===› * 30 SECRETS OF ATARI by Steve Bloom› (ED.NOTE: ARTICLE IS   INTERESTING!)› Reprinted from Z*net 92-05, and by› THE OL' HACKERS ATARI U.G.,Inc.N.Y.›› [Author's note:   Here  presented  is› information  I  had  compiled through› research and interviews  with  people› from  Atari,  Inc.  (a.k.a. the "old"› Atari)]  While I wrote this article a› while  back,  I felt that much of the› information  was  still   interesting› today. This is not an exhaustive list› I used only  information  I felt  was› not common  knowledge.   Because  the› magazine  that  originally  published› this, Computer Games- FEB.2/84 is  no› longer in circulation, I felt that in› the best interest of all that  I  re-› acquire publication  rights. This  is› why  I have placed this in the public› domain for  everyone to enjoy.› Steve Bloom,    May 29, 1989.›› 30 SECRETS OF ATARI: ***›    The real story of Asteroids, Space› Invaders,  Pac-Man,  Pong,  and  Pole› Position. *** FORWARD  ***    In  its› 11-year history, Atari has become one› of   the   biggest,   flashy,    most› influential  companies  in   history.› They  have   had   their   share   of› incredible successes and embarrassing› failures. Perhaps more than  anything› else,  they  have  had their secrets.›    Atari is very tight-lipped. At one› point  employees  were  asked to sign› confidentiality  agreements  and  use› magnetic ID cards to walk through the› company's  corridors.  Aside from the› actual cartridges, the public  learns› little  about  Atari's  games and the› people who created them   Until  now.› We   have   interviewed   dozens   of› employees of the  company,  past  and› present.  We  have  guaranteed   them› complete  anonymity in exchange for a› tip, an insight, a never-before-heard› anecdote.  From  these interviews, we› have compiled the  following  secrets› of  Atari,  which  are published here› for the first time.›     1.   Nolan   Bushnell,    Atari's› founding father, originally named the› company Syzygy (the  sun,  moon,  and› earth  in  total eclipse). He renamed› it to Atari because  another  company› already owned the name Syzygy.›    2.  Bushnell is generally believed› to be the  author  of  Pong,  Atari's› first    game.   Actually,   Magnavox› released the Odyssey 100,  the  first› home   video   game   system,   which› included a game remarkably similar to› Pong,  several  months  before Pong's› debut in the arcades in  1972.  Years› later,  Bushnell  admitted  in  court› that he had seen an Odyssey prototype› on   display  earlier  in  1972.  The› Odyssey 100  was  designed  by  Ralph› Baer.›      3.     Bally/Midway     rejected› Bushnell's Pong when he  demonstrated› the  game  in  its Chicago offices in› 1972.   Bushnell   went    back    to› California and started Atari.›    4.  Given  a  choice between Mappy› and   Pole   Position,   two   arcade› creations by the Japanese firm Namco,› Bally/Midway   amazingly   opted  for› Mappy. Atari had to settle  for  Pole› Position, which went on to become the› biggest game of 1983.›    5. Gravitar  was  one  of  Atari's› worst-selling  arcade  games. So they› took the game out of the cabinets and› converted them all to Black Widow.›    6.  Mike  Hally designed Gravitar.› He recently redeemed himself  as  the› project    leader     for     Atari's› spectacular Star Wars game.›    7.  Rick  Mauer  never  programmed› another  game  for Atari after he did› Space Invaders for  the  VCS.  He  is› said  to have earned only $11,000 for› a game that grossed  more  than  $100› million.›    8.  Todd  Fry,  on the other hand,› has collected close to $1 million  in› royalties  for  his widely criticized› VCS Pac-Man.›    9. The man  for  bringing  Pac-Man› home  to  Atari-  Joe Robbins, former› president of  coin-op-  was  severely› reprimanded  by  the  chairman of the› board Ray Kassar for making the  deal› with Namco without consulting him. It› seems   Robbins    was    in    Japan› negotiating a legal matter with Namco› at the time, and Namco demanded  that› Atari  buy the home rights to Pac-Man› as part of  the  settlement.  Pac-Man› had yet to take off, but when it did,› Robbin's gutsy decision paid  off  as› Pac-Man  went  on   to   become   the› company's    best-selling   cartridge› ever.›    10. The man for bringing  E.T.  to› Atari?   None   other   than   Warner› Communications  chairman, Steve Ross.› So   convinced   was   he  that  E.T.› possessed video  game  star  quality,› Ross   paid   Steven   Spielberg   an› enormous   sum   (did   I   hear  $21› million?)   for  the  rights  to  the› little    extraterrestrial    bugger.› Designer Howie Warshaw spun the  game› out  in  four  months,   only   three› million  cartridges  were  sold   and› Atari  began  to   announce   million› dollar  losses.  E.T.  is now selling› for as little as $5 (or less) in some› stores.›    11.  Warshaw also designed Raiders› of the Lost Ark cartridge, and  Yar's› Revenge,  which  started  out  as   a› licensed  version of the arcade game,› Star Castle. "Yar"  is  "Ray"  Kassar› backwards.›    12.  One  of  Atari's most popular› early arcade game was Tank,  only  it› didn't  say  Atari  anywhere  on  the› cabinet  or  screen. Instead, it said› "Kee Games," which was  another  name› for Atari from 1973-78. Atari and Kee› (named after Joe  Keenan,  Bushnell's› longtime  partner)  put out identical› games   in   order   to  create  more› business  for  Atari.  For  instance,› Spike (Kee) and Rebound (Atari)  were› volleyball  games  that  came  out  a› month apart in 1974.›    13.  Tank  was  designed  by Steve› Bristow,   who   is  still  with  the› company after all these  years.  Most› recently,  he  has  been in charge of› Ataritel, Atari's  telecommunications› project  which  had  been code named,› "Falcon."   (Ed.    Sound   familiar?› "FALCON 030"?)›    14.  Code-names  have  always been› popular   at   Atari.   The  VCS  was› "Stella,"   the   400   computer  was› "Candy," the 800 was  "Colleen,"  the› 5200 was "Pam."  All were named after› well-endowed female employees working› at  Atari  (except  for Stella, which› was a bicycle trade name).›    15. And there  was  "Sylvia,"  the› 5200 that never was. Pam, as everyone› by now knows, was a stripped down 400› computer for the sole purpose of game› playing. Sylvia was  intended  to  be› Atari's  answer  to Intellivision and› was in the works long before Pam  was› born.  But problems developed largely› because the 5200 was projected to  be› compatible  with  VCS software, which› limited the design of  the  hardware.› When  push  finally  came  to  shove,› Sylvia  went  out the window, and Pam› walked in the  door.›    16.  Cosmos, This was truly one of› Atari's  experiment  with holography,› was a  battery-operated  game  system› that  was  introduced  at  a New York› press conference  in  the  spring  of› 1980.  Created  by  Al Alcorn, Cosmos› was never to be seen again.›    17. Alcorn was the first  engineer› hired  by  Nolan  Bushnell. His first› project was Pong. His second  project› was  Space  Race,  the  forerunner to› Frogger.›    18. Another project announced  was› a  remote-control  VCS.  Since it was› wireless, you could play games at  30› feet  without  having  to hassle with› the   console.  It  too  mysteriously› disappeared from  Atari's  catalogue.› (Note:  it looked almost exactly like› the 5200).›    19. Nobody in Atari coin-op  liked› Dig-Dug, the company's first Japanese› import, except for Brian McGhie,  now› with  Starpath.  It  was  McGhie  who› added  the  finishing  touches to Dig› Dug.   His   latest  game  is  Rabbit› Transit.›    20. Quantum and  Food  Fight  were› not  designed by Atari. They were the› work of  General  Computer  Corp.  of› Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  GCC broke› into the business selling  kits  that› would speed-up Missile Command. Atari› sued and settled  with  GCC  for  the› above mentioned games.›     21.    Tempest   was   originally› intended to be a  first-person  Space› Invaders  -type   game.   Then   Dave› Theurer  came  up with idea for tubes› on the screen. Theurer also  designed› Missile Command.›    22.   The   first   200   Asteroid› machines were actually Lunar Landers.› Atari was so hot on  Asteroids,  that› it  cut  short  the production run on› Lunar Lander-  Atari's  first  vector› game-  and  released the 200 complete› with Lunar Lander art.›    23. Asteroids had two incarnations› before  it  achieved  its spectacular› success.   The  first,  Planet  Grab,› simply required you to claim  planets› by touching them with your spaceship.› The second version,  allowed  you  to› blow  up  the  planets  and duel with› another ship, Space-Wars style.  Only› in  Asteroids,  which  came along two› years later, did Atari engineer  Lyle› Rains  introduce   the   concept   of› floating rocks.›    24.  Many  at  Atari,   past   and› present, dispute Rains' claim that he› was solely responsible for Asteroids.› Ed  Logg,  who programmed it, and who› also had his hand at  the  design  of› Centipede  and  Millipede, is said to› be   the   true   mastermind   behind› Asteroids.›    25. One of Ed Logg's game that has› never been released in the arcades is› called Maze Invaders.›    26.  Battlezone  Ed  Rotberg  left› Atari  after he was forced to convert› his    favorite    game    to    Army› specifications. Dubbed the  MK-60  by› the  Army,  it   included   30   game› variations,  improved  steering   and› magnification,  and  simulations   of› Russian  and  American tanks. It sold› for $30,000.›    27. Rotberg joined two other Atari› engineers,  Howard  Delman  and Roger› Hector, and formed Videa,  which  not› too  long  ago  was  bought  by Nolan› Bushnell for more than $1 million amd› renamed Sente Technologies.›    28.  President  of Apple Computers› Steve Jobs began his high-tech career› at Atari. He was known to walk around› barefoot, kick up his dirty  feet  on› executives'    desks,    and   talked› continuously of  going  to  India  to› meet  a  guru. Not only did he do the› latter, he designed  Breakout  before› leaving Atari for good.›    29.  Before   they   left   Atari,› designers  Al  Miller,  David  Crane,› Larry  Kaplan, and Bob Whitehead were› working on  games  that  would  later› become Activision cartridges. Crane's› Dragster was a spin-off of the  Atari› coin-up Drag Race and Kaplan's Kaboom› was   based   on  the  Atari  coin-op› Avalanche.›     30.  Warren  Robinett,  tired  of› Atari's policy of  no  author  credit› for  game  designers, decided to sign› his game, Adventure,  in  an  obscure› secret  room in the program. He never› told his fellow designers about  this› for  fear  of word getting out and he› being reprimanded. Ultimately,  a  12› year-old in Salt Lake City discovered› the   room  where  it  was  written: › "Created by Warren Robinett." To  his› surprise,    Robinett    was    never› punished.  He  too left Atari shortly› thereafter.›           +++ End ***››