The Fate of Programmers
Question
Can you find evidence of a game that used "ghost" vehicles before Hard Driving?
(Only one reward will be paid - see Conditions)
Background
We are a developer of computer and video games based in the UK. One of
our titles
(Micro Machines V3) has recently been published in the U.S., and
following that we
received a letter from Atari Games Corporation and a copy of some of
their patents.
Basically they are taking the position that they were the first to
invent the idea of
"ghost" vehicles, typically used in racing games to show the movements
of the "best"
run, for you to race against. We have included ghost cars in
MicroMachines in the
Time Trial mode, and so they are asking us to pay them for the right to
use this
system.
If they were infact the first to use this system then it seems likely
that the patent
will be enforceable and we (and any other game developers) using ghost
cars will
have to pay them to use it. It seems that they first used the idea in
the arcade
game "Hard Driving", and to
pre-date the patent another game using a similar system would have to
exist before
the 1st August, 1989.
So, a reward is on offer for the first person who can mail me with
either:
a) the name, title and format of a game (console/home computer/arcade) that uses a similar system, first published before the above date.
b) a copy of any article, review, advert etc. describing a similar system, published before the above date.
Similar System
If you know of a racing game that used a ghost of the previous best
lap, displayed
simultaneously with the current cars movements, then that would be
perfect.
However, any system that simultaneously displays a previously recorded
route and
the current route would also do the job.
The "vehicles" would not have to be cars, they could be anything the
player
controls, including a character. The "ghost" image of the previous
route does not
have to appear as a ghost; any moving indicator of the position of the
"vehicle"
being replayed would be fine.
Conditions
The first message that I receive that significantly helps us in this
matter will get the
reward of 500 U.S. dollars, paid in your local currency, and the
satisfaction that they
have helped to ensure that more racing games in the future will
continue to use this
system.
Please send any replies to: richardd@codemasters.com
or fax: UK 44 (0)1926 817595
Please include your contact details.
Many thanks for your help,
Richard Darling
Codemasters