Editing Marble Madness (section)

==Development==
''Marble Madness'' was developed by [[Atari Games]], with [[Mark Cerny]] as the lead designer and Bob Flanagan as the software engineer.<ref name="RG-67"/> Both Cerny and Flanagan handled programming the game.<ref name="Retro"/> It uses the [[Atari System 1]] hardware, which was an interchangeable system of circuit boards, control panels, and artwork.<ref name="PriceGuide-1"/> The game features [[raster graphics|pixel graphics]] on a 19-inch [[Electrohome]] G07 model [[Cathode-ray tube|CRT monitor]] and uses a [[Motorola 68010]] [[central processing unit]] (CPU) with a [[MOS Technology 6502]] subsystem to control the audio and coin operations.<ref name="klov"/> ''Marble Madness'' was the very first arcade game to use an [[Frequency modulation synthesis|FM]] [[sound chip]] produced by [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]], similar to a [[Yamaha DX7]] [[synthesizer]], which created the music in real time so that it was in [[synchronization]] with the game's on-screen action.<ref name="Retro"/><ref name="ArtOfGameWorlds"/> The game's music was composed by [[Brad Fuller (composer)|Brad Fuller]] and Hal Canon who spent a few months becoming familiar with the sound chip's capabilities.<ref name="Retro"/>

Cerny and Flanagan first collaborated on a video game based on [[Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video)|Michael Jackson's ''Thriller'']]. The project was canceled and the two began working on an idea of Cerny's that eventually became ''Marble Madness''. Development lasted {{Nowrap|10 months}}.<ref name="RG-67"/> Following the [[video game crash of 1983]], game development within Atari focused on providing a distinctive experience through the use of a unique control system and by emphasizing a [[Multiplayer video game|simultaneous two-player]] mode. Cerny designed ''Marble Madness'' in accordance with these company goals. He was first inspired by [[miniature golf]] and captivated by the idea that a playfield's contours influenced a ball's path. Cerny began testing various ideas using Atari's digital art system. After deciding to use an isometric grid, Cerny began developing the game's concept. His initial idea involved hitting a ball in a way similar to miniature golf, but Atari was unenthusiastic. Cerny next thought of [[Racing video game|racing game]]s and planned for races on long tracks against an opponent. Technology limitations at the time were unable to handle the in-game physics necessary for the idea, and Cerny switched the game's objective to a race against time.<ref name="Retro"/>

The development toolkit for the Motorola CPU included a [[compiler]] for the [[C (programming language)|C programming language]], which the two programmers were familiar with. After Atari had conducted performance evaluations, it approved usage of the language.<ref name="RG-67"/> Cerny and Flanagan's decision to program ''Marble Madness'' in the C language had positive and negative consequences. Atari games had previously been programmed in [[assembly language]]. The C language was easier to program, but was less efficient, so the game operates at the slower speed of {{Nowrap|30 [[Hertz|Hz]]}} instead of the normal {{Nowrap|60 Hz}} frequency of arcade games at the time. Cerny decided to use a trackball system (marketed by Atari as Trak-Ball) to give the game a unique control system, and he chose a motorized trackball for faster spinning and braking when the in-game ball traveled downhill and uphill, respectively. As it was building the prototypes, Atari's design department informed Cerny that the motorized trackball's design had an inherent flaw—one of the four supports had poor contact with the ball—and the use of a regular trackball was more feasible. Additionally, Cerny had anticipated the use of powerful custom chips that would allow [[Random-access memory|RAM]]-based [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] to be animated by the CPU, but the available hardware was a less advanced system using [[Read-only memory|ROM]]-based static sprites.<ref name="Retro"/>

[[File:MarbleMadness-diagrams.jpg|thumb|alt=A group of four boxes with a hand-drawn diagram and text description in each box.|Concepts for ''Marble Madness'' were outlined in an extensive design document. The document contains a number of ideas, like the tilting ramp and see-saw scale above, that were not used in the final product.]]

These technical limitations forced Cerny to simplify the overall designs. Inspired by [[M. C. Escher]], he designed abstract landscapes for the courses. In retrospect, Cerny partly attributed the designs to his limited artistic skills.<ref name="Retro"/> He was a fan of the [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]] used in ''[[Battlezone (1980 video game)|Battlezone]]'' and ''[[I, Robot (video game)|I, Robot]]'', but felt that the visuals lacked definition and wanted to create a game with "solid and clean" 3D graphics.<ref name="GDC2011"/> Unlike most other arcade games of the time, the course images were not drawn on the [[pixel]] level. Instead, Cerny defined the elevation of every point in the course and stored this information in a [[heightmap]] array. The course graphics were then created by a [[Ray tracing (graphics)|ray tracing]] program that traced the path of light rays, using the heightmap to determine the appearance of the course on screen. This format also allowed Cerny to create shadows and use [[spatial anti-aliasing]], a technique that provided the graphics with a smoother appearance. Cerny's course generator allowed him more time to experiment with the level designs. When deciding what elements to include in a course, practicality was a big factor; elements that would not work or would not appear as intended were omitted, such as an elastic barricade or a teeter-totter scale.<ref name="Retro"/> Other ideas dropped from the designs were breakable glass supports, black hole traps, and bumps and obstacles built into the course that chased the marble.<ref name="GDC2011"/>

Cerny's personal interests changed throughout the project, leading to the inclusion of new ideas absent from the original design documents. The game's enemy characters were designed by Cerny and Sam Comstock, who also animated them. Enemies had to be small in size due to technical limitations. Cerny and Comstock purposely omitted faces to give them unique designs and create a minimalistic appearance similar to the courses.<ref name="Retro"/> Atari's management, however, suggested that the marble should have a smiley face to create an identified character, similar to [[Pac-Man]]. As a compromise, the cabinet's artwork depicts traces of a smiley face on the marbles.<ref name="GDC2011"/> Flanagan programmed a three-dimensional [[Computer simulation|physics model]] to dictate the marble's motions and an [[Interpreter (computing)|interpreted]] script for enemy behavior.<ref name="RG-67"/> As ''Marble Madness'' neared completion, the feedback from Atari's in-house [[Focus group|focus testing]] was positive. In retrospect, Cerny wished he had included more courses to give the game greater longevity, but extra courses would have required more time and increased hardware costs. Atari was experiencing severe financial troubles at the time and could not extend the game's development period as it would have left their production factory idle.<ref name="Retro"/>