Kevin Bunch (ubersaurus)
@atariarchive.org
Science Communicator, Video Game Historian, author of Atari Archive, old school FGCer, occasional Retronaut host, and chicken owner. He/him
the world if those disco record sales had continued to climb
November 11, 2025 at 3:19 PM
the world if those disco record sales had continued to climb
I know what you need in your life
November 1, 2025 at 3:31 AM
I know what you need in your life
Oh hell yeah I took some photos of the show (also it was 2008, I had my dates mixed up)
October 7, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Oh hell yeah I took some photos of the show (also it was 2008, I had my dates mixed up)
Have you seen any of those sibling games in operation? I wouldn't be difficult for me to try and record some footage of this game running if that helps clear up how they are different, if at all. Wish I could find some documentation on those DIP switches, but I guess I will need to figure that out.
September 22, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Have you seen any of those sibling games in operation? I wouldn't be difficult for me to try and record some footage of this game running if that helps clear up how they are different, if at all. Wish I could find some documentation on those DIP switches, but I guess I will need to figure that out.
Now that it’s set up and working, I can say I’ve procured a copy of World Vending’s Invader Wars! This is a clone of Space Invaders from around 1979. The internet claims it’s the same as World Invaders, which sparked the lawsuit that wound up giving video games copyright protections in Japan!
September 21, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Now that it’s set up and working, I can say I’ve procured a copy of World Vending’s Invader Wars! This is a clone of Space Invaders from around 1979. The internet claims it’s the same as World Invaders, which sparked the lawsuit that wound up giving video games copyright protections in Japan!
Machine acquired
September 20, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Machine acquired
Band-Maid’s World Domination. Honestly most of their albums have zero skips, but this one was the first I picked up and I honestly didn’t expect them to go so hard!
August 5, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Band-Maid’s World Domination. Honestly most of their albums have zero skips, but this one was the first I picked up and I honestly didn’t expect them to go so hard!
Visited the Dugout Arcade with some buddies last night and got in some good matches in Power Instinct 5, Hyper SF2, Breakers Revenge Chicago, and Axel City 2. Also made another high score attempt at Touhou but failed to beat my high score (not that anyone else has either).
August 2, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Visited the Dugout Arcade with some buddies last night and got in some good matches in Power Instinct 5, Hyper SF2, Breakers Revenge Chicago, and Axel City 2. Also made another high score attempt at Touhou but failed to beat my high score (not that anyone else has either).
Feels very much like this to me
August 1, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Feels very much like this to me
Took a long while but my Atariage last chance order (plus Super Circus Atariage, which I ordered even before that) have finally come in! I don’t have space for real arcade cabs but I will always have room in my heart for rad home conversions.
July 15, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Took a long while but my Atariage last chance order (plus Super Circus Atariage, which I ordered even before that) have finally come in! I don’t have space for real arcade cabs but I will always have room in my heart for rad home conversions.
May Gumby serve you as well as a response as he has me
July 7, 2025 at 5:28 PM
May Gumby serve you as well as a response as he has me
Potshot itself may be gone, but between its description and this film, we know a lot about how it played, and its legacy. The film reel is under copyright so I haven’t figured out what to do with this snippet, but I may make a short video about Potshot and its legacy using it. Stay tuned!
July 5, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Potshot itself may be gone, but between its description and this film, we know a lot about how it played, and its legacy. The film reel is under copyright so I haven’t figured out what to do with this snippet, but I may make a short video about Potshot and its legacy using it. Stay tuned!
The orbital version is extremely fascinating to see as well, as it follows the actual physics of trying to hit another object in orbit; effectively you need to fire the opposite direction! To my knowledge no artillery game has ever tried to recreate this one as no one knew about it for decades.
July 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
The orbital version is extremely fascinating to see as well, as it follows the actual physics of trying to hit another object in orbit; effectively you need to fire the opposite direction! To my knowledge no artillery game has ever tried to recreate this one as no one knew about it for decades.
Players input the parameters of the match on a teletype, and the plotter draws the landscape and the cannons. You then take turns firing at each other and the plotter draws out each shot, color coded for each player. Score a hit, and it even draws an explosion!
July 5, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Players input the parameters of the match on a teletype, and the plotter draws the landscape and the cannons. You then take turns firing at each other and the plotter draws out each shot, color coded for each player. Score a hit, and it even draws an explosion!
We know now that Potshot didn’t use a standard teletype or a display monitor; Luehrmann explains in the film that the former was too slow and both too expensive to operate or own, respectively. Instead, it uses a plotter (or a storage display screen, a very specialized kind of monitor)!
July 5, 2025 at 7:59 PM
We know now that Potshot didn’t use a standard teletype or a display monitor; Luehrmann explains in the film that the former was too slow and both too expensive to operate or own, respectively. Instead, it uses a plotter (or a storage display screen, a very specialized kind of monitor)!
I requested that one, Timeshared Computer Graphics, be digitized. I got the file a couple days ago and it surpassed my expectations, as it had a lengthy demonstration of both versions of Potshot!
July 5, 2025 at 7:57 PM
I requested that one, Timeshared Computer Graphics, be digitized. I got the file a couple days ago and it surpassed my expectations, as it had a lengthy demonstration of both versions of Potshot!
The former was written up in People’s Computer Company in 1973, and that seems to have catalyzed the “artillery genre,” effectively making Potshot the progenitor! Games such as Artillery Duel, Scorched Earth, Gorillas.bas and Worms all trace their lineage back to Potshot.
July 5, 2025 at 7:55 PM
The former was written up in People’s Computer Company in 1973, and that seems to have catalyzed the “artillery genre,” effectively making Potshot the progenitor! Games such as Artillery Duel, Scorched Earth, Gorillas.bas and Worms all trace their lineage back to Potshot.
This was augmented further by their development of the BASIC computer language in 1964. That’s where a certain physics professor came in. Arthur Luehrmann saw the value of this system for education and entertainment early on, becoming an early evangelist for BASIC.
July 5, 2025 at 7:51 PM
This was augmented further by their development of the BASIC computer language in 1964. That’s where a certain physics professor came in. Arthur Luehrmann saw the value of this system for education and entertainment early on, becoming an early evangelist for BASIC.
In 1963-64, university faculty John Kemeny and Tom Kurtz developed the Dartmouth Time Sharing System, a time-share system notable for its speedy responses and accessibility for students and staff alike.
July 5, 2025 at 7:49 PM
In 1963-64, university faculty John Kemeny and Tom Kurtz developed the Dartmouth Time Sharing System, a time-share system notable for its speedy responses and accessibility for students and staff alike.