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NEVER3.TXT
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN LIMA NEWSLETTER MARCH 1990
^^^^^^^ NEVER RELEASED OFFICIAL TI MODULES:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^PART 3 - SOME HISTORY
quotations dug up and commented on by Charles Good
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Lima Ohio User Group
The following is quoted from the final issue of
the TEXAS INSTRUMENTS HOME COMPUTER NEWSLETTER. This was
sent by TI in late 1983 or early 1984 to all registered
owners of 99/4As who purchased their computers prior to
October 1983.
"New software agreements reached with Walt Disney,
Sierra-On-Line and Imagic. Five new educational software
programs, developed for TI by Walt Disney, are planned to be
manufactured and marketed by Sierra On-Line. Disney
characters used in the programs include Peter Pan,
Pinnochio, Winnie-the-Pooh and Professor Ludwig Von Drake.
"Five new programs, originally to be manufactured by
TI, will now be produced and marketed by Imagic. Included
are: Demon Attack, Microsurgeon, Fathom, Wing War, and
Moonsweeper."
The following was written by John Koloen in the March
1984 issue of HOME COMPUTER COMPENDIUM, now called
MICROPENDIUM.
"Texas Instruments signed software production
agreements with Sierra On-Line and Imagic in January.......
"The agreement with Imagic means that the software
developer will take over production of software that it had
licensed to Texas Instruments last year. Last year TI
introduced several titles, including Microsurgeon, Jaw
Breaker, Fathom, and Moonsweeper. In addition to producing
these titles, Imagic is expected to release a fifth game
cartridge, Wing War.
"The agreement with Sierra On-Line involves the
production of education software that has been developed by
TI and the Walt Disney company. Some half dozen programs
will be released, using such familiar Disney characters as
Professor Ludwig Von Drake, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan. The
programs were developed by TI but all aspects of their
continued development and production will be carried out by
Sierra On-Line, assording to a TI spokesman in Dallas. The
programs are expected to be marketed for other computers as
well."
This gem appeared the following month, in the April
1984 issue of HOME COMPTETER COMPENDIUM.
"Walt Disney and Sierra On-Line are cooperatively
developing three software chartidges for the TI99/4A. As
reported last month in the Compendium, the two companies has
digned agreements with Texas Instruments to take over
development and marketing of several cartridges that were
under development by TI before it left the home computer
market.
"According to Terry Bochanty, marketing manager for
Walt Disney Personal Computer software, Disney had been
working with TI to co-develop ten educational game
cartridges. However, when TI quit producing home computers
development of the software stopped. Sierra On-Line has
taken over where TI left off and now some of the cartridges
will be completed and marketed, Bochanty said.
"Five of the ten cartridges were in the development
stage before TI dropped out, Bochanty said, with three of
the cartridges on the verge of production. Those three are
expected to be marketed sometime by mid-year, he said.
Although titles had not been determined by mid-February,
Bochanty said, the games involve three subject areas:
astronomy, chemistry, and language arts.
"All three cartridges utilize popular Disney cartoon
characters.
"The astronomy cartridge, for children ages 8-11, used
Peter Pan. The chemistry cartridge, aimed at children over
11 years old, features Professor Ludwig von Drake. The
language arts cartridge, for children six years old and
older, features Pinnochio.
"Prices have yet to be determined. Bochanty indicated
that the cartridges would be marketed through a catalog that
will be mailed to some 1.2-1.5 million TI users.
"These programs were originally designed to take
advantage of the speech synthesizer, Bochanty said, but
require nothing more than a console to operate. At this
point there are no plans to develop any of the remaining
programs, he said. However, that could change depending on
how well the first three sell. Disney has been producing
educational films and similar items for 30 years and,
Bochanty notes, "we know how to reach and teach kids.""
And this final note, which appeared in MICROPENDIUM in
July 1988.
"Ken Williams, president of Sierra On-line Inc., wrote
Stephan Shaw of the U.K. TI99/4A Users Group that Sierra is
no longer in the TI99/4 market and that Williams does not
"forsee circumstances under which we would enforce our
TI99/4A copyrights.""
"Shaw has written Sierra regarding its Jawbreaker
program."
MY COMMENTS:
I have seen Walt Disney educational computer software
produced for the Commodore 64 and other computer systems
based on the character Winnie-the-Pooh. The Peter Pan and
Ludwig Von Drake software mentioned above were reviewed by
me in part 2 of this series. I have never seen the TI
software based on the Pinnochio character. I interpret the
above statement by the President of Sierra On-Line to mean
that the existing TI Disney software, and MOUSE ATTACK
(described in part 4 of this series) are in the public
domain. This being so, I will be glad to send disk files of
MOUSE ATTACK, PETER PAN'S SPACE ODDYSEY and VON DRAKE'S
MOLECULAR MISSION to anyone who requests them. PETER PAN
requries a supercart or equivalent. VON DRAKE and MOUSE
ATTACK require a GramKracker or other gram device and may
also work on a Geneve.
WING WAR is the only Imagic game never officially
released. It is described in Part 4 of this series.
Two of the Scott Foresman edicational modules that I
described in Part 2 of this series have, in fact, apparently
been released for sale to the public. In the Spring 1988
Triton catalog NUMBER BOWLING is listed for $11.95 as
cartridge #1030. Only this particular Triton catalog lists
NUMBER BOWLING. Several Triton catalogs, including Fall
1988, list a "MULTIPLICATION 2" which "picks up where
MULTIPLICATION 1 leaves off." I suspect this is Scott
Foresman's MIGHTY MULTIPLICATION, which I described in part
2 of this series.
.PL 1