4
STAR*TECH JOURNAL/APRIL 1983
TECHNICIAN COMPONENTS GROUP
QUALITY REPLACEMENT
SEMICONDUCTORS
AVAILABLE FOR THE
ELECTRONIC GAMES
INDUSTRY,
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING
MANUFACTURERS,
• ATARI
• BALLY
• CINEMATRONICS
• EXIDY
• GOTTLIEB
• GREMLIN
• MIDWAY
• STERN
• WILLIAMS
AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL
TCG DISTRIBUTOR
Rush me a FREE Electronic Games
cross reference Gulde #CR10
COMPANY NAME
YOUR NAME
TITLE
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
ZIP CODE
PHONE NO .
CLIP AND MAIL TODAY TO :
NEW-TONE ELECTRONICS/TCG
DEPT. G1 / 44 FARRAND STREET
BLOOMFIELD , NEW JERSEY 07003
CUSTOMER/FIELD SERVICE
* ATARI "MILLIPEDE" *ATARI
AND "TEMPEST" OPTION SETTING RECOMMENDATIONS
* WICO'S NEW CONTACT POINTS
By Todd Erickson, Summit Amusement, St Paul, MN
Atari Customer/Field Service
Atari has had the reputation for having the finest customer/field service in the
industry. Under the direction of newly-promoted Dari Davidson, the company is
making an extensive effort to increase its lead. Dari has become the man at Atari
who you can call if you have a problem. No factory has had a high official like Dari
soliciting problems in the field. If you have comments, good or bad, about their
games, fill out the card that comes with each game. If you feel that your problem is a
major one, you can reach Dari at 800/ 5 3 8-1611.
"Pole Position", Atari's latest hit, has been as trouble-free as any game made
today. Every manufacturer depends on subcontractors for their supplies. They may
have a small percentage offailures with one component which, in the end, the field
may spend thousands of hours diagnosing. Dari's group published each small
problem that occurred in early production of the game. Too many manufacturers
don't want to admit that their games have problems. Hopefully, all manufacturers
will follow Atari's lead.
Atari "Mllllpede" and "Tempest"
Option Setting Recommendations
"Millipede" has already established itself as a game that is going to last as well as its
predecessor, "Centipede" . The bonus on "Millipede" is 15K. I feel the life should
be 12K, concurrent with "Centipede". As the player learns the game, other features
can be tightened up. The playing time will be between 2 ½ and 3 minutes if left on this
setting. By giving the player an extra 20-30 seconds, a game has never been killed.
Being 20-30 seconds short, however, has killed games.
Atari's "Tempest" has been one of the finest games I have owned in the last few
years in the arcade market. It has not done well in some locations because it is a
difficult game. The normal playing time is under 2 minutes. Many good games today
are over 3 minutes playing time. Placing the game on 5 lives in many locations will
bring the income up considerably. The easy setting can also be a help if your players
aren't as skilled as others.
Wlco's New Contact Points
WE
REPAIR
EVERYTHING
FAST!
Board
Specialists
Video Games
Domestic & Foreign
Technicians
formerly with Bally
Send your
repair work to:
REPAIRS
UNLIMITED
119 Robin Road
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
(305) 339-6601
There are a few games, like Atari's "Dig-Dug", that have had problems with the
contact points not working all the time. A 90° cross bar has been used in many cases.
Wico now has a 45° cross bar point available. By having the contacts at a 45° angle,
the contacts wipe each other rather than one sawing the other. The contacts will also
last much longer. They are available only from Wico.
Your local Wico salesman can be located by calling 312/647-7500 or by
addressing them at 6400 Gross Point Rd., Niles, Illinois 60648.
DIGITAL SCENE SIMULATION
SYSTEM FOR SALE
The computer graphics production operation used by a principal computer
animation contractor for Walt Disney Productions' TRON is being offered
for sale.
Information International, Inc., the company that supplied striking
compute,-generated images for TRON and the films "Looker" and
"Futureworld", is offering its Digital Scene Simulation computer hardware
and software to interested parties.
Information International is marketing the computer hardware and
support equipment used in the creation of computer-generated images
as a package, and is offering the proprietary Digital Scene Simulation
software on an individual license basis.
More than twenty man-years of research went into the development of
the Digital Scene Simulation process.
The unit's last project was a three-dimensional film featuring computer
animation called "Magic Journeys", currently on view at the Eastman
Kodak Pavilion at Walt Disney's EPCOT Center in Florida.
Further information can be obtained from the Information International
corporate communications department, 213/390·8~11.