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Bill Darrah (edit)

Revision as of 23:07, 2 December 2020

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Fleshed out information on Darrah's CC1 designer hypotheses, and added the table of levels Darrah designed in CC2
(Update CC1 levels by Bill Darrah)
(Fleshed out information on Darrah's CC1 designer hypotheses, and added the table of levels Darrah designed in CC2)
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'''Bill Darrah''' is a professional puzzle designer who is best known in the CC community for designing approximately 1/3 of the original [[Chip's Challenge]] levels, as well as 7 levels that were included in [[Chip's Challenge 2]].  
'''Bill Darrah''' is a professional puzzle designer who is best known in the CC community for designing approximately 1/3 of the original [[Chip's Challenge]] levels, as well as 7 levels that were included in [[Chip's Challenge 2]].  


In the words of [[Chuck Sommerville]],
<blockquote>''"I hired [Bill] as a contractor to design levels for CC1. He was the only contributor who wasn't a full time Epyx employee. I knew him, because we were already friends and he had a passion for designing puzzles, and had written for 2 text adventures."''<br>-- [[Chuck Sommerville]] </blockquote>
''"I hired [Bill] as a contractor to design levels for CC1. He was the only contributor who wasn't a full time Epyx employee. I knew him, because we were already friends and he had a passion for designing puzzles, and had written for 2 text adventures."''


Bill's level design style is often distinctly recognizable for its homogeneity, mathematical precision, and emphasis on sprawling mazes. His levels in many cases are known for being equal parts beautiful, tedious, and difficult (for example [[Doublemaze]], [[Rink]], and [[Force Field]]).
Bill's level design style is often distinctly recognizable for its homogeneity, mathematical precision, and emphasis on sprawling mazes. His levels in many cases are known for being equal parts beautiful, tedious, and difficult.


== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
* Darrah has an online shop called [https://www.shapeways.com/shops/yorkhouse Yorkhouse Puzzles and Surprises] where he designs and sells mechanical puzzles. The logo bears an obvious resemblance to the castles in the [[Chip's Challenge 1|CC1]] levels [[Yorkhouse]] and [[Castle Moat]].


Bill has an online shop called [https://www.shapeways.com/shops/yorkhouse Yorkhouse Puzzles and Surprises] where he designs and sells mechanical puzzles. The logo bears an obvious resemblance to the castles in the [[Chip's Challenge 1|CC1]] levels [[Yorkhouse]] and [[Castle Moat]].
* According to [[Joshua Bone]], there is a word-of-mouth story from [[Chuck Sommerville]] about the level [[Castle Moat]]. Darrah reportedly designed the level, and Sommerville later inserted the now-infamous [[flippers|water shield]] shortcut without telling him.
 
According to [[Joshua Bone]], there is a word-of-mouth story from [[Chuck Sommerville]] about the level [[Castle Moat]]. Bill Darrah reportedly designed the level, and then Chuck inserted the now-famous flippers without telling him.


== [[:Category:Levels designed by Bill Darrah|Levels in official packs]] ==
== [[:Category:Levels designed by Bill Darrah|Levels in official packs]] ==
=== [[Chip's Challenge 1|CC1]] ===
=== [[Chip's Challenge 1]] ===
It is not known exactly which levels in CC1 Bill Darrah designed, as even he does not fully remember. In a series of emails in 2020, Bill was able to confirm the following levels with varying degrees of certainty:
It is not known exactly which levels in CC1 Bill Darrah designed, as even he does not fully remember. In a series of emails with [[Joshua Bone]] in 2020, Darrah was able to confirm the following levels with varying degrees of certainty.


==== Bill Darrah is certain he made these levels ====
==== Levels Darrah is certain he made ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"  
{| class="wikitable sortable"  
! # !! Name
! # !! Name !! class="unsortable" | Darrah's comments
|-
| 18 || [[Castle Moat]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|-
|-
| 18 || [[Castle Moat]]
| 23 || [[Blobnet]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|-
|-
| 23 || [[Blobnet]]
| 65 || [[Amsterdam]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|-
|-
| 73 || [[Morton]]
| 73 || [[Morton]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|-
|-
| 88 || [[Spirals]]
| 88 || [[Spirals]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|-
|-
| 105 || [[Short Circuit]]
| 105 || [[Short Circuit]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|-
|-
| 136 || [[Doublemaze]]
| 136 || [[Doublemaze]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|-
|-
| 138 || [[Partial Post]]
| 138 || [[Partial Post]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|-
|-
| 139 || [[Yorkhouse]]
| 139 || [[Yorkhouse]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|-
|-
| 142 || [[Pentagram]]
| 142 || [[Pentagram]] || Absolutely sure it's mine
|}
|}


==== Bill Darrah thinks he probably made these ====
==== Levels Darrah thinks he probably made ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"  
{| class="wikitable sortable"  
! # !! Name
! # !! Name !! class="unsortable" | Darrah's comments
|-
| 10 || [[Brushfire]] || Mine, I think
|-
| 16 || [[Cellblocked]] || Pretty sure it's mine
|-
| 25 || [[Blink]] || Sure looks like mine
|-
| 30 || [[Mishmesh]] || Sure looks like mine
|-
| 32 || [[Scavenger Hunt]] || Sure looks like mine
|-
| 44 || [[Refraction]] || Pretty sure this is mine.
|-
| 47 || [[Pier Seven]] || Pretty sure this is mine.
|-
| 61 || [[Rink]] || Sure looks like mine
|-
| 67 || [[Chipmine]] || Sure looks like mine
|-
| 81 || [[Writers Block]] || Probably mine, not sure
|-
| 85 || [[Telenet]] || Probably mine, not sure
|-
| 100 || [[Colony]] || Sure looks like mine
|-
| 101 || [[Apartment]] || Sure looks like mine
|-
| 103 || [[Memory]] || Sure looks like mine
|-
| 143 || [[Stripes?]] || Probably mine
|-
| 144 || [[Fireflies]] || Looks like mine
|-
| 147 || [[Force Field]] || Sure looks like mine
|}
 
==== Levels Darrah thinks he might have made ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! # !! Name !! class="unsortable" | Darrah's comments
|-
| 19 || [[Digger]] || Could be mine. I wanted to make a level that could be played boldly and fast or safely and slow
|-
| 22 || [[Forced Entry]] || Might be mine, not sure
|-
| 28 || [[Ping Pong]] || Might be mine. not sure
|-
| 31 || [[Knot]] || Might be mine. not sure
|-
| 50 || [[Digdirt]] || Might be mine, not sure
|-
| 51 || [[I Slide]] || Looks like mine, not sure
|-
| 72 || [[Reverse Alley]] || Might be mine, not sure
|-
| 75 || [[Steam]] || Might be mine, not sure
|-
| 80 || [[Vanishing Act]] || Might be mine, not sure
|-
| 94 || [[Now You See It]] || Might be mine, not sure
|-
| 115 || [[Oversea Delivery]] || Might be mine, not sure
|-
| 130 || [[Ice Cube]] || Might be mine, not sure
|}
 
==== Levels Darrah isn't sure if he made ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! # !! Name !! class="unsortable" | Darrah's comments
|-
| 14 || [[Teleblock]] || This doesn't look like style, but it does seem like my kind of theme
|-
|-
| 10 || [[Brushfire]]
| 21 || [[Iceberg]] || No memory
|-
|-
| 16 || [[Cellblocked]]
| 64 || [[Spooks]] || ?
|-
|-
| 25 || [[Blink]]
| 91 || [[Jumping Swarm]] || No memory
|-
|-
| 30 || [[Mishmesh]]
| 148 || [[Mind Block]] || Might be mine, probably not
|}
 
==== Levels Darrah thinks he did not make ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! # !! Name !! class="unsortable" | Darrah's comments
|-
|-
| 32 || [[Scavenger Hunt]]
| 37 || [[Seeing Stars]] || I doubt this is mine
|-
|-
| 44 || [[Refraction]]
| 53 || [[Traffic Cop]] || I doubt this is mine
|-
|-
| 47 || [[Pier Seven]]
| 87 || [[Cityblock]] || I think this is not mine
|-
|-
| 61 || [[Rink]]
| 97 || [[Metastable to Chaos]] || Not mine.  I should remember who, but I don't
|-
|-
| 67 || [[Chipmine]]
| 98 || [[Shrinking]] || I doubt this is mine
|-
|-
| 81 || [[Writers Block]]
| 117 || [[The Marsh]] || This resembles my kind of level, but I don't think it is
|-
| 134 || [[Pain]] || I doubt this was mine
|-
| 146 || [[Cake Walk]] || I doubt this was mine
|}
 
=== [[Chip's Challenge 2]] ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! # !! Name
|-
|-
| 85 || [[Telenet]]
| 8 || [[Swivels]]
|-
|-
| 100 || [[Colony]]
| 107 || [[Wing and a Prayer]]
|-
|-
| 101 || [[Apartment]]
| 122 || [[Fire and Ice]]
|-
|-
| 103 || [[Memory]]
| 127 || [[Bomber Maze]]
|-
|-
| 143 || [[Stripes?]]
| 156 || [[In the Slime]]
|-
|-
| 144 || [[Fireflies]]
| 196 || [[Swamp]]
|-
|-
| 147 || [[Force Field]]
| 198 || [[Chip Off the Block]]
|}
|}
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