I also didn’t appreciate how pioneering this BBC Micro game was.
“But didn’t know how much anyone else would like it.
We wanted to play it ourselves, and it was always fun play-testing - a good sign.”
By 1988, the 8-bit market was beginning to shrink.
Arcade conversions and budget games dominated, and original products were becoming rare.
This failed to deter Irvin and his colleague, Jeremy Smith.
Irvin and Smith were old school friends from St Albans.
Ian Bell [co-author of the legendary space trading game, Elite] was a friend, too."
After university, we decided to carry on with games development."
Once he returned from university, Smith chose another arcade game as inspiration for his next effort.
“Initially, it was just finding out what was fun to play,” says Irvin.
“And what was possible on the BBC in terms of speed, graphics and RAM.
The game evolved as we became more experienced in building up technologies and creative ideas.
Later, we created the story that fit what we could do.”
While returning from another mission, Finn must investigate the planet Phoebus.
The scale of Exile is impressive, but there’s so much more to the Superior game.
Testing was paramount, as Irvin describes.
“It was all carefully tweaked over time so that the various puzzles worked without loopholes.
The object and terrain collision tests had to be finely tuned so they were fast and felt right.
We couldn’t afford the RAM to prevent it properly.”
From here, if available, the player could only reload from an earlier position or restart the game.
It’s a minor flaw in an otherwise pioneering and extraordinarily immersive experience.
With Exile nearing completion, Irvin and Smith approached the BBC Micro’s most prominent publisher, Superior Software.
“I’d worked with Jeremy Smith when he produced the stylish game, Thrust,” remembers Hanson.
I was very impressed by its appearance and mechanics."
“Because the game was complex, it needed the earlier background scenario.
A dramatic cover, created by Superior regular Les Ives, completed the package.
To everyone’s relief, the reviews were uniformly good.
It’s certainly a special game in the Superior catalogue and one of our most technically advanced.”
After Exile, Peter Irvin dabbled with console development at Audiogenic and Activision.
Then, in 1992, he lost his longtime friend and co-developer in a tragic accident.
“Jeremy was a good friend, and it was devastating losing him.
He was one of a group of us who’d known each other since school.
Exile was the only game the pair would collaborate on - a sad but proud legacy.
That’s the best reward for me.”
Thanks to Peter Irvin and Richard Hanson of Superior Software for their time.
Irvin hasn’t completely abandoned his plans to bring Exile to Android phones.
If you want to know more, keep an eye onthis.
