6 replies to this topic

[davidcalgary29]

Several websites claim that the hardware for the arcade version of Tempest was "based loosely on the architecture for the 8-bit computers". If true, can anyone advise how similar the arcade hardware was to the 8-bits, and whether or not the 800 could have truly replicated the visuals of the arcade game?

[Bryan]

Well, perhaps loosely based...

They both use 6502's, and Tempest uses 2 Pokeys. Most early Atari arcade games used the 6502/Pokey combination, and that's pretty much where the similarity ends. Since Tempest is a vector game, it has a more complex version of the vector engine used in Atari's B&W vector games, plus it has a math board for 3D calculations (similar to the Battlezone one).

-Bry

[DEBRO]

davidcalgary29 said:

Several websites claim that the hardware for the arcade version of Tempest was "based loosely on the architecture for the 8-bit computers".

Well Tempest does use a 6502 for it's processor and a POKEY for sound. I've seen the reverse engineered source and it doesn't look like it could be an A8. There is no ANTIC of course because of the vector graphics.

[Nukey Shay]

KLOV said:

The game's sound is generated by two Atari Pokey ICs which provide a total of eight voices. The Pokeys handle various other tasks, such as interpreting the spinner. The video is handled by the Atari Vector Generator which has its own RAM and ROM. The main program ROM is 20k. The processor is a 6502 running at 1.5mhz. Overall, the hardware is loosely based on Atari's line of 8-bit home computers. The spinner is actually a digital input device with four bits of resolution.

"Loosely based" because of the use of the 6502 processor and Pokey, I gather. The video images are handled by a completely different chip though (not that the stock Atari 800 computer could have created vector graphics anyway).

[Bryan]

DEBRO said:

I've seen the reverse engineered source and it doesn't look like it could be an A8. There is no ANTIC of course because of the vector graphics.

Where did you find that?

-Bry

[ZylonBane]

davidcalgary29 said:

...can anyone advise how similar the arcade hardware was to the 8-bits, and whether or not the 800 could have truly replicated the visuals of the arcade game?

That would be a little tough without a vector monitor, don't you think?

[Shannon]

The only similarities that early 80's atari arcade games had with the 8-bit series was the microprocessor (6502) and the sound chips (pokey). Other than that, nothing else.

Probably explains why 8-bit translations sound truer to their arcade counterparts as well.