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INTERVIEW WITH: RICK LEVINE Designed by: Rick Levine Designed by: Rick Levine Designed by: Rick Levine (Unreleased) ABOUT IMAGIC

I recently caught up with former Imagic programmer Rick Levine and he was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions for an interview. Rick designed and programmed such Intellivision hits as Microsurgeon and Truckin' and even ported Wing War over to the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A computer. Unfortunately, his Wing war port was never released. CORBIE DILLARD: What made you decide to go work at Imagic? RICK LEVINE: Brian Dougherty was at Mattel Electronics when I worked there on handheld Bowling and Intellivision PBA Bowling. When he later helped start Imagic, he contacted me. I was working as a software engineer at a medical electronics company (Coopervision Labs in Irvine, CA) and had just completed my Computer Science degree (to go with my UCLA Math degree) at UC Irvine, but Brian talked me into coming to Imagic in Saratoga, CA. While at Coopervision, I got to visit a hospital and see live cataract operations. That's what later gave me the idea for Microsurgeon. CORBIE DILLARD: Do you still keep in contact with any of the other Imagic staff? RICK LEVINE: Steve DeFrisco (Tropical Trouble) and I have emailed each other recently. We also worked together at Digital Pictures around 1995. Mark Klein (Subterranea) was the VP Engineering at Digital Pictures. CORBIE DILLARD: What is your fondest memory from your days at Imagic? RICK LEVINE: I remember getting letters from Microsurgeon fans. One favorite was from a university that used the game to teach local kids about different health diseases (particularly heart disease).  What could be more fun? Sure it was stressful having to code day and night to meet dealines. But I enjoyed the people I worked with, the environment was great for creativity, I got to make the games I wanted to make, and mostly I didn't feel like I was 'going to work'. Interviewing with Business Week, Evening Magazine (TV), BBC (radio), and local news channel was neat too. CORBIE DILLARD: You designed several titles for the Intellivision console while at Imagic, but you also ported your Microsurgeon game over to the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A home computer. What things were you able to do with the TI-99/4A that you couldn't do on the Intellivision system? RICK LEVINE: The TI-99/4A had more graphics memory for storing the close-up screen and patient room. But most of all, it was great to be able to add the voice. My parents had passed away long before the game came out, but I know they would have been proud to hear "Paging Dr. Levine" in the game. CORBIE DILLARD: Were you allowed to choose which games you wanted to program at Imagic or were they chosen for you? RICK LEVINE: With Microsurgeon and Truckin' I was lucky to get to design and develop the games I wanted to do. Later, I was asked to port Microsurgeon to TI-99/4A, but I also enjoyed that challenge. It was a good machine to program for. CORBIE DILLARD: Of all the games that Imagic released that you didn't have a hand in developing, what is your personal favorite and why? RICK LEVINE: I played and liked many of the games, so it's hard to say. I got a kick out of Ice Trek and White Water! I also enjoyed Atlantis, Beauty and the Beast, and Demon Attack. CORBIE DILLARD: What other games did you work on during your stay at Imagic besides Microsurgeon and Truckin'? RICK LEVINE: I can't remember exactly, but I think I worked on porting Wing War to the TI-99/4A. It never made it to market. CORBIE DILLARD: How does it make you feel knowing that Imagic games are still widely bought and sold all across the internet, even today, over 25 years later? RICK LEVINE: I think this is very cool. The early developers experimented with so many different ideas and techniques. I liken it to the silent film industry, where the old movies are still played on TV. The classic games were mostly 2D, but they have their own charm and playability not always found in 3D games. CORBIE DILLARD: Of all the game consoles and computers that Imagic released games for, did you have a personal favorite? RICK LEVINE: I will always have a fondness for the Intellivision. The controllers and graphics capability of the machine made it a great console for its time. The TI-99/4A was my first experience with programming a personal computer. I enjoyed that. CORBIE DILLARD: Do you ever still play any of the Imagic games now, just for old time's sake? RICK LEVINE: Once a year I will play a few of the games (different ones each time). They're still fun. CORBIE DILLARD: The Expert's Club Score performance standard for Microsurgeon is a $300,000,000 bill. Be honest, were you ever able to reach that score on the game? : ) RICK LEVINE: I honestly don't remember my scores, but I distinctly remember that all of the testers (mostly high schoolers back then) did much better than me. CORBIE DILLARD: Do you have any message for the Imagic fans of yours out there that might be reading this? RICK LEVINE: Thank you so much for having played (and continuing to play) the Imagic and other classic games. I always have a big smile on my face the days I receive an email from a fan. Rick, let me just say thanks for giving up your personal time to do this interview for the Numb Thumb Club web site. It's very much appreciated by all.  - Corbie (Numb Thumb Club)

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