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Superman


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Superman / IPD No. 2454 / March, 1979 / 4 Players
 
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Average Fun Rating: [ 7 stars - Click for comments ]    7.3/10  (35 ratings/27 comments)        [ Add Your Rating! ]
Manufacturer: Atari, Incorporated (1976-1983)
Date Of Manufacture: March, 1979
MPU: Atari Generation/System 2
Type: Solid State Electronic (SS) [?]
Production: 5,124 units   (approximate)
Serial Number Database:View at The Internet Pinball Serial Number Database (IPSND.net)  (External site)
Theme: Celebrities - Fictional - Licensed Theme
Specialty: Widebody [?]
Notable Features: Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (4), Slingshots (2), Standup targets (5), Star rollovers (5), Spinning targets (2), 5-bank drop targets (1), Kick-out hole (1), Free ball return lane. The long left lane that returns ball to the top of playfield has a U-turn in it.
Design by: Steve Ritchie
Art by: George Opperman
Sound by: Eugene Jarvis
Software by: Eugene Jarvis
Notes: Designer Steve Ritchie told us that the quantity of 5,124 games was given to him by an Atari Marketing/Sales guy a long time ago. Steve presumes it to be the Atari sales number for this game (indicating the quantity sold) which is not necessarily the quantity of games produced.

Comments from Steve Ritchie:

Eugene wrote all the sounds for Superman and one of his amazing programs that created some sounds by introducing bugs to the program. He later created G-wave, an incredible breakthrough at the time. Recording music and sound on silicon was not an option in 1977.

Eugene and I worked together on Superman for what seemed like years. It might have been 13 months or so. I stumbled through many whitewoods, but ultimately, it played nice for it's time.

I brought my Echoplex (a guitar player's tape loop mechanical echo chamber on the cheap) to work, and connected it to our Superman Prototype. The continuous background sound that emanated intrigued us.

Atari management refused to let us apply this fun discovery, which made the player feel more a part of the pinball game, and added progressive adrenaline to any pinball as the game progressed. Why didn't management feel what we felt?

I left Atari to make pinball machines at Williams before Superman was manufactured, and applied the background sound concept to Flash, which was also the first game to use Flash Lamps, (that's how they got their name) and a 3rd-flipper-repeatable loop shot. I was also a lot happier working at Williams, happiness being an important ingredient that enables a designer to create to his/her potential.

Photos in: Arcade TreasuresExternal Link, page 95
Pinball Machines (Eiden-Lukas)External Link, pages 16 and 93
Pinball The Lure of the Silverball, page 79
Pinball (Zsolnay), page 59
Collector's Guide to Vintage Coin Machines 2nd EditionExternal Link, page 108
Mike Pacak's Pinball Flyer Reference Book S-Z
Owners List URL:http://www.pinballmagic.com/superman.htm  (External site)
ROMs: 5 KB ZIP PinMAME Romset
  5 KB ZIP ROMs
Documentation: 5 MB PDF Drawing Package (Sheet 2, Side A) - Schematic Diagram [Atari, Inc.]
  4 MB PDF Drawing Package (Sheet 2, Side B) - Schematic Diagram [Atari, Inc.]
  5 MB PDF Drawing Package (Sheet 3, Side B) - Wiring and Schematic Diagrams [Atari, Inc.]
  2 MB PDF Illustrated Parts Catalog (1PC-110, 1st Printing) [Atari, Inc.]
  2 MB PDF Operation, Maintenance and Service Manual (TM-110, 1st printing) [Atari, Inc.]
  4 MB PDF Schematics (paginated, bleached, missing Index page 1A and pages 4A, 4B) [Atari, Inc.]
Files: 3 MB PDF Drawing Package (Sheet 1, Side A) - Index to all sheets [Atari, Inc.]
  4 MB PDF Drawing Package (Sheet 1, Side B) - Interconnect Diagram [Atari, Inc.]
  6 MB PDF Drawing Package (Sheet 3, Side A) - Wiring Diagrams [Atari, Inc.]
  5 MB PDF Drawing Package (Sheet 4, Side A) - Playfield Harness Routing [Atari, Inc.]
  3 MB PDF Drawing Package (Sheet 4, Side B) - Display Harness Lamp Socket Assembly [Atari, Inc.]
  481 KB PDF RAM/ROM Test Failure and Option Switch Settings [Atari, Inc.]
  4 MB PDF Score Cards [Atari, Inc.]
  6 MB JPG Self-Test and Accounting Instructions (located on cash box lid) [Atari, Inc.]
  534 KB PDF Supplement to TM-110 - About The Battery-Powered Memory (undated) [Atari, Inc.]
Images:
(click to zoom)
Image # 5091: Superman Flyer, Front
Flyer, Front

884x1150
 
Image # 5092: Superman Flyer, Page 2
Flyer, Page 2

884x1150
 
Image # 5093: Superman Flyer, Page 3
Flyer, Page 3

884x1150
 
Image # 5094: Superman Flyer, Back
Flyer, Back

884x1150
 
Image # 6959: Superman Backglass
Backglass

500x375
[Doug Fox]
Image # 10718: Superman Press Release
Press Release

620x796
 
Image # 10719: Superman Promotional Photo
Promotional Photo

607x720
 
Image # 10720: Superman Promotional Postcard
Promotional Postcard

518x400
 
Image # 12104: Superman Backglass
Backglass

963x876
[Joe Newhart]
Image # 12105: Superman Playfield
Playfield

960x1147
[Joe Newhart]
Image # 12106: Superman Cabinet - Front View
Cabinet - Front View

960x1252
[Joe Newhart]
Image # 12107: Superman Cabinet - Full View
Cabinet - Full View

718x973
[Joe Newhart]
Image # 27904: Superman Blank Playfield
Blank Playfield

350x599
[Steve Anderson]
Image # 37577: Superman Backglass
Backglass

541x541
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 37578: Superman Backglass - Reverse
Backglass - Reverse

533x573
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 37579: Superman Upper Playfield
Upper Playfield

1024x768
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 37580: Superman Middle Playfield
Middle Playfield

480x360
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 37581: Superman Lower Playfield
Lower Playfield

480x360
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 37582: Superman Cabinet - Left
Cabinet - Left

1024x1000
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 37583: Superman Cabinet - Front
Cabinet - Front

970x861
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 37584: Superman Inside Backbox
Inside Backbox

1024x768
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 37585: Superman Behind Backglass
Behind Backglass

1024x768
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 37586: Superman Behind Backbox Insert
Behind Backbox Insert

1024x1009
[Jesse Kujawa]
Image # 46519: Superman Under Playfield
Under Playfield

1200x1600
[Kim Mitchell]
Image # 46520: Superman Inside Cabinet
Inside Cabinet

1200x1600
[Kim Mitchell]
 

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