Bally/Astrocade Game Cartridge and Hardware FAQ -------------------------------------- Written by Paul Thacker, Adam Trionfo and Mike White Version 1.84 August 8, 2019 Contents: --------- Prefix i) About This FAQ Astrocade FAQ 1) Released Cartridges 2) Homebrew Cartridges 3) Prototypes 4) Hardware 5) Rumors 6) Cartridge Title Notes - Arcade game cross-reference list - Historical notes and/or questions Appendix A) Changes/Updates B) What Needs to be Added or Updated C) Permission to Copy Cartridges D) Closing --------------------------------------------------------------------------- i) Prefix - About This FAQ ----------------------- Using the Astrocade newsletters and over twenty years of experience with the Astrocade, Michael White, over the summer of 2001, created a comprehensive list of cartridges. The listing was a printout, the original file having been written on an actual Astrocade using a word processor. Adam Trionfo and Mike worked together on this reorganization of the listing, making this information available via the seventh edition of the Digital Press Collector's Guide in 2002. In June of 2003 this information has been made available via this FAQ so that anyone with a curiosity about the Bally Astrocade can find out more about it. 1) Released Cartridges ------------------- 280 Zzzap / Dodgem Bally Mfg. Corp. Action/Skills Series #2001 2K cart 1978. Based on the 1976 Midway "Datsun 280 Zzzap" coin-op. Written by Jay Fenton. Amazin' Maze / Tic-Tac-Toe Bally Mfg. Corp. Strategy Series #5001 2K cart 1979. This is a port of coin-op The Amazing Maze Game (Bally/Midway, 1976). According to the Bally version of the manual, this game was programmed by Bill Jahnke. Artillery Duel Astrocade Inc. Action/Skills Series #5005 4K cart 1982. Although part of the 5000 Strategy Series, this cart is labeled as an "Action / Skills Series" game. The label on the Astrocade, Inc. release is misspelled as "Artillary Duel," but the menu has the correct spelling for the game. Astro Battle Bally Mfg. Corp. Action/Skills Series #2009 4K cart 1979. This title is the same game as Space Invaders, only the title has been changed. The title change may have occurred BEFORE the acquisition by Astrovision, Inc. Astrocade Pinball Astrovision Inc. Sports Series #3005 4K cart 1981. A less common label variation of "Bally Pin". On all carts checked, the menu title wasn't changed. This was probably changed when Astrocade Inc.'s rights to use the Bally name expired. Written by Bob Ogdon and Scot L. Norris. Bally BASIC Bally Mfg. Corp. Functional Series #6002 4K cart 1978. This first version of Bally BASIC did NOT include the 300 tape interface to save and load programs; the tape interface had to be purchased separately. This cartridge is often just referred to as BASIC. Written by Jay Fenton. Bally BASIC (w/ interface) Astrovision Inc. Functional Series #6004 4K cart 1981. This updated version of the Bally BASIC cartridge is notably set apart from the original because it has a built-in 2000 baud interface that connects to a standard cassette recorder; there are also some additional commands added for the programmer. It's visually different from the original release as well. This cartridge was packaged with some Astrocade consoles (these consoles were designated as Arcade Plus). Astrocade, Inc. manufactured the later releases of this. Written by Jay Fenton. Bally BASIC Demo Bally Mfg. Corp. Functional Series 8K cart 1978. This cartridge has a small (about 6") chain attached to the top-front. This cartridge was made in limited quantities and only distributed to dealers, as was also done with the Dealer Demo cartridge. This 8K cartridge ( a rarity in the old days) is very hard to find, but has appeared on eBay. The first 4K is a "crippled" version of Bally BASIC that doesn't have access to the keypad or hand controllers- except #3: all the inputs are disabled. The remaining 4K of the cartridge is a program written in BASIC! This was in 1978, EIGHT YEARS before Basicarts appeared! This cartridge may have sometimes been accompanied by a 300 Baud Demo Interface. This cartridge might be #6003 (it fits there), but there is no proof of this part number assignment. (Arcadian vol.1 pg.46) Bally Pin Bally Mfg. Corp. Action/Skill Series #2007 4K cart 1979. AKA Astrocade Pinball. Written by Bob Ogdon and Scot L. Norris. BioRhythm Astrovision Inc. Educational Series #4004 4K cart 1981. Written by Curt Rostenbach. Black Jack / Poker / Acey-Deucey Bally Mfg. Corp. Strategy Series #5002 4K cart 1979. Written by Mason and finished by Rickey Spiece. Blast Droids Esoterica 4K cart 1983. The cartridge reads "Spectrecade (tm) Presents: Blast Droids," but Spectrecade had nothing to do with this game. Esoterica, Inc. previously manufactured "Treasure Cove" (a Spectrecade game). Somehow that name ended up on this cartridge's label. It's a mistake. Written by Dan Drescher, and J.P. Curran. Blue Ram BASIC 1.1 Perkins Eng. 8K cart 1981. This cartridge requires at least 4K of expanded memory, such as Blue Ram, Viper or the 64K RAM board (homebrew memory boards work well too). Version 1.0 was released on cartridge too, but this version replaced it. Written by Jay Fenton and John Perkins. Clowns / Brickyard Bally Mfg. Corp. Action/Skills Series #2004 4K cart 1978. Written by Bob Ogdon. Cosmic Raiders Astrocade Inc. Action/Skills Series #2019 8K cart 1983. Written by Bob Ogdon, Scot L. Norris, Julie Malan, and Lisa Natting Dealer Demo Bally Mfg. Corp. Functional Series #6001 4K cart 1978. This cartridge was not sold to the general public and was only produced in limited quantities. The only public sales began in 1983 and came from ABC Hobbycraft (who acquired Astrocade's remaining inventory). The cartridge runs about four minutes (continuous loop) and features the "built in" software of the Bally console. Written by Dick Ainsworth. (Arcadian vol.4 pg.11,44,84,124, vol.5 pg.97,115,123,139, vol.6 pg.5,27,34,35,44,45,63,71, Niagara Bug Bulletin vol.1 pg.17, vol.2 pg.3) Dogpatch Bally Mfg. Corp. Action/Skills Series #2010 2K cart 1980. This was the last Bally release. (Cursor Page 57) Elementary Math / Bingo Math Bally Mfg. Corp. Educational Series #4001 2K cart 1978. Listed as "Speed Math / Bingo Math" in their catalog, but released with this name. Dick Ainsworth designed this program. He says, "I've forgotten which programmer I worked with in implementing my design for this cartridge. It was probably Jay [Fenton,] but I'm not sure." Football Bally Mfg. Corp. Sports Series #3002 4K cart 1978. Written by Bob Ogdon and Rickey Spiece. Galactic Invasion Astrovision Inc. Action/Skills Series #2011 4K cart 1981. First cart released by Astrovision. Also known as Galaxian. (Cursor pg.73, Arcadian vol.3 pg.121) Written by Bill Adams. Galaxian Astrovision Inc. Action/Skills Series #2011 4K cart 1981. This is the original name of 'Galactic Invasion.' Besides the name change on the label (and menu), there seem to be some differences between these ROMs (though the game looks and plays the same). Written by Bill Adams. Grand Prix Astrovision Inc. Action/Skills Series #2014 4K cart 1981. Label variation of "Grand Prix/Demolition Derby." The game "Demolition Derby" is on the cartridge; it is choice four on the menu. Written by Bob Ogdon, Rickey Spiece, and Scot L. Norris. Grand Prix / Demolition Derby Astrocade Inc. Action/Skills Series #2014 4K cart 1981. Label variation of "Grand Prix." Written by Bob Ogdon, Rickey Spiece, and Scot L. Norris. Gunfight / Checkmate / Calculator / Scribbling Bally Mfg. Corp. System ROM 8K ROM 1977. "Checkmate" is based on the 1977 Midway coin-op. These four programs are built into all Bally Professional Arcade and Astrocade systems; they are part of the 8K System ROM. The approximate size of these games are: Gunfight (2064 bytes), Checkmate (1201 bytes), Calculator (771 bytes), and Scribbling (522 bytes). The rest of the ROM (about the first 3.6K) contains built-in subroutines (shared by the on-board games and for use by other cartridges), and the character-set. Also, on startup, the System ROM sets the system into "Consumer Mode" (screen resolution of 160x102 - the ONLY mode available on an unmodified 4K Astrocade), then either a cart can take control of the system or the menu is displayed. I.C.B.M. Attack Spectre Systems. 4K cart 1982. This cartridge was released into the public domain in 2001 by Brett Bilbrey, Mike Toth and Marian Nalepa (Spectre Systems). "I.C.B.M. Attack" requires a special hand controller to play - it can not be played without it. In 1985 Marian Nalepa said that only about 125 of these cartridges were released because of the difficulty of hand-assembling the controller. Paul Thacker was given access to recordings from BASIC cassettes in Brett Bilbrey's tape collection (the programmer of the game). "I found that some of the recordings labeled ICBM Attack would process, but wouldn't load correctly into AstroBASIC using :INPUT. But then I tried loading them with :RUN, and voila, up pops ICBM Attack. Actually, it's more a demo of ICBM Attack." A ship flies around the screen, and you control a cursor using The special controller. You can fire from various ground defenses. This creates an explosion at the spot of the cursor, but as far as I can tell you can't destroy the ship. Sometimes there will be an extra, unmovable cursor or two. Obviously it's a bit glitchy. I found two different versions. In one, the ship moves pretty slowly. In the other, the ship moves extremely fast." (Paul Tacker, Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #3024). Paul adds "Also, after I posted that, I found an even earlier demo for Bally BASIC." Designed by Brett Bilbrey. Sound by Marion Nelepa. Incredible Wizard, The Astrocade Inc. Action / Skills Series #2017 8K cart. 1982. Written by Scot L. Noris, Thomas McHugh, and Julie Malan. Letter Match / Spell 'n Score / Crosswords Bally Mfg. Corp. Educational Series #4002 4K cart 1978. Machine Language Manager Bit Fiddlers 2K cart 1982. This cartridge, which included an overlay, provides an "easy" way to program the Astrocade in machine language. Though not a Z-80 assembler, MLM does simplify the entry of hex code (which otherwise must be entered using decimal via BASIC. Also, the keypad layout does not require the use of the key-shifts, so typing is faster). Programs can be saved via the Bally BASIC 300-baud interface (later, subroutines were written that allowed the 2000 baud version of Bally BASIC (#6004) to be swapped out for tape saving). "Machine Language Manager" does NOT have a built-in cassette interface. Written by Andy Guevara Mazeman Self-Published 4K cart 1984. The programmer of this cartridge wanted to remain anonymous for fear of legal troubles. Ms. Candyman L&M Software 4K cart 1983. Written by Andy Guevara Muncher Unknown 8K cart 1983. This game is sometimes considered the rarest of all the Astrocade cartridges, but that is NOT true, it had a much wider distribution than any other third- party cartridge (probably because it was, well, "Pac-Man"). Not all "Muncher" carts say "Muncher" on the label, and therefore many people mistake their cartridge for a prototype. The cartridge label can read as either, "Test Programme," or "Demo". The sixth edition of the DP Guide credits Esoterica with releasing this game. See the description of the prototype "Pac-Man" for more information on this complicated title. Panzer Attack / Red Baron Bally Mfg. Corp. Action / Skills Series #2003 4K cart 1978. Although Midway Manufacturing did have a "Panzer Attack" coin-op, it was an Electro/Mechanical game, so this cart is based on the Atari/Kee "Tank" game, but the Panzer name was recycled. Written by Rickey Spiece. Pirate's Chase Astrocade Inc. Action / Skills Series #2015 4K cart 1982. Written by Bill Adams. Sea Devil L&M Software 4K cart 1983. Written by Andy Guevara. Sea Wolf / Bombardier Bally Mfg. Corp. Action / Skills Series #2002 2K cart 1977. "Sea Wolf / Bombardier" is a second-run label of the first-run "Sea Wolf / Missile" label. The cartridge still says 'Missile' on the menu. The "Missile" name continued to be used on Astrovision packaging, and the game is based on "Missile X / Guided Missile" by Taito / Midway." Written by Rickey Spiece. Seawolf / Missile Bally Mfg. Corp. Action / Skills Series #2002 2K cart 1977. Written by Rickey Spiece. Sneaky Snake New Image 4K cart 1983. This cartridge was released on September 24, 1983 at the Astrobash. Some versions of this cartridge have the label glued (or taped) over an original Bally MFG. CORP. label (since "Sneaky Snake" used salvaged cartridge cases). Peggy Gladdon drew the label's artwork. Two different ROMs exist, one much larger than the other, but no difference can be seen between them. Written by Dave Ibach using the General Video Assembler. (Interview with Dave Ibach) Solar Conqueror Astrocade Inc. Action / Skills Series #2018 8K cart 1983. This game was called "Solar Quest" in some references in Astrocade newsletters. Written by Scot L. Noris, Thomas McHugh, and Julie Malan. Space Fortress Astrovision Inc. Action / Skills Series #2012 4K cart 1981. Space Invaders Bally Mfg. Corp. Action/Skills Series #2009 4K cart 1979. Later known as "Astro Battle." This cartridge has part numbers 2006, 2008 and 2009. Part number 2009 is used here for this listing. Written by Bob Ogdon. Star Battle Bally Mfg. Corp. Action/Skills Series #2005 2K cart 1979. Tornado Baseball / Tennis / Hockey / Handball Bally Mfg. Corp. Sports Series. #3001 4K cart 1978. Treasure Cove Esoterica (C)Spectre Systems 8K cart 1983. This cartridge was released into the public domain in 2001 by Brett Bilbrey, Mike Toth and Marian Nalepa (Spectre Systems). Written by Brett Bilbrey. Sound by Marion Nelepa. 2) Homebrew Cartridges ------------------- Life New Image 2K cart 1985. Mike White made fifteen of these, but Richard C. Degler did distribute some of these cartridges himself as well. Written by Richard C. Degler. Multicart - 72-in-1 Multicart / 128-in-1 Multicart (RetroKidz) 8-bit Domain 2006. At least two versions of this multi-cart were produced. No version actually had 128 games, but it was set up for later expansion. Multicart - Multi-Cart (CPUWIZ) Self-Published 2004. Includes 63 games. Multicart - Multi-Cart (Ward Shrake) Self-Published 2001. Created in the summer of 2001, this cartridge uses dip-switches to select games. Nearly all of the games that are in this Astrocade listing are available, plus some others that are not listed (because they are BASICarts). Ward says: "Every cart is 100% made by hand, circuit boards and all. Each cart takes between 10 - 12 hours of hand labor to complete. Raw parts cost me about $25, the rest of the money I charge pays me roughly minimum wage for my assembly time. I am not charging for the ROM contents, design time, or anything else - just the actual parts and time to be able to build one cart from scratch." Each is hand-numbered and Ward keeps a list of all owners. This multi-cart originally cost $100, but it is no longer available. As of April 30, 2002 twenty-nine of these have been made. Designed by Ward Shrake. Multicart - UltiMulti Cartridge Gambits Made by Ken Lill, this cartridge has the most programs of any multi-cart, 137, including BASIC and extended BASIC programs newly converted to cartridge format. War Riff Raff Games 8K cart 2010 This is the first homebrew game for the Bally/Astrocade to include a box, instructions, and cartridge. Written by Michael Garber. 3) Prototypes ---------- ADS System Monitor Unknown 2K cart A machine language monitor program that uses an overlay. It is unknown if this program is complete. No documentation exists for this program. It was found in the collection of Bob Fabris. Bally Color BASIC Bally Mfg. Corp. 4K cart A special 32-color version of Bally BASIC. This title is mentioned in the newsletters only once, but there exists a VCR recording of Jay Fenton giving a demo of this program. It appears to use multiple screen interrupts to get all thirty-two chrominance possibilities on the screen at once. This prototype cart was once part of the Bob Fabris Collection. Bob sold the collection to Larry Anderson, who in turn sold it to Adam Trionfo and Paul Thacker, with Adam getting the original Color BASIC prototype. The cart has been archived. Designed by Jay Fenton. (Arcadian vol. 3, pg. 2) BASICarts Self-Published 8K cart 1986. This title encompasses MANY games and other Astrocade software that were originally tape releases, but are now available as cartridges. Any BASIC game can be made into a BASICart, and many were. Here's a summary of the situation from Michael White, the man behind this service: "As early as 1978 Bally sales hyped the Basic 6002 saying "with this you can write your own game", but experts claimed it was impossible to run BASIC from the cartridge slot. In 1985, while visiting John Perkins, Leroy Flamm learned of a third start in BRB through a user vector at 6DD2H. Leroy had an idea for putting Blue RAM Utility (which is partially written in BASIC), into a game cartridge! Leroy's scheme was pure genius! When it failed to start he solicited help from two skeptics, Don Gladden and myself. I got it working with a call to 2164H. Next came AstroBASIC, and the disbelieving software producers were informed in March 1986 that cassette games could be put on cartridges, but there was NO ONE interested in selling BASICarts! So ads were made and the whole thing went public, beginning with an ad in August 1986. Believe it or not!" Designed by Mike White. (Arcadian vol.7 pg.57,59,87,90) Beatles Music Self-Published 1986 / 2008. Richard C. Degler programmed cartridge versions of all eight Beatles songs by George Moses (adding animation), but only an unfinished version of "Yesterday" was available until Richard released these to the public domain in 2008. He also published upated versions of "Yesterday" and "I Feel Fine." The other songs are "A Hard Day's Night," Can't Buy Me Love," "Eight Days A Week," "Let It Be," Paperback Writer,"and "She Loves You." Bowling Astrocade Inc. Sports Series. #3006 4K cart 1985. This cartridge, though never finished, is playable; it contains two games: "Regulation" and "Flash." It was created by Astrocade, Inc., but was never released. New Image released it in cartridge format in 1985 (between forty and fifty were made). Mike White owns the original prototype (the only one known to exist). (Arcadian vol.3 pg. 121, vol.4 pg. 75, vol.5 pg.16,36,46,66, vol.6 pg.99, vol.7 pg.13,46,67,94, Michigan Astrobugs Newsletter JUL.82 pg.1) Checkers Bally Mfg. Corp. 2K cart Not to be confused with the AstroBASIC version of Checkers, this is the machine language program that was intended to be released as "Checkers / Backgammon" (seen in Rumors section). A few copies were sold by New Image. Coloring Book Astrocade Inc. #4005 8K cart Name was to be changed to "Creative Crayon" and enhanced with 23 menu selections, 1K RAM, and even an animate mode. Richard Degler reported seeing a version with the SNAP and COPY functions implemented. (Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #5722) It was to be sold as both 4005 and 4005P (with and without lite pen). It's not known how early this cartridge was worked on, but it is being attributed to Astrocade Inc. (over Bally), for now. The sixth edition of the DP Guide states, "tough to find since its original distribution was limited." Though the ROM has been archived, we have not seen an official release version. (Arcadian vol.3 pg.121, vol.4 pg.33,75,95, vol. 5 pg.16,46,66, vol.6 pg.99, Michigan Astrobugs Newsletter JUL.82 pg.1) Conan The Barbarian Astrocade Inc. Strategy Series #5005 8K cart AKA "Quest For The Orb." This cartridge is not finished, but did see a limited release through Dave Carson Software in 1985 (about forty were made). (Michigan Astrobugs Newsletter JUL.82 pg.1, Arcadian vol.4 pg.33,75, vol.5 pg.16,36,46,66, vol.6 pg. 99, vol.7 pg.2,13,46,67,94) Hyped up to be one of the greatest games Astrocade players would ever see, and the first video game to spin off from a movie. (Astrocade press release) They failed to secure the rights, however, and the game continued development as "Quest For The Orb." (Brett Bilbrey, Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #7175) Fawn Dungeon Self-Published 2K cart Two unfinished versions of this game were found in Bob Fabris' collection, along with correspondence from the author, Barry McCleave. The player in this D&D-type game can wander around a randomly created maze, but there are no monsters. Missile Attack Self-Published #2020 4K cart 1985. The available "prototype" of this game is NOT part number 2020; it's a modified version of "I.C.B.M. Attack" that has been made playable using regular hand controllers. Thirty-four of these cartridges, modified and manufactured by Mike White, were sold. In addition, the Astrocade game, "Missile Attack," (as mentioned in newsletters) as rumored to be "I.C.B.M. Attack" by Spectre, using Bally hand controls (but Brett Bilbrey, the programmer of "I.C.B.M. Attack" says this is NOT true). An Astocade cart list says a cartridge titled "Missile Attack" was projected for release in 1983. (Michigan Astrobugs Newsletter JUL.82 pg.3, Arcadian vol.6 pg.99, vol.7 pg.13,46,67,94) Munchie Astrocade Inc. 8K cart 1985. Munchie seems to be the rarest of the titles for this "Pac-Man" game. "Back in January/04, I posted a question about two carts I picked up in an auction from a former Bally employee. The games were titled 'Munchie' on the main menu and I questioned if this was ever a working title for the game. Turns out in may been the actual title Astrovision was going to release it under." "...The commercial features [...] the forthcoming Astro Professional Arcade [...] video games - Coloring Book with Light Pen, The Wizard and Munchie..." (Leisure Time Electronics, Feb. 1982: http://www.ballyalley.com/magazine_ articles/Leisure_Time_Electronics_1982_Feb.pdf) "I've also seen an eBay auction in the past year with a Munchie cart; the seller stated he purchased it directly from Bally/Astrovision during their last days)." (Michael S. Di Salvo, Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #2290) See the description of the prototype "Pac-Man" for more information on this complicated title. Music Maker Astrocade Inc. #4003 8K cart 1985. AKA Music Maker 1, Music Composer. Started by Bally before 1979 as two cartridges but never released. When Astrocade came on, development went into a 2000 baud tape interface. A prototype was sent to George Moses with a keypad overlay and instructions. In 1985 Leroy Flamm engineered circuit boards that supported the tape interface. This cartridge never saw an official release. Only 32 working units (with the built-in interface) were made. Mike White retyped the instructions that appeared (Arcadian vol.7 pg.95-102). Very few were then sold by Mike White or ABC Hobbycraft. Written by Scot L. Norris. (Cursor pg.73, Arcadian vol.1 pg.23, vol.3 pg 31,41,66,91,121, vol.4 pg.33,75,84, vol.5 pg 16,36,46,66, vol.6 pg.1,99, and vol.7 pg.2,13,46,67,94- 102, Michigan Astrobugs Newsletter Jul.82 pg.1) Rainbow Unknown 2K cart A program that puts a nice 66-color display on the screen. Note that the EPROM was noted with a sticker as "Ver. 2." No earlier version of this program has been found. The only hint at the author is the label "Hanson." It was found in the collection of Bob Fabris. Pac-Man Astrocade Inc. 8K cart 1985. AKA No-Die, Pacmen, Munchie. Astrocade was forbidden to release this game by a court order (rumors claim that Astrocade spent a fortune in litigation with Atari, but to no avail!). The prototype, actually titled "Pac Man," turned up with Clyde Perkins and Phillip Harris in 1983. Phillip changed the title to Muncher, and sold two batch runs with a white label that reads, "TEST PROGRAMME" (these were sold through the "Arcadian" newsletter). Then another unknown source (Esoterica?) sold more "Muncher" cartridges with a red label that says "DEMO". Esoterica did release an unknown quantity under the red "MUNCHER" label. Only Mike White sold any (very few) after 1984 as Pacman (the original Clyde Perkins/prototype version). No-Die is this same program with infinite lives and the scratchpad made visible as per Dave Carson (Arcadian vol.6 pg.40). Pacmen is also the same with any number of lives you wish! (See Arcadian vol.6 pg.48) Michael kept track of the number of cartridges sold, under various names (each with a different "tweak"), here's the breakdown: Pac Man (21), No Die (4), Pacmen (1). All of these cartridges ride a very fine line between prototypes and copies. Other names attributed to this title (but not distributed on cartridge) are: "Munch Kid", "Munchkin", "Peckmen" and "PacSam". (Arcadian vol.3 pg.63,121, vol.4 pg.33,55, vol.5 pg.45,77,92,106,135,163, vol.6 pg.1,14,40,48, vol.7 pg.13,46,67,94, Michigan Astrobugs Newsletter May 83 pg.2, Aug.83 pg.2,5, Nov.83 pg.6,7, MAR.84 pg.1, JUL.84 pg.2, Niagara Bug Bulletin vol.1 pg. 3,4, vol.) According to a talk/interview called "From Tron to Curveball: Bill Adams' Life in Classic Gaming" that Bill Adams gave at the Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo 2016, the code for Pac-Man for the Bally Arcade/Astrocade was used as the code-base for the video portion of the arcade/pinball hybrid game "Baby Pac-Man." (Interview available at: https://www.brokentoken.com/podcast-episodes/episode-43-next-exit-silicone- valley/). Written by Bill Adams. Soccer / Dribbling Astrocade Inc. Sports Series. #3007 8K Cart 1985. Two versions of this exist. The first was the true Astrocade prototype that Clyde Perkins had in early 1983. It was sold in 1985 because Mike White didn't know a better one existed. The other version was finished by an unknown third party to include more menu options for customizing game play. These were sold through ABC Hobbycraft (source unknown) until 1986. When Mike White was shown this version, he began supplying the finished version on cartridge instead. He offers a free exchange, but holders of the unfinished version may now have a valuable rare item! (Less than twenty sold) "Dribbling" was dropped from the name in ads after 1982, and "Shoot Out" appears in the menu. (Arcadian vol.4 pg.75, vol.5 pg.16,36,46,66,121, vol.6 pg.1,99, vol.7 pg.2,7,13,25,46,67,94, Michigan Astrobugs Newsletter Jul. 82, pg.1, Aug.83 pg.2, Niagara Bug Bulletin vol.1 pg.1,22) Written by Bill Adams. Songs Bally Mfg. Corp. 4K cart 1985. This cartridge was thought to have been created by George Moses, but when he was asked about it in the summer of 2001, he did not know of its existence. Mike White created twelve of these cartridges, and New Image only made a few more. Eventually, Richard C. Degler revealed it was written by Scot L. Norris. (Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #4195) Stweek Bally Mfg. Corp. 2K cart This is not a game, it's a "Sound Tweeker" program that gives direct access to the music "registers." It was used as an in-house programming tool to make sound effects and music for other cartridges. A keypad overlay should exist, but it has not turned up yet. Documentation and an overlay would make this program very useful for home-brewers (and the Astrocade MESS emulation author). Written by Scot L. Norris. Tests Bally Mfg. Corp. 4K cart 1986. Only three were made, although Don Gladden made a few more for dealers. Originally made by Bally for testing hardware. (Interview with Paul Garber) Video Story Book Self-Published 8K cart 1985. This is a complete mystery! The story (rumor) is that it was found in a desk drawer in a rented office (furnished) in Chicago [in the early eighties] when the office changed tenants. Nobody seemed to know anything about it, and it changed hands until it was handed to John Perkins who had just left his aerospace job in Virginia Beach to work for Dave Nutting. Yet no one there knew anything about it either! John sent the software to his father (Clyde) who passed it on to Dave Carson when he visited Boyne City in 1983. Yet no announcement appears anywhere before 1985! The name "Video Story Book" was on the original find and remains there despite the rumor of it being an early forerunner of Creative Crayon. It does almost anything the enhanced version was touted to do, but does not fit the description given (Arcadian vol.4 pg.75)! There are no "menu commands" or any evidence of tape interface software! A look at the code reveals 8K crammed full! Somebody spent quite some time with this! It also has an option for a hand controller similar to the one used on "ICBM Attack"! Plus animated turtles, kangaroos, birds, trees, flowers, buildings, a fire engine, and more! The [RESET] button is also defeated! Can anyone help shed some light on this mystery cart? Mike White made nine of these cartridges. (Arcadian vol.7 pg.13,94 ) Yesterday Self-Published 2K cart 1986. Only three of these cartridges were made by Mike White. Richard C. Degler programmed cartridge versions of all eight Beatles songs by George Moses (adding animation), but this was the only one available until 2008. It's a leaked prototype missing the vibrato. Written by Richard C. Degler. 4) Hardware -------- 64K RAM board R&L Enterprises Rusty Bloommaert, and Dale Smith Available in late 1981, but was not advertised until November of 1982. It sold for $219.95 (with 4K RAM) and the price declined as time progressed. The final "rock bottom" price appeared in January 1984: $80.00 (with no memory included). Due to lack of sales and support the unit went out of production near the end of 1984 (and R&L folded). (Arcadian Vol.2 on pg.78, Vol.3 pg.66, Vol.4 pg.5, 18, 21, 29, 170, Vol 6 pg. 24 Astrobugs NOV 83 Pg.3) BallyCheck RGB Electronics 2K 1981. AKA Bally Check, Bally-Check, BalCheck. About two-hundred BallyChecks were sold, but none have surfaced yet. The hardware attached to the 50-pin connector on the back of the Astrocade. A 2K EPROM contained the "Home Video Game Burn-In Tester" software. Two versions of the software exist, one for the Bally Professional Arcade with the "3164" (original) ROM, the other version is for the "3159" (Astrocade) ROM. Bally may have used an earlier device to test assembled units with at the factory (this unit may be the same or similar- it could have the software on a cartridge instead of on the unit). (Arcadian vol.2 pg.84,85,93, vol.3 pg.11,12,88,91,100, vol.4 pg.18,64, vol.5 pg.56, vol.7 pg.81) BASIC Audio Cassette Interface Bally Mfg. Corp. AC1-0100 Used to connect a cassette recorder to the Bally Arcade for saving and loading programs to cassette tape (it plugs into the Light-Pen port and joystick port number three). Blue Ram Perkins Eng. The Blue Ram, designed by Perkins Engineering, was the hardware peripheral that became the biggest news in the Astrocade's history in absence of the Add-on (Z- GRASS) unit. The Blue Ram plugs into the 50-pin connector on the back of the Astrocade and expands the programming capabilities of the Astrocade. Available either fully assembled or as a kit, it was originally released in June, 1980 as a 4K unit. Over the next couple of years the memory capacity increased, so several different versions exist (4K, 8K, 16K and a small handful of 32K versions). Several confirmed accessories for this unit were released, including: keyboard, printer interface, modem interface, EPROM burner and BSR controller. The Blue Ram could be switched into a mode that simulated a cartridge; several of the third-party game cartridges were programmed using this unit and either the Machine Language Manager cartridge or the Blue Ram Utility. Color Organ / Light Show L&M Software From ad: "Interface Bally to any stereo amp with audio power 1 watt on up. TV displays in step with your stereo music." Sold for $29.95 with opto isolation and a Demo tape (later sold for $39.95 with tutorial). (Arcadian vol.2, pg.105, vol.3, pg 8, 47, 87, 107, 123 vol.4, pg. 7, 18) Computer Ear HARD Released by Hoover Anderson Research and Design (H.A.R.D.). This is a "Speech Recognition System for the Computer Hobbyist." This kit consisted of a microphone, sensitivity controller and cassette with several demo programs. Connects to your Astrocade via control port number four. On April 25, 2002, Craig Anderson (the designer) says, "I built and sold approximately 80 of them over a period of two years. It was rather primitive compared to today's speech- recognition technology but then again, the problems of speech recognition are still with us [goes on to list some examples]. The concept of the "Ear" was simple: A transistor pre-amp drove an LED in a homemade optoisolator whose output was a cadmium sulfide cell. That connected to the rheostat pins on a Bally game port and gave an amplitude-modulated waveform that varied for different spoken words. The program then compared that waveform against others in its memory (2000 bytes!) and picked the best match." Designed by Craig Anderson. Computer Eye HARD The Computer eye is "a light pen peripheral that mounts on the front slope of the pistol grip hand controller... turning it into an amazing light gun." On April 28, 2002, Craig Anderson (the designer) says, "It was never released although a prototype was built and demonstrated at an MBUG exhibition in Michigan in 1980 or '81. I used an optodetector from Honeywell that was about the size of a transistor and had a built-in lens and amplifier circuitry actually contained in the detector. I wasn't great at machine-language programming in those days so my demo software was written in BallyBasic and was fine on the vertical scan (duh) but too laggy on the horizontal and I asked Brett Bilbrey, who was a child prodigy genius teenaged hacker guru then (and who we all figured to be the Bill Gates or Steve Wozniak of the 20th century even though nobody had yet even heard of those guys) for some help. He was besieged from all sides by dozens of others asking for help and the project quietly died." Designed by Craig Anderson (Sourcebook, Spring 83, Pg. G-11) Display Cabinet Santa Cruz W&M This was the dealers display cabinet, intended for small shops and large department stores. Made by the Santa Cruz Wire and Mfg. Co., this kiosk stood over five feet tall and resembled a coin-op cabinet. It came wired for 110 volts for use with the Astrocade and a TV (not included with the unit). There was a cartridge selector inside for up to ten game cartridges to be demonstrated (with a time limit); a "10 key" switch selected which cartridge was played. (Arcadian Vol.4, pg.120, Vol. 5, 71, 73, 149) Hand Control, Standard Bally Mfg. Corp. Additional hand controllers were available with your choice of decorator numbers 1 through 4, emblazoned on the control top in adhesive brass and black ink lettering. I.C.B.M. Attack Controller Spectre Systems Special analog controller made for use with "I.C.B.M. Attack." The game can not be played without it. Lil' WHITE RAM Gambits Ken Lill and Mike White collaborated to produce this 32K RAM expansion in 2008. It's compatible with most carts needing expanded RAM. The RAM expansion was made for Blue RAM BASIC, but it is compatible with Vipersoft BASIC as well as Extended/Hot Rod BASIC. The Lil' White RAM doesn't support Blue Ram BASIC 2000-Baud saves (as the INS8154 I/O chip, used in the Blue Ram unit, isn't built-into the Lil' White RAM), but the RAM expansion does support Vipersoft BASIC saves using LOAD/SAVE. Under normal circumstances the Lil' White RAM expansion cannot be used with the 300-Baud Interface because it uses the same 3-pin accessory jack for power as the 300-Baud Interface uses, but an adapter can be made to retrofit the Lil' WHITE RAM to work with it. It is not advisable to keep an adaptor for the accessory jack plugged-in too long as this may be a strain on the 5-volt power supply. An adaptor could be hooked-up long enough for one program to save or load, with a break in between each. Multi-Cart Demo Unit Bally Mfg. Corp. POP-CT0100 Allows input of eight game cartridges and offers the option to switch and play any of them or automatically cycle through them. Used by dealers for demo purposes. Professional Arcade, Montgomery Bally Mfg. Corp. A private-label Ward version of the Astrocade sold exclusively by Montgomery Ward's (identified by the red Astrocade label on the dust cover), but identical in all other facets. Professional Arcade, White Bally Mfg. Corp. A limited edition version of the Astrocade, but identical in all other facets. Professional Arcade, Woodgrain Bally Mfg. Corp. The original Bally Professional Arcade has a wood-grain and black base. A section on the top of the unit stores cartridges and has a dust cover to conceal them. Four joystick ports. Tapes / Cassette Software Various Users of the BASIC cartridge could save and load programs to tape. The "Arcadian" and (later) other newsletters printed BASIC program listings and tutorials. These programs were typed-in (yes, on that little calculator-style keypad) and shared between users on tapes. Several of the programmers that acquired a good working knowledge of the Astrocade set up companies (or what seemed to be companies). Mostly a "company" was just one person programming and selling the tapes from home in his spare time. BASIC placed some severe limits on what the Astrocade could do, so programs that were released on tape were usually no match for the cartridges, but they were far less expensive and so it was a fair trade-off. Since the Astrocade was never showered with a large cartridge library, these tapes were often the only way that new programs were released (months could pass between a single cartridge release). There was a buying public ready to get their hands on anything new for the Astrocade, and it worked out that this software was released on tape instead of cartridge. Some of the companies that released software on tape were: Esoterica, L&M, , H.A.R.D., Tiny Arcade and Wavemakers (there were many others). A few of the companies that released tapes also created cartridges. Since the summer of 2001 some of the authors of this commercial tape software have placed this software into the public domain. This is a very informal summary of the tape format, for an in-depth look into this area, check out www.ballyalley.com for program listings, downloads and newsletters. Viper System 1 Viper Systems Released in April, 1981. A memory expansion module for the Astrocade that consisted of a 16K RAM expansion and a custom-written version of BASIC on tape. Also available was a 62 key full-stroke keyboard. Other announced peripherals included an expansion module to add an additional 16K of RAM, an RS-232 Interface and an EPROM Programmer card. 5) Rumors ------ Astrology Bally Mfg. Corp. Educational Series #4003 Number reassigned to "Music Maker 1" (which was not officially released). (Arcadian vol.1 pg .23) The "Bally Videocade Cassettes Catalog" has a picture of this game. "'Description from the "Bally Videocade Cassettes Catalog:" Videocade cassette works like a time machine. It lets you see the stars and planets in the past, present, or future on a computer model of a planetarium. Pick any point in North America and see an accurate computer simulation of the universe. More specifically, see the position of all the constellations in the heavens, the planets, the moon and sun, PLUS a true picture of the horizon. Helps construct horoscopes in minutes. Adds an exciting dimension to astronomy study. Dick Ainsworth described the game as follows: "I designed the planetarium program as a small-scale model of the Adler in Chicago. I hired a physics professor to work with me on developing the actual code that would drive the program. The original idea was to project the Zodiac as a cylinder, which would fill the screen and move left or right, with the planets in the correct position for a real-time display of their actual position, or an for accurate view for any date. This simplistic view would be accurate enough to represent a current night sky for viewing, and also provide a model for understanding how the universe works. Unfortunately, the Bally folks wanted something that would tell fortunes 'So people don't have to read that stuff in the newspaper.' I went ahead with my design, since Bally had no idea what we were doing, but the project was never completed... (although it made it into a few of the vaporware ads), as well as a few others. The planetarium project never made it into final code, though the preliminary equations worked fine. None of this remains." (Interview with Dick Ainsworth by Paul Tacker, Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #2989 and 2994)) Basketball Astrovision Inc. #3006 This game was listed under 'U.S. Game Releases' in the sixth edition of the Digital Press Collector's Guide, but this game has not been seen. It has a number assigned which was given to "Bowling". (Cursor pg.73 ) Biorhythm / Calendar #4004 Bally Mfg. Corp. Biorhythm was released alone on cartridge, but Calendar appears to have been omitted after 1979, sort of like "Backgammon"! (Arcadian vol.2 pg.11 (See also sales flyer)) Checkers / Backgammon Bally Mfg. Corp. #5003 This game was listed under "U.S. Game Releases" in the sixth edition of the Digital Press Collector's Guide, but this game has not been seen complete. The "Backgammon" part disappeared in ads after 1979 and a prototype turned up in 1985 at Don Gladden's, but it was "Checkers" only! The "Backgammon" game may never have been finished to a playable state. "Checkers", however, was sold after 1984 by Mike White, or (Don Gladden), but very few were ever made. (Arcadian vol.1 pg.31, vol.3 pg.91,121, vol.7 pg.13,46,67,94) The "Bally Videocade Cassettes Catalog" has a picture of "Backgammon." Chess Bally Mfg. Corp. Never seen. Mentioned in early newsletters, and Bally was said to be showing it at the January 1980 CES show. Later, an Astrocade Inc. cart list said a Chess cart was projected for release in 1983. (Also see Cursor pg.9). (Cursor pg.73, Arcadian vol.2 pg.11, vol.3 pg.121, and the spring 83 Sourcebook pg.B4 ) Creative Crayon Astrocade Inc. #4005 This cartridge was listed under "U.S. Game Releases" in the sixth edition of the Digital Press Collector's Guide, but this program has not been seen. It's "Coloring Book", but also to have had twenty-three menu selections, 1K RAM, an animate mode, plus more options. (Arcadian vol. 4 pg. 75.) Creative Crayon (w/Light Pen) Astrocade Inc. #4005P This game was listed under "U.S. Game Releases" in the sixth edition of the Digital Press Collector's Guide, but this game has not been seen. Desert Fox / Drag Race Bally Mfg. Corp #3004 This game was listed under "U.S. Game Releases" in the sixth edition of the Digital Press Collector's Guide, but this game has not been seen. The "Bally Videocade Cassettes Catalog" has a picture of this game. "I saw a proto, but I never saw it at a point that would be worth selling." (Brett Bilbrey, http://www.glankonian.com/~lance/CartList.html) Escape Unknown May be a mistake. It's listed as a cartridge for sale, but may have been a cassette. (or possibly "Breakout"). (Arcadian vol.1 pg.76). "'Chain Store Age,' page 10, lists some planned releases for 1978. Escape is mentioned as a companion to Clowns. The Bally Videocade Cassettes Catalog has pictures for some of the rumored games--Backgammon, Space Race, Astrology, Drag Race, and Desert Fox. The picture for Escape shows rather conclusively that it's the same as Brickyard." (Paul Tacker, Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #2989) Golf Astrocade Inc. According to an Astrocade, Inc. cart list, this was projected for release in 1983. Gorf Astrocade Inc. This Arcade title was supposed to be converted into the Astrocade format, but has never been seen. (Arcadian vol.3, pg. 63, vol.5 pg.163, Niagara Bug Bulletin vol.1 pg.14) Haunted Mansion Astrocade Inc. According to an Astrocade Inc. cart list, projected for release in 1983. (Sourcebook, Spring 83, Pg. B4 ) King Arthur's Adventure Astrovision Inc. #5005 Suffered the same fate as "Roman Checkers". This time the number went to "Artillery Duel". It was supposed to be a Dungeons & Dragons type game. (Cursor pg.73) It may be an early version of "Conan The Barbarian," before the movie license was attached. (Brett Bilbrey, Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #7175) Home bookkeeping, Menu Planning, Business, and the Arts Bally Mfg. Corp. The text for "The Bally Videocade Cassettes Catalog" mentions developing software for "home bookkeeping, menu planning, business, and the arts." Kong Astrocade Inc. A "Donkey Kong" look-alike? According to an Astrocade Inc. cart list, projected for release in 1983. (Arcadian vol.5 pg.16, Sourcebook, Spring 1983 pg.B4) Maneuvers Bally Mfg. Corp "Chain Store Age" page 10 lists some planned releases for 1978. Maneuvers may be Desert Fox because they're both described as the companion game to Drag Race (Paul Thacker, Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #2989 and 2994) Missile Command Unknown This is probably a mistake that refers to "I.C.B.M. Attack". (Michigan Astrobugs Newsletter JUL.82 pg.3, Arcadian vol.6 pg.99, vol.7 pg.13,46,67,94) Music Maker 2 Bally Mfg. Corp This was never seen, and is not even listed later than 1979. This may have been two 4K programs originally, and then condensed into one 8K ROM, or may be an unfinished prototype. (Arcadian vol.1 pg 23) Omega Race Astrocade Inc. (Arcadian vol.5 pg.163, Niagara Bug Bulletin vol.1 pg.14) Othello Astrovision Inc. (Cursor pg. 73) Quest For The Orb Astrocade Inc. #5004 AKA "Conan The Barbarian." When Astrocade failed to secure the Conan license, the game continued development as "Quest For The Orb." (Brett Bilbrey, Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #7175) Robby Roto Astrocade Inc. This announcement came just as Astrocade was about to emerge from Chapter 11. (Arcadian vol.5 pg.163, Niagara Bug Bulletin vol.1 pg.14) In an interview with Tom Meeks on Bally Alley, Tom says this about the arcade version of the game, "Robby Roto, BTW, wasn't created until just before we filed for Chapter 11. While in development, it was THE most fun game I have ever played. Unfortunately, the Midway brass force DNA to change it so that it played shorter... and, it absolutely ruined the game. The game released to the field was, to me, only a poor shadow of what it had been in the latter stages of development. If anyone could find THAT code then they would really have something." Roman Checkers Bally Mfg. Corp #5004 Appears to have ended up similar to "Basketball" with the number going to "Conan the Barbarian". Not even listed in the newsletters at all, it appears in sales flyers as a future release. Skiing Astrocade Inc. #2016 This title was only listed in sales flyers and ads, not in any newsletters, yet has kept a number! Solar Fox Astrocade Inc. As with "Robby Roto", this announcement came just as Astrocade was about to emerge from Chapter 11. With this kind of timing, one wonders if this announcement was intended for investors eyes more than game players. (Arcadian vol.5 pg.163, Niagara Bug Bulletin vol.1 pg.14 ) Space Race Bally Mfg. Corp. No number assigned. Only two brief mentions of this name appear. (Arcadian vol.1 pg. 17 and Cursor pg. 9) "Star Race is mentioned [in 'Chain Store Age'] and I don't see it anywhere else. Probably this an alternate name for Space Race" (Astrocade Discussion Group, Message #2989). The "Bally Videocade Cassettes Catalog" has a picture of this game. Star Trek Astrocade Inc. (Sourcebook, Spring 83, Pg. B4) Viper 5 Alternative Eng. Created by Alternative Engineering. This would have been an upgraded Viper 1. Advertised in the newsletters, but this has not been seen. Word Hunt / Letter Match / Scramble Bally Mfg. Corp. "BPA Pocket Facts" lists the game Word Hunt / Letter Match / Scramble. This sounds significantly different from the released Letter Match / Spell 'n Score / Crosswords. Zap Unknown The Arcadian gives the only mention of this title. It might possibly be "Space Fortress" (AKA "Space Zap"), or some idea that never materialized. (Arcadian vol.3 pg.121 ) Zgrass-32 Computer Keyboard Bally Mfg. Corp #G7000 Astrovision contracted with Dave Nutting and Associates to produce these units. A peripheral with the worst case of identity crisis known, it was referred to as the Add-On Keyboard, Programming Keyboard, and Programming Expansion Unit before the name Zgrass was settled on (named after the special version of BASIC written to work with it). Was also rumored to have the famed Votrax speech- synthesis chip (the same chip that powers the voice of "Gorf" and "Wizard Of Wor"). This device was never released to the public, but did get released, in an upgraded (stand-alone) form, as the UV-1 computer (sold by Datamax). 6) Cartridge Title Notes --------------------- 280 ZZZAP Port of the coin-op of same name (Midway, 1976) Amazin' Maze Port of coin-op The Amazing Maze Game (Bally/Midway, 1976) Brickyard Similar to "Breakout" coin-op (Atari, 1976) Checkmate Port of the coin-op of same name (Midway, 1977) Clowns Port of the coin-op of same name (Midway, 1978) Cosmic Raiders Similar to "Defender" coin-op (Williams, 1980) Demolition Derby Possible forerunner of later coin-op (Bally/Midway, 1984) Dog Patch Port of the coin-op of same name (Bally/Midway, 1978) Gun Fight Port of the coin-op of same name (Midway, 1975) I.C.B.M. Attack Similar to "Missile Command" coin-op (Atari, 1980) Mazeman Similar to "Pac-Man" coin-op; (Midway, 1980) Missile Similar to "Guided Missile" coin-op (Midway, 1977) Panzer Attack Similar to "Tank" coin-op. (Atari/Kee, 1974) Sea Devil Similar to "Defender" coin-op (Williams, 1980) Sea Wolf Port of the coin-op of same name (Midway, 1976) Sneaky Snake Similar to "Centipede" coin-op (Atari, 1980) Space Fortress Port of the "Space Zap" coin-op (Midway, 1980) Space Invaders Port of the coin-op of same name (Taito, 1978) Star Battle Port of "Space Encounters" coin-op (Bally/Midway, 1980) Tornado Baseball Port of the coin-op of same name (Midway, 1976) Wizard of Wor Port of the coin-op of same name (Bally/Midway, 1981) A) Appendix - Changes/Updates -------------------------- Version 1.84 (August 7, 2019) - Fixed nine misspellings of Bob Ogdon from "Bob Ogden." Version 1.83 (August 7, 2019) - Added that Galaxian, Pac-Man, Pirate's Chase, and Soccer were programmed by Bill Adams Version 1.82 (July 14, 2016) - Added that Amazing Maze / Tic-Tac-Toe was programmed by Bill Jahnke. Version 1.81 (January 13, 2011) - Fixed date of update from January 2010 to 2011. Oops. - Removed double-spaces on lines 757 and 924. - Panzer Attack / Red Baron Description - Note Midway's Electro/Mechanical version of "Panzer Attack." - Cartridge Title Notes Update - Removed that "Red Baron" is similar to Atari's arcade game "Red Baron." Other than the name, the two games are nothing alike. - Cartridge Title Notes Update - Amazin' Maze is a port of the coin-op The Amazing Maze Game, NOT Amazin' Maze. Version 1.8 (January 12, 2011) - Updated the Lil' White Ram Expansion description with information that the unit can use other BASICs and the 300-Baud Interface if an adaptor is created. - Updated the "Changes/Updates" area of version 1.72 - Removed text from Astro Battle: "The title change may have occurred BEFORE the acquisition by Astrovision, Inc." - ICBM Attack Description: Noted that the early version uses the special analog controller and NOT some weird scheme using the knob of two different controllers. - Color BASIC Description: Gave a history of previous owner's of the prototype. - Sea Wolf / Bombardier Description: Removed conjecture about the reason for the change from "Missile" to "Bombardier." - Removed that "Clowns" is similar to "Circus." It is a port of the arcade Game "Clowns" by Midway Manufacturing Co. (later Bally Midway). - Credited Gambits for :Multicart - UltiMulti Cartridge." - Removed some double-spaces between words. Version 1.73 (January 3, 2011) - Alphabetized author list. - Changed title of FAQ from "Bally-Astrocade" to "Bally/Astrocade" - Added "War" to Homebrew Section. Version 1.72 (December 31, 2010) changes by Richard Degler - Removed the version 1.62 "branch" FAQ as it was made unintentionally AFTER version 1.7 (which never made it "live"). All the "Rickey Spiece" carts noted in 1.62 had already been incorporated into version 1.7, so that small update was negated. - Restored some text, especially on "Astrology" that Paul Thacker had removed. - Moved "Life" from "Released carts" back down to Homebrew Section. - Took the liberty of correcting the "Rainbow #2.0" color count. - Restored line in - Astro Battle - The title change may have occurred BEFORE the acquisition by Astrovision, Inc. - Added line to - Black Jack / Poker / Acey-Deucey - Written by Mason and finished by Rickey Spiece. - Added Adam's line - Elementary Math / Bingo Math - Dick Ainsworth designed this program. He says, "I've forgotten which programmer I worked with in implementing my design for this cartridge. It was probably Jay [Fenton,] but I'm not sure." - Changed in - Grand Prix / Demolition Derby and Grand Prix - Rick Spiece to Rickey Spiece - twice. - Restored from notes from ICBM Attack - Changed in - Panzer Attack / Red Baron and Seawolf / Missile Rick Spiece to Rickey Spiece - two more times - Changed in - Bally Color BASIC ... A prototype cart from Bob Fabris' Astrocade collection has been archived. Designed by Jay Fenton. back to [in v.1.6?] - Bally Color BASIC ... This prototype cart was once part of Bob Fabris' Astrocade collection and was sold to Larry Anderson; it has [was: not] been archived. Designed by Jay Fenton. - Restored in - Songs ... only made [or should that be made only ?] - Restored in - Astrology [but it might be out of place after "idea what we were doing, but the project was never completed...."] (although it made it into a few of the vaporware ads), as well as a few others. - Moved "LIFE, Conway's Game of" out of "Released Carts" since it was only "released" through the Arcadian, never in stores. - Also added on to Football - Written by Bob Ogdon and Rickey Spiece. - Restored to Sea Wolf / Bombardier from previous version of FAQ. - Wrapped lines closer to 79 chars and removed trailing spaces. Version 1.71 (December 20, 2010) Changes: - Noted that Dick Ainsworth designed "Elementary Math / Bingo Math." Version 1.7 (May 14, 2009) Changes: - Added Paul Thacker to author list. - Removed statement, "This name change occurred after Bally sold the Professional Arcade." from "Galactic Invasion" entry. It's likely that both versions were released after Astrovision Inc. acquired the system. Noted game as first Astrovision release. - Noted that "Astrocade Pinball" is probably only a label variation, and suggested why the name changed. - Corrected spelling of Diegler to Degler. - Listed Scot L. Norris as author of Songs. - Added "Golf" entry. - Mentioned that "Missile Attack" by Astrocade Inc. was projected for release in 1983. - Added "Chess" info about CES show and projected 1983 release. - Added that "Kong" was projected for release in 1983. - Added that "Haunted Mansion" was projected for release in 1983. - Noted "Dog Patch" as last Bally release. - Changed "Basketball" company to Astrovision Inc. - Changed "Othello" company to Astrovision Inc. - Changed "Astro Battle" company to Bally Mfg. Corp. - Noted that Bally originally made the "Tests" cart. - Changed "Coloring Book" company to Astrocade Inc. and noted that Richard Degler saw a more developed version. - Changed "Creative Crayon" company to Astrocade Inc. - Moved "Life" entry from Prototypes to Released Cartridges because the author, Richard Degler, did sell some of these himself. - Noted that "Sneaky Snake" was written using the General Video Assembler. - Updated "Bally Color BASIC" entry with company, size, and fact that it's now been archived. - Added author to "280 Zzzap / Dodgem." - Noted that "Bally BASIC Demo" has appeared on eBay. Added author. - Added author to "Elementary Math / Bingo Math" entry. - Removed some control details from the early tape demo description in the "I.C.B.M. Attack" entry. The controls are actually consistent with the special controller eventually released with the game. - Added author to "Panzer Attack / Red Baron" entry. - Added authors to "Solar Conqueror." - Added updated information about original "Yesterday" release. - Added entry for "Beatles Music." - Changed "Checkers" company to Bally Mfg. Corp. Added size. - Corrected authors for "The Incredible Wizard." - Corrected "Grand Prix" authors. - Corrected "Pinball" authors. - Credited Marion Nelepa for "I.C.B.M. Attack" and "Treasure Cove" sound. - Changed "Stweek" company to Bally Mfg. Corp. - Changed "Songs" company to Bally Mfg. Corp. - Changed "King Arthur's Adventure" company to Astrovision Inc. Added "Conan" connection. - Added information about Conan license to "Conan The Barbarian" and "Quest For The Orb" entries. - Added Dick Ainsworth's comments to "Astrology" entry. - Changed "Gorf" company to Astrocade Inc. - Added entry for "ADS System Monitor." - Added entry for "Fawn Dungeon." - Added entry for "Rainbow." - Added entries for multi-carts by CPUWIZ, RetroKidz, and Ken Lill. - Added entry for Lil' WHITE RAM. - Removed suggestion that the name "Missile" in "Sea Wolf / Missile" was replaced by Bombardier due to problems with Atari. The "Missile" name continued to be used on Astrovision packaging, and the game was based on "Missile X / Guided Missile" by Taito / Midway. Version 1.6 (October 6, 2007) Changes: - Paul Thacker rewrote the Munchie entry. Version 1.56 (August 20, 2006) Changes: - Removed some smart quotes from the FAQ and replaced them with regular quotation marks. - Added some additional comments to "I.C.B.M. Attack" that Paul Thacker noted after he reviewed version 1.54 of the FAQ. - Added that "Color BASIC" does exist and that it is/was owned by Larry Anderson. - Added to "Desert Fox/Drag Race" that Brett Bilbrey saw a prototype of the game. - Added "Munchie" to the Prototype section. I was going to add it under "Pac-Man," but there is enough information here to give the game its own section. Version 1.55 (August 19, 2006) Changes: - Added the game "Grand Prix/Demolition Derby" to the Released Cartridges. Version 1.54 (August 18, 2006) Changes: - Added "Sea Wolf/Bombardier" and "Seawolf/Missile" to the release cartridge section. I don't know how this was overlooked in the first place. - Added additional information about the rumored game "Escape." - Added additional information about the rumored game "Space Race." - Added "Home bookkeeping, Menu Planning, Business, and the Arts" to the rumored section. - Added additional information about the rumored game "Astrology." - Added additional information about the rumored game "Backgammon." - Added additional information about the rumored game "Desert Fox / Drag Race ." - Added "Word Hunt / Letter Match / Scramble" to the rumored section. - Added "Maneuvers" to the rumored section. - Added additional information about the rumored game "Robby Roto." - Added additional information about the game "I.C.B.M. Attack." Version 1.53 (March 21, 2006) Changes: - Added carriage returns after 79 characters Version 1.52 (Sept 20, 2004) Changes: - References to "Muncher" corrected as Lance F. Squire and some others own such units. Version 1.51 (June 5, 2003) Changes: - Added 280 Zzzap - somehow that got dropped... Version 1.5 (June 2, 2003) Changes: - First time the FAQ has made a public appearance. - Included the updates that I made to the DP Guide 7, so there was a complete revamp of the format of this FAQ. - I deleted Ward's digital archaeology section about Bally. Version 1.4 (Mar. 10, 2002) Changes: - Not generally released - Added ROM memory sizes to all cartridge entries, where we had that info. Put blank place-holders ("_k") in entries where that info is unknown. - Added some detail to the "Cartridge Title Notes" section, regarding arcade games. Checked names against their entries in the very accurate KLOV ("Killer List of Videogames") database; corrected name spelling. Added a coin-op date of manufacture, and the releasing company's full name. See the KLOV website for coin-op info... http://www.klov.com/ - Added a sub-section into "Cartridge Title Notes" section, to begin to better clarify the actual relationship between various companies such as Bally, Astrovision, Bally / Midway, and Commodore Business Machines. I don't believe we'll fully understand this system's history until we have a much better grasp of how these companies affected one another's business decisions. I'm sure cause-and-effect can/will be clarified? - Added minor notes to some of the entries in the "Cartridge number" section. This is intended to show which games were once licensed to Commodore by Bally / Midway, for use in making authorized VIC-20 ports. - Made some minor alterations to column spacing and/or the wording of Mike's notes in the "Cartridge number (rumored or real)" section. The intent here was not to change the meaning; merely to clarify visually. - All changes were made by Ward Shrake this time, with Adam's permission in some places. (I'm hoping the others will be seen as being benign?) Version 1.3 (Feb. 21, 2002) Changes: - Reworded "About This FAQ" section - Added a very short comment to 'Desert Fox / Drag Race 3004' - Removed some comments from 'Basketball 3006' - Removed some comments from 'Checkers/Backgammon 5003' - Edited-out first-person perspective wording in 'Music Maker 2' - Reversed chronological order in "Changes/Updates" section - Added "What needs to be added or updated" Section - Thanks to Ward for suggesting most of these changes Version 1.2 (Feb. 16, 2002) Changes: - Not generally released - Fixed typos, as noted by Michael - Sent to Ward for suggestions Version 1.1 (Feb. 8, 2002) Changes: - Not generally released - Fixed typos, as noted by Michael - Added new cartridge entry: Color BASIC - Updated entries: Basic Demo, Gorf, Omega Race, and Pacman - Reorganization of entire FAQ - Added "Changes/Updates" section - Add Closing section Version 1.0 (Jan. 10, 2002): - Not generally released - First ASCII version, retyped by Adam Trionfo - Mailed to Michael for corrections and revision Version 0.9 (Summer 2001): - Michael White creates first draft of cartridge listing, types it on his Astrocade, then mails it to Adam Trionfo and Ward Shrake B) Appendix - What needs to be added or updated -------------------------------------------- Planned additions to this FAQ as of March 10, 2002: -- Continue to add ROM memory sizes to cartridge entries, if info is known. -- Add year of cartridge release or manufacture, when info is discovered. C) Appendix - Permission to Copy Cartridges ---------------------------------------- Mike is able to copy Astrocade game cartridges; some of you may wonder how he's able to legally copy these games. When Astrocade was going under, Dave Carson made numerous phone calls asking for permission to duplicate company produced software IN THEIR ABSENCE! They didn't see why not, but Dave had no means of doing it, so he gave Mike White the task! Mike still has the equipment to do it, so he still can... if asked. D) Appendix - Closing ------------------ All of this information is as accurate as possible. If there are any errors, omissions or anything else of note that belongs here, then please let us know so we can expand and enhance this FAQ.