Play Meter

Issue: 1982 December 01 - Vol 8 Num 23

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the right sid e, the mo nitor chasis is
held in place with a metal L-bracket.
The whole wood en shelf holding up
the monitor has been elim in ated. The
L-bracket should be enough to keep
the monitor in place.
Tempered glass
The monitor display glass is a lso
tempered and held in place at the
bottom edge by a retaining clip and
the control panel edge . Once the con-
trol panel is open, the retaining cl ip
must be slid to the right and removed
through the wooden cutout. Then the
monitor glass can be easi ly removed.
The control panel is designed slightly
different from the panels we've seen in
the past. The top of the panel curves
upward and covers the bottom inch of
the monitor cover. Two latches secure
the panel from the top sect ion to the
cabinet frame in a horizontal position.
The panel is held in place and cannot
be easily pried off.
The top edge , however, can be bent
slightly outward, and this is the
weakest section where damage may
occur. When unlatched. the panel
pulls forward on a hinge and opens so
that the wiring and switches are almost
horizontal. In this position, they are
easy to work on . The overlay decal is
wrapped over the top edge of the panel
so it can't easily be peeled off. This
overlay looks like it will last. It's sup-
posed to be burn resistant. The Centi-
pede decal overlays held up except that
many of them cracked and pealed
around the ball control area circle.
Atari has also placed foam tape on
the display shield glass to act as a
cushion between the control panel
edge and the display shie ld a nd also to
prevent liquid from getting between
these two sections and down into the
cabinet. There are five buttons: left
and right rotate, thrust, fire, a:1d
tractor / shield, with cross-hair leaf
switches and two led switch buttons
(first and second player start).
These buttons and switche s are
relatively trouble free . It's wise to
always check the ground strap attached
to the panel latch tabs to make sure it is
attached tightly. This will decrease the
chances of players receiving shocks
while playing the game.
The Operator Inform a ti on Display
and the Self Test features o n Gravitar
should be of interest to many
operators. Atari recommends waiti ng
at least 10 seconds after a game has
PLAY METEP.. December 1, 1982
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65
been played before entering the self
test mode. If the test switch is put on
just after a game, or in the middle of a
game, it is possible to erase the top
three scores in the high score table or
to ruin the game statistics. Garbage
numbers may result.
Available information
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The information displayed on the
Information Display includes the
number of credits per coin (left and
right), number of credits for each push
of the utility coin switch, game diffi-
culty, ships per game, number of
games played , and average game time .
Part of the self-test mode checks
every switch (even takes into account
the control buttons for both first and
second player, although the same
buttons are used for both players ,
alternately), two RAM's , 10 ROM's,
and three intergrated circuits that
include one EAROM and two custom
I/ 0 chips.
There are five possible modes of
operation on Gravitar:
1. Demonstration - This mode
allows operators to enter all the differ-
ent planets to view the terrains and
obstacles without being attacked or hit.
This must be every player's ultimate
dream. It gives the operator a chance
to make believe he is a great player.
Seriously, it is a troubleshooting aid.
2. Attract Mode- One of four pos-
sible screens or pictures is repeated
every 30 seconds.
3. High Score Mode- This mode
starts if a player gets into one of the
eight high score level brackets. The
player has one full minute to enter his
or her initials. The other two modes
are, of course, play and self test.
Pretty good
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66
Atari games usually get a pretty
good rating and Gravitar will be no
exception. The cabinet is well-
designed . won't come apart when
kicked , and its surface paint and
graphics will hold up. I feel the speaker
grills could be stronger, and the top
edge of the control panel can be bent.
The game has n't been out in the field
long enough to notice any recurring
problems. There are no joysticks to
wear out and break. The power suppl y
has prove n very reliable on past games.
If the monitor doesn 't overload, as do
some Tempest monitors. Gravirar will
be a very reliable game. I'll give it a 8.9
out of 10.

PLAY MmR. December 1, 1982

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