Intellivision "Puppet Theatre" game

[+nurmix]

I have a 30-page legal document to read tomorrow, otherwise I probably would give cmart a run for his money. Sea Battle is one of my top 3-games, possibly my favorite - really looking forward to podcast #8. I did 1 thru 7 in a month because I was way behind, but now that I'm caught up it should be really easy to stay current. Keep up the great work guys!!

Thanks, Joe! We intend to do just that. The production and editing on these episodes consumes more and more of my time each month (just ask my wife), but I really enjoy doing it, and the fact that others do as well makes it worth the effort.

[+cmart604]

You must have impeccable oral hygiene. That's one hell of a long brushing session, Cmart!

I like my teeth to be shiny and clean.

[Walter Ives]

On 12/15/2013 at 8:46 PM, Lathe26 said:

I was poking around on Papa Intellivision's site and found a single reference to a game called Puppet Theatre.

 

It was listed as a "Scheduled for 1980 Introduction" in a Sears document dated October 24, 1979. I wasn't able to find any other reference to this game.

 

Does anyone know if this game was simply cancelled or did it morph into another game?

 

Here's a link to the document. It is on page 8.

http://papaintellivision.com/pdfs/CCF10242011_00003.pdf

Minecraft for the Intellivision. An APh project (as were all the early games). Tell your own story by building your own world (using Intellivsion cards instead of Minecraft cubes) and controlling characters made of moving objects. Started as cartridge, became cassette. Used GRAM cards from a library or of your own design. Library of characters (Spiderman, Hansel & Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Sesame Street) and stock backgrounds which could be modified. Scrolling enabled. Record your narration/dialog on audio track. Record your movements on digital track. A favorite of Chandler's because it was an "activity" rather than a "game." Cancelled with Keyboard Component. Used to prototype some games. Some work re-used in Castle Island and Moonbase Alpha cartridges.

 

On 12/16/2013 at 6:01 AM, catsfolly said:

It's interesting that this document describes the keyboard component as having an additional 1610 processor (just like the master component).

But in the final version, they changed the keyboard component to a 6502 processor. I don't know why. From a programming point of view, two 1610's sounds interesting - especially with dual port ram.

 

Perhaps Mattel decided they needed Microsoft Basic on the keyboard component. Since Mricrosoft Basic had already been written for the 6502 (for the Pet and Apple computers), maybe it was easier (or faster or cheaper ) to change the processor than to pay Microsoft to develop a 1610 basic????

 

Nope. BASIC wasn't even included in the product plan at that point.

On 12/16/2013 at 10:16 AM, Lathe26 said:

I was guessing that the 6502 was perhaps a cheaper processor and switching from a 1610 to the 6502 was a cost-cutting effort.

Nope. GI was price-competitive with the CP1610, otherwise there would have been no Intellivision. GI would have loved to double its volume.

On 4/25/2014 at 12:10 PM, Games For Your Intellivision said:

I heard that when Microsoft sold Basic to a company, all you got was the source code. Adapting it for use was the responsibility of the company licensing Microsoft Basic.

As I hear tell, Mattel got a bit more: it also received a great deal of disrespect and all the disdain it would tolerate. But that's hearsay.