The Arcade Machine: Difference between revisions
m →Links Tag: 2017 source edit |
m Text replacement - "(\|developer=)\[\[([^\]]+)\]\]" to "$1$2" |
||
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
|origplat=[[:Category:Apple II Software|Apple II]] | |origplat=[[:Category:Apple II Software|Apple II]] | ||
|origpub=[[Broderbund Software]] | |origpub=[[Broderbund Software]] | ||
|developer= | |developer=Douglas G. Carlston | ||
|genre= | |genre=Entertainment, Game Design | ||
|countryorigin=United States of America | |countryorigin=United States of America | ||
}} | }} | ||
Latest revision as of 16:14, December 16, 2025
The Arcade Machine | |
| Title | The Arcade Machine |
| Release date(s) | 1982 |
| Original Platform(s) | |
| Original Publisher(s) | |
| Developer(s) | |
| Category(s) | |
Origins and Development
- Designed by Doug Carlston and Chris Jochumson, programmed by Louis Ewens for the Atari port.
- Published by Broderbund Software, first released for the Apple II in late 1982 and later ported to Atari 8‑bit computers in 1983.
Product Concept
A pioneering game‑creation system aimed at non‑programmers, it enabled users to design custom fixed‑shooter games akin to Galaxian. The tool offered:
- Animation tools for enemies, players, explosions
- Logic scripting for movement, firing, mutation, and scoring
- Manual drawing of backgrounds, title screens, and even sound/music composition
- Support for multi‑level games (up to 5 levels), joystick‑driven editors, shape/color control (four colors per level), bombs with physics, time limits, star‑field scrolling, text entry, and more
Finished creations could be saved onto self‑booting floppy disks, allowing them to run independently of the original editing program.
An extensive 87‑page user manual guided aspiring designers through all features, menu systems, and workflow.
Reception and Impact
- Computer Gaming World reviewer John F. Besnard called it a “tremendous amount of power to the user,” recommending trying the supplied demo games to see its versatility.
- The New York Times described it as a “hierophant” that enabled non‑programmers to become game creators; with more polish, it could be “a game one can play almost forever”.
- InfoWorld (1984) praised it as a “fabulous program,” comparing it favorably to Pinball Construction Set, another early creative tool.
- ANALOG Computing reviewer Steve Panak warned that it was complex and demanded many hours of work—but added that with great documentation, it remained surprisingly accessible.
Community and Contest
To foster community creativity, Broderbund ran “The Arcade Machine Contest” from January through June 1984 awarding monthly prizes of $200 in software or hardware and a grand prize of $1,500.
Legacy
The Arcade Machine stands as a trailblazing title in the history of creative software— especially notable for its time. It empowered users with no programming background to design, animate, and distribute their own arcade-style games. Its influence has echoes in later DIY game‑creation tools, and it earned both critical respect and commercial success during a pivotal era in home computing during a time of major company expansion for Broderbund. The Arcade Machine is considered one of the earliest accessible game design tools for personal computers, paving the way for later systems like Garry Kitchen’s GameMaker (released 1985) and Broderbund’s own Arcade Game Construction Kit (1988).
Releases
- Arcade Machine (Apple II, 5 1/4" Disk) Broderbund Software - 1983 USA, Canada Release
- Arcade Machine (Atari 8-Bit, 5 1/4" Disk) Broderbund Software - 1983 USA, Canada Release
