October 14, 1986
David Stenn read my screenplay. He said it has promise but would need at least one more rewrite to be saleable. Perhaps sensing my disappointment, he said: “Look, it’s great for a first script – it really is. I wouldn’t show you my first screenplay. You obviously have talent, you should stick with it.”
He was more impressed with the reviews of Karateka I’d sent him. “You’re in the right business,” he said. “What do you want to get into this one for?”
October 15, 1986
Bought a camera at Whole Earth. It was more expensive than I’d anticipated — $250 with the lens – but it’s a good camera, and I imagine I’ll find some use for it even after the game’s done.
I shot my first roll of film (David turning around) and had it developed at the local one-hour photo stop. I think this will work. The real problem, obviously, will be going from a sheaf of snapshots to the 280 x 192 Apple screen, and the loss of accuracy entailed therein. It almost makes me want to do it in double hi-res.
October 19, 1986
Shot four more rolls of film: David running and jumping in the Reader’s Digest parking lot. One year ago tomorrow. Red and orange leaves… God, I’m homesick.
October 21, 1986
Today I wrote the first lines of code of the game.* It Begins.
*Not counting the hi-res routines.
October 23, 1986
Everyone in the office has been playing a lot of Tetris – a Russian submission for the IBM PC. It’s a classic, like Breakout. But I don’t think Broderbund is going to publish it. The knaves.
October 25, 1986
Yesterday I implemented the running animation. Next I’ll do the jumping… then the stopping… then the “jumping from a stopped position”… oh boy, this is great!
I restrained myself from taking all my work papers home with me yesterday… and I’m restraining myself from going to work today. There must be Balance.
