What are my chances...(Proto Game Question)

[Cassidy Nolen]

Hi all,

 

Was wondering about a Frog Pond cartridge. Do I have a better chance of being hit by an asteroid on my way to work than finding one of these in the box? I know some were made and some even shipped, although I do not think they were sold. Seems to be illusive, the green, boxy little fella.

 

Interested in your thoughts.

 

Cassidy

[slapdash]

Where'd you hear the boxes were shipped? Has anyone even found a labelled Frog Pond? If the box is one that showed up at Best, none of them had games in them as far as I know.

 

I think you're far more likely to be hit by a meteor...

[Tempest]

I think you have a better chance of the earth blowing up before finding one since they never produced the game. The closest your going to come is a prototype of the finished version (with the title screen).

http://www.msu.edu/user/reicher6/prototype...ed/frogpond.htm

 

Tempest

[MattyXB]

Yes, is hard to get Prototypes. I collect more years now and have only 2 100% real Prototypes, 2 maybe Prototypes and 1 from Hozer.

 

 

 

Matthias

[Scott Stilphen]

Promotional boxes exist, but a produced cart (with label) does not.

[atari70s]

i came close to a proto once. my Mogul Maniac 8 bit cart. but i am told its just a copy so im still in search for my first proto. wish i certain member sends me one for Xmas

[Tempest]

It wasn't a copy, and it wasn't a proto. It was a Romox ECPC cart which is something in between...

 

Tempest

[atari70s]

sorry tempest , i thought Romox ECPC burned carts like copies. learn something new everyday . so its someplace between a proto and a copy yet not either. hmm think if i brought it to a gaming expo Philly classic or the one in boston area in feb would be able to give me to Rom file?

 

im thinking of getting a real proto. i had a Dukes of hazzard game but it wasnt a real proto cause it was a Best Electronics game. hmm maybe you can help me locate a proto cheap enough. i thought that Donkey Kong cart might have been a proto due to the odd label but its a Test Cart .which 8 bits have known to have test carts ( is that the same as lab loaners?

[Tempest]

The best way to describe the Romox ECPC carts is a legal copy. They burned the actual program onto a special type of EPROM board in a funky little kiosk unit I've never seen (anyone have a picture of one of these?). Technically it's a copy of the original game, but it's not a cheap hack made by a dishonest worker, they were legally licensed (I think). So it's not a prototype, but it's not really a cheap copy either. And since your particular game didn't exist in either disk or cart format for the Atari 400/800 (as far as I know) it's even more special.

 

Tempest

[atari70s]

yo tempest my site has scans of the board (chip) if thats waht you looking to see.

WWW.ANGELFIRE.COM/NJ2/ATARI/RARE.HTML

[atari70s]

http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/atari/rare.html

[san-d-2000]

Hey Matty,

 

I just took a look at your website, are you sure Spider Kong is a prototype?

I have two similar carts, but they weight too lite to have eproms inside, I think they are more like pre-releases, what do you think?

space robot

space tunnel

 

Sandy.

[MattyXB]

I have no idea, if these are real Prototypes. For years I have ask here, and someone tell me a theory. But all are not 100% sure.

 

So this is for me only a maybe Prototype. I not know it exactly. But I have not seen much of them. Only a few, under 10.

 

Matthias