Sid Meier Retrospective - Page 2 of 5

Sid Meier Retrospective

Home : Games : Articles

Humble Beginnings and Early Efforts

In 1982, Meier made his first mark in gaming by co-founding MicroProse, a software company devoted to developing computer games. These were the days when full-fledged games were designed by one or two people, instead of the teams it takes today, and the PC as we know it today did not yet exist. MicroProse games were created for the likes of the Apple II, the Atari, and the once kingly Commodore 64 (a full 64kb of memory!). If you’re less than thirty years old you probably don’t remember any one of these. Mere paperweights today, they were the state of home computer art at the time.

Most of MicroProse’s titles at the time were flight simulator games and military simulator games, a far cry from the titles that would eventually make Meier a household name, but they showed ambition and innovation even then. The first game that Meier played a major development role in was 1983’s Spitfire Ace for the C64.

The flight sim came and went, but did enough business to keep MicroProse afloat and ensure that following titles such as NATO Commander (1984),

Solo Flight (1984),

and Kennedy Approach (1985),

an air traffic control sim that featured an early form of voice synthesis, would see the light of day.

None of these titles are remembered as fan favorites today, but they were all solid games which helped MicroProse and Meier earn a reputation in the fledgling industry. 1985 also saw Meier venture away from flight related games for the first time with Silent Service, a WWII submarine sim that won the 1985 Charles Roberts/Origins “Best Adventure Game for Home Computer” award. A few years later Silent Service would be ported to the NES by Ultra Games, a subsidiary of Konami which also published the original Metal Gear.

Silent Service would barely pass as a game today. Its blocky graphics and clunky interface were, even then, below the expected norm. Like many of Meier’s later games, however, what it lacked in visuals and finesse it made up in gameplay. Players running Silent Service felt as though they were really at the helm of a WWII sub and, if they weren’t careful, were apt to actually learn something about the sea battles of that era while they played the game.

Meier Sets Sail

Following this string of military and flight themed titles, Meier and MicroProse headed in a new direction with the ambitious game Pirates!, a game that was part sim, part strategy, part adventure, part action, and more than a little educational all at once. Putting players in the role of a privateer in the Spanish Main circa the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, Pirates! was open-ended and one of the earliest examples of the “sandbox” genre made infamous by games like Grand Theft Auto 3 and Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction years later. The goal of Pirates! was for the player to attain the highest social status possible at the end of the game in terms of land owned, marital status, and wealth collected over his career. How the player got there, however, was entirely up to him.

Players could align with one or more nations (Great Britain, Spain, Holland, or France), and act on that nation’s behalf, attacking towns and vessels of opposing nations. Missions were also available from the governors of the various lands the player would visit. They were largely of the “deliver these papers here or there” variety, but success meant a nice amount of gold, a rise in standing with the nation involved and, possibly, an offer of marriage to the governor’s usually less than attractive daughter.

Players could also choose to “go it alone” and act completely in their own interests. They would have to procure ships, cannons, and crewmen in order to have any chance at success, much as a real pirate would. Too many months at sea without satisfactory gains could also result in mutiny. A pirate captain’s life was not an easy one and that fact was hammered home for players more clearly than any other.

Most interesting of all, the game had no real pre-determined ending. Players could continue their swashbuckling adventures on the high seas as long as they liked – or as long as they survived. As a pirate aged, however, it would become harder to recruit quality crew members and eventually the pirate’s career would end in either retirement or death.

Pirates! proved to be Meier’s and MicroProse’s first bona fide hit, spawning several recreations; Sid Meier’s Pirates! in 1987, which appeared on several platforms, including the NES; Pirates! Gold in 1993 which brought the experience to countless more gamers via the various computers available at the time as well as the now in full swing Sega Genesis; and the 2004 version, Sid Meier’s Pirates! which appeared on the PC and Xbox and featured most of the same style gameplay from the original title (still holding up nearly twenty years later), with (obviously) updated graphics and a popular minigame based on, of all things, ballroom dancing.

<< Previous 1 23 4 5 Next >>

Recently added articles:

September 30, 2008

Nicholas DePalmer Interview
We interview Pro-Gamer and Razer employee Nicholas DePalmer.

4 More Games We Want Remade
It's round two in for games the we want to see remade.

September 27, 2008

EA Makes ESPN Stars Virtual
You've seen the stars of ESPN pre-game shows and other TV spots deliver their entertaining analysis. Now, because of EA Sports, you'll see them in the virtual world with players doing the same thing.

Four Shooters That Made the Dreamcast Awesome
In keeping on with our Dreamcast love, we take a look at four shooters that made the system an arcade shooting powerhouse.

September 26, 2008

Why Comic Book Video Games Suck
Comic book characters have often come to life on the big screen in very successful adaptations. However, turning comic book stories into video games often ends in disaster.