CoMotion (patent) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 48 years ago:

CoMotion © 1976 Gremlin.

This game was for two or four players only, you must have a live human opponent to play against, or else the other players character will go straight into a wall, making for a very quick and boring game. Each player moves their character around leaving a solid line behind them. All moves are made on an invisible grid, so you can only turn at 90 degree angles. To win you must last longer than your opponents before hitting something. Each player is eliminated when they crash, taking their lines with them. One good strategy is to turn around and head for the outer area of the screen (in four player mode), because everyone starts out headed for the center. Skirt around the edges until you only have one opponent left, then box them in. Pushing backwards on the stick will cause you to crash into your own line, so avoid that at all cost.

TECHNICAL
Cocktail table model
34 inches high
Surface diameter 36 inches

BOARD # 808-0001
Prom stickers: 05-10

Main CPU: Intel 8080 (@ 2.079 Mhz)
Sound Chips: Discrete circuitry

Screen orientation: Horizontal
Video resolution: 256 x 224 pixels
Screen refresh: 60.00 Hz
Palette Colors: 2

Players: 4
Control: 4-way joystick

TRIVIA
CoMotion was released in October 1976.

This game came in only one form factor, that of the standup cocktail (a format that was really only used in the 70s). The machine was a round table about 4 feet tall. The table top was wood grained, and it had four sets of player controls spaced evenly around the table. The monitor was located inside the table facing upwards. This game had simple sideart that consisted of a few stripes and a 'Comotion' logo (the logo snaked around much like the games characters did). The game featured control panels that were devoid of joysticks, instead you controlled the game using a button for each direction. Two people could play for twenty five cents, or four people could play for fifty cents. The prices were hard coded into the games romset, so operators really couldn't mess with them (the games title screen clearly said "'25 cents for two players, 50 cents for four players').

SERIES

• Blockade (1976)
• Comotion (1976)
• Hustle (1977)

CONTRIBUTE
Edit this entry: https://www.arcade-history.com/?&page=detail&id=491&o=2