The Atari 5200 Centipede story

[+Cafeman]

http://cafeman.www9.50megs.com/atari/5200c...0centipede.html

 

I've updated my 5200 Centipede feature at my 5200 site, after talking a bit with W. Sean Hennessy who was involved with Frank Hausman back then on this award-winning and excellent coin-op port.

 

Give 'er a click if you are interested in a wee bit of game dev drama, and a further piece of info about this game's creation.

[Gunstar]

I think 5200 centipede is much better than the 8-bit version, even while using the standard 5200 controller. I've only played the actual cartridge, so I haven't seen the version with the "smart" spider. I too, was amazed when I first saw it, expecting it to be pretty much like the 800 version (which I thought was good, but not great like the 5200), boy was I suprised and pleased when I first played it. I picked the game up at a thrift shop for a dollar and am very glad I did, as I debated it and finally got it for collection purposes (after all it was only a buck I told myself), but I play it nearly as much as Tempest 2000 on the Jaguar.

[KAZ]

The best part in Centipede is on the first stage when you don't fire a SINGLE shot the entire time, and let the entire centipede come all the way down the bottom of the screen, one row above the bottom.

 

Then you prepare yourself, and zoom by the centipede firing. It turns into a beautiful row of mushrooms, and you destroy it!

 

Risky, cuz you are so dead if you don't do it right.

 

Another neat trick instead of the "fillet" method, is to fire at its head, and the rest of it gets destroyed on the same single mushroom.

 

These tricks seem to work really well on the Atari 5200 version, and less well in the arcade I believe.

[Heaven/TQA]

excellent story & news... i love it...

 

where can i get into this "digital press" source?

[Heaven/TQA]

and for all 8bit computer users... get the 5200port...called "centipede5200" done by "glen - the 5200 man"

 

it is 1:1 the 5200 version, except maybe the controls but same good as the 5200 one... (of course... its 99,9% the same code base)

 

hve

[Tempest]

Centipede may be king, but I've always love the 5200 and 8-Bit ports of Pengo. I didn't know he was responsible for both of them. What I want to know is why the music in the 8-Bit version isn't as good as the 5200 version! Just listen to the opening level tune and you'll see what I mean. There were also some other minor differences, but nothing like the difference between the two Centipedes.

 

Tempest

[NE146]

A little off topic but I remember when I got the brand new 5200 Pengo then eagerly tried it out.. I was shocked because the music was totally DIFFERENT from the Pengo that I knew and played in the arcades. I remember thinking "why the heck did they change the music!?!?"

 

Anyway, now years later of course I know that the Pengo I played had the "Popcorn" music, and the 5200 Pengo was based upon the U.S. release which had alternate music. But still, I think Pengo just doesn't sound right without it, at least to me. That'd be an interesting hobby hack though.. to change the music in the 5200 version don't ya think.

 

Incidentally, when you talk of the "opening level tune" are you talking about the little ditty that plays while the blocks are being cleared at the beginning of the stage? Or the fanfare just after that. I'm trying to remember if the 5200 version had the block clearing since it was left out of the U.S. arcade version as well.