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69-593: Sidney K. Meier ( / ˈ m aɪər / MIRE ; born February 24, 1954) is an American businessman and computer programmer. A programmer , designer , and producer of several strategy video games and simulation video games , including the Civilization series, Meier co-founded MicroProse in 1982 with Bill Stealey and is the Director of Creative Development of Firaxis Games , which he co-founded with Jeff Briggs and Brian Reynolds in 1996. For his contributions to

138-440: A Bachelor of Arts degree in computer science in 1975. Following college, Meier worked in developing cash register systems for department stores. During this timeframe, Meier acquired an Atari 800 around 1981, an experience that led him to the realization of the potential for employing computer programming in the creation of video games. He found a co-worker, Bill Stealey , who had a similar interest in developing games, and shared

207-608: A Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Game Developer's Conference . In 2009, he came fifth in a Develop survey that asked some 9,000 game makers about their "ultimate development hero". In 2009, he was ranked second in IGN 's list of "Top Game Creators of All Time", and was called "the ideal role model for any aspiring game designer". In 2017, he was awarded the Life Achievement by the Golden Joystick Awards . Meier has been

276-454: A cost-cutting measure, Spectrum cut many of the jobs at MicroProse in 1996 and consolidated much of their operations. Meier, along with MicroProse employees Jeff Briggs and Brian Reynolds , were dissastified with these decisions, and opted to leave the company to form Firaxis Games in 1997. Firaxis continued to develop the same type of strategy games that Meier had developed at MicroProse, many of which are follow-ups to those titles, such as

345-452: A few aspects of real-world physics. For example, a space game may need simulated gravity , but would not have any need for simulating water viscosity . Since processing cycles are always at a premium, physics programmers may employ "shortcuts" that are computationally inexpensive, but look and act "good enough" for the game in question. In other cases, unrealistic physics are employed to allow easier gameplay or for dramatic effect. Sometimes,

414-628: A few initial 2D action games, such as Meier's platformer Floyd of the Jungle , MicroProse settled into a run of flight simulation titles beginning with Hellcat Ace (1982) and continuing with Spitfire Ace (1982), Solo Flight (1983), and F-15 Strike Eagle (1985), all designed and programmed by Meier. The first appearance of Meier's name on the retail box of a game was as the credited creator of Formula 1 Racing in 1982. In 1984 Stealey began marketing Meier himself, hoping to attract other developers by promoting him as an auteur ; by 1986 MicroProse

483-419: A game from one platform to another has always been an important activity for game developers. Some programmers specialize in this activity, converting code from one operating system to work on another. Sometimes, the programmer is responsible for making the application work not for just one operating system, but on a variety of devices, such as mobile phones . Often, however, "porting" can involve re-writing

552-435: A game producer. As the job title implies, this position is extremely demanding from a technical perspective and requires intimate knowledge of the target platform hardware. Tasks cover a broad range of subjects including the practical implementation of algorithms described in research papers, very low-level assembly optimization and the ability to solve challenging issues pertaining to memory requirements and caching issues during

621-418: A graphics editor, tools programmers create tools with specific functions tailored to a specific game which are not available in commercial products. For example, an adventure game developer might need an editor for branching story dialogs , and a sport game developer could use a proprietary editor to manage players and team stats. These tools are usually not available to the consumers who buy the game. Porting

690-417: A great degree that contemporary games usually boast 3D graphics and full motion video using assets developed by professional graphic artists . Nowadays, the derogatory term " programmer art " has come to imply the kind of bright colors and blocky design that were typical of early video games. The desire for adding more depth and assets to games necessitated a division of labor . Initially, art production

759-482: A job title, or even a full-time position on a particular game project, is still an important task. This programmer writes the code specifying how input devices such as a keyboard , mouse or joystick affect the game. These routines are typically developed early in production and are continually tweaked during development. Normally, one programmer does not need to dedicate his entire time to developing these systems. A real-time motion-controlled game utilizing devices such as

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828-781: A less painful experience. Brian Reynolds (game designer) Brian Reynolds (born 1967) is an American videogame designer . Reynolds has designed at SecretNewCo, Zynga , Big Huge Games , and MicroProse and has been chairman of the International Game Developers Association . He has played a major part in designing a number of multi-million selling games including Civilization II , Rise of Nations , Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri , and FrontierVille . He has also founded or co-founded three game companies, SecretNewCo, Big Huge Games , and Firaxis Games . Reynolds made his first game sale with Quest 1 to SoftSide magazine, its August 1981 cover feature. He

897-446: A special game engine since around 1996 which he uses to prototype his game ideas and which he has not shared with anyone else. Dennis Shirk, a senior producer, said in 2016 that Meier would sometimes arrive at the office and announce he had a new game prototype for the company to try out and see if it could be developed further. The engine is believed by Firaxis employees to be based on his original Civilization source, but expanded over

966-403: A specific subset of situations is specified and the physical outcome of such situations are stored in a record of some sort and are never computed at runtime at all. Some physics programmers may even delve into the difficult tasks of inverse kinematics and other motions attributed to game characters, but increasingly these motions are assigned via motion capture libraries so as not to overload

1035-413: A team of scripters to implement these sorts of game content. Scripters usually are also game designers. It is often easier to find a qualified game designer who can be taught a script language as opposed to finding a qualified game designer who has mastered C++ . This programmer specializes in programming user interfaces (UIs) for games. Though some games have custom user interfaces, this programmer

1104-699: Is a devout Christian, and he and his wife attend Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cockeysville , where he is the Director of Contemporary Music. Susan was one of the original 13 employees at Firaxis Games along with Sid. Meier has a son, Ryan Meier, who worked for Blizzard Entertainment , Firaxis Games , and Google . In 1996, GameSpot put Meier at the top of their listing of the "Most Influential People in Computer Gaming of All Time", calling him "our Hitchcock , our Spielberg , our Ellington ". That same year, Computer Gaming World ranked him as eighth on

1173-621: Is aimed at cutting out as much of the redundancy in the development cycle as possible (for example, writing new animation systems for each game a studio produces), allowing programmers to focus on new content. Other tools are also essential to game developers: 2D and 3D packages (for example Blender , GIMP , Photoshop , Maya or 3D Studio Max ) enable programmers to view and modify assets generated by artists or other production personnel. Source control systems keep source code safe, secure and optimize merging. IDEs with debuggers (such as Visual Studio ) make writing code and tracking down bugs

1242-683: Is generally about the same for comparable jobs in the business sector. This is despite the fact that game programming is some of the most difficult of any type and usually requires longer hours than mainstream programming. Results of a 2010 survey in the United States indicate that the average salary for a game programmer is USD $ 95,300 annually. The least experienced programmers, with less than 3 years of experience, make an average annual salary of over $ 72,000. The most experienced programmers, with more than 6 years of experience, make an average annual salary of over $ 124,000. Generally, lead programmers are

1311-418: Is more likely to develop a library that can be used across multiple projects. Most UIs look 2D, though contemporary UIs usually use the same 3D technology as the rest of the game so some knowledge of 3D math and systems is helpful for this role. Advanced UI systems may allow scripting and special effects, such as transparency, animation or particle effects for the controls. Input programming, while usually not

1380-542: Is often considered one of the most technically challenging. Network latency , packet compression, and dropped or interrupted connections are just a few of the concerns one must consider. Although multi-player features can consume the entire production timeline and require the other engine systems to be designed with networking in mind, network systems are often put off until the last few months of development, adding additional difficulties to this role. Some titles have had their online features (often considered lower priority than

1449-399: Is required to fix them. The lead programmer is ultimately in charge of all programming for the game. It is their job to make sure the various submodules of the game are being implemented properly and to keep track of development from a programming standpoint. A person in this role usually transitions from other aspects of game programming to this role after several years of experience. Despite

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1518-687: The ActionScript language, and JavaScript are popular development tools for browser-based games. As games have grown in size and complexity, middleware is becoming increasingly popular within the industry. Middleware provides greater and higher level functionality and larger feature sets than the standard lower level APIs such as DirectX and OpenGL , such as skeletal animation . In addition to providing more complex technologies, some middleware also makes reasonable attempts to be platform independent , making common conversions from, for example, Microsoft Windows to PS4 much easier. Essentially, middleware

1587-468: The CPU with complex calculations. Historically, this title usually belonged to a programmer who developed specialized blitter algorithms and clever optimizations for 2D graphics . Today, however, it is almost exclusively applied to programmers who specialize in developing and modifying complex 3D graphic renderers. Some 2D graphics skills have just recently become useful again, though, for developing games for

1656-758: The DirectX , OpenGL APIs or some wrapper library to interface with hardware devices. Various script languages , like Ruby , Lua and Python , are also used for the generation of content such as gameplay and especially AI. Scripts are generally parsed at load time (when the game or level is loaded into main memory) and then executed at runtime (via logic branches or other such mechanisms). They are generally not executed by an interpreter , which would result in much slower execution. Scripts tend to be used selectively, often for AI and high-level game logic. Some games are designed with high dependency on scripts and some scripts are compiled to binary format before game execution. In

1725-483: The Internet or over a LAN . Each aspect of the game can consume all of one programmer's time and, in many cases, several programmers. Some programmers may specialize in one area of game programming , but many are familiar with several aspects. The number of programmers needed for each feature depends somewhat on programmers' skills, but mostly are dictated by the type of game being developed. Game engine programmers create

1794-592: The Wii Remote or Kinect may need a very complex and low latency input system, while the HID requirements of a mouse-driven turn-based strategy game such as Heroes of Might and Magic are significantly simpler to implement. This programmer writes code that allows players to compete or cooperate, connected via a LAN or the Internet (or in rarer cases, directly connected via modem ). Programmers implementing these game features can spend all their time in this one role, which

1863-610: The video game industry , Meier was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. Meier was born in Sarnia , Ontario , Canada, to parents of Dutch and Swiss descent, which conferred on him both Canadian and Swiss citizenship upon birth. When he was about three years old, his family moved to Detroit , Michigan , where he was raised. At the University of Michigan , he studied history and computer science , graduating with

1932-530: The 'fun parts' of a simulation and throws out the rest". The magazine reported that year how "Meier insisted that discovering the elusive quality of fun is the toughest part of design." According to PC Gamer , "Though his games are frequently about violent times and places, there is never any blood or gore shown. He designs and creates his games by playing them, over and over, until they are fun." Meier lives in Hunt Valley, Maryland , with his second wife Susan. He

2001-403: The 2001 game by Lionhead Studios Black & White features a unique AI approach to a user controlled creature who uses learning to model behaviors during game-play. In recent years, more effort has been directed towards intervening promising fields of AI research and game AI programming. Not always a separate discipline, sound programming has been a mainstay of game programming since

2070-537: The Phantom and Dragonsphere in 1993 . It was at MicroProse where Reynolds first worked with Sid Meier and the two collaborated on a strategy title by the name of Sid Meier's Colonization which was released in 1994 . Reynolds went on to become lead designer for a sequel to Sid Meier's Civilization . Civilization II was released in 1996 and sold multi-million copies. While at Firaxis, Reynolds contributed to Sid Meier's Gettysburg in 1997 , followed by

2139-412: The base engine of the game, including the simulated physics and graphics disciplines. Increasingly, video games use existing game engines , either commercial, open source or free . They are often customized for a particular game, and these programmers handle these modifications. A game's physics programmer is dedicated to developing the physics a game will employ. Typically, a game will only simulate

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2208-509: The content and experience that a game provides, a gameplay programmer focuses more on a game's strategy, implementation of the game's mechanics and logic, and the "feel" of a game. This is usually not a separate discipline, as what this programmer does usually differs from game to game, and they will inevitably be involved with more specialized areas of the game's development such as graphics or sound. This programmer may implement strategy tables, tweak input code, or adjust other factors that alter

2277-534: The core gameplay) cut months away from release due to concerns such as lack of management, design forethought, or scalability. Virtua Fighter 5 for the PS3 is a notable example of this trend. The tools programmer can assist the development of a game by writing custom tools for it. Game development Tools often contain features such as script compilation, importing or converting art assets, and level editing. While some tools used may be COTS products such as an IDE or

2346-531: The creation and design of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri in 1998 . Alpha Centauri became his second multi-million selling title. In 2000 Reynolds left Firaxis games and sold his share in the company to become CEO of Big Huge Games . On June 30, 2009, Zynga announced that Brian Reynolds was leaving Big Huge Games to lead the formation of Zynga East, and serve the role of Chief Game Designer. In February 2013, Reynolds left Zynga. In March, he revived Big Huge Games (temporarily known as SecretNewCo). In July,

2415-399: The days of Pong . Most games make use of audio, and many have a full musical score. Computer audio games eschew graphics altogether and use sound as their primary feedback mechanism. Many games use advanced techniques such as 3D positional sound , making audio programming a non-trivial matter. With these games, one or two programmers may dedicate all their time to building and refining

2484-496: The designer of the original Civilization game, and Reynolds stated in an interview that for this game Meier "was no longer involved except in name." The credits for Alpha Centauri state that the game was "Created by" Brian Reynolds and Meier is listed with several other team members on the "With" line - in the Designers Notes in the game manual Reynolds also thanks him for all his sage advice. Brian Reynolds' first major break

2553-442: The designers of Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth . After the release of F-19 Stealth Fighter , Meier focused on strategy games, later saying "Everything I thought was cool about a flight simulator had gone into that game." Inspired by SimCity and Empire , he created Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon and later the game series for which he is most widely recognized, Sid Meier's Civilization , although he designed only

2622-477: The developer, co-developer, and producer of many games. A complete list of his works which includes early non-commercial titles is available in the appendix of Sid Meier's Memoir! Game programmer In the early days of video games (from the early 1970s to mid-1980s), a game programmer also took on the job of a designer and artist . This was generally because the abilities of early computers were so limited that having specialized personnel for each function

2691-575: The effects of the fates of individual studios. Most commercial computer and video games are written primarily in C++ , C , and some assembly language . Many games, especially those with complex interactive gameplay mechanics, tax hardware to its limit. As such, highly optimized code is required for these games to run at an acceptable frame rate. Because of this, compiled code is typically used for performance-critical components, such as visual rendering and physics calculations. Almost all PC games also use either

2760-697: The entire game from scratch as proprietary languages , tools or hardware make converting source code a fruitless endeavour. This programmer must be familiar with both the original and target operating systems and languages (for example, converting a game originally written in C++ to Java ), convert assets, such as artwork and sounds or rewrite code for low memory phones. This programmer may also have to side-step buggy language implementations, some with little documentation, refactor code , oversee multiple branches of code, rewrite code to scale for wide variety of screen sizes and implement special operator guidelines. They may also have to fix bugs that were not discovered in

2829-423: The first installment. Around 1990, Stealey wanted to expand MicroProse to produce arcade games, which Meier felt was too risky. Unable to resolve the matter with Stealey, Meier sold Stealey his half of the company, but remained with the company in his same role. MicroProse, after it had become a public company , merged with Spectrum HoloByte in 1993 under Spectrum's name, with Spectrum as the operating company. As

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2898-495: The game's sound engine, and sound programmers may be trained or have a formal background in digital signal processing . Scripting tools are often created or maintained by sound programmers for use by sound designers . These tools allow designers to associate sounds with characters, actions, objects and events while also assigning music or atmospheric sounds for game environments (levels or areas) and setting environmental variables such as reverberation. Though all programmers add to

2967-422: The game. Many of these aspects may be altered by programmers who specialize in these areas, however (for example, strategy tables may be implemented by AI programmers). In early video games, gameplay programmers would write code to create all the content in the game—if the player was supposed to shoot a particular enemy, and a red key was supposed to appear along with some text on the screen, then this functionality

3036-727: The game. Stealey recalled: "We were at dinner at a Software Publishers Association meeting, and Robin Williams was there. And he kept us in stitches for two hours. And he turns to me and says 'Bill, you should put Sid's name on a couple of these boxes, and promote him as the star.' And that's how Sid's name got on Pirates , and Civilization ." The idea was successful; by 1992, an entry in Computer Gaming World 's poetry contest praised Meier's name as "a guarantee they got it right". While emphasizing that he did not encourage MicroProse promoting his name, Meier did insist on doing all of

3105-460: The games that Meier had developed. The two decided to establish a new company for computer game development subsequent to the widespread advancement and growth of the software and personal computer industries, which were developing extensively during the initial years of the 1980s. Sid Meier has stated on numerous occasions that he emphasizes the "fun parts" of a simulation and throws out the rest. Meier founded MicroProse with Stealey in 1982. After

3174-519: The language used to implement the game, and will often be used by the game or level designers to implement the world of the game. Many studios also make their games' scripting available to players, and it is often used extensively by third party mod developers . The AI technology used in games programming should not be confused with academic AI programming and research. Although both areas do borrow from each other, they are usually considered distinct disciplines, though there are exceptions. For example,

3243-438: The large game publishers can go out of business (as when Hasbro Interactive was sold to Infogrames and several projects were cancelled; or when The 3DO Company went bankrupt in 2003 and ceased all operations). Some game programmers' resumes consist of short stints lasting no more than a year as they are forced to leap from one doomed studio to another. This is why some prefer to consult and are therefore somewhat shielded from

3312-402: The latter stages of a project. There is considerable amount of cross-over between this position and some of the others, particularly the graphics programmer. In smaller teams, one or more programmers will often be described as 'Generalists' who will take on the various other roles as needed. Generalists are often engaged in the task of tracking down bugs and determining which subsystem expertise

3381-445: The list of the "Most Influential Industry Players of All Time", noting that no game designer has had as many CGW Hall of Fame games as Sid Meier. In 1997, Computer Gaming World ranked him as number one on the list of the "Most Influential People of All Time in Computer Gaming", for game design. In 1999, he became the second person to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame . In 2008, Meier received

3450-888: The logic of time to simulate intelligence in enemies and opponents. It has recently evolved into a specialized discipline, as these tasks used to be implemented by programmers who specialized in other areas. An AI programmer may program pathfinding , strategy and enemy tactic systems. This is one of the most challenging aspects of game programming and its sophistication is developing rapidly. Contemporary games dedicate approximately 10 to 20 percent of their programming staff to AI. Some games, such as strategy games like Civilization III or role-playing video games such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion , use AI heavily, while others, such as puzzle games , use it sparingly or not at all. Many game developers have created entire languages that can be used to program their own AI for games via scripts . These languages are typically less technical than

3519-448: The most common type of video game developers , depend upon a steady influx of funds from the video game publisher . If a milestone or deadline is not met (or for a host of other reasons, like the game is cancelled), funds may become short and the developer may be forced to retrench employees or declare bankruptcy and go out of business. Game programmers who work for large publishers are somewhat insulated from these circumstances, but even

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3588-459: The most well compensated, though some 3D graphics programmers may challenge or surpass their salaries. According to the same survey above, lead programmers on average earn $ 127,900 annually. Though sales of video games rival other forms of entertainment such as movies , the video game industry is extremely volatile. Game programmers are not insulated from this instability as their employers experience financial difficulty. Third-party developers,

3657-508: The new Civilization games and a remake of Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004). In 1996, he was granted a patent for a "System for Real-Time Music Composition and Synthesis" used in C.P.U. Bach . Next Generation listed him in their "75 Most Important People in the Games Industry of 1995", calling him "a prolific developer of some of the best games in [MicroProse]'s catalog". According to Firaxis employees, Meier has been constantly developing

3726-438: The new generation of cell phones and handheld game consoles . A 3D graphics programmer must have a firm grasp of advanced mathematical concepts such as vector and matrix math, quaternions and linear algebra . Skilled programmers specializing in this area of game development can demand high wages and are usually a scarce commodity. Their skills can be used for video games on any platform . An AI programmer develops

3795-412: The optimization phase of development, some script functions will often be rewritten in a compiled language. Java is used for many web browser based games because it is cross-platform , does not usually require installation by the user, and poses fewer security risks, compared to a downloaded executable program. Java is also a popular language for mobile phone based games. Adobe Flash , which uses

3864-421: The original release of a game. The technology programmer is more likely to be found in larger development studios with specific departments dedicated solely to R&D . Unlike other members of the programming team, the technology programmer usually isn't tied to a specific project or type of development for an extended length of time, and they will typically report directly to a CTO or department head rather than

3933-472: The past several years, so the dinosaur game remains on the shelf. However, I do love the idea of a dinosaur game and would like to revisit it when I have some time." An autobiography, Sid Meier's Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games , was published on September 8, 2020, by W. W. Norton & Company . Computer Gaming World reported in 1994 that "Sid Meier has stated on numerous occasions that he emphasizes

4002-825: The role of technical director and lead programmer, such that the jobs are often covered by one person. Game programmers can specialize on one platform or another, such as the Wii U or Windows . So, in addition to specializing in one game programming discipline, a programmer may also specialize in development on a certain platform. Therefore, one game programmer's title might be "PlayStation 3 3D Graphics Programmer." Some disciplines, such as AI, are transferable to various platforms and needn't be tailored to one system or another. Also, general game development principles such as 3D graphics programming concepts, sound engineering and user interface design are transferable between platforms. Notably, there are many game programmers with no formal education in

4071-668: The subject, having started out as hobbyists and doing a great deal of programming on their own, for fun, and eventually succeeding because of their aptitude and homegrown experience. However, most job solicitations for game programmers specify a bachelor's degree (in mathematics, physics, computer science, "or equivalent experience"). Increasingly, universities are starting to offer courses and degrees in game programming. Any such degrees have considerable overlap with computer science and software engineering degrees. Salaries for game programmers vary from company to company and country to country. In general, however, pay for game programming

4140-457: The team announced their partnership with Nexon , a South Korean game developer, to develop their first game, DomiNations , a mobile game similar to Civilization or Age of Empires . Big Huge Games was acquired by Nexon in 2016. Although marketed under Sid Meier's name, Civilization II , Sid Meier's Colonization and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri all credited Reynolds as lead designer. The credits for Civilization II only list Meier as

4209-404: The title, this person usually has less time for writing code than other programmers on the project as they are required to attend meetings and interface with the client or other leads on the game. However, the lead programmer is still expected to program at least some of the time and is also expected to be knowledgeable in most technical areas of the game. There is often considerable common ground in

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4278-610: The work on games himself, including sound and art, until work by artist Michael Haire, whom Stealey had hired for Silent Service (1985), persuaded him. Meier is not always the main designer on titles that carry his name. For instance, Brian Reynolds has been credited as the primary designer behind Sid Meier's Civilization II , Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri , and Sid Meier's Colonization , while Jeff Briggs designed Sid Meier's Civilization III , Soren Johnson led Sid Meier's Civilization IV , Jon Shafer led Sid Meier's Civilization V , and Will Miller and David McDonough were

4347-440: The years with updates that he or other engineers will write for him. Meier worked with a team on a dinosaur -themed game starting in early 2000, but announced in an online development diary in 2001 that the game had been shelved. Despite trying various approaches, including turn-based and real-time gameplay, he said he found no way to make the concept fun enough. In 2005, he said, "We've been nonstop busy making other games over

4416-512: Was a gamer in high school, and a SysOp on Randolph School 's ( Huntsville, Alabama ) PDP-11 mainframe computer . A 1990 graduate of the University of the South , Reynolds briefly pursued graduate studies in philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley . Reynolds initiated his game career with MicroProse where he worked as lead programmer for a number of graphic adventure games . These included Rex Nebular in 1992 and Return of

4485-437: Was all written as part of the core program in C or assembly language by a gameplay programmer. More often today the core game engine is usually separated from gameplay programming. This has several development advantages. The game engine deals with graphics rendering, sound, physics and so on while a scripting language deals with things like cinematic events, enemy behavior and game objectives. Large game projects can have

4554-683: Was relegated to full-time artists . Next game programming became a separate discipline from game design . Now, only some games, such as the puzzle game Bejeweled , are simple enough to require just one full-time programmer. Despite this division, however, most game developers (artists, programmers and even producers ) have some say in the final design of contemporary games. A contemporary video game may include advanced physics, artificial intelligence, 3D graphics, digitised sound, an original musical score, complex strategy and may use several input devices (such as mice , keyboards , gamepads and joysticks ) and may be playable against other people via

4623-424: Was the design of Sid Meier's Civilization II . Meier had created Civilization but had moved on to other projects. MicroProse wanted to make a sequel and asked Reynolds to design it. MicroProse put Meier on retainer for consultational advice and for the use of his name, but Meier only had peripheral involvement in the design of this game. The sequel game, hence, was primarily designed by Reynolds. Rise of Nations

4692-532: Was unnecessary. Game concepts were generally light and games were only meant to be played for a few minutes at a time, but more importantly, art content and variations in gameplay were constrained by computers' limited power. Later, as specialized arcade hardware and home systems became more powerful, game developers could develop deeper storylines and could include such features as high-resolution and full color graphics, physics , advanced artificial intelligence and digital sound . Technology has advanced to such

4761-400: Was using Meier's name and face in advertisements for its games. In 1987, the company released Sid Meier's Pirates! , the first game with Meier's name in the title. He later explained that the inclusion of his name was because Pirates! is very different from the company's earlier titles. Stealey decided that Meier's name would make those who purchased the flight simulators more likely to play

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