Interview


Handle:Until 1990, Omega Supreme. From 1990, I used my real name (Olav Mørkrid)

How did you come up with your alias ?
I was watching the "Transformers" cartoon series on TV. There was this character called Omega Supreme, who was torn between the good side and the bad side, and couldn't really make up his mind where he belonged. I liked this concept, so I went for it.

City / Country:
Oslo, Norway.

Born year:
September 25, 1973.

What was your first computer, and when did you get it?
I got my C-64 on the September 16, 1982 (I've even still got the receipt!). There were a lot of people who had a VIC-20 in my neighbourhood, but I was one of the first to get a C-64. Suddenly and mysteriously, I found myself with a lot of new friends :).

How did you get into the scene and what groups have you been a member of ?
I met with Bjørn Røstøen (Moonray), Jørgen Brecke (JAB), Kjetil Risnes (The Wizard) and Thomas Skjellvik (Wilfo) in the winter of 1986/1987. They had formed a group called "The Shadows". Before long, we got along well, and thus my friend Bjørn Hilstad (Storm Shadow) and I joined them.

This lasted until around 1988, when "The Shadows" and "Rawhead" (another Norwegian group) was merged into one. Of course, there was this enormous discussion on which name we would use, and since Rawhead were shouting highest, we gave in. The new "Rawhead" lasted until around 1990, when it was split up.

A new group was created, consisting of Marius Skogheim, Håvar B. Hojem, Henning Rokling, Richard Nygård, Bjørn Røstøen and myself. The focus was now on design, thus making demo-parts that looked really nice, also being technically impressive. The group was named "Panoramic Designs". The name was Bjørn's idea.

1986-1988	Shadows
1988-1989	Rawhead
1989-1992	Panoramic Designs

For more information, please see my homepage.

What was the proudest moment in your career ?
Hmm... Probably when I went around on a copy-party, and could see our drawing program "Zoomatic" on screens wherever I went.

For what specific reason(s) do you think that you are remembered ?
In the "Shadows"-period, probably because our demos were technically impressive. In the "Panoramic"-period, on the other hand, because Bjørn and I were focused on co-operation, and were able to bring out the best in the both of us. Bjørn's strength was design and mine was implementation.

What would you like to be remembered for ?
Zoomatic, The "Panoramic Designs" demos, and the "Pimplesqueezer" demos.

What made you stop the scene activity ? (and do you remember when?)
Panoramic lasted until the summer of 1992, when we released our final production "Mentallic". The scene in Norway died because people started studying, doing military service, etc. And other things were happening in my life too, so I found it about time to wrap my career up, and start doing something useful for change.

Thinking back on the good old days, is there anything you regret?
I know I liked to brag about myself, and thinking back on it makes me smile. Though, I think some people might have got the wrong impression.

What was your favorite
GAME(S)
Boulder Dash
Fort Apocalypse
Forbidden Forest
Wizball
Armalyte

DEMO(S)
The "Think Twice"-series (Judges)
Everything by Pretzel Logic
Road to Excess (Triangle)
Mixer (Upfront)

PROGRAMMER(S) (OR PROGRAMMING TEAM(S))
The Judges
Upfront
Solomon of Beyond Force
Triangle
Pretzel Logic

CRACKER(S) (OR CRACKING GROUP(S))
Omega Man of Teeside Cracking Service.
Ikari

COMPOSER(S)
Rob Hubbard will, no matter what, always be #1 (personal taste doesn't even play a part on this topic). Following the master comes Martin Galway, Johannes Bjerregaard, Tim Follin and Prosonix.

BEST COMPOSED TRACK(S) 
Spellbound		(Hubbard)
Knuckle Buster		(Hubbard)
W.A.R.			(Hubbard)
Wizball			(Galway)
Night Dawn		(Bjerregård)
Ghouls'n'Ghosts		(Follin)

EVENT(S) (E.G. COPYPARTY)
Our trips to the Easter parties in Sweden were always a great success. Mostly because some of the people I went with were more or less out of their minds. The car trips were usually the main event. The details are just too gross...

MEMORY(S)
There are so many. I met a lot of nice people through the C-64, and ironically, some of the best memories are from when we did _other things_ than using the C-64. Like when we arranged a party in Trondheim/Norway, and only a 100 people came. But, no despair. We bought beer and had a party outside on the summer lawn instead of rotting inside with the stupid computers.

DRINK ?
"Grønn Farris" (Norwegian mineral water with CO2 and lime-flavour)

What are you doing nowadays ?
I'm working as Producer for Funcom Oslo AS. Funcom is a developer of interactive entertainment. My job is to design a game and lead the team that implements it.

What are you doing on your spare time?
I play the piano, like to go snowboarding, play volleyball and squash, and (when all else fails) sleep.

Is there anything you'd like to say to the public?
I would have liked to see the "Tribute" party in Sweden attract a little more than 110 people. Not that I didn't have a good time there, but...

My regards too all those who made the C-64-scene fairy-tale possible. It was how the home computer lost its virginity. It will never happen again.

What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life is the hopeless, constant search for the meaning of life.