November '85
"This amazingly powerful and versatile utility allows you to create BASIC programmes involving high speed sprites. Two programmes are contained within this package, the sprite definer program to create and customise sprites, and a sprite manipulation programme for use with your own basic programmes to control sprites with simple keywords."
Having produced Cavey and developed an incredibly fast sprite routine, we thought we should produce a utility package on the BBC Micro that allowed hobby game developers to draw animated sprites easily, and then write games in BASIC that could use those sprites. This would allow them to make arcade games using BASIC. We called this Sprites Plus and Firebird were interested in publishing this too, after Easy Art. Sadly they decided to back away from publishing on the BBC, and suggested we write both Easy Art and Sprites Plus for the new Amstrad CPCs. In the time it took for us to buy this new computer, an Amstrad CPC 664, learn Z80 assembler and re-write these, they changed their minds!
We renamed this to Panda Sprites (name derived from our names P AND A Oliver) and sought a new publisher. Eventually this was published by Interceptor Software along with Easy Art.
Although sales of this were low, Panda Sprites was the reason we were able to produce so many high quality games so fast – that and working stupidly long hours to make the most of the short opportunity we had.
