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Interview with: Brian Peek:

Homepage: http://www.ganksoft.com

Date: 2001

The Interview

Wraggster:: Can you tell us where you live, where do you come from, where you went to school, college, etc?
Brian Peek: I am from Schenectady, New York, USA and still live here. I went to college here in Schenectady at Union College.

Wraggster:: Can you tell us what made you get into computers and what Qualifications you have?
Brian Peek: It's just something I've always had a passion for. I wrote my first program in Applesoft BASIC in first grade.

As for qualifications, I have a BS in CS from Union College and lots of hobby and professional experience in a variety of computer topics.

Wraggster:: What made you get into the Dreamcast Homebrew scene?
Brian Peek: I get involved in pretty much all hobby console development scenes. I've been most active in this once simply because of the ease at which we can distribute a game and have it play on the DC. Anyone with a CDR drive can do it! No hardware mods, special cables, etc.

Wraggster:: What projects are you working on at the moment?
Brian Peek: That's a surprise. :)

Wraggster:: Do you see an update to your great NeoPocott or DreamPac projects?
Brian Peek: NeoPocott will only be updated if the original authors update it. That's probably unlikely, unfortunately. DreamPac may get updated if I get extremely bored with life, but I think it's probably safe to say it's pretty much dead at this point.

Wraggster:: What emulators would you like to either try or see come out on the Dreamcast?
Brian Peek: Anything that plays classic games, be it arcade, console, computer, etc.

Wraggster:: With Bleemcast being released and the great success at getting a playstation emu on the Dreamcast, what other high end systems end systems do you see being emulated?
Brian Peek: I think the PSX is as high as it's gonna get. We might see a N64 emu, however I think it would be difficult to emulate that system on the DC for a variety of reasons.

Wraggster:: What is your favourite game for your emulator?
Brian Peek: Metal Slug 1 or 2.

Wraggster:: How do you see the future as regards to which system will be the main one for homebrew coders like your self?
Brian Peek: I think the Dreamcast and GBA are the two systems that will continue to be popular for a while. The PS2 might ramp up a bit, but it's a difficult machine to dev on for many reasons. The XBox has some potential...

Wraggster:: Would you like to see a Game Boy Advance emulator on the dreamcast, but one that is crippled so it can't play commercial roms?
Brian Peek: Not really... I don't really see the point in emulating a piece of hardware if you can't play its own games on it. And I wouldn't want to see a GBA emu on the DC at this point simply because of the age of the GBA. It wouldn't be right.

Wraggster:: What are your favourite games of all time and why?
Brian Peek: My top 5 in no particular order are:

1. Robotron
2. Galaga
3. Tempest
4. Spy Hunter
5. Smash TV

These are my favorite because they hold the essence of what makes a perfect game, at least in my opinion. They are simple, yet extremely challenging. They hold your interest for the entire time you're playing.