Zeppelin Games

merman · June 2013

Hi, I'm researching Zeppelin for an article.

Anyone on the board worked for them (or Eutechnyx) and like to be interviewed?

Anyone got any contacts who would be willing to talk?

And any clues to the real identity of the mysterious artist "Tink"?

torot · June 2013

My brother Michael did a couple of games for them I'll ask him tomorrow when I see him

Graz · June 2013

I was offered a job, but I turned 'em down. I was stupid.

fog · June 2013

weren't they callisto also ? prior to being zeppelin

http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari_search_122.121.98.101.120._8_G.html

and another company ?

micro discount

http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-micro-discount_publisher_1315_8_G.html

drew roger (who did the music) might be the same bloke who did a really nice demo.

he was a friend of a friend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuSIWjwY23o

Ivanzx · June 2013

Graz wrote: »

I was offered a job, but I turned 'em down. I was stupid.

:o :o What job?!

merman · June 2013

fog wrote: »

weren't they callisto also ? prior to being zeppelin

http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari_search_122.121.98.101.120._8_G.html

and another company ?

micro discount

http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-micro-discount_publisher_1315_8_G.html

drew roger (who did the music) might be the same bloke who did a really nice demo.

he was a friend of a friend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuSIWjwY23o

Yes, Drew did the Terminus demo, I'd love to talk to him.

Torot, is your brother Michael Owens?

Graz · June 2013

Ivanzx wrote: »

:o :o What job?!

Graphic artist. I panicked when they said they liked my demo tape and would like to offer me a job. They asked whether I could do graphics for other machines and whether I had examples of these as well. I dunno why, but I panicked and ignored the letter. :(

I thought I could make up for my stupidity when I later went for an interview at Mindscape... ummm, that one didn't quite go to plan! :D

torot · June 2013

merman wrote: »

Torot, is your brother Michael Owens?

No, Michael Batty. He wrote Tai Chi Tortoise and Full Throttle 2 as a summer job so used to go to their offices quite regularly. They had a unit on an industrial estate in Houghton Le Spring if I remember rightly.

Rebelstar without a cause · June 2013

torot wrote: »

No, Michael Batty. He wrote Tai Chi Tortoise and Full Throttle 2 as a summer job so used to go to their offices quite regularly. They had a unit on an industrial estate in Houghton Le Spring if I remember rightly.

Did he also do Earth Shaker?

torot · June 2013

Rebelstar without a cause wrote: »

Did he also do Earth Shaker?

Yes - Earthshaker was his pet project and he spent years getting the level designs just right; the Zeppelin games were just to get a bit of money for uni!

Ivanzx · June 2013

Graz wrote: »

Graphic artist. I panicked when they said they liked my demo tape and would like to offer me a job. They asked whether I could do graphics for other machines and whether I had examples of these as well. I dunno why, but I panicked and ignored the letter. :(

I thought I could make up for my stupidity when I later went for an interview at Mindscape... ummm, that one didn't quite go to plan! :D

Wow, didnt know that!! Well, now you kind of work for another company, Cronosoft, and founded another one! We want to see that tape of demos, as well!! :)

WHat happened with Mindscape? Was it also in the 8bit era? Werent they american?

zx1 · June 2013

Graz wrote: »

Graphic artist. I panicked when they said they liked my demo tape and would like to offer me a job. They asked whether I could do graphics for other machines and whether I had examples of these as well. I dunno why, but I panicked and ignored the letter. :(

I thought I could make up for my stupidity when I later went for an interview at Mindscape... ummm, that one didn't quite go to plan! :D

It's official - Graz is insane!:grin:

Graz · June 2013

Ivanzx wrote: »

Wow, didnt know that!! Well, now you kind of work for another company, Cronosoft, and founded another one! We want to see that tape of demos, as well!! :)

WHat happened with Mindscape? Was it also in the 8bit era? Werent they american?

Pm sent of my woeful life-story ;)

zx1 wrote: »

It's official - Graz is insane!:grin:

:) I thought you all knew that anyway.

EDIT: Ivan, I meant, "Moonstone," sorry, not, "Runescape." I always get the name wrong! :) You need to clear some PM space as well. ;)

merman · June 2013

So, let's widen this out and discuss favourite games - including the full price Impulze titles, re-releases and so on.

Macc · June 2013

Draconus!

Timmy · June 2013

[strike]Zybex.[/strike]

Draconus! :)

Graz · June 2013

Didn't like Draconus much...

... but LOVE

Tag Team Wrestling
Tai Chi Tortoise
and especially F1 Tornado

Gennady Demidenko · June 2013

Draconus, Sleep Walker, Tai Chi Tortoise, Titanic Blinky, World Rugby (1993) also

ANDREW RYALS · June 2013

I think Zybex was the best game from Zeppelin, Draconus was ok but the sprite for the main character was a bit pants.

JuanF. Ramirez · June 2013

I've not played many Zeppelin games, but F1 Tornado simulator is my fave!

def chris · June 2013

Stack Up.

best Tetris type game on the spec imo

fog · June 2013

multi format, I'd say draconus and zybex were easily their biggest sellers.. esp. zybex being on the atari 8 bit + the lack of titles vs c64/spectrum ;)

Ivanzx · June 2013

Interesting games: Stack-up, Sleepwalker, Santas X-mas Caper, Q10 Tankbuster, F1 Tornado Simulator...

vanpeebles · June 2013

I think they did Match of the Day too, I quite liked that. Tough though!

Rebelstar without a cause · June 2013

def chris wrote: »

Stack Up.

best Tetris type game on the spec imo

You're not wrong there. I used to play this all the time.

merman · June 2013

def chris wrote: »

Stack Up.

best Tetris type game on the spec imo

Well, more Columns than Tetris...

def chris · June 2013

yeah, you know what.i mean :-)

I got as far as possible on that game in spin, and got to a level where even playing at slowed down emulation it was impossible. Posted the snapshot here and no one could do it. Wonder if that was the 'final level' or if there was more after (or infinite?). Great game though anyway

moroz1999 · November 2014

merman wrote: »

And any clues to the real identity of the mysterious artist "Tink"?

I've been searching the answer to this question for a long time. I was suspecting that Tink could be David Taylor, and today I've found one more little proof for this:
http://hol.abime.net/hol_search.php?N_ref_artist=197 - this Amiga archive referst to Tink and David Taylor as the same person. I will look into it deeper later.

Ivanzx · November 2014

moroz1999 wrote: »

I've been searching the answer to this question for a long time. I was suspecting that Tink could be David Taylor, and today I've found one more little proof for this:
http://hol.abime.net/hol_search.php?N_ref_artist=197 - this Amiga archive referst to Tink and David Taylor as the same person. I will look into it deeper later.

Thats a really good finding ;)
BTW Im sorry for what happened in the Zona de Pruebas forums :/

moroz1999 · November 2014

Ivanzx wrote: »

Thats a really good finding ;)
BTW Im sorry for what happened in the Zona de Pruebas forums :/

Thanks for supporting me! No problem, it's ok - everybody is free to have his own views and opinions, and I don't want to come to any web resource with my own rules :)

slenkar · November 2014

looking at them on infoseek I saw some interesting games I had never heard of before.

Ninja Commando
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek.cgi?regexp=^Ninja+Commando$&pub=^Zeppelin+Games+Ltd$&loadpics=1

Tai Chi Tortoise
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek.cgi?regexp=^Tai+Chi+Tortoise$&pub=^Zeppelin+Games+Ltd$&loadpics=1

2112

Bionic Ninja
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek.cgi?regexp=^Bionic+Ninja$&pub=^Zeppelin+Games+Ltd$&loadpics=1

Draconus

Zeppelin Games

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