Karateka 12-23-86

This version appears to be the same as the final, but the rom tests differently.  It is unknown what exactly is different about this version, but there is a hidden message in the ROM code that says:

Karateka, The Atari 7800 Version, By Jack Sandberg, Sr. Software Engineer, ibid inc., Hartford, CT. -- Version 1.0 10/15/86--- Security String Do Not Remove"

This message was removed from the final version of the game (although it specifically stated not to do so).

 Also hidden in the game code is the message "Mommy and Me are one".  This is actually a mangled reference to a subliminal message experiment that took place around the time the game was coded.  In the experiment researchers flashed messages on a screen and monitored the results.  Apparently the message "Mommy and I are one" (note that it was I and not ME), was the most effective because it made people think of their mothers and being safe in her arms.   It is unknown why the programmer put this in the code, as it is a very obscure reference.

This prototype also has a minor coding change that makes it unplayable in 7800 emulators.  All 7800 games set two bits in a register to enable the joystick buttons and then reset another register.  This prototype does not perform the reset on the second register making the buttons not work in emulators.