Can someone help with this Oil’s Well variant

[RetroGameHero]

I just recently started collecting boxed Colecovision games and I received this game recently in a collection I purchased.  I can’t find any information on this particular variant.  It’s a larger box than a normal Colecovision game and all I can find online is the regular Oil’s Well version.  

 

Can anyone help explain the story behind this version.

 

Thanks

[Ikrananka]

As far as I know, Sierra changed their packaging design sometime in 1984.  There ended up being three of their ColecoVision releases that ended up having two different versions.  The first versions had different (standard) box sizes and artwork as well as shiny metallic blue cart labels.  The latter had larger boxes with different artwork and the cart labels were changed to a plain white style.  Neither version is particularly rarer than the other.

 

Looks like you have an example in great condition though so definitively a great pickup.

[youki]

looks like the Box of Commodore 64 version with a different sticker.    Can you put a picture of the back?

 

 

 

05_back.jfif 05_front.jfif

[RetroGameHero]

1 hour ago, youki said:

looks like the Box of Commodore 64 version with a different sticker.    Can you put a picture of the back?

 

 

 

05_back.jfif 151.94 kB · 3 downloads 05_front.jfif 141.88 kB · 2 downloads

Here is a picture of the box and inside contents

[youki]

Exact same packaging/Box than the Atari XL and C64 version.

 

The screenshot behind the box are the one from Atari 8Bits , not the colecovision ones.

[Ikrananka]

Ah, so it seems to be that Sierra originally produced a unique ColecoVision box and then later, I assume to save money, started to use boxes produced for other systems and just stuck a CV sticker on the front.  Not an unusual move.

[Pixelboy]

46 minutes ago, Ikrananka said:

Ah, so it seems to be that Sierra originally produced a unique ColecoVision box and then later, I assume to save money, started to use boxes produced for other systems and just stuck a CV sticker on the front.  Not an unusual move.

Yeah, some other companies like Spinnaker and Fisher Price did that a lot.

 

[+Psionic]

23 hours ago, RetroGameHero said:

It’s a larger box than a normal Colecovision game and all I can find online is the regular Oil’s Well version.  

 

Can anyone help explain the story behind this version.

In 1984, computer software typically came in oversized boxes and I would assume the later variant was produced with that type of consumer in mind, whereas when the SierraVision line of cartridges had first been introduced they were intended to be marketed as "video games".

I don't believe there ever was a unique box.  Pretty much all the Sierra boxes are generic ones with stickers applied, and both variations of Oil's Well are no different.

[Tempest]

37 minutes ago, Psionic said:

 Pretty much all the Sierra boxes are generic ones with stickers applied, and both variations of Oil's Well are no different.

Yep.  That' why some people will buy another systems Sammy Lightfoot box and slap a For Colecovision sticker on it from a more common game. 

[+Psionic]

58 minutes ago, Tempest said:

Yep.  That' why some people will buy another systems Sammy Lightfoot box and slap a For Colecovision sticker on it from a more common game. 

Actually, as rare as it is, I think the ColecoVision port is the most common version of the game.  I've been looking for a box and manual for my loose C64 cartridge for years.

[Tempest]

35 minutes ago, Psionic said:

Actually, as rare as it is, I think the ColecoVision port is the most common version of the game.  I've been looking for a box and manual for my loose C64 cartridge for years.

Really?  Huh.  Interesting.

[youki]

1 hour ago, Psionic said:

Actually, as rare as it is, I think the ColecoVision port is the most common version of the game.  I've been looking for a box and manual for my loose C64 cartridge for years.

Get the packaging of a colecovision version. and put your C64 cart inside  .   The c64 package is exactly the same.  See the picture file i attached above.

[+Psionic]

12 minutes ago, youki said:

Get the packaging of a colecovision version. and put your C64 cart inside  .   The c64 package is exactly the same.  See the picture file i attached above.

I'd be inclined to do that if the box alone became available for a fairly low price but that's an unlikely occurrence.  And I think I'd need the instruction card also...I honestly can't remember if have it or not.  If the box pops up I'll grab it, but if not it's no loss.   I'm far beyond the point of worrying about such minor things at this point in my life.

[Ikrananka]

4 hours ago, Psionic said:

In 1984, computer software typically came in oversized boxes and I would assume the later variant was produced with that type of consumer in mind, whereas when the SierraVision line of cartridges had first been introduced they were intended to be marketed as "video games".

I don't believe there ever was a unique box.  Pretty much all the Sierra boxes are generic ones with stickers applied, and both variations of Oil's Well are no different.

Thanks for clarifying that for me - I totally forgot that the smaller Sierra boxes all had system specific stickers on them as well.

[retroillucid]

1 hour ago, youki said:

Get the packaging of a colecovision version. and put your C64 cart inside  .   The c64 package is exactly the same.  See the picture file i attached above.

I don't think the cartridge holder inside the box is the same 

[youki]

1 hour ago, retroillucid said:

I don't think the cartridge holder inside the box is the same 

i'm not so sure.  C64 cart  are quiet similar in term of size.     I can imagine that to reduce cost they used also similar case for the cartridge.

 

http://sierrachest.com/index.php?a=games&id=371&title=oils-well&fld=box&pid=201

 

And if you look the cartridge holder on the picture posted by RetroGamerHero  , you can see that it fits also for Tape Version of the game.

 

 

[+Psionic]

3 hours ago, youki said:

5 hours ago, retroillucid said:

I don't think the cartridge holder inside the box is the same 

i'm not so sure.  C64 cart  are quiet similar in term of size.     I can imagine that to reduce cost they used also similar case for the cartridge

From what I remember, most of the early Sierra boxes contain a small, white, and very flimsy plastic tray like this one that is pretty generic and holds any size cartridge regardless of format.  All versions of Sammy Lightfoot (which was only released in the smaller box) would use this tray.  The very early releases on cartridge with the tan and brown labels (such as Crossfire for the Atari 8-bit computers) lack this tray.
 

3 hours ago, youki said:

And if you look the cartridge holder on the picture posted by RetroGamerHero  , you can see that it fits also for Tape Version of the game.

I don't own any of the larger boxes, so I'm really not sure, but ColecoVision cartridges are significantly bigger than Commodore 64 cartridges (which are closer in size to Atari 8-bit carts) so their respective big boxes may have unique trays inside.

[RetroGameHero]

On 1/20/2021 at 2:09 PM, youki said:

Exact same packaging/Box than the Atari XL and C64 version.

 

The screenshot behind the box are the one from Atari 8Bits , not the colecovision ones.

From what I see online the C64 version is a purple box.  The one I have is a blue box.

 

Did they make both colors for C64 or is the blue box specific to the Colecovision?

[youki]

hum...indeed i did not notice the difference of color.

 

 

Atari XL version box are blue. (but purple in the center picture)

Atari 400 800 XL XE Oil's Well : scans, dump, download, screenshots, ads, videos, catalog, instructions, roms (atarimania.com)

 

Commodore c64 seems to have some purple also on the box around.

Oil's Well (1983) Commodore 64 box cover art - MobyGames

 

But there is also box for both atari and commodore that are blue  , but still will purple in the center

Oil's Well | Commodore 64 (retroplace.com)

 

Msx box are blue  but with additionnal sticker (also with purple in the center)

Oil's Well Box Shot for MSX - GameFAQs (gamespot.com)

 

So it seems the coleco one , is the only one to have blue in the center also.

 

[+Psionic]

A copy of the big box reissue for the C64 just sold on eBay last week.

 

As far as I know, there's really only one version of that box.  You guys are making wild assumptions based on scans and photos posted online that don't necessarily reflect the true color of the box.

[RetroGameHero]

On 2/10/2021 at 9:04 PM, Psionic said:

A copy of the big box reissue for the C64 just sold on eBay last week.

 

As far as I know, there's really only one version of that box.  You guys are making wild assumptions based on scans and photos posted online that don't necessarily reflect the true color of the box.

Just checked with a friend who has the C64 version.  It is in fact purple and the one I have is a blue box, so it looks like Colecovision version is a different color box than the C64/Atari version.