3 ms·

Holy crap I just figured the timeline there. 1989 he gets his first IBM compatible PC. '91 zzt. Then in 92 they go hellishly rapid-fire - from 92 to 95 we ge

by Pxtl 6y ago

Holy crap I just figured the timeline there. 1989 he gets his first IBM compatible PC. '91 zzt. Then in 92 they go hellishly rapid-fire - from 92 to 95 we get Jill of the Jungle, Epic Pinball, Zone 66, Solar Winds, Xargon, OMF 2097, Jazz Jackrabbit, Radix, and Tyrian. Within the small pond of PC shareware games, every single one of those was a hit. They had some of the best 2D art and music available in PC games at the time and were solidly fun. Some of them are a bit stiff by modern standards, but they were excellent for their day. How the hell did Sweeney go from "I just got a computer" to that in so few years? I've wasted my life.

pavlov 6y ago
One clever thing Epic did was recruiting developers and artists from the European demo scene. That’s where you could find people who knew more about PC graphics and sound than practically anyone in USA, and also were relatively cheap to hire.
- Pxtl 6y ago
  That does explain a lot. The music and artstyle definitely have the demoscene look to them. Also explains why the music took the center stage in terms of sound design.
  - sedatk 6y ago
    Also explains the smooth scrolling performance of Jazz Jackrabbit.
danmur 6y ago
Man I had forgotten about all those great games. Tyrian was amazing, so was Solar Winds.
sedatk 6y ago
Solar Winds was a very interesting game. I also remember it specifically for a planet called "Ilac" which produced medicine. Ilac means medicine in Turkish.