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3-in-1 Football (Lance Haffner) Does it Exist?


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3-in-1 College & Pro Football - Lance Haffner Games

 

Atari Mania gives it a rarity rating of "9" - which suggests it exists.

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-3-in-1-football_12.html

 

I'm going to suggest that maybe it doesn't, why?

 

■ no-one, even on previous requests here has even said they've see it - let alone had a copy.

■ in 5 years of searching, no single copy has appeared on ebay or elsewhere

■ this article from Analog

https://www.atarimagazines.com/analog/issue66/football.php

reviews 3-in-1 as a new release, but as we all know magazines were given "review copies"

- doesn't mean the game actually got out to retail tho' does it?

■ picture below suggest it never came out for the A8. Sure it was available for

Apple II, Mac, C64, 128, Amiga, St & PC, but by late 1988 software houses were abandoning the A8 in droves.

 

if anyone can provide evidence (beyond the Analog review) of an existing A8 version, please let me know

 

post-39567-0-02830500-1523288001_thumb.jpgpost-39567-0-92782900-1523288017_thumb.jpgpost-39567-0-26975000-1523288060_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I just ramped up the rarity rating of this game to "10".

 

I know it's hardly evidence but I know I saw the program on an old list of copied disks. Wish I still had that document...

 

IIRC, the Atari 8-bit edition came way after the other releases so the company probably didn't change the box to add the system. I believe there's an add somewhere which mentions "our" version.

 

Lance Haffner Games was a small, niche software publisher and my guess is you could only get the Atari version by mail order. It probably sold tiny quantities and didn't really hit the pirate circuit.

 

--

Atari Frog

http://www.atarimania.com

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it's just a shame no one has one - even a copy.

 

 

the atari game is written in basic and (i believe) a port from the apple II version.

 

the apple II and c64 versions are quite common as emulator files, sadly nothing for A8 tho.

 

 

I did contact Shannon Lynn via Linkedin and he recommended

haffner facebook and yahoo

 

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/haffnergames/info

 

sadly, neither yielded any A8 clues at all

Edited by Guest
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strange though, that - after all this time and all the community preservation going on, not a single (even copied) version of it has surfaced.

 

i've searched close-ups of ebay sales photos through stash after stash of copied atari game/sware disks and not a sniff.

Edited by Guest
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  • 2 months later...

ok, another update on this - although, if anything - to muddy the waters

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-24/entertainment/8601060794_1_nfl-challenge-simulations-keyboard/2

 

no mention at all of the Atari8 version.

 

maybe the Atari8 version was planned to be released (much later) as above, but i can't see a small (niche) home business industry being bothered to port from

apple-II or c64 to atari8 in 1988 - at the time the atari8 platform was in it's death throes - (new) software-wise.

 

the ST version appears to be the route that Lance Haffner Games opted for - as per the above box.

the ST version appears to be the Atari version ported from apple-II/c64

 

the box matching perfectly the c64 box from the previous year

https://gamesdb.launchbox-app.com/games/details/86422

 

anyone any other clues on this?

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The Game was made, while I wasn't into it my friend Tommy wasted hours and hours on it... he had to send in for an update or some such teams thing he yabbered on about. I personally was uninterested. There is no chance to get his copy as he met an untimely and very sorrowful end in an accident. Way to young, if he had it surely others did as well...

Tom had a 1200XL and 1050 as well as an Atari printer, one of the best and happy kid's I ever knew, and funny. He was not an athlete, in fact he was little... and yet, football on the computer.. go figure

Edited by _The Doctor__
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  • 5 months later...

The Game was made, while I wasn't into it my friend Tommy wasted hours and hours on it... he had to send in for an update or some such teams thing he yabbered on about. I personally was uninterested. There is no chance to get his copy as he met an untimely and very sorrowful end in an accident. Way to young, if he had it surely others did as well...

Tom had a 1200XL and 1050 as well as an Atari printer, one of the best and happy kid's I ever knew, and funny. He was not an athlete, in fact he was little... and yet, football on the computer.. go figure

 

am wondering if the A8 version was a later release? maybe 1987?

 

reason being: in addition to the ST box picture above, this C64/128 box clearly refers to Atari 520ST - among all the other platforms available - but no mention of A8.

 

 

post-39567-0-38868900-1545463027.jpg

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strange that it hasn't turned up anywhere at all.

 

there'll likely be disk collections stored (long ago) in attics/basements that include a copy - and will probably never see light of day.

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There is no way to even approach the matter as his parents will never be over it, they had to sue to get to the bottom of things. It did play on a 1200XL and 1050. I really don't want to revisit any of it.

that's understandable. and i wasn't suggesting for a minute "that" for consideration. to do so would be beyond insensitive.

 

my point was that there'll be (possibly) in all the thousands of stored old equipment/disks, a couple of dozen copies of this game...but because the owners have mothballed their kit - they'll likely never surface in any kind of usable state.

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with so many things turning up these days, you might get surprised, in more than one way, one being someone letting you know they have it... the other being the auction price when they finally do...

 

i doubt the auction price will surprise me...although it may well make Solomon blush.

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  • 6 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I just stumbled across this thread, having noninterest in this game at all.  I was however a huge fan of the Lance Haffner's college basketball game back in the 80s and for some reason I thought I needed to let Mr. Haffner know how great of a game it was.  And so, being the 80s and no internet/email/social media, I simply called the telephone number on the back of the box.  Sure enough Mr. Haffner himself picked up the phone to my surprise and I proceeded to gush about the game.  From what I recall he was very nice. 

 

So perhaps there is a way to contact the man himself if he is still around to get a copy of the game you are looking for.  Try calling the telephone number on the back of the box (I believe it was/is? his home phone number) or just Google him.  You never know.

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On 8/17/2019 at 12:27 PM, brenski said:

wonder if any update at all on this @MrFish

pretty impressive progress 

 

Unfortunately, they'll be no updates to this, or any of my other projects, until further notice. Life has squeezed out all my Atari time -- except for making the occasional post or two, here and there -- for the present and into the unforeseeable future.

 

I still have an interest in this and all my other projects, but regrettably must leave them behind at this stage.

 

[Note: This is not some dramatic ploy for attention, like we've seen on here in the past. I just want people to be aware why I've dropped off for the last several months, and to generally expect the same in the coming months.]

 

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