PitfallFan1980

It seems to me that, given the ambitious scope of the project, the deadline, and the fact that it's planned as a major release on a vast number of platforms, $900,000 is a drop in the bucket - particularly considering almost every major release I've seen over the past decade is a multi-million dollar venture.

Granted, there are many talented individuals out there developing games on their off-time. However, those games often take years to develop because everyone is juggling it against a 40+ hour work week and, in some cases, families.

Just a thought.

David, I've been a long-time fan of your work ever since I played your games on the Atari 2600. I have many questions (some of which I've had since I was a kid) and it's a privilege to finally have the chance to ask them.

You've mentioned in interviews that game design used to start with acknowledging the limitations of the platform, then building a game within those limitations. Your newest project, Jungle Adventure, seems to have much in common with the original spirit of Pitfall! and Pitfall II. Are you developing this game as you would've originally developed Pitfall if you didn't have to worry so much about the hardware limitations? In what way might this work be depart from the intent of the original Pitfall series?

In the Pitfall post-mortem you gave at the GDC last year, you mentioned in the Q&A (almost wistfully) that you "cheated" by using the DPC for Pitfall II. However, besides helping the game to break unheard of ground on the Atari 2600, it seemed you were trying to give the aging console a much-needed shot in the arm. Are there any regrets you have over that title?

Pitfall II seems to be the unsung hero of classic gaming - almost no one I've met knew about it, even though they played Pitfall! Personally I find it to be my favorite game, perhaps even one of my favorites of all-time. Looking back, what are your thoughts about the game?

Funny, it was explained quite well in the manual that Rhonda was inflating specimen bags on steam geysers - I suppose marketing came to the rescue on that one. I always figured the balloons looked like carnival balloons because of graphical limitations.