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Songbird Productions
An exclusive interview with dynamic game developer Carl Forhan MyAtari: How did you decide on the name Songbird? Carl: Songbird is an old nickname I had in college, because I've always loved music. Then, when I dedicated my life to serve my Lord Jesus Christ at the age of 20, the name became doubly appropriate as I now use my passion for music to serve Him. I always told myself, "If I ever start a business, I'm calling it Songbird." So there you go. :) MyAtari: When did you first become interested in computing? When did you get your first Atari and what was it? Carl: My dad used to work as a Xerox salesman, and he got one of the very first Xerox PCs back in the early '80s. I learned how to run and program simple text-based games in CBasic on that monochrome machine - and I've been hooked ever since. :) My dad also must've bought our first Atari 2600 around that timeframe, and I can still remember playing Laser Blast and Pitfall over and over. What a great system, with impressive graphics. Some games, like Defender II, still amaze me today with their speed, animation, and audio. MyAtari: What prompted you to start writing your own software? What programming languages have you used and what do you use now? Carl: After the Xerox PC, we eventually got a TI-99/4A home computer which of course hooked up to a TV screen. But now it was REALLY cool - we could manipulate sprites, create our own character sets, and so on. The games my brother and I wrote were still cheesey, but they were getting more involved over time. I lost interest in game programming for a few years in college, but the good news is I picked up FORTRAN (which I've never used) and C (which I've used professionally for 8 years), and eventually C++ as well. I've also dabbled in 68K assembler in college and on the Atari Jaguar. MyAtari: Did you find it easy? What type of software did you write? Carl: Mostly games. I never really got the urge to do DTPs, or organizers, or calendars, or whatever. If I was going to spend time at the computer, I wanted it to be fun. :) MyAtari: When and why did you start developing games for the Jaguar and Lynx? Carl: After college and working for a few years, I discovered the internet. Not only was I amazed to find out Atari was still making game systems after all these years, but I also learned that a few dedicated individuals were working on doing their own "hobbyist" software for those systems. I started with the Lynx, because I've always loved classic-style 2D games, and the constrained environment on the Lynx seemed like a good opportunity to get started without being overwhelmed with all the features. Later, I expanded my interests to include the Jaguar, and as I began to track down companies who had worked on unreleased Jaguar games, I realized there was a potential to not only license completed games, but also a game (Protector) which was 80% complete and included all the source. Bottom line, supporting both systems is first and foremost a labor of love. Yes, occasionally I receive some compensation for my efforts, but it's small relative to the hundreds of hours I pour into these systems each year. And it's very rewarding when a fellow fan is ecstatic over the new games available. MyAtari: How did you find system documentation? Carl: Bastian Schick was kind enough to put a HTML version of the Atari spec on his web pages, plus he sent me a hard copy before that version was put online. MyAtari: How do you take care of cartridge manufacture? This is by nature far more costly than optical or magnetic media duplication. Carl: That's correct. It was a MASSIVE up-front expense to get the carts built. We needed a new PCB, a supplier for thousands of chips, a way to program all the chips, a way to surface mount all those chips, and so on... MyAtari: What development equipment are you now using? Carl: I use an Amiga and PC for the Lynx, and a flash cart and Alpine board on the Jaguar. MyAtari: What Jaguar and Lynx games have you already written and where are they available? Any special requirements? Carl: All games published to date by Songbird will work on any system. Here's the complete list (games with a '*' denote games I wrote or co-wrote): Lynx SFX * Ponx * Lexis Remnant: PW3D * Championship Rally * (I only did the audio code) Crystal Mines II: Buried Treasure Jaguar Hyper Force Protector * (I did about 20% of the code/enhancements) Skyhammer Soccer Kid MyAtari: What projects are you working on at the moment and when will they be available? Carl: Currently, Cybervirus for the Lynx is my next project; it was started by Beyond Games but never completed. I hope to work on some Jaguar projects this year as well, but nothing to announce yet. MyAtari: Is there anything Atari users can actively do to encourage continued development at Songbird? Carl: Buy the new games. :) Seriously, while supportive emails and suggestions on future projects are nice in some ways, the best thing any Atari fan can do to encourage more games is to buy what's out there. I've done my best to hit different areas - sports, action, arcade - so that something will appeal to everyone. MyAtari: If our readers wanted to develop their own Jaguar and Lynx software, can you recommend any hardware and software and where to get it? Carl: The cheapest way to start Lynx development is either with the Handy emulator or a BLL download cart. Championship Rally has the BLL feature enabled on the Tournament menu screen, and is available through Songbird. For the Jag, a flash cartridge or a BJL Jaguar is about the cheapest way to go. Hopefully in the near future, there will be an easier/cheaper method for every Jag fan who wishes to get into development. Your best bet on flash carts or other unusual items is to keep an eye on eBay, or ask around on message boards like rec.games.video.atari or http://atarihq.com/interactive. MyAtari: Finally, what are your thoughts on the present and future of the Atari scene and Jaguar and Lynx platforms? Carl: I think we could continue to see a trickle of new games released for these systems, if fans continue to support (purchase) new releases. In particular, the quality of Lynx games coming out recently has improved dramatically, and is on par with some 'professional' releases. I expect over time the same would be true of some new Jaguar releases. It's my sincere hope that new Lynx/Jaguar games continue to be published for several more years. The Atari community can help make this happen! Thanks for the interview, it's always great to talk about all things Atari!
Useful contacts Carl Forhan http://songbird.atari.org Atari Workshop (Supplier of Alpine board) http://www.atari-workshop.co.uk
MyAtari magazine - Feature #2, March 2001
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