Steve Kitchen talks about Space Shuttle...

[pocketmego]

This is a clip from a 1984 TV show featuring a nice long segment where Steve Kitchen explains Space Shuttle and how it operates on the 2600.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLpP2uh-zmE

 

There is also a bunch of other stuff featuring a few retro games and personalities from just prior to the crash.

 

Best line...

 

"How did you fit all that in the 2600?"

 

 

-Ray

[The_Laird]

Just watched this very interesting!

[Godzilla]

im STILL impressed by what they fit in the 2600 with activision Space Shuttle, TODAY. :-) can't wait to have the time to watch this...

[pocketmego]

im STILL impressed by what they fit in the 2600 with activision Space Shuttle, TODAY. :-) can't wait to have the time to watch this...

 

Anyone else notice how uncomfortable the Atari guy looked on camera. I think it might have been a bad choice to have them at the same table, especially back in the middle of the Atari vs Activision thing. You can also see that Kassar sent one of his computer guys while Activision did their demo on the 2600. VERY INTERESTING.

 

-Ray

[carpecarne]

That atari guy kinda sounded like a pedophile

[Rom Hunter]

Very interesting.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

[pocketmego]

That atari guy kinda sounded like a pedophile

 

Yeah he was freakin' creepy. He even made the camerra go all weird once.

 

I just think he knew deep down that everyone else on that show would become a famous person in the history of video games, except him. I don't even remember that King Arthur game even coming out.

 

-Ray

[Big Player]

Chris Crawford wrote the great Eastern Front (1941) game for the Atari computers and Balance of Power for the Mac. If think Chris Crawford is an unknown, you need to learn a little more about the history of computer games.

 

Crawford has also written books on game design.

 

Chris Crawford on Game Design

 

You can read the entire text of Crawford's first book on game design here.

 

The Art of Computer Game Design

 

As to the sounding like a pedofile, well I guess any creative person can be different, including Steve Kitchen. Start at post #3. http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5402

[pocketmego]

Chris Crawford wrote the great Eastern Front (1941) game for the Atari computers and Balance of Power for the Mac. If think Chris Crawford is an unknown, you need to learn a little more about the history of computer games.

 

Crawford has also written books on game design.

 

Chris Crawford on Game Design

 

You can read the entire text of Crawford's first book on game design here.

 

The Art of Computer Game Design

 

As to the sounding like a pedofile, well I guess any creative person can be different, including Steve Kitchen. Start at post #3. http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5402

 

Not if all his output following his Atari computer work was on the MAC. Then I have nothing else to learn because nothing else he did was written on computers for mainstream audiences. I'm sure he is notable for his work within the Mac niche market.

 

But, since the vast majority of the known computer users of the world will never play his stuff, its a pretty moot point.

 

Oh and he started the Game Developers Conference, because he was apparently lonely and wanted to discuss game development with people who programmed their stuff on real computers, after he stopped working on real computers (Atari).

 

 

-Ray

Edited August 19, 2006 by pocketmego

[Big Player]

So you posted that message with an Atari computer? Cool.

 

Crawford got out of the comptuer game market in 1992. He has been working on creating and programming a system for interactive fiction.

 

He also did write one 2600 game, Wizard. It was never released by Atari but is included on the Flashback II.

 

And thanks for posting the link to the video. It was great to see everyone on that show. Okay, except for Trip Hawkins.

[pocketmego]

So you posted that message with an Atari computer? Cool.

 

Crawford got out of the comptuer game market in 1992. He has been working on creating and programming a system for interactive fiction.

 

He also did write one 2600 game, Wizard. It was never released by Atari but is included on the Flashback II.

 

And thanks for posting the link to the video. It was great to see everyone on that show. Okay, except for Trip Hawkins.

 

Now, I diddn't know he inventede Wizard, so thanks for that info. So, you dislike Trip Hawkins? I'm curious as to why? I mean don't get me wrong, he was sort of the anomoly of gaming history. The Jock who became a computer geek. He's also arrogant as hell and it is interesting that he felt he needed to be on that show to hold Bill Budge's hand. The most tellig thing about trip is that you can tell hge hated looking like a looser, EVER. This is evidenced by the fact that he wouldn't stop playing that game during the interview until he made a successful shot on camera.

 

-Ray

[Foxsolo2000]

Now that is what I call a fascintating piece of computing history

[elviticus]

Thanks Pocketmego for the post! Very interesting. Also Big Player for the links to those books, I want to read those.

[Big Player]

@elviticus: If you (or anyone else for that matter) wants to read more of what Crawford has written, here is a link to the library portion of his web site.

http://www.erasmatazz.com/Library.html

 

Most of the material contains essays he wrote for his game design journal. But there is some other interesting stuff to read in there that not game related. (I really liked The History of Thinking.) Warning, he does have strong opinions.

 

 

@pocketmego: I can't stand Trip Hawkins because back in 1985 or so, he said EA would not release games for the Atari 8-bit computer. This after their two most popular games Archon and M.U.L.E. were developed on Atari computers.

 

Hawkins did eventually relent after a letter writing campaign and released some games such as Racing Destruction Set. But we never got Atari versions of Adventure Construction Set or Skyfox. So it's sad I hold a 20-year grude against the guy over that, but I do.

[pocketmego]

@elviticus: If you (or anyone else for that matter) wants to read more of what Crawford has written, here is a link to the library portion of his web site.

http://www.erasmatazz.com/Library.html

 

Most of the material contains essays he wrote for his game design journal. But there is some other interesting stuff to read in there that not game related. (I really liked The History of Thinking.) Warning, he does have strong opinions.

 

 

@pocketmego: I can't stand Trip Hawkins because back in 1985 or so, he said EA would not release games for the Atari 8-bit computer. This after their two most popular games Archon and M.U.L.E. were developed on Atari computers.

 

Hawkins did eventually relent after a letter writing campaign and released some games such as Racing Destruction Set. But we never got Atari versions of Adventure Construction Set or Skyfox. So it's sad I hold a 20-year grude against the guy over that, but I do.

 

 

No, actually I can totally respect that. Very few titkles didn't get ported to Commodore, but the ones that didn't always kind of stick in my craw. At least you have a tangible entity to blame.

 

Plus, Hawkins really does hit me as kind of a jerk. I recall the story about him passing on Bard's Tale because he called Role Playing Games "Nicheware for Nerds".

 

But, that is OK, the 3DO just about spelled the end of his career, so what goes around...etc...etc...

 

Oh and Player, I want to mention that after reading some of the material you posted, I owe Crawford a bit more respect than I previously gave him, I just thought you'd like to know that.

 

-Ray

[Big Player]

Oh and Player, I want to mention that after reading some of the material you posted, I owe Crawford a bit more respect than I previously gave him, I just thought you'd like to know that.

 

I had been reading Crawford's writing for the last few months and that was why I made my arrogant response in my first post in this thread. Ask anyone here, I'm not like that usually.

 

I found Crawford's site from reading Random Terrain's web site, which had a link to his first book on game design. He has some interesting reading on game design as well. It's www.randomterrain.com. You'll have to type it out yourself, I've posted enough links in this thread.

[pocketmego]

Oh and Player, I want to mention that after reading some of the material you posted, I owe Crawford a bit more respect than I previously gave him, I just thought you'd like to know that.

 

I had been reading Crawford's writing for the last few months and that was why I made my arrogant response in my first post in this thread. Ask anyone here, I'm not like that usually.

 

I found Crawford's site from reading Random Terrain's web site, which had a link to his first book on game design. He has some interesting reading on game design as well. It's www.randomterrain.com. You'll have to type it out yourself, I've posted enough links in this thread.

 

 

LOL, No problem. Thanks

 

 

-Ray

[bedouin]

Not if all his output following his Atari computer work was on the MAC. Then I have nothing else to learn because nothing else he did was written on computers for mainstream audiences. I'm sure he is notable for his work within the Mac niche market.

 

But, since the vast majority of the known computer users of the world will never play his stuff, its a pretty moot point.

 

The Mac wasn't any more of a 'niche' in the 80s and early 90s than the ST, Amiga, or any other machine. I don't know what it was like in your neck of the woods, but in the US on the East Coast 8-bit computers were pretty much forgotten come the late 80s, and even the ST was rarely seen in stores or mentioned outside of being great for music studios.

 

Writing for a PC or Mac in the late 80s would be the mainstream audience in the US. I sold my c64 in '88.

[pocketmego]

Not if all his output following his Atari computer work was on the MAC. Then I have nothing else to learn because nothing else he did was written on computers for mainstream audiences. I'm sure he is notable for his work within the Mac niche market.

 

But, since the vast majority of the known computer users of the world will never play his stuff, its a pretty moot point.

 

The Mac wasn't any more of a 'niche' in the 80s and early 90s than the ST, Amiga, or any other machine. I don't know what it was like in your neck of the woods, but in the US on the East Coast 8-bit computers were pretty much forgotten come the late 80s, and even the ST was rarely seen in stores or mentioned outside of being great for music studios.

 

Writing for a PC or Mac in the late 80s would be the mainstream audience in the US. I sold my c64 in '88.

 

 

I lived in New Orleans and kept my C64 until about 91 or 92 and then switched to a Sega Genesis for my gaming needs. When I mentioned the Mac as a Niche machine, I sort of meant more in terms of gaming. The Mac has never really been what I would call a gamer's computer.

 

I would say if anything the Mac has more established itself as the ultimate desktop publishing machine. In terms of editing film, documents, newspapers, books, etc... I'd use a Mac if I had one available before any other machine. But, when I want to blast stuff, I gotta go with a PC or my Trusty C64.

 

-Ray

[+remowilliams]

Hawkins did eventually relent after a letter writing campaign and released some games such as Racing Destruction Set. But we never got Atari versions of Adventure Construction Set or Skyfox. So it's sad I hold a 20-year grude against the guy over that, but I do.

Possibly, but Trip Hawkins will forever in my memory, be a gigantic flaming asshole.

[shadow460]

Trip Hawkins ... M2 ... that's where I've heard that name before.

[pocketmego]

Trip Hawkins ... M2 ... that's where I've heard that name before.

 

Yeah,

 

Hawkins wrote a paper and pencil Football game when he was a kid and started a business selling them, the business tanked. But, it left him in a mind to sell games and he went on to form Electronic arts (ever notice how sports-centric EA is...).

 

He was famous for backing powerful systems that no one was interested in to any major degree. He backed the Amiga until it folded and then actually quit EA to get together a bunch of investors and produce the 3DO. It tanked and I haven't really heard anything about him since, though I could be wrong.

 

-Ray

Edited August 22, 2006 by pocketmego

[jbanes]

It tenked and I haven't really heard anything about him since, though I could be wrong.

He's off making cell phone games for the "hip" crowd.

 

*shudder* For some reason that site reminds me of Friday's SG-1. "Yo Wonderbread, how's it coming?"

Edited August 22, 2006 by jbanes

[pocketmego]

It tenked and I haven't really heard anything about him since, though I could be wrong.

He's off making cell phone games for the "hip" crowd.

 

*shudder* For some reason that site reminds me of Friday's SG-1. "Yo Wonderbread, how's it coming?"

 

Alright...

 

I can finally get copies of Night Club Diva and Party Night Empire for my Cell Phone...SIGN ME UP NOW!!!!

 

 

Looks like Trip has simply devolved into what i always assumed he was...

 

A Highschool Jock who could never get away from the glory days of High School. Thus he still makes games for kids many generations younger than him in a desperate attempt to be part of that life.

 

So sad...

 

-Ray

[shadow460]

Trip Hawkins ... M2 ... that's where I've heard that name before.

 

Yeah,

 

Hawkins wrote a paper and pencil Football game when he was a kid and started a business selling them, the business tanked. But, it left him in a mind to sell games and he went on to form Electronic arts 9ever notice how sports-centric EA is...).

 

He was famous for backing powerful systems that no one was interested in to any major degree. He backed the Amiga until it folded and then actually quit EA to get together a bunch of investors and produce the 3DO. It tenked and I haven't really heard anything about him since, though I could be wrong.

 

-Ray

 

EA and Panasonic would have both been better off if Trip hadn't quit ECA.