Interview w/ John Dondzilla
John Dondzilla
of Classic Gaming Creations is a modern day programmer of classic gaming consoles.
He has coded for the Vectrex, Odyssey2, and the Colecovision.
MT> Describe a
memorable game-related anecdote?
JD> Uhh, probably
not good for my PR, but in my teen years I broke into a "Breakout".
MT> What inspired
you to start creating new titles?
JD>
I
was tired of listening to loads of "talk" from all the individuals who were
going to build RAMCarts, development systems, yadda yadda yadda and write their
own games.
I am a do'er, not a talker.
MT> What is the
typical development time for your creations?
JD>
Depends
on time and motivation. Vector Vaders took 4 days (with no Vectrex programming
experience), Patriots about a month, Vecmania has been on and off for the past
year and a half (has it been that long ?) I'm a lot busier than I used to be
and don't have much free time.
MT> What differences
have you found between programming for the Vectrex and the Colecovision?
JD>
Both
have their ups and downs. I've always been more fond of Motorola CPUs over Intel.
Vectrex sound is easier to code, graphics are more or less easy as well. Coleco
graphics are nasty. 3 different screen modes and the only source of reference
was the graphics chip programming manual which is as confusing as why Donny
& Marie are still so popular.
You didn't ask about the Odyssey 2 - did I mention it's almost as painful to program as an Atari 2600 ?
MT>
Your Odyssey 2 multicart is a nice piece of work. Have you done any further
O2 programming?
JD>
Just
AMOK! although I will eventually do another O2 game.
MT>
What is your production run for each title? Is there a finite amount? Do you
keep track of who owns which cartridges?
JD>
I'll
keep building carts for as long as people want to buy them. I don't believe
in limited runs. The only people I kept track of were the original owners of
Patriots who got the serialized versions of the cart.
MT>
How does one tell if they own a serialized version of Patriots?
JD>
The
cart has a signed label with the number, and the number appears on the title
screen with the owner's name.
MT> What are your
favorite Colecovision and Vectrex games?
JD>
Colecovision
- There aren't any. I despised those controllers the day the system was released
and thought most of the games looked "rushed". Wait, I take some of that back
- I seem to recall spending a lot of time as a salesman in JC Penney playing
"Miner 2049'er". If there are any favorites, I'd say they are my own.
Vectrex
- Star Castle, Rip Off, Armor Attack
MT> What current
endeavors are you working on?
JD>
Vectrex
- Vecmania (it will be done by the fall or it won't get done at all).
MT>
What type of Game is Vecmania?
JD>
My
next Vectrex game release, including a Star Wars style shooter, a Phoenix style
shooter, a new updated version of my Rockaroids game and a few other surprises.
MT> Any Future
plans for other classic systems?
JD>
Atari
2600 - A bit of code lying around somewhere for a game which was said could
never be done, which I did anyway, which will probably never get finished due
to the incredible amount of time it takes to write code for the machine. Another
more feasible project is on the drawing board, and will be the next project
after Vecmania.
MT>
So what is this mysterious game for the 2600, which was said "could never be
done?" (Tempest?) And, if you never take the time to complete it, wouldn't "they"
be right?
JD>
Tempest
was done (well, a playable prototype at least). My mystery game was QIX. Maybe
I'll finish it some day.
Coleco - No more plans or desire to continue programming.
Odyssey 2 - A few ideas bouncing around now that I know how to program the thing. Nothing immediate though.
Studio II - In my early programming days (mid 70's) I always wanted a Cosmac ELF (more or less the same system) to write games on. If I live to be old and grey (or at least retire) I'd like to finish reverse engineering my Studio II and do a game for it (Studtris ?).
MT> For those not
so savvy, what was the Cosmac ELF?
JD>
A
very, very primitive computer based on the old SLOW RCA 1802 CPU.
MT> How does one
obtain the secrets programmed into your games?
JD>
They
wouldn't be secrets if I disclosed them, would they ?
If you really need to know,
In Patriots, pause the game with a score of 150 to play Breakout
In All Good Things, hold down button 1 while selecting the games to play an old TRS80 puzzle game.
In
Spike Hoppin', hold down 1,2 and 4 at the Vectrex intro screen and a space ship
will pass by and destroy the GCE copyright logo (an eye sore for Vectrex programmers).
Also at the title screen, press 1,3 then 4 in order to play Vectrepede.
Good Deal Games
would like to thank John for taking time out of his busy schedule to grace us
with his wit and wisdom -- THANKS John!
Visit John's Website:
E-Mail: GOOD DEAL GAMES
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Copyright © 1999, GOOD DEAL GAMES
Revised -- 7/4/99