Re: Survey: vector artwork differences

Ok. I checked out my non-skirted spinner knob and compared it to my skirted
one. Everything about them is identical, but no skirt. There is no evidence
that the non-skirted one was ever skirted, and if it was, someone went to a
lot more trouble to completely and perfectly remove the skirt than it would
have been to simply replace it (assuming that they were readily available
back then.)

Am I the only one with a non-skirted Tempest knob? If so, perhaps I have a
tremendously valuable prototype on my hands, and if someone out there
collects prototypes, I would glady trade it for an NOS skirted one. :)

As an aside, I have a Blasteroids as well. Below you mention that this was
the knob used for SD=>MH conversions. This assembly is completely different
than a Tempest assembly (plastic housing, plastic encoder wheel, different
bearings, etc.) and the knobs are not interchangeable. Do I understand
correctly that the SD=>MH converison used the same entire assembly as a
Blasteroids? Just curious.

-roy-

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Anderson <mayday19@idt.net>
To: vectorlist@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu <vectorlist@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu>
Date: Thursday, April 08, 1999 12:38 PM
Subject: Re: Survey: vector artwork differences

>> I have a different knob on a few of my tempests. I prefer it to the
skirted knob.
>> It has more mass and It grips a lot better. Its the size of a tron knob
but it has
>> a beveled top. I have no idea if it was a late replacement run, a test
run or
>> after market. But I have seen it on at least 2 tempest panels.
>>
>> If you like, I can provide a picture of the knob in question.
>
>That sounds like the knob Atari used in the late 70's on games like super
>Breakout and Tournament Table.. ITs about the same size and shape as a
>Tron knob and the top has an aliminum disc with beveled edges.. The knob
>used on games earlier than that (like Breakout) looked just like a tempest
>knob but instead of the center being flat it had a raised and beveled
>edge..
>
>At any rate that knob will not be original.. keep in mind
>these games were not in any of our hands until after they got years of
>use.. anything could happen including knobs breaking and getting swapped
>with different ones.. If your tempest has a different knob it is not
>original, Atari didnt use a new knob until the Space duel kit for MH (its
>the same knob from Blasteriods with the molded Atari logo).
>
>If they would have switched to a new knob there would have been manual
>revisions or a reprint and all games from that point on would have used
>them. You cant change stuff like that during a production run without
>doing so, it affects the gameplay too much.
>
>Jeff
>
Received on Thu Apr 8 21:14:50 1999