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Quantum

Quantum - Japanese Title

Quantum - marquee

Manufacturer: Atari
Year: 1982
Type: Videogame

Class: Prototype
Genre: Skill
Monitor:

  • Orientation: Vertical
  • Type: Vector
  • CRT: Color
Conversion Class: unique
Number of Simultaneous Players: 1
Maximum number of Players: 2
Gameplay: Alternating
Control Panel Layout: Single Player
Controls:
  • Trackball: Optical

Sound: Amplified Mono (one channel)

Quantum


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Quantum Description

Enter a subatomic world. Using the trackball, capture particles by circling them with your probes tail. Player surpassing the high score gets to "draw" his name with the trackball.

Cabinet Information

The game was released as a dedicated upright cabinet only. The machine is notable for its use of front-panel artwork, surrounding the coin slots. The side art is silk-screened.

Although there have been occasional rumors that a cocktail prototype exists, the findings may reveal that this is just a converted Tempest cocktail.

Cheats, Tricks, Bugs, and Easter Eggs

It is possible, usually only at the beginning of a new screen, for even a moderately skilled player to quickly circle around the entire screen and move to the next level immediately.

Game Introduction

Using only a trackball, capture and destroy particles (Electrons, Nuclei, Photons, Positrons, Pulsars, Splitters and Triphons) by fully encircling them with your probe's tail. The number and speed of particles increases and the length of the probes tail decreases with each passing wave, increasing the difficulty of the task. Colliding with a particle destroys your probe. Circling multiple particles scores double points. On higher levels, the Nuclei join together forming bonds, lethal to your probe when red. A choice of starting levels (based on the previous level attained) is available at game start. A level is selected by circling it with the trackball. Quantum is unique for allowing the highest scoring player to "sign" his name freehand using the trackball. To achieve visually pleasing results requires considerable practice.

Game Play

In each stage, you move your probe with the trackball. As you move, you leave a tail behind. As the attract-mode demo explains, the idea is to circle around and cross your tail to complete a loop. Any particles caught in a closed loop are destroyed. A level is completed by destroying all the nuclei (solid circular particles).

You must avoid contact with any of the particles (except electrons, they are safe) as well as active (red) particle bonds. Otherwise, the scene collapses and destroys your probe. Besides the nuclei, other deadly particles may appear from time to time.

VAPS Arcade Census

There are 7,003 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 4,025 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 65,382 machines (3,803 unique titles).

Common - There are 43 known instances of this machine owned by Quantum collectors who are members. Of these, 39 of them are original dedicated machines, and 4 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.

Wanted - Popular - There are 19 VAPS members currently looking for Quantum. There is one VAPS member looking for a Quantum circuit board set.

This game ranks a 26 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records.

This game ranks a 48 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often wanted, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records.

Rarity is NOT necessarily an indication of value. [More Information]

Technical

Used the Amplifone XY display (mounted vertically). The game manual refers to a Wells Gardner equipped version, but due to the limited production run, this may not be correct. Boardset is similar in form to other Atari color XY games, though Quantum was Atari's first use of the Motorola 68000 CPU (previous XY games used one or more 6502s). Vector generation circuitry is capable of drawing solid objects.

Trivia

This was one of two games designed for Atari by General Computer Corp. (the other being Food Fight). The agreement was the result of a legal settlement between Atari and GCC. The production run for this game is rumored to be around 500. The game did poorly in the arcades and rumor has it that some disgruntled operators returned the game to Atari. Many unsold/returned units were sold to the public and Atari employees.

Manuals

  1. Operation, Maintenance and Service Manual  10 Pages, 667 KB File.
  2. Operation, Maintenance and Service Manual  22 Pages, 2978 KB File.
  3. Operation, Maintenance and Service Manual  79 Pages, 6236 KB File.

Foto-Finder™ (books)

  1. The Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 118; Color photo;
  2. Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 118; Color photo; Price guide:

Contribute Links

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eBay Listings

Click to search eBay for Quantum Videogame machines and related items.

Click to search eBay for machines and parts made by Atari.

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Quantum

1. NOS ATARI QUANTUM BACKDOOR INSTRUCTION SHEET

Auction ends in: 4 days, 16 hours

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$49.00
 
2. Quantum Non Jamma Arcade Pcb Marquee header

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3. Quantum Coin-op Arcade Manual

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Quantum - Title screen image


Quantum - Title screen image

Quantum - Title screen image

Quantum - Title screen image

Quantum - Title screen image


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