1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,039 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: Jonathan strick Lind. I'm an executive producer with I Heart 4 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: Radio and I love all things tech. It is time 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,600 Speaker 1: for a classic episode. This episode originally published on July 6 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: two thousand fourteen. It is titled The Full Motion Video 7 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: Era The Arcade. So this is part one of a 8 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: two part series. The first part I talked about full 9 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 1: motion video games as games that have actual live action 10 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: video content incorporated into them, and this is obviously the 11 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: arcade version of that. And this is one of those 12 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: topics where I really feel like I need to bring 13 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: a guest on for an update. I would love to 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: get Justin McElroy of the McIlroy Brothers on because he 15 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: is a full motion video fan through and through, and 16 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: I think his ex pertise would be invaluable. But let's 17 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 1: listen in to this classic episode. So if you ever 18 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:09,759 Speaker 1: played the old Asteroids arcade game, everything with these these 19 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: very simple shapes, Yeah you're talking about dots are lines? Yeah, exactly, 20 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: That's that's what vector graphics are. They're based on geometry. 21 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: You define end points and then you have little lines 22 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: drawn between those end points, so it's kind of like 23 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: think of it like, uh uh, you know, connect the dots. 24 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: That's essentially what you're talking about, but in a in 25 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: a graphics format, so it's pixels instead of you know, 26 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: a solid black line from a pencil or something. Sure, 27 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: and all of that being less graphically impressive perhaps than 28 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: things like in the case of Zork. You know, your 29 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 1: rich imagination opening entire star fields for you, right, you 30 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: could have any sort of description in a text based one, 31 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: and technically the graphics are only limited by your imagination, 32 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: I guess. But vector graphics, you know, they have their 33 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: their charms. The old old Star Wars arcade game where 34 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: you had little vector graphics tie fighters coming at you 35 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: still one of my favorite arcade games of all time. 36 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: And it also had the benefit of not taking up 37 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: too much processing power. It didn't require, you know, a 38 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: chunky graphics card in order for it to produce these 39 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: pretty simple graphics. Well, that's the whole thing with graphics 40 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: is that they take so much disk space and processing power, 41 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,640 Speaker 1: and that is a problem that some of these FMV 42 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: games that we are going to start talking about ran 43 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: into really hard, yeah, really really hard so so next 44 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: we have sprites. So sprites, of course not a type 45 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: of soft drink in this case. No, also not a 46 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: whimsical mythological creature. No, though a sprite could be a 47 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,119 Speaker 1: whimsical mythological creature within the context of a video game. 48 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: But you could have a sprite of a sprite. Yes, exactly, 49 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: you could have a sprite of a sprite. So it's 50 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,079 Speaker 1: a two dimensional animation that's integrated into a larger scene 51 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: that can move around that larger scene completely independently, and 52 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 1: it doesn't require you to re render that background. So 53 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: I think of this kind of like a like a 54 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: play because I'm a theater geek. But if you think 55 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: of a play, you know, like you have a play 56 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: with a set, and the actors can move all around 57 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,239 Speaker 1: that set because that doesn't move the set, doesn't move 58 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: the setually unless something kind of terrible it's gone on 59 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: in that case that's an exception, But in an ideal 60 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: situation when it's not supposed to move, it stays. But 61 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: you can also think of it as maybe like a 62 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: magnet on a fridge or or a color form. Yeah, exactly, 63 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: you can move this this one independent piece around without 64 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: affecting everything else, and that meant that you only had 65 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: to render the background the one time and then a 66 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: little two D animated character that's the only thing you're 67 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: really concentrating on. So it didn't require too much processing 68 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: power to develop once we started getting into that, although 69 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: the early ones were limited as to the number of 70 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: sprites that could be processed on screen at the same time, 71 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: you haven't here. The Atari hundred only had five, yeah, 72 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: five moving graphical objects on screen at a time. So 73 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: if you're thinking of like I don't know, Donkey Kong Jr. 74 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: And you're playing as the main character, you know, in 75 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: the Arcade version, you had all these little bitty uh 76 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:16,720 Speaker 1: platforms that could go up and down and things like that, 77 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: or monsters that could grab you. And there really wasn't 78 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: too much of a limit because the hardware there was 79 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: just huge, Yeah, and it was just meant to play 80 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: that game right. On the Atari twenty six hundred, which 81 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: had much more strict limitations on what the processor could do, 82 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,839 Speaker 1: you had at most five moving graphical objects on screen 83 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: at any given time. One of the examples we could 84 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,159 Speaker 1: give of that, besides the one I just mentioned as 85 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 1: Super Mario Brothers and Nintendo game. Now that that one 86 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:49,600 Speaker 1: had obviously a greater capacity for moving objects. It wasn't 87 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: limited to the Attar twenty model. But that is another 88 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: example of a video game you sprites. Now, there is 89 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: one other type that I can mentioned really quickly, which 90 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 1: are video games that us three dimensional models. But that 91 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:06,920 Speaker 1: goes that's that's after full motion video. So three dimensional 92 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: models very common today, but we're not going to talk 93 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: about that because we're really focusing on fm vs. So 94 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: what is it. It's when you have recorded up some 95 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,360 Speaker 1: sort of video. Whether it is live action, it can 96 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: be animated, doesn't matter, um, but it is recorded and 97 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: plays back as part of the video game experience. Some 98 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 1: people refer to games that were really really super heavy 99 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: on fm V as interactive movies. Because here's the thing. 100 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: If I record something ahead of time and then I 101 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: present it to somebody, that person is not going to 102 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: have a whole lot of say in what happens. Yeah, 103 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: you've got a limited amount of interactivity that can happen 104 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: when right, it's already it's already gone. Yeah, exactly. So 105 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:54,679 Speaker 1: if I were to have a kind of a choose 106 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: your own adventure game, let's say it that way, because 107 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 1: that's a that's a perfect example of something I would 108 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: work with this. But choose your own adventure books, same 109 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: sort of thing. Right, You're limited to the choices that 110 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: the book lays out, and you're limited to the to 111 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: the consequences, which for me invariably involved dying. I had 112 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: to hold my finger back on a previous page and say, 113 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:15,159 Speaker 1: all right, I want to try a different way. Now. 114 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: I have a whole series of bookmarks whenever I have 115 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:20,360 Speaker 1: a choose you an adventure. But I always resent resented 116 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: the ones where you would get to the point where 117 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: you either choice that you had presented to you would 118 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: result in your death and you think, no, now I 119 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: have to go back to spots. Oh no, that's my favorite. 120 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 1: It's it's the branching thing. But that's what a full 121 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: motion video game, I mean, like a serious FMV video 122 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: game was like all right, And I think that when 123 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: most people think of full motion video games, they are 124 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:45,240 Speaker 1: thinking of live action video Yeah. But but some of them, 125 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: as we will discuss, yeah, are actually in fact the 126 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:50,719 Speaker 1: earliest ones, well not the earliest, but some of the 127 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: earliest ones really had a lot of animation involved. Yeah, 128 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: and most of these games use optical disc technology, either 129 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,279 Speaker 1: CDs or laser discs. And although I think that the 130 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 1: production on laser discs, the research for today right went 131 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: back to the nineteen fifties, they weren't really a commercial 132 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: format until the nineteen seventies. Uh, and even then they 133 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: weren't really very much of a commercial format. I mean, 134 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: even even in the nineteen eighties when you started to 135 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: really get into the home theater world, laser disc was 136 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: one of those things that that cool person with way 137 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: more money than you had, uh, they owned one, but 138 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: you did not. Um. I mean I remember going to 139 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: parties with with my family. My parents would take me 140 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 1: to some party with some other science fiction or fantasy authors, 141 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: throwing a weird bash, and they happen to have a 142 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: laser disc, and they would put on a laser disc 143 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: of one of these full motion video games where it 144 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: would just play out the game as if you were 145 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: making all the right choices, so that you could actually 146 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: see it from start to finish, and you really did 147 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: watch it like a movie. It wasn't even interactive at 148 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: that point. It was just a movie. And then at 149 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: the end it would show you all the wrong choices 150 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: and all the consequences thereof. But anyway, the the effect 151 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: of fm V was really impressive because it allowed for 152 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 1: much much more intense, realistic graphics, sometimes, like we said, 153 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: live action video, which was a huge difference from the 154 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: state of the art in vector and sprite graphics. So 155 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: you know, if you were to go into a video 156 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: game arcade, we used to have those back in the day. Kids, 157 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: If you were to go into an arcade and you 158 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: saw something like pac Man, which would look impressive next 159 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: to something like Asteroids, but then you saw Dragon's Layer, 160 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 1: you think this game must come from the future because 161 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: look at it compared to these other games. I need 162 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: to put my quarters in that thing, even though it's 163 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: twice as many quarters as any of the other machines 164 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: in this room. So yeah, the but the idea here 165 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: is that that not only did we have this incredible 166 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:56,120 Speaker 1: graphical interface, this this this gorgeous display of whether it 167 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: was video or you know, live video or animation, it 168 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: also meant that, like we said, you had that you 169 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: had to give up some interactivity. And so there was 170 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: this constant battle between what is what's the right balance 171 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:13,439 Speaker 1: where should we have an interactive element versus a you know, 172 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: a really dramatic element. We'll be talking about that throughout 173 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 1: the rest of this show. Sure, And and creating game 174 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: design around that sort of problem is probably tricky for 175 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: the for the best of game designers. And I'm not 176 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: going to say for the record that all of the 177 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: best game designers were always working on these problems. It's 178 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: a hard thing. And also game designers perhaps are not 179 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: known for their video production quality. Yes, it's also an 180 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 1: important thing to remember that, you know, someone who can 181 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,680 Speaker 1: make a good game may not be someone who can 182 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: direct a compelling sequence, right, So that's hard, y'all, Yeah, 183 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,079 Speaker 1: especially if you're talking about using live actors who you know, 184 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: the nice thing about animated characters, if you don't like 185 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,080 Speaker 1: their performance, you can throw them away. That's what that's. 186 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: That's paraphrasing what Hitchcock said about Disney. The Disney was 187 00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:02,800 Speaker 1: fortunate that if he was displeased with the performance, he 188 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: could just crumple it up and throw it away, whereas 189 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: Hitchcock was somewhat limited by the law on what he 190 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: could do. It's I think he did a little bit 191 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: of that here and there anyway, but certainly psychologically that's 192 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: a totally different episode. We'll be back with more about 193 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: full motion video in just a moment, but first let's 194 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:29,839 Speaker 1: take a quick break. So we're going to talk Now 195 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:33,319 Speaker 1: that's a text stuff episode and probably not. We can 196 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: talk about some actual examples, including the earliest one I 197 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:40,160 Speaker 1: could find. Now I'm not saying this is the first 198 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 1: f m V. Let's call it video amusement, because that's 199 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: what they refer to it as, or at least one 200 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 1: of the historical sites I visited refers to it as 201 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:52,439 Speaker 1: a video amusement. You wouldn't really call it a game necessarily, 202 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: but it was came out towards the end of one 203 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: or the beginning of nineteen eight two, and it's called 204 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 1: quarter horse, quarter horror, quarter horse because you'd give it quarters, 205 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: that'd be part of it, but it's also because it 206 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: would be a quarter horse race, So it was a 207 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,440 Speaker 1: horse race game. So imagine that you walk up to 208 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,840 Speaker 1: an arcade. It's got two screens on it. One screen 209 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,679 Speaker 1: has like the video betting stuff on it, and it 210 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 1: gives you like the odds of all the different horses 211 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 1: that are going to run next race, and so you 212 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: can choose which horse you want to bet on. You 213 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,959 Speaker 1: can put how many credits you bet on that particular horse, 214 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: and then once you're ready to go, you place the bet, 215 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 1: and then you hear that that all that that, and 216 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: they show the video of an actual horse race that 217 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: happened in the past, and then one of the horses wins, 218 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:41,200 Speaker 1: and you find out whether or not one of the 219 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 1: horses you you bet on one, and if you did win, 220 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: you get more credits. I don't know that it actually 221 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 1: paid out, so I don't know if you ever could 222 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 1: really like win money off this thing, or if it 223 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: was simply credits that you can play with. So in 224 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: other words, you just keep playing the game until you're 225 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: out of credits. I'm not sure if I amused is 226 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: the correct word to attach to video in this case, 227 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:07,959 Speaker 1: it's a video something yeah something, I mean, maybe I'm 228 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:12,320 Speaker 1: not maybe I share yeah exactly. So you might first say, well, 229 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:14,839 Speaker 1: wait a minute, if it's if it's video of an 230 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: actual horse race, how do you not know which horse wins? 231 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:21,439 Speaker 1: And the way that works out is that they would 232 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 1: assign different names to the horses that were in the race, 233 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 1: so and it would change each time, so so you 234 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't know that, you know, the horse with the jockey 235 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,440 Speaker 1: on it that's you know, wearing the little red outfit. 236 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: You wouldn't know what his name was. So unless you're 237 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 1: a very serious horse race afficionado, it wouldn't even matter. 238 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: I mean, it would all be based on the odds, 239 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:44,439 Speaker 1: because what the way the scheme was supposed to work 240 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 1: was it would actually look at the odds for any 241 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:51,080 Speaker 1: given horse, simulate a race, and then say, all right, 242 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 1: here's who won. And sometimes the long shot wins. You know, 243 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 1: that's the funny thing about statistics. Okay, alright, so so 244 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,600 Speaker 1: it's not it's not whoever won literally in the video. 245 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: It's okay, it's an algorithm in the yeah, exactly exactly, 246 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:08,120 Speaker 1: so that you know the horse's identities, where in fact 247 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:11,440 Speaker 1: the video was superfluous. The video doesn't matter. Really. What 248 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: you're doing is you're betting on statistics. So you're sitting 249 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: you're kind of betting on a on a random roll 250 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: of the dice in a in a sense, and you say, 251 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:20,679 Speaker 1: I bet that the dice are going to come up 252 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,360 Speaker 1: like this, which you know sounds kind of crazy when 253 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:25,840 Speaker 1: you first described like that, except you realize that the 254 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:30,800 Speaker 1: game craps is all about that concept. So at any rate, 255 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:33,240 Speaker 1: this was the first example I could find of a 256 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:37,160 Speaker 1: video amusement you seeing fm V. The next one is 257 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 1: probably the most famous f m V. I've already referred 258 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:42,439 Speaker 1: to it once in this podcast. Yeah, it came out 259 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 1: and it is Dragon's Layer. Yeah, Dragon's Layer from Cinematronics. Uh. Now, 260 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 1: this was created with animation from Don Bluth, who was 261 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 1: a former Disney animator. I want to say Oliver and 262 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 1: Company was one of his, but he also did the 263 00:13:56,679 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 1: five Old movies, the five of those west Um and 264 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: Secrets and them I think as well, So he he 265 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:05,680 Speaker 1: was the guy who did all the animation for this. 266 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 1: You play as Dark the Daring a night in shining armor, 267 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 1: and you're rescuing the Princess Daphne, who is in a 268 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: teeny tiny little outfit. This, this game probably didn't do 269 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 1: a whole lot for you know, the portrayals, portrayal of 270 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: women in video games. Yeah, I think several of the 271 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: things on our list didn't do a whole lot. Yeah, 272 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: we're gonna cover some more that are a little to 273 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:41,160 Speaker 1: varying degrees of being upsetting and nineties yeah and today. 274 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: So anyway, Yeah, this this gameplay was limited to a 275 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: joystick and button where you would have prompts on the 276 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:51,480 Speaker 1: screen and you would have to hit the joystick in 277 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: the right direction or press the button at the right 278 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 1: time in order for you to progress in the story. 279 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:58,640 Speaker 1: So you can think of it in a sense as 280 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 1: every little segment is a chapter break on like you 281 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 1: know a DVD, and this is a laser disc game. 282 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: It was on laser disc. And if you hit the 283 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 1: right button on your on your remote control on your 284 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 1: DVD player, you get to watch the next part of 285 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: the movie. And if you hit the wrong button, it stops. 286 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: That's essentially what this was, except that the you know, 287 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: you had four buttons as in the four directions of 288 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: your joystick and then the actual button buttons. So five buttons. 289 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: Total exciting stuff, right, And um, I've actually seen some 290 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 1: versions of this where they had the prompts turned off, 291 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: so you had to have memorized it. Yeah, totally not fair. 292 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: I don't know how you can just watch something with 293 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 1: no prompts and say, oh, I bet I'm supposed to 294 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 1: hit left right now. Um. But anyway, that was the 295 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:46,240 Speaker 1: basics for dragons Layer. Uh. And again you could only 296 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: do the actions when the prompts came up. You couldn't 297 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:53,400 Speaker 1: swing your sword at any given time. You couldn't make 298 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: Dirk run to the left or run to the right, 299 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: because all of that had already been animated, So you 300 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,440 Speaker 1: can't you can't control something that's already been set down. However, 301 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 1: it did allow those graphics, as you said before, to 302 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: be very impressive for the time. Yeah, and the story 303 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 1: itself was, you know, this kind of cute ce fantasy story. 304 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: So it had a lot of appeal. And it certainly 305 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: was one of those things that if you saw someone 306 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:17,760 Speaker 1: who was really good at this, like they had memorized 307 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: the sequence and they were they were able to get 308 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,680 Speaker 1: really far. It wasn't entertaining to watch. I. You know, 309 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 1: I could never get past a single screen in this game, 310 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: so I never really got into it. But then I 311 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: was also fairly young back in nine three. It did 312 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: happen once upon time, folks, now you being young. Yes, 313 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: Also in three Ballely, NFL football came out. Yep, same 314 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: thing as uh in a sense as the horse racing game, 315 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,840 Speaker 1: and that they took footage from an actual football game, 316 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: Raiders versus Chargers, And that was what you got to 317 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: watch as plays were carried out and you played the 318 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: part of a coach, So in other words, you're not 319 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: controlling any football players, but based upon where your team is, 320 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:04,400 Speaker 1: like whether they're on offense or defense, you would pick 321 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: the plays that they would do next exactly. So you 322 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: would say, all right, well, based upon this position and 323 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: based upon the players I have, I want this play 324 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,879 Speaker 1: to come next, and then you choose the play, and 325 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 1: then you'd get a little video of one of the 326 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,200 Speaker 1: plays being carried out, and then you have another choice 327 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,879 Speaker 1: to make afterwards, either either you continue or you know, 328 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:27,119 Speaker 1: there might be a turnover whatever. But there was something 329 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:30,240 Speaker 1: like eight hundred different video combinations for the whole game, 330 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:33,640 Speaker 1: because they used all these different film segments that could 331 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,840 Speaker 1: be interchanged based upon whichever play you had selected, and 332 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 1: then it would show you the right uh, the right 333 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,200 Speaker 1: video play. And it was also supposed to really take 334 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:48,560 Speaker 1: into account statistics as well, so in other words, you 335 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: couldn't just memorize a working strategy and play it and 336 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:55,400 Speaker 1: and impress all your friends, say watch this, and then 337 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: you just do the exact because if you did the 338 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:02,480 Speaker 1: exact same pathway, you might have some time different. Yeah. Um. Also, 339 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:06,480 Speaker 1: these early ones were not on optical disc technology, were they. 340 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: This one in particular, was not The Dragonslayer was on 341 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: a laser disc, but but bally nfl is on a 342 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: video disc, also known as a capacitance electronic disc or CEED. 343 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:22,280 Speaker 1: Now these used a needle to read that they actually 344 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: were grooved like a record, the vinyl record. Ask your parents, 345 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:28,680 Speaker 1: actually those are back, now, are they are? They are 346 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 1: all the hipster kids like them? Yeah, all right, that's fair. 347 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:35,480 Speaker 1: I never stopped liking them. That makes me even more hipster. 348 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:40,240 Speaker 1: Or them before they were cool. Yeah, but I like 349 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 1: them when they were cool, and then when they weren't cool, 350 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,359 Speaker 1: and when they were cool again. But a capacitance electronic disc. 351 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,400 Speaker 1: I also had one of those, or my family did 352 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: when I was a kid. Uh. We had one that 353 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 1: was a video player. Wasn't a video game, just a 354 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: video player. And I remember we had Singing in the 355 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: Rain and Raiders Raiders of the Lost Arc as two 356 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 1: of the movies that would play on this thing. Um. Again, 357 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:03,480 Speaker 1: very similar to laser disc in the sense that whatever's 358 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:07,480 Speaker 1: on the disc obviously can't change it's read only, so 359 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: it was it was a different way of achieving the 360 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 1: same goal. Then we get Space Ace. That was another 361 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: Don Bluth game, another cinematronic Don Bluth game. You played 362 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:23,159 Speaker 1: as Ace, who, at the beginning of the game, before 363 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: anything bad happens, is a big, old, brawny you know, 364 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:31,400 Speaker 1: Flash Gordon style space faring adventurer type uh. And then 365 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:36,359 Speaker 1: there's a bad guy named Commander Bof Bof who shoots 366 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,240 Speaker 1: him with a an infanto ray and turns him into 367 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:45,400 Speaker 1: a a adolescent as squeaky voiced, scrawny adolescent, and then 368 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 1: he has to rescue his girlfriend. Yes, and occasionally he 369 00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:51,800 Speaker 1: could transform back, at least briefly, into Ace. This one 370 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:56,480 Speaker 1: actually had some interesting inner activity in the sense that 371 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: you could choose to become Ace and then move through 372 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 1: a level, or you could choose to remain the scrawny 373 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:05,880 Speaker 1: guy and move through a level. But depending upon whether 374 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: you were a sort of the scrawny guy, you had 375 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,199 Speaker 1: very different strategies. Uh, strategies in the sense of you 376 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,040 Speaker 1: know what prompts you hit when. But Ace obviously would 377 00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: charge headlong into danger, whereas the scrawny version of him 378 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:20,879 Speaker 1: going to figure out ways around. Yeah, exactly, But again 379 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 1: you were limited to whatever had been pre recorded. Just 380 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:26,960 Speaker 1: like the other versions. It was faster paced than Dragon's Lair, 381 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 1: so a lot of people said it was even more 382 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,359 Speaker 1: challenging since I never got anywhere with Dragon's Lair. I 383 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:35,639 Speaker 1: didn't even bother with spaces, but I I admired the animation. 384 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 1: And then, Uh, the next one I have is one 385 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:41,920 Speaker 1: I never saw. I didn't even know it existed until 386 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: I looked into it on online and I tried watching 387 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,639 Speaker 1: a video of it, and it was baffling. It's called 388 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: bad Lands. This one was from Konami yep, and it's 389 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 1: Western themed, as you would imagine with that title. You 390 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 1: played as Buck, who was a cowboy whose family had 391 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:02,679 Speaker 1: been murdered by bad guy, so you're on a revenge mission. 392 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,880 Speaker 1: And it was done in a style that looked very 393 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:09,960 Speaker 1: much like um uh enemey you know. Uh. Back when 394 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,960 Speaker 1: I was when I would have played this, uh, it 395 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:16,000 Speaker 1: would have been an interesting experience at a science fiction 396 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: convention because I could see this fitting right next to 397 00:21:18,119 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 1: the anime room. It's so evocative of that style. But 398 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:27,159 Speaker 1: it had a single control, which was a giant button, 399 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: just just one button, and you had to hit that 400 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: button exactly when you needed to. And this one didn't 401 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: have prompts and no, you just had to know when 402 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:37,920 Speaker 1: to hit it. And if you hit it too early, 403 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:39,720 Speaker 1: you died, and if you hit it too late, you died. 404 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:44,160 Speaker 1: If you didn't hit it at all, you died. Yeah, 405 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: So it was a weird you know, like like if 406 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 1: you faced off against a gunfighter and the gunfighter hadn't 407 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,119 Speaker 1: started to draw yet and you fired your gun, you 408 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: the game would you would lose a life because you 409 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:59,640 Speaker 1: had broken the law. You could only fire after they 410 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:02,320 Speaker 1: had to draw, but before they pull the trigger. So 411 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,639 Speaker 1: it was that really you know, delicate timing that you 412 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:07,679 Speaker 1: had to have. And again it was just the one button, 413 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:11,200 Speaker 1: so no joystick or anything on this thing. I've watched 414 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,440 Speaker 1: some play throughs of it and I couldn't tell what 415 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: was going on because it looked like there was no 416 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,439 Speaker 1: transition between one scene and the next. There was a 417 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,000 Speaker 1: moment literally the guy was in the street in an 418 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:26,399 Speaker 1: old western town. He uh shoots just in time to 419 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: avoid getting hit by a guy who's up on a 420 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,560 Speaker 1: on a like on a second story floor, shooting through 421 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,400 Speaker 1: a window, and then the next sequence he's riding through 422 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,240 Speaker 1: the desert on a horse and avoiding rattlesnakes, and there 423 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: was no transition between the two, like there's no just 424 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 1: shooting guy riding on a horse. Yeah, exactly, like, now 425 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: the town is no longer there, He's just in the 426 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:49,159 Speaker 1: middle of the desert. And I can't tell if that 427 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: was just the way the video had been edited, or 428 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:56,880 Speaker 1: if that, in fact was surrealism exactly like, like, well, 429 00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 1: you know what, life is weird, and sometimes you can't 430 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:03,520 Speaker 1: blame their causality is not necessarily at at play in 431 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:07,880 Speaker 1: this universe. Sometimes towns turn into snakes. That's true. Sometimes 432 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,600 Speaker 1: they do. Warning for all of you, just words of 433 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:13,359 Speaker 1: wisdom to live by. Other games that came out in 434 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: four You've got Ninja Hayatai, which I could be completely 435 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: wrong in the pronunciation of that uh. Eshes are ron Melia, 436 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 1: Cobra Command that was way, and Thayer's Quest uh, and 437 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:33,560 Speaker 1: all of them were essentially interactive animated movies. Cobra Command 438 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: was interesting. It was a helicopter game and it actually 439 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: had vector graphics on top of the video that you 440 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 1: were watching, where you have a little vector graphics cross 441 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 1: hairs that you can actually move around the screen, which 442 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 1: was way more interactive than some of these other games. 443 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: I mean, you were still like, you know, the enemies 444 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:54,920 Speaker 1: could only come at you from preordained uh spots. But 445 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:58,360 Speaker 1: I mean, I suppose technically it's not that different from 446 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: it's not from an algorithm that's building it as you go. Yeah, 447 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: I mean, there are a lot of a lot of 448 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 1: video games, like especially classic video games, rely on patterns, 449 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:09,600 Speaker 1: and if you recognize the patterns, then you can be 450 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:12,159 Speaker 1: really good at those games, right Yeah, And Super Mario Brothers. 451 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:15,240 Speaker 1: There's gumbas only come when does it gonna come? Exactly? 452 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 1: They never come differently, Donkey Kong, same thing. You know, 453 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:20,240 Speaker 1: all those sort of things where you you once you 454 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 1: recognize the pattern, you can start to uh Exploits probably 455 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: the wrong word, but you can. You can anticipate and 456 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: react and and make sure that you are in the 457 00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 1: right position all the time. Um. But it was interesting 458 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: that it had a little more interactivity. Then there was 459 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:39,560 Speaker 1: Casino Strip, which was a card game with the live 460 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 1: action video segments of various quote unquote strippers who had 461 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:47,680 Speaker 1: shed clothing as you played. I don't know how far 462 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,200 Speaker 1: this game would go. And this is arcade game, folks, 463 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:53,880 Speaker 1: This is not I'm not talking about a computer game. 464 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,600 Speaker 1: This was a cabinet that had two monitors. One monitor 465 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 1: is your card hand and the other monitor, which is 466 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 1: abu of the first one. So it's yeah, yeah, so 467 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:07,480 Speaker 1: you have the live action models up there. Um, I 468 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,880 Speaker 1: would imagine, since this would probably be in some stinny 469 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: public venue, that maybe it didn't get any more racy 470 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:18,720 Speaker 1: than say underclothes, sure sure, or you know, possibly even 471 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,679 Speaker 1: that it was sold mostly to say casinos or some 472 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: other adult entertainment venues. Yeah, I don't know if you, 473 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: if you in fact have played casino strip or own one, 474 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: you can let us know how far did this thing go. 475 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: I honestly did not want to research further because I 476 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:40,119 Speaker 1: was at work, and there's there are limitations that I 477 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: have upon me that I placed upon myself. I should say. Yeah. Now, 478 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 1: although if you look at any of our search histories, 479 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: I'm sure that um yeah, I don't think any of 480 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,040 Speaker 1: us come out squeaky clean, just based upon the stuff 481 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: we talked about. I mean, certainly Robert and Julie are 482 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:56,360 Speaker 1: probably in a lot of trouble somewhere. You know, they 483 00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 1: lead the way. So nine that was kind of like 484 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: the first rush of FMV games. But after that it 485 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:07,600 Speaker 1: started to die down a little bit, partly because these 486 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: things are really hard to make. I mean, it's it's 487 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: a lot of pre production to get all the different 488 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:14,760 Speaker 1: sequences and then to lay it out so that it 489 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 1: actually becomes a game. It's you know, you would think 490 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: that being able to build a video game with all 491 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 1: those assets and not having to program in the to 492 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:26,720 Speaker 1: code in the animation for everything that needed to happen 493 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:29,480 Speaker 1: would be a shortcut, but it's not. It's a lot 494 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:33,160 Speaker 1: of production. Anyone who's ever done any production animation obviously 495 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:36,399 Speaker 1: takes a really long time because it's a very arduous process. 496 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:39,760 Speaker 1: But Lauren and I can tell you from shooting video 497 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:42,680 Speaker 1: that a video you see online that may take to 498 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:46,439 Speaker 1: three minutes can sometimes be forty five minutes to an 499 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: hour to to make, sometimes longer depending upon how how 500 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,080 Speaker 1: complex it is. Oh sure, the day that we dropped 501 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,240 Speaker 1: blood on me in the studio, fake blood. Nonetheless, I 502 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:58,119 Speaker 1: had that videos. She took four hours for four and 503 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:00,960 Speaker 1: a half minute video. So how long were you covered 504 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 1: in sticky fake blood? Basically the entire four hours. So yeah, 505 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:06,359 Speaker 1: if you guys don't know what we're talking about, you 506 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: need to look at brain Stuff. Yeah, brain Stuff show 507 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 1: dot com. It's a whole video series where lots of 508 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:15,359 Speaker 1: your favorite health stuff works, folks go on on video 509 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,920 Speaker 1: and explain different concepts. Yeah, this was blood for science. Yeah, 510 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:21,879 Speaker 1: so it was you know, we weren't just dumping blood 511 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,680 Speaker 1: on her. That that was That was the excuse. I mean, 512 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 1: we were talking. But anyway, anyway, we don't want to 513 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,880 Speaker 1: spoil everything. Go check it out. Yes, um so. So, yeah, 514 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 1: we didn't see a lot more until the nineteen nineties, 515 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:38,800 Speaker 1: although for for perspective, here was the year that that 516 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,560 Speaker 1: guidelines were laid out for the creation of data CDs. Previously, 517 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:48,640 Speaker 1: compact disc format was a solely audio data format and so, 518 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:50,800 Speaker 1: um so, that's when Phillips and the other kids who 519 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,160 Speaker 1: are working on developing that kind of thing started getting 520 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:57,120 Speaker 1: into full data, getting video in there and uh so, 521 00:27:57,240 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 1: and began the very slow process of that being an 522 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:04,120 Speaker 1: adopted as a commercial format. Right for the home consumer, 523 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 1: if you wanted to do something like this, uh, and 524 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: you're using an old PC, you'd be limited to uh 525 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 1: floppy disks, and floppy disk could only hold a very 526 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 1: tiny amount of video data. Video data is data hungry, 527 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 1: which is why those optical laser discs were ideal for it. 528 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,439 Speaker 1: They could store a lot more information than say a 529 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,679 Speaker 1: hard coded processor, because that's what most arcade games are. 530 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,440 Speaker 1: They have a hard coded ROM chip, which is read 531 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: only memory. Most of them have one of those hard 532 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 1: coded ROM chips as part of a uh an entire 533 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 1: slide that goes right into the arcade machine. And some 534 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,040 Speaker 1: of them you can swap out for other games. Other times, 535 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:42,200 Speaker 1: you know, you've got a cabinet that's just dedicated to 536 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:44,040 Speaker 1: a game and that's all you've got. You know, you 537 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: would have to essentially rebuild it if you wanted to 538 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 1: put anything else in there. We're gonna take a quick break, 539 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: but will be right back. So yeah, very much under 540 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,080 Speaker 1: heavy limitations. And it wasn't until we started getting to 541 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:06,440 Speaker 1: this point where you could theoretically create a compact disc 542 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: that would have video on it, and even then to 543 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 1: take a few years. Meanwhile, we get up to and 544 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:14,200 Speaker 1: that's when full motion video games started to make kind 545 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:17,920 Speaker 1: of a comeback, mostly due to a company called American 546 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 1: Laser Games, which were they released in game called mad 547 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: Dog McCree, and this one was a live action video Yep, Cowboys, yep, 548 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:31,960 Speaker 1: good old uh shooting bad guys. You had a gradually 549 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: o prospector who was mostly the narrator, which by the way, 550 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 1: if you were not fast enough, he would get shot 551 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 1: and you would lose the benefit of having the grizzly 552 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: old narrator help you along the way. It was one 553 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:47,040 Speaker 1: of those games where if you did well, you got 554 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 1: hints on how to progress, and if you didn't have 555 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 1: those hints, it would make the game much more difficult 556 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 1: to to go through. But the concept was that you 557 00:29:56,560 --> 00:30:01,959 Speaker 1: are playing a cowboy known only as Strange and you 558 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: have to rescue the mayor's daughter, which standard issue right 559 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:09,600 Speaker 1: once again, the damsel in distress. You're the big, brawny 560 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,720 Speaker 1: hero going to rescue her. You had a gun controllers. Yes, 561 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 1: it was a light gun, so in fact that this 562 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:17,200 Speaker 1: one was a little different from the ones that was 563 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:20,560 Speaker 1: just a button or a button in a in a joystick, 564 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:23,680 Speaker 1: and this one you had a light gun, so it 565 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:26,200 Speaker 1: would detect when you were pointing the gun at the 566 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:28,360 Speaker 1: screen when you pull the trigger, and whether or not 567 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,000 Speaker 1: it was pointing at the right position on the screen 568 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 1: for it to count as a hit. So the interactivity 569 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: was a little bit better in the sense that you're 570 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,880 Speaker 1: actually doing stuff right. If you if you don't shoot 571 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:43,240 Speaker 1: the right spun on the screen, you don't progress as 572 00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:45,760 Speaker 1: opposed to you know, just hit a direction and watch her. 573 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:50,360 Speaker 1: So not that much different from other light gun games 574 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:53,000 Speaker 1: that would follow things like House of the Dead or 575 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 1: Time Cops or any of those other light games that 576 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,160 Speaker 1: would follow in the arcade um. And again, this is 577 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 1: one of those games where it differentiated self from the 578 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 1: home video game market, one by using live action and 579 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:07,080 Speaker 1: two by the light gun. Uh. These are the things 580 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:09,080 Speaker 1: that our kades were investing in because it was getting 581 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 1: harder and harder to compete against home video games systems 582 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:16,400 Speaker 1: like the Nintendo system and the rising, the rising marketing 583 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:20,600 Speaker 1: computer games. So how do you set yourself apart? Well, 584 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:23,880 Speaker 1: let's get some hokey actors to play some live action cowboys. 585 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 1: The best actor in this, by the way, in my opinion, 586 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:28,840 Speaker 1: was the guy who played the Undertaker. That that's the 587 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,040 Speaker 1: character you would see every time you either got shot 588 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,320 Speaker 1: or you shot a citizen um, you would either of 589 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,720 Speaker 1: those things counted as the loss of a life, and 590 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 1: you would then have a little visit with the Undertaker, 591 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 1: who would say some sort of vaguely creepy and condescending 592 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:46,520 Speaker 1: thing about your performance, and then you would continue on 593 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:48,960 Speaker 1: then the game until you ran out of lives. Um, 594 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:53,440 Speaker 1: vaguely creepy and condescending commentary from digital characters is one 595 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:55,600 Speaker 1: of my favorite things about video games. You have to say, 596 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:59,400 Speaker 1: so that's pretty quality. But yeah, American Laser Games made 597 00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 1: a whole bunch of other stuff in the in the 598 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: relatively recent future from exactly um they did? They did? 599 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 1: Who shot Johnny Rock? Gangster? That was a gangster game, 600 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 1: an old style like gangster style game. Oh, none of 601 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 1: these new styles. No, not not gangsta. It wasn't gang star. 602 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:22,680 Speaker 1: It was Gangster. Okay, Space Pirates, oddly enough, it was 603 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: about Home Shopping Network. It was actually sci Fi Pirates. 604 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:31,760 Speaker 1: It was about Space Pirates. Okay. And and this and 605 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,479 Speaker 1: this one cracks me up. Gallagher's gallery. Yeah, Now, are 606 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:39,080 Speaker 1: you familiar with the comedic genius known as Gallagher? Not 607 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:41,960 Speaker 1: the comedic genius known as Gallagher, but I'm aware of 608 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:45,560 Speaker 1: a comedian known as Gallagher. I have had the pleasure 609 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:48,960 Speaker 1: of meeting Gallagher. Yeah at ces because he's now like 610 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: gadgets commentator guy, did he smash anything in your presence? 611 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,840 Speaker 1: He did not have the sledge oomatic with him, which 612 00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:59,440 Speaker 1: is probably for the best for everyone who was at CEES. 613 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:01,800 Speaker 1: He may have had it in his room, he just 614 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:04,040 Speaker 1: didn't bring it out on the show floor. It seems 615 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:06,240 Speaker 1: like a bad place for it. But Gallagher, if you 616 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:09,280 Speaker 1: do not know, he's a guy, he's known for two things. 617 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:14,040 Speaker 1: Kind of silly sort of stream of consciousness, absurd humor, 618 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 1: like like just weird jokes about things like language, that 619 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:20,240 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. And then also the sledge oomatic where 620 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:24,080 Speaker 1: he would, uh, he would pitch a gigantic sledgehammer as 621 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 1: if it were a new consumer product that was only 622 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:30,719 Speaker 1: good for destroying whatever it was put in front of it. 623 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:32,840 Speaker 1: And usually it was end with a watermelon that was 624 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 1: the big one. And so Gallagher's gallery took advantage of 625 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:44,840 Speaker 1: the stratospheric comedic genius of Gallagher. And you were playing 626 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:47,760 Speaker 1: as a someone who was holding a toy gun it 627 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:51,680 Speaker 1: wasn't supposed to be an actual gun um and firing 628 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:54,720 Speaker 1: at various things that Gallagher wanted you to shoot. He 629 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 1: would actually prompt you, and you know, you'd see a 630 00:33:57,040 --> 00:33:59,280 Speaker 1: scene with a lot of stuff in it and you 631 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:01,600 Speaker 1: were only supposed to shoot whatever it was Gallagher wanted 632 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:05,520 Speaker 1: you to shoot and leave everything else alone. Ah makes 633 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:07,760 Speaker 1: perfect sense. I really hope they do make a sequel 634 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:11,280 Speaker 1: for the what I consider to be the spiritual successor 635 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:16,759 Speaker 1: to Gallagher Carrot top Um. That would be probably. I 636 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:19,400 Speaker 1: probably shouldn't even mention that it's probably. Yeah. If you 637 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:22,000 Speaker 1: say his name three times, I think you're right. I 638 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:24,160 Speaker 1: think you're right. I never I never look into the 639 00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 1: mirror and say it um, so yeah again. All of 640 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,040 Speaker 1: those games used a light gun as the controller. You 641 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:32,960 Speaker 1: would have to reload your gun by aiming off screen 642 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:35,239 Speaker 1: and pulling the trigger. I hear, by the way, if 643 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:38,600 Speaker 1: you ever do encounter one of these old of games 644 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:41,920 Speaker 1: from this company, that if you hold the light controller 645 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:44,920 Speaker 1: gun upside down, I'm talking about the actual arcade games, 646 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:48,000 Speaker 1: it will automatically reload whenever you pull the trigger, so 647 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,600 Speaker 1: you don't have to aim off screen. Let us know 648 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:53,799 Speaker 1: about this that that sounds important. One go try this 649 00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:56,200 Speaker 1: and write us in. So if you can just just 650 00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:58,640 Speaker 1: remember to hold the gun upside down the entire time 651 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:01,319 Speaker 1: while firing. I have not tried this. I didn't know that. 652 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 1: I used to play this game, the Mad Dog McCree game, 653 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:05,759 Speaker 1: all the time in the arcades, and I was pretty 654 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:09,200 Speaker 1: good at it. I mean I could get about halfway through. Uh, 655 00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:12,000 Speaker 1: pretty good for me. I can get about halfway through 656 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:15,640 Speaker 1: the game before I would have to continue. And once 657 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:18,719 Speaker 1: I got about the halfway point, uh, it got the 658 00:35:18,719 --> 00:35:22,200 Speaker 1: difficulty wrapped up so quickly that I just said, hope. Yeah. 659 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: I've seen people play through it though, and it's probably 660 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:28,720 Speaker 1: not that hard. It was just harder than I could handle. Uh. 661 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:30,960 Speaker 1: These A bunch of these were also released for the 662 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:34,239 Speaker 1: three d OH home game system when it did come 663 00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:39,120 Speaker 1: out in at the incredibly low price of six hundred 664 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:42,880 Speaker 1: and nine nine dollars. Yeah, it was really expensive. I 665 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:44,719 Speaker 1: think we might have mentioned it in one of our 666 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:49,640 Speaker 1: console episodes. The three d O was an incredibly ambitious 667 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:52,399 Speaker 1: game console. You can think of it as a predecessor 668 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,799 Speaker 1: for things like the Xbox three sixty in the PlayStation 669 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:59,440 Speaker 1: three and now the current generation of consoles as well. 670 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:02,560 Speaker 1: And it was supposed to be an entertainment center as 671 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:05,959 Speaker 1: well as a video game console. But it was also 672 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:11,000 Speaker 1: so expensive and the games were not considered terribly um 673 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:16,560 Speaker 1: compelling or or what's another word good, So it didn't 674 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:20,120 Speaker 1: do so well. But yes, three d O was the 675 00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 1: other market besides arcade machines. At this time. We see 676 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:29,160 Speaker 1: another game called Time Traveler, and I played this one too. 677 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:31,440 Speaker 1: I played a lot of crappy video games when I 678 00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:35,279 Speaker 1: was a kid. Um Time Traveler was a little bit 679 00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:38,440 Speaker 1: you know how I was talking about how the light 680 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:40,919 Speaker 1: gun games set it apart from the home market Time 681 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:44,520 Speaker 1: Traveler they also tried to set apart their their Arcade 682 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:46,879 Speaker 1: Machine from what you could get from a home Mark 683 00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:50,920 Speaker 1: home computer game set up by having a quote unquote 684 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,960 Speaker 1: holographic display. Now it wasn't a real holographic display. They 685 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,520 Speaker 1: had a curved mirror and they used projection so that 686 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:03,200 Speaker 1: it looked from your respective like the Yeah, they looked 687 00:37:03,239 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 1: like three dimensional holographic figures, kind of like the chess 688 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:10,440 Speaker 1: pieces in Star Wars. So it looked like that was 689 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:12,480 Speaker 1: what was going on, but it was really all trickery. 690 00:37:12,719 --> 00:37:15,880 Speaker 1: And because you know, you had to stand in a 691 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:18,960 Speaker 1: certain place because that's where the controls were, they knew 692 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:20,839 Speaker 1: where the player was going to be, so it made 693 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,960 Speaker 1: it easier to design this game around that. It was 694 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:26,359 Speaker 1: released by Sega. It was designed by Rick Dyer, who 695 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:30,560 Speaker 1: was the guy who also designed Dragon's lair Um And uh, yeah, 696 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:33,920 Speaker 1: it was you know, basic shoot him up game. You 697 00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:37,919 Speaker 1: played another Cowboy because that was really popular apparently, Yeah, 698 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,320 Speaker 1: I don't remember cowboys paying that huge in the early nineties, 699 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:43,160 Speaker 1: but I think for one thing, it just made a 700 00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:47,320 Speaker 1: compelling kind of protagonist to follow. His character was the 701 00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:52,279 Speaker 1: Marshall Graham. I don't think he was a Marshall does 702 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:54,920 Speaker 1: His name was Marshall. His name was Marshall, and he 703 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:59,080 Speaker 1: was fighting the evil scientist volcre Vocal, which is you know, 704 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:04,239 Speaker 1: typic call of a Western Sorry it's Almos. It's almost 705 00:38:04,239 --> 00:38:07,640 Speaker 1: as good as Commander Um. But yeah. You had to 706 00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:10,360 Speaker 1: fight him through time, and time would be seven different 707 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:13,120 Speaker 1: levels that were uh, dating all the way back to 708 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:15,919 Speaker 1: prehistoric times to the future. You had some choice about 709 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:19,799 Speaker 1: which era you would visit next um, and you could 710 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:24,680 Speaker 1: get some interesting other elements to it, like time reversal cubes, 711 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:27,680 Speaker 1: which would be something that we would see used in 712 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:29,920 Speaker 1: in other formats and other games. The idea being that 713 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:33,040 Speaker 1: you could actually reverse a small segment of time and 714 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,840 Speaker 1: try a failed action again, rather than having to waste 715 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:38,799 Speaker 1: an entire life and start the level over, like in 716 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:42,480 Speaker 1: like in BioShock there's chambers there, yeah, or like in 717 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:45,040 Speaker 1: a Prince of Persia Sends of Time, where you could 718 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:48,840 Speaker 1: you could reverse the last few seconds the The goal 719 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:50,960 Speaker 1: here was that, you know, you would have a whole 720 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:55,160 Speaker 1: sequence of events that would unfold in video, and you 721 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:57,480 Speaker 1: couldn't really just PLoP the player down in the middle 722 00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:00,680 Speaker 1: of it. You essentially you would have divided it up times, 723 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,600 Speaker 1: just again like DVD chapters, and you couldn't just go 724 00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:05,680 Speaker 1: into the middle of a DVD chapter, You had to 725 00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:09,160 Speaker 1: go to the beginning. So this way it could rewind 726 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:11,799 Speaker 1: it to a specific point within that little segment, as 727 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:14,719 Speaker 1: opposed to having you play the whole segment over. Yeah. No, 728 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:19,040 Speaker 1: especially since saved games were not a huge part of 729 00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:21,120 Speaker 1: the industry at this point in time, and this one 730 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:23,359 Speaker 1: was an arcade game, so you were just stuck with, 731 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:26,080 Speaker 1: you know, feeding more and more coins into this machine. 732 00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:30,759 Speaker 1: That's it for this classic episode of tech Stuff. I 733 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:33,960 Speaker 1: hope you enjoyed it. We will have another one following 734 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:36,880 Speaker 1: up next week where we talk about home gaming and 735 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:41,880 Speaker 1: full motion video because man, what a special sub genre 736 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:45,640 Speaker 1: of games. So if you have suggestions for topics you 737 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:48,040 Speaker 1: would like me the cover in future episodes of tech Stuff, 738 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:49,640 Speaker 1: reach out to me. The best way to do that 739 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:52,239 Speaker 1: is on Twitter. The handle for the show is tech 740 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:55,440 Speaker 1: Stuff h s W and I'll talk to you again. 741 00:39:56,280 --> 00:40:04,680 Speaker 1: Really soon. Text Stuff is an I heart Radio production. 742 00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:07,719 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i 743 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:11,080 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 744 00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:12,040 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.