Damon Slye
Encyclopedia
Damon Slye is a computer game designer, director, and programmer
.
In 1984 he founded Dynamix
with Jeff Tunnell
in Eugene
, Oregon
. He is best known for creating a popular series of historic flight simulations that included Red Baron, A-10 Tank Killer
, and Aces of the Pacific
.
Slye's first product was Stellar 7
, an action game for the Apple II
. It featured animated 3D wireframe graphics.
His next game was Arcticfox
, another game that featured 3D animation. It was the first original title that Electronic Arts
published for the new Amiga
computer.
In 1994 Slye left Dynamix and the game industry altogether. He returned in 2007 when he founded Mad Otter Games, and began developing games for the Instant Action platform.
Game programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebase for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer"...
.
In 1984 he founded Dynamix
Dynamix
Dynamix, Inc. was an American developer of computer games from 1984 to 2001, best known for their flight simulator, Red Baron, the Front Page Sports series, Betrayal at Krondor, and their online multiplayer game, Tribes.-History:...
with Jeff Tunnell
Jeff Tunnell
Jeffrey Tunnell is a computer game producer, programmer and designer.In 1984 he founded Dynamix with Damon Slye in Eugene, Oregon.In 1990, Tunnell left Dynamix to start Jeff Tunnell Productions. Tunnell would go on to create famous brands such as The Incredible Machine, Trophy Bass, and the 3D...
in Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He is best known for creating a popular series of historic flight simulations that included Red Baron, A-10 Tank Killer
A-10 Tank Killer
A-10 Tank Killer is a flight simulation computer game for Amiga and MS-DOS platforms. The game features an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. There was a 1.0 release and a 1.5 release in 1991. A mission pack called Extra Mission was released in 1995...
, and Aces of the Pacific
Aces of the Pacific
Aces of the Pacific is a flight simulator game developed by Dynamix in 1992. Its success caused Dynamix to create a very similar sequel, entitled Aces over Europe. The game takes place during World War II...
.
Slye's first product was Stellar 7
Stellar 7
Stellar 7 is a futuristic tank simulation computer game based on the arcade game Battlezone in which the player assumes the role of a tank pilot. The enemies include anything from other tanks to mechanical birds. Several years later a sequel game, Nova 9 was released...
, an action game for the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
. It featured animated 3D wireframe graphics.
His next game was Arcticfox
Arcticfox
Arcticfox is a computer game developed by Dynamix and published in by Electronic Arts. It was published in Europe by Ariolasoft.It was first developed for the Amiga, but was quickly ported to other popular platforms of the era such as the Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, PC and Apple IIe...
, another game that featured 3D animation. It was the first original title that Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
published for the new Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
computer.
In 1994 Slye left Dynamix and the game industry altogether. He returned in 2007 when he founded Mad Otter Games, and began developing games for the Instant Action platform.
Credited games
- Aces Over Europe (19931993 in video gaming-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....
), Dynamix, Inc.DynamixDynamix, Inc. was an American developer of computer games from 1984 to 2001, best known for their flight simulator, Red Baron, the Front Page Sports series, Betrayal at Krondor, and their online multiplayer game, Tribes.-History:... - Aces of the Pacific, Expansion Disk, WWII:1946 (19921992 in video gaming-Events:-Notable releases:* Gremlin Graphics releases Zool, Amiga's answer to Mario and Sonic. It goes on to become the best selling Commodore Amiga game, boosting the already popular computer to be the leading gaming machine in Europe....
), Dynamix, Inc. - Aces of the PacificAces of the PacificAces of the Pacific is a flight simulator game developed by Dynamix in 1992. Its success caused Dynamix to create a very similar sequel, entitled Aces over Europe. The game takes place during World War II...
(1992), Dynamix, Inc. - Red Baron, Mission Builder (19911991 in video gaming-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....
), Dynamix, Inc. - Red BaronRed Baron (game)Red Baron is a video game for the PC, created by Damon Slye at Dynamix and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was released in 1990.As the name suggests, the game is a flying simulation set on the Western Front of World War I. The player can engage in single missions or career mode, flying for...
(19901990 in video gaming-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*February 12 — Nintendo releases the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America...
), Dynamix, Inc. - Stellar 7Stellar 7Stellar 7 is a futuristic tank simulation computer game based on the arcade game Battlezone in which the player assumes the role of a tank pilot. The enemies include anything from other tanks to mechanical birds. Several years later a sequel game, Nova 9 was released...
(1990), Dynamix, Inc. - A-10 Tank KillerA-10 Tank KillerA-10 Tank Killer is a flight simulation computer game for Amiga and MS-DOS platforms. The game features an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. There was a 1.0 release and a 1.5 release in 1991. A mission pack called Extra Mission was released in 1995...
(19891989 in video gaming-Notable releases:* October 3, Brøderbund releases the Prince of Persia game, the first in a series of games, noted for its advancements in animation....
), Dynamix, Inc. - David Wolf: Secret Agent (1989), Dynamix, Inc.
- DeathtrackDeathtrackDeath Track or Death Track Racing was a first person futuristic driving computer game produced for the PC by Dynamix and published by Activision in 1989...
(1989), Activision, Inc.ActivisionActivision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles... - MechWarrior (1989), Activision, Inc.
- Project FirestartProject FirestartProject Firestart is a cinematic action/adventure game for the Commodore 64 computer system. It was designed by Jeff Tunnell and Damon Slye and published by Electronic Arts in 1989...
(1989), Electronic Arts Inc.Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers... - Abrams Battle TankAbrams Battle TankAbrams Battle Tank, aka M-1 Abrams Battle Tank for the Sega version, is a computer game developed by Dynamix and published by Electronic Arts in 1988 for DOS. It was later ported to Mega Drive in 1991 by Realtime Games Software...
(19881988 in video gaming-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:*January 8, Konami releases Super Contra....
), Electronic Arts Inc. - Skyfox II: The Cygnus Conflict (19871987 in video gaming-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
), Electronic Arts Inc. - ArcticfoxArcticfoxArcticfox is a computer game developed by Dynamix and published in by Electronic Arts. It was published in Europe by Ariolasoft.It was first developed for the Amiga, but was quickly ported to other popular platforms of the era such as the Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, PC and Apple IIe...
(19861986 in video gaming-Events:-Notable releases:*Namco releases Sky Kid Deluxe, Hopping Mappy, Toy Pop, The Return of Ishtar, which is the sequel to Tower of Druaga, Genpei Tōma Den, and Rolling Thunder....
), Electronic Arts Inc. - Stellar 7Stellar 7Stellar 7 is a futuristic tank simulation computer game based on the arcade game Battlezone in which the player assumes the role of a tank pilot. The enemies include anything from other tanks to mechanical birds. Several years later a sequel game, Nova 9 was released...
(19821982 in video gaming-Events:* December 27 - Starcade, a video game television game show, debuts on TBS in the United States.-Notable releases:*October 13 - Mystique releases the Custer's Revenge adult video game for the Atari 2600 home console....
), Penguin Software, Inc.Penguin SoftwarePenguin Software was a video game publisher from Geneva, Illinois that produced graphics software and games for the Apple II, Macintosh, IBM, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari 8-bit, and Atari ST computers...