adam24222 Feb 2025
This one was so much better on the C64.
Perhaps the programmer had trouble transitioning it.
Ann O Nymous19 Nov 2021
@Krotki - How is listing someone's correct name at the time, some 15 years before they changed it, an error?
Clearly there is a error in programming... between your ears!
Not only are your facts wrong, you also made a ridiculous spelling error in "credict". Credit has no "dic", just like Heineman has none!
Krotki2 Nov 2021
There is an error in programming credicts. William Heineman and Rebecca Heineman are the same person; she transitioned to female in the 2000s.
AbbotKinneyDude9 Dec 2020
This port was done by Rebecca Heineman as Electronic Arts had contracted out Interplay for the A8 conversion. Audio Interview: https://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-64-rebecca-heineman-racing-destruction-set-and-mindshadow
Punkydudester20 Dec 2014
I really like all of these comments for all of these games. It's really nice to get a history of all that happened by people who witnessed it. I was so young at the time that all I knew was these games were fun and I fell in love with the Atari 800.
sparkydav3 Jan 2013
I loved this game! EA was always one of my favorite publishers, and this one was alot of fun. The controls were a bit tricky if I remember correctly, slight delay between your move and what actually happened on screen. Nice packaging as well, they put alot of effort into everything they published. : D
Daniel Thomas MacInnes8 May 2011
I never even knew Racing Destruction Set appeared on the Atari 800. I loved it on the C64. Interesting that this is considered a weak port, which is very strange, given the spectacular EA games on the computer.
Note the date of release - 1985. Aha, this would make sense. By this time, Atari had melted down, and Warner Bros sold the consumer division to Jack Tramiel. The Tramiels were notorious for their heavy-handed treatment of partners and software developers. It was also well known that Atari Corp's focus would be the ST, as Tramiel was obsessed with revenge against Commodore.
I'm sure these were factors. We should also consider bad feelings against Tramiel for launching a disastrous price war that devestated the home computer market. I could see developers embracing Commodore after his departure and shunning Atari Corp as a bit of revenge.
Greg B.1 May 2011
eppy2000: EXACTLY! Well said.
I always had the feeling that there was a bit of industry-wide sabotage against Atari ports by '84-'85. Look at EA's first few Atari titles...and then look at stuff like this. Yeah, the whole industry basically tried to sink the Atari 8-bit in favor of the C-64 by releasing crap ports. This one is a little obvious though...it's terrible.
eppy200030 Sept 2007
Trip Hawkins was the head of E.A. back then. In his letter to Antic, he said the Atari 800 was one of his favorite computers. Judging by the quality of some of the conversions, you wonder how much he really liked the Atari. I found some of their Atari versions lacking because it seemed like no one knew how to utilize the sound and graphics to full potential.
I remember when Antic had us do that letter writing campaign to get companies to release their software for the 8-bit line. It was for the most part, a lost cause! Some companies, like Broderbund, did come through with gems like Print Shop and Karateka. But other companies couldn't care less.
Andrew Bernstein13 Sept 2006
Compared to the legendary C64 version, this was a major letdown at the time (non-PC term="half assed effort"). I still remember the letter of the CEO of Electronic Arts published in Antic (1985) asking ATARI users to support their releases so that more would be coming ! How do you want customers to buy your product if this one is not even good in the first place ?
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