A walk round what used to be OCEAN SOFTWARE, 6 Central Street, Manchester
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- Опубліковано 1 лип 2024
- Ocean Software rented the basement and the 2nd floor at The Friends' Meeting House back in the 1980s. It’s where many of their most popular titles were written, including versions of Chase HQ, Robocop, Wizball, Renegade, Head Over Heels, Hypersports & Daley Thompson’s Decathlon. On 16 March 2023 we were kindly granted access to the building to see what it looks like now.
Many thanks to Sarah Donaldson at the Friends' Meeting House for granting us access and for taking the time to show us around. It was very much appreciated.
To find out more about what it was like to work here download my FREE PDF: LOAD DIJ DIJ -
5 years of writing, 253 pages & 180,921 words (1987 to 1990 would be the key chapters to read)
GD: tinyurl.com/bddrdutk
DB: tinyurl.com/33b72r3d
Music: Main title theme from 'Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge' on the Commodore 64 by Jonathan Dunn (1988).
A guide to who's who in the vintage photos:
0:00 - Outside
0:42 - Jon O'Brien (Jobbee)
0:46 - Lee Cowley (standing with back to camera), Bill Harbison (standing with back to camera), Martin MacDonald (pointing)
0:50 - Ivan Horn
0:55 - Rocky Ming & Bill Harbison
1:00 - James Higgins
1:10 - Ivan Horn, Andrew Deakin, Zach Townsend
1:16 - Steve 'Jolly' Thompson
1:20 - Ivan Horn, Andrew Deakin (posing for filming, this wasn't their desk)
1:24 - David Blake (leaning against wall), members of BBC TV film crew. Colin Porch very right sitting at his desk.
1:32 - Steve Lavache (Tech guy)
1:38 - Gary Bracey
1:42 - James Higgins (back), Andrew Deakin (in front)
2:19 - Dawn Drake (running into a room), Paul Hughes (trying to stop her), Gary Bracey, James Higgins
2:24 - Mike Lamb, Dawn Drake
2:28 - Paul Owens (back) & Mark R. Jones (Jnr)'s (front) desk
2:30 - Mark R. Jones (Jnr), Simon Butler (sitting at Mark's desk)
2:38 - Allan Shortt & John Palmer's desk
2:44 - Rick Palmer, John Meegan, Jon Dunn, Andrew Sleigh - kitchen entrance is in background
3:27 - David Ward & Tracey Crooks at Ocean's reception desk
3:35 - Carl Pugh receives a 'birthday greeting' while staff look on
3:37 - Gary Biasilo, Paul Hughes, Jenny Beattie, Jane Lowe, Hilary Greenwood, Christmas party 1987
3:40 - David Ward - Ігри
To find out more about what it was like to work here download my FREE PDF: LOAD DIJ DIJ -
5 years of writing, 253 pages & 180,921 words (1987 to 1990 would be the key chapters to read)
GD: tinyurl.com/bddrdutk
DB: tinyurl.com/33b72r3d
Did you know Tony pomfret
@@John-lp5xh no, he left before I joined in Feb 1987
@@mlucifersam you can find him every day "Tony p I'm just a bloke"
At 2:00 is where I wrote Hypersports on the BBC Micro back in 1985
One of my top games of the day! Thank you for writing it, I played it to death at school!
And where Mike Lamb and Ronnie Fowles, then Dawn Drake sat after you!
Fantastic, a lot of magic was made in those offices, creating many magical and unforgettable moments for millions of gamers to enjoy... Thank you all.
Jonathan Dunn ... the batman loader music on C64. It will never leave me. Ocean played a big part of my childhood. Got the Nightmoves pack in Feb 91. Sad to see the building like that. I miss Ocean
fantastic 🙂
Oh, the glamour of it all, great days , great software house and great music. Thanks for this video.
Hi Mark, Nice to see a better version of this walk around OCEON Software House. Nice to see how you have tied in old pictures with present day footage.
BTW I am the guy who fixed the sprites on the scrapped version of Total Recall for you God was it really six years ago.
😉
Where DOES that time go?! Glad you liked the video, cheers!
Nice one, Mark!
Looks like they tarted it up since we were there, but sadly removed the chains from the walls where we kept all the devs locked up until the games were finished. 😉
But seriously, it was 35 years ago and has obviously fallen into serious disrepair. Yeah, I know the old 'Dungeons' weren't aesthetically wonderful but the charm was created by the sheer energy and culture from all the developers who worked there. Not so much the bricks and mortar, it was always about the people, the atmosphere and the camaraderie. I've never experienced the like before or since and always felt privileged to have been part of that.
Thanks for the memories, Mark!
No nor have I Gary! I’ve never worked anywhere like it though my current job comes a close 2nd some days in respect to how much we laugh.
It was eerie being down there again seeing it all quiet and deserted. Was quite moving for me actually but at least it’s still actually! Glad you liked the vid and hope all is well, Mark
Amazing video. When you think how many careers were started in this building it’s insane
Thank you very much Mark, it is very nice to know what the Ocean facilities were like and to be able to compare between the photos from then and the video recorded visit now. It helps us to imagine and dream about how and where many of our favourite games of the time were programmed, and to give context to the stories told by those of you who were there. Thank you again!
Glad you liked it. Thanks
Brilliant thanks a lot for this walk to memory lane. So much history and sad it’s all gone but not forgotten!
That’s why we should make videos like this, just in case it’s not there later on!
@@mlucifersam exactly, thankfully the guys got in there when they have
@@markspencer9165 The guys? 'Twas me! (Plus another!)
@@mlucifersam ha! sorry , Nice one dude thanks for visiting Ocean’s offices to share with us . Love to have a look round
Fascinating! Thank you so much for this, and thanks also for the then-and-now stills!
It was bugging me what that music was. I definitely remember it. Thanks for putting it in the description - Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge. It was the 128k Speccy version I'd have been familiar with.
I heard Jon Dunn composing it. I was in an office just up from him while he was working on it. It always reminds me of being down there!
@@mlucifersam Lovely memory. Great piece of music, that. Another example of an 8-bit computer tune that sounds & feels like a proper composition.
Thank you so much for this amazing video, what a wonderful times to work on Ocean.
Excellent! I don't envy you lot back then, it looks like a pretty damp dark place! It makes the old Team17 offices in Ossett look positively snazzy!
Funny when I was working for Amstrad I always assumed Ocean would have proper flash offices after seeing the stands at the shows at Earls Court etc when in reality a bit dingy. Great times though thanks Mark for the upload 👍
Many thanks for this one Mark! The inserts makes us come closer to actually being there. Mr East (and Anna) only got to the front door, but it was great to be so close to where the action was. If you want to update the video, it would be great to see who was sitting in which room.
That's what I did didn't I? But I can only go off my memory and the time I was there.
I mean writing names of the people in the pictures. I don't recognise all faces, and I need to know who they are. ;)
@@AndreasWallstrom Here you go! I've done as you asked as it was a great idea! It's in the description:
A guide to who's who in the vintage photos:
0:42 - Jon O'Brien (Jobbee)
0:46 - Lee Cowley (standing with back to camera), Bill Harbison (standing with back to camera), Martin MacDonald (pointing)
0:50 - Ivan Horn
0:55 - Rocky Ming & Bill Harbison
1:00 - James Higgins
1:10 - Ivan Horn, Andrew Deakin, Zach Townsend
1:16 - Steve 'Jolly' Thompson
1:20 - Ivan Horn, Andrew Deakin (posing for filming, this wasn't their desk)
1:24 - David Blake (leaning against wall), members of BBC TV film crew. Colin Porch very right sitting at his desk.
1:32 - Steve Lavache (Tech guy)
1:38 - Gary Bracey
1:42 - James Higgins (back), Andrew Deakin (in front)
2:19 - Dawn Drake (running into a room), Paul Hughes (trying to stop her), Gary Bracey, James Higgins
2:24 - Mike Lamb, Dawn Drake
2:28 - Paul Owens (back) & Mark R. Jones (Jnr)'s (front) desk
2:30 - Mark R. Jones (Jnr), Simon Butler (sitting at Mark's desk)
2:38 - Allan Shortt & John Palmer's desk
2:44 - Rick Palmer, John Meegan, Jon Dunn, Andrew Sleigh - kitchen entrance is in background
3:27 - David Ward & Tracey Crooks at Ocean's reception desk
3:35 - Carl Pugh receives a 'birthday greeting' while staff look on
3:37 - Gary Biasilo, Paul Hughes, Jenny Beattie, Jane Lowe, Hilary Greenwood, Christmas party 1987
3:40 - David Ward
Absolutely wonderful, thank you! 🙂
@@AndreasWallstrom you know me, I aim to please! 😀
Looks like an old basement, with moisture problems. Didn't look very inviting back then either.. The poor programmers, the boss upstairs, had it much more comfortable there. Doesn't have to sit in such niches and dark corners. Thanks for the report..!
Awesome video, great then/now visualization - thank you so much ❤
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it
So devs where in the basement. How nice.
Thanks! Great to see this.
Well done to you for doing this video 👍
Cheers! We do not know how long it’s going to be there for TO make videos like this so best get them done when the opportunity arises
Thanks so much for this!
lotta memories.
Lovely to see, and yet heartbreaking as well.
Yes it was a bit sad to see but at least it’s only 1 floor. The basement is not beyond repair and could be done up should the opportunity arise
Thanks for showing us around, that was nostalgic!
Commodore 64 wouldn't have been the same without Ocean Software... 🥰
Great video ! I loved those games !
fascinating
Pang, Lethal Weapon, Worms...
Great video! It doesn’t look abandoned or in ruins… so probably some other business operated there recently, do you know what was that?
They rented the basement out to various small buisnesses but they have almost
all moved out now
Fab but sad 😞
When I was down in the basement about five years ago all those offices were occupied by rent-paying independent businesses. What's happened since? The Friends Meeting House as a whole is still a going concern, mostly operating as a conference venue for hire. It's not an abandoned relic. Maybe they're just refurbishing the lower quarters? Interesting insight nevertheless, thanks. :)
Yes I went down around 2010 and it was like that then. People had rented specific rooms which all had locks on them.
I lived in Manchester all my life (early 1970s born here) and only 2 days ago was regretting not visiting them. Thanks for the upload, I'll visit them tonight and have downloaded your guide too