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Ep 120: The Godfather of Modern Code, Larry DeMar

PodcastAnalysis updated 3d ago1 hr 56 min listen
From the creator

It's Expo 2023 and I got the opportunity to sit down with Larry Demar to talk about the Williams Days. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!

Listen on LoserKid Pinball Podcast

Highlights

  • Larry DeMar worked on Black Knight, Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Funhouse, Banzai Run, Space Shuttle, High Speed, and World Cup Soccer 94
  • DeMar works 70-80 hours per week on various projects
  • DeMar joined Williams in January 1980 after initially taking a job at Bell Labs in September 1979
  • In his first year at Williams, DeMar programmed Las Vegas, Scorpion, designed a new pinball operating system, worked on Black Knight, Jungle Lord, and contributed to Defender
  • Black Knight was the first of two games DeMar worked on with Steve Ritchie
  • High Speed took approximately 1.5 years or longer to develop with Steve Ritchie
  • DeMar and Eugene Jarvis left Williams to start their own company due to lack of recognition as valuable talent and inadequate compensation
  • Mike Stroll flew DeMar and Eugene Jarvis first class to New York to meet Luna Castro, who then agreed to let them develop games independently with Williams support
  • Stargate was created in response to Williams needing a game in 6 months, developed in DeMar and Jarvis's spare bedroom in DeMar's apartment
  • Luna Castro issued an ultimatum that Space Shuttle needed 5,000 orders or Williams would shut down the pinball division; the game received approximately 7,000 orders

Notable quotes

“He has been named the godfather of modern code by Josh Sharp, and I think it is very clear and evident when you hear it.”
Host (podcast intro)
“In that one year, I did more things and more work and more progress and more to show for it than any year I've worked in my career.”
Larry DeMar
“Game designers were not recognized as valuable talent...we're the make it or break it factor for, you know, millions or tens of millions of dollars of business and we're not being compensated as entrepreneurs.”
Larry DeMar
“If you're going to do this on your own, I want you doing it for me.”
Luna Castro (relayed by DeMar)
“The only game you can have in six months is Super Defender.”
Larry DeMar
“One thing about the best designers, developers, producers, programmers, they are almost all perfectionists, but every one of them is insecure.”
Larry DeMar
“We brainstormed over it and decided we would just put drums during the main play...during multiball, we took all of the dumb sounds and just made them a little boop, boop.”
Larry DeMar
“If I hadn't run into him and him being so proud to explain, you know, his cool technical trick, you know, we would have waited until probably Pinbot.”
Larry DeMar

Entities

  • Bally· company
  • Bell Labs· company
  • Big Kid's· company
  • Gottlieb· company
  • Williams Electronics· company
  • Pinball Expo· event
  • Black Knight· game
  • High Speed· game
  • Stargate· game
  • Alvin Gottlieb· person
  • Barry Osler· person
  • Bill Perod· person
  • Dave Thiel· person
  • David Poole· person
  • Eugene Jarvis· person
  • Joe Camenco· person
  • Keith Elwin· person
  • Ken Fedesna· person
  • Larry DeMar· person
  • Luna Castro· person
  • Mark Ritchie· person
  • Mike Stroll· person
  • Pat Lawlor· person
  • Roger Sharp· person
  • Steve Ritchie· person

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