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Gary Grigsby | |
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| Occupation(s) | computer wargame designer and programmer |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Part of a series on |
| Wargames |
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Gary Grigsby is a designer and programmer of computer wargames. In 1997, he was described as "one of the founding fathers of strategy war games for the PC." [1] Computer Games Magazine later dubbed him "as much of an institution in his niche of computer gaming as Sid Meier, Will Wright, or John Carmack are in theirs." [2]
Gary Grigsby purchased a TRS-80 computer in May 1979 [3] to write wargames, but did not know how to approach the two publishers of computer wargames, Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) and Avalon Hill. In February 1982 he called SSI to complain about a bug in its Torpedo Fire ; during the conversation Joel Billings encouraged Grigsby to submit his designs. That year Guadalcanal Campaign , written in BASIC, became his first game for SSI, [4] and was nominated for "Best Adventure Game for Home Computer" at the 1983 Origins Game Fair. [5] Through 1997 he created for SSI several titles that are considered classics of the wargame genre, including Kampfgruppe , USAAF, War in Russia and the Steel Panthers series. Two games, Battle of Britain and 12 O'clock High, were done for TalonSoft in the late 90s. In 2001 Grigsby started a game development company called 2 By 3 Games with Billings and Keith Brors. [6] Their latest Grigsby-designed title, Gary Grigsby's War in the East 2, was released by Matrix Games in 2021.
Steel Panthers is a series of computer wargames, developed and published by several different companies, with various games simulating war battles from 1930 to 2025. The first Steel Panthers game was released in 1995, and the most recent update was released in 2018 and is still updated regularly (yearly).
Matrix Games is a publisher of PC games, specifically strategy games and wargames. It is based in Ohio, US, and Surrey, UK.
Panzer Strike is a 1988 tactical wargame that simulates small unit actions during World War II. It was made for Apple II and Commodore 64 and was released by Strategic Simulations.
North Atlantic '86 is a 1983 computer wargame written by Gary Grigsby and published by Strategic Simulations. The game covers a hypothetical conflict between NATO and the Soviet Union. A Macintosh version was released in 1986.
Bomb Alley is a 1983 computer wargame designed by Gary Grigsby and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). Covering the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II, it runs on the Apple II platform. It has the distinction of being the first true land-sea-air computer wargame, where ground troops could advance and retreat across land.
A computer wargame is a wargame played on a digital device. Descended from board wargaming, it simulates military conflict at the tactical, operational or strategic level. Computer wargames are both sold commercially for recreational use and, in some cases, used for military purposes.
Gary Grigsby's Pacific War is a 1992 strategy wargame released by Strategic Simulations, Inc. It covers World War II in the Pacific between the Japanese Empire and the Allies, which include the United States, the British Empire, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Philippines, and China. The main map of the game stretches from north of the Aleutians to southern New Zealand and Australia, and from the eastern coast of India to the West Coast of North America. It includes aircraft carrier operations, amphibious assaults, surface bombardments/engagements, strategic bombing, kamikazes, and the submarine war against naval and merchant shipping.
12 O'Clock High: Bombing the Reich is a 1999 computer wargame developed and published by TalonSoft. Designed by Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors, it is follow-up to Battle of Britain and a spiritual sequel to the 1985 wargame U.S.A.A.F. - United States Army Air Force.
Steel Panthers is a 1995 computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Simulations. Designed by Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors, it simulates ground warfare during World War II, across the Western Front, Eastern Front and Pacific Theatre.
Kampfgruppe is a 1985 computer wargame designed by Gary Grigsby and published by Strategic Simulations for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, and Commodore 64. Kampfgruppe is a game tactical-scale combat on the Eastern Front. An MS-DOS port was released in 1987 followed by an Amiga version in 1988.
Guadalcanal Campaign is a 1982 computer wargame developed by Gary Grigsby and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). It was Grigsby's first released game and has been cited as the first monster wargame made for computers.
U.S.A.A.F. - United States Army Air Force is a 1985 computer wargame designed by Gary Grigsby published by Strategic Simulations.
Battle Group is a 1986 computer wargame designed by Gary Grigsby and published by Strategic Simulations. It is a follow-up to Grigsby's earlier Kampfgruppe.
Mech Brigade is a 1985 computer wargame published by Strategic Simulations. It was designed by Gary Grigsby, and is a follow-up to his earlier title Kampfgruppe.
Steel Panthers III: Brigade Command 1939–1999 is a 1997 computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. It is the third game in the Steel Panthers series, following Steel Panthers (1995) and Steel Panthers II: Modern Battles (1996). Like its predecessors, it was designed by Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors.
Gary Grigsby's War in Russia is a 1993 computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. Designed by Gary Grigsby, it is adapted from the 1990 title Second Front: Germany Turns East, itself adapted from Grigsby's 1984 War in Russia.
War in the Pacific: The Struggle Against Japan 1941–1945 is a 2004 computer wargame developed by 2 by 3 Games and published by Matrix Games. Designed by Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors, it is the successor to Gary Grigsby's Pacific War (1992) and Uncommon Valor: Campaign for the South Pacific (2002).
Uncommon Valor: Campaign for the South Pacific is a 2002 computer wargame developed by 2 by 3 Games and published by Matrix Games. Designed by Gary Grigsby, it is a successor to Gary Grigsby's Pacific War and a precursor to War in the Pacific.
Battle of Britain is a 1999 computer wargame developed and published by TalonSoft. It was designed by Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors.
Carrier Strike: South Pacific 1942-44 is a 1992 computer wargame designed by Gary Grigsby and published by Strategic Simulations Inc. It is a successor to Grigsby's earlier title Carrier Force.
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