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According to some searches and the filename of a copy of the ROM I happen to have, the developer name appears to be Gary Shannon. https://atariage.com/software

According to some searches and the filename of a copy of the ROM I happen to have, the developer name appears to be Gary Shannon. https://atariage.com/software_page.php?SoftwareLabelID=855 https://atariage.com/software_page.php?SoftwareLabelID=855 https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=person&name=Gary+Shannon https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=person&name=Ga...

capableweb 5y ago
This "Gary Shannon" is mentioned in the original RFH ("Request for Help"): https://atarixp.com/blogs/discover/the-search-for-the-developer-of-aquavanture https://atarixp.com/blogs/discover/the-search-for-the-develo... > Aquaventure has never been spotted on internal Atari memos or status reports from the early 80s, so it has been a challenge to determine who was responsible for programming the game. For many years it was assumed that programmer Gary Shannon wrote Aquaventure during his short tenure at Atari. I first credited Gary, along with developer Tod Frye, with the development in my article about Aquaventure on atariprotos.com in 2008. From Gary themself: > “I had just come to Atari from Sega (coin op "Gremlin-branded" games) and was very new to the 2600, so I was definitely not the lead programmer and did mostly grunt work behind the scenes. After that I worked for a few weeks on another failed 2600 game, Miss Piggy's Wedding, which never got off the launching pad at all.” Conclusion: > while Tod Frye may have programmed the kernel for the Aquaventure, and Gary Shannon did minor updates to an already existing code base, the identity of the original programmer who was responsible for the majority of the code remains unknown.
- judge2020 5y ago
  > I worked for a few weeks on another failed 2600 game, Miss Piggy's Wedding, which never got off the launching pad at all. Another masterpiece lost to time.
- tedivm 5y ago
  Tod Frye is such an interesting guy. I had the luck to meet him taking an AI class in Berkeley a couple years ago- I don't think he'll ever stop learning.
- listenallyall 5y ago
  > the original programmer who was responsible for the majority of the code remains unknown. I heard it was someone named Satoshi Nakamoto
  - fantyoon 5y ago
    Perhaps I am easily amused but this got a chuckle out of me. Its not the first time I have seen a lighthearted comment downvoted on HN, are they against the rules?
    - reaperducer 5y ago
      Not against the rules, but there are a good number of people on HN who will downvote a humorous comment because: 1. They don't get it. 2. They consider it off-topic. 3. They missed the whole era when the internet was fun and interesting. 4. They mistakenly believe that it's against HN rules. 5. They fret about people in different cultures not understanding one another's jokes, so they try to vote the jokes into oblivion, rather than understanding that being exposed to the humor of other cultures is one way to learn about other cultures. 6. They're just grumps who find no joy in anything, and nobody else is allowed to enjoy things. See also: "Stop liking things I don't like!" As for your comment being downvoted, it's considered bad form to comment on downvoting, so yours is doing down, as is mine. But I just don't care.
      - bnegreve 5y ago
        > they try to vote the jokes into oblivion, rather than understanding that being exposed to the humor of other cultures is one way to learn about other cultures. I don't think reading cryptocurrency jokes posted on HN is the best way to expose yourself to other cultures.
        tanseydavid 5y ago
        You've changed the meaning considerably when you switched it from: "one way to learn about other cultures" to "best way".

capableweb 5y ago

This "Gary Shannon" is mentioned in the original RFH ("Request for Help"): https://atarixp.com/blogs/discover/the-search-for-the-developer-of-aquavanture https://atarixp.com/blogs/discover/the-search-for-the-develo... > Aquaventure has never been spotted on internal Atari memos or status reports from the early 80s, so it has been a challenge to determine who was responsible for programming the game. For many years it was assumed that programmer Gary Shannon wrote Aquaventure during his short tenure at Atari. I first credited Gary, along with developer Tod Frye, with the development in my article about Aquaventure on atariprotos.com in 2008. From Gary themself: > “I had just come to Atari from Sega (coin op "Gremlin-branded" games) and was very new to the 2600, so I was definitely not the lead programmer and did mostly grunt work behind the scenes. After that I worked for a few weeks on another failed 2600 game, Miss Piggy's Wedding, which never got off the launching pad at all.” Conclusion: > while Tod Frye may have programmed the kernel for the Aquaventure, and Gary Shannon did minor updates to an already existing code base, the identity of the original programmer who was responsible for the majority of the code remains unknown.

judge2020 5y ago
> I worked for a few weeks on another failed 2600 game, Miss Piggy's Wedding, which never got off the launching pad at all. Another masterpiece lost to time.
tedivm 5y ago
Tod Frye is such an interesting guy. I had the luck to meet him taking an AI class in Berkeley a couple years ago- I don't think he'll ever stop learning.
listenallyall 5y ago
> the original programmer who was responsible for the majority of the code remains unknown. I heard it was someone named Satoshi Nakamoto
- fantyoon 5y ago
  Perhaps I am easily amused but this got a chuckle out of me. Its not the first time I have seen a lighthearted comment downvoted on HN, are they against the rules?
  - reaperducer 5y ago
    Not against the rules, but there are a good number of people on HN who will downvote a humorous comment because: 1. They don't get it. 2. They consider it off-topic. 3. They missed the whole era when the internet was fun and interesting. 4. They mistakenly believe that it's against HN rules. 5. They fret about people in different cultures not understanding one another's jokes, so they try to vote the jokes into oblivion, rather than understanding that being exposed to the humor of other cultures is one way to learn about other cultures. 6. They're just grumps who find no joy in anything, and nobody else is allowed to enjoy things. See also: "Stop liking things I don't like!" As for your comment being downvoted, it's considered bad form to comment on downvoting, so yours is doing down, as is mine. But I just don't care.
    - bnegreve 5y ago
      > they try to vote the jokes into oblivion, rather than understanding that being exposed to the humor of other cultures is one way to learn about other cultures. I don't think reading cryptocurrency jokes posted on HN is the best way to expose yourself to other cultures.
      - tanseydavid 5y ago
        You've changed the meaning considerably when you switched it from: "one way to learn about other cultures" to "best way".