Atari Corporation

Lyle V Rains

Stephen D Bristow

David R Stubben

David M Shepperd

Richard J Patak

A number of moving objects and stationary playfield objects are generated on a video display screen by sharing memory and circuitry on both a physical and time-share basis. Video graphics data for playfield and motion objects is stored in a read-only memory (ROM). An object attribute memory, which may be updated at any time, is scanned during each horizontal retrace interval to provide information used to selectively read moving object video data from the ROM and assemble and store a complete horizontal line of moving object video graphics data in a separate staging memory. During active scan time of the horizontal video display line, the assembled line of moving object video data is accessed from the staging memory and communicated to the display screen via appropriate video circuitry to produce the video of the moving objects. At the same time, the object attribute memory is accessed for playfield object information which, in turn, is used to address the video graphics ROM to produce the actual video image of playfield objects. The video image of playfield objects so obtained is also communicated to the display screen through the video circuits.

Method and system for generating moving objects on a video display screen

A shooting arcade game where several players each with a rifle may shoot at several common targets. A multiplexer provides for sequentially connecting a score display associated with each rifle to the targets the multiplexer also enabling the rifle only during the unique and dedicated time period that the associated score display is connected to the targets. An associated loudspeaker for each rifle is also provided.

Light actuated shooting arcade game

A simulated perspective view of a landscape is provided on a video display screen used, for example in a video game where a player by means of manual control seeks out various moving targets on the landscape. Specifically, the perspective is achieved by converging the landscape toward the top of the display screen. This is done from a vertical standpoint by distorting in a concave manner the vertical drive voltage. From a horizontal line standpoint a change of horizontal line length is accomplished by a voltage controlled oscillator which has an output frequency which controls readout of video display data. In addition, each line of the specific image is formed by segments and defined by binary bytes to specify either color or level of gray in one portion and the length of the segment in the other.

Apparatus for simulating a perspective view of a video image and for

In a race car type video game one or more manually controlled player cars race against automatic computer controlled 'drone' cars whose courses are controlled by direction vectors associated with cells into which the entire track is divided. The relationship of the cars direction and angular orientation or rotation with respect to the vector is controlled in a manner to provide cumulative minor response variations so that the drone car path may change for each circuit of the track. In an alternate game the drone cars by themselves may be controlled in speed only by competing players (with the computer by the use of the direction vectors controlling steering) to simulate a mechanical slotted track racing game where the car can be skidded from one 'slot' to another.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Lyle V Rains