David Wolf: Secret Agent

Installation

The install program for David Wolf: Secret Agent has options for VGA and MCGA support, but they're just placeholders; they aren't selectable. But that didn't stop rumors from making the rounds that there was a 256-color version of David Wolf: Secret Agent available (there wasn't.)

Packaging

The program disks in the package came sealed in a manilla envelope with the Peregrine (David Wolf's spy agency) logo both on the front and on a sticker sealing the envelope in back. Red stenciled letters read "TOP SECRET" across the front.

Tandy TL sound

The "Tandy TL" sound selection (different from the regular "Tandy" selection) actually plays PC Speaker music instead of multiple sound channels. This is presumably to give the user the ability to use the joystick while playing the game, since the Tandy TL/RL/SL series had a hardware bug that prevented the use of the joystick while the sound chip was in use. (The regular Tandy sound setting does indeed play 3-voice music.)

Development

A section of the manual has some designer notes:

Since Agent was going to be one ot the first titles released by Dynamix as an affiliated publisher, we knew we needed to do something different. The very roots of Dynamix trace back to an incredibly complex interactive movie script in which we were going to attempt creating real-life characters inside of a changing storyline. If the publisher had not thought the project was too complex, and steered us into developing Arcticfox, we would probably still be working on that project today. Five years and over 30 projects later we are finally able to fulfill our fantasy by developing David Wolf: Secret Agent.

Agent represents everything we have learned over the past five years and is by far the biggest project Dynamix has ever developed. Our primary goal in Agent was to create an adult oriented story that contained interesting characters with personalities. With this in mind, we felt cartoon characters would not be effective, so we decided to use real actors who would work from a script very similar to those used in movie productions. To adequately capture these actions, we built an image production studio complete with photography and lighting facilities, color scanning and image processing capabilites, a photo development lab, and make up, costuming, and casting abilities.

One of our major complaints as computer game players is the amount of frustration the player must endure for a small amount of entertainment value. We have talked to game developers that purposefully design in frustrating points to make game play last longer, so the players feel they get more for their money. This is diametrically opposed to the direction we are taking with our products. Using our VCR Interface(TM) you are able to jump to any part of the product you desire. We hope you make an attempt to play the game without using this feature, but if you are one of those people that likes to read the last page of a book first, then happy fast forwarding.

Extras

A "David Wolf Accessories Order Form" came with the game, peddling David Wolf Sweatshirts ($35.95), T-shirts ($14.95), and Dynamix Coffee Mug ($7.95). Also included on the order form was A-10 Tank Killer ($49.95) and a Simulation System Module (supposed to be add-ons to the games that Dynamix published) for A-10, to be available Dec. '89 for $12.95.

Messages

Some of the more humorous messages, error or otherwise, in the main program executable:

Sorry. This sky is taken. Please give my regards to the fish. missle life is negative missle life too large for reality

There are also hooks in the program executable for VGA graphics, but these were never realized.

Awards

• Computer Gaming World
  • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) –40 Worst Game of All Time
  • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) –#8 Worst Back Story of All Time

Information also contributed by Bizboz