HOMEBREW HEROES
Andrew Beale’s Spectrum game Quadron was written in the Eighties but only released recently at Kikstart.me.uk/quadron-spec. We approached him to chat about how that came to be
Where did the idea for Quadron originate from?
I’d always loved the early Williams arcade games with their fast and frantic gameplay, super smooth graphics, and those amazing particle effects. I wanted to create something on the Spectrum that incorporated elements of these classic games.
Roughly how long did it originally take to develop?
It took just over two years and was pretty much complete by early 1988. I was actually at university doing a computer science course during its development, but left to pursue game programming full time. I didn’t regret it!
And what inspired you to get Quadron released? Sadly, Quadron was cancelled by the publisher shortly before it was finished, and so it was always my hope to one day give it the release I thought it deserved – especially given the time and effort I put into it. I’d also recently become aware of the booming 8-bit retro scene, so I began the process of getting the game ready and with its 30th anniversary looming, it seemed the perfect time to do it!
How do current tools compare with what you used in the Eighties?
Much more robust! Being able to emulate the 48K Spectrum on a PC, single step through the program, and save snapshots is so much easier than developing on the machine itself. […] Luckily I’d purchased a TR-DOS interface and disk drive in the later stages of development. That really helped speed up the development process.
What kind of feedback have you had so far?
It’s been fantastic! Really encouraging. Players into Defender or Sinistar feel right at home with Quadron, and many have been surprised by the strategic elements of the game; it isn’t just the arcade shooter it first appears.
Another common reaction has been how the game feels like it was made in the Eighties rather than a product of present day construction tools like
AGD. I definitely think game construction kit tools have their place for ease of development, but I like the fact that people have noticed the game’s genuine retro roots!
Have you any other games in your back catalogue waiting for release or plans to start a new project?
I’m trying to locate some of my earlier, simpler games that were either rejected by publishers or just made for my own amusement. I plan to offer them for free alongside Quadron’s paid download on Itch.io. Revisiting the Spectrum and Z80 programming after all this time has been really fun and my interest is definitely piqued regarding developing something new!