Comments on: Insider's story about Atari http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sun, 19 May 2013 17:24:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: kurtm http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-140118 kurtm Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-140118 #7 Actually, the trackball did both that *and* had a trackball mode. There is a switch on the underside to switch between the two modes. Most games didn't support the true trackball mode though (I remember missle command did, not sure if centipede did or not). #7

Actually, the trackball did both that *and* had a trackball mode. There is a switch on the underside to switch between the two modes. Most games didn’t support the true trackball mode though (I remember missle command did, not sure if centipede did or not).

]]> By: GenghisPhlip http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-140158 GenghisPhlip Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-140158 Nice. This made me drag out my old trusty 2600 for a trip down memory lane. Not as fun as it was when I was a kid but still enjoyable. When did those games get so easy? I remember them being very challenging! GenghisPhlip Nice. This made me drag out my old trusty 2600 for a trip down memory lane. Not as fun as it was when I was a kid but still enjoyable. When did those games get so easy? I remember them being very challenging!

GenghisPhlip

]]> By: Adam Rakunas http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-139952 Adam Rakunas Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-139952 Mark, that link takes you to the About page. The Donkey Kong story lives <a href="http://www.dadhacker.com/blog/?p=987">here</a>. Cool story, thanks! Mark, that link takes you to the About page. The Donkey Kong story lives here.

Cool story, thanks!

]]> By: McGrude http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-140209 McGrude Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-140209 #6, ah thanks. I thought he was talking about writing DK for the 2600. #6, ah thanks. I thought he was talking about writing DK for the 2600.

]]> By: Mark Frauenfelder http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-139975 Mark Frauenfelder Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-139975 Thank you, Adam! I appreciate it. Thank you, Adam! I appreciate it.

]]> By: McGrude http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-139998 McGrude Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-139998 Thanks for the link, I really enjoyed reading that. I was confused by his statement about the level background graphics being stamped once. I thought with the Atari 2600 there was no frame buffer due to RAM limitations of the machine (due to high manufacturing cost at the time) . I thought the screen had to be drawn from scratch for each frame and synced with the vertical refresh rate of the television. So how would the background be "stamped" down once if there is no frame buffer? Thanks for the link, I really enjoyed reading that.

I was confused by his statement about the level background graphics being stamped once.

I thought with the Atari 2600 there was no frame buffer due to RAM limitations of the machine (due to high manufacturing cost at the time) . I thought the screen had to be drawn from scratch for each frame and synced with the vertical refresh rate of the television. So how would the background be “stamped” down once if there is no frame buffer?

]]> By: IWood http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-139999 IWood Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-139999 #3- Wow. I have absolutely no idea, and little interest in the answer other than really wanting to see if someone in this thread will actually <i>have</i> the answer. #3-

Wow. I have absolutely no idea, and little interest in the answer other than really wanting to see if someone in this thread will actually have the answer.

]]> By: DCer http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-140003 DCer Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-140003 I've heard this same story before plus lived the game play of it- I remember most games coming out one year, 1982 or 83 were just bad games. I remember people just getting sick of the same old same old. One thing I remember was that when I started writing database interfaces for clients professionally, around 1990, I soon realized that any kind of turaround speed required 2 or 3 developers. At one point I thought to myself, "A long way from 'Created by Warren Robinet'" and that's when it clicked that the games were bad because only one person wrote them and they had to write them while the arcade game was still a hit. It WAS remarkable when I powered up the atari about 1992 how incredible unfun the games were. I expected a nostalgic, fun time, but they were all horrible compared to even the shareware available in 1992. I’ve heard this same story before plus lived the game play of it- I remember most games coming out one year, 1982 or 83 were just bad games. I remember people just getting sick of the same old same old. One thing I remember was that when I started writing database interfaces for clients professionally, around 1990, I soon realized that any kind of turaround speed required 2 or 3 developers. At one point I thought to myself, “A long way from ‘Created by Warren Robinet’” and that’s when it clicked that the games were bad because only one person wrote them and they had to write them while the arcade game was still a hit.

It WAS remarkable when I powered up the atari about 1992 how incredible unfun the games were. I expected a nostalgic, fun time, but they were all horrible compared to even the shareware available in 1992.

]]> By: Spire http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-140008 Spire Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-140008 #3: He's talking about the Atari 800 computer, which had more advanced capabilities than the earlier Atari 2600 game console. #3: He’s talking about the Atari 800 computer, which had more advanced capabilities than the earlier Atari 2600 game console.

]]> By: Mantari http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-140012 Mantari Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-140012 I just played it. It is a pretty good (for the day) clone of Centipede, especially for someone who didn't have access to the original specs. I do recall having played it as a child. I think the only thing that really hampered this from being a perfect copy is the screen orientation, and the trakball (sic) support. The arcade version has a vertical monitor. Home computers always have horizontal monitors, and given the low resolution, they usually couldn't throw away the left and the right side to try to make a fake vertical playfield. Atari did sell a 'trakball' (Atari's name for the trackball) for the Atari Home Computer, but it wasn't a true trackball. It was simply converted into a digital up/down/left/right joystick input. I just played it. It is a pretty good (for the day) clone of Centipede, especially for someone who didn’t have access to the original specs. I do recall having played it as a child.

I think the only thing that really hampered this from being a perfect copy is the screen orientation, and the trakball (sic) support. The arcade version has a vertical monitor.

Home computers always have horizontal monitors, and given the low resolution, they usually couldn’t throw away the left and the right side to try to make a fake vertical playfield.

Atari did sell a ‘trakball’ (Atari’s name for the trackball) for the Atari Home Computer, but it wasn’t a true trackball. It was simply converted into a digital up/down/left/right joystick input.

]]> By: Jack http://boingboing.net/2008/03/09/insiders-story-about.html#comment-140030 Jack Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-140030 For the record, there was a small local computer chain store in NYC called <i>The Computer Center</i> that sold a knock-off of Centipede that an employee wrote. The game was called “Megalegs” and the graphics and game play were great. So great in fact I bought it on cassette and practiced playing it so much that when they held a promotional contest for the new release of “Centipede” for the Atari computer in Macy’s I was way ahead of the curve and won second place. Could have won first but I was genuinely so nervous and terrified of competing against these rich Manhattanite kids (I’m from Brooklyn) that I choked. But thank you Mike Dubno—author of <a href="http://gury.atari8.info/details_games/1379.htm" target="_blank">“Megalegs”</a>—for helping to make my 14-year-old dreams come true! For the record, there was a small local computer chain store in NYC called The Computer Center that sold a knock-off of Centipede that an employee wrote. The game was called “Megalegs” and the graphics and game play were great. So great in fact I bought it on cassette and practiced playing it so much that when they held a promotional contest for the new release of “Centipede” for the Atari computer in Macy’s I was way ahead of the curve and won second place. Could have won first but I was genuinely so nervous and terrified of competing against these rich Manhattanite kids (I’m from Brooklyn) that I choked.

But thank you Mike Dubno—author of “Megalegs”—for helping to make my 14-year-old dreams come true!

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