Rhindle The Red

I maintain a massive Access database to keep track of my collection(s). Then I use a programn called Crystal Reports to dump reports on what I have. I used to keep a 3-ring binder with the printout, but it is now too bulky. Therefore, I recently got a used HP 320lx PocketPC. I can therefore dump a text or Excel version of the report to my 320 and carry that with me to check when I go out.

quote: Originally posted by jahfish: the only reassuring thing: if you would install the right fonts, you would still not understand a word But with the Japanese fonts installed (as I have) you can use Alta Vista Babel Fish to translate. That's how I knew there was apparently a Space Invaders game in the package. quote quote Of course, even translated I can't understand half of what's being said.

quote: Originally posted by Marco: Good luck on your search, it's a very hard to find item, even if you're in Japan. However, if you're willing to spend the cash (and speak Japanese), check out this auction: http://page4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d5417169 Cheers, Marco Whoever that was (the auction ended without a bid) wanted the equivalent of $514.54. Near as I could tell he only had Space Invaders with it, so I'm not sure it would be a fair price even if he had been willing to ship outside Japan (which he wasn't). Sure would like one, though...

quote: Originally posted by Jess Ragan: No, it's no joke. I think he's Jessica Kitchen now. Confirmed? Or maybe not. [ 09-22-2001: Message edited by: Rhindle The Red ]

quote: Originally posted by atari70s: i cant wait for both to be even amounts Knowing how often you post, it will last for seconds! Maybe a minute, even!

Shouldn't the entry for Decathlon read Activision Decathlon, The? Every piece of documentation I read from the time uses The Activision Decathlon not just Decathlon.

quote: Originally posted by StanJr: Hey liquid_sky, this new emu kicks much butt, one problem. The top of my screen keeps getting cut off! Often its the score that is gone (ie Spider-man or Carnival) I've toyed around with my monitor, but that's not the problem. I've also toyed around in the program's menus, but nothing seems to fix the problem. I'm currently running it on Full Screen mode. Any tips? Don't know about the version you are running, but the minus "-" and plus "+" keys used to move the screen up and down when I used to run it in DOS, IIRC.

quote: Originally posted by J2383: I do want to find Pacman 20th Anniversery and Arcades Greatest hits :-) I actually like Pac-Man World: 20th Anniversary. I just can't help feeling it would have worked better on the N64. That's always been the system for 3D platformers. Q*Bert is fun, but get it for the Dreamcast if you have one. The PSX's 3D is simply lousy compared to the N64 or the DC.

quote: Originally posted by rich_vcs: Do you think Saunders' rants are o.k.? If not, why do you get up in arms when I defend the other side? I don't know, Saunders posts here a lot and only seems to 'rant' when he feels strongly about an issue. The last time I checked you had posted here only 7 times, all but one of which have been attacks on others in one form or another.

I also have both a red and an orange Worm War I label. The differences are the same as you indicated. (So I'm basically confirming that it is, indeed, orange. My orange label also happens to be stamped "DEMO ONLY NOT FOR SALE", but that is obviously just a rubber stamp.

quote: Originally posted by Albert: Having worked on several games in the modern game industry, it's very common for people to take copies of in-development games home. Especially these days when all you have to do is burn your game onto a CD. Where I've worked this has been encouraged, especially once the game becomes playable. Game testers don't come cheap--if you can use your programmers, designers, artists, etc. to test the game all the better! Especially if they're doing it on their own time! I have various and sundry alpha and beta copies of all the games I've been involved with and I'd imagine this is pretty typical of most programmers. Heck, I've been an external beta tester on several games and I've never been asked for any CDs back after a game has shipped. The main reason I could see companies like Atari wanting their prototype cartridges back is that those EPROM cartridges were expensive back in those days and they could re-use them for future projects. Of course, they would also want to prevent the games from being leaked before the retail version hit stores, but that's no different than today. At least back then not many people could copy games. I'm glad to say that Deus Ex didn't reach isonews.com until after the game hit store shelves. ..Al Well, my point wasn't that they never should have left. There were plenty of good reasons for the prototypes to leave, but they still should have come back. Even if only for the value of the hardware, they still belonged to the original owners. Even if the companies you beta tested for didn't ask for the disks back, didn't they require you to agree not to sell them? If they did, the product becomes illegal again once it is sold, and if they didn't, then they are just fools. I would assume the same would apply to product you worked on. I don't profess to know about the inner workings of game development houses, I just wanted to point out the possibilities. Maybe I just worry too much...

quote: Originally posted by Tempest: I believe it does say Disney's Snow White on the title screen. I think you'd have a probelm there. And the graphics probably bear a resemblance to the Disney version, as well. And Disney takes that stuff seriously. Remember Rob Lowe? On a more serious note, Tempest: This whole discussion has got me thinking. Earlier, I mentioned the possibility that Lucasfilm or Parker Bros. could force the owner of the Ewoks ROM to dump it so they could archive it, reproduce it, release it, whatever. But I didn't speak of the status of the prototype itself. Have you considered the possibility that the prototypes could be considered stolen goods? Think about it: however they made their way into the hands of collectors, they were never meant to go outside the development system of their manufacturers. Most everyone knows most prototypes did not get out of their respective companies' hands legally. And if they didn't know it, they must have suspected it. Now, whoever kept these prototypes (be it the programmer, a media member who got a sample, etc.) for whatever reason (forgot, they never called for them back, etc.) they were not supposed to keep it. It was supposed to be returned to the owner (in our example, Parker Bros.). Unless there was a company directive saying that the stuff was free to be taken, it is stolen goods. The statute of limitations would have long run out on the original 'theft', of course, but that does not change the fact that the prototype (the actual hardware) still belongs to the company that assembled it, Parker Bros., and that they may have a legal right to demand its return, regardless of how or when it was acquired. Ask [email protected] what Activision's attitude would be towards a programmer or tester who took home a burned copy of a game in progress. Even if the game was subsequently cancelled (maybe even more so) would they still not view that as their property? Even if it was years later, is it not still legally theirs? Just because time passes, ownership is not transerred. I'm not trying to cause trouble or worry you or anything (I'm sure no one at Parker Bros., Infogrames, etc. cares about their twenty year old prototypes). It's just something I believe you should think about.

My attitude towards this issue is somewhat more complex than most, I think. I am torn. On the one hand, I like to play the prototypes for unreleased games (I really want to play Ewok Adventure) but on the other hand there is the question of copyright. These games are still under copyright. Either to the original creator (in the case of Ewok, Parker Bros.) or the trademark holder (Lucasfilm). I believe the ownership of single prototypes is equivalent to someone owning the only manuscript of, say, an unpublished Arthur Miller play. An individual may own the manuscript, and may even own it legally, but that does not give him or her the legal right to release it to the public (the 'copy' right). Neither does it give them the power to refuse to allow it to be copied if the copyright holder demands it. It is my belief that if (still using Ewok as an example) Lucasfilm were contacted and wanted the ROM, the owner of the prototype would have to give it up. I guess what I'm getting at here is that prototype owners who sit on the ROMs have misunderstood what they own. They do not own the ROM, they only own the hardware that stores it.

quote: Originally posted by John Soper: If you say pong sold well, I guess we should believe you. Sure seeing it marked down like crazy though. Picked up one new for $7 in a mall store. John Most PSX games (even very popular ones) see drastic price drops after sometimes just a few months. The cheap cost of CDs combined with a glut of games prevents titles from maintaining a high price point.

In one marathon session back in the day, I maxed out Megamania. (My parents were understanding folks.) Well, the picture I took ended up being quite bad, but the numbers were clear. They sent me a patch (and a Stampede belt buckle) but said the picture wasn't good enough for a mention in Activisions.

quote: Originally posted by Cafeman: There was a quickie Combat homage, a tank game, put on one of last year's ODCM Dreamcast Demo GDROMS. I forget the title of the game, it was quickly whipped up by somebody (was it Digital Eclipse?). I have all the ODCM GD-ROMs and I don't remember that. Which disk was it on?

quote: Originally posted by OldGuru: This is the one I'm using for over a year now... works fine for me... I also have the EPROM emulator module for code development... Did you need any add-ons for the programmer, or is the basic unit ready-to-go? And do you use DOS or Windows?

Thanks for the info. I wasn't planning to use it as a development system (I'm hopefully getting a Cuttle Cart eventually ). I really want to be able to make my own carts. Not just original home brews, also gag carts (classic games with new graphics) just for friends, etc. No reason to go through Hozer for that. Besides, there's just something about doing it yourself. Well, I've got a lovely DOS/Win 3.1 computer just sitting (right next to my 2600) and waiting to be a dev station, so I've got no problem with a lack of upgrades. As long as it works out of the box, it should be good for me. But if you think there are issues, what would you recommend, given that I do want to make my own carts? Is there a different model you think might be better for the money? Thanks again.

Remember that when Atari was owned by Warner Communications they were responsible for creating a wealth of sound effects that have been the backbone of the Warner sound catalog ever since. If you are in video production and you use a Warner created library of sounds, chances are the computer/video game ones (also spaceship sounds, etc.) came from Atari. So it may not be that someone went and got some "Atari sounds." It's more likely they pulled out the tape with 'video game sounds' on it and that's what it was.

Oh Fudge! I never thought they'd sell out that fast! Does this mean the second run (if there is one) wouldn't come with the CD? I'd still want one, btw. Now I just need a job...

quote: Originally posted by Scott Stilphen: I think back then, there were seperate agreements for the type of media (cartridge/tape/disk). If a company got the cartridge rights for a game, that covered cartridge versions for all systems. Isn't that how Starpath was able to get around Parker Brothers agreement and make their version of Frogger (on tape)? The licenses were very specific, so there wouldn't be blanket 'cartridge rights.' There would be cartridge rights that would cover all video games, but not computers (as in the case of Donkey Kong which came out on cartridges for video game systems from Coleco and cartridges for computers from Atari). Essentially, licenses covered whatever the company seeking the license thought to cover. Starpath got Frogger because no one at Parker Bros. would have even thought of magnetic tape rights for the Atari 2600, so would never have bothered pursuing them. The big question is, why didn't Starpath do that with more games? They could have done better with a whole line of arcade translations.

Could anyone contact TSR/Wizard of the Coast/Hasbro and ask them about the release of the ROMs? The Garfield release agreement could be pointed to as a precendent.

Just so everyone knows, EB recently began opening used game stores called EB Game World. They carry all games for all systems (including Atari). Atari 2600 games are generally priced at 1.99, which is high for most games they get, but rare ones are usually the same price. So if you get a no from your local EB, be sure to ask if they've opened an EB Game World in the area.

The fuji symbol would be owned and controlled by Infogrames, and they are unlikely to allow its use. The name 'Atari', since it existed independant of the company, cannot be owned outright, so is safe for uses outside of video games. However, you may want to contact Atari Teenage Riot and the Atarians, as they both may have claims on the name for use in musical groups.

Well, do you know for a fact that something like that didn't happen behind the scenes? My guess is that their management would have made a check on the legitimacy of the use of the name before letting the band use it. You should do the same. There may, in fact, be no problem with the use of the name, but you should be sure. Another problem for you is that with these bands in existence now, it may be harder for you to use the name. Nobody wants confusion in the marketplace. Venues may be less likely to book you and labels would shy away from you if the name is too similar. As with anything, it's usually better to be safe than sorry. Checking around won't hurt you, and if you follow all legal procedures now, you'll be protected against claims in the future. It would also help you to come up with a distinct logo, unassociated with the video game Atari or the other 'atari' related bands. Anything that sets you apart will help.