Coding Questions

Blitz Coder: How long have you been programming?
Steve Elliott: Since about 1982 on and off - off more than on really. ;) My problem has always been changing computers (and languages) and so never really got much practice at programming - until now. Computer's being Sinclair Spectrum, Atari 64XE, Atari ST, Acorn Archimedes and PC. Languages - Sinclair BASIC, Fast BASIC, HIsoft BASIC, STOS and C.

BC: What was the first programming language you used?
Steve: Sinclair BASIC for the Sinclair Spectrum (anyone remember that). I Didn't really do much programming though, just a little text adventure game - I was far too busy playing games on it (the Spectrum had literally thousands).

BC: Do you code in other languages as well?
Steve: Not anymore. I used to program in C until DirectX came out. And all of a sudden you needed 200 lines of code to put your name on the screen - no thanks!

BC: Why do you use Blitz?
Steve: Because it's the perfect trade-off between the amount of time spent producing a game and the quality of games that can be produced with it. Klick and play type programs give faster results but are too slow and limited in the range of games that can be produced. C I've already mentioned - very powerful but time consuming.

Invasion Force Questions

BC: Is Invasion Force the first game you've developed or is there another game/set of games you've done as well?
Steve: Invasion Force is the first completed game I've made - but hopefully not the last. I'm currently working on a chess program (I've always wanted to write one) and things are progressing nicely.

BC: What made you decide to create this game?
Steve: I've always loved shoot em ups. It's the purest form of video game - the sort of game you can come back to again and again when you've got a few spare minutes - especially after a stressful day!

BC: What was the most difficult part of Invasion Force to develop?
Steve: Getting the program to run as smoothly as possible. My routines seemed ok on their own but caused problems and bugs to appear when added to the main program.

BC: How did you get around this problem?
Steve: Basically I had to re-write (and re-think) the program from scratch and experiment with my new code.

BC: How long did it take to code this game?
Steve: A couple of months.

BC: If you code do it again, knowing what you know now, what would you do different?
Steve: Well I'd work out exactly how I'd write the routines and how they integrated - rather than start typing immediately and have to re-write code.

Also, there are one or two extra features that I didn't have time to implement - these I'll add as soon as poss..

Miscellaneous

BC: When you're coding, what's your drink of choice?
Steve: I tend not to eat or drink at the computer - but I find caffeine or beer sometimes helps! ;)

BC: What music (if any) do you listen to during your coding sessions?
Steve: I tend to program in silence - apart from the odd swear word - but that comes from me. If I'm stuck or lacking motivation I always put on some music and play 80's and 90's music.

BC: When do you code most often (morning, afternoon, evening, late night)?
Steve: Mostly evening and late night, I'm not a morning person (ask my boss) and think much clearer then.

BC: Where do you code the most (basement, office, outside)?
Steve: I have one of our spare bedrooms converted into a command centre affair - computer's everywhere! That reminds me (Steve looks around) I must finish building that computer and learn to play that keyboard someday.

BC: What advice would you give a newbie jumping into game development?
Steve: Don't be too ambition and don't be too ambitions - worth repeating I thought. Even the simplest games are not always as simple as they first seem and you'll get a great deal of satisfaction completing the game.

Also, something that has helped me on my latest project. Break down your project down into a list of small tasks that need to be completed (the most important first - make another list when these are done).

Then each day complete just one task - and tick it off the list. This gives you the satisfaction of nearing your goal, keeps you motivated and you don't get bored or start another project. And if the steps are small enough are easy to complete.

In other words don't look at the big picture (which might be daunting) just one step at a time.

BC: What advice did you find most helpful when you started game development?
Steve: Log into BlitzCoder!