Jaeger: Montezuma fans in Chile have a special place in my heart
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Its direct references to the cultural roots of this side of the world, together with its inexhaustible dynamics, make "Montezuma's Revenge" (Parker Brothers, 1983) -undisputedly- the most beloved game by the community of Atari computer users in South America.
Atariteca had the honor of interviewing its creator, Robert Jaeger, who -among many other things- expresses his special gratitude to the Chilean enthusiasts and (attention!) leaves open the possibility of returning to the beloved platformer to give it the official ending it deserves.
Atariteca: Tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved in the world of computing.
R. Jaeger: I am originally from New Jersey, USA. I am 53 years old; single, no children. Most of my career was spent in New York City and also in Paris; but now I live in the same city where I grew up. I have worked as a software developer, but also as a project leader and CTO for various companies; mainly in financial software. I am a computer programmer and game developer. Right now I am working on Montezuma (for mobile and PC) full time.
What was your first computer and what motivated you to start programming and developing for it?
My first computer was the Bally Astrocade console. When I was 10, I knew I wanted to be a game developer, so I studied computer science. At the time, the best we had was a BASIC cartridge, but it gave me a way to sneak in some Z80 machine language subroutines.
How did your relationship with Atari 8-bit computers begin?
I always loved the Atari arcade machines. My dream was to work for Atari. When they released the Atari 800 computer, I knew I had to get it. The 48k Atari 800 was the best home computer at the time and was designed for gaming. Its competition, the Apple 2, was more expensive and the games were lame.
What are your impressions of Atari 8-bit computers in general?
I think the Atari 800 is one of the best machines ever made. Later models had cheaper parts and just weren't as solid. It was a great computer, with excellent hardware support for graphics and sound.
Do you still have the original Atari computer that you used to program Montezuma?
No, I sold my Atari800 many years ago. It sat in the closet for quite a while, I guess. I don't own any retro computers now. I have a home office for mobile game development. My Atari800 had a Cadillac emblem sticker on it. Maybe someone reading this has it now.
Do you remember the Atari scene in your country, when you were just a computer user?
Yes, I remember it very well. We had a very good local user group and a good computer store. Our user group met once a month at a local school.
What are your all-time favorite Atari 8-bit games and why?
«Star Raiders»: Every Atari 8-bit list should include this one. It has exceptional 3D for its time. Likewise, arcade games like «Pac Man», «Donkey Kong» and «Defender» were excellent. Likewise, «Jawbreaker» was the best «Pac Man» clone of its time. «Pinball Construction Set» and «Way Out» were not Atari originals, but they were technical marvels nonetheless.
Are there any of those games that you “admire” for their technical aspects or any other in particular?
Yes, there were some Atari releases just before the big video game crash that were truly amazing. Donkey Kong and Defender both ran what looked like a bunch of bitmap graphics.
What was the most complicated or challenging feature in the development of your projects?
I wrote a few arcade clones before Montezuma. In Pinhead, I made a nice switch from character graphics to a player + missile graphic for the falling balloons. The player/missile (sprite) multiplexer in Montezuma was primitive, but effective. It gave the illusion of having more sprites than the hardware allowed.
How did the idea of making Montezuma’s Revenge come about?
“Pinhead” was finished and I wanted to do something with an original theme. My friend Mark Sunshine asked me, “Why don’t you make a game with a Mesoamerican theme and call it “Montezuma’s Revenge”?” Mark composed the opening theme tune and designed the modern graphics for the current version of the game. The game just kind of evolved over six months.
A technical question: how did the collisions on the playing field occur? How is the playing field stored in memory in terms of collisions?
The rooms had the 4-color character map mode. Enemies and (the protagonist) Pedro were sprites. All collisions were simple, quick bounding box tests.
Have you considered releasing the source code for Atari 8-bit Montezuma?
The source code for Montezuma's Revenge is probably somewhere in the attic of my parents' house. I only have the code for my original demo. Even if it is ever found, it will be no better than the current efforts made to disassemble the code. At the time, development for the Atari 800 required that the entire source code fit into memory. Better assembly language emerged, which allowed for disk files larger than memory; but there were still limitations. I remember that because of these memory restrictions I had to remove comments from the code and even reduce the size of variables to two-letter abbreviations. It was very difficult to read.
Now that memory limitations are gone, have you considered finishing the original Montezuma for Atari 8-bit computers?
I know there is interest in that and it is something I would consider.
What would you add to the game? People in Chile are offering to support the distribution of the game on cartridges.
Well, it would be the game as I wanted, with the boss (Montezuma's finale) that was never completed. Parker Brothers cut my original demo so they could market it on their cartridges.
The boss challenges would be just as fun and complex as the pyramid itself. I don't have an Atari release planned any time soon, but I update the game's fanpage frequently and hope to make an announcement for modern devices soon.
A few weeks ago a “Redux” version of Montezuma was released. What do you think about it?
I haven't looked into it in detail. I know it was a graphics hack. I'd rather people not do this. It dilutes the story. Part of owning a trademark requires me to enforce the rules. If someone is profiting from the game, I'm obligated to file a cease and desist. I protect copyright and trademark and take infringement seriously.
Do you have plans for Atari 8-bit computers in the near future?
No, but this could change.
Do you know the many games that are still programmed for older platforms, pushing them to the limit? What do you think about those enthusiasts?
I'm aware of the community, but I haven't really been following the recent projects. Honestly, I'm so busy with the development of the various versions of Montezuma that I don't have much time to keep up with the latest projects.
Tell us about your current game development projects.
For now, I'm focused on Montezuma for iOS, Android, and the upcoming Windows 10 and Mac versions. The game is actually very similar to what you remember, with modern graphics and sound options. There are some added features and some restored from the original demo, such as the bat, which functions as a timer.
For the first time in decades, I'm devoting myself full-time to game development. Part of the goal of what I'm doing now is to have a good cross-platform framework for other games and apps.
What is the main lesson you have learned during this time you have dedicated to the Atari 8-bit?
It's not Atari-specific, but it's game-specific. One lesson I learned is that game development is a great way to understand computer programming. Computer engineering is a great career.
Thank you for taking the time to give us this interview. Is there anything else you would like to share with Atariteca users?
Thank you all. I would like to thank the fans, especially those who take the time to write kind words and those who volunteer for my game testing. I have a special place in my heart for the Montezuma fans in Chile, you are the best! And I invite you to visit me on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/MontezumasRevengeGame
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