Prototype Terminology

[Tempest]

Since there are so many confusing (and conflicting) prototype terms out there, I thought it might be helpful to list the terms and definitions I go by when discussing prototypes.

 

Bit Rot - When an EPROM becomes partially erased due to extreme changes in temperature, long term exposure to light, or static shock. When Bit Rot occurs a prototype usually becomes unusable or suffers from corrupted graphics or other errors. Bit Rot is rare, but does happen. EPROMs can also suffer from Bit Rot naturally as they were not meant to be a permanent form of storage.

 

Disk Prototype - A prototype that was never dumped to an EPROM cartridge and only exists on a floppy disk (usually copied directly from the mainframe).

 

EPROM - Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. These are special chips that could be programmed with game data and then erased and reused. All prototypes contain EPROMs, but not all games that contain EPROMs are prototypes. Ocassionally EPROMs were used in commercial games for unknown reasons.

 

EPROM Board - This is basically a prototype without a case. Inside every prototype is some kind of board with EPROMs stuck on it (either socketed or soldered). Not every prototype had a nice case, some exist as EPROM boards only. Usually the EPROM windows were covered with some kind of sticker. Here's a good picture of an EPROM Board

 

Lab Loaner - The prototype comes in a case with some sort of lab label on it (anything from an Atari Lab Label to a Parker Brothers "price tag" sticker). Here's a picture of an Atari Lab Loaner Lab Loaner

 

Prototype - Perhaps the most confusing term as it is often used (and misused) to describe anything that wasn't a standard release. A true prototype has its game data contained on EPROMs and is either a work in progress or game code undergoing a a final review before being declared 'finished'. I generally use the term prototype as a catch all for any of the terms on this page.

 

Review Copy - Also known as a Preview Copy. These were prototypes that were sent out to various magazines and special people (test groups) for the purpose of review. Usually these prototypes are the same as the final version (ie.a final WIP), but occasionally they are different. Some review copies will actually say "Review Copy Not For Resale" on them.

 

Unrelease Game - A game that was not released to the general public. While most games that fall into this category are prototypes, this isn't always the case. Dukes of Hazzard, Atalntis II, Off Your Rocker, and Pepsi Invaders are all games that were not made available for sale to the general public, but are not true prototypes.

 

WIP - Work In Progress. This is a prototype that has yet to be finalized. These prototypes are different from the final version, and are very desirable to collectors.

 

 

Tempest

[Marco]

Very nice list - thanks for the work you put into this!

 

WIP - Work In Progress.  This is a prototype that has yet to be finalized.  These prototypes are different from the final version, and are very desirable to collectors.

 

You always state that, but I think you're mainly talking about yourself here.

 

Remember the 2600 McDonald's prototype? That's a WIP that is like 10% done. There was hardly anyone interested in it, even though it came with some interesting paperwork.

 

I think many collectors will be more interested in a playable game (i.e. close to or entirely finished) of an unreleased title, than a game like Snow White or, especially, a WIP Moon Patrol where the buggy has a different color or an WIP Asteroids where the difficulty switches have no function .

 

I think your definition of a WIP can do without the desireability part.

 

Cheers,

Marco

[Susuwatari]

Ocassionally EPROMs were used in commercial games for unknown reasons.

 

I can attest to that. I have a Color Dream game Metal figrter wikth EPROMs (it was DOA when I got it) It could be because some companies don't have the resource to make mask ROM and choose to use EPROM instead. EPROM tended to cost more than mask ROM in the long run.

[Albert]

Prototype - Perhaps the most confusing term as it is often used (and misused) to describe anything that wasn't a standard release.  A true prototype has its game data contained on EPROMs and is either a work in progress or game code undergoing a a final review before being declared 'finished'.  I generally use the term prototype as a catch all for any of the terms on this page.

 

Maybe some clarification should be made that you are only referring to cartridge-based systems with the above statement. I have original prototypes on CDs and DVDs for newer systems. Granted, these aren't as sexy as actual hardware-based prototypes, but they are still valid prototypes (although not always easy to "authenticate").

 

..Al

[nesman85]

and also, cart protos aren't ALWAYS on eproms. i have a few that are on roms but on eprom boards and are definitely legit.

[Tempest]

and also, cart protos aren't ALWAYS on eproms. i have a few that are on roms but on eprom boards and are definitely legit.

 

See I don't know about that. If they're roms then they were mass produced (small rom runs would be outrageously expensive). If they were mass produced then they're not prototypes, but final versions. Why would anyone make roms for a WIP game? More than likely they're a first run of a game and EPROM boards were used because the regular boards weren't available.

 

Got an example?

 

Tempest

[Tempest]

Maybe some clarification should be made that you are only referring to cartridge-based systems with the above statement.

 

I assumed that was implied.

 

 

BTW these are just MY definitions. Feel free to disagree with them. They're not law...

 

tempest

[nesman85]

and also, cart protos aren't ALWAYS on eproms. i have a few that are on roms but on eprom boards and are definitely legit.

 

See I don't know about that. If they're roms then they were mass produced (small rom runs would be outrageously expensive). If they were mass produced then they're not prototypes, but final versions. Why would anyone make roms for a WIP game? More than likely they're a first run of a game and EPROM boards were used because the regular boards weren't available.

 

Got an example?

 

Tempest

 

i'm not sure if any of mine are wip's or finals. i bought them along with a dozen+ other nes protos. they came from a reviewer, so it is possible that the game had been finished and then the companies made carts to send out to reviewers with the roms. they have standard typed up and handwritten proto-ish labels. i also know of a crystalis nes proto with roms on an eprom board that has differences from the released version.

[slapdash]

and also, cart protos aren't ALWAYS on eproms. i have a few that are on roms but on eprom boards and are definitely legit.

 

See I don't know about that. If they're roms then they were mass produced (small rom runs would be outrageously expensive). If they were mass produced then they're not prototypes, but final versions. Why would anyone make roms for a WIP game? More than likely they're a first run of a game and EPROM boards were used because the regular boards weren't available.

 

Got an example?

 

You might talk to JerryG... He used to refer to something like this... "Test burn" might be the phrase he used... Said that they'd do an inital ROM run, and if it tested okay, they'd be the first chips used. But sometimes that was the only run done. And sometimes the games weren't officially released, even though ROMs existed.

 

But then again, I might be getting a lot of that info wrong. I think he used to refer to Dukes Of Hazzard that way, but that might be wrong too...

[Atari Charles]

This post is an oldy but a goody. Very usefull info in original post, so I thought I'd bump it.

[Tempest]

I thought I'd bump it.

 

Please don't bump old posts.

 

Tempest

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Please don't bump old posts.

Yup, no reason to bump them. Else the forums would be spammed with bumped, good, old posts.

 

You can search for them easily anyway.

[Uzumaki]

And some people who posted 2 years ago may not be around anymore.

[Ross PK]

*EDIT*

 

Sorry, I guess this topic needs to die.

Edited December 15, 2006 by Ross PK

[Atari Charles]

Actaully the information is very useful and should be posted as a sticky. It is important for people to knwo the different forms as indicated by Tempest.

 

I can't picture Tempest going anywhere unless the Meltdown cartridge opens a vortex and whirls him into the Atari Universe.

[ovalbugmann]

A prototype game is like concept or a work in progress, something that could be made into a game, if desired. Right? Now, further along when a game is actively being designed and built, what is the difference between an Alpha and a Beta? Just wondering.

[supercat]

Bit Rot - When an EPROM becomes partially erased due to extreme changes in temperature, long term exposure to light, or static shock. When Bit Rot occurs a prototype usually becomes unusable or suffers from corrupted graphics or other errors. Bit Rot is rare, but does happen. EPROMs can also suffer from Bit Rot naturally as they were not meant to be a permanent form of storage.

 

A couple of points: (1) a partially-erased EPROM sell will read a "0" when the device is operated at a voltage below normal, even though it will read a "1" at normal voltage. Sometimes it's possible to recover data from an EPROM that's suffering from a mild case of bit rot. (2) You should also mention OTPROMs, which are like EPROMs but without the window. A lot of release games and a few prototypes were built using OTPROMs.

 

An OTPROM was, and is, cheaper than an EPROM (often between 25% and 75% of the price). Generally close enough in price that if one wasn't likely to want a permanent copy of the code it would be worth getting an EPROM, but if a chip would likely never get reused it would make more sense to use an OTP.

 

BTW, as for the relative desirability of WIP games, I would think that the biggest factor in desirability is how much is in the cartridge that doesn't exist elsewhere. Something like the Snow White proto isn't terribly playable, but would I consider it much more interesting than a proto which essentially matches a released game. The McDonald's proto, on the other hand, doesn't really have much "there". I wouldn't even consider it 1% done.

[supercat]

A prototype game is like concept or a work in progress, something that could be made into a game, if desired. Right? Now, further along when a game is actively being designed and built, what is the difference between an Alpha and a Beta? Just wondering.

 

In the cartridge-game realm, a prototyping cartridge is a device used to test out a particular version of the code. Typically, a programmer would put the code into an EPROM or two, put the chips into the prototyping cartridge, see what it does, erase the chips, tweak the code, put the new code into the chips, and test it again. Typically code would get burned into chips hundreds of times, but it would usually get erased and replaced with either another version of the code or, after the game was finished, some other program entirely.

 

What's significant about 2600 prototypes is that there are some games and versions of games of which the only known copy is stored in a prototype cart that, for whatever reason, was never erased. One difficulty with the prototype market is that the prototype carts were created to be useful, rather than to have any long-term value. The chips don't have any fancy anti-counterfeiting holograms or anything--often just a handwritten label. Since prototypes of some games are quite common while others are rare or unknown, it would be trivial for an unscrupulous person to buy a common prototype, remove and erase the chips, and then reprogram it to be a "prototype" of some other more valuable game that was produced by the same company around the same period.

Edited February 10, 2007 by supercat

[ovalbugmann]

But what is an ALPHA?

 

 

And what is a BETA? - I think betas are more complete than a alpha?

 

 

can someone expand on this?

[CPUWIZ]

But what is an ALPHA?

 

 

And what is a BETA? - I think betas are more complete than a alpha?

 

 

can someone expand on this?

 

Yes, a BETA version is more complete than an ALPHA. The specifics are determined by contract though, but generally an ALPHA version is a running prototype of something (doesn't even really have to resemble the final product) and a BETA is a feature complete version of the final product, which can contain many many bugs and can suffer from severe framerate issues.

[ovalbugmann]

Thanks , CPUWIZ I've always wanted to know the difference between the two, much appreciated.

[TheRedEye]

A prototype game is like concept or a work in progress, something that could be made into a game, if desired. Right? Now, further along when a game is actively being designed and built, what is the difference between an Alpha and a Beta? Just wondering.

 

In the cartridge-game realm, a prototyping cartridge is a device used to test out a particular version of the code.

 

I see where ovalbugmann's going with this.

 

Basically, yes, he's right. A "prototype" of a game, in development terms, is a playable idea. Think of it like making a pilot for a TV show: money is spent to make one episode, then the people who have lots MORE money watch that episode and determine if they want to pay to have more made. With games, money is spent to make a very, very rudimentary game demo that shows off what it will play like, and whether or not anyone wants to pay to have that idea realized into a full game is determined from it. Maxis' upcoming Spore is a good case study, if you're interested in this sort of thing, as they iterated and reiterated tons and tons of conceptual gameplay prototypes to make sure they got it right.

 

Anyway. In the collecting world, "prototype" has come to be a catch-all for any game code, physical or otherwise, that is not in its final iteration. And while it's technically inaccurate, arguing against it is really nitpicky, and I think it's a fine word.

[ovalbugmann]

I just wanted to know what an alpha and beta mean, with regards to development.