Enjoy the new January Edition here
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This time I have dug up some history behind a cd-i title with too little attention: Zenith
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I'm sure I remember seeing radarsoft on Amiga related products but could never place my finger on what they worked upon precisely!!
This Blog puts it more in context for me, nice one Bas. Any hint as to what the Bumper and introduction looked like in the original prototyped version? I'm guessing that the on-line content would have involved additional maps for the levels design much like Ram Raid.
This Blog puts it more in context for me, nice one Bas. Any hint as to what the Bumper and introduction looked like in the original prototyped version? I'm guessing that the on-line content would have involved additional maps for the levels design much like Ram Raid.
Sol Cutter: "I don't think you've acquired the marketed range!"
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Bas
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as far as i know there was no development in any form of online play, this was concepted at its best. The zenith bumper is smoothened in the demo video of 1996, a thing you don't see anymore in the actual game. you know how the philips bumper looked like... Moreover, this was pure trickery as a base case title could never handle this animation. plus it should have included some 'demo footage of the engine from different perspectives'. i don't know how to picture that actually, i'm afraid we'll never know. There was no back-up content left!
An interesting point on the development cycle as well Bas. Doing all the investigative work extracting information from the disc itself especially with the 1996 - 1997 releases the stated copyright issue tends to predate the actual launch on the game sometimes by a whole two years. I find it hard to imagine a good reason to hold off on the launch for a title seeing as whoever developed it were obviously already comitted to a release. Still the Games Industry has always been a strange beast!!
One last point on Zenith, was it just me or is it hard to figure out how to actually start the damned game in the first place!! I was clicking all over the screen before finding the correct method.
One last point on Zenith, was it just me or is it hard to figure out how to actually start the damned game in the first place!! I was clicking all over the screen before finding the correct method.
Sol Cutter: "I don't think you've acquired the marketed range!"
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Bas
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Enjoy the new February Edition here
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This time is actually a filler in favor for next month. However, read between the lines and details are all over the place...
(Press Ctrl+F5 if the old one is cached in your memory)
This time is actually a filler in favor for next month. However, read between the lines and details are all over the place...
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Bas
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Enjoy the new March Edition here
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A long in the running story this time about Nintendo which is actually far from complete but regarding the many perspectives and hard-to-get sources from first hand it's a go-go with probably lots of updates to watch for.
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A long in the running story this time about Nintendo which is actually far from complete but regarding the many perspectives and hard-to-get sources from first hand it's a go-go with probably lots of updates to watch for.
Well, that was a bloody good read! Thanks Bas, a Nintendo CD-i License story that actually makes sense. Very informative.
Outside of the Nintendo license I found your suggestion at a fee applied for the use of compact disc technolgy very interesting. We all know Nintendo were very protective over the cartridge technology because it gave them a financial edge that developers had to buy them from Nintendo. Even the hint that this control could be tugged away from them must have been terrifying from a business perspective. I suspect this has ramifications even for the decision to stick with cartridge based media through to the N64! Like you state, current views on the SNES-CD story are very superficial.
Hope you dig up more concerning Mario Takes America, facinating story!
Outside of the Nintendo license I found your suggestion at a fee applied for the use of compact disc technolgy very interesting. We all know Nintendo were very protective over the cartridge technology because it gave them a financial edge that developers had to buy them from Nintendo. Even the hint that this control could be tugged away from them must have been terrifying from a business perspective. I suspect this has ramifications even for the decision to stick with cartridge based media through to the N64! Like you state, current views on the SNES-CD story are very superficial.
Hope you dig up more concerning Mario Takes America, facinating story!
Sol Cutter: "I don't think you've acquired the marketed range!"
Very nice read, thank you very much.
But why'd you link the Odyssey link to Odyssey 2 (Videopac). Bit confusing, I would prefer a link to here:
http://www.pong-story.com/odyssey.htm#P9
with permission to David Winter, of course.
But why'd you link the Odyssey link to Odyssey 2 (Videopac). Bit confusing, I would prefer a link to here:
http://www.pong-story.com/odyssey.htm#P9
with permission to David Winter, of course.
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Bas
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The Odyssey and the Odyssey2 are just the same (as far as i know). IIRC the Odyssey was introduced in Brazil, and known as the Odyssey2 in the USA. The same console was dubbed into Videopac when it was introduced in Europe, again to avoid patent violation. (The Videopac is branded by the parent company, Philips, while the Odyssey is a "magnavox" product)
The difference you'll find in the output signal: The videopac is a PAL system, the Odyssey is a NTSC system. The reason why Odyssey is called Odyssey2 is because before the game console they had
a pong-like videogame called "The Odyssey". As the game was never released in Brazil, the console was named just Odyssey in Brazil, and the US got the name Odyssey2. My reference is meant to the console system only, being Odyssey, Odyssey2 and Videopac.
[edit]Thomas, now I understand what you think is confusing. The reason I referred to the Oddyssey era was to state the importance of the patent library, but I notice the different models of the Odyssey with the first one briefly named 'Odyssey' and the cartridge based follow-up 'Odyssey2' in the US at least. Ofcourse the whole entering of the game business by Magnavox is significant enough for being involved in the story. I receive more information about the Magnavox history every day now, I'll hope to update the text soon and replace the link you prefer, no problem.
The difference you'll find in the output signal: The videopac is a PAL system, the Odyssey is a NTSC system. The reason why Odyssey is called Odyssey2 is because before the game console they had
a pong-like videogame called "The Odyssey". As the game was never released in Brazil, the console was named just Odyssey in Brazil, and the US got the name Odyssey2. My reference is meant to the console system only, being Odyssey, Odyssey2 and Videopac.
[edit]Thomas, now I understand what you think is confusing. The reason I referred to the Oddyssey era was to state the importance of the patent library, but I notice the different models of the Odyssey with the first one briefly named 'Odyssey' and the cartridge based follow-up 'Odyssey2' in the US at least. Ofcourse the whole entering of the game business by Magnavox is significant enough for being involved in the story. I receive more information about the Magnavox history every day now, I'll hope to update the text soon and replace the link you prefer, no problem.
Last edited by Bas on Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:58 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Bas
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To add, you can find out some patents of the Philips library here: Magnavox proved that consoles for the home could be designed. Magnavox also won a court case against Nolan Bushnell for patent infringement in Bushnell's design of Pong, as it resembled the tennis game for the Odyssey.
The Odyssey was successful enough to support an add-on peripheral, the first-ever commercial "light gun" called the Shooting Gallery. This detected light from the TV screen, however pointing the gun at a nearby light bulb also registered as a "hit".
IIRC they sold the concept of this light gun, losing the copyright. This is again a hint of why the Peacekeeper is using another technique.
another one, perhaps way more interesting:
Ralph H. Baer (born 1922) is a German-born American inventor, noted for his many contributions to games and the video game industry. In 2005, he was named a recipient of the National Medal of Technology. He invented the home console for video games. Baer is best known for leading the development of the first home video game console with the Brown Box. He sold his idea to Magnavox who came out with the Magnavox Odyssey, which was introduced in 1972. Baer, who has a background in television work, developed the system in 1966 for the defense-electronics company Sanders Associates in Nashua, New Hampshire (now part of BAE Systems). It was licensed to Magnavox and for a time was Sanders' most profitable line, even though many in the company looked down on game development.
The Odyssey was successful enough to support an add-on peripheral, the first-ever commercial "light gun" called the Shooting Gallery. This detected light from the TV screen, however pointing the gun at a nearby light bulb also registered as a "hit".
IIRC they sold the concept of this light gun, losing the copyright. This is again a hint of why the Peacekeeper is using another technique.
another one, perhaps way more interesting:
Ralph H. Baer (born 1922) is a German-born American inventor, noted for his many contributions to games and the video game industry. In 2005, he was named a recipient of the National Medal of Technology. He invented the home console for video games. Baer is best known for leading the development of the first home video game console with the Brown Box. He sold his idea to Magnavox who came out with the Magnavox Odyssey, which was introduced in 1972. Baer, who has a background in television work, developed the system in 1966 for the defense-electronics company Sanders Associates in Nashua, New Hampshire (now part of BAE Systems). It was licensed to Magnavox and for a time was Sanders' most profitable line, even though many in the company looked down on game development.
Last edited by Bas on Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bas
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More interesting about the original Odyssey:
The Magnavox Odyssey is the first home video game console, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years. The Odyssey was designed by Ralph Baer, who had a working prototype finished by 1968. This prototype is affectionately known as the "Brown Box" to classic video game hobbyists. Unlike most video game consoles, the Odyssey is analog rather than digital, which makes its invention all the more amazing in spite of its rather crude graphics and controller responsiveness. Also, unlike any conventional console today, this system was powered by batteries. The Odyssey and its variants (excluding the Odyssey²) also lack sound capability (hence a silent console), which was not uncommon in early Pong systems of that era.
The Odyssey used a type of removable circuit card that inserted into a slot similar to a cartridge slot; these did not contain any components but had a series of jumpers between pins of the card connector. These jumpers interconnected different analog signal generators to produce the screen output. The system also came with plastic overlays that gamers could put on their TV screen to simulate color graphics, though only two TV sizes were supported. Some of these overlays could even be used with the same cartridges, though with different rules for playing. It also came with plastic game tokens and score sheets to help keep score, much like traditional board games.
The Odyssey was released in May 1972. While it did not perform badly, it did not take long before it succumbed to poor marketing by Magnavox retail chains. One of their mistakes was misleading consumers into believing that the Odyssey would work only on Magnavox televisions.
Ralph Baer went on to invent the classic electronic game Simon for Mattel in 1978, which became the most popular electronic handheld of all time. Magnavox later released several other pong-like consoles based on the name Odyssey (which did not use cartridges or game cards), and at one point a truly programmable, cartridge based console, the Odyssey², in 1978.
The Magnavox Odyssey is the first home video game console, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years. The Odyssey was designed by Ralph Baer, who had a working prototype finished by 1968. This prototype is affectionately known as the "Brown Box" to classic video game hobbyists. Unlike most video game consoles, the Odyssey is analog rather than digital, which makes its invention all the more amazing in spite of its rather crude graphics and controller responsiveness. Also, unlike any conventional console today, this system was powered by batteries. The Odyssey and its variants (excluding the Odyssey²) also lack sound capability (hence a silent console), which was not uncommon in early Pong systems of that era.
The Odyssey used a type of removable circuit card that inserted into a slot similar to a cartridge slot; these did not contain any components but had a series of jumpers between pins of the card connector. These jumpers interconnected different analog signal generators to produce the screen output. The system also came with plastic overlays that gamers could put on their TV screen to simulate color graphics, though only two TV sizes were supported. Some of these overlays could even be used with the same cartridges, though with different rules for playing. It also came with plastic game tokens and score sheets to help keep score, much like traditional board games.
The Odyssey was released in May 1972. While it did not perform badly, it did not take long before it succumbed to poor marketing by Magnavox retail chains. One of their mistakes was misleading consumers into believing that the Odyssey would work only on Magnavox televisions.
Ralph Baer went on to invent the classic electronic game Simon for Mattel in 1978, which became the most popular electronic handheld of all time. Magnavox later released several other pong-like consoles based on the name Odyssey (which did not use cartridges or game cards), and at one point a truly programmable, cartridge based console, the Odyssey², in 1978.
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Bas
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Something else that might be of high interest is the fact that Nintendo's first venture in the console world was selling the Magnavox Odyssey in Japan, before the company introduced its own consoles.
OK, now you understand why the story wasn't finished. As I may receive more interesting notes about the whole situation, I'll update the column to make it as complete as I can. To this end these notes are uploaded to the Black Moon Monthly...
[edit]: Updated
Maybe a more appropiate name for the column would be "The importance of Magnavox in the Philips CD-i era".
Although, Nintendo is such an attractive title
OK, now you understand why the story wasn't finished. As I may receive more interesting notes about the whole situation, I'll update the column to make it as complete as I can. To this end these notes are uploaded to the Black Moon Monthly...
[edit]: Updated
Maybe a more appropiate name for the column would be "The importance of Magnavox in the Philips CD-i era".
Although, Nintendo is such an attractive title
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Bas
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A real expert, I take it 
With the Odyssey2 being called the Odyssey below the equator, it's just a matter of insight... I don't see a mistake, yet I understand the possible confusement.
It's a fascinating story nonetheless. Especially how the link between the Odyssey and CD-i seems to be totally forgotten!
With the Odyssey2 being called the Odyssey below the equator, it's just a matter of insight... I don't see a mistake, yet I understand the possible confusement.
It's a fascinating story nonetheless. Especially how the link between the Odyssey and CD-i seems to be totally forgotten!