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The intro sequence with the Commando-like figure firing the minigun looked like it would be a lot of fun to create! Was it? Did you base the character on anyone?

The start and end of my inspiration for this project came from the gung-ho action films of the era: Commando, Predator, Rambo, etc... So basically this was a fusion of Arnie, Stallone and the infamous mini-gun-vaporizing-the-rain-forest scene from Predator!

My cousin absolutely loved the weapon selection screen with the huge variety of guns and ammo available! Who decided on all the weapons that should be available? Did you have any interest in weaponry or it was just another drawing job?

I must confess - this one really was just a drawing job. I've never had any interest in weaponry and this wasn't a project that I really had any connection with (beyond enjoying those aforementioned action films).

Did you have to research lots of weapons to come up with all the graphics for each gun and the bullets?

I recall Steve got hold of some crazy magazines that seemed like they were aimed at mercenaries or red-necks (or perhaps mercenary red-necks) - loads of adverts for guns, animal traps and all things deadly. They made for great reference in combination with one of those 'Janes' military hardware guides.

Did you get any say in the design of the game?

Not especially. Really the whole game was a re-tread of Steve's earlier game 'Leathernecks' but with Tim Coupe as coder. This was the first project that we did as Vectordean and was a pretty quick one just to bring in some cash...

How about the difficulty level? (The game seems impossible without using the Timbo F5 cheat!)

Very true! There was no such thing as play-testing in those days. Consequently I think many games shipped with difficulty set for the developers (who of course know every trick and technique for success).

$14,000 seems pretty cheap for risking your life against an army of enemy soldiers in Vietnam to rescue a P.O.W, even at 1988 prices! Especially when you have to kit yourself out with all the weapons with that money! But seriously, were the little character faces in the game of anyone in particular or you just drew random faces?

No kidding that seems cheap! I guess that was a symptom of trying to balance the game's economy system in a big hurry! The faces are certainly Arnie and Stallone inspired once more.

Who created the maps for the game? If you did them, what map program did you use?

I think we had a simple in-game utility. I contributed to the maps but I think Steve did most of the work on this one.

Were the big panels on either side of the screen deliberately done because the Atari ST couldn't push pixels around quick enough? Did you get to design those panels yourself?

Yeah, those were pretty ugly, right :) I can only think we did that to keep the amount of scrolling screen area as low as possible; getting any kind of smooth scrolling out of the ST required chicken sacrifices and voodoo magic.

Was the actual name 'Dogs of War' decided when you began work or were you creating a shooter without a name to begin with?

The name was in place pretty early - I think Steve had come up with it.

Did you have anything to do with the box art or was that created by someone else after the game was finished? Were things like the 'Dogs of War' logo designed by you?

No, no, no! Let me state very clearly: I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS BOX ART! (I say this loudly because in my opinion this has to rate as one of the most dire pieces of artwork to ever sully the cover of a professionally made product!) The logo was based on one that I had created for the game's title screen, but the guy behind it (I mean *behind* it - who positions a figure behind a logo!?!) can only have been created by someone's nine year old kid or something?!... I could rant all day about this one, but suffice to say, we were NOT pleased when we received our final copies of the game and saw this abomination on the cover. I remember feeling sorry for Steve - I mean you'd think it might be an honour to have your name on the box, but certainly not on this one!

Any interesting memories about this title?

Not too much to say on this one - it was a quick and dirty project just to get the studio established and test out our new team; not really the finest hour for any of us I suspect!