This one has been a long time coming and normally as you guys know, i'd put up the full interview.
However due to some nonsense going on within the 'Greater' Atari Jaguar/Lynx Community with people banned from certain forums etc attempting to discredit findings/follow up names we put the legwork into find, i'm not going that route.
Sorry, but i'm not feeding internet morons habbits...and i think my credibilty has been proven over the years as is.
Anywho, following up from the preview in RAZE magazine that US Gold/Tiertex were converting Strider 2 to the Lynx (50% done at that time), i tried to find any actual Lynx screens etc, but nothing, so had thought this was a myth...
GTW knew a good few C64 coders/artists from Tiertex and knew i'd drawn a blank with the ST/Amiga coders from there i'd spoken too, nothing on it was mentioned in Chris Wilkin's History Of US Gold Book, so would ask them if there was any truth to Raze's claim, on MY behalf...
Here's what's been found, multiple sources used:
-It was 100% finished, passed onto Atari, coder asked to return a few times to fix bugs, add extra's Atari wanted (Continue Game option, Silent game Option etc) which included 'For demo.Purposes Only' message to flash up whilst playing..last thing that was coded.
-Coding started in Jan 1991, finished 5 months later, passed onto play testers etc.
-Game had gone through Atari's approval system.
-Atari really keen to see game done, provided Tiertex with lot of Lynx test code, documentation which made this, coder's ONLY Lynx title, a lot easier to get started.
-The Lynx version was based on:Map data from the Amiga version, Music from the ST version, and lot of play on the Amiga version by coder.
-Lynx version made easier to play and had an EXCLUSIVE, Secret level.
-Atari gave the coder the Go-Ahead to develop a version for the Atari Panther console, but Panther scrapped soon after.
-All source code BELIVED LOST..coder never kept back ups, nor did Tiertex at that time, Eprom's just put in a drawer at company and forgotten about.
-Lot of SPECULATION/CONJECTURE as to why game was never released, but includes:
1)Declining Lynx market.
2)Cost of manufacturing Lynx Carts.
3)Issues between US Gold/Tiertex and Atari (though they went onto work on Jaguar projects)
4)Issues within Atari itself (Lynx failing at market, projects like Panther being scrapped)
But there we have it.
Another TRUE Lost Lynx title and Planned Panther title.
More pieces of the puzzle found, documented.