The Very First Easter Egg (was not Adventure)

[NovaXpress]

Part of classic gaming dogma is that Warren Robinette was the first programmer to include an Easter Egg. However, while researching some vital Channel F matters, I came upon this from Sean Riddle's Homepage

 

I came across an Easter Egg in the Demo Cart. When you get to the end of the demo, hit buttons 1,3 and 4 at the same time. When you release them, the programmer's name is printed.

 

Fredric has communicated with the author of Video Whiz Ball and Alien Invasion, who stated that there are Easter eggs in those carts, too. I found both eggs: in Video Whizball, play a game against the computer and win or lose (it's quicker if you chose a 1-point game). Then kill the computer's man and get killed yourself. When both players are off the screen, pull up to start a new game. Choose game 43, score 67 and you'll see the egg. In Alien Invasion, start game #5 and let a blue guy die without firing any shots. With the green guy, shoot just the lowest enemy in each column. Then let all the remaining green and blue guys die without firing any more shots. Now start another game 5 and the author's name will appear at the top of the screen. Let the blue guy die without firing any shots. Play the green guy, and check out the mystery UFO that randomly flies over.

 

This was news to me. Looks like that old Channel F was a little more interesting than we thought.

[Tempest]

Yep I heard about these. Who knew the Channel F was so interesting?

 

Tempest

[tiggerthehun]

Always wanted to play Video Whizball - I heard it was a great 2 player game, with a few unique concepts.

[nester]

Yeah, nothing that we ever learn is true. D. W. Griffith didn't invent the close up either.

[ubersaurus]

I believe someone found an easter egg in the channel F demo cart when it got dumped...there was a post on it here somewhere.

 

Either way, at this point, the myth of Adventure having the first easter egg will be quite hard to change.

[sidcrowe]

Choose game 43, score 67 and you'll see the egg.

 

Oh cripes, just TELL US what it is. It's not like we're all gonna go get a system, that game, and do it ourselves

 

And what year are we talking about, here? How about a cart scan or a screenshot? How widely distributed was the demo cart?

 

Ah, I still like Warren's. It's certainly the most popular among the first eggs.

[NovaXpress]

Ah, I still like Warren's. It's certainly the most popular among the first eggs.

That's not the issue, the point is that you will universally read that adventure was the first Easter Egg. In fact it is at this time know to be the fourth and to obsessive geeks like me, such shit is important.

 

The Demo Cart was released in 1977, Alien Invasion was the final Channel F cart and was released in 1978. Video Whizball was released before Alien Invason is all I could confirm.

Channel F Mania with Demo Cart scan

[sidcrowe]

Well, maybe Adventure was the first egg with the best story behind it

 

(protest at Atari's policy of not crediting designers)

[BassGuitari]

Yep I heard about these.  Who knew the Channel F was so interesting?

 

Tempest

 

I did!

[Godzilla]

Wow! That's awesome. Revisionist video game history!

[Big Player]

Always wanted to play Video Whizball - I heard it was a great 2 player game, with a few unique concepts.

 

Same here. Ken Uston liked it, so it must interesting at least.

[orangest]

Either way, at this point, the myth of Adventure having the first easter egg will be quite hard to change.

 

especially when i saw it as the "did you know" factoid when i logged onto the atari age home page just now.

[Albert]

Either way, at this point, the myth of Adventure having the first easter egg will be quite hard to change.

 

especially when i saw it as the "did you know" factoid when i logged onto the atari age home page just now.

 

Hmmmmmmm.

 

..Al

[Skyyking]

What year did the Channel F come out?

[Tempest]

1977 I believe. A few months before the 2600.

 

Tempest

[NovaXpress]

The Channel F debuted in 1976, at least a year before the 2600.

[Crimefighter]

>The Demo Cart was released in 1977, Alien Invasion was the final Channel F cart and was released in 1978. Video Whizball was released before Alien Invason is all I could confirm.

 

Alien Invasion came out later than that...

[NovaXpress]

It couldn't have come out any later than 1979. Does anyone have a copyright date confirmation handy (though we all know how reliable xopyright dates can be)?

[Tempest]

Yeah I think it was late 1976 the more I think about it. The system died out by 1978 though after Zircon toyed around with it for a few months.

 

Tempest

[NovaXpress]

Zircon tried to market it up until 1980, though they weren't putting much effort into it. The Channel F remains noted not only for being the first programmable system but also having really kick-ass controllers which were later duplicated for the 2600.

[Tempest]

Zircon tried to market it up until 1980,

 

That late? Geez I thought they had stopped by 79, although since no new games had been made since 78 I consider it dead at that point.

 

Tempest

[Godzilla]

man, now I may have to actually find a way to hook up my fairchild and try it out :-)

[rolenta]

There seems to be some discrepancy of when Zircon re-released the Channel F. Some sources say 1979 and others (including my book) state that it was 1982. Does anyone know for sure? I hate to have to find and go through my twelve-year old notes to find out where I got that year from.

[Big Player]

Ken Uston had a whole section on the Channel F in his 1982 book Ken Uston's Guide to Buying and Beating the Home Video Games. Not sure if that helps or not.

 

Ken's book was the first place I had heard of the system but I never saw one or knew anyone who had one back then.

[NovaXpress]

There seems to be some discrepancy of when Zircon re-released the Channel F. Some sources say 1979 and others (including my book) state that it was 1982. Does anyone know for sure? I hate to have to find and go through my twelve-year old notes to find out where I got that year from.

Zircon definitely took over the rights in 1979 because that's when the Zircon-branded carts and systems hit the streets. The last Zircon catalog I could find record of was released in 1980.

 

Seeing as Zircon remains in business today and dealt in many types of electronics, plus the fact that the only Zircon game products were 1979 releases, I therefore believe that Zircon may have offered the Channel F for sale after 1980 but they weren't really trying.