Alamogordo approves Atari excavation

[doctorclu]

I KNOW that I am going to have a dream directly related to this little story......

 

Trust me, I remember digging for all I was worth that day. I even remember standing on the cartridges at one point and saying "We're going to make it" and then having my Dad say "Well, we still have this pile of cartridges out here, and then putting all the boxes back in.

 

My heart sank. Always wondered if more Atari computer stuff would have been lower in the dumpster, but I did tunnel down to the corners pretty good, so fairly sure there was not.

 

But still I ask myself since... could I have dug faster? Could I have been buried in that car with a new more cartridges around me? I mean sure my dad needed clearance to activate the break pedal, but still, that was optional right?

[Andromeda Stardust]

Trust me, I remember digging for all I was worth that day. I even remember standing on the cartridges at one point and saying "We're going to make it" and then having my Dad say "Well, we still have this pile of cartridges out here, and then putting all the boxes back in.

 

My heart sank. Always wondered if more Atari computer stuff would have been lower in the dumpster, but I did tunnel down to the corners pretty good, so fairly sure there was not.

 

But still I ask myself since... could I have dug faster? Could I have been buried in that car with a new more cartridges around me? I mean sure my dad needed clearance to activate the break pedal, but still, that was optional right?

Just curious, did you bottom out the shocks from all that weight? Typically, in an overloaded compact car, you'll hear a knocking sound as you round the corner, and the fender will possibly scrape the pavement when entering or exiting driveways. I went on a college road trip were this happened. 5 people, 2 in the front and three in the back all of us were 200+ pounds, with five packed suitcases in the trunk. The idea was that Amy's car would get better fuel economy. About the time we hit the interstate, we realized it was a bad idea, took the first exit, and called a friend over to bring an extra vehicle. Although an early 80s era station wagon could probably take a lot more abuse than late 90s sub compacts. Edited June 8, 2013 by stardust4ever

[retroindiegamer5000]

Interesting article. It'll be interesting to see what they will find, if anything, but are the people involved in this dig aware that E.T. is not exactly a hard to find game?

[+pboland]

This might be a dumb question, but is there any silver or gold that can be salvaged from that old electronic trash? I only ask because I know that there are some companies today that are in business to pull sliver and gold out of old electronics. Maybe that is what the county in New Mexico is hoping to get. I can image there would be that much to matter however. Just thought I'd through that out.

[7800Lover]

Cool. I wonder what will be found...if anything.

[doctorclu]

Just curious, did you bottom out the shocks from all that weight? Typically, in an overloaded compact car, you'll hear a knocking sound as you round the corner, and the fender will possibly scrape the pavement when entering or exiting driveways. I went on a college road trip were this happened. 5 people, 2 in the front and three in the back all of us were 200+ pounds, with five packed suitcases in the trunk. The idea was that Amy's car would get better fuel economy. About the time we hit the interstate, we realized it was a bad idea, took the first exit, and called a friend over to bring an extra vehicle. Although an early 80s era station wagon could probably take a lot more abuse than late 90s sub compacts.

 

You know, I need to ask my Dad on that but good point. He was the one driving.

[doctorclu]

This might be a dumb question, but is there any silver or gold that can be salvaged from that old electronic trash? I only ask because I know that there are some companies today that are in business to pull sliver and gold out of old electronics. Maybe that is what the county in New Mexico is hoping to get. I can image there would be that much to matter however. Just thought I'd through that out.

 

I would say yes. Not enough to make it worth the cost of this dig, but some.

[Sprybug]

Maybe there all in excellent shape, unlimited supplies for Albert's homebrews.

Doubt it, but I love the way you think!

[Sprybug]

I would say yes. Not enough to make it worth the cost of this dig, but some.

Love your avatar and that game too. I don't get why that game gets a bad wrap. I rented that game more than once for the SNES. It was one of my faves. Loved the animation, creativity, style, and gameplay. It seems like the people who just want to run through a game as fast as they can and beat it hate that game, and I think that's quite a few people. You can't do that in this game, even though you have the ability to, and a lot of people failed to use the GLIDE FEATURE, which is very important so you don't die from tall heights. Very challenging game, but I really enjoyed it.

[doctorclu]

Love your avatar and that game too. I don't get why that game gets a bad wrap. I rented that game more than once for the SNES. It was one of my faves.

 

Ah people just like to get on a kick on things. The masses say Bubsy was the worst mascot ever (not the worst ever, just the worst remembered) and to get the most laughs other people tag along and say "Hey Bubsy sucks!" They get laughs, and in many cases they never played Bubsy.

 

Back in line with this topic E.T. was not a bad game. I actually had hours of fun playing that game on the Atari 2600, but there were things you had to understand about the game. You had to remember where the dig holes were or you would fall in going from screen to screen. And the game had a steep learning curve at first. As Curt said in his interview it was not your typical shoot em up.

 

I remember as a kid I marveled at the opening screen. Graphics like that were not common at all on the 2600 at that time. (and at that I did not call the Atari 2600 the 2600. Heard VCS and other terms, but heard 2600 years later. Have to understand I played mostly on a Sears Telegames system.)

 

The characters in the game were big. The game had music. And I remember the excitement of finding the Yar from Yars' Revenge in E.T.

 

So imagine my confusion when I first heard the story of Atari dumping the Atari cartridges, mostly reported to be E.T. cartridges. I was like "Why?!?" Didn't make any sense to a kid like myself at the time.

Edited June 9, 2013 by doctorclu

[Andromeda Stardust]

So imagine my confusion when I first heard the story of Atari dumping the Atari cartridges, mostly reported to be E.T. cartridges. I was like "Why?!?" Didn't make any sense to a kid like myself at the time.

Lot's of things the old Atari did didn't make any sense. I believe one of the main reasons why Atari was so successful to begin with was the fact they were among the first to market a video game console, and due to their partnership with Sears and later Warner, they could afford to spend millions of dollars advertising it. Atari later thought they were invincible, made some bone head marketing decisions, and set the stage for a Nintendo takeover post crash. Had Atari played their cards right, there would have been a partnership between Nintendo and Atari, and the NES would have been called the AES instead. It probably worked out better for Nintendo in the end not getting involved with the whole trainwreck known as the "late" Atari. Plus, nobody can deny that everyone loves the red plumber! Edited June 9, 2013 by stardust4ever

[SoulBlazer]

Lot's of things the old Atari did didn't make any sense. I believe one of the main reasons why Atari was so successful to begin with was the fact they were among the first to market a video game console, and due to their partnership with Sears and later Warner, they could afford to spend millions of dollars advertising it. Atari later thought they were invincible, made some bone head marketing decisions, and set the stage for a Nintendo takeover post crash. Had Atari played their cards right, there would have been a partnership between Nintendo and Atari, and the NES would have been called the AES instead. It probably worked out better for Nintendo in the end not getting involved with the whole trainwreck known as the "late" Atari. Plus, nobody can deny that everyone loves the red plumber!

Except Atari had no plans to ever really license the NES. Partly it was due to Nintendo's huge demands, but also partly to the fact that Atari compared the NES to their 7800 and considered the latter the 'better' system. And they were right, if you look at pure hardware specs. But history showed what happened when the two systems went up against each other. Thanks to good programing and enhancements such as extra chips on the carts, the NES had superior and tech great games for it. No doubt about it, though, Nintendo learned and succeeded based on the mistakes that Atari (and the other companies) made.

[high voltage]

Lot's of things the old Atari did didn't make any sense. I believe one of the main reasons why Atari was so successful to begin with was the fact they were among the first to market a video game console, and due to their partnership with Sears and later Warner, they could afford to spend millions of dollars advertising it. Atari later thought they were invincible, made some bone head marketing decisions, and set the stage for a Nintendo takeover post crash. Had Atari played their cards right, there would have been a partnership between Nintendo and Atari, and the NES would have been called the AES instead. It probably worked out better for Nintendo in the end not getting involved with the whole trainwreck known as the "late" Atari. Plus, nobody can deny that everyone loves the red plumber!

 

But nowadays he long overstayed his welcome.

[WispFollower]

What I love about all this is how events which occurred in somewhat recent years such as the 80s have been as lost to history as some mythical relic like the Ark of the Covenant. No official records can be found; the only way to find out anything is to start piecing together quotes from historical figures, use them to make some sort of treasure map which leads to the prize, and dig it up. It's as though the 80s might as well have been a thousand years ago.

[retroindiegamer5000]

What I love about all this is how events which occurred in somewhat recent years such as the 80s have been as lost to history as some mythical relic like the Ark of the Covenant. No official records can be found; the only way to find out anything is to start piecing together quotes from historical figures, use them to make some sort of treasure map which leads to the prize, and dig it up. It's as though the 80s might as well have been a thousand years ago.

 

That is interesting. I guess it means it doesn't take long for something to become a legend. Of course, Atari isn't helping matters by not keeping their stories straight.

[Andromeda Stardust]

That is interesting. I guess it means it doesn't take long for something to become a legend. Of course, Atari isn't helping matters by not keeping their stories straight.

Fact of the matter is, Atari didn't want us to know what was in that dump, and they kind of dropped the ball when it leaked to the press. However, to this day, the actual contents of the dump site remains rumours and hearsay. I do agree though, that finding the loot by digging up the ground on a 100 acre lot, is like searching for a needle in a haystack, or better yet a dime in the asteroid belt. I seriously doubt ET is going to phone home with this. Still, I applaud the effort.

[retroindiegamer5000]

Yeah. They probably dumped a lot of games in the landfill, like the one they pulled from their lineup. Some E.T. carts are probably there, but it is still doubtful that a lot of E.T. carts are in a landfill when it is very easy to find. Besides, what would a game sitting in a landfill for 30 years be worth?

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Besides, what would a game sitting in a landfill for 30 years be worth?

For collectors? With certified history? A LOT!

 

Best would probably a cart/box that is still half covered with concrete.

[retroindiegamer5000]

Best bet would be one that still works.

[+Random Terrain]

Best bet would be one that still works.

 

But it wouldn't look as pretty on a shelf. A game that is half-covered in concrete has gravitas.

[Retro Rogue]

Yeah. They probably dumped a lot of games in the landfill, like the one they pulled from their lineup. Some E.T. carts are probably there, but it is still doubtful that a lot of E.T. carts are in a landfill when it is very easy to find. Besides, what would a game sitting in a landfill for 30 years be worth?

 

Bystanders watching the dumping stated they saw E.T., Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, consoles and computers, and kids raiding it (many of them who still live there today as adults) said they took games like E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Defender, and Bezerk. That's a pretty good listing of the games that would have been recently manufactured at El Passo during the Summer of '83, along with the hardware they were manufacturing there as well.

[retroindiegamer5000]

Bystanders watching the dumping stated they saw E.T., Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, consoles and computers, and kids raiding it (many of them who still live there today as adults) said they took games like E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Defender, and Bezerk. That's a pretty good listing of the games that would have been recently manufactured at El Passo during the Summer of '83, along with the hardware they were manufacturing there as well.

 

Hmmm.... Is that why those particular games are pretty common?

[Andromeda Stardust]

Bystanders watching the dumping stated they saw E.T., Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, consoles and computers, and kids raiding it (many of them who still live there today as adults) said they took games like E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Defender, and Bezerk. That's a pretty good listing of the games that would have been recently manufactured at El Passo during the Summer of '83, along with the hardware they were manufacturing there as well.

So you repeatedly deny again and again in this thread and others, that Alamogordo was not a mass ET burial; now that there is the possibility of excavation, you go on record that yes, there may in fact be ETs buried there. I really don't think anybody was claiming that ET or Pacman were the only games buried in New Mexico. BTW, when is your sequel "Business is War" coming out? If you need to do another kickstarter campain, let us know at AtariAge.

[high voltage]

he already did say ET's are buried there but not squillions like people make out to be

Edited June 10, 2013 by high voltage

[Retro Rogue]

he already did say ET's are buried there but not squillions like people make out to be

 

That's correct. I clearly stated it wasn't a mass ET dump, it was a clearing out of stock from the El Passo manufacturing plant as it switched over to automation and a change in focus to hardware (cartridge manufacturing was moving to China). It was a full spectrum of game titles, consoles, and hardware. That's what we have in the book, and that's what I've posted here.