Star Raiders 11-??-81

 

This is a very interesting early version of Star Raiders.  This prototype is only 4K in size and is missing many of the features from the final version such as the galactic map, Starbase, and hyperspace (well without the map there's no place to warp to anyway).  However the most interesting feature of this version of the game is that it doesn't use the Video Touch Pad!  This prototype uses the two difficulty switches instead (left switch = Combat Computer on/ff, right switch = Shields on/off).  Whats more, since there are no Starbases to repair your ship, the game provides Di-Lithium crystals instead (real original there guys).  These crystals, which are activated by holding down the fire button, instantly repair all damage to your ship and provide 100 energy points.  The number of crystals you start with is based on the difficulty level you select and are shown in the lower right of the radar area (it's easy to mistake them for Zylon ships but they don't move).

While this version is fully playable and even had a preliminary manual made for it by Doug Neubauer himself (programmer of the original Atari 8-Bit version), it appears that Atari decided that the game really did need the features so they decided to shelve this version, increase the ROM size to 8K, and add the Video Touch Pad to make selecting the various functions easier (having to reach over and flip switches on a console during an action game is a bit of a problem).  However the vast majority of the game stayed the same between the two versions.

Although the prototype does not have date on it, the preliminary manual has dates from around mid-November on its pages so it is thought that this prototype must date to around this time as well.

Special thanks to Dan Avina for scanning and sharing this very rare preliminary manual.

Preliminary Manual Page 1

Preliminary Manual Page 2

Preliminary Manual Page 3

Preliminary Manual Page 4

Preliminary Manual Page 5

Preliminary Manual Page 6

Preliminary Manual Page 7


Prototype Differences
The prototype is only 4K vs 8K for the final version
The copyright is 1981

The game doesn't use the Video Touch Pad instead it uses the left and right difficulty switches
The left difficulty switch turns the Combat Computer on and off
The right difficulty switch turns the shields on and off
The Starbase, Galactic Map, and Hyperdrive are missing
The game only consists of one screen so enemies don't move between sectors
There is no option for allowing the computer to control your Combat Computer and Shields
The prototype uses Di-Lithium crystals to repair damage rather than docking at the Star Base
Di-Lithium crystals are shown at the bottom right of the radar screen
The mystery rank (Atari) is missing
The formula for computing the final rank is different.  Instead of Mission Factor + (Energy Remaining/100) - (Number of Starbase Visits/2) the formula is: Mission Factor + (Energy Remaining/200) + Number of Di-Lithium Crystals Remaining.

 

 

Copyright 1981

 

Look Ma!  No Touch Pad!

 

All your favorite enemies are here

 

Note the crystal counter in the radar?

 

 

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