Jon Freeman (game designer)

Last updated

Jon Freeman is a game designer and co-founder of software developer Automated Simulations, which was later renamed to Epyx and became a major company during the 8-bit era of home computing. He is married to game programmer Anne Westfall, and they work together as Free Fall Associates. Free Fall is best known for Archon: The Light and the Dark , one of the earliest titles from Electronic Arts.

Contents

Career

Automated Simulations and Epyx

Freeman worked as a game designer for video game developer and publisher, Epyx, which he co-founded with Jim Connelley in 1978 as Automated Simulations. [1]

Their first game, Starfleet Orion , was a two-player only game developed mainly so Connelley could write off the cost of his Commodore PET computer. Freeman provided design while Connelley handled the programming in BASIC. Freeman was amazed when they actually had a finished product and they had to create a company to publish it. [1] So, both he and Connelley fell into the computer game industry by accident.

It was while with this company, still known as Automated Simulations in 1980, that Freeman met his future wife, Anne Westfall, at a computer fair. [1]

Starfleet Orion was quickly followed by Invasion Orion . What followed was a slew of very successful titles for various platforms. Freeman designed or co-designed a number of Epyx games, such as Crush, Crumble and Chomp! and Rescue at Rigel . [1] Freeman tired of what he called "office politics" and yearned to get away from the now much larger company. [1]

The Complete Book of Wargames

In 1980, Freeman, in collaboration with the editors of Consumer Guide, wrote The Complete Book of Wargames , which was published by Simon & Schuster under their "Fireside" imprint. In the book, Freeman, explained the history of wargames to that point, the notable companies, the usual components, and evaluated most of the major wargames in print at the time, as well as the role that computer games would play in this field. [2]

Free Fall Associates

In 1981, Freeman and Anne Westfall left Epyx to create Free Fall Associates along with game designer Paul Reiche III. [1]

Free Falls' first game was 1982's Tax Dodge , [3] which remained obscure. [1] Free Fall went on to develop two highly acclaimed games published by Electronic Arts: Archon and Archon II: Adept . [4] Originally written for the Atari 8-bit computers, they were ported to other contemporary home systems. [1]

Free Fall developed a few more titles after Archon II, but nothing as well-known. Freeman is credited with some recent development work with Square Enix.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Jumpman</i> (video game) 1983 video game

Jumpman is a platform game written by Randy Glover and published by Epyx in 1983. It was developed for the Atari 8-bit computers, and versions were also released for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and IBM PC compatibles.

<i>Archon: The Light and the Dark</i> 1983 video game

Archon: The Light and the Dark is a 1983 video game developed by Free Fall Associates and one of the first five games published by Electronic Arts. It is superficially similar to chess, in that it takes place on a board with alternating black and white squares, but instead of fixed rules when landing on another player's piece, an arcade-style fight takes place to determine the victor, and each piece has different combat abilities. The health of the player's piece is enhanced when landing on a square of one's own color.

<i>Chips Challenge</i> 1989 video game

Chip's Challenge is a top-down tile-based puzzle video game originally published in 1989 by Epyx as a launch title for the Atari Lynx. It was later ported to several other systems and was included in the Windows 3.1 bundle Microsoft Entertainment Pack 4 (1992), and the Windows version of the Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack (1995), where it found a much larger audience.

<i>Omega</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Omega is a video game developed and published by Origin Systems in 1989. It was directed by Stuart B. Marks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epyx</span> Defunct video game developer and publisher

Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and video game publisher active in the late 1970s and 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before renaming the company to match in 1983. Epyx published a long series of games through the 1980s. The company is currently owned by Bridgestone Multimedia Group Global.

<i>Mail Order Monsters</i> 1985 video game

Mail Order Monsters is an action-strategy computer game created by Paul Reiche III, Evan Robinson, and Nicky Robinson. It was published by Electronic Arts for the Commodore 64 in 1985, then released for Atari 8-bit computers in 1986. Players create monsters which they can use to battle multiplayer or against computer-controlled opponents.

<i>Temple of Apshai</i> 1979 video game

Temple of Apshai is a dungeon crawl role-playing video game developed and published by Automated Simulations in 1979. Originating on the TRS-80 and Commodore PET, it was followed by several updated versions for other computers between 1980 and 1986.

Anne Westfall is an American video game programmer and software developer, known for 1983's Archon: The Light and the Dark, originally written for the Atari 8-bit computers. Westfall and her spouse, fellow game developer Jon Freeman, together founded Free Fall Associates.

Free Fall Associates was a video game developer of the 1980s and early 1990s founded in 1981 in Palo Alto, California by game designer Jon Freeman, game programmer Anne Westfall, and game designer Paul Reiche III. Westfall and Freeman are married. To start the new company, Freeman and Westfall left Epyx, the company Freeman co-founded in 1978. Free Fall Associates is best known for Archon: The Light and the Dark (1983), which was one of the first games from new publisher Electronic Arts.

<i>Skyfox</i> (1984 video game) 1984 video game

Skyfox is a combat flight simulation game developed by Ray Tobey for the Apple II and published by Electronic Arts in 1984. Ariolasoft published the game in Europe. It was released for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and Macintosh in 1985, to the Amiga and Atari ST in 1986, and to the PC-88 in 1988.

<i>Archon II: Adept</i> 1984 video game

Archon II: Adept is a strategy/action video game developed by Free Fall Associates: Jon Freeman, Paul Reiche III, and Anne Westfall. It was published in 1984 by Electronic Arts for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64. Ports followed for the Apple II, Amstrad CPC,ZX Spectrum, and Amiga.

<i>Summer Games</i> (video game) 1984 video game

Summer Games is a sports video game developed and published by Epyx based on sports from the Summer Olympic Games. Released in 1984 for the Commodore 64, it was ported to the Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit computers, and Master System.

<i>Eastern Front (1941)</i> 1981 video game

Eastern Front (1941) is a computer wargame for Atari 8-bit computers created by Chris Crawford and published through the Atari Program Exchange (APX) in 1981. A scenario editor and assembly language source code for the game were also sold by APX as separate products.

<i>Computer Bismarck</i> Naval computer wargame

Computer Bismarck is a computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) in 1980. The game is based on the last battle of the battleship Bismarck, in which British Armed Forces pursue the German Bismarck in 1941. It is SSI's first game, and features turn-based gameplay and two-dimensional graphics.

<i>Starfleet Orion</i> 1978 video game

Starfleet Orion is a 1978 science fiction strategy game written and published by Automated Simulations. It appears to be the first space-themed strategy game sold for microcomputer systems. The game was originally written in BASIC for the Commodore PET, but later ported to other early home computer platforms including the TRS-80 and Apple II. The game was something of a success, leading to a string of successes for the company, notably the major hit Temple of Apshai.

<i>Invasion Orion</i> 1979 video game

Invasion Orion is a 1979 science fiction strategy game written and published by Automated Simulations. It is one or two player sequel to the original two-player Starfleet Orion which was published in late 1978. The game was written in BASIC for the Commodore PET and TRS-80 and ported to the Atari 8-bit computers and Apple II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer wargame</span> Wargame played on a computer or other digital device

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.

Dunjonquest is a series of single-player, single-character fantasy computer role-playing games by Automated Simulations. Temple of Apshai was the most successful and most widely ported game in the series. The games relied on strategy and pen & paper RPG style rules and statistics.

<i>Dragonriders of Pern</i> (video game) 1983 video game

Dragonriders of Pern is a video game published by Epyx in 1983 based on Anne McCaffrey's book series of the same name. The game was released for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64.

<i>Tax Dodge</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Tax Dodge is a maze video game for Atari 8-bit computers published by Island Graphics in 1982. It is the first game created by Free Fall Associates, a developer best known for Archon: The Light and the Dark.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hague, James (1997). "Halcyon Days: Interviews with Classic Computer and Video Game Programmers".
  2. ↑ Watson, Tony (February 1981). "The Complete Book of Wargames". Dragon (46). TSR, Inc.: 51.
  3. ↑ "Tax Dodge". Atari Mania.
  4. ↑ Bateman, Selby (November 1984). "Free Fall Associates: The Designers Behind Archon and Archon II: Adept". Compute!'s Gazette. p. 54. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.