IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Pete Davidson interviews Steve Hanson of Superior Software
When did Superior Software start, and what was its first product?
Superior Software started in autumn 1982. Its first four products were: Galaxy Birds, Space Fighter, Centibug and Invaders. The first three were written by Richard Hanson, the founder of Superior Software.
How did those games compare with Superior's later releases?
These games were produced only for the BBC Micro and only in cassette form. Although relatively simple, they are still fun to play.
A few years ago it was common to hear tales of programmers getting rich very quickly. Photographs of them standing next to their newly-acquired sports cars were a common sight in the press. Is it still a rewarding occupation?
Only a very few highly talented programmers are getting a good income out of producing computer games. Nowadays they are much more complex than those released a few years ago and take much, much longer to write.
Games produced by teams of two or more programmers are now quite common. For example, Ricochet had two game authors, two graphics designers and a loading screen designer.
There must be a lot of people who've written a game and don't know what to do with it. How should they go about submitting it to a company like Superior, and how much could they expect to earn it it was expected?
A good game by a new author can, if it is carefully marketed, earn the author a few thousand pounds.
We are always looking for new games for the BBC/Electron and Archimedes micros, and several by previously unknown authors are at present under development.
They may be released as individual titles, as occurred with Ricochet and Perplexity, or be included in compilations, as with Qwak (on Play It Again Sam 10) and Baron (on Play It Again Sam 11).
We are interested in receiving games for evaluation for the BBC Micro, the Electron and the Archimedes. They can be submitted on either disc or cassette.
It is very important that sufficient documentation is provided so that the game can be played in full. If a cheat version is available, this should also be submitted, as it can save a lot of time in checking the higher levels.
Some people feel that they can make all the money for themselves if they think of a good name for a software house and publish their own games. What are the pitfalls they could meet by adopting this approach?
Unfortunately it's not quite so easy. The game code is only the first step. You then need to check compatability with all the different types of BBC Micros and various add-ons, and apply some protection to prevent piracy.
You then need the cassettes and discs, the printed labels, the printed inlays and instructions and the cassette/disc cases.
For most of these items bulk purchase is much cheaper than buying just a few items - so you need capital. Having sorted out the duplication, you will have your product. You've then got to sell it.
Games are released in many forms - full price, budget, compilation, in a big box with a detailed manual or in a plastic case with brief instructions. How do you decide what sort of packaging to use and how to price the product?
We try to keep to a standard size packaging for cassettes and discs, as this is preferred by retail outlets such as W.H. Smiths. It also makes for attractive collections of games in people's homes.
We also try to stick to standard prices. Our prices of £9.95 for cassette, £11.95 for 5.25in disc and £14.95 for Master Compact discs have remained the same for several years, which in practice means that our prices have been reduced.
However, unreasonably high prices tend to promote piracy, as has happened to a large extent with the Atari ST and Amiga markets, and may happen with the Archimedes market if software houses are not careful.
The exceptions to our standard packaging and prices are our mega-games such as Elite, Revs + Revs 4 Tracks, Exile and Repton Infinity.
Each of these include a large booklet (for Exile there are two booklets, a novella and an instruction manual), which requires the larger video type case. The higher prices relate to the extra costs of the booklets and the higher development and royalty costs.
At present you sell games for all Acorn micros from the Electron to the Archimedes series. What is the present split between the various micros and how do you see this changing in the future?
The market split has not changed appreciably over the past two or three years, with the BBC Micro sales being highest, followed by Electron sales, with Archimedes being a long way behind.
We are very committed to the BBC Micro and Electron market and will continue to produce new and original games for these computers for several years to come.
There are so many hundreds of thousands of BBC Micro and Electron micro in schools and homes, with a very strong second-hand market, that we expect the BBC Micro and Electron markets to remain buoyant for several years to come.
We will also be publishing a few very high quality games for the Archimedes, such as Hostages and Superior Golf, but we don't intend to jump on an Archimedes bandwagon to the detriment of BBC Micro/Electron computer owners.
What do you consider the most important elements for a good game on the BBC Micro?
A good game on the BBC Micro requires the same attributes as a good game on any computer, that is playability, good use of graphics and sound and originality.
The BBC Micro owner is probably more keen on strategy type games than other computer users, which helps to explain the massive success of the Repton games and arcade adventures like Citadel, and Ricochet.
What is the most popular game that Superior has ever released?
The most popular individual title was, surprisingly, Overdrive - now on our Superior Collection compilations.
The most popular series of games was, and continues to be, Repton games, which have now sold well over 100,000 units on the BBC Micro and Electron.
One of the biggest groups of Repton addicts are housewives. Once their husbands and children are safely out of way, on goes The Life of Repton and another couple of screens are sorted out. The highest selling games at present are the Play It Again Sam compilations, now up to number 12.
All these compilations, from number 1 through to number 12 are almost equally popular. It's not surprising since the collection includes, at affordable prices, nearly all the best games ever produced for BBC Micro and Electron, such as Thrust, Stryker's Run, Galaforce, Killer Gorilla, Frak!, Imogen, The Sentinel, Firetrack, Snapper, Winter Olympiad 88, Zalaga, Skirmish and The Last Ninja.
If readers have ideas for future inclusions, please let us know.
What is your own favourite game on the BBC Micro, and why?
You might expect me to choose one of the mega-games such as Elite or Exile, but I don't get too much time for game-playing so I prefer the sort where you can get enjoyment from a short playing time, but which exercise the mind.
At present I find both Ricochet and Perplexity provide very enjoyable relaxation. Occasionally I'll have another stab at trying to complete Repton 2.
Why did Superior decide to specialise on the Acorn games market and remain there rather than expand in to other types of software and other micros?
Superior has been publishing games for the BBC Micro from the start and has built up a reputation for good quality and original games.
This was recognised by Acorn
Computers who, in 1986, agreed to Superior taking over Acomsoft
releases. Other software houses who published
over the full range of computers tended to neglect the BBC Micro
market or produced second-rate products, almost as an afterthought.
Superior has always placed the BBC MicrolElectron market first and hence has been successful in this niche.
One of the latest trends in games software is to license the name of a film or use a famous person to promote a product. This obviously costs a lot of money, so why is it done? Doesn't it lead to a more expensive product or one of lower quality?
Licensing is now very popular throughout the software leisure market. The advantage to the publisher is that much of the marketing has already been done, hence costs can be much reduced and quality does not need to be reduced to offset licensing costs.
Such products would not be successful if the consumer did not want them. Although we have licensed film rights, as with Predator, and BBC television game rights, as with A Question Of Sport, most of our licensing deals are for products previously released on other computer formats, such as Barbarian and The Last Ninja. Again, reduced marketing costs can offset the cost of the licence.
Our recent licensing agreement with Infogrames opens up a whole range of new games for Acorn computers, including some of the most original titles ever produced for micros, starting with Hostages and Sim City in the summer. Other possibilities for the future include Captain Blood, North & South and Drakkhen.
Games can usually be categorised - adventure, shoot-em-up or simulation for example. Would you consider releasing any type of game or are there some that you would avoid... and why?
We try to release a full range of games, although we find that arcade adventures and strategy games are particularly popular in the BBC Micro/Electron market. Very good shoot-em-ups, such as Galaforce and Firetrack, also do well.
On each Play It Again Sam compilation we try to give a mix of the various types of game to keep everyone in the family happy.
When you buy a record it's the artist and title that are important - many people couldn't even tell you who the publisher is. However with software it's the software house whose name is promoted rather than the author's. In fact, many games in the past were released without a mention of the author. Do you think this is fair and what is Superior's policy on promoting the author's name?
We always acknowledge the authors on our game inlays or instructions and we encourage authors to get in touch with magazines and discuss their games and give hints.
One problem with promoting the author's names is that many write one game, sometimes very successfully, and that's it. With authors who consistently produce top quality games, such as the very talented Peter Scott, we freely and very happily acknowledge his authorship.
I think it is well known that he programmed such brilliant games as The Last Ninja, Superior Soccer and Barbarian II. He is now working on Hostages.
What are the problems associated with converting games to the BBC Micro from 16 and 32 bit micros and do you have any plans for this type of conversion on the future?
The main problem associated with converting games to the BBC Micro and Electron from 16 and 32 bit micros is that players (and reviewers) will inevitably compare the result with the original games, and may then be disappointed.
However Ballistix was a very successful conversion of the Atari ST and Amiga release by Psygnosis, and our version of Sim City, to be released later this year, will be based more on the Amiga version of the game (which was selected as the Top Game of 1989 in America) than the Commodore 64 one.
What does the future hold for Superior Software?
We will continue our present a mix of totally new releases, such as Ricochet and Perplexity, licensed games such as Predator and Last Ninja 2 and Play It Again Sam compilations.
Licensing deals with companies
such as Infogrames should also bring to Acorn computers the very
best of products from the American and European markets, such
as Sim City.
This article appeared in the May 1990 edition of the "Micro User", published by Database Publications.
Scanned in by dllm@usa.net
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