Savetz Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 A lot of people are excited about this interview. Unmasking a legend (with his permission) after all this time: Glenn The 5200 Man http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-90-glenn-the-5200-man Glenn Botts is better known to Atari 8-bit users as "Glenn The 5200 Man.” Glenn was perhaps the most widely-known Atari software cracker, because he had a unique specialty. Most pirates removed copy protection from software, making it so it was copyable and able to be shared for free. Glenn’s skill was in taking games that were developed for the Atari 5200 game system, and converting them so they would run on the Atari 8-bit computers. Many of the games created for the Atari 5200 were not released for the computers, so Glenn’s system conversion cracking had the unique effect of creating games for the Atari computers that otherwise would not have existed. The Atari 5200 was very similar in architecture to the Atari computers, but not 100% compatible — for one thing, the 5200 carts physically didn’t fit into the Atari computers. Also, the joysticks were very different, with the 5200 using analog joysticks and the computers using digital joysticks. This is the first time that Glenn’s identity has been revealed to the general public. This interview took place September 11, 2015. Teaser quote: “It was so easy that it actually was very annoying that Atari themselves never would release these games on the 800.” 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris++ Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 How cool, Kevin! I'm looking forward to listening to this. Without Glenn, I never would have played the great Countermeasure and the spot-on conversion of Space Dungeon on my XE130. I admit that I stayed away from the interviews for a while because you kept interrupting people and saying, "Actually, that's not on topic." It struck me as rude, not to mention that I wanted to hear those "off-topic" bits! But Adam tells me that that doesn't happen anymore, and keeps goading me to listen to more ANTIC interviews, so I'm excited to drop my presumptuous baggage and resume selfishly indulging in the amazing summer and fall interviews that you guys have scored. Your show has amounted to an astonishing resource, and you have my admiration for your tenacity and undimmed enthusiasm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Wow, so many absolutely smashing interviews, lately!!! I tend to kind of agree with the above - staying "strictly" to the Atari8-specific discussion is a bit myopic. I would venture to say that most of us are interested (even if we don't own that system) Atari as an entity, entirely. Also, I AM NOT CRITICIZING, BUT RATHER PRAISING THE ANTIC CREW for their *excellent interviews!!! Especially in the later interviews, stuff about Atari Corporate, stuff about Warner, stuff about Atari Coin-Op was discused. As an avid A8 enthusiast, I'M EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN THIS STUFF and I am glad that the Antic team was so cool to entertain such discussion on those topics. I don't own a single Atari coin-op product, but *anything* you can glean from these fine fellows is still interesting, to an A8 fanatic. It's all part of the same company and a piece of the same puzzle. I mean, the least of the Atari systems that I'm interested in is the Jaguar, but if you managed to get some great discussion from some fine folks who worked on the system, I'm all ears!! I'd love to hear about it! While you have these titans on the horn, let's hear about the entire company (and their efforts) that produced our favorite computers. If it wasn't for the home videogame and coin-op divisions, there would never have been a computer division. They are inexorably intertwined. They are all interesting. Even the ST (even if you don't care too much about it) is historically related to the A8, as if ST sales hadn't sustained the company, it would have all ended in 1985. And to take the other tack, if some interviewee ventures off into Amiga territory (or whatever territory), I'd SURE like to hear that, too. But once again, this really isn't criticism - but praise - for what you're already doing. Thank you! These interviews are one-of-a-kind and certainly rock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkindig Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 (edited) Adam Billyard, Chop Suey/ElektraGlide http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-91-adam-billyard-chop-sueyelektraglide Adam Billyard's first three games for the Atari 8-bit computers were "Bellum", "Henri", and "Chop Suey,". Bellum was published through the Atari Program Exchange, although Adam never received any royalty from Atari for it. "Chop Suey" was one of the first modern-style fighting games for the Atari 800. He followed this up with a pair of three-dimensional games: "ElektraGlide," a racing game for the Atari 8-bit; and "Q-Ball” for the Atari ST. If you’re not familiar with any of these games, it's probably because you live in the U.S. Three of his five games were originally released by the U.K.-based English Software and received more publicity in Europe than the versions distributed by Mindscape in the States. This interview took place May 15, 2015. Teaser Quote: “Years later they said ‘did you not get the check for $30?’ which I thought was just completely bizarre.” Edited October 18, 2015 by rkindig 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Phruby Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Loved the Glenn the 5200 man interview. I also just finished listening to Adam Billyard. Good stuff from Adam too. It's amazing how extremely fascinating these interviews are. It's neat to here the stories behind the software I used as a kid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 One thing is consistent from listening to the podcast. Atari was a very dysfunctional company. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschak909 Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 We're a happy familyWe're a happy familyWe're a happy familyMe mom and daddySiting here in QueensEating refried beansWe're in all the magazinesGulpin' down thorazinesWe ain't got no friendsOur troubles never endNo Christmas cards to sendDaddy likes menDaddy's telling liesBaby's eating fliesMommy's on pillsBaby's got the chillsI'm friends with the PresidentI'm friends with the PopeWe're all making a fortuneSelling Daddy's dope --The Ramones "We're a Happy Family" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsy Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Just subscribed to ANTIC on the basis of the reccomendations above. And I'm a TI-99/4A guy! But hey, if it's retro, it's all good! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbking67 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 In many of the podcasts the interviewee's have a history that extends beyond the Atari 8-bit and into other areas of Atari (2600, ST Coin-op) or even other areas of vintage computing (Amiga, Apple, etc.) I think it's perfectly fine to go further into these areas and I'd bet that most listeners would be interested as well. I know it's a 400/800/XL/XE podcast but that stuff is also interesting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 Alan Murphy, Atari Animator http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-episode-92-alan-murphy-atari-animator Alan Murphy was Senior Animator at Atari, where we worked from 1980 through 1987. Alan created the graphics for the Atari 8-bit versions of Defender, Xevious, Galaxian, Countermeasure, Pac Man for the Atari 5200, Demons to Diamonds for the 2600, and many other games. He also worked with engineers at Atari Research on research projects and prototyping, and designed specs for game art and animation systems. This interview took place June 15, 2015. Teaser quotes: “So I did these animations of Mr. and Mrs. Pac Man going across the screen and then they came back the other way and there were little babies. Namco came along and said 'uh-uh...that's a little too suggestive.'” “As far as I know, I think that was the first easter egg by an artist.” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 (This was an incredibly fun interviewee, and I recommend this interview for the stories even if you aren't particularly interested in these games or children's software. At least listen to the song that's the first four minutes of the episode — I guarantee you've never heard it before.) Gerri Brioso: Halftime Battlin' Bands, Coco-Notes, Movie Musical Madness http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-93-gerri-brioso-halftime-battlin-bands-coco-notes-movie-musical-madness Gerri Brioso is part of The Dovetail Group, a company that created three children’s games for the Atari 400/800 and Commodore 64 computers. All three games were released in 1984: they were Halftime Battlin' Bands, Coco-Notes, and Movie Musical Madness, all of which were released by CBS software. Wikipedia says "These games are notable as they represent some of the earliest examples of the music management subgenre of music video games." The games were also notable because each of those games included a plastic record album, playable on a phonograph, which served as the games’ instruction manuals. The characters in the games and records — Swivel Hips, Wahoo, and Mr. Bass Man — made up a fictional band called The Jazz Scats. This interview occurred on July 30 and 31, 2015. Teaser quotes “They made it doubly hard for us because they suddenly wanted us to not just create for the Atari platform, but to also create for the Commodore platform. So the work became double ... and suddenly deadlines were not being met.” “Rich had to hold me back because my hands were going around the computer programmer’s throat. I thought I would kill him. ... Where’s the backup? He said, ‘I was just getting ready to back it up.’ I was like, “You didn’t back it up in stages? What, are you crazy?!” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 I'm visiting the Floppy Days podcast this time, for a not-very-Atari-but-still-very-retrocomputing interview: Wayne Green, Computer Magazine Publishing Pioneer http://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-48-kevin-savetz-interviews-wayne-green Wayne Green was founder of 73 magazine; Byte magazine; Kilobyte, which became Kilobaud, then Kilobaud Microcomputing; 80 Micro magazine for the TRS-80; Hot Coco for the TRS-80 Color Computer; Run for the Commodore 64, inCider magazine for the Apple II; and several other computer magazines. This interview took place over Skype on January 29, 2013, when I was doing research for a book about the very first personal computer magazines — Byte, Kilobyte, and Creative Computing. Although I've decided not to write the book, I am publishing the interviews that I did for them. Wayne Green died on September 13, 2013, eight months after we did this interview. Teaser quotes: "Sharing is the big deal for me. When I find something fun, interesting, I have to share it." "Steve Jobs ... I heard about the Apple computer so my wife and I stopped by to visit him. ... He took me out to the garage and showed it to me. He says, 'What do you think?' I said 'I think you've got a winner. There's a first computer conference is going to be in Atlantic City in two weeks. Be there.' He says 'Oh, I can't afford to fly.' I said, 'Take a bus. Be there.'" "Amelia Earhart kept her plane at my dad's airport. ... I used to play in that when I was a kid. ... I'm one of the few people who knows exactly what happened to her." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 Bill Hogue, Miner 2049er http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-94-bill-hogue-miner-2049er Bill Hogue was founder of Big Five Software. He was programmer of the hit 1982 game Miner 2049er, and its sequel Bounty Bob Strikes Back!. This interview took place on August 31, 2015. Teaser quotes: “I tried to cram as much color in there as I possibly could, because it was all fresh and new to me.” “I’d forgotten how all the bank selecting and anti-piracy stuff worked that I put into it. . . so I had to spend hours, if not days, breaking my own code.” 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris++ Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Very cool. I'm really looking forward to listening to that one. Miner 2049er is awesome, but Bounty Bob Strikes Back! is slightly better, mainly due to the controls -- you can finally steer Bob in midair. This is important to know before playing the game. And this was a couple of years before Mario was Super! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FifthPlayer Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Really enjoyed the Gerri Brioso interview, especially her perspective being at the ground floor on developing for an entirely new medium. It was also great hearing the interview unfold, as she remembered more and more stories to tell. And her surprise at hearing there's still Atari hardware left to run her software! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+therealbountybob Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Probably this thread is all over the place with different people listening to different interviews so I'll just post without reading the 214 previous ones Really loving listening to these - I've been decorating and had several on today alone - slows me down as I have to keep rewinding! Was I the only person thinking the Nolan Bushnell one was a bit short? Glenn the 5200 one was very interesting - about the 5200 vs A8 releases then, did Atari commission 2 sets of people to write the same game e.g. dig Dug / Qix etc? Where they expecting the 5200 guys to make a better game to try and promote the 5200? Perhaps this can be covered in another interview with someone - or has this been covered somewhere? Adam Billyard was very jolly, liked the bit about no debugger so setting the screen background colour to act as a break point in his code - this was exactly what I did recently when developing Ramp Rage!! I like hearing some of the technical stuff now. The one about the Archon guys John Freeman? playing MULE with the MULE guys and finding a flaw was brilliant - WOW 2 of the best games ever and they meet up Looking forward to hearing from Bill Hogue tomorrow Hopefully you might inspire some of the interviewees back into the Atari, e.g. Glenn the 5200 man who sounded surprised there was still an active scene. Thanks again for these pod casts 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+playsoft Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Since I've been mucking about with it, I've been trying to find out who wrote Popeye for the A8/5200. According to this website http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Adrenalin_Entertainment it was David Johnson. Might be worth trying to get an interview? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted November 3, 2015 Author Share Posted November 3, 2015 @playsoft — ooh, interesting. I'm following that lead, thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkindig Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 CONTEST THIS MONTH ON ANTIC!! We have a contest going this month on ANTIC! Whoever transcribes the most ANTIC interviews from 11/1/15 to 11/30/15 will win a Defender cartridge for the Atari 400/800/XL/XE computers signed by none other than Steve Baker, the person who converted the game from the arcade version for Atari! Check with Kevin (kevin@savetz.com) to see what interviews need to be transcribed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkindig Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 (edited) http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-95-keithen-hayenga-5200-tempest Keithen Hayenga, 5200 Tempest Keithen Hayenga worked for both Apple and Atari and was an Apple II and Atari software programmer. While at Atari, Keithen worked on RealSports Baseball and several other unpublished projects such as Tempest for the Atari 5200, which he later completed and is currently available on AtariAge. Teaser Quote “Their answer was of course ‘well we had Keithen, the best in the business’. So, it’s like, I was ALMOST in a movie!” Edited November 14, 2015 by rkindig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Loved the Glenn the 5200 man interview. I also just finished listening to Adam Billyard. Good stuff from Adam too. It's amazing how extremely fascinating these interviews are. It's neat to here the stories behind the software I used as a kid. I really wanna know what unreleased 7800 games he has in his possession… Originally, it sounded like they may have been from the 1984 era [like the missing Elevator Action] but then he mentioned them being on either ST or Amiga discs [most likely ST] which would mean from the Tramiel era. Hopefully, it really is missing [Electrocop] or currently-unknown titles [like how Toki and Paperboy were up until the past year]. Hell, wouldn't it be awesome if he had 5200/A8 Cloak & Dagger source code somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+therealbountybob Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 this thread is too big!! Just listening to random interviews while I'm decorating, really makes the time go quickly Perhaps you can ask Tom Hudson for the disk of that trackball loop game Tacheon? that he couldn't read, and see if someone here can recover it - Fandal perhaps? Would be a great game to play 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 this thread is too big!! Just listening to random interviews while I'm decorating, really makes the time go quickly Perhaps you can ask Tom Hudson for the disk of that trackball loop game Tacheon? that he couldn't read, and see if someone here can recover it - Fandal perhaps? Would be a great game to play I'm all for yet another Trak-Ball supporting game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 Bill Mensch, 6502 Chip http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-96-bill-mensch-6502-chip Bill Mensch is co-creator of the 6502 chip, the microprocessor that’s the heart of the Atari 8-bit computers, the Apple ][, Commodore 64, and many other classic computers. This interview occurred August 6, 2015. Teaser quotes: “These guys at Motorola aren’t going to do the microprocessor that we need to do: that is a low-end microprocessor to complete with the Intel 4040 which sold for about $29.” “I had a bet with Rod Orgle, and Rod Orgle said the 6501 would outsell the 6502.” “I’m in empowerment technology. I want to empower people to do their idea. That’s what I did for Chuck [Peddle], that’s why he came to me.” “Now, you’d think that I was a big fan of Apple, and I’m not. The reason why I’m not is they killed off the Apple II to make room for the Macintosh.” “All of those old brands — Apple II, Commodore, Atari, and the old Nintendo — could all come back to life, with the right relationships. And we have the technology.” 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 Hell, wouldn't it be awesome if he had 5200/A8 Cloak & Dagger source code somewhere? I doubt that. Dave Comstock has the only copy of the source code I believe. There's really no point in finishing the game though, it would be better to start over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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