Darran@Retro GamerPosted January 13, 2006SharePosted January 13, 2006 sorry about the rubbish first post. I can't find the info anywhere also, does anyone know how much the 2600 was when it was first released in the UK? Cheers guys QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
jaybird3rdPosted January 13, 2006SharePosted January 13, 2006 Darran@Retro Gamer said:sorry about the rubbish first post. I can't find the info anywhere also, does anyone know how much the 2600 was when it was first released in the UK? Cheers guys 999756[/snapback]I can answer your first question at least. Ms. Pac-Man for the 2600 was developed by a Boston company called General Computer Corporation, which also developed several other home console and computer titles for Atari in the mid-1980s (as well as the Atari 7800 ProSystem). Incidentally, GCC also developed a modification kit for the original Pac-Man, which was bought by Namco and eventually became the Ms. Pac-Man coin-op.QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
Curt VendelPosted January 13, 2006SharePosted January 13, 2006 Here, this should help, this is the list of what games were written by whom at GCC for Atari: 2600 Ms. Pac Man - Mike Horowitz and Josh Littlefield Phoenix - Mike Feinstein and John Mracek Vanguard - Dave Payne Galaxian - Glen Parker and Tom Calderwood (I think) Jungle Hunt - Mike Feinstein and John Allred Battlezone - Mike Feinstein and ?? (I don't remember his name, but he was very smart!) Joust - Mike Feinstein and Kevin Osborn Track and Field - Seth Lipkin and ?? Jr. Pac Man - Ava-Robin Cohen and ?? Pole Position - Betty Ryan Tylko and Doug Macrae (I think) 7800 Pole Position II - Doug Macrae and ?? Desert Falcon - Mike Feinstein, Bob Kukura, and John Mracek Food Fight - Jonathan Hurd (he designed the arcade game, too) Galaga - Dave Krall worked on this, but I don't remember who else Centipede - I think Dave Payne worked on this Dig Dug - Noeli Alito and Ava-Robin Cohen (I think) Xevious - Wookie (I don't remember his real name) Robotron 2084 - Carlos Smith Ms. Pac Man - Mike Horowitz and Josh Littlefield Ball Blazer - Dave Payne This was a list sent to me by Michael FeinStein, former GCC programmer. Curt jaybird3rd said: Darran@Retro Gamer said:sorry about the rubbish first post. I can't find the info anywhere also, does anyone know how much the 2600 was when it was first released in the UK? Cheers guys 999756[/snapback]I can answer your first question at least. Ms. Pac-Man for the 2600 was developed by a Boston company called General Computer Corporation, which also developed several other home console and computer titles for Atari in the mid-1980s (as well as the Atari 7800 ProSystem). Incidentally, GCC also developed a modification kit for the original Pac-Man, which was bought by Namco and eventually became the Ms. Pac-Man coin-op.999775[/snapback]QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
jaybird3rdPosted January 13, 2006SharePosted January 13, 2006 Curt Vendel said:Here, this should help, this is the list of what games were written by whom at GCC for Atari:Thanks for posting that list! I hadn't seen some of those names before and it's nice to see them get the credit they deserve; everyone says 2600 Ms. Pac-Man is one of the best ports of Ms. Pac-Man but nobody ever knows the names of the developers (until now!)QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
raskar42Posted January 13, 2006SharePosted January 13, 2006 GC was not affiliated with namco, the publisher of pac-man. They were a group of students who had some game machines that no one wanted to play, so they decided to mod them. They were sued by Atari for moding their missle command machine, but since they didn't copy or pirate any of the code, the case was settled and they became a developer for Atari.QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
CybergothPosted January 13, 2006SharePosted January 13, 2006 Hi there! Whoah! This is the info I've been waiting for several years now! Finally I can add some names to my GCC worship shrine! Greetings,ManuelQuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
liveinabinPosted January 13, 2006SharePosted January 13, 2006 To answer the second question, I believe (although I can't find my source) that the VCS was released in UK in 1978 at a price of £249. Accounting for inflation, that'd be £854 today!! Little wonder that the 2600 wasn't as popular in UK as US QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
Rom HunterPosted January 13, 2006SharePosted January 13, 2006 (edited) Curt Vendel said:Track and Field - Seth Lipkin and ??Track and Field - Seth Lipkin and Jaques Hugon Edited January 13, 2006 by Rom HunterQuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
+SpiceWarePosted January 13, 2006SharePosted January 13, 2006 It was expensive here too, $249 in 1977, or about $776* today. * I used the CPI from here http://eh.net/hmit/compare/QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
DEBROPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 (edited) Curt Vendel said:2600 Ms. Pac Man - Mike Horowitz and Josh LittlefieldI thought this was programmed by more than 1 person. Thanks for the info Curt.Edited January 14, 2006 by DEBROQuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
jaybird3rdPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 That information probably needs to go into the AtariAge database at some point. I just did a quick search, and found that the programmers of Vanguard, Ms. Pac-Man, and Jr. Pac-Man (three of my favorites from GCC's 2600 list) are uncredited.QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
FamicomanPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 I think its funny how the origional Pac-Man sequal was to have a character with legs. The mod kits were also usually acceleraters.QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
Big PlayerPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 Curt Vendel said:Here, this should help, this is the list of what games were written by whom at GCC for Atari: 2600 Ms. Pac Man - Mike Horowitz and Josh Littlefield Phoenix - Mike Feinstein and John Mracek Vanguard - Dave Payne Galaxian - Glen Parker and Tom Calderwood (I think) Jungle Hunt - Mike Feinstein and John Allred Battlezone - Mike Feinstein and ?? (I don't remember his name, but he was very smart!) Joust - Mike Feinstein and Kevin Osborn Track and Field - Seth Lipkin and ?? Jr. Pac Man - Ava-Robin Cohen and ?? Pole Position - Betty Ryan Tylko and Doug Macrae (I think) 7800 Pole Position II - Doug Macrae and ?? Desert Falcon - Mike Feinstein, Bob Kukura, and John Mracek Food Fight - Jonathan Hurd (he designed the arcade game, too) Galaga - Dave Krall worked on this, but I don't remember who else Centipede - I think Dave Payne worked on this Dig Dug - Noeli Alito and Ava-Robin Cohen (I think) Xevious - Wookie (I don't remember his real name) Robotron 2084 - Carlos Smith Ms. Pac Man - Mike Horowitz and Josh Littlefield Ball Blazer - Dave Payne This was a list sent to me by Michael FeinStein, former GCC programmer. Curt That is a list of some damn good games. I had no idea GCC made so many of the good 2600 ports. And I know this is the 2600 forum, but Food Fight and Robotron for the 7800 are gold.QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
SaytonPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 Wow! Lots of info there. Need to document that! Anyways, I've got to say Ms. Pac-Man is a very fun game on the 2600. I do prefer the 7800 to the 2600, but I still have love for the 2600 version.QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
ZylonBanePosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 Famicoman said:I think its funny how the origional Pac-Man sequal was to have a character with legs.Beg pardon?QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
jaybird3rdPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 (edited) Sayton said:Wow! Lots of info there. Need to document that! Anyways, I've got to say Ms. Pac-Man is a very fun game on the 2600. I do prefer the 7800 to the 2600, but I still have love for the 2600 version.1000054[/snapback]There used to be a Ms. Pac-Man coin-op in an arcade near me, and although I was disappointed when it was taken out, I don't miss it anymore now that I have Ms. Pac-Man on the 7800. To me, that is the very best version of the game for a home system: it's GCC's game, running on GCC's hardware, and to me it's as good as you can get outside of MAME. The 2600 version would never be mistaken for the coin-op, of course, but it's a terrific game in its own right and light-years ahead of the original 2600 Pac-Man.Edited January 14, 2006 by jaybird3rdQuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
jaybird3rdPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 ZylonBane said: Famicoman said:I think its funny how the origional Pac-Man sequal was to have a character with legs.Beg pardon?1000058[/snapback]He's referring to the original Crazy Otto kit for Pac-Man by GCC, in which Pac-Man was changed into a character with legs and the "ghosts" had little antennae. With Crazy Otto, GCC added the concepts of the different mazes and the bonuses that wandered about the maze and other gameplay changes that they added to make Pac-Man more interesting. This was before the game went to Namco, at which time the graphics were reworked and the game became Ms. Pac-Man.QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
AlbertPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 jaybird3rd said:That information probably needs to go into the AtariAge database at some point. I just did a quick search, and found that the programmers of Vanguard, Ms. Pac-Man, and Jr. Pac-Man (three of my favorites from GCC's 2600 list) are uncredited.999980[/snapback]Yes, I agree, and will update those entries. ..AlQuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
MayhemPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 SpiceWare said:It was expensive here too, $249 in 1977, or about $776* today. The VCS launched at $199.99 apparently, not $249.99, despite lots of places quoting that figure. As for the UK, I found some research that shows it was £169 at launch, but I've already passed that onto Darran...QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
ZylonBanePosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 jaybird3rd said: ZylonBane said: Famicoman said:I think its funny how the origional Pac-Man sequal was to have a character with legs.Beg pardon?1000058[/snapback]He's referring to the original Crazy Otto kit for Pac-Man by GCCYeah, I'm familiar with Crazy Otto. Famicoman made it sound like it was somehow official (which it couldn't have been farther from).QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
NovaXpressPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 (edited)So were any of these guys involved with GCC's arcade endeavors as well? I did love Quantum. What's the rest of the list: Otto, Food Fight and the Missile Command tweak? Only 500 Quantums were made? I knew of two arcades that had one.Edited January 14, 2006 by NovaXpressQuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
DEBROPosted January 14, 2006SharePosted January 14, 2006 Curt Vendel said:Galaxian - Glen Parker and Tom Calderwood (I think)Could they have done Centipede too? There are unused Galaxian graphics in the ROM.QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
RaiuPosted January 16, 2006SharePosted January 16, 2006 Namco had nothing to do with Ms. Pac-Man (or Jr. Pac-Man, or Pac-Man Plus, or Baby Pac-Man). GCC showed their Crazy Otto design to Midway to stave off a lawsuit like Atari hit them with, and it was Midway who said "Instead of a hack, why not make us a sequel?", and so they had GCC turn Crazy Otto into Ms. Pac-man. Namco had no idea any of this was happening. GCC also hacked Pac-man into Jr. Pac-Man, but they were not a part of Baby Pac-Man. (And GCC sued Midway for using their idea of a "Pac-Man family" without them). Midway and GCC eventually gave/sold all the Pac-hacks to Namco to prevent still more lawsuits, but Midway's unauthorized sequels were the main reason for Namco and Midway breaking off relations. It was a lawsuit-happy time. So GCC made both the arcade Ms. Pac-Man and the Atari 2600 port - that might be why the game is so true to the arcade (within Atari 2600 limitations, of course) -DS-QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
Darran@Retro GamerPosted January 16, 2006AuthorSharePosted January 16, 2006 Did Mike and Josh make anything else after Ms Pac-Man?> I've looked around but can't find anything...QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
TempestPosted January 31, 2006SharePosted January 31, 2006 Really? That's very odd. I guess they must have used Galaxian as the code base for Centipede. I can't think of any other reason it would have the graphics in it. Tempest DEBRO said: Curt Vendel said:Galaxian - Glen Parker and Tom Calderwood (I think)Could they have done Centipede too? There are unused Galaxian graphics in the ROM.1000310[/snapback]QuoteLink to commentShare on other sitesMore sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.