History of Video Games (RE: "Bally Astrocade") - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

11 Jul 1997

Yep, that was Cinematronic's excellent vector version of Space War,
released in 1978.  It was two-player only, and had several innovations,
including the ability to shoot off part of your opponent's ship, and the
selection of multiple game options at the start of your game (e.g.
positive/negative gravity, invisible sun, etc.)

The upright cabinet was huge, almost double-wide, but I would dearly
love to come up with the cocktail version
(http://brain.usask.ca/arcade/spacewar.htm)  It'd be a nice complement
to my Computer Space.

Kai

...
  ----------
 From: 	Ward Griffiths and/or Lisa Rogers
 Reply To: 	classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
 Sent: 	Friday, July 11, 1997 11:05 AM
 To: 	Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
 Subject: 	Re: History of Video Games (RE: "Bally Astrocade")

 On Fri, 11 Jul 1997, Kai Kaltenbach wrote:

  Studio II, which were introduced simultaneously
in 1976.  The first
 vector graphic arcade game was Lunar Lander in 1979, followed by
 Asteroids later that year.  The first (and only) vector graphic home  
 I seem to recall spending many many hours (and quarters) with my
 roommate 
 playing a vector graphic arcade version of Space War when we were
 fresh 
 out of the USAF back in 1978 and spending loose hours at the Saint
 James 
 Infirmary in Sunnyvale.
 --
 Ward Griffiths
 "America is at that awkward stage.  It's too late to work within 
 the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." --Claire Wolfe