Cinematronics
Type	Video games
Founded	1975
Headquarters	El Cajon, California
Key people	Jim Pearce: co-founder; Tom "Papa" Stroud; Larry Rosenthal;
Industry	Video games
Products	Space Wars, Dragon's Lair
Revenue	(unknown)
Website	(none)

Cinematronics was a pioneering arcade game developer that had its heyday in the era of vector display games. While other companies released games based on raster displays, early in their history, Cinematronics and Atari released vector-display games, which offered a distinctive look and a greater graphic capability (at the time), at the cost of being only black and white. Image File history File links Official Cinematronics Inc. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... El Cajon (pronounced el ka-HONE) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Pac-Man is one of the most recognizable video games ever created. ... Space Wars was the first vector-graphics arcade game. ... Dragons Lair was one of the first laserdisc video games, released in June 1983 by Cinematronics. ... Revenue is a U.S. business term for the amount of money that a company earns from its activities in a given period, mostly from sales of products and/or services to customers. ... A website (or Web site) is a collection of web pages, typically common to a particular domain name or subdomain on the World Wide Web on the Internet. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates computer or video games. ... Example showing effect of vector graphics on ppm scale: (a) original vector-based illustration; (b) illustration magnified 8x as a vector image; (c) illustration magnified 8x as a raster image. ... Suppose the smiley face in the top left corner is an RGB bitmap image. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Meager beginnings

Cinematronics Inc. was founded in 1975 by Jim Pearce, Dennis Parte and Gary Garrison in El Cajon, California, although early on Parte and Garrison sold their shares to Tom "Papa" Stroud. Cinematronics' first games, a Pong clone, Flipper Ball and Embargo, all released in 1976, were fairly unsuccessful. The company was not widely noticed until Larry Rosenthal brought Space Wars on board a year later. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Pong redirects here. ... This article is about the economic term. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Space Wars was the first vector-graphics arcade game. ...

Cinematronics' first success

Rosenthal, a student of MIT, had written his master's thesis on Spacewar! and wanted to create a version of the computer game that could be placed in arcades. Rosenthal had created a processor that was powerful enough to run a proper version of Spacewar! and yet inexpensive to produce. He named his TTL-based technology "Vectorbeam". After building a prototype, he shopped the machine around to various game companies, looking for a distributor. Rosenthal demanded a 50/50 share of the profits, a figure that caused nearly all companies to pass on the deal. Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... Look up thesis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Spacewar! is one of the earliest video games for a digital computer. ... A video arcade (known as an amusement arcade in the United Kingdom) is a place where people play arcade video games. ... CPU redirects here. ... A Motorola 68000-based computer with various TTL chips. ...

At this same time Cinematronics was looking for their next game. The timing was perfect for the two: Cinematronics was running out of funds and looking for any deal to land a new game and Rosenthal was selling a game but insisted on a ridiculously high profit share. The deal was made and the game was released as Space Wars. Space Wars was the first vector-graphics arcade game. ...

Space Wars was the first arcade game to utilize black & white vector graphics, which enabled it to display sharp, crisp images. Space Wars had graphics which were far more detailed than the raster displays of the time. Cinematronics shipped over 30,000 units and was a top seller in 1978. Example showing effect of vector graphics on ppm scale: (a) original vector-based illustration; (b) illustration magnified 8x as a vector image; (c) illustration magnified 8x as a raster image. ... Suppose the smiley face in the top left corner is an RGB bitmap image. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Rosenthal, feeling that he was still not receiving enough money for his innovations, left Cinematronics. When he attempted to take his "Vectorbeam" technology with him, Pierce and Stroud sued. The men came to an agreement outside of court with Rosenthal selling his technology to Cinematronics.

Vector games

With the "Vectorbeam" board under their control, Cinematronics released a series of vector graphic arcade games including Starhawk, Warrior the first one-on-one fighting game, Sundance and Tail Gunner. Starhawk (J: スターホーク) is a 1977 vector arcade game by Cinematronics. ... Warrior was released in the arcades in 1979. ... For the North American Indian ceremony, see Sun Dance sundance channel is an independent film network in the United States owned by Viacom, Robert Redford, and NBC Universal. ...

Cinematronics experimented with color overlays on some of their games. In Star Castle, the overlay gave color to several elements of the game with fixed positions. In Armor Attack, the overlay was itself a part of the game: the overlay was a top-down view of a small set of city streets, and the player drove a jeep through the streets fighting tanks and helicopters. Star Castle is a vector-based fixed shooter arcade game, made by Cinematronics in 1980. ... Armor Attack is a top-down vector shoot em up arcade game released by Cinematronics in 1980, licensed to Sega in Japan. ... For other uses, see Jeep (disambiguation). ... Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each having two or more rotor blades. ...

Cinematronics created Cosmic Chasm, a color vector game. Other games were developed based on the same hardware system (based on Motorola's 68000 chip) but were never released, including a 3D color vector game. The Motorola 68000 is a 32-bit CISC microprocessor from Motorola. ... The rewrite of this article is being devised at Talk:3D computer graphics/Temp. ...

Laser disc games and beyond

In 1983 Cinematronics was responsible for releasing Dragon's Lair, one of the earliest laserdisc-based arcade games. During the time Dragon's Lair was being created, Cinematronics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In order to finish the project they partnered with Advanced Microcomputer Systems (later renamed RDI Video Systems), who later tried to sell a home version of the laser-disc machine. While RDI's home console, the Halcyon, was a failure, the Dragon's Lair arcade was a huge success. Cinematronics followed it up with the similar sci-fi-themed laserdisc game, Space Ace. In about 1985 some prototype animation material for a Dragon's Lair sequel was produced, but due to the lack of an agreement between Cinematronics and the animator, Don Bluth, this material sat unused for years, eventually becoming part of the Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp game in the 1990's. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dragons Lair was one of the first laserdisc video games, released in June 1983 by Cinematronics. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code governs the process of reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. ... RDI Video Systems was a video game company founded by Rick Dyer, and was responsible for the creation of laser disc video games, beginning with the immensely popular Dragons Lair. ... The Halcyon was a home video game console released in January of 1985 by RDI Video Systems. ... Sci-fi is an abbreviation for science fiction. ... Space Ace is a Laserdisc video game produced by Don Bluth Studios, Cinematronics, and RDI Video Systems. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Donald Virgil Bluth (born September 13, 1937) is a former Disney animator who, along with fellow animators Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy, set out on his own in 1979 to start his own animation studio, Don Bluth Productions. ...

About 1984, Cinematronics started releasing games which used raster display, such as Express Delivery and other raster games based on a new hardware platform called the Cinemat System, which was designed to be reusable with replaceable software, control panels, and cabinet artwork. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Suppose the smiley face in the top left corner is an RGB bitmap image. ...

About 1987, Cinematronics was acquired by Tradewest and renamed the Leland Corporation and continued to make arcade and PC game software. Tradewest was bought out by WMS in 1991 to become their console division. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tradewest is a now-defunct video game company based in Corsicana, Texas that produced numerous games in the 1980s and early 1990s. ... WMS can mean: Web Map Service is a specification which comprises a definition for Internet Map Servers How to describe geographic data to be published on the web How to compose and render a map-image to be published on the web The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) defines WMS. Warehouse...

Cinematronics, LLC, a completely separate entity with no connection to the original arcade game creator, was founded in 1994 by David Stafford, Mike Sandige and Kevin Gliner. They primarily developed games for Windows and Macintosh systems, including Full Tilt! Pinball, Jack Nicklaus 4, Tritryst and Marble Drop, among others. Ultimately they were sold to Maxis in 1996 and became Maxis South, the California publisher's Texas-based development studio. David Stafford left Maxis South in 1997. The other two founders, Mike Sandige and Kevin Gliner, left when Electronic Arts acquired Maxis later that same year. Full Tilt! Pinball (also known as Pinball 95) is a pinball computer game developed by Cinematronics and published by Maxis in 1995. ... Jack Nicklaus 4 is a 1997 computer game published by Accolade. ... Marble Drop is a strategy game published by Maxis on March 30, 1997. ... A color version of the Maxis logo, used since 1992 Maxis Software was founded as a video game developer and is now a brand name of Electronic Arts (EA). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... EA redirects here. ... A color version of the Maxis logo, used since 1992 Maxis Software was founded as a video game developer and is now a brand name of Electronic Arts (EA). ...

The Space Cadet table from Full Tilt! has been bundled with Microsoft Windows ever since the Windows 95 Plus! pack was released. Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary operating systems by Microsoft. ... Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. ... Microsoft Plus! is an operating system enhancement package provided by Microsoft. ...

Games

• Alley Master (1988)
• Armor Attack (1980)
• Baseball The Season II (1987)
• Boxing Bugs (1981)
• Brix (1983)
• Cerberus (1985)
• Cosmic Chasm (1983)
• Danger Zone (1986)
• Double Play: Super Baseball Home Run Derby (1987)
• Dragon's Lair (1983)
• Embargo (1977)
• Express Delivery (1984)
• Flipper Ball (1976)
• Freeze (1982)
• Hovercraft (1983)
• Jack the Giantkiller (1982)
• Mayhem 2002 (1985)
• Power Play (1985)
• Redline Racer (1986)
• Rip Off (1980) A cocktail version was also manufactured under license by Centuri
• Solar Quest (video game) (1981)
• Space Ace (1984)
• Space Wars (1977)
• Star Castle (1980)
• Starhawk (1977)
• Sundance (1979)
• Tail Gunner (1979)
• Tailgunner II 1980 This was a cockpit version was otherwise the same as the original Tailgunner. It was made under license by Exidy.
• Warrior
• War of the Worlds (1982)
• World Series - The Season (1985)
• World Series Baseball (1984)
• Zzyzzyxx (1982)

Alley Master is a Tenpin bowling arcade game released by Cinematronics in 1986. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Armor Attack is a top-down vector shoot em up arcade game released by Cinematronics in 1980, licensed to Sega in Japan. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Baseball The Season II is a 2-player baseball arcade game released by Cinematronics in 1987. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cerberus - Watercolour by William Blake In Greek mythology, Cerberus or Kerberos (Greek Κέρβερος, Kerberos, demon of the pit), was the hound of Hades—a monstrous three-headed dog (sometimes said to have 50 or 100 heads) with a snake for a tail and serpentine mane. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dragons Lair was one of the first laserdisc video games, released in June 1983 by Cinematronics. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the economic term. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Freeze may refer to: Freeze, a particularly cold spell of weather, a snow storm or an ice storm. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... BHC SR-N4 The worlds largest car and passenger carrying hovercraft A hovercraft, or air-cushion vehicle (ACV), is a vehicle or craft that can be supported by a cushion of air ejected downwards against a surface close below it, and can in principle travel over any relatively smooth... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Centuri, based in Hialeah, Florida, was one of the top six suppliers of coin operated video game machinery in the United States. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Space Ace is a Laserdisc video game produced by Don Bluth Studios, Cinematronics, and RDI Video Systems. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Space Wars was the first vector-graphics arcade game. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Star Castle is a vector-based fixed shooter arcade game, made by Cinematronics in 1980. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Starhawk (J: スターホーク) is a 1977 vector arcade game by Cinematronics. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... For the North American Indian ceremony, see Sun Dance sundance channel is an independent film network in the United States owned by Viacom, Robert Redford, and NBC Universal. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... A cockpit was a pit used for cockfighting, where owners would pit fighting birds against each other for the purpose of gambling. ... Exidy was one of the largest creators of arcade video games during the early period of video games, from 1975-1983. ... Warrior was released in the arcades in 1979. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Intellivision World Series Baseball is a baseball video game simulation (1983), designed by Don Daglow and Eddie Dombrower and published by Mattel for Intellivision. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sources

• Kent, Steven L., The Ultimate History of Video Games, (San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1994) ISBN 0-7615-3643-4
• Tim Skelly's History of Cinematronics and Vectorbeam Retrieved Jul. 8, 2005.

External links

• The Dragon's Lair Project Details the history of Laser Disc games.
• Cinemtronics entry on the KLOV
• The Dot Eaters entry on the history of Cinematronics and the development of early games such as Space Wars