Jump to content
Have You Played Atari Today?
2600|5200|7800|Lynx|Jaguar|Forums|Store  

TikiDan

New Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    30

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Posts posted by TikiDan

  1. Posted

    Hi everyone!  I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy these days.

     

    That "survival kit" pouch was distributed to all Activision employees attending the Pitfall release party at the June 1982 CES in Chicago.  The party was named the Activision "Rumble in the Jungle" and was held in the grand ballroom and multiple additional ballrooms of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel.  I can't begin to describe how big that party was.  We had three bands playing simultaneously, dozens of party-style midway games scattered around, multiple open bars, LIVE animals in cages hanging from the ceiling and hundreds upon hundreds of attendees.  Every Activision's CES party were THE event to attend if you could get in.

     

    As I recall, the pouch contained:

    - our badge to get into the party

    - an Instamatic camera 

    - coupons for the Midway Games

     

    It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event!

    • Like 9
    • Thanks 1

  3. Posted

    Hi Stargunner!  I definitely wanted the package to capture the look of the original Activision games.  The game packaging, artwork, patch, etc will be the same quality as the original games.  No blue & white labels here! 

    • Like 4

  8. Posted

    5 minutes ago, adamchevy said:

     


    Thanks for your response. I’m glad that these games are being worked on! It’s great to see an original Atari 2600 programmer come back and make games! I look forward to following your blog. Thanks for making new games for the 2600!

     

    My pleasure!  I love creating games for the 2600!

    • Like 5

  9. Posted

    50 minutes ago, Supergun said:

    Oh I absolutely agree. I listened to the entire interview with Dan & I enjoyed it thoroughly. Dan’s years of experience, combined with his vivid imagination and whole hearted dedication, are what makes his games so good. His programming talents & attention to detail are what makes the difference between an average game & an excellent game.

     

    As a child, when looking to get my next 2600 game, I specifically looked for Activision games. In much the same way as in when I was a teenager, I would purchase Konami games for my NES. They were the best of the best.

     

    Activision’s use of colors, and details, and sound effects were always the best. Also the game concepts were always original too. And the gameplay was always fun & engaging as well as simple to control.

     

    And I had never really thought about the “clean” concept of Activision’s 2600 games until I heard him describe & explain it; although even as a young kid I must have  subconsciously realized it because it was somewhat evident to me, I just couldn’t put it to words.

     

    I still remember the day I bought 2600 Reactor (Parker Bros.) and thinking that my cart might be defective because of all the “interference” it had on screen!

    Hi Stargunner!  Thank you so much for your kind words.  I've always said the difference between a good game and a great game is attention to detail.  And just like you stated, most players won't know why they feel one game is better then another.  But if you analyze it behind the scenes, you'll always find a dedicated game programmer, artist or designer who took the time to polish each part of the game they touched.

    • Like 3

  10. Posted

    1 hour ago, Nathan Strum said:

    I really enjoyed the interview - thanks to James for posting it, and to Dan for being so generous with your time!

     

    I'm really looking forward to Gold Rush and Bon Voyage! They sound like terrific concepts.

     

    So the big question... if you get to the end of Gold Rush, does the train drop you off at the ship for Bon Voyage? ;) 

    Hi Quadrunner!  You'll have to wait and see! :)

     

    • Like 3

  11. Posted

    4 hours ago, Foxsolo2000 said:

    Thing is though once he has finished the game wont it then have the original prototype code within it?

    Hi River Patroller,

     

    GOLD RUSH™ has been written entirely from scratch because I don't want to infringe upon any rights Activision has to the original code.  The original prototype code can be viewed once the original prototype .BIN is released.

    • Like 1

  12. Posted

    19 hours ago, adamchevy said:

    I wonder why he hasn’t put those games up on Kickstarter yet? Maybe he is in talks with AL? Either way I hope to see these games become a reality soon.

    Hey Stargunner,

     

    The reason I haven't put the games up on Kickstarter yet is simply due to juggling my time to complete the game vs. meeting the responsibilities to my interactive industry clients.  I'll be posting an update on my blog shortly. 

    • Like 2

  13. Posted

    23 hours ago, Supergun said:

    Well, then maybe this is the one instance where it may actually be a good thing that the cartridge was donated to a museum. Because what they do/did with it after the fact is/was out of Dan’s control. So he has plausible deniability.

    Hi Stargunner!  I have no problem releasing the code.  I donated the cartridge to the National Video Game Museum because of their passion to preserve video game history.

    • Like 1

  14. Posted

    On 10/15/2019 at 5:08 PM, Tempest said:

    I really hope the original prototype gets released eventually.  Although I'm not sure if that's possible with Activision still being around.  It's not like he can really do it anonymously. 

    Hi Fallen Moderator!  I will release the original prototype when GOLD RUSH™ is released.

    • Like 3

  15. Posted

    On 10/15/2019 at 5:07 PM, sramirez2008 said:

    That was a great interview.  Can't wait for the new games and can't wait to meet Dan at PRGE.  Bon Voyage everyone! 😉

    Hi River Patroller!  Please be sure to see me at PRGE.  I'll be on the 12:00pm Activision panel on Sunday with my brother Garry and Dave Crane.

    • Like 3

  16. Posted

    On 10/15/2019 at 4:56 AM, AtariLeaf said:

    Great interview. That Bon Voyage game sounds great too. One thing that confuses me, why doesn't he work with Al to sell the game through the Atariage store instead of setting up his own kickstarter and online store?

    Hey Epic Godlike Canadian!  I'm choose not to work with Al because I want to create a company that captures the essence of Activision in the early 1980's with the kind of games, patches, merch, etc. that was done when I was at Activision.

    • Like 6

  19. Posted · Edited by TikiDan

    Hi Moonsweeper!



    Thank you so much for your input. Yes, I plan to have a limited edition of signed games with a color manual, box and poster. We'll also be adding a complete set of the Collectible Trading Cards for the game. You can view the first card and subscribe to my mailing list at https://www.dankitchengames.com. The game will have almost 75 enemies and obstacles which will be highlighted on these Trading Cards.



    The game is now called DAN KITCHEN'S GOLD RUSH!™. In my upcoming newsletter I'll be releasing images of the train cars and obstacles.



    Thank's again for your kind words!



    Dan K.


    post-66027-0-07960900-1541195088_thumb.png

    post-66027-0-97959700-1541195099_thumb.png

    • Like 7

  20. Posted

    Hi Inky and Supergun!



    Thanks for writing!



    I've never used the DPC or any other chip for the Atari 2600. All my games, including Keystone II and the new version of it that I'm now finishing up (renamed GOLD RUSH!™) are written in pure 6502 with no additional RAM or hardware support.



    Dave created the DPC chip because he wanted to create a stunning version of Pitfall 2. Adding the DPC to a cartridge would greatly increase the manufacturing cost, so by the time Pitfall 2 had been released and the market crash had occurred, it was more imperative then ever to make games in the smallest and cheapest configuration. It was purely a management cost decision, Dave had nothing to do with it. As far as I know the DPC was never used after Pitfall 2.



    As an aside, many people call the DPC the "Display Processor Chip". The truth is it was named by Dave for his full name "David Patrick Crane". :)



    Please check out the latest on my development of GOLD RUSH!™ at my new Retro Game Site:



    www.dankitchengames.com



    Thanks again for all your questions! Keep 'em coming!



    Dan Kitchen


    • Like 17

  22. Posted

    Once again, I wanted to thank everyone for your accolades, support and comments.

     

    I actually have a question for all of you that I would love your opinion on:

     

    I'm thinking of starting a Kickstarter campaign for Keystone II (and potentially my other 2600 games to follow) to pre-sell the game and raise the funds for the game's manufacturing. I'm thinking about offering different pledge rewards that include:

     

    - Receiving only the cartridge

    - Receiving the cartridge with a box and full color manual

    - Receiving a limited edition signed copy of the cartridge

    - Receiving a full size poster with the boxed game

    - Participating with me in the design of the game by designing an enemy character that I'll program into the game

    - Securing an invitation to the game's launch event (date & location TBD)

     

    As retro game players, collectors, historians and experts, I'd love to know what you think about a Keystone II Kickstarter Campaign.

     

    Thank you in advance for your valuable feedback!

     

    Dan K.

    • Like 4

  23. Posted · Edited by TikiDan

    Hi guys! Thanks again for the comments from Arenafoot, AtariLeaf, Supergun, Kosmic Stardust and Rom Hunter!

     

    Regarding the Eastern Designer Center, Garry and I join Activision with three other programmers in 1981 and were based in New Jersey at the time. Instead of moving to Santa Clara, California, Activision decided to allow us to open the Activision Eastern Design Center. We were the first of a few satellite design offices they eventually opened. When Garry and I left Activision in 1986, we formed a development company called Imagineering which produced many games (C64, NES, SNES, 2600, Genesis, etc.) for a number of different publishers such as THQ, Acclaim, Activision and Atari. We eventually started Absolute Entertainment and started publishing our own games. Most of the equipment from our Activision Eastern Design Center was acquired and used by us at Absolute, while much of our original Activision development hardware and promotion materials from the early 1980's have been donated to our friends at the National Video Game Museum.

     

    Keystone II will be published through my new retro game publishing company, "TikiVision". Tiki Interactive (which has a temporary web page up at the moment) is my development company which creates art assets for a number of publishers of F2P games PC & mobile. TikiVision will have a new site up soon.

     

    I am doing some research and putting together a list of the guys that worked in the Activision Boston Designer Center and will post it here when complete.

     

    Regarding the Keystone Kapers review cart, that is very cool to have! It probably did come from our office as we used to burn EPROM versions of our game for the marketing team to pass among to the video game magazine reviewers and the press.

     

    Thank you again for all your support and comments. Keep 'em coming!

    • Like 5

  25. Posted

    Hi Supergun and ROM Hunter,

     

    Thanks for writing. Keystone Kapers was a brilliant game created by my Garry Kitchen. When I started working on my "train game", it seems natural to bring Keystone back into action.

     

    Regarding those unknown Activision games, they look to me like ones that were done by the Boston Design Center which was opened about a year after we started the Activision's Eastern Design Center. That group worked on a number of games that didn't make the "Activision" quality cut. I'll try to dig up the names of the programmer who were part of that center.

     

    There doesn't exist any additional materials on Keystone Cannonball. The game never made it out of our East Coast Office to the marketing group in California.

     

    Thanks for reaching out!

     

    Dan Kitchen

    • Like 4
AtariAge
Forums
Store
General
Follow AtariAge

Copyright ©1998-2021 AtariAge

×
×
  • Create New...