Did you know that...
by Richard Karsmakers
...I am working for a German company called Thalion?
...this is a very promising young company with some excellent programmers and graphics artists?
...some of their games are "Chambers of Shaolin", "Warp" and "Seven Gates of Jambala"?
...they are distributed by Ariolasoft in Germany, Grandslam in the rest of Europe and (probably) Accolade in the States?
...more info can be found in the "ST Software News" section?
...I am extremely proud to be working for them?
...I do game design, writing novellas and doing software presentation?
...the people at Thalion have found out how to do hardware scrolling?
...fooling the MMU and shifter chips allows you to define the screen address by one byte (or even bits) instead of the usual 256 bytes?
...smooth horizontal scrolling is also possible using this method - full screen?
...this method uses only about eight raster lines processor time?
...this method is called "Sync Scrolling" and will be used in a forthcoming Thalion game, for example?
...Thalion will soon launch a compilation of its first four products?
...these products will be "The Chambers of Shaolin", "Seven Gates of Jambala", "Warp" und "Leavin' Teramis"?
...this compilation thus features excellent value?
...Thalion is also working on a music CD with Jochen Hippel, due for a Christmas release?
...the first (and last) game I ever designed at Thalion is out now?
...it is called "A Prehistoric Tale" and has become, though not original or brilliant or anything of that kind, a nicely playable little platform game?
...review ratings are ranging from 23 % to 77 %?
...a Thalion game has now been seen in English charts for the first time (the ST charts of "Zero"'s may issue)?
...it's "Enchanted Land" at number nine?
...I went to the Amiga Messe in Cologne recently (10-12th of November)?
...I was there for my work for Thalion software?
...Erik Matthews (Bitmap Brothers) and Stephen Kelly were in the same hotel as Thalion?
...many of the articles for volume 5 issue 2 of ST NEWS have been conceived in the evening and night hours of the Thalion office?
...at Thalion, I now have to work with a PC quite often?
...Thalion's agreement with Grandslam for European distribution went bust, due to Grandslam going bust?
...Thalion is now in business with Active Sales & Marketing?
...we lacked the energy to continously and vigorously kick Jochen Hippel's ass to get some music out of him?
...I have resigned at Thalion, so that I am "free" again since April 1st, 1991?
...working at Thalion is very nice, but living together with Miranda in Holland is just nicer?
...Thalion sort of doesn't exist anymore?
...it is now merely some kind of distribution company with all original employees having gone?
...Karsten Köper (designed "Amberstar" on ST/ Amiga and "Ambermoon" on Amiga) is now software salesperson at Korona in Gütersloh?
...Monika Krawinkel (graphics of "Amberstar", "Seven Gates of Jambala" and, before her Thalion time, Rainbow Arts' "Bad Cat") is now a mother?
...Andreas and Gunther (who did freelance work for Thalion, but were also known as Ilja of Level 16 and 6719 of TEX respectively) are now confirmed Apple Mac enthusiasts?
...Michael Bittner (a.k.a. TNT Crew, author of "Trex Warrior", "Warp" and countless internal tools) quit in August of 1993 and is now doing freelance work for both Blue Byte and Eclipse - particularly keen on doing stuff on Falcon and Jaguar?
...Jochen Hippel (a.k.a. Mad Max, the sound programmer), tried to make it in the car repair business but failed, swayed to alcohol slightly, and is now getting taught in the D.I.Y. market business?
...Willi Carmincke (against whom I had a personal grudge) and Manuela (the secretary against whose physical appearance I had not the slightest grudge whatsoever) were let go?
...Chris Jungen ("No Second Prize" and the intro to "Airbus"), Thorsten Mutschall (a.k.a. Gogo of TCB, graphics of numerous games amongs which Rainbow Arts' "Spherical"), Juri Horneman (Relayer of QX, programmer of "Amberstar" and "Ambermoon") and Erik Simon (a.k.a. ES of TEX, graphics person and designer) are the only ones still left?
...Juri is working on a large role playing game and Christian is programming a 3D helicopter simulator?
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This text was published in the Atari ST diskmag "ST News" and is used by kind permission of Richard Karsmakers. Source for this article: http://www.st-news.com |
