Bryan Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I just popped in and the top 2 topics are about ET!!! What is left to be said? -Bry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hepcat Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I like E.T. Or rather used to back in the day. To me, E.T. was just as much fun as Raiders of the Lost Ark or Adventure. I spent many hours as a kid mastering the game, even the randomized version. I felt like I had accomplished something everytime that silvery/shimmery spaceship arrived to take me home! I like your avatar RCmodeler, but I question your taste in Atari 2600 games. E.T. was terrible back in '82 and it still is today. --Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I like E.T., it's a decent game (not a great game, but decent). It really doesn't deserve the bad rap it get. Pac-Man on the other hand... Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCmodeler Posted October 30, 2003 Author Share Posted October 30, 2003 Another Pit Secret: As soon as you see yourself fall in, press the fire button. That way you don't fall all the way to the bottom. Yeah, the pits are a pain, but so is getting eaten by a dragon in Adventure or put to sleep by Tsetse flies in Raiders. It separates the men from the boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitfallaimee Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I watched my husband play ET for a very, very extended session of play. Previously, I figured the game sucked, I'd never been any good at it, but after that, I realized--if STAN can do this, ANYONE can. So it's probably a great game, I just haven't revisited it to find out. I liked 2600 Pac-Man, but I always played Lock N Chase more as a child. And no one ever has anything good to say about Demons to Diamonds, but I enjoyed that one highly--of course, I was young, and I haven't played it in ten years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hswwsh Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 Hello everybody, If anyone is still reading this thread, I would like to say thanks to all of you who enjoyed the game. Here is the thing about ET: At a time when no-one had ever completed a video game in less than 5 months, we needed ET to be done in five weeks. ATARI asked me to do it for several reasons: Speilberg asked for me specifically to do it after I had done Raiders, no one else was crazy enough to even attempt it, and they were confident I could actually get it done. I tried to do a lot with ET, but there is only so much one can do in 5 weeks. That said, let me also say that I know the length of development time on a game is irrelelvant from a player's standpoint. The only thing that counts is fun factor. I tried to make a game with some emotional component to it, some empathetic aspect in addition to a game. Am I crazy for shooting for all that in five weeks on the 2600? Of course I am. That has never changed. What I think I did was create a complete game that is playable and has some very rough edges (the first thing I would do is soften the pit mechanics). With even 4 more days I might have done it too, but I didn't get those days. So it stands as a completed (though not elaborately tuned) game with pretty decent graphics, some nice payoff sequences, and very few bugs. I am satisfied to have done that, but saddened that I didn't get the opportunity to "finish" it, given the standard I set with Yars and Raiders. Realistically, I don't think it is even close to the actual worst game on the 2600, but I do love holding that distinction. In fact, New Media magazine said it was singlehandedly responsible for the fall of the entire business in 83. Well, that is quite an honor indeed! Having done Yars which is one of the best games (according to what I see from all of you) it is a great source of pride to me to also have done one of the "worst" games too. Who else has greater range on the 2600? For a game done in 5 weeks, it wasn't that bad. I mean, hey, 20 years later you're still talking about it. Think of all the other bad games you don't even mention anymore. I sincerely thank all of you for keeping me alive like this ATARI was an amazing time in my life, that is why I did the documentary series Once Upon ATARI, to rekindle the fire for all who were there, and it has. But things like this that take me back there are always great for me and I am indebted to all of you for making my day yet again today. Yars truly, HSW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Csonicgo Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 AHH IT's HSW! cool beans! anyway, I liked the game. I'm going to buy6 Yar's revenge today When I go out. Now If we could get Nolan Bushnell to register. the worst game ever an accomplishment? I agree, hehe..... wait, Skeet shoot blew ET outta the water on that category. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulEMoz Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 Great to see a post from the man behind the game! Anyway, I really think people expected too much from this game. It's a really difficult licence to do much with anyway, and the fact that it wasn't just a PacMan rip off is a plus for starters. Personally, I think E.T. is not a great game, but it is nowhere near the worst of all time. IMO, it's quite good fun, but with limited replay value. The other two lads that reviewed it with me on my website didn't like it much though! I think overly high expectations played a part in lowering peoples' opinions of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hswwsh Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 Dear Paul, I think your anlysis is spot on! Setting expectations is always key, and in the ET case... keys I like your adventure duck also. HSW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 it would be interesting to have a similar competiton today, with the best homebrewers, pick a sappy movie that really doesn't have any easy video game hooks (like 'under a tuscan sun' or some pap,) and see what the modern coders can do in only 5 weeks. I bet E.T. blows away whatver they might eek out in 5 weeks :-) I thought the random game mode has a lot of depth, still to this day. It would be interesting to see what happened if you decided today to take on that 'last 4 days' and 'finish' E.T..... Even though I love it fine just the way it is. ET & Raiders are why I like RPGs today. check out my 'history of video game rpgs' article, http://www.griffon.cc/page38.html et mentioned on http://www.griffon.cc/page40.html thanks again, yars truly LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCmodeler Posted November 4, 2003 Author Share Posted November 4, 2003 Dungeons & Dragons is an RPG. Adventure/Raiders/ET are not. I'm glad to see HSW here. He, along with Sid Meier, produced my absolute favorite games. Each has shown consistently good gaming sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad2600 Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Hello everybody, If anyone is still reading this thread, I would like to say thanks to all of you who enjoyed the game. Here is the thing about ET: At a time when no-one had ever completed a video game in less than 5 months, we needed ET to be done in five weeks. ATARI asked me to do it for several reasons: Speilberg asked for me specifically to do it after I had done Raiders, no one else was crazy enough to even attempt it, and they were confident I could actually get it done. I tried to do a lot with ET, but there is only so much one can do in 5 weeks. That said, let me also say that I know the length of development time on a game is irrelelvant from a player's standpoint. The only thing that counts is fun factor. I tried to make a game with some emotional component to it, some empathetic aspect in addition to a game. Am I crazy for shooting for all that in five weeks on the 2600? Of course I am. That has never changed. What I think I did was create a complete game that is playable and has some very rough edges (the first thing I would do is soften the pit mechanics). With even 4 more days I might have done it too, but I didn't get those days. So it stands as a completed (though not elaborately tuned) game with pretty decent graphics, some nice payoff sequences, and very few bugs. I am satisfied to have done that, but saddened that I didn't get the opportunity to "finish" it, given the standard I set with Yars and Raiders. Realistically, I don't think it is even close to the actual worst game on the 2600, but I do love holding that distinction. In fact, New Media magazine said it was singlehandedly responsible for the fall of the entire business in 83. Well, that is quite an honor indeed! Having done Yars which is one of the best games (according to what I see from all of you) it is a great source of pride to me to also have done one of the "worst" games too. Who else has greater range on the 2600? For a game done in 5 weeks, it wasn't that bad. I mean, hey, 20 years later you're still talking about it. Think of all the other bad games you don't even mention anymore. I sincerely thank all of you for keeping me alive like this ATARI was an amazing time in my life, that is why I did the documentary series Once Upon ATARI, to rekindle the fire for all who were there, and it has. But things like this that take me back there are always great for me and I am indebted to all of you for making my day yet again today. Yars truly, HSW I take back anything nasty that I ever said about E.T. I enjoyed it as a kid and though I know it could be better, you did do the best you could and that's what should count above all. It would really be cool if Nolan Bushnell himself posted here to offer his 2 cents on Atari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I enjoyed it as a kid and though I know it could be better, you did do the best you could and that's what should count above all. And this, ladies and gents, is what's delicately known as "brown-nosing". The trials and tribulations of software development are an interesting sidebar, but when it comes down to it the only thing that really matters is whether the game is fun or not. And Kepone, quoting over 30 lines of text to tack on only 5 lines of reply is... not so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sack-c0s Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 so... seeing as we have HSW here... What is the key to ET then? Everybody says 'once you get the hang of it you'll be just fine' but nobody seems to want to explain Yars revenge is a fantastic game though - that and warlords have to be my favourite atari games. thanks man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 What is the key to ET then? Everybody says 'once you get the hang of it you'll be just fine' but nobody seems to want to explain What kind of problem are you having? Falling into pits? We've explained that many a time #1. If you fall into a pit, if you're fast enough you can hover before hitting the ground.. that usually saves some time #2. When getting out of the pit, once you're out of the pit (i.e. the overhead view) STOP PUSHING UP. If you continue to push up you'll fall back in. Push directly down or left or right instead. It's a snap to get out of any pit once you know that. That's about it as far as I know.. Oh and if you want it easy.. play Game variation 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sack-c0s Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 What is the key to ET then? Everybody says 'once you get the hang of it you'll be just fine' but nobody seems to want to explain What kind of problem are you having? Falling into pits? We've explained that many a time #1. If you fall into a pit, if you're fast enough you can hover before hitting the ground.. that usually saves some time #2. When getting out of the pit, once you're out of the pit (i.e. the overhead view) STOP PUSHING UP. If you continue to push up you'll fall back in. Push directly down or left or right instead. It's a snap to get out of any pit once you know that. That's about it as far as I know.. Oh and if you want it easy.. play Game variation 3. that's great - the game is a piece of piss once you know those simple things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 "Piece of piss"?? You piss in chunks over there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 It's the tea that does it. Makes your piss chunky over the years. Something to do with sugar deposits or some such. Actually if Im not mistaken, saying something is a "piece of piss" is actually a compliment over there. Kinda sounds weird to us...I know... Like ...oh say.... "smokin a fag" See??? Wierd. But its all good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 well, a faggot is a dry piece of wood used for kindling... wonder how that transfered into slang for a person of alternative life-style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaManFan Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 "gay" used to mean "happy" too, not "homosexual." Funny how language changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 So we're all in agreement. E.T. = Good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sack-c0s Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I've learned to play it now... and it's still a bit crap but we can always forgive one faux pas given that he did write Yars' revenge and star raiders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I've learned to play it now... and it's still a bit crap No bro.. you obviously don't know what crap is. Let me give you a quick lesson..... Go fire up a game of Skeet Shoot. Play it for 10 minutes (if you can) and report back Then you'll see why we say "E.T. aint the greatest game, but it's FAR from the worst" No one here really said it's a really good 2600 game. We've only said it's not the "worst". Yet it seems to be permeated everywhere it's the worst all time 2600 game around! The ignorance must be corrected! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 No one here really said it's a really good 2600 game. Trebor did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Oh yeah... So did I. That games great. And just so's I don't get accused of brown-nosing... Here's me saying how great it is a year ago. http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16541 Man what a great game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.