Mylstar's M.AC.H. 3 was one of the best lasers on the market.
As laser revenues fell, however, some distributors
did not want to accept orders of the game.
Q*bert was one of the highlights of 1983.
12
novice player. And, as the years
passed, D. Gottlieb & Co. grew in
stature and respect to the extent
that when I first ventured into the
world of coin-op back in 1974,
there was a type of mystique
attached to the Gottlieb presence
in the field.
The company was like still
water running deep, serving up a
nuance or advance on an almost
regular basis in terms of playtield
components and features, as well
as individualized graphics that
tended to set Gottlieb apart trom
the crowd. Admired tor the kind of
operation it ran, the company was
viewed with a measure of envy,
reverence, and mystery.
In hindsight it really wasn't any
great secret only the belief in
basic principles which seemed to
permeate the equipment pro-
duced. Each machine seemed to
incorporate some essential ele-
ment which tended to make it
better, or at worst appealing to the
audience of the time.
Somehow, as a player, you
could expect certain things from a
Gottlieb machine which weren't
necessarily the same type of tactile
and sensory feedback found on
other games from competing
companies. Gottlieb machines
offered a different playing expe-
rience that just couldn't be dupli-
cated, while distributors and
operators knew they could rely on
this manufacturer's products tor
steady income.
It was the best of both worlds,
but there were other develop-
ments afoot which would swiftly
erode this magnificent base of
operations Gottlieb had created.
The first sign that the times were
changing came about when
video games proved to be a viable
replacement tor older novelty and
arcade attractions such as gun,
digger, and other mechanical
machines which were no longer
what a new television generation
wanted.
The most telling blow, however,
was the advent of solid-state elec-
tronics into the world of pinball
with its flippers, drop targets, spin-
ners, and other staples. After
watching its competition get a
PLAY METER, November 15, 1984