Difference between revisions of "Teleplay System"
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As development progressed, Bushnell made the decision to limit the modem's speed to 300 bits-per-second as a cost-saving measure. However, this meant that the Teleplay could no longer viably offer real-time multiplayer, rendering the hardware only suited to "slower" titles like puzzle or strategy games. Additionally, Bushnell (already known in the industry for his questionable promises) only offered him a relatively-meager 5% of potential company profits, and strangely barred him for directly meeting with further investors. To complicate matters, Bushnell later pulled out of the project entirely, leaving its future uncertain.{{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}} | As development progressed, Bushnell made the decision to limit the modem's speed to 300 bits-per-second as a cost-saving measure. However, this meant that the Teleplay could no longer viably offer real-time multiplayer, rendering the hardware only suited to "slower" titles like puzzle or strategy games. Additionally, Bushnell (already known in the industry for his questionable promises) only offered him a relatively-meager 5% of potential company profits, and strangely barred him for directly meeting with further investors. To complicate matters, Bushnell later pulled out of the project entirely, leaving its future uncertain.{{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}} | ||
| − | In 1992, Rupp independently developed a new iteration of the hardware, largely by himself. Now known under its final name of the Teleplay System, this "final" revision boasted a respectable 2400 bits-per-second real-time connection, and even contained a connection for AT keyboard (the common standard of the era).{{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}} | + | In 1992, Rupp independently developed a new iteration of the hardware, largely by himself. Now known under its final name of the Teleplay System, this "final" revision boasted a respectable 2400 bits-per-second real-time connection, and even contained a connection for AT keyboard (the common standard of the era).{{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}} Although the project was then progressing on the technical side, a lack of funding from investors forced Rupp to live and sleep at his office for much of the modem's later development, along with much of his team working significant overtime. However, the greatest hurdle to overcome would be the acquisition of an official development license. Both [[Nintendo of America]] and [[Sega of America]] charged third-party developers such a large sum to become licensed that Rupp found himself unable to build the funds for either purchase. This led to a situation where, despite established developers like [[Electronic Arts]] wanting to work with the modem during initial demonstrations, the deal would be cut short when "a suit would call higher up in the company and say they wouldn’t even consider making their games compatible with the Teleplay unless we were licensed."{{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}} |
| + | |||
| + | In July 1993, [[wikipedia:AT&T|AT&T]] announced its partnership with [[Sega of America]] and [[PF Magic]] to develop the [[Edge 16]] modem, a remarkably-similar modem accessory. Boasting compatibility with the [[Sega Genesis]] and [[3DO]], and with the monetary resources of AT&T to acquire official developer licenses, Sega of America ultimately decided to focus their attention on the Edge 16. Video game preservationist Frank Cifaldi states, "whether it was because of Keith’s meetings with Sega, his conversations with third party developers, or perhaps a premature magazine interview done by one of [[Baton Technologies|Baton]]’s investors, it was fairly obvious that AT&T caught wind of Baton’s plans and took it upon themselves to capitalize on their ideas."{{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}} Now that acquiring an official license was practically impossible, Rupp made the brave decision to carry on, regardless if the Teleplay was licensed or not - and hoping to beat the Edge 16 to market by some time. Rupp even planned intercompatibility with the Edge 16 to ensure the Teleplay could succeed by competing on price (and not game exclusivity).{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | Keith recalls that "“I wasn’t afraid of AT&T, although my investors were.” Despite having a large first order to fill and manufacturing ready to begin, the Teleplay's investors got cold feet and the last minute and pulled the plug. "If we had just fulfilled our first order, we would have made back all the monies invested in Baton up to that point and made a small profit." Ultimately the modem would be left virtually completed but entirely unproduced, with three NES-Genesis cross-compatible games (a total of six versions) completed and also ready for manufacturing. [[Baton Technologies]] was forced to close its doors, with Rupp having to pay his company's remaining $40,000 payroll through his personal credit cards.{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}} | ||
===Prerelease=== | ===Prerelease=== | ||
Revision as of 21:42, 30 October 2022
 |
| Teleplay System |
|---|
| Made for: Sega Mega Drive |
| Manufacturer: Baton Technologies |
| Type: Network tool |
This teeny-tiny article needs some work. You can help us by expanding it.
The Teleplay System is an unreleased Sega Mega Drive modem developed by Baton Technologies. Intended for a Spring 1993 launch[1], concern over the system's commercial viability and Sega of America's attraction to its primary competitor (AT&T's Edge 16) resulted in the virtually-completed accessory being scrapped entirely.[2]
Contents
Hardware
The peripheral was designed to allow Mega Drive (or NES) customers to play each other over the internet using a specialised 2,400bps modem. The project was ambitious, claiming to allow cross-platform play and well support IBM PC AT-spec keyboards, without the approval of either Sega or Nintendo.
List of games with planned support
- Combat Aces (unreleased)
- Terran Wars (unreleased)
History
Development
In 1990, American engineer Keith Rupp first conceived of the Teleplay System as a means for gamers to play head-to-head against others from across the country over the internet. Recognizing the potential for equipping the then-dominant Nintendo Entertainment System with online multiplayer capability, he began the process of shopping the idea around to possible investors. One early investor introduced Rupp to Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari, who grew a strong interest in the hardware. With input from Bushhell, Rupp completed the first prototype. Initially known as the Ayota View, it first made an appearance at the 199x Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it was generally well-received.[2]
As development progressed, Bushnell made the decision to limit the modem's speed to 300 bits-per-second as a cost-saving measure. However, this meant that the Teleplay could no longer viably offer real-time multiplayer, rendering the hardware only suited to "slower" titles like puzzle or strategy games. Additionally, Bushnell (already known in the industry for his questionable promises) only offered him a relatively-meager 5% of potential company profits, and strangely barred him for directly meeting with further investors. To complicate matters, Bushnell later pulled out of the project entirely, leaving its future uncertain.[2]
In 1992, Rupp independently developed a new iteration of the hardware, largely by himself. Now known under its final name of the Teleplay System, this "final" revision boasted a respectable 2400 bits-per-second real-time connection, and even contained a connection for AT keyboard (the common standard of the era).[2] Although the project was then progressing on the technical side, a lack of funding from investors forced Rupp to live and sleep at his office for much of the modem's later development, along with much of his team working significant overtime. However, the greatest hurdle to overcome would be the acquisition of an official development license. Both Nintendo of America and Sega of America charged third-party developers such a large sum to become licensed that Rupp found himself unable to build the funds for either purchase. This led to a situation where, despite established developers like Electronic Arts wanting to work with the modem during initial demonstrations, the deal would be cut short when "a suit would call higher up in the company and say they wouldn’t even consider making their games compatible with the Teleplay unless we were licensed."[2]
In July 1993, AT&T announced its partnership with Sega of America and PF Magic to develop the Edge 16 modem, a remarkably-similar modem accessory. Boasting compatibility with the Sega Genesis and 3DO, and with the monetary resources of AT&T to acquire official developer licenses, Sega of America ultimately decided to focus their attention on the Edge 16. Video game preservationist Frank Cifaldi states, "whether it was because of Keith’s meetings with Sega, his conversations with third party developers, or perhaps a premature magazine interview done by one of Baton’s investors, it was fairly obvious that AT&T caught wind of Baton’s plans and took it upon themselves to capitalize on their ideas."[2] Now that acquiring an official license was practically impossible, Rupp made the brave decision to carry on, regardless if the Teleplay was licensed or not - and hoping to beat the Edge 16 to market by some time. Rupp even planned intercompatibility with the Edge 16 to ensure the Teleplay could succeed by competing on price (and not game exclusivity).{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}}
Keith recalls that "“I wasn’t afraid of AT&T, although my investors were.” Despite having a large first order to fill and manufacturing ready to begin, the Teleplay's investors got cold feet and the last minute and pulled the plug. "If we had just fulfilled our first order, we would have made back all the monies invested in Baton up to that point and made a small profit." Ultimately the modem would be left virtually completed but entirely unproduced, with three NES-Genesis cross-compatible games (a total of six versions) completed and also ready for manufacturing. Baton Technologies was forced to close its doors, with Rupp having to pay his company's remaining $40,000 payroll through his personal credit cards.{ref|http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml}}
Prerelease
The Teleplay System was advertised alongside Terran Wars, a sci-fi action title planned to be the pack-in game.[3] An additional eight compatible games were scheduled for released over the course of 1993, but none saw any promotion. Of the planned eight games, only additional title, Combat Aces, has since had a prototype discovered and dumped, allowing for a first-hand look at the Teleplay System's unique modem software.
Magazine articles
- Main article: Teleplay System/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
also published in:
- Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #43: "February 1993" (199x-xx-xx)[4]
- VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (US) #50: "March 1993" (1993-0x-xx)[5]
External links
- Spotlight: Baton Teleplay Modem article by Frank Cifaldi at Lost Levels
References
- ↑ Mega Play, "January 1993" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 20
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml
- ↑ Mega Play, "June 1993" (US; 1993-0x-xx), page 15
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "February 1993" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 177
- ↑ VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, "March 1993" (US; 1993-0x-xx), page 43