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This would have been Ted Dabney (not Al Acorn, who entered the scene to do Pong). However, that you could have a simple pattern generator with segments that mov
by masswerk 4y ago
This would have been Ted Dabney (not Al Acorn, who entered the scene to do Pong). However, that you could have a simple pattern generator with segments that moved relative to the rest (by so-called slip chains, which counted relative to main counter chains determining the position of the cathode beam on the screen), the sprites, seems to have been Bushnell's insight. But he did ask Debney, if it could be done digitally. Bushnell did serious engineering, this was not Jobs & Woz. And, BTW, there was no software, this was pure, digital hardware only.
Some statements on the matter by Ted Dabney:
> The “slip counter” as he calls it was a joint venture between us. I breadboarded it and controlled it with toggle switches but Nolan engineered it into the game so it could be controlled digitally.
> [Bushnell] converted a bedroom as a lab and developed a prototype of the game that was later sold as Computer Space.
- masswerk 4y agoP.S.: If interested in how it was done, I once did a writeup on the matter [1] based on a great textbook on early video game logic by William Arkush [2]. Also, don't miss Ed Fries' entertaining tale of how he repaired his specimen of Computer Space [3]. [1] https://www.masswerk.at/rc2017/04/02.html https://www.masswerk.at/rc2017/04/02.html [2] "The Textbook of Video Game Logic; Volume 1" by Arkush, William, Kush N' Stuff Amusement Electronics, Inc., Campbell, CA, 1976: http://www.tokensonly.com/images/resources/manuals/video-game-logic-textbook-vol-one.pdf http://www.tokensonly.com/images/resources/manuals/video-gam... [3] https://edfries.wordpress.com/2015/03/13/fixing-computer-space-3/ https://edfries.wordpress.com/2015/03/13/fixing-computer-spa...
- gumby 4y agoThanks. I forgot about Dabney.