After reading the story, this sounds like a sure-fire "Outliers" scenario. The Adams brothers lived near Cape Canaveral. Richard constructed a video camera as an adolescent, before building a custom 16-bit computer from scratch, when all of the kits were strictly 8-bit. Richard, Scott, and Eric programmed the system initially from front panel switches, until Richard build a keyboard, based on existing designs. Just as Bill Gates created Altair BASIC at what was most likely the earliest possible moment, so with the Adams brothers getting their start.
It would be interesting to know what the family, school, and social background that gave them the shot at such an early entre into digital hacking.
Our Dad was a general manager of a private Aviations firm, Also sorts of neat tools and stuff in the garage and we got electronic kits in 1st and second grade to play with.
Our Mom got her PHd in education when we were teens and was very actively involved in all our schooling. She never accepted anything but top notch work. For punishment we would be told we could not read books for awhile and had to do something else.
When I went to highschool at N. Miami Senior high they tried an experiment and put a computer terminal in the math lab for anyone to use. It hooked up to a mainframe at U of M and I was hooked! I changed my career choice to CS from medicine and never looked back.
The one toy I always wanted as a kid was my own computer! I remember learning binary in 6th grade and thinking it was pretty cool.
Actually I do love the mutiple player aspect of EQ2. I frequently group up with guild mates and others in my hydra and also enjoy raiding with them. My hydra is basically done because, well I want to be challenged, and trust me running 4 characters at once is about as challenging as it gets!
In the early days of the Internet Dilbert's Scott Adams would get email meant for me. In one of his ealiest internet newsletters Scott ask if anyone knew of this adventurer writing Scott Adams so he could give him his fan mail.
Eventually Scott and I connected up and he was then able to pass my email address to those who wrote him.
I always wondered if Scott wasn't really me in some alternate timeline twist. LOL
Go ahead and start writing it! That is a much better idea than trying to convert my old sphagetti code.
Publicly let me state that Andrew was the most important Beta tester I had and was the one who made me work the hardest to improve RTPI2. Personally I am far from satisfied with my final version but decided to put it out and stop putzing with it anymore. I have nothing but good feelings for Andrew!
Good Luck on your endeavors!
I am spoiled by wanting good graphics too. I have not tried UO yet but others tell me not to bother. Right now I am deep into playing Arcanum and AO and beta testing games for Microsoft so my plate is fairly full.
I am awating NeverWinter nights. I think there are great possibilites there for a good DM to make a really great game.
Thanks!
Let me say publicly I really appreciate the warm reception I received at the University and also the wonderful web site of the event that has been posted there.
Hi Andrew!
Neat running acroos your post here. WHat you have is all true. Though I really don't hate adventure games. I just don't find them as much fun as other games right now. I am enjoying games suchas Baldur's gate and Acranum and Anarachy Online. I do like the eye candy and the building of characters.
Personally the last Adventure game that I did play was Myst series.
Yup the code indeed was really sphagethi code for RTPI2. At one point I started a complete converison myself to C++ but basically quit. the entire package really needs a totally redesign and I had to ask myself "why bother?". I really did expect to do another game as this one was simply written because so many peole had asked me to do one more.
Anyway many thanks for all your input during beta Andrew, you really are the one who made the biggest difference in the final state of the game.
Scott
You right I got my facts messed up. Keep in mind this was a seminar without prepared notes and I was simply conversing with the panelists and audience. The story I recevied was second hand and it stuck in my memory. I am happy to receive the straight scoop now as it were.
I have to agree with you! I played EQ up to about level 24 and then let my account sit there. I have since tried Asheron's Call and Anarchy Online. Enjoying both but really waiting for the storyline to startup in AO as promised by funcom.
Scott
www.msadams.com
Slashdot Mirror
After reading the story, this sounds like a sure-fire "Outliers" scenario. The Adams brothers lived near Cape Canaveral. Richard constructed a video camera as an adolescent, before building a custom 16-bit computer from scratch, when all of the kits were strictly 8-bit. Richard, Scott, and Eric programmed the system initially from front panel switches, until Richard build a keyboard, based on existing designs. Just as Bill Gates created Altair BASIC at what was most likely the earliest possible moment, so with the Adams brothers getting their start.
It would be interesting to know what the family, school, and social background that gave them the shot at such an early entre into digital hacking.
Our Dad was a general manager of a private Aviations firm, Also sorts of neat tools and stuff in the garage and we got electronic kits in 1st and second grade to play with. Our Mom got her PHd in education when we were teens and was very actively involved in all our schooling. She never accepted anything but top notch work. For punishment we would be told we could not read books for awhile and had to do something else. When I went to highschool at N. Miami Senior high they tried an experiment and put a computer terminal in the math lab for anyone to use. It hooked up to a mainframe at U of M and I was hooked! I changed my career choice to CS from medicine and never looked back. The one toy I always wanted as a kid was my own computer! I remember learning binary in 6th grade and thinking it was pretty cool.
Ask away, I will try and answer. Keep in mind this interview was on an EQ2 fan site so the question were heavily biased towards that game.
Hi,
Actually I do love the mutiple player aspect of EQ2. I frequently group up with guild mates and others in my hydra and also enjoy raiding with them. My hydra is basically done because, well I want to be challenged, and trust me running 4 characters at once is about as challenging as it gets!
In the early days of the Internet Dilbert's Scott Adams would get email meant for me. In one of his ealiest internet newsletters Scott ask if anyone knew of this adventurer writing Scott Adams so he could give him his fan mail. Eventually Scott and I connected up and he was then able to pass my email address to those who wrote him. I always wondered if Scott wasn't really me in some alternate timeline twist. LOL
Go ahead and start writing it! That is a much better idea than trying to convert my old sphagetti code. Publicly let me state that Andrew was the most important Beta tester I had and was the one who made me work the hardest to improve RTPI2. Personally I am far from satisfied with my final version but decided to put it out and stop putzing with it anymore. I have nothing but good feelings for Andrew! Good Luck on your endeavors!
I am spoiled by wanting good graphics too. I have not tried UO yet but others tell me not to bother. Right now I am deep into playing Arcanum and AO and beta testing games for Microsoft so my plate is fairly full. I am awating NeverWinter nights. I think there are great possibilites there for a good DM to make a really great game.
Thanks! Let me say publicly I really appreciate the warm reception I received at the University and also the wonderful web site of the event that has been posted there.
LOL, not a problem! I said something as if it was were fact with out first checking it out. My mistake.
Hi Andrew! Neat running acroos your post here. WHat you have is all true. Though I really don't hate adventure games. I just don't find them as much fun as other games right now. I am enjoying games suchas Baldur's gate and Acranum and Anarachy Online. I do like the eye candy and the building of characters. Personally the last Adventure game that I did play was Myst series. Yup the code indeed was really sphagethi code for RTPI2. At one point I started a complete converison myself to C++ but basically quit. the entire package really needs a totally redesign and I had to ask myself "why bother?". I really did expect to do another game as this one was simply written because so many peole had asked me to do one more. Anyway many thanks for all your input during beta Andrew, you really are the one who made the biggest difference in the final state of the game. Scott
You right I got my facts messed up. Keep in mind this was a seminar without prepared notes and I was simply conversing with the panelists and audience. The story I recevied was second hand and it stuck in my memory. I am happy to receive the straight scoop now as it were.
I have to agree with you! I played EQ up to about level 24 and then let my account sit there. I have since tried Asheron's Call and Anarchy Online. Enjoying both but really waiting for the storyline to startup in AO as promised by funcom. Scott www.msadams.com