle. By the way, with two fantasy and 
nauchnofantasticheskoy trilogy, Gargoyle, seems to have gone in 
the footsteps of Level 9, which begins with the famous trilogy 
of Middle Earth [Jewels of Darkness], and then released a 
series of text adventyur Snowball. Level 9 - one of the few 
companies that Greg Roy and admire.




                MARSPORT (1986)



     In Marsport you play the role of John Marsh, was sent 
under the abandoned dome on Mars to return plans to strengthen 
the earthen domes of race insects Sept. Purely in the style of 
Gargoyle, a scenario supported by the grandiose fantasy 
prehistory. Booklet with instructions is composed of five 
pages: all effekivnoy on the development of the army and Craig

an enemy of man - race Sept. Protagonist surrounded by enemies 
in the form of droids, which automatically patrol the dome and 
septum itself. You can shoot them if you own the weapon and 
although problems with orientation are the same as in earlier 
games, yet there has 800 routes and 200 locations with objects 
and puzzles. The city is divided into 10 levels, connected by a 
lift, it is just a godsend for fans of maps -

very, very easy to get lost. "The puns even more disgusting," - 
said Greg about visual problems. "Our games are the evolution 
of technology," - he adds. "Alien 8 was a step in the direction 
of Knight Lore. I do not want to offend the Ultimate - I think 
they're a little arrogant. We could be so the same. "" We could 
get rich "- Roy blurted." I agree with that, "- says Greg. 
Regardless of the atmosphere, devoid of vital importance, the 
Celtic game are two keys to success. "Firstly, the animation," 
he says, - "which attracts the eye - if not There was nothing 
like that. Second, the depth - an explanation more than enough. 
Impression of the game very large. "Only one thing they have 
not touched in their games - this is the sound effects, not 
counting strange blipov. "We sat down and took up courageously

criticism "- admits Greg." We wanted to make a suite of planets 
Holst to Marsport "." Nice tune for the background "- Roy 
says." If you want the sounds in Dun Darach, then turn on 
Clannad and Mike Oldfield on the tape "- offers Greg - "we will 
not object." The next game - Sweevo's World, which Greg calls a 
special issue of the Gargoyle Games - just for laughs. "We did 
it very carefully as arcade adventyuru. And if it does not make 
you roll on the floor, what you want then?" 



     Sweevo stands as an original professional body in extreme 
environments, for which hides a very stupid robot. This game

style jump and dodge. " Greg says - it
very eccentric, with a hero, like a "frightened little girl 
jumping, hitting you over the head with a hammer." Fornax, the 
second part of a series of Marsport, brings us back to serious 
things, and Greg said that the graphics system is completely 
different, but does not want to say in anything. "We think of 
the black ink on black paper," - he says - "there there's one 
thing for those who love fantasy - it is would also be good for 
you as for someone else. I admire Level 9, because they enjoy

their games - I thought that Return to Eden sometimes just 
funny. "You can not blame Roy and Greg that they were not 
funny. They love the game even if they do not have time to play 
them. "I see many reasons that should encourage children to

games - unless they are afraid of the computer reached the 10 
years of age. We grew up in a system where no sold 250,000 cars 
because of the fact that the businessman was thinking that it 
looks silly, sitting in front of a computer. "" We've seen it 
at shows, "- adds Roy. "We have always sought to combine the 
game with a show-off, as consumer feels better if it can

touch the goods. "Wherever possible, we will return to
development ", - said Greg -" but in our own company. Deep 
inside, programmers, developers and analysts want to be God and 
create life. Over time we will see a holographic and tangible

television, and it will be at the expense of games. Oh, we'll 
write them. And finally ... What I really wanted was to become 
an astronaut. I hope to be. See you on the Moon "- finished 
Greg. 


                 *



                 Softografiya



Ad Astra (Spectrum) - Gargoyle, 1984
Tir na Nog (Spectrum, C64) - Gargoyle, 1984
Dun Darach (Spectrum, C64) - Gargoyle, 1985
Sweevo's World (Spectrum, C64) - Gargoyle, 1985
Sweevo's Whirled (Spectrum 128) - Gargoyle, 1986
Marsport (Spectrum, C64) - Gargoyle, 1986
Heavy on the Magic (Spectrum, C64) - Gargoyle, 1986
Scooby Doo (Spectrum, C64) - Elite, 1986
Light Force (Spectrum, C64) - FTL, 1986
Shockway Rider (Spectrum, C64) - FTL, 1987
Thundercats (Spectrum, C64, Atari ST) - Elite, 1987
Hydrofool (Spectrum) - FTL, 1987


An updated version of Tir na Nog was written in 1985
year and was supposed to be released by Psygnosis
for the IBM PC. However, her appearance was canceled.