Atari Coin Connection

Issue: Vol 6 Num 03 - 1982 April


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ATARI Reorganizes Top Management Team
John S. Farrand has been named execu-
tive vice president of the Coin Operated
Games Division of ATAR I, and Don
Osborne has been appointed vice presi-
dent of sales and marketing in a recent
reorganization of the division's manage-
ment team. The two promotions were an-
nounced by Ken Harkness, president of
the Coin-Op Division.
Farrand, who joined ATARI earlier this
year as president of International Opera-
tions for Coin-Op, will be expanding his
areas of responsibility in the newly cre-
ated position of executive vice president
of the division. While maintaining his in-
ternational responsibi lities, his new re-
sponsibilities will include all domestic
sales and marketing related activities.
Don Osborne, formerly vice president
of sales for Coin-Op, will also be expand-
ing his areas of responsibility to include
all marketing related activities for the divi-
sion. Don joined ATARI in 1977 and held
various positions in Coin-Op sales, most
recently vice president of sales. Don will
report to Farrand, and Farrand will in turn
report to Harkness.
Dig Dug
continued
and susceptible to Dig Dug's pump.
Each round of the game is complete
when all of the monsters are destroyed.
One monster can escape, but he runs to
the next round and appears there. Chang-
ing screens, changing colored layers of
dirt, 21 unique sound effects and a cute
musical accompaniment all add to the
(
John Farrand, executive vice president of
the Coin-Op Games Division.
exciting game play.
For players, there is a continuation of
game feature which allows the player to
choose his own skill level. After playing a
round, the player has 16 seconds to be-
gin a new game at the same skill level
rather than going back to Round 1. Dig
Dug has a high score table which dis-
plays the top five scores and the initials
of the players who achieved them.
Operators may select 1, 2, 3 or 5 Dig
I hP"
"Both John and Don share an exper-
tise in recognizing and developing poten-
tial growth areas, which is a crucially im-
portant element in maintaining a leader-
ship position in today's marketplace,"
said Ken Harkness.
Prior to joining ATAR I, John Farrand
spent 16 years at Music Hire Group, the
second largest private operating com-
pany in the world, based in England,
where he held several positions, eventual-
ly becoming president of the company.
He was responsible for all aspects of the
manufacture and distribution of their
amusement products. Farrand received
his electrical engineering degree from the
British Broadcasting Corporation College
in 1962.
''ATARI is a tremendously exciting
company with the potential to develop
products that stretch the farthest reaches
of the imagination," said Farrand. "I look
forward to being a part of this extraordin-
ary team, creating and marketing innova-
tive coin-operated products throughout
the world. "
Dug lives, and one of 8 different bonus
levels. The game is adjustable for "Easy",
"Medium", or "Expert" game play.
Dig Dug is being offered to the Europe-
an market in a specially designed new
cabinet. The compact design of the "Eu-
ropean" cabinet makes it suitable for vir-
tually any type of location requirements.
Optional side panel decals are available
for this cabinet, too. Dig Dug is also of-
fered in the standard Upright, Cocktail
and Cabaret cabinet versions.
Dig Dug is a strategy challenge for all
kinds of players; male, female, kids and
parents, too. It' s guaranteed to keep play-
ers coming back for more.
• Dig Dug is engineered and designed by Namco. Lid. Man-
ufactured under license by Atari. Inc.
...

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Some of the promotional items specially designed for Dig Dug include a brilliantly colored
24 x 36" poster, T-shirt, and radio and advertisini:} tip sheets. To order the Dig Dug promo-
tional packet, and receive an order form for T-shirts and posters, contact Atari, Inc. Coin-Op
Division, Marketing Services, 790 Sycamore Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035.
Promotion
for Profit
Radio is one of the most effective medi-
ums to use in promoting your location.
Evaluate the stations in your area by us-
ing the official listener rating information
available and interviewing your players.
Select the stations that appeal to your
target market and discuss possible pro-
motional programs w ith them. Many sta-
tions offer membership cards to their lis-
teners. You may wish to offer free games
at your location to these card holders.
Giving away free games as a prize in the
station's own contests is another easy
way to promote your business. Or dis-
cuss running a tournament co-sponsored
by the radio station , or staging a " Battle
of the DJs" with your area's most popu-
lar DJs competing. Proceeds from these
events could benefit a local charity or
community group, thus enhancing posi-
tive publicity of your location.
OPERATOR OF THE 80s
Larrianne Simon of Huntsville, Alabama
Larrianne Simon, a vibrant Californian
transplanted to Alabama, is owner of
Pride Enterprises. With over fifty accounts
in the Huntsville area of Alabama, Simon
has an especially unique location for her
games- the Space and Rocket Center of
Alabama.
The Space Center, a non-profit, educa-
tional institution owned and operated by
the State of Alabama, is the world's larg-
est space museum. The museum offers
simulated flight aboard the Space Shuttle,
journey to the moon and beyond, partici-
pation exhibits that let you be the astro-
naut in the commander's seat, tours of
the Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA's
largest facility located in Huntsville, Mon-
keynaut Baker, the first " lady in space",
and the Saturn V moon rocket, together
with the largest single collection of rock-
ets, missi les and space hardware found
in the world.
When a visitor to the Alabama Space
and Rocket Center enters the museum,
an actual NASA Lunar Modu le, identical
to Apollo 16 which landed on the moon,
dominates the center of the main hall.
Close to the Lunar Module is an Atari
Lunar Lander™ game in an actual lunar
module mockup which envelopes the par-
ticipant, creating a realistic atmosphere.
As the "pilot" steps into the curved white
booth, a footpad switch lights overhead
panels. Flanking the pilot are green and
white control lights which simulate liquid
oxygen and fuel levels, and gauges for a
myriad of functions. The pilot then has to
land the craft without crashing , bearing in
mind the limitations on fuel and time.
"It's a highly challenging activity", says
Scott Osborne, director of exhibits. "The
Lunar Lander is so popular because it re-
quires skill and attention to control sev-
eral factors simultaneously."
The Space and Rocket museum also
has a game room. Naturally, all of
the games are required to have a
"space" theme, and each of the
games at the center is placed on a
platform. Two of Simon 's space-
related games are Asteroids® and
Space Duel™
Ms. Simon also has an account
at the University of Alabama at
,
Huntsville. Her other accounts are
r
spread thoughout the Huntsville
area where Simon is noted for
her quality service for her
customers.
'' I like to keep in tune
with my client's needs,
helping my customer
understand his games, in-
forming him of changes and
suggesting new ideas. I like my custom-
ers to know that I think they are impor-
tant to me." Simon carries a beeper for
any urgent message a client m ight have.
Her husband has only recently persuaded
her to turn the beeper off at 11 :00 p.m.
Simon has always been public relations
oriented-before Pride Enterprises, she
worked in political campaigns and helped
in promotions for cancer research. She
believes in participating in worthwhile
causes and recently donated a week's
revenue from a game to the Foundation
for Cerebral Palsy Research. She has
also appeared on television interviews
promoting games in the Huntsville area.
" I knew I needed to win a lot of confi-
dence when I was first starting out in
business. I was very low key and did not
push myself on anyone. People did not
realize I was the owner of Pride Enter-
prises-they thought I was a good repre-
sentative for a company with a good rep-
utation". Simon has been president of
Pride Enterprises since 1975 and con-
tinues to offer her c lients quality service.
J l
Larrianne Simon, Kent Lyman, and Bob
Neighbors, maintenance manager at the
Space Center Game Room. Ms. Simon says
her "keys to success" are her employees.
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The Lunar Lander exhibit at the Space and
Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama.
TECHNICAL TIP
Wells-Gardner
Color X-Y Display
Symptom:
Characters on the display are shaky or
made up of small dots, instead of smooth
lines.
Solution:
Members of the Pride Team are (1-r) Larrianne Simon, Mark Bond, maintenance, and Kent
Lyman, route manager, at the University Game Room.
Replace capacitor C901 or C902, 100 µF
at 35 volts, in the high-voltage power sup-
ply.

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