RIP Douglas E. Smith and Memories of Lode Runner
Douglas E. Smith, the creator of Lode Runner, passed away yesterday. I didn’t know him, but I was a huge fan of the game. I lost many an hour on the Apple //e version, which I played on my first computer, the Apple IIGS.
What made Lode Runner so fun for me was its inherent simplicity. I didn’t have or need any documentation (In those heady days of my misspent youth, I had acquired a bootlegged copy).
Anyway, the premise of Lode Runner was this: run around the playing field and pick up all the treasure boxes while avoiding the enemies. To avoid the enemies, you could outrun them, or better yet – dig a hole for an enemy to fall through. Once you picked all the treasure boxes, a ladder would appear, allowing you to advance to the next level. You could use your joystick or the keyboard. The controls were simple and responsive using either mode, though I preferred using the joystick. You can see the game mechanics in the video below.
Lode Runner was one of the first games to include a level editor. This, in my view, really added to its replay value.
Over the years, Lode Runner was ported over to a wide variety of platforms (both computer and console). Nowadays, you can play an iOS version of the game (featuring the same retro graphics) or a more modern port via X-box Live. Sadly, there isn’t a modern Mac or Windows port of the game. Let’s hope that changes soon… because I would gladly purchase it.
Thank you Doug E. Smith for making Lode Runner. And thanks for the memories. RIP.
-Krishna
dave
September 14, 2014 at 5:52 pmLode Runner Rocks!
The Apple ][e was my 1st computer, I taught myself BASIC, and played games, including this one.
Yes it is brilliant, and I also made dozens of my own levels. I think it really brought creativity out in me!
I miss it. You mentioned several other platforms, but not Android, any idea if it is there?
And of course I’ve been looking fwd to a Windows version for decades!
Good to know they were called Treasure Boxes. that makes more sense, I think I called them Dice, per their appearance.
How did you find out he passed? Thanks for the memories, and RIP Doug!
Krishna
September 14, 2014 at 6:13 pmHi Dave:
I’m not sure if LR is out for other platforms – but one can hope that an Android version is in the pipeline. I found out the news via Twitter. Joystiq and other game news sites also confirm Mr. Smith’s passing.
See link below:
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/13/lode-runner-creator-douglas-e-smith-passes-away/
R3D3
October 9, 2014 at 1:20 pmLode Runner APPLE-II remake version for PC Browser:
http://simonsays-tw.com/LodeRunner
Krishna
October 9, 2014 at 1:35 pmVery cool! Thanks for sharing!