★ AMSTRAD CPC ★ SOFTOGRAPHIE ★ PAUL SHIRLEY ★ |
| Paul Shirley | Games - Auteurs |
For almost as long as there have been Amstrad computers there have been Paul Shirley programs. Quack-a-jack was one of the very early Amsoft games, and it is that experience which has led Paul to be the best Amstrad programmer around. He claims that Mission Genocide is his last CPC program - a great pity, but it's some swansong nonetheless. Laid-back and genial, Paul laughs a lot. He is a dedicated games player, one of his favourite arcade games being I Robot, the Atari 3D stunner. For Incentive, Paul wrote Confusion, a frustrating and very, very addictive puzzle game. He describes it as "a three month project which took eight months", but then lots of programs are like that. The most successful program to have sprung from his copy of Devpac is Spindizzy. Originated on the Amstrad it was converted across several formats. Unique and non-hostile, Spindizzy is a huge maze game with over 400 rooms and loads of puzzles to solve. It is now available on compilation and must represent the best VFM in the chart this month. Plans for an ST version have been shelved, but Paul expects his next program to be for that machine. The graphics within Mission Genocide are stored compressed in four colours, and to generate them Paul uses his own sprite designer which he can hack around as the need suits him. Some of the colours in the preview copy were a bit odd as the game was written on a green screen monitor with some tweaking using an MP2. Despite his hippy appearance Paul Shirley is as commercially minded as any programmer I've met. He may write the best code possible but will not go over the top on a budget game. When I asked about the possibility of a starscape he said: "If I was trying to sell it for 10 quid, yes, then I'd go all the way and put stars in. But as it is I think it's quite enough for £1.99". Having played the game rd say it is more than enough.
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