[ Broderbund ran a contest from January-June 1984 where the best user-created was awarded a prize of $1,500 in hardware and software.[1]]Gameplay
The game allows players to create alien attacks like those seen in Galaxian. The inbuilt editor allows players to: design/animate enemies, players and explosions; give enemies instructions on moving/firing; drawing backgrounds/title screens, creating sound effects/music, and setting various gameplay rules. Finished games can be saved to a self-booting disk to allow them to run without this program.[2]
Reception
In 1984, InfoWorld deemed it a "fabulous program," and compared it favourably to Pinball Construction Set.[1] The New York Times described the game as a "hierophant" due to giving non-programmers the ability to create games; furthermore, the site suggested that with a bit of aesthetic improvement, The Arcade Machine would "be a game one can play almost forever".[3]
Steve Panak of ANALOG Computing wrote, "The Arcade Machine is not for the weak of stomach, nor for the weak of mind. Complexity is a key word here. However, despite its complexity, the program is surprisingly user-friendly, thanks to excellent documentation." In the conclusion he warned, "Many, many, many hours are needed to create and hone your game to perfection-and that's if you're not a perfectionist."[4]
The game was "a best seller", according to the September 1984 issue of Creative Computing.[5]
References
1. ^1 {{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fi4EAAAAMBAJ|title=InfoWorld|first=InfoWorld Media Group|last=Inc|date=30 January 1984|publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.|via=Google Books}}
2. ^{{cite book |title=The Arcade Machine Manual |date=1982 |publisher=Broderbund |url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/manuals/atari8bit/arcade_machine.pdf}}
3. ^{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/24/science/personal-computers-the-imaginative-path-to-designing-games.html|title=THE IMAGINATIVE PATH TO DESIGNING GAMES|date=24 May 1983|work=The New York Times}}
4. ^{{cite journal|title=The Season's Software Sampler |issue=25 |date=December 1984 |last1=Panak |first=Steve |journal=ANALOG Computing |url=http://www.cyberroach.com/analog/an25/seasonsoftware.htm}}
5. ^{{cite journal|journal=Creative Computing |last1=Uston |first1=Ken |date=September 1984 |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n9/157_A_family_affair_behind_t.php|title=A family affair; behind the scenes at Broderbund. |volume=10 | issue=9 |page=157}}