The story of Saboteur

[Monk]

Hey all!

 

I've been trying to get hold on the full version of the unreleased game 'Saboteur', and one video in Youtube claims it can be purchased in the original author's website. But there's only the video 'Once upon Atari', and I have even emailed him and asked what's going on, but haven't got any reply.

 

I also heard it could be downloadable from Atariage, but the link doesn't seem to work. Also, that Saboteur page has been removed from Archive.org for a whole year or so.

 

I haven't read the full story, so could someone elaborate on that, and perhaps explain a couple of things..

 

1) What's going on? (I suspect some legal stuff made you guys take the download off and made you stop selling it, but this story is difficult to piece together from crumbs of information lying here and there)

 

2) How does one go about getting the full version of Saboteur? I mean, there has to be SOME way to obtain it..I haven't been able to get my hands on it no matter what I have tried.. it's not on ebay, and big boys have told me it's not on torrent sites or emule networks etc.

 

I would be willing to purchase it just to get it, but I can't seem to find any place that sells it. What's the point of killing an unreleased game so that NO ONE might even buy it, if you are not gonna sell it? Is it because they sell a crummy reproduction version in that 'Flashback' machine? That wouldn't surprise me, knowing how cruel and heartless this world and the corporations can be.. but would it really harm anyone to just sell that game separately or let people download it?

 

Do they think people are going to purchase that infernal machine JUST to get some re-written modern-crappy version of that game? There's no sense on capitalistic laws, it seems..

 

But, I would very much like to hear the story at least, so I know what happened and why.. or is that forbidden knowledge too?

 

Thanks.

 

- Monk

[Albert]

Send me a PM and I can sell you a complete, new, boxed copy of the game for $35 plus shipping (and the offer is open to anyone else).

 

..Al

[Tempest]

My understanding of the events are thus:

 

1. I found a complete prototype of the game

2. Al and I decided that it would be a neat game to sell so we made nice homebrew out of it (with HSW's permission)

3. Shortly there after Atari decided to include Saboteur in their Flashback console (accidentally stealing my manual in the process)

4. Al decided to stop selling Saboteur because Atari was actively using it in their Flashback unit

 

 

So there you go. Nothing sinister or forbidden.

 

Tempest

[Wickeycolumbus]

 

Do they think people are going to purchase that infernal machine JUST to get some re-written modern-crappy version of that game? There's no sense on capitalistic laws, it seems..

 

 

 

The FlashBack 2 version is actually the final version

[Kurisu]

So HSW actually did a 4th game?

 

I never knew...

[Monk]

 

Do they think people are going to purchase that infernal machine JUST to get some re-written modern-crappy version of that game? There's no sense on capitalistic laws, it seems..

 

 

 

The FlashBack 2 version is actually the final version

 

So you are saying they actually used ACTUAL, ORIGINAL and AUTHENTIC game versions in their second Flashback machine? (instead of the modern re-writes in the first one)

 

Or did I misunderstand something.. that has been known to happen

 

- Monk

[Monk]

My understanding of the events are thus:

 

1. I found a complete prototype of the game

2. Al and I decided that it would be a neat game to sell so we made nice homebrew out of it (with HSW's permission)

3. Shortly there after Atari decided to include Saboteur in their Flashback console (accidentally stealing my manual in the process)

4. Al decided to stop selling Saboteur because Atari was actively using it in their Flashback unit

 

 

So there you go. Nothing sinister or forbidden.

 

Tempest

 

I see, thank you for the explanation. Maybe the archive.org missing year can be attributed to something else, then.

 

- Monk

[Wickeycolumbus]

 

Do they think people are going to purchase that infernal machine JUST to get some re-written modern-crappy version of that game? There's no sense on capitalistic laws, it seems..

 

 

 

The FlashBack 2 version is actually the final version

 

So you are saying they actually used ACTUAL, ORIGINAL and AUTHENTIC game versions in their second Flashback machine? (instead of the modern re-writes in the first one)

 

Or did I misunderstand something.. that has been known to happen

 

- Monk

 

Yes The ROM used in the FB2 is a 100% match with the 12/20/83 version (which is the final one).

[Godzilla]

yea, the fb2, is, for all intents and purposes, a new-hardware version of the original 2600, it even has drawings on the motherboard to aid you in adding you own cart port and will then run most any 2600 cart (with, I think, a few exceptions,) iirc this came from the benefits of cikass curt (which is now yielding new ways to use the atari 8bit/5200 tech.) Good stuff.

[elviticus]

Great game! I got it when they were first on sale here, and it's a lot of fun.

[Monk]

Great game! I got it when they were first on sale here, and it's a lot of fun.

 

Indeed!

 

Actually, it is THE game (though with the 90% version as I didn't know any better back then) that got me seriously interested in the Atari 2600. I am sure some other game would've done that too, but that game was just -most-interesting- to me at that particular moment, as after reading about the capabilities of the Atari 2600, it's three-totall-different-level architechture, colorful graphics, neat sounds (which you couldn't reproduce on the C64) and that amazing playability, and it's originality and .. wow, I was just so impressed, that I really realized that this machine is something that I should definitely start investigating more..

 

So I did.. and found many, many gems that I now couldn't live without (well, I guess I -could-, strictly speaking, but it would be a major bummer), and which I cherish.. and a few which, I already have as real cartridges for my Atari 2600jr.

 

Fascinating how things escalate from some unique small point into more and more elaborate setups until you have the whole original system with every accessory possible for it (of course this is a bit of an exaggaration just to let you better see what I mean)

 

I mean, it isn't that long time ago that I didn't even have my C64's (and the x1541 cable and all those things). But then I found one pair of tiny filter capacitors.

 

One pair of small filter capacitors.. that was all that was needed to get the ball rolling. I figured I could finally replace the other 8580 in my HardSID with a 6581, so then I would have three 6581's in it! But I would still have to find those 6581's somewhere.. so I bought a C64, but it came with an 1541 and some software.. so.. I didn't have the heart to 'kill' the C64 for it's SID chip, so I connected everything and .. wow.. I realized how much more magical it is to use a real machine instead of emulators. This lead to then finding more and more C64's, until I had enough real machines so I could spare one for this experiment..

 

And so on.

 

But Saboteur, for me, was the definite eye-opener that Atari 2600 is probably much more interesting machine than I had previousl ever realized! I thought it just had some overly-simplistic games that aren't very interesting, but I wanted to check it out anyway, because some of those might still fascinate me in some level. But I didn't expect all this wonder and magic and glory.. why didn't anyone tell me?

 

Oh well, now I know, and I really love knowing it..

 

- Monk