Stoo Cambridge on life at Sensible, life after Sensible, Purple, and the SWOS presence on the internet..

The Stoo Interview!

Firstly, going back to your days at Sensible, you must have
worked on a lot of great games, but which one for you, stands out
as your favourite, both in terms of the finished product, and how
much fun it was to work on?

Well.. It's got to be Cannon Fodder. I joined Sensible along with
Jools specifically to work on CF, and although at times it was a
tough project I would have to say most of my fondest memories lie
with it.

And which would be the worst?

Hmmmm... Not sure, there's not really been a worst game, although
there have been a few titles that never made it....onto the next
question...

Sensible released a lot of games, but there must have been a
lot of ideas that didn't quite make it to the production line, can
you remember any games you worked on that didn't make it to release?

Yeah there's been a couple.. Although the last title I worked on
was "Have a Nice Day" . It was being developed by Chris and myself
for the then "unreleased" PSX. I remember the large PC style dev
kit, and slaving over 3D Studio 4, learning 3D, drawing bitmaps
for textures in 16 colour and if I was a good boy 256 colour!! It
never really happened as a game, which is a shame as a lot of work
went into it. It was kind of like Doom in an office complex with
surreal humour and funny geezers on office chairs blasting the crap
out of everyone. I guess with the events to come re: Sex'N'Drugs
it had no chance of completion. There are a few others from the
old days which never made it, but "Have a Nice Day" was the one
that had the longest time spent on it.

When you were working on SWOS, did you ever think, it would
still pm> be so popular, over 7 years after it's original release?

The SWOS we all know today did as many of you know start life as
"Sensible Soccer", and no I certainly had no idea the game Jops
and Chipper were slaving over in the early days would evolve into
the SWOS we remember today. The later SWOS never really required
a lot of extra graphics and I recall it was mainly menu and the
odd pitch extras.

Although if you're referring to the PC SWOS, then I never worked
on that title apart from the odd touch up now and then.. oo-err
missus let's not be having any of that malarky!.

What was it like working for Jon and Chris?

It was a dream. Lots of hard work, and commitment, but the rewards
were far in excess of my expectations.

I don't just refer to financial either. There was a time when
we were doing all sorts of things from press photos, competitions,
and just general sillyness for the hell of it. It was a fantastic
job, and if I could re-live it all again I'd gladly step into a
time machine, and trundle down memory lane with an Amiga joystick
and a packet of smarties..

What was the last game you worked on, and what were your feelings
at leaving Sensible?

The last published title I worked on was Sensible Golf. A sad
title for me as many, if not all the "Wacky Sensible" ideas never
made it into the final game. Especially my little flasher man who
was going to jump out from the trees exposing his red lollypop(Hmmm).

It was during the later stages of Golf, and seeing what was happening
within the company, with SDR and the ever growing team of people,
the place had lost it's atmosphere and I thought about leaving.

I held off my decision until about halfway through "Have a Nice
Day" when I decided to leave after it was complete. Personally it
was a tough call to make at the time, and one that I still have
mixed thoughts about.

The world of video games is dramatically different nowadays
to what it was when the amiga was around. It is a highly commercial
industry, involving vast amounts of money. In your opinion, is this
a good thing?

I think the industry has changed significantly over the last 10
years, almost beyond recognition. With development costs going through
the roof, there's immense pressure on developers now, especially
small independents who can no longer rely on strong creative ideas
without some kind of strong financial infrastructure to rely on.
The risks involved have increased to silly levels and I don't believe
it is possible to work in the "old Skool" style of development even
if you do have a string of successful titles behind you. In some
ways the structure is a good thing but in many ways it has left
a lot of good creative people in the cold. A developer today not
only has to be on the ball with the design and all the latest trends,
but also a wiz at business and all it entails. With the now development
model, it is clear that not one person can do all of these things
and it is this reason why many developers have a core management
structure in place, alongside the usual array of development personnel.
There are of course exceptions to the rule but in the global scheme
of things the old days are well and truly over.

How do you feel about the demise of the likes of Sensible Software,
when big games firms, like EA, relentlessly churn out sequel after
sequel - eg the FIFA series?

I feel saddened that the quality of titles has in recent times
become a mish mash of re-worked re-releases with either a licence
slapped on it or a sequel to a previous title promising the somewhat
obligatory bigger , better, greater tag. I would love to see a re-launched
Sensible Software, who wouldn't? But it's not going to happen ,
not in the way we all remember. I think if Codemasters do indeed
build upon the concepts of the Sensible games, and keep the humor,
and style, but combine it with their resource and management skills,
then we can all look forward to some cracking titles!

Where do you believe it all went wrong for Sensible?

I believe we entered the PC development ring too late. When other
developers were building up a key foundation of knowledge with the
PC development model we were still working solely on the Amiga.
At that time before SWOS PC, we farmed all PC conversions out to
other developers when really we should have handled some of them
ourselves.

I think also one of the biggest things without saying was SDR.
The number of people working on it just seemed to grow and grow,
and when every publisher closed it's doors on it, I personally knew
things were getting serious. Who can say what would have happened
if SDR had been finished or, had been rescued? I for one think history
may have been a little different if it had. All very easy to say
when you're older , wiser and no longer just a humble artist!

How is life after Sensible? What did you do after leaving Sensible,
and what are you up to now. Are you still in the games industry?

Ahhhhh now that's a long story!! For now I'll say, Abstract...Joe
Blow.. Telstar.. Ripped off.. I quit the industry for a couple of
years and now I'm back, and my name's not Arnie!!! I'll get round
to uploading some Joe Blow archive materials one day to the tribute
site (www.joeblow.f9.co.uk), so the world can see what it was all
about! Does anybody here remember Vera Lynne?? answers on a postcard...

How are Jon and Chris finding life at Codemasters, and do you
believe they did the right thing, by selling to them?

Jops, I see fairly regularly, seems to be enjoying his work at
Codemasters. However, as for what Chris is doing, I have no idea.

I can't think of a better company to have taken Sensible with
some hope of keeping alive the name, the games and the image we
all know and love.

How do you feel about the large SWOS presence on the internet,
and about the huge support that there is for the game, and Sensible
in general (check out the message board at the SWOS 2K campaign
homepage - http://www.swos2k.cjb.net )

I think it's very warming to know that the the blood, sweat and
tears we all put into the games was worth it. It's cool so many
people still have a genuine passion for them now. It's brilliant!!
Cheers!!

Finally, a couple of questions about my site. I have tried to
emulate the spirit of all things Sensible on my site. Given your
experience of working there, do you think I have captured that Sensible
spirit?

I think your site is an excellent focal point for all things Sensible.
It's cool that there are fans out there like yourself kind enough
to devote so much energy and time to what we as a team achieved.

A while ago, me and Cris Boylan, of SWOS 24/7 http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~viewtronix/
organised a campaign aimed to show support for Sensible just before
they sold to Codemasters. I just wondered if Jon remembered this,
if he ever checks out the purple site anymore, and what his thoughts
might be on it?

I'll ask him and let you know...

READERS QUESTIONS

1) What you think about SWOS sites on internet?

I think it's jolly spiffing of everyone to support the cause, and
it's nice knowing SWOS is still going strong..what what!!

2) Is there any chance an organization like SWOS Witnesses could
have you on its MEMBERS page?

Yeah sure... I'll pop over to it when I get a spare 5 mins and
add meself to it..

3) What you think about SLOL - SWOS League On-Line?

Megadocious!!!

(SWOS WItnesses is a big SWOS website, which has hundreds of members
from all around the world taking part in regular, p organised tournaments
- PM - http://www.swos.co.yu )

And thanks for all Sensi's great games over the years

Well I should thank everyone for the continued support after all
these years. It's very much appreciated!! I'm sure I speak for everyone
when I say we had a fantastic time designing, developing and playing
the games we created, especially Jon and Chris who created a truly
unique environment for us to work in.

- LOWRENCE, Yugoslavia

How do you feel when you look back on the days at Sensible Software?

The golden days of development, fun in the sun, and the Sensible
way!!

What do you think about Cannon Fodder on the Gameboy Color?

I'm still waiting for my complimentary copy, but I've played it
and think Jops & Jools have done a marvelous job with it. The graphics
have been converted from my original ones, and look cool considering
the palette restrictions. Overall I give it a big thumbs up, and
if it's a sign of what Codemasters is doing with the Sensible image
then it can only be a good thing!!

What would he do to get Sensible Software the recognition they
deserve as best games makers ever? (To clarify, Jops once said that
he felt strange that Sensible Software had made a handful of games
regarded as being in the best 10 games ever, but they are rarely
played today...)

I don't know what I would do? Erm... let me think.... Release a
greatest hits compilation with updates to all the classics we developed,
a bit like what Nintendo did with Mario All Stars. Enhanced GFX,
extra levels etc etc.. I feel a competition coming on! LOL

What are your/Jops thoughts on simple soccer - a freeware game
in developement by myself, based around SWOS - http://www.ewtoo.org/~matt/soccer

I think you're doing a marvelous job Matt!! (and yes I will remember
to look for those Jag gfx!!) I'll see what Jops says and let you
know..

- Matt Sephton, UK