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Behind the scenes at Imagic: 1983 video


tacrec

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If you like this, check out a great documentary called "All In The Game." It's gotten a lot of discussion here on AtariAge; see this thread and this thread for starters. In the second thread, you'll even see some comments from the director, who was kind enough to visit AtariAge and share some interesting information about the production. I only wish there had been more like it; it's a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the period leading up to the video game crash.

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I did see that a while back. It’s a fascinating look behind the doors of Imagic. And it echos a lot of things I’ve heard from former Imagic programmers I’ve interviewed on The Intellivisionaries Podcast. An amazing place to work, full of extraordinarily talented and creative people who were, unfortunately, ultimately victims of the crash in ‘83.

 

The good news is we (Intellivision Entertainment) have the rights to the full Imagic catalog now, so the games will see new life on the Intellivision Amico. And, while I can’t give specific details yet, I can say.. don’t be surprised if some of these original game programmers are involved in the new versions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette

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If you like this, check out a great documentary called "All In The Game." It's gotten a lot of discussion here on AtariAge; see this thread and this thread for starters. In the second thread, you'll even see some comments from the director, who was kind enough to visit AtariAge and share some interesting information about the production. I only wish there had been more like it; it's a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the period leading up to the video game crash.

 

Any current links to that "All in The Game" doc you mention? Those threads are 10 years old and the links are all dead. Thanks.

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Any current links to that "All in The Game" doc you mention? Those threads are 10 years old and the links are all dead. Thanks.

This is one of many reasons I hate to see "cloud-based" media distribution taking over: all-digital copies disappear all too easily.

 

I found this after a quick search. It seems to be cut off at the endthe copy that I have ends with a few more minutes of Bill Grubb and Brad Stewart riding in a hot air balloon, no doubt doing "research" for the unreleased Sky Patrolbut otherwise it appears to be complete, and the video quality is much better.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP1BFvEtMgA

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Does this video work for anyone, it says it's blocked in Canada.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TLacaw611LQ&feature=youtu.be

 

--------------

Pat Ransil in the "just kidding" video was an Intellivision programmer and looks like he was the intellivision wing war programmer. Has any unreleased Imagic game been found. Imagic had a liquidation sale in the 1980s, did they bother to archive their work.

 

Edit:

In the video they give Pat credit for Safecracker where intellivisionlives.com credits Marvin Mednick.

Edited by mr_me
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Thanks for the link, interesting viewing, I bet they wish they went public a week earlier.

Indeed. Reportedly, the people within Imagic were convinced that Atari deliberately timed the preannouncement of their bad quarter specifically to interfere with Imagic's IPO. Imagic wasn't as lucky as Activision, which completed its IPO earlier and was thus in a better position to weather the crash.
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I did see that a while back. Its a fascinating look behind the doors of Imagic. And it echos a lot of things Ive heard from former Imagic programmers Ive interviewed on The Intellivisionaries Podcast. An amazing place to work, full of extraordinarily talented and creative people who were, unfortunately, ultimately victims of the crash in 83.

 

The good news is we (Intellivision Entertainment) have the rights to the full Imagic catalog now, so the games will see new life on the Intellivision Amico. And, while I cant give specific details yet, I can say.. dont be surprised if some of these original game programmers are involved in the new versions.

...

Can you say more about getting the rights. Was it all through the original Imagic investors and founding partners?
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Does this video work for anyone, it says it's blocked in Canada.

 

--------------

Pat Ransil in the "just kidding" video was an Intellivision programmer and looks like he was the intellivision wing war programmer. Has any unreleased Imagic game been found. Imagic had a liquidation sale in the 1980s, did they bother to archive their work.

 

Edit:

In the video they give Pat credit for Safecracker where intellivisionlives.com credits Marvin Mednick.

 

Pat Ransil programmed the Intellivision version of Atlantis. And according to the back of the Safecracker box, he did that too.

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Pat Ransil programmed the Intellivision version of Atlantis.

He really did a great job, too. To me, Intellivision Atlantis is a perfect example of how to correctly do a conversion from the 2600 to the Intellivision: don't do a direct copy of the original, but use the Intellivision's capabilities to elaborate and expand upon the original design. Dennis Koble's original version is a fun game for what it is, but the Intellivision version feels more complete.

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Pat Ransil programmed the Intellivision version of Atlantis. And according to the back of the Safecracker box, he did that too.

 

Marvin Mednick's LinkedIn page says that HE programmed it. It was a port, right? They may have given credit to the original game designer (or they may have both programmed it)

 

Edit: And Pat Ransil's page mentions Atlantis, but not Safecracker.....

Edited by BSRSteve
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I just checked the back of my Safecracker boxwhich looks just like thisand Marvin Mednick does indeed get sole game design credit. Pat Ransil was Director of Engineering and designed Imagic's development system, so perhaps that's how his name became associated with it. (It could also have been a simple error on the part of the people who made the video.)

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Is that a scan of an original box? It looks like a reproduction/reconstruction to me. Imagic's Intellivision boxes were never flat gray like that, and the fonts and layout don't match the original either.

EDIT: Wow, that text is actually from Intellivision Atlantis! How did it end up on a Safecracker box?! Somebody clearly goofed.

 

Here's the picture of the (real) Safecracker box that I linked earlier:

 

DdrXD6FVMAEuurr.jpg

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Maybe they were both involved; Pat as project manager and Marvin doing most of the programming. Safecracker is an original game for Intellivision.

 

And Gary Kato (Intellivision Demon Attack) is credited with creating the Intellivision cross-assembler for imagic.

http://www.classic-consoles-center.at/interviews/interview-with-gary-kato

 

I can't, other than no.

;-)

So the owner of the imagic properties is a secret. Are the rights that Intellivision Entertainment has exclusive?
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Can you say more about getting the rights. Was it all through the original Imagic investors and founding partners?

 

As far as I know, Activision bought the remains of Imagic after it's closedown. When you look at the most retro compilations over the last 25 years, the old Activision and Imagic games are coming most of the time together (even on Intellivision Rocks).

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