Single Dad Building Sequel To “Jetpack” Video Game He Built As A Teenager | Hacker News Reader

Single Dad Building Sequel To “Jetpack” Video Game He Built As A Teenager

techcrunch.com

82 pointsthegarside27 comments

I am personally glad that techcrunch chose to highlight the fact that Adam is a single dad. Often in our industry we glorify and highlight the college lifestyle of a bro-grammer. It is refreshing to read the experiences of a developer that has a life outside the domain of software development, and discusses their attempt to be creative, perform, and possibly innovate. This I think is a healthier approach for a population that will ultimately age, marry, and possibly have children. A population that, as they age, will ultimately struggle to further realize a desire to stay creative, productive, and relative in youth centric world without forgoing a healthy family life-balance.

And here I was, thinking, why bring up the "single dad" thing. Oh! Must be to make the guy seem more in need of funding - if we donate to his kickstarter project, we'll be helping not just him but his child(ren?). I don't like it.

Yeah. I am very wary of anything on Kickstarter, there's nothing to stop them from simply walking with the money or producing a crap game in a day. I prefer to donate my money to reputable charities.

I find it legitimately interesting that I am getting downvotes for disagreeing with the illusion of a perfect world where everyone is honest.

If I were to venture a guess, it's got more to do with the presentation of those ideas, rather than their substance.

I spent untold hours with the original game.

I don't want to be a downer but I have a hunch that a sequel this late after the original is only going to appeal to nostalgic gamers who played it. From what I saw in the video it doesn't look like Jetpack 2 is going to offer anything new other than new graphics and 2D physics. The original was a great game for its time but it's pretty dated by today's standards.

What I want to know is how these new features will update the game and provide an innovative new experience. I played the original but playing it again with new graphics and gimmicks isn't going to excite me. If the video demonstrated some new puzzle mechanics enabled by physics or new challenging enemies or twists on the game play mechanics I think I would have a far better opinion.

Instead I feel like it's just going to be a clone of the original with a couple bells and whistles. That would've been great if this were 1996.

While I agree with your take on what the game will be, I'm firmly in the "yes that's exactly what I want" camp. Update it a little, give me new levels, and for God's sake don't ruin it like they did Bomberman.

The original is freeware and runs nicely in dosbox (warning, it is rather fun). I'm backing this just as a thank you for making the original free.

I've been waiting for this since 1996! After ten years without any sequel I asked Adam in an email if I could make a free tribute sequel since it had appeared to become abandonware and got this reply:

"Hi, We are planning to make it but haven't had an opportunity to start it. Maybe in a couple years.."

A few years later it seemed really puzzling, and frankly I thought he was in denial that the sequel would ever be made. So excited to see this finally come to fruition!

See http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4197570

He should make a $10K donation level to let the donor submit someone else's likeness as the nemesis.

The other Jetpac was updated by Rare a few years ago. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jetpac_Refuelled)

I was disappointed to find out this was the 1993 MSDOS game Jetpack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jetpack_(video_game)), not the 1983 Jetpac from Ultimate Play The Game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jetpac). Probably reveals something about my age...

yes I first thought it is spectrum version which I liked to play

May also say something about your nationality? Just guessing, as the Spectrum et al. were almost unknown in the US.

Ah, that explains it. I haven't played either, but I was trying to reconcile this being a 1993 DOS game with the reference to Jetpac in the "Hey, Hey, 16K" song.

You might be pleased to know that game has been remade on Xbox Live Arcaade already, and is great fun! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jetpac_Refuelled

I remember this game! I made countless levels messing around in the editor, it was really the most intuitive level editor I've ever used.

Another (even older) game with a dirt simple level editor. Repton for the BBC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNRlnNIOXwk (turn volume down , the music will make your ears hurt)

It was the first game I ever made a level for actually.

I loved this game! Does anyone else remember the "Jetpack 2 in 2000" message when you closed the game?

I'd also love to play a sequel to God of Thunder. I spent so much time playing that one.

Jetpack is my favourite childhood computer game. This is awesome.

How is "single dad" relevant? Genuinely curious.

When brought up in the context of an achievement, being a single [parent] is often meant to highlight the fact that said achievement was realized despite working in sub-optimal conditions (i.e. lack of time).

I read it as mostly being a very short, somewhat poignant, way of saying that life has taken him pretty far from being a sixteen year old kid writing games, but that putting out this game will help him reclaim something that he feels he's lost or is at least at risk of losing.

And that is something that at least some people will feel a connection with, maybe especially people who would care about "Jetpack" in the first place. The kind of people who were once carefree 16 year old video game players, who are probably the kind of people who he expects to be attracted to his Kickstarter campaign.

As a single dad myself, I'm rooting for the guy. This is a great opportunity and I'm glad Techcrunch is picking up on the story. Hopefully this happens for him.

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