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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]], | |||
''"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. | 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]]). | ||
== Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
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]]. 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]] === | === [[Chip's Challenge 1|CC1]] === | ||
It is not known exactly which levels in CC1 Bill Darrah designed, as even he does not fully remember. In a series of emails | 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: | ||
==== | ==== Bill Darrah is certain he made these levels ==== | ||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
! # !! Name | ! # !! Name | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 18 || [[Castle Moat]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 23 || [[Blobnet]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 73 || [[Morton]] | | 73 || [[Morton]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 88 || [[Spirals]] | | 88 || [[Spirals]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 105 || [[Short Circuit]] | | 105 || [[Short Circuit]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 136 || [[Doublemaze]] | | 136 || [[Doublemaze]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 138 || [[Partial Post]] | | 138 || [[Partial Post]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 139 || [[Yorkhouse]] | | 139 || [[Yorkhouse]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 142 || [[Pentagram]] | | 142 || [[Pentagram]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
==== | ==== Bill Darrah thinks he probably made these ==== | ||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
! # !! Name | ! # !! Name | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 10 || [[Brushfire]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 16 || [[Cellblocked]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 25 || [[Blink]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 30 || [[Mishmesh]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 32 || [[Scavenger Hunt]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 44 || [[Refraction]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 47 || [[Pier Seven]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 61 || [[Rink]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 67 || [[Chipmine]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 81 || [[Writers Block]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 85 || [[Telenet]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 100 || [[Colony]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 101 || [[Apartment]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 103 || [[Memory]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 143 || [[Stripes?]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 144 || [[Fireflies]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 147 || [[Force Field]] | ||
|} | |} |