STATE OF THE ART
Gary Partis on writing commercial software

IMAGINE the scene: It is a humid day in the summer of 1983 and a 16 year-old youth sits in front of a hot, overworked BBC Micro pondering over what to devise next.

Within hours a basic conception is forming, with the main program structure beginning to take shape. In a couple of days, a fully working and tested version is posted to several software houses for evaluation.

A few weeks later the contract is signed and the programmer's work is finished. Months later, it would be on the shelves, selling thousands of copies, and earning its creator a handsome sum.

Unfortunately, this was over four years ago, and times have changed. Multiply the time scale by a factor of 10 to 20 and divide the earned income by 2 to 10 and we arrive at the present situation.

Today's programmers seem to be carrying out much more work for a lot less reward. In any other line of business this would provoke an outcry from those affected, but not, strangely, in the computer industry.

It's not because the quality of programming is deteriorating - but because the market expects products which are pushing programmers to their creative limits, and does not expect to pay extra for the results.

Although most software houses give the programmer a fair deal, in many cases he is hyped by them and this creates an artificial impression which can result in the public coming to expect more from him than is reasonably possible.

I think that programmers from the 1982/3 era of the BBC Micro games market were, in most cases, real programmers who produced real games. They then inserted some graphics and audio effects to provide the final touch.

That breed of programmer has all but disappeared - I think most have just given it up as a bad job.

Now it seems that the way to write a game is to design some graphics, arrange a couple of sound effects, write a bit of code to pull the whole thing together - then add a lot of hype.

Today's games programs certainly require more creative input in the form of sound and graphics. This is evolving into a new art and the skills needed are usually beyond the programmer himself, so a team is involved: A computer artist designs the graphics, a musician composes the music, and the writer fits his program around them.

So far I have generalised about the computer industry, the programmers and the resuIts - but I'm writing from my own experience. Since I entered the industry a few years ago I have worked for several software houses, from the best companies in the BBC Micro games market to the worst.

For the benefit of budding authors, here are a few things to watch out for. But remember: Not all software houses are bad, and some are good at one thing and not so good at others.

Royalties are often very late for a variety of reasons - or excuses - and often do not agree with sales figures.
Poor, if any, technical support is given to the programmer.
On the management front, there is often a poor turnaround time for correspondence. It's vital that all major decisions and agreements are written down because software companies frequently change their minds and fail to be decisive over important matters.
The use of ambiguous contracts can land the programmer in trouble over what's happening with a product.
Bad personal relations within the software house can interfere with marketing, even when the programmer himself has nothing to do with it.
There are areas that the programmer can't control himself, but which can affect him directly, such as when the software house doesn't market the goods in an acceptable form, or uses too much hype.

I have three general rules for being a successful computer games programmer and I think they are realistic: First, never allow affairs of the heart to interfere with programming - or vice versa. It can be very embarrassing.

And don't, under any circumstances, sign any long-term contracts - you will regret it. Finally, don't sign the first contract offered: Shop around to find the best deal and take recommendations from other programmers about which software house to work for.

As you may have gathered, I'm pulling out of the games writing business. But I will continue to work as a consultant/troubleshooter so I can still make a living out of the industry.

But, if you think you're good, and you can take the inevitable hassle, by all means go ahead. And good luck to you - you'll need it.

Gary Partis is a 20-year-old student in his final Year at Newcastle Polytechnic. He is the author of a number of top-selling games dating back to mid-1983 with Positron. When not studying, he enjoys driving, experimenting with car engines, listening to music, waving around a hot soldering iron, karate training and especially socialising.

He lives in Bedlington, Northumberland, with his parents and drives a black Vauxhall Cavalier Sri - with every conceivable extra.

This article appeared in the January 1988 edition of the "Micro User", published by Database Publications.

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