Michael Berlyn
Encyclopedia
Michael Berlyn is an American
computer game designer and writer. He is best known as an Implementor at Infocom
, part of the text adventure game design team.
Berlyn joined Marc Blank
in founding the game company Eidetic, which later became Sony Bend
. In 1998, Berlyn started a new game company, Cascade Mountain Publishing, whose goals were to publish ebooks and interactive fiction
. Cascade Mountain Publishing went out of business in 2000.
Berlyn created a "light-jazz" band called Hot Mustard, made up entirely of his own music and performances.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
computer game designer and writer. He is best known as an Implementor at Infocom
Infocom
Infocom was a software company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced one notable business application, a relational database called Cornerstone....
, part of the text adventure game design team.
Berlyn joined Marc Blank
Marc Blank
Marc Blank is an American game developer and software engineer. He is best known as part of the team that created one of the first hit text adventure computer games, Zork....
in founding the game company Eidetic, which later became Sony Bend
Sony Bend
Bend Studio is an American video game developer located in Bend, Oregon. It was founded in 1994 as Eidetic and was purchased by Sony Computer Entertainment America in 2000. The studio is best known for developing the Syphon Filter series. Before developing Syphon Filter, they developed Bubsy 3D for...
. In 1998, Berlyn started a new game company, Cascade Mountain Publishing, whose goals were to publish ebooks and interactive fiction
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
. Cascade Mountain Publishing went out of business in 2000.
Berlyn created a "light-jazz" band called Hot Mustard, made up entirely of his own music and performances.
Some games
- Oo-ToposOo-topos-History:Oo-Topos was originally published by Sentient Software in 1981 as a text only adventure game. The 1987 re-release added graphical depictions of scenes described by the game's text, which were designed using Penguin Software's in-house software tool Graphics Magician.-Plot summary:You are...
, Sentient Software - CyborgCyborgA cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
, Sentient Software - Gold Rush (game), Sentient Software
- Congo (game), Sentient Software
- SuspendedSuspendedSuspended: A Cryogenic Nightmare is an interactive fiction computer game written by Michael Berlyn and published by Infocom in 1983. Like most Infocom titles, it was available on most popular personal computers of the day, such as the Apple II, PC, Atari ST and Commodore 64...
, Infocom - CutthroatsCutthroats (computer game)For the 1999 Windows game of the same name see Cutthroats: Terror on the High SeasCutthroats is an interactive fiction computer game written by Michael Berlyn and Jerry Wolper and was published by Infocom in 1984...
, Infocom - InfidelInfidel (computer game)Infidel is an interactive fiction computer game published by Infocom in 1983. It was written by Michael Berlyn and was the first in the "Tales of Adventure" line. Due to Infocom's virtual Z-Machine, it was ported to a wide variety of popular computing systems of the day, including the Apple II and...
, Infocom - FooblitzkyFooblitzkyFooblitzky is a board game-style computer game published by Infocom in 1985 and designed by a team including interactive fiction authors Marc Blank and Michael Berlyn. It is unique among Infocom titles because it was the first game Infocom released to incorporate graphics beyond ASCII characters...
(co-designer), Infocom - Tass Times in TonetownTass Times in TonetownTass Times in Tonetown is a 1986 adventure-themed computer game by Activision for multiple computer platforms. It was written by veteran Infocom designer Michael Berlyn and his long-time collaborator Muffy McClung Berlyn, and programmed by Bill Heineman of Interplay Productions, in cooperation with...
, ActivisionActivisionActivision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles... - Altered DestinyAltered DestinyAltered Destiny is an adventure game released by Accolade in 1990 for DOS and Amiga . The game was designed by Michael Berlyn and it uses a text parser interface. It is the second adventure game from Accolade and it uses the same engine as the first one, Les Manley in: Search for the...
, Accolade - Snoopy's Game Club (with former IntellivisionIntellivisionThe Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
programmer Gene SmithGene SmithGene Smith may refer to:* Gene Smith , current general manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars* Gene Smith , current athletic director at the Ohio State University...
), Accolade - BubsyBubsyBubsy is a series of video games created by Michael Berlyn and released by Accolade for the SNES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari Jaguar, the PC and PlayStation in the early and mid-1990s....
, Accolade - Zork: The Undiscovered UndergroundZork: The Undiscovered UndergroundZork: The Undiscovered Underground is an interactive fiction computer game written by former Infocom Implementors Marc Blank and Michael Berlyn and implemented by G. Kevin Wilson using the Inform language. The game was released by Activision on August 28, 1997 for free to coincide with the release...
(with Marc BlankMarc BlankMarc Blank is an American game developer and software engineer. He is best known as part of the team that created one of the first hit text adventure computer games, Zork....
), Activision - Syphon FilterSyphon FilterSyphon Filter is a stealth-based third-person shooter video game for the PlayStation released in 1999. It is the first game in the Syphon Filter series. It was re-released on December 4, 2006, on the PlayStation Network for use on the PSP...
, Contributor, Producer, SECA - Bubsy 3DBubsy 3DBubsy 3D: Furbitten Planet, known simply as Bubsy 3D, is a platform video game developed by Eidetic and published by Accolade and Telstar for the PlayStation video game console. It was designed by Michael Berlyn. It was released on October 13, 1996 in North America and in August of 1997 in Europe...
, Accolade - Dr. Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I., Cascade Mountain Publishing
Novels
- The Integrated Man, Bantam BooksBantam BooksBantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
, 1980 - Crystal Phoenix, Bantam Books
- Blight as Mark Saunders, Ace Books
- Eternal Enemy, Wm. Morrow