Crystal Computing: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Former British video game developer}}

{{Infobox company

|name = Crystal Computing / Design Design

|logo =

|foundation = {{start date and age|df=yes|1982}}

|___location = [[Manchester]], [[England]]

|industry = [[Computer and videoVideo game industry|Computer and videoVideo games]]

|products = ''[[Halls of the Things]]''<br>''[[Invasion of the Body Snatchas!]]''

}}

'''Crystal Computing''', later renamed '''Design Design''', was a British [[video game developer]] founded in 1982 by Chris Clarke and GrahamIan StaffordStamp while students at the [[University of Manchester]]. Graham Stafford, Neil Mottershead, [[Simon Brattel]] and Martin Horsley, joined the company as it expanded.<ref name="pcw">''[[Popular Computing Weekly]]'', 26 January-1 February 1984 (p.26), Sunshine Publications Ltd.</ref><ref name="crash">Rebirth of the Things: Design Design, ''[[CRASH (magazine)|CRASH]]'', issue 8 (p.88), [[Newsfield Publications]], 1984</ref> The company's first software release was a compilation of games for the Sinclair [[ZX81]], though it was with the [[ZX Spectrum]] that Crystal found its greatest success. A deal with the machine's manufacturer [[Sinclair Research|Sinclair]] to distribute Crystal's ''[[Zeus Assembler]]'' gave the company sufficient funds for a major marketing campaign for their next product,<ref>"As Clear as Crystal", Popular Computing Weekly, 26 January-1 February 1984 (p.26), Sunshine Publications Ltd</ref> ''[[Halls of the Things]]'', an [[arcade adventure]] game that became their most successful title.

Clarke left in 1984 to join [[Artic Software]], where he worked on the "business side", before collaborating with [[Jon Ritman]] on the [[Match Day (series)|''Match Day'' series]].<ref>[http://www.crashonline.org.uk/33/ritman.htm "From Namtir Raiders, to a bit of a bovver with bears then on to Batman... and beyond"], CRASH, issue 33 (p.84), Newsfield Publications, October 1986</ref>

With Clarke's departure the company was reorganised as Design Design,<ref name="crash"/> a trading name that had been used by Simon Brattel since 1976 for his electronic audio designs.<ref>[http://www.desdes.com/ Design Design official site]</ref> Design Design's core consisted of Stafford working mainly on titles for the [[Commodore 64]], Brattel and Mottershead working on the [[ZX Spectrum]] and [[Amstrad CPC]], and David Lewellyn, the company's administrator.<ref name="crash"/> According to Stafford the new name was part of a wider re-branding, as they wanted a more professional image, along with a better relationship with the press and the public.<ref name="crash"/>

Stafford went on to form developer Walking Circles producing titles including ''[[The Living Daylights (video game)|The Living Daylights]]''<ref name='crashlivingdaylights'>{{cite magazine |title=The Living Daylights|magazine=Crash|issue=43|publisher=Newsfield|date=August 1987|page=94|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1010&page=94|access-date=13 July 2021}}</ref> and ''[[Spitting Image (video game)|Spitting Image]]''<ref name='acespitting'>{{cite magazine |title=Snippets... Spitting Image|magazine=ACE|issue=15|publisher=Future Publishing|date=December 1988|page=10|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1741&page=10|access-date=13 July 2021}}</ref> for [[Domark]] and the PC version of ''[[Bloodwych]]'' for [[Image Works]].<ref>"The Making of: Bloodwych", ''[[Retro Gamer]]'', issue 23 (p.55), [[Imagine Publishing]]</ref>

Graham Stafford went on to form developer Walking Circles, which wrote the PC version of ''[[Bloodwych]]''.<ref>"The Making of: Bloodwych", ''[[Retro Gamer]]'', issue 23 (p.55), [[Imagine Publishing]]</ref>

==Softography==

'''Crystal Computing'''

*''ZX81 Games Pack'', [[ZX81]], 1982. Includes versions of ''[[Asteroids (video game)|Asteroids]]'' and ''[[Space Invaders]]'', as well as a ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]'' style adventure game and a [[slalom skiing]] game, all designed to run on an unexpanded machine with 1K RAM.<ref name="sinc15">[http://www.sincuser.f9.co.uk/015/softwre.htm Trading With Crystal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825161521/http://www.sincuser.f9.co.uk/015/softwre.htm |date=2012-08-25 }}, [[Sinclair User]], issue 15 (p.27), ECC Publications Ltd., June 1983</ref>

*''Merchant of Venus'', ZX81, 1982. A space trading/investment game.<ref name="sinc15"/>

*''[[Zeus Assembler#Monitor and Disassemblerdisassembler|Monitor and Disassembler]]'', ZX81, ZX Spectrum, 1982. An [[assembly language]] utility.<ref>Monitor and Disassembler press ad, ''[[Your Computer (British magazine)|Your Computer]]'' January 1983 issue (p.131), IPC Business Press Ltd.</ref>

*''[[Cosmic Guerilla]]'', ZX Spectrum, 1983

*''[[The Dungeon Master (video game)|The Dungeon Master]]'', ZX Spectrum, 1983

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*''[[Rommel's Revenge]]'', ZX Spectrum, 1984

*''Bug Blaster'', ZX Spectrum, 1984. A ''[[Centipede (video game)|Centipede]]'' clone.<ref>''Bug Blaster'' review, CRASH, issue 3 (p.83), Newsfield Publications 1984</ref>

*''[[Cyber Zone]]'', ZX Spectrum, 1984

*''[[The Island (video game)|The Island]]'', ZX Spectrum, 1984

*''[[The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (video game)|The Warlock of Firetop Mountain]]'', ZX Spectrum, 1984

*''[[It's the Wooluf!]]'', ZX Spectrum, 1984.

*''Tube Way Army'', [[Dragon 32]] and [[TRS-80 Color Computer|Tandy 32K]], 1984

'''Design Design'''

*''[[Dark Star (1984 video game)|Dark Star]]'', ZX Spectrum and [[Amstrad CPC]], 1984

*''Spectacle'', ZX Spectrum, 1984 (Additional program supplied with ''Dark Star'' - simulated a [[Teletext]] environment)

*''[[Halls of the Things#Return of the Things|Return of the Things]]'', ZX Spectrum, 1984

*''[[2112 AD]]'', ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, 1985

*''[[On the Run (video game)|On the Run]]'', ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, 1985

*''[[Forbidden Planet (video game)|Forbidden Planet]]'', ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, 1986

*''[[Halls of the Things#Remix|Halls of the Things Remix]]'', ZX Spectrum, 1986

*''Invaders'', ZX Spectrum, 1986. A ''[[Space Invaders]]'' clone published as part of the ''Action Replay'' compilation of Crystal and Design Design games.

*''[[N.E.X.O.R.]]'', ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, 1986

*''[[Nosferatu the Vampyre (video game)|Nosferatu the Vampyre]]'', ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and [[Commodore 64]], 1986

*''[[Rogue Trooper (1986 video game)|Rogue Trooper]]'', ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64, 1986

*''[[Kat Trap]]'', ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64, 1987

==References==

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{{Crystal Computing series}}

[[Category:Defunct videocompanies gamebased companiesin Manchester]]

[[Category:VideoDefunct video game companies of the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:Video game companies established in 1982]]

[[Category:Video game development companies]]

[[Category:Video game publishers]]