Don Priestley
Encyclopedia
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"...
who wrote for the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
between 1982
1982 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....
and 1989
1989 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....
.
Background
Until 1979, Don Priestley was a teacher. In 1981 both he and his son enrolled in a PascalPascal (programming language)
Pascal is an influential imperative and procedural programming language, designed in 1968/9 and published in 1970 by Niklaus Wirth as a small and efficient language intended to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and data structuring.A derivative known as Object Pascal...
course at night school. Although his son dropped out, Don carried on. One of his early programs was an adaptation of Conway's Game of Life
Conway's Game of Life
The Game of Life, also known simply as Life, is a cellular automaton devised by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970....
which was converted to a newly purchased Sinclair ZX81.
His first commercial game was The Damsel and the Beast, inspired by a program called Mugwump and published by Bug Byte. Further ZX81 games written freelance were Dictator (a successful strategy game later ported to the Spectrum) and Mazogs (which was later rewritten for the Spectrum as the successful Maziacs
Maziacs
Maziacs is an action adventure maze video game published by dk'tronics in 1983 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and MSX.-History:Maziacs, written by Don Priestley, was based on his earlier ZX81 game Mazogs which was published by Bug Byte in 1982...
). Mazogs was one of the first home computer games to feature large mobile sprites.
Priestley joined dk'tronics
DK'Tronics
dk'tronics were a software and hardware company during the 1980s. They primarily made peripherals for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC but also released video games for the Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore Vic 20, BBC Micro, Memotech, MSX and Amstrad platforms....
in 1983 and developed games such as 3D Tanx
3D Tanx
3D Tanx is a shoot 'em up video game written by Don Priestley and published by dk'tronics in 1982 for the ZX Spectrum, C64 and BBC Micro.-Gameplay:...
, critically well received, it sold around 5000 copies per month for 15 months became Priestley's greatest commercial success. Other games for dk'tronics included Popeye, released in 1985, it achieved critical success due to its huge, colourful sprites; amongst the largest seen on the Spectrum platform. This distinct graphical style, later used in The Trap Door
The Trap Door (game)
thumb|left|240pxThe Trap Door is a computer game published for several 8-bit formats in 1986 by Piranha Games. It was written by Don Priestley and based on the British children's television show of the same name.-Gameplay:...
, Flunky
Flunky (computer game)
Flunky is a computer game programmed by Don Priestley and released in 1987 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers. It was published by Piranha Games...
and Gregory Loses his Clock happened by chance:
By the late eighties, Priestley felt that games development was moving away from single developers to team development. These changes did not suit Priestley's style of work and he left the games industry to return to teaching.
ZX 81
- The Damsel and the Beast (1981, Bug Byte)
- Sabotage (1982, Macronics)
- City Patrol (1982, Macronics)
- Mazogs (1982, Bug Byte)
ZX Spectrum
- 3D Tanx3D Tanx3D Tanx is a shoot 'em up video game written by Don Priestley and published by dk'tronics in 1982 for the ZX Spectrum, C64 and BBC Micro.-Gameplay:...
(1982, dk'tronicsDK'Tronicsdk'tronics were a software and hardware company during the 1980s. They primarily made peripherals for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC but also released video games for the Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore Vic 20, BBC Micro, Memotech, MSX and Amstrad platforms....
) - Meteoroids (1982, dk'tronics)
- Dictator (1983, dk'tronics)
- MaziacsMaziacsMaziacs is an action adventure maze video game published by dk'tronics in 1983 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and MSX.-History:Maziacs, written by Don Priestley, was based on his earlier ZX81 game Mazogs which was published by Bug Byte in 1982...
(1983, dk'tronics) - JumblyJumblyJumbly is a sliding-block puzzle game by Don Priestley, for the ZX Spectrum. It was published by dk'tronics....
(1983, dk'tronics) - Spawn of Evil (1983, dk'tronics)
- Benny Hill's Madcap ChaseBenny Hill's Madcap ChaseBenny Hill's Madcap Chase is a ZX Spectrum videogame featuring Benny Hill. It was made by Don Priestley and published by DKTronics on 1985.- External links :* on ysrnry.co.uk* at gamingafter40...
(1985, dk'tronics) - Minder (1985, dk'tronics)
- Popeye (1985, dk'tronics)
- The Trap DoorThe Trap Door (game)thumb|left|240pxThe Trap Door is a computer game published for several 8-bit formats in 1986 by Piranha Games. It was written by Don Priestley and based on the British children's television show of the same name.-Gameplay:...
(1986, Piranha) - Through the Trap Door (1987, Piranha)
- FlunkyFlunky (computer game)Flunky is a computer game programmed by Don Priestley and released in 1987 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers. It was published by Piranha Games...
(1987, Piranha) - Up for Grabs (1988, Summit Software)
- Gregory Loses His Clock (1989, MastertronicMastertronicMastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...
) - Target (1989, Margate Games)