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{{BLP sources|date=May 2010}}
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<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:nasir_gebelli_photo.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Nasir Gebelli]] -->
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'''Nasir Gebelli''' ({{lang-fa|ناصر جبلی}}, also '''Nasser Gebelli''', born 1957) is an [[Iranian-American]] [[programmer]] and [[video game developer]]. Gebelli worked for [[Sirius Software]] and [[Square Co.|Square]] (now [[Square Enix]]), and also created his own company, [[Gebelli Software]].
'''Nasir Gebelli''' ({{lang-fa|ناصر جبلی}}, also '''Nasser Gebelli''', born 1957) is an [[Iranian-American]] [[programmer]] and [[video game developer]]. Gebelli worked for [[Sirius Software]] and [[Square Co.|Square]] (now [[Square Enix]]), and also created his own company, Gebelli Software.


==Sirius Software and Gebelli Software==
==Sirius Software and Gebelli Software==
Line 10: Line 10:
==Time at Square==
==Time at Square==


After Gebelli Software went bankrupt, Gebelli went on a long vacation traveling the world. He resurfaced in 1986 and went to visit his friend [[Doug Carlston]], owner of [[Brøderbund]]. Gebelli was interested in developing games again; Carlston told him about the rise of the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] and that Nasir should start programming on it. Gebelli was interested, and so Doug offered to fly to [[Japan]] with Nasir and introduce him to his friends at [[Nintendo]] and Square. Nasir met with [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] at Nintendo and several people at Square. Nintendo was apparently uninterested; the programmers at Square (especially [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]], a long-time fan of Gebelli's work), however, were aware of Nasir's reputation and were excited to have him join.
After Gebelli Software went bankrupt, Gebelli went on a long vacation traveling the world. He resurfaced in 1986 and went to visit his friend [[Doug Carlston]], owner of [[Brøderbund]]. Gebelli was interested in developing games again; Carlston told him about the rise of the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] and that Nasir should start programming on it. Gebelli was interested, and so Doug offered to fly to [[Japan]] with Nasir and introduce him to his friends at [[Nintendo]] and Square. Nasir met with [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] at Nintendo and several people at Square. Nintendo was apparently uninterested; the programmers at Square, especially [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]] (a long-time fan of Gebelli's work), however, were aware of Nasir's reputation and were excited to have him join. Gebelli arrived at Square around the same time [[Akitoshi Kawazu]] and [[Takashi Tokita]] became employed there. Along with Sakaguchi, their combined appearance culminated in the separation of the “[[Square Co.|Square]]” label from parent software company Denyuusha.


While at Square, Nasir first programmed the game ''Tobidase Daisakusen'' for the [[Famicom Disk System]], which released in the U.S. as ''[[3-D WorldRunner]]'' for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]. It was released in early 1987.<ref name="nextgen"/><ref name=WorldRunner/> Using a similar forward-[[scrolling]] effect to [[Sega]]'s 1985 [[Third-person shooter|third-person]] [[rail shooter]] ''[[Space Harrier]]'',<ref name="nextgen">(February 1999). "Hironobu Sakaguchi: The Man Behind the Fantasies". ''Next Generation Magazine'', vol 50.</ref> ''3-D WorldRunner'' was an early forward-scrolling [[2.5D|pseudo-3D]] [[Third person (video games)|third-person]] [[Platform game|platform-action game]] where players were free to move in any forward-scrolling direction and had to leap over obstacles and chasms. It was also notable for being one of the first [[List of stereoscopic video games|stereoscopic 3-D games]].<ref name=WorldRunner>{{allgame|1136|3-D WorldRunner}}</ref> His second Square project was ''[[Rad Racer]]'', an early stereoscopic 3-D [[racing game]] also designed for the ''[[Famicom 3D System]]'' in 1987.
Gebelli arrived at Square around the same time as [[Akitoshi Kawazu]] and [[Takashi Tokita]] became employed there. Along with Sakaguchi, their combined appearance culminated in the separation of the “[[Square Co.|Square]]” label from parent software company [[Denyuusha]].


===''Final Fantasy''===
⚫
While at Square, Nasir first programmed the game ''Tobidase Daisakusen'' for the [[Famicom Disk System]], which released in the U.S. as ''[[3-D Worldrunner]]'' for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]; his second Square project was ''[[Rad Racer]]''. Gebelli then teamed up with Sakaguchi, [[Nobuo Uematsu]], and [[Yoshitaka Amano]] as part of Square's A-Team to produce ''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]''. He went on to program ''[[Final Fantasy II]]'' and ''[[Final Fantasy III]]''. Midway through the development on these two games Gebelli was forced to return to [[Sacramento, California]] from Japan due to an expired work visa. The rest of the development staff followed him to Sacramento with needed materials and equipment and finished production of the games there.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mielke |first=James |authorlink= |coauthors=[[Hironobu Sakaguchi]] |year= |month= |title= |journal=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly|EGM]] |volume= |issue=232 |pages= |id= |url= |accessdate=2008-08-01 |quote=[...] So for ''Final Fantasy II'' and ''III'', our staff actually brought all the equipment, everything that was necessary to finish those games, to Sacramento, because (Gebelli) couldn't come back to Japan. [...] We finished ''Final Fantasy II'' and ''III'' in Sacramento, California. [''Laughs''] }}</ref> After completing ''Final Fantasy III'', Gebelli took another long vacation and later returned to work on ''[[Secret of Mana]]''. Nasir has since been succeeded (for the most part) by [[Ken Narita (programmer)|Ken Narita]].
Gebelli then teamed up with Sakaguchi, [[Nobuo Uematsu]] and [[Yoshitaka Amano]] as part of Square's A-Team to produce ''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]'', the first entry in the popular [[Final Fantasy|''Final Fantasy'' series]]. A [[role-playing video game]] released for the NES in 1987, it featured several unique features, including an experimental [[character creation]] system that allowed the player to create their own parties and assign different [[character class]]es to party members;<ref name="mobyoleg_170"> {{cite web|first=Oleg|last= Roschin|title=The World of Asian RPGs|publisher=[[MobyGames]]|url=http://www.mobygames.com/featured_article/feature,25|date=March 26, 2006|accessdate=2009-09-10|page="Final Fantasy"}}</ref> the concept of [[time travel]];<ref name="gspot_finalfhist_a">{{cite web| url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/finalfantasy_hs/sec1.html | title = The History of Final Fantasy |first = Andrew|last=Vestal | publisher=[[GameSpot]] | date = 1998-11-02 | accessdate = 2009-09-11 | page="Final Fantasy"}}</ref> side-view battles, with the [[player character]]s on the right and the enemies on the left, which soon became the norm for numerous console RPGs;<ref name="gspot_finalfhist_b">{{cite web| url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/finalfantasy_hs/sec1.html | title = The History of Final Fantasy |first = Andrew|last=Vestal | publisher=[[GameSpot]] | date = 1998-11-02 | accessdate = 2009-09-11|page="Final Fantasy" (Part 2)|Ref=gspot_finalfhist}}</ref> and the use of transportation for travel by ship, canoe and flying airship.<ref name="gspot_consolehist_j">{{cite web|first=Andrew|last=Vestal|title=The History of Console RPGs|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|date=1998-11-02|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/rpg_hs/index.html|accessdate=2009-09-10 | p="Final Fantasy"}}</ref>

He went on to program ''[[Final Fantasy II]]'', which is considered "the first true ''Final Fantasy'' game", introducing an "emotional story line, morally ambiguous characters, tragic events," and a story to be "emotionally experienced rather than concluded from gameplay and conversations." It also replaced traditional levels and experience points with a new [[Experience point#Activity-based progression|activity-based progression]] system that required "gradual development of individual statistics through continuous actions of the same kind,"<ref name="mobyoleg_170" /> a mechanic that has been used in a number of later RPGs such as the ''[[SaGa (series)|SaGa]]''<ref name=RPGFan-Romancing-Saga/> and ''[[Grandia (series)|Grandia]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/162/162007p1.html|title=Grandia|publisher=[[IGN]]|author=Francesca Reyes|date=November 4, 1999|accessdate=2011-03-02}}</ref> series, ''[[Final Fantasy XIV]]'',<ref>[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/no-experience-levelling-in-ffxiv No experience, levelling in FFXIV], ''[[EuroGamer]]''</ref> and ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' series. ''Final Fantasy II'' also featured open-ended exploration,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://psp.ign.com/articles/808/808182p1.html|title=Final Fantasy II Review|publisher=[[IGN]]|date=July 26, 2007|author=Jeremy Dunham|accessdate=2011-03-02}}</ref> and introduced an innovative [[Dialog tree|dialogue system]] where keywords or phrases can be memorized and mentioned during conversations with [[non-player character]]s.<ref name="FFII">{{cite web | title=Final Fantasy Retrospective: Part II | url=http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22650.html |date= 2007-07-23| publisher=[[GameTrailers]] | accessdate=2008-04-16}}</ref>

⚫
He then programmed ''[[Final Fantasy III]]'', which introduced the classic [[job system]], a character progression engine allowing the player to change the [[character class]]es, as well as acquire new and advanced classes and combine class abilities, during the course of the game.<ref name="FF3jobs">{{cite web|url=http://na.square-enix.com/ff3/ |title=Final Fantasy Iii |publisher=Na.square-enix.com |date= |accessdate=2010-09-13}}</ref><ref name="square_ffmanual">{{Cite book|editor=Square Enix Co.|title=Final Fantasy Anthology North American instruction manual|origdate= |origyear=1999|publisher=Square Enix Co.|id=SLUS-00879GH|pages=17–18}}</ref> Midway through the development of both ''Final Fantasy II'' and ''III'', Gebelli was forced to return to [[Sacramento, California]] from Japan due to an expired work visa. The rest of the development staff followed him to Sacramento with needed materials and equipment and finished production of the games there.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mielke |first=James |authorlink= |coauthors=[[Hironobu Sakaguchi]] |year= |month= |title= |journal=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly|EGM]] |volume= |issue=232 |pages= |id= |url= |accessdate=2008-08-01 |quote=[...] So for ''Final Fantasy II'' and ''III'', our staff actually brought all the equipment, everything that was necessary to finish those games, to Sacramento, because (Gebelli) couldn't come back to Japan. [...] We finished ''Final Fantasy II'' and ''III'' in Sacramento, California. [''Laughs''] }}</ref>

===''Secret of Mana''===
After completing ''Final Fantasy III'', Gebelli took another long vacation and later returned to work on ''[[Secret of Mana]]'', the second entry in the ''[[Mana (series)|Mana]]'' series. The game made advances to the [[action role-playing game]] genre, including its unique [[Cooperative gameplay|cooperative multiplayer]] gameplay. The game was created by team members behind the first three ''Final Fantasy'' titles: Gebelli, [[Koichi Ishii]], and [[Hiromichi Tanaka]]. It was intended to be one of the first CD-ROM RPGs, as a launch title for the [[PlayStation (console)|SNES CD]] add-on, but had to be altered to fit onto a standard game cartridge after the SNES CD project was dropped.<ref name="1up">{{cite web| url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3113932 | title=Classics Column #1: Desperately Seeking Seiken | accessdate=26 July 2007 | first=Jeremy|last=Parish | coauthors=Frank Cifaldi, Kevin Gifford | month=December | year=2003 | publisher=[[1UP.com]] | publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]}}</ref>

The game received considerable acclaim,<ref name=EuroGamer/> for its innovative [[Time-keeping systems in games#Pausable real-time|pausable real-time]] battle system,<ref>[http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/secretofmana/Secret_of_Mana-2.html Secret of Mana], RPG Fan</ref><ref name=Apple/> the "Ring Command" menu system,<ref name=Apple>[http://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/secret-of-mana/id407949800?mt=8 Secret of Mana], Apple iPhone Apps</ref> its innovative cooperative [[multiplayer]] gameplay,<ref name=EuroGamer>[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-12-17-secret-of-mana-hits-app-store-this-month Secret of Mana hits App Store this month], [[EuroGamer]]</ref> where the second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time rather than players having to join the game at the same time,<ref name=NowGamer/> and the customizable [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] settings for computer-controlled allies.<ref>[http://www.thunderboltgames.com/reviews/article/secret-of-mana-review-for-snes.html Secret of Mana], [[Thunderbolt (website)|Thunderbolt]]</ref> The game has influenced a number of later action RPGs,<ref name=NowGamer>[http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1127/dungeon-siege-iii-developer-interview Dungeon Siege III Developer Interview], ''NowGamer.com''</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Barton|2008|ref=barton_ddesktops|p=220}}</ref> including modern RPGs such as ''[[The Temple of Elemental Evil (video game)|The Temple of Elemental Evil]]''<ref>{{Cite book|first=Matt|last=Barton|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=IMXu61GbTqMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games |publisher=[[A K Peters, Ltd.]] |year=2008 |accessdate=2010-09-08 |isbn = 1568814119 | ref=barton_ddesktops | page=220}}</ref> and the upcoming ''[[Dungeon Siege III]]''.<ref name=NowGamer>[http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1127/dungeon-siege-iii-developer-interview Dungeon Siege III Developer Interview], ''NowGamer.com''</ref> Following ''Secret of Mana'', Gebelli has since been succeeded (for the most part) by Ken Narita.


==Life after Square==
==Life after Square==

Revision as of 23:51, 11 March 2011

Nasir Gebelli (Persian: ناصر جبلی, also Nasser Gebelli, born 1957) is an Iranian-American programmer and video game developer. Gebelli worked for Sirius Software and Square (now Square Enix), and also created his own company, Gebelli Software.

Sirius Software and Gebelli Software

Born in Iran, Gebelli later moved to the United States to study computer science. In 1980, Gebelli started Sirius Software with Jerry Jewell. While part of Sirius Software, Gebelli developed advanced graphics techniques for the Apple II. At this time, Gebelli gained a reputation for producing games at a rapid pace; among those games produced were his best-selling games, Space Eggs and Gorgon.

In 1981, Gebelli left Sirius to establish his own software company, Gebelli Software, through which he released Horizon V. However, his company didn't prove very successful, and the video game crash of 1983 sounded the death knell for Gebelli Software.

Time at Square

After Gebelli Software went bankrupt, Gebelli went on a long vacation traveling the world. He resurfaced in 1986 and went to visit his friend Doug Carlston, owner of Brøderbund. Gebelli was interested in developing games again; Carlston told him about the rise of the Nintendo Entertainment System and that Nasir should start programming on it. Gebelli was interested, and so Doug offered to fly to Japan with Nasir and introduce him to his friends at Nintendo and Square. Nasir met with Shigeru Miyamoto at Nintendo and several people at Square. Nintendo was apparently uninterested; the programmers at Square, especially Hironobu Sakaguchi (a long-time fan of Gebelli's work), however, were aware of Nasir's reputation and were excited to have him join. Gebelli arrived at Square around the same time Akitoshi Kawazu and Takashi Tokita became employed there. Along with Sakaguchi, their combined appearance culminated in the separation of the “Square” label from parent software company Denyuusha.

While at Square, Nasir first programmed the game Tobidase Daisakusen for the Famicom Disk System, which released in the U.S. as 3-D WorldRunner for the NES. It was released in early 1987.[1][2] Using a similar forward-scrolling effect to Sega's 1985 third-person rail shooter Space Harrier,[1] 3-D WorldRunner was an early forward-scrolling pseudo-3D third-person platform-action game where players were free to move in any forward-scrolling direction and had to leap over obstacles and chasms. It was also notable for being one of the first stereoscopic 3-D games.[2] His second Square project was Rad Racer, an early stereoscopic 3-D racing game also designed for the Famicom 3D System in 1987.

Final Fantasy

Gebelli then teamed up with Sakaguchi, Nobuo Uematsu and Yoshitaka Amano as part of Square's A-Team to produce Final Fantasy, the first entry in the popular Final Fantasy series. A role-playing video game released for the NES in 1987, it featured several unique features, including an experimental character creation system that allowed the player to create their own parties and assign different character classes to party members;[3] the concept of time travel;[4] side-view battles, with the player characters on the right and the enemies on the left, which soon became the norm for numerous console RPGs;[5] and the use of transportation for travel by ship, canoe and flying airship.[6]

He went on to program Final Fantasy II, which is considered "the first true Final Fantasy game", introducing an "emotional story line, morally ambiguous characters, tragic events," and a story to be "emotionally experienced rather than concluded from gameplay and conversations." It also replaced traditional levels and experience points with a new activity-based progression system that required "gradual development of individual statistics through continuous actions of the same kind,"[3] a mechanic that has been used in a number of later RPGs such as the SaGa[7] and Grandia[8] series, Final Fantasy XIV,[9] and The Elder Scrolls series. Final Fantasy II also featured open-ended exploration,[10] and introduced an innovative dialogue system where keywords or phrases can be memorized and mentioned during conversations with non-player characters.[11]

He then programmed Final Fantasy III, which introduced the classic job system, a character progression engine allowing the player to change the character classes, as well as acquire new and advanced classes and combine class abilities, during the course of the game.[12][13] Midway through the development of both Final Fantasy II and III, Gebelli was forced to return to Sacramento, California from Japan due to an expired work visa. The rest of the development staff followed him to Sacramento with needed materials and equipment and finished production of the games there.[14]

Secret of Mana

After completing Final Fantasy III, Gebelli took another long vacation and later returned to work on Secret of Mana, the second entry in the Mana series. The game made advances to the action role-playing game genre, including its unique cooperative multiplayer gameplay. The game was created by team members behind the first three Final Fantasy titles: Gebelli, Koichi Ishii, and Hiromichi Tanaka. It was intended to be one of the first CD-ROM RPGs, as a launch title for the SNES CD add-on, but had to be altered to fit onto a standard game cartridge after the SNES CD project was dropped.[15]

The game received considerable acclaim,[16] for its innovative pausable real-time battle system,[17][18] the "Ring Command" menu system,[18] its innovative cooperative multiplayer gameplay,[16] where the second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time rather than players having to join the game at the same time,[19] and the customizable AI settings for computer-controlled allies.[20] The game has influenced a number of later action RPGs,[19][21] including modern RPGs such as The Temple of Elemental Evil[22] and the upcoming Dungeon Siege III.[19] Following Secret of Mana, Gebelli has since been succeeded (for the most part) by Ken Narita.

Life after Square

Following Secret of Mana's completion, Gebelli once again disappeared to travel the world, essentially retiring with income from Square royalties.

In August 1998, Gebelli reappeared to attend John Romero's 1998 Apple II Reunion in Dallas, Texas at the Ion Storm offices.

Currently, Nasir lives in Sacramento, California, where he has lived most of his life. Sakaguchi and Nasir remain great friends.

Games credited

Sirius Software

Gebelli Software

Square

References

  1. ^ a b (February 1999). "Hironobu Sakaguchi: The Man Behind the Fantasies". Next Generation Magazine, vol 50.
  2. ^ a b Template:Allgame
  3. ^ a b Roschin, Oleg (March 26, 2006). "The World of Asian RPGs". MobyGames. p. "Final Fantasy". Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  4. ^ Vestal, Andrew (1998-11-02). "The History of Final Fantasy". GameSpot. p. "Final Fantasy". Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  5. ^ Vestal, Andrew (1998-11-02). "The History of Final Fantasy". GameSpot. p. "Final Fantasy" (Part 2). Retrieved 2009-09-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Ref= ignored (|ref= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Vestal, Andrew (1998-11-02). "The History of Console RPGs". GameSpot. p. "Final Fantasy". Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference RPGFan-Romancing-Saga was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Francesca Reyes (November 4, 1999). "Grandia". IGN. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  9. ^ No experience, levelling in FFXIV, EuroGamer
  10. ^ Jeremy Dunham (July 26, 2007). "Final Fantasy II Review". IGN. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  11. ^ "Final Fantasy Retrospective: Part II". GameTrailers. 2007-07-23. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  12. ^ "Final Fantasy Iii". Na.square-enix.com. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  13. ^ Square Enix Co. (ed.). Final Fantasy Anthology North American instruction manual. Square Enix Co. pp. 17–18. SLUS-00879GH. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help)
  14. ^ Mielke, James. EGM (232). [...] So for Final Fantasy II and III, our staff actually brought all the equipment, everything that was necessary to finish those games, to Sacramento, because (Gebelli) couldn't come back to Japan. [...] We finished Final Fantasy II and III in Sacramento, California. [Laughs] {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Parish, Jeremy (2003). "Classics Column #1: Desperately Seeking Seiken". Ziff Davis. Retrieved 26 July 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  16. ^ a b Secret of Mana hits App Store this month, EuroGamer
  17. ^ Secret of Mana, RPG Fan
  18. ^ a b Secret of Mana, Apple iPhone Apps
  19. ^ a b c Dungeon Siege III Developer Interview, NowGamer.com
  20. ^ Secret of Mana, Thunderbolt
  21. ^ Barton 2008, p. 220
  22. ^ Barton, Matt (2008). Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. A K Peters, Ltd. p. 220. ISBN 1568814119. Retrieved 2010-09-08.

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