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AtariProtos.com
FAQ
1. How come
you don't have <game name> listed on your site?
AtariProtos.com is not a general Atari game review
site. I only do reviews for games for which prototypes have
been found. While there are a lot of games out there that
most likely had prototypes made, they will not be added to my site
until an actual prototype is discovered.
2. I have
a prototype that is not listed on your site. Can I send you the
rom?
I gladly accept all roms for prototypes I don't
have listed. Those people contributing roms will be added to the
credits page and will have my undying gratitude.
3. What are
those strange numbers I see listed occasionally instead of dates?
Those numbers (such as 213-03) are actually a date
code Atari sometimes used on their prototypes. The first number
is the day of the year, so since there are 365 days in a year, 213
would be August 2nd. The second number is a bit more cryptic,
but is believed to be the "Build Number" of the day. In this
case the 03 would mean it's the 3rd version of the game they made
on that day.
4. What are the colored dots I see occasionally on the prototype
labels?
The colored dots were used by Atari to designate what the prototype
was for. Different colors represented different areas that
the prototypes were used in (internal development, home testing,
archival copy, focus group testing, etc.).
5. Can I have the ROM to
<game name>?
As a general rule I do not give out roms to the prototypes I
review on my site, although I may make an exception if there is
a good reason. There are several reasons for this:
- Sometimes I am given a ROM as a special favor by someone
just so I can do a review for my page, but the owner does not
wish the ROM to be publicly released.
- Other times I do not actually own the ROM in question
as I was either asked to delete it, or was sent screenshots
and a description the game by a prototype owner but not the
ROM itself.
- Legal and copyright reasons also keep me from releasing
many of the roms on my site.
6. I think I've noticed an error on one of your pages, should
I let you know?
By all means! I'll be the first person to admit that I
am not perfect and occasionally make an error. If you see
an error on one of my pages (be it grammatical or factual), please
inform me immediately.
7. I have a prototype for a non-Atari system (Colecovision,
Intellivision, Vic-20, etc.), would you be interested in it?
Although my website mainly focuses on Atari prototypes, I plan
on adding prototypes for other systems in the future. Therefore
I am also interested in any non-Atari prototypes.
8. How do you find all these prototypes?
Research, diligence, hard work, and occasionally dumb luck.
While many of my prototypes came from the normal sources (Ebay,
other collectors, thrift stores, etc.), I also have received prototypes
from the programmers themselves. There's no one good place
to find prototypes, just be diligent with your searching and make
sure you follow every lead. What may look like a dead end
now, may eventually lead you to a major find.
9. How many prototypes do you have in your personal collection?
At one point my collection contained over 250 prototypes, but
I've sold or traded off a several prototypes over the last few years.
At the moment my collection contains 170 prototypes.
10. I have a question about a prototype, can I ask you a few
questions?
Of course! I'm always willing to answer questions
about prototypes. I can be reached at Tempest@atariprotos.com
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