<s>
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
is	O
an	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
designed	O
by	O
Mark	O
Cerny	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Atari	O
Games	O
in	O
1984	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
controls	O
the	O
marble	O
by	O
using	O
a	O
trackball	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
is	O
known	O
for	O
using	O
innovative	O
game	O
technologies	O
:	O
it	O
was	O
Atari	O
's	O
first	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
Atari	B-Application
System	I-Application
1	I-Application
hardware	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
be	O
programmed	O
in	O
the	O
C	B-Language
programming	I-Language
language	I-Language
,	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
use	O
true	O
stereo	O
sound	O
(	O
previous	O
games	O
used	O
either	O
monaural	O
sound	O
or	O
simulated	O
stereo	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
designing	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Cerny	O
drew	O
inspiration	O
from	O
miniature	B-Application
golf	I-Application
,	O
racing	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
artwork	O
by	O
M	O
.	O
C	B-Language
.	O
Escher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cerny	O
applied	O
a	O
minimalist	B-Device
approach	I-Device
in	O
designing	O
the	O
appearance	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
courses	O
and	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
release	O
to	O
arcades	O
,	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
was	O
commercially	O
successful	O
and	O
profitable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
is	O
an	O
isometric	B-Application
platform	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
manipulates	O
an	O
onscreen	O
marble	O
from	O
a	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
,	O
a	O
player	O
controls	O
the	O
marble	O
's	O
movements	O
with	O
a	O
trackball	B-Device
;	O
most	O
home	O
versions	O
use	O
game	B-Device
controllers	I-Device
with	O
directional	B-Device
pads	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
's	O
goal	O
is	O
to	O
complete	O
six	O
maze-like	O
isometric	B-Application
race	O
courses	O
before	O
a	O
set	O
amount	O
of	O
time	O
expires	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Atari	O
Games	O
,	O
with	O
Mark	O
Cerny	O
as	O
the	O
lead	O
designer	O
and	O
Bob	O
Flanagan	O
as	O
the	O
software	O
engineer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
uses	O
the	O
Atari	B-Application
System	I-Application
1	I-Application
hardware	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
an	O
interchangeable	O
system	O
of	O
circuit	O
boards	O
,	O
control	O
panels	O
,	O
and	O
artwork	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
pixel	B-Algorithm
graphics	I-Algorithm
on	O
a	O
19-inch	O
Electrohome	O
G07	O
model	O
CRT	B-Device
monitor	I-Device
and	O
uses	O
a	O
Motorola	B-Device
68010	I-Device
central	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
unit	I-General_Concept
(	O
CPU	O
)	O
with	O
a	O
MOS	B-General_Concept
Technology	I-General_Concept
6502	I-General_Concept
subsystem	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
audio	O
and	O
coin	O
operations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
was	O
the	O
very	O
first	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
FM	O
sound	O
chip	O
produced	O
by	O
Yamaha	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
a	O
Yamaha	O
DX7	O
synthesizer	O
,	O
which	O
created	O
the	O
music	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
so	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
in	O
synchronization	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
on-screen	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
was	O
canceled	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
began	O
working	O
on	O
an	O
idea	O
of	O
Cerny	O
's	O
that	O
eventually	O
became	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cerny	O
designed	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
in	O
accordance	O
with	O
these	O
company	O
goals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
first	O
inspired	O
by	O
miniature	B-Application
golf	I-Application
and	O
captivated	O
by	O
the	O
idea	O
that	O
a	O
playfield	O
's	O
contours	O
influenced	O
a	O
ball	O
's	O
path	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
deciding	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
isometric	B-Application
grid	O
,	O
Cerny	O
began	O
developing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
concept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
initial	O
idea	O
involved	O
hitting	O
a	O
ball	O
in	O
a	O
way	O
similar	O
to	O
miniature	B-Application
golf	I-Application
,	O
but	O
Atari	O
was	O
unenthusiastic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
toolkit	O
for	O
the	O
Motorola	O
CPU	O
included	O
a	O
compiler	B-Language
for	O
the	O
C	B-Language
programming	I-Language
language	I-Language
,	O
which	O
the	O
two	O
programmers	O
were	O
familiar	O
with	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cerny	O
and	O
Flanagan	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
program	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
in	O
the	O
C	B-Language
language	I-Language
had	O
positive	O
and	O
negative	O
consequences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
games	O
had	O
previously	O
been	O
programmed	O
in	O
assembly	B-Language
language	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
C	B-Language
language	I-Language
was	O
easier	O
to	O
program	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
less	O
efficient	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
game	O
operates	O
at	O
the	O
slower	O
speed	O
of	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
normal	O
frequency	O
of	O
arcade	B-Application
games	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cerny	O
decided	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
trackball	B-Device
system	O
(	O
marketed	O
by	O
Atari	O
as	O
Trak-Ball	O
)	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
unique	O
control	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
chose	O
a	O
motorized	O
trackball	B-Device
for	O
faster	O
spinning	O
and	O
braking	O
when	O
the	O
in-game	O
ball	O
traveled	O
downhill	O
and	O
uphill	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
it	O
was	O
building	O
the	O
prototypes	O
,	O
Atari	O
's	O
design	O
department	O
informed	O
Cerny	O
that	O
the	O
motorized	O
trackball	B-Device
's	O
design	O
had	O
an	O
inherent	O
flaw	O
—	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
four	O
supports	O
had	O
poor	O
contact	O
with	O
the	O
ball	O
—	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
regular	O
trackball	B-Device
was	O
more	O
feasible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Cerny	O
had	O
anticipated	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
powerful	O
custom	O
chips	O
that	O
would	O
allow	O
RAM-based	O
sprites	O
to	O
be	O
animated	O
by	O
the	O
CPU	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
available	O
hardware	O
was	O
a	O
less	O
advanced	O
system	O
using	O
ROM-based	O
static	O
sprites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inspired	O
by	O
M	O
.	O
C	B-Language
.	O
Escher	O
,	O
he	O
designed	O
abstract	O
landscapes	O
for	O
the	O
courses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
a	O
fan	O
of	O
the	O
3D	O
graphics	O
used	O
in	O
Battlezone	B-Application
and	O
I	B-Application
,	I-Application
Robot	I-Application
,	O
but	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
visuals	O
lacked	O
definition	O
and	O
wanted	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
game	O
with	O
"	O
solid	O
and	O
clean	O
"	O
3D	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
most	O
other	O
arcade	B-Application
games	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
course	O
images	O
were	O
not	O
drawn	O
on	O
the	O
pixel	B-Algorithm
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
Cerny	O
defined	O
the	O
elevation	O
of	O
every	O
point	O
in	O
the	O
course	O
and	O
stored	O
this	O
information	O
in	O
a	O
heightmap	B-Data_Structure
array	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
course	O
graphics	O
were	O
then	O
created	O
by	O
a	O
ray	B-Algorithm
tracing	I-Algorithm
program	O
that	O
traced	O
the	O
path	O
of	O
light	O
rays	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
heightmap	B-Data_Structure
to	O
determine	O
the	O
appearance	O
of	O
the	O
course	O
on	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
format	O
also	O
allowed	O
Cerny	O
to	O
create	O
shadows	O
and	O
use	O
spatial	B-Algorithm
anti-aliasing	I-Algorithm
,	O
a	O
technique	O
that	O
provided	O
the	O
graphics	O
with	O
a	O
smoother	O
appearance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
's	O
management	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
suggested	O
that	O
the	O
marble	O
should	O
have	O
a	O
smiley	O
face	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
identified	O
character	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flanagan	O
programmed	O
a	O
three-dimensional	O
physics	B-Application
model	I-Application
to	O
dictate	O
the	O
marble	O
's	O
motions	O
and	O
an	O
interpreted	B-Application
script	O
for	O
enemy	O
behavior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
neared	O
completion	O
,	O
the	O
feedback	O
from	O
Atari	O
's	O
in-house	O
focus	O
testing	O
was	O
positive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
in	O
1986	O
,	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
was	O
released	O
for	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
with	O
different	O
companies	O
handling	O
the	O
conversions	O
;	O
several	O
home	O
versions	O
were	O
published	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
,	O
Tiger	O
Electronics	O
released	O
handheld	O
and	O
tabletop	O
LCD	B-Device
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
by	O
Tengen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
with	O
the	O
1998	O
title	O
Arcade	B-Application
's	I-Application
Greatest	I-Application
Hits	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Atari	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
has	O
been	O
included	O
in	O
several	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
compilations	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2003	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
multi-platform	O
Midway	B-Application
Arcade	I-Application
Treasures	I-Application
,	O
a	O
compilation	B-Language
of	O
games	O
developed	O
by	O
Williams	O
Electronics	O
,	O
Midway	O
Games	O
,	O
and	O
Atari	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
was	O
also	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
2012	O
Midway	B-Application
Arcade	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
collections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
iOS	B-Application
port	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
was	O
commercially	O
successful	O
following	O
its	O
December	O
1984	O
release	O
and	O
was	O
positively	O
received	O
by	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cerny	O
attributed	O
the	O
six-week	O
arcade	B-Application
life	O
to	O
Marble	O
Madnesss	O
short	O
gameplay	O
length	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
on	O
their	O
May	O
1	O
,	O
1985	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
second	O
most-successful	O
upright/cockpit	O
arcade	B-Application
unit	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
Levi	O
Buchanan	O
of	O
IGN	O
listed	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
as	O
one	O
of	O
several	O
titles	O
in	O
his	O
"	O
dream	O
arcade	B-Application
"	O
,	O
citing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
difficulty	O
and	O
the	O
fond	O
memories	O
he	O
had	O
playing	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retro	O
Gamers	O
Craig	O
Grannell	O
,	O
in	O
referring	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
distinctive	O
arcade	B-Application
games	O
ever	O
made	O
,	O
praised	O
its	O
visuals	O
as	O
"	O
pure	O
and	O
timeless	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Next	O
Generation	O
ranked	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
of	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
as	O
15	O
on	O
their	O
"	O
Top	O
100	O
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
listed	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
10th	O
best	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2003	O
,	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
was	O
inducted	O
into	O
GameSpot	O
's	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
Guinness	O
World	O
Records	O
listed	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
number	O
seventy-nine	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
in	O
technical	O
,	O
creative	O
,	O
and	O
cultural	O
impact	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
games	O
to	O
use	O
true	O
stereo	O
sound	O
and	O
have	O
a	O
recognizable	O
musical	O
score	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
common	O
complaint	O
about	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
cabinet	O
was	O
that	O
the	O
track	B-Device
ball	I-Device
controls	O
frequently	O
broke	O
from	O
repeated	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Harris	O
of	O
Gamasutra	O
thought	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
's	O
popularity	O
fueled	O
the	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
home	O
versions	O
,	O
while	O
Thomas	O
Hanley	O
of	O
ScrewAttack	O
commented	O
that	O
most	O
versions	O
were	O
not	O
as	O
enjoyable	O
without	O
a	O
track	B-Device
ball	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
listed	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
ports	O
as	O
the	O
better	O
conversions	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
IBM	O
PC	O
compatibles	O
,	O
and	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
versions	O
among	O
the	O
worst	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MegaTech	O
reviewers	O
rated	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
release	O
favorably	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
staff	O
also	O
liked	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
but	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
experience	O
is	O
better	O
when	O
playing	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
trackball	B-Device
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
writers	O
called	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
's	O
graphics	O
and	O
gameplay	O
"	O
arcade-quality	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
for	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
,	O
Roy	O
Wagner	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
was	O
superior	O
to	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
original	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bruce	O
Webster	O
of	O
BYTE	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
graphics	O
of	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
in	O
December	O
1986	O
"	O
are	O
really	O
amazing	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
criticizing	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
a	O
pause	O
function	O
or	O
a	O
top	O
scores	O
list	O
,	O
he	O
stated	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
is	O
definitely	O
worth	O
having	O
if	O
you	O
own	O
an	O
Amiga	B-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bil	O
Herd	O
recalled	O
that	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
was	O
so	O
popular	O
at	O
Commodore	O
International	O
that	O
employees	O
stole	O
the	O
required	O
memory	O
expansion	O
from	O
colleagues	O
 '	O
computers	O
to	O
run	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Benn	O
Dunnington	O
of	O
Info	O
gave	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
four-plus	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
totally	O
faithful	O
adaptation	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
hoped	O
that	O
a	O
sequel	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
staff	O
rated	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
version	O
a	O
three-plus	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
just	O
a	O
shadow	O
of	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
original	O
and	O
the	O
excellent	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
"	O
and	O
inferior	O
to	O
Spindizzy	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dragons	O
three	O
reviewers	O
—	O
Hartley	O
,	O
Patricia	O
,	O
and	O
Kirk	O
Lesser	O
—	O
praised	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
port	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
must	O
have	O
"	O
title	O
for	O
arcade	B-Application
fans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
inspired	O
other	O
games	O
which	O
involve	O
navigating	O
a	O
ball	O
through	O
progressively	O
more	O
difficult	O
courses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Melbourne	O
House	O
's	O
Gyroscope	B-Application
and	O
Electric	O
Dreams	O
Software	O
's	O
Spindizzy	B-Application
were	O
the	O
first	O
such	O
games	O
;	O
both	O
met	O
with	O
a	O
good	O
reception	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1990	O
,	O
Rare	O
released	O
Snake	B-Application
Rattle	I-Application
'	I-Application
n	I-Application
 '	I-Application
Roll	I-Application
,	O
which	O
incorporated	O
elements	O
similar	O
to	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Super	B-Application
Monkey	I-Application
Ball	I-Application
series	O
uses	O
similar	O
gameplay	O
based	O
on	O
rolling	O
a	O
ball	O
,	O
but	O
adds	O
other	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
minigames	O
and	O
monkey	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
arcade	B-Application
sequel	O
titled	O
Marble	O
Man	O
:	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
II	O
was	O
planned	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
1991	O
,	O
though	O
Cerny	O
was	O
uninvolved	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
was	O
led	O
by	O
Bob	O
Flanagan	O
who	O
designed	O
the	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
what	O
he	O
felt	O
made	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
a	O
success	O
in	O
the	O
home	O
console	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marble	O
Man	O
expanded	O
on	O
the	O
gameplay	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
with	O
new	O
abilities	O
for	O
the	O
marble	O
such	O
as	O
invisibility	O
and	O
flight	O
,	O
added	O
pinball	O
minigames	O
between	O
sets	O
of	O
levels	O
,	O
and	O
allowed	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
players	O
to	O
traverse	O
isometric	B-Application
courses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
created	O
prototypes	O
for	O
location	O
testing	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
game	O
did	O
not	O
fare	O
well	O
against	O
more	O
popular	O
titles	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
such	O
as	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
assumed	O
the	O
trackballs	B-Device
accounted	O
for	O
the	O
poor	O
reception	O
and	O
commissioned	O
a	O
second	O
model	O
with	O
joystick	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
new	O
models	O
were	O
met	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
poor	O
reception	O
,	O
production	O
was	O
halted	O
and	O
the	O
focus	O
shifted	O
to	O
Guardians	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
'	I-Application
Hood	I-Application
,	O
a	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arcade	B-Application
system	O
boards	O
for	O
the	O
sequel	O
were	O
rumored	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
destroyed	O
to	O
clear	O
inventory	O
for	O
tax	O
purposes	O
in	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
a	O
prototype	O
of	O
the	O
joystick-controlled	O
version	O
of	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
II	O
was	O
leaked	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
