The Arcade Machine

The Arcade Machine
Developer(s) Doug Carlston
Chris Jochumson
Publisher(s) Brøderbund Software
Platform(s) Apple II
Atari 8-bit family
Release date(s) 1982

The Arcade Machine is a 1982 game creation system video game by Brøderbund Software. It was released on Apple II and Atari 8-bit family. The software was created by Chris Jochumson and Doug Carlston.[1]

Development

The game was officially announced in a November 16, 1981 issue of InfoWorld.[2] According to InfoWorld, there was a contest run from January-June 1984 where Brøderbund would award the best user-derived game with a prize of $1,500 in hardware and aoftware[3]

Gameplay

The game allows players to create alien attacks like those seen in Galaxian. The inbuilt editor allows players to: design/animate enemies, players and explosions; give enemies instructions on moving/firing; drawing backgrounds/title screens, creating sound effects/music, and setting various gameplay rules. According Finished games can be saves to a self-bootable disk to allow them to run without this program.

Critical reception

InfoWorld deemed it a "fabulous program", and compared it favourably to Pinball Construction Set.[3] The New York Times described the game as a "heirophant" due to giving non-programmers the ability to create games; furthermore, the site suggested that with a bit of aesthetic improvement, The Arcade Machine would "be a game one can play almost forever".[4]

The game is "a best seller", according to Atari Magazines.[5] Meanwhile, Aderack considers it a" "fairly important" piece of video gaming history due to being the first game creation system (even earlier than Pinball Construction Set), despite its obscurity.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Game Creation Tools Classification : The Arcade Machine (1982)".
  2. ↑ Inc, InfoWorld Media Group (16 November 1981). "InfoWorld". InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 Inc, InfoWorld Media Group (30 January 1984). "InfoWorld". InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "THE IMAGINATIVE PATH TO DESIGNING GAMES". The New York Times. 24 May 1983.
  5. ↑ "A family affair; behind the scenes at Broderbund.".
  6. ↑ "The Arcade Machine :: Gloaming Crackle".


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