Page last updated: 23/01/2009
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Haydn Dalton |
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A game's graphics is almost as important as the gameplay itself, and even if this isn't true, then Haydn's graphics certainly at least helped things out a little. Creating some awesome graphics for many machines, including the C64, Haydn has been unlucky with his actual C64 work. Sadly quite a few games never saw the light of day which contained his work, most notably "Orcus", which he and Mike Ager set to stun the C64 world with an awesome SEU that was sadly never to be. Haydn kindly agrees to talk to GTW about his C64 past, and his current projects... |
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Welcome to the GTW page Haydn!... Could you please tell the readers a bit about yourself? Nice start, feels like a dating video, not that I'd know anything about that of course. Anyhow, My name is Haydn Dalton and I'm the Creative Director at Genepool. I'm currently Lead Designing our first PS2 title for Activision at the moment for a very big franchise. The last game I was involved with was Star Trek: Invasion (PSX), I was lead designer on that project. Since being in this industry (approx. 14-15 years) I always seem busy! I have my own tribe that I like to call a family (x1 wife, x3 kids + x1 on the way = always on the job). How did you first get started doing graphics on the C64? I used to "exchange" games with friends back between 83-86 where I formed the "The Society" & "Pulsar" under the nickname "DOLLY". I used to create bits of graphics (fonts, logos, backgrounds etc.) for demos that I used to do with an old friend called "MIK" (TS, FCG, PULSAR etc). One day somebody said to me "why don't you take your graphics to a games firm?". At the time I thought they were crazy because the "industry" always seemed something that somebody else did�it was too GOOD for me, if you know what I mean. Anyway, after some pressure I took some graphics for a game that TORKY & me were working on called "Validus" to OCEAN. Validus was a racing game (overhead view) using hovering ships. Anyway, I phoned them up on a Wednesday, they said come in Friday and they offered me a job straight away. I started on the following Monday. I began work helping out on "Operation Wolf" and then "Vindicators". After that I was placed originally as the main artist on Daley 88 (which became Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge). I began work on the game but became pissed off at the working conditions in the "dungeon" of Ocean, so I got a job at Binary Designs. From here the games start flooding in but I haven't got the room to explain them all (have I?). What was your last ever C64 production? I think Solar Jetman was my farewell the C64 alongside some bits of work I did for Gauntlet 3 (if memory recalls correctly). I did most of Solar Jetman as a freelance project, I was bored :) You are famous on the C64 for designing some top graphics for many games over the years, including the infamous Gauntlet 3 along with Mike Ager and Martin Holland, which project did you most enjoy working on? I had a few good times at Binary Designs like working through the night with Chris Collins (chris-krispy) on Double Dragon (amiga/st) and the paint-balling sessions etc. Some of my best times where at Software Creations where I worked with Martin, Mike Ager, Marc Dawson, Anthony Anderson, Justin Eagleton, Ste Ruddy (coder god of Bionic Commandoes, Bubble bobble etc (C64), Dave Broadhurst, Weston & Paul Murray. The banter in the Stunt Rumble/Dead Ahead/Forever Dragonz will never be forgotten. Sometimes laughter was the only thing we were developing. The project I most liked working on cannot be summed to just one, I think Star Trek Invasion for Warthog (published by Activision) and Assassin for Psionic Systems (my own development company alongside Dave Broadhurst(now working on Knockout Kings 2000(PS2) published by Team 17. Which game was hardest to do the graphics for? When Dave and Me where developing Overdrive for Team17. My original idea was to model the cars in 3d and then touch them up but, I had never touched 3d before and I had a dodgy version 3d studio (god knows what version it was). I had no manuals or anything and I just couldn't get anything out of it and I didn't have anyone with me how knew anything about it so I had to draw the cards (from above) rotating, tilting and all sorts for the different angles..It was a nightmare. The game had to be cut back because it was taking so long getting them right. I was really pissed off about that, oh and the fact it was never made 2PLAYER�remember that MARTIN (team17) !!! Who's work did you most admire on the C64? There's a few, first off must be BOB Stephenson(?)(Druid loading screen IO, The Pawn etc), I always loved his stuff. Then there would be Doc, Sit, Robin Levy and of course Martin Holland. Did you work on any other machines at the time, other than the C64, if so, can you name a few games that you did? Yes, I did some work on the Spectrum as I did all the game graphics for Solar Jetman's spectrum version. Very early on in the Amiga/ST days I did some work for EA on a game called "Blind Panic" too. I also help convert the Arcade graphics of a game called "TROG" to the PC(4colours - one yellow, a pink arrggh). Now its rumoured that you were working on both Orcus and Solar Jetman, both of which never saw the light of day, can you tell us why? Orcus never saw the light of day due to the "none" payment of work done on it by Electronic Zoo (from what I remember). I'd done all the graphics, including an Intro, Outro and some other storytelling work. Over 3,000 sprites where drawn for it and overall about 3mg of graphics, which was quite a lot for one product-one artist. Solar Jetman was shelved because Sales Curve didn't think the game would do well in the current market place, so, they never even give it a try. It was a pity because it has some great music by Tim Follin on it. Were there any other games which you worked on which never saw the light of day? Several, I was just unlucky I guess. Some where because the publisher had no money left, some because the product wasn't fitting the publishers image of the game, others were because they simply never got finished in time. Here is a complete breakdown - 3d boat assassin (originally 3d boat race) C64 Was there any C64 game which you saw released, looked at its graphics and thought "I could have done that much better!" ? Many, but I can't pick any by name though. I just remember thinking, how the hell did they get away with that and who the did this etc. What was your favourite game on the C64? Dropzone, Paradroid and Uridium were classics but I dearly loved The Sentinel, even though I wasn't any good at it. Others of note where Armalyte, Delta, Last Ninja, International Karate(+), Way of the exploding fist, Hunchback, Elite of course, Bionic Commandoes, Bubble Bobble, Nebulus, Ghost & Goblins�I could go on forever. Who was your favourite C64 musician? I've got to say Tim Follin, he was great. He's a funny guy too. Tim was the best because of what he got out of the Sid chip technically. I remember after Tim had quite doing music for games me and a friend called Anthony Anderson got him to agree to come out of retirement to do the music for a game design I had called "Riot Platoon", unfortunately the whole thing never went any further. A close runner up would be Martin Galway and then followed by Rob Hubbard. It must also be given up for MoN too who came in later (Charles Deenan, Jeroen Tel etc). Oh yeah and my old mate JCH ! Hey Jens. What impressed you most about the C64 and for what reasons? What impressed me then and still does is that the machine just kept getting pushed further and further. Technically, people just kept giving a little boost and something amazing would be seen. I've got a lot of respect for all those "bedroom" peeps who stuck at it, because they were the real reason the C64 lived(lives) on even now. I think it's a legend in its own right. It also had great sound�oh so great, I listen to Sid tunes regularly even now. Was the C64 was just a step in your graphical life or was it a major inspiration? The C64 was everything my career and home-life revolved around. It was my first "owned" machine, it's the platform I learned to draw graphics on, it's the thing that I played my games, watched and created demos on and it was the thing that created my career. Do you still own a C64 today? No, I had mine for about 6 years and I gave it all (with disk drive, games etc) to my youngest brother. Within a year it was knackered and I don't know what happened to it. Some of the games I'd worked on where in that collection of disks I gave him too. What are your current activities these days? What systems are you working on, computers, consoles? My current activities accumulate to being with my family, designing games and playing them. I don't have time for much else. I'm currently working on a PS2 game, which is very exciting as it is such a powerful system. Obviously I do a lot of work on PC, but thank god its mostly word processing. Ever have any disagreements with anyone through computer related activities in the past? I had a few arguments with people on Compunet and a few years ago in certain chat rooms on the Internet, but nothing too serious. There are too many assholes around to take it too serious. I'm a lucky person whose hobby is his job. On a disk somewhere, I have two games... One is called Subsonic (From Zzap 64) and the other was a Seuck game credited to you, can you elaborate on these two games?, was Subsonic meant to be released as a budget game or something? Subsonic was originally slated to go onto a budget label. Mike Ager and I just got pissed off trying to get in touch with the right people to sell it to so we just phoned Zzap and got on the cover straight away. They loved, so, at least we did something right. The SEUCK is probably the one I did in about 2days or so. It was crap, I admit, I don't even know why it was cracked. Probably a friend of mine had no games that week to distribute to I made him one. What is your favourite: Food: Drink: Movie: Music: Else: Games has got to come top, I know it sounds corny but it's true. If that doesn't count, then I'd have to say Sex. Honest� Guinness or Stella? (!) Neither, I don't drink. Any hints or tips for the C64 graphic designers still out there? Damn, I wouldn't know where to start now. I'd have to say in honesty no, but it's great to hear people are still pushing the C64. I bet the artwork has come a long way? Please feel free to send any greetings to anyone you know... Greets to Ant, Martin Holland, Arg(mike?), MIK, Craig(fusion), Tork & Torky, Tim Follin, Krispy, TMB(pulsar), Toy, Wiz, Jog, Bear, JCH, Dbroadhurst, Marc Dawson and all at creations. I'll keep it short. Were there any questions I didn't ask and that you would like to answer? Yes. Worst game I ever worked on - Aggghhh! (C64). The bane of my career. Also, I don't know if you could sort this out for me but, when I was working at Binary Designs, we started work on Shinobi(C64). I did at least 2levels of graphics, the helicopter and some other things for it but then the game was to be finished off by the programmer (I think it was Simon Pick). I'm pushing the question "did my graphics ever get used in the finished game?" If you could find that out It'd be most appreciated. Thanks for your time Haydn, do you have any last comments to leave a final impression on the audience? No problem. Just say no! but if they ask again think about it. Haydn Dalton. |
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