Anyone have any prototypes on 5 1/4 discs?

[Buyatari]

Curious if anyone here owns any prototype classic computer games.

[Bojay1997]

I guess it depends on how you define "prototype". If you mean playable unreleased games or versions of games different from the released version then yes, I have tons of them. Of course, just about anyone who has pirated games from the 80s on all the major 8 and 16 bit computers probably has tons of them as well. In the old days, there were lots of security breaches which resulted in pre-release and final release games being available on pirate BBS sites long before the games were available in shops if they were even released at all. If you're talking about something on a specifically labeled pre-release disc that came from the developer or publisher, I have some of those as well, but nothing that isn't also available on all the Commodore, Atari and Amiga rom sites around the Net.

[Buyatari]

I guess it depends on how you define "prototype". If you mean playable unreleased games or versions of games different from the released version then yes, I have tons of them. Of course, just about anyone who has pirated games from the 80s on all the major 8 and 16 bit computers probably has tons of them as well. In the old days, there were lots of security breaches which resulted in pre-release and final release games being available on pirate BBS sites long before the games were available in shops if they were even released at all. If you're talking about something on a specifically labeled pre-release disc that came from the developer or publisher, I have some of those as well, but nothing that isn't also available on all the Commodore, Atari and Amiga rom sites around the Net.

I don't do the emulation thing so I wasn't aware of that. It makes sense though.

Any known prototype boxes etc?

[jonebone]

You know, I was actually thinking about this the other day too. However, copies and piracy were huge problems with the large floppies. Anyone could have made a backup and stuck a random sticker on it titled "Pre-Release". I'd be highly skeptical about buying any "prototypes" unless they came from a known source.

[Pete Rittwage]

I've got a whole set of C64 Epyx prototypes...I'll see if I can find some photos.

[Bojay1997]

You know, I was actually thinking about this the other day too. However, copies and piracy were huge problems with the large floppies. Anyone could have made a backup and stuck a random sticker on it titled "Pre-Release". I'd be highly skeptical about buying any "prototypes" unless they came from a known source.

Several of the bigger developers like Activision, SSI and others had custom disc labels and sleeves for their pre-release stuff usually for press or store demos. I've never seen an unreleased prototype on those official discs though, just stuff that was slightly different from the released version. Over the years various classic computer programmers have released their unreleased proto games and every time I have seen them post pictures of the media it is stored on, it's always just the same blank discs that were being sold at the time (Memorex, Verbatim, 3M, etc...) with a handwritten label on them.

[Buyatari]

I guess it depends on how you define "prototype". If you mean playable unreleased games or versions of games different from the released version then yes, I have tons of them. Of course, just about anyone who has pirated games from the 80s on all the major 8 and 16 bit computers probably has tons of them as well. In the old days, there were lots of security breaches which resulted in pre-release and final release games being available on pirate BBS sites long before the games were available in shops if they were even released at all. If you're talking about something on a specifically labeled pre-release disc that came from the developer or publisher, I have some of those as well, but nothing that isn't also available on all the Commodore, Atari and Amiga rom sites around the Net.

I am a huge fan of just about anything released by EA,Lucasarts,Infocom or Sierra during the 1980s. I don't do the emulation thing but if there any unreleased games for these companies form the 80's I might just have to give it a try.

[Buyatari]

Several of the bigger developers like Activision, SSI and others had custom disc labels and sleeves for their pre-release stuff usually for press or store demos. I've never seen an unreleased prototype on those official discs though, just stuff that was slightly different from the released version. Over the years various classic computer programmers have released their unreleased proto games and every time I have seen them post pictures of the media it is stored on, it's always just the same blank discs that were being sold at the time (Memorex, Verbatim, 3M, etc...) with a handwritten label on them.

This is the closest I have. It is not a box but a sheet of paper from the production department for the proposed box art.

"Adam....the KQV concept was done and submitted to Roberta before the final cover was done, she did not care for the violent aspect of this concept, she wanted something more subtle for first release, hence the art on the final box....."


http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t245/WastingOrpheus/22/KingsQuestV.jpg