Ask Nolan

[Cebus Capucinis]

Ataribur!

[ZIMM]

welcome Nolan!

I will see you at the Big Bang event in August.

[Ben_Larson]

I doubt Nolan will come back here and read this thread, but here's my question anyway:

 

Steve Wozniak claims in his book that he basically offered the Apple II design to Atari via Al Alcorn but was told that Atari was too busy with the video game market to do it. Is that true and do you remember Al or anyone else ever mentioning it?

[orion1052003]

Nolan..What are your plans for Atari 2.0?

 

James

Edited April 29, 2010 by orion1052003

[zylon]

Ask the "Lady of the Lake" about the sword

Edited April 29, 2010 by zylon

[kool kitty89]

I doubt Nolan will come back here and read this thread, but here's my question anyway:

 

Steve Wozniak claims in his book that he basically offered the Apple II design to Atari via Al Alcorn but was told that Atari was too busy with the video game market to do it. Is that true and do you remember Al or anyone else ever mentioning it?

That would have been the Apple I kit design, not the later Apple II computer.

[accousticguitar]

Any sword worth its salt would have a name.

[kool kitty89]

I though it was the "Sword of Ultimate Sorcery"

[Dan Iacovelli]

I don't know if he gets back here to read these,but if you want ask him something: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/118893-avc-live/page__view__findpost__p__2001414

Edited April 29, 2010 by Dan Iacovelli

[Rik]

Where's the SwordQuest sword?IIRC,I read somewhere it's mounted on a wall in Tramiels house,or should i say MANSION?

[Curt Vendel]

It wasn't that the company was too busy.

 

It was that Atari was in the middle of Home Pong which was a tremendous amount of cost and resources to do. Also home computers were a very iffy thing still and would've required a tremendous amount more of capital and resources to get started and maintain and it was a new market to enter. Atari was an entertainment company - games were a proven profittable path to pursue. Home computers were a big gamble to jump into at that time.

 

Nolan put the "Steve's" in touch with several VC's to help them get going, and get going they certainly did.

 

 

Curt

 

 

 

I doubt Nolan will come back here and read this thread, but here's my question anyway:

 

Steve Wozniak claims in his book that he basically offered the Apple II design to Atari via Al Alcorn but was told that Atari was too busy with the video game market to do it. Is that true and do you remember Al or anyone else ever mentioning it?

[Curt Vendel]

Jack has some serious digs - his "house" looks like a mini Fort Knox. :-)

 

 

Curt

 

Where's the SwordQuest sword?IIRC,I read somewhere it's mounted on a wall in Tramiels house,or should i say MANSION?

[NolanB]

Did you program a game in college called Fox and Geese? Could you tell us about the game and the experiance of programming the game?

 

I programmed several games but the one that played the best and was sent around the country was Fox and geese. In the game the fox could move in any direction at twice the speed of the geese there was only one fox. The geese could move up to the right or the left. If a goose was alone the fox could eat it. If there were two geese adjacent he could not. The object was for the fox to either eat all the geese or escape past them. The geese won if they trapped the fox against the upper part of the screen. The number of geese was variable. 3 geese almost always lost 7 geese always won,

 

Nolan

[NolanB]

welcome Nolan!

I will see you at the Big Bang event in August.

 

 

I hope to start attending as may of the Atari fan groups as possible. My schedule is not set and we have to make sure that Marty is disarmed.

[NolanB]

I doubt Nolan will come back here and read this thread, but here's my question anyway:

 

Steve Wozniak claims in his book that he basically offered the Apple II design to Atari via Al Alcorn but was told that Atari was too busy with the video game market to do it. Is that true and do you remember Al or anyone else ever mentioning it?

 

It is true. Remember that Atari at the time did not have the cash to fully exploit the 2600. We ended up selling to Warner so we could finance the inventory. We were growing very quickly and were always short on cash. (am I sorry for that mistake ---you bet.)

[NolanB]

Nolan..What are your plans for Atari 2.0?

 

James

 

 

We plan to give you guys some previews but not for a few months. We have to bake this cake for a while.

[NolanB]

Where's the SwordQuest sword?IIRC,I read somewhere it's mounted on a wall in Tramiels house,or should i say MANSION?

After my time and I have no Clue.

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

What´s about the erotic movie???

[accousticguitar]

Did you program a game in college called Fox and Geese? Could you tell us about the game and the experiance of programming the game?

 

I programmed several games but the one that played the best and was sent around the country was Fox and geese. In the game the fox could move in any direction at twice the speed of the geese there was only one fox. The geese could move up to the right or the left. If a goose was alone the fox could eat it. If there were two geese adjacent he could not. The object was for the fox to either eat all the geese or escape past them. The geese won if they trapped the fox against the upper part of the screen. The number of geese was variable. 3 geese almost always lost 7 geese always won,

 

Nolan

Wow, thanks for the reply! I would like to program a version of this game for the 2600. I'm not much of a programmer though so I don't even know if I can do it, but I can try. It's going to be a while though because I have a college course to finish first.

 

From your reply I get the impression that the geese can only move forward and diagonally. Is this correct? Also, what shape is the board and how many squares are there?

 

I wonder if the original game you wrote has been preserved somewhere. That would be cool if it has.

[kool kitty89]

It wasn't that the company was too busy.

 

It was that Atari was in the middle of Home Pong which was a tremendous amount of cost and resources to do. Also home computers were a very iffy thing still and would've required a tremendous amount more of capital and resources to get started and maintain and it was a new market to enter. Atari was an entertainment company - games were a proven profittable path to pursue. Home computers were a big gamble to jump into at that time.

 

Nolan put the "Steve's" in touch with several VC's to help them get going, and get going they certainly did.

And it was the Apple I design, right? (the kit)

[Albert]

I have started a new thread here where we can continue this discussion:

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/162342-discuss-atari-history-with-nolan-bushnell/

 

..Al