This isn't strictly a MAME thing, nor even a Dumping Union thing, but it's involved several DU members, so I think it's worth mentioning now that everything is done and dusted.
Late last week, it came to our attention via Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation and co-founder of Digital Eclipse, that a long-time software developer, Chris Oberth, had passed away. As he was married, but had little in the way of liquid assets, it was decided that all of the development discs that he had archived over the years would be auctioned off in order to garner funds to take care of his widow.
Among other items, these discs included the source code for an unreleased PC port of World Class Bowling, the source code for Shuffleshot, the source code to Boulder Dash which was used for the Colecovision port, the source code to the C64 classic Tau Ceti, the source code for Front Page Sports Football '98, and most interestingly, the source code and assets for an unreleased game on itech32-class hardware, Must Shoot TV.
Initially, we approached things on the assumption that none of the auctions would end up going for too much - this ended up being a faulty assumption, but one that isn't too unreasonable. Generally, arcade collectors tend to prefer physical PCBs with prototype ROMs already on them. We had a pool of around $700 comprising about $300 from the folks at Gaming Alexandria, $250 from one anonymous donor, $100 from a second, and $50 as backup from me.
The auctions for World Class Bowling, Front Page Sports Football, and Tau Ceti source code were among the first to end, and ended up going for around $200 each. It was at this point that the stark realization set in that we wouldn't be able to acquire the rest of our targets without additional funding, and so I put out a call for pledges via Twitter. Thanks to a signal boost by Frank Cifaldi himself, as well as Jason Scott of textfiles.org/archive.org fame, we ended up with a considerably larger pool to draw from than initially planned, and this proved to be quite the prescient move.
Last night, the auctions for Must Shoot TV, Shuffleshot, and the Boulder Dash source code ended. The source code and asset disc for Must Shoot TV ended up going for roughly $850, Shuffleshot for $300, and lastly, Boulder Dash for about $200.
This is one of the first cases I'm aware of where multiple disparate preservation organizations all worked together for a common goal. Were it not for the signal boosts from Frank and Jason, and were it not for the Gaming Alexandria folks and Video Game History Foundation folks agreeing to let some of us on the Dumping Union take point on the bidding, the prices would have likely been astronomical due to multiple people - all with the same goal - vying to make the acquisition. The fact that we were all able to work together to achieve this goal cannot be underscored enough, and in my opinion it rings in a new era of cooperation among preservation organizations.
I'd like to give thanks for everyone on Twitter who helped make this happen - from folks who chipped in $20, to folks who chipped in $200 and more. Each contribution has been noted, and each person will be credited if and when any prototype builds on these source discs are added to MAME.
Last but not least, in the spirit of being fully transparent, I do have to say that it will be some months yet before anything is released. The Gaming Alexandria folks are far more equipped to do deep dives into source discs than any one MAME dev, and so we've agreed that they are entitled to the lead time necessary to author blog entries for each of these acquisitions. At the end of the day, what matters is that these discs have been secured for preservation, and in the long run, there's a good chance that the Gaming Alexandria articles will cast some additional eyes toward MAME and the Dumping Union.
No disrespect intended, but I find this somewhat odd. Chris passed away almost eight years ago. They're just *now* auctioning his stuff to help take care of his widow?
"One of these days, I'm going to cut you into little pieces!"- Nick Mason, Pink Floyd
The games and their respective materials were definitely his. I see now that you were just reporting what you saw/heard. Maybe his wife Agnes just decided to finally sell off his game materials to help her along in retirement.
(Disclaimer- I don't know them personally, but had interviewed Chris for an issue of Syzygy Magazine that was never published, and he mentioned his wife's and childrens' names. Extremely friendly and warm guy who knew his time was limited due to heart issues.)
"One of these days, I'm going to cut you into little pieces!"- Nick Mason, Pink Floyd
>This isn't strictly a MAME thing, nor even a Dumping Union thing, but it's involved several >DU members, so I think it's worth mentioning now that everything is done and dusted.
It's more of a 25 percent: emulation /Dumping /donations / documentation of the long life of one's work of contributions over the years [a long-time software developer, Chris Oberth,]
-- This is one of the first cases I'm aware of where multiple disparate preservation organizations all worked together for a common goal. Were it not for the signal boosts from Frank and Jason, and were it not for the Gaming Alexandria folks and Video Game History Foundation folks agreeing to let some of us on the Dumping Union take point on the bidding, the prices would have likely been astronomical due to multiple people - all with the same goal - vying to make the acquisition. The fact that we were all able to work together to achieve this goal cannot be underscored enough, and in my opinion it rings in a new era of cooperation among preservation organizations.
I'd like to give thanks for everyone on Twitter who helped make this happen - from folks who chipped in $20, to folks who chipped in $200 and more. Each contribution has been noted, and each person will be credited if and when any prototype builds on these source discs are added to MAME.
Last but not least, in the spirit of being fully transparent, I do have to say that it will be some months yet before anything is released. The Gaming Alexandria folks are far more equipped to do deep dives into source discs than any one MAME dev, and so we've agreed that they are entitled to the lead time necessary to author blog entries for each of these acquisitions. At the end of the day, what matters is that these discs have been secured for preservation, and in the long run, there's a good chance that the Gaming Alexandria articles will cast some additional eyes toward MAME and the Dumping Union. --
In case one of the Incredible Technologies games has its own unique hardware and is set as its own source file, maybe some game videography game list of all the games (coinop and non-coinop) he did as a tribute within the MAME source code as well?
Anyway.....I too, am glad this group effort project will help document the commercial products that made it or never made it to market from the works of one creator.
> Does it matter that much to you, since MAME isn't going to be distributing the source > code?
Like I stated I was curious, I know there's alot of gray areas but I figured since there were persons on this board that are or have been in similar situations they could answer my question.
Don't care what happens to the source code just curious on its standings.
It's in the same frame as every single driver in MMAE: If the rights-holder requests removal, that request will be respected.
Until and unless that happens, it's pointless to adhere to your post signature by bringing the topic up in the first place, or otherwise highlighting that that's a possibility.
>and most interestingly, the source code and assets for an unreleased game on itech32-class >hardware, Must Shoot TV.
>Last night, the auctions for Must Shoot TV, Shuffleshot, and the Boulder Dash source code >ended. The source code and asset disc for Must Shoot TV ended up going for roughly $850, >Shuffleshot for $300, and lastly, Boulder Dash for about $200.
Props to everyone involved in helping preserve game development history whether a good game or not.
Polished up and pushed, just in time for the MAME 0.226 code freeze this Saturday. Strap up and prepare to shoot some virtual TVs in the previously-unreleased Incredible Technologies arcade game, "Must Shoot TV"!
Had the game gone in a crazy direction, the game name could have been "Its Chuck" and become a very controversial coinop ticket redemption game it could have gone like this:
Check out Chuck. See Chuck's clothing wardrobe proudly displaying nra decals on shirt, pants, jacket. See Chuck drive big ol sports truck, loaded with multiple firearms, to former employer's business and cause mayhem and then see Chuck drive across the busy downtown boulevard over to the downtown airport to cause more mayhem at international airport. Chuck really loves his guns. Help Chuck take out as many innocent bystanders for more points and win more redemption tickets for more sugary snacks rewards.
It's unfortunate that driving financial forces dictate that coinop games have to fall into specific public market genre and games that were introduced as unique first of a kind type games such as Marble Madness and other maze type games were put out to the pasture. The maze type games would have never surfaced/marketed had they been developed in 1990s instead of 1980s. It somewhat reminds me of tv shows and theater films that were made in 1970s that would have never been made another decade later. (financial restraints, or political correctness, but primarily financial restraints since large corporations wanted films to be developed a certain way. Those financial directives killed off filming industry and quality of films. Movies like "Paper Chase". Can't make that. Too boring for audience. We need a gargantuan Super heroes movie). That's my 1970s era film critic Gary Franklin (was a known soCal region entertainment review critic) type 'artsy elitist' gripe for the day.
iirc Franklin's reviews gave low ratings to movies that would become popular and high ratings to specific artistic movies that one can expect that only elitists would want to watch. He was like the 'reverse' doppelganger version of Siskel and Ebert movie review duo. I trusted Siskel and Ebert moreso when it came to depending upon movie reviews of which movie was worth seeing.
While at KABC-TV, he used a 1-to-10 ratings scale (10 being the best) calling it "The Franklin Scale" for his movie reviews. Gary Franklin, the Los Angeles television and radio entertainment critic and reporter who became a household name in the 1980s critiquing movies and TV shows on “the Franklin Scale of 1 to 10, 10 being best,” -
The only Chuck, besides Chuck Berry, that comes to mind that is/was worth mentioning was Barris.
Congrats to all the contributors getting another game preserved and mentioning it in this thread as a reminder to others of last year's efforts involved in order for this to happen this year.
"You've All Done Very Well." - young Mr. Grace (Grace Brothers Dept. store)
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