Asteroids

• EASTER EGG: The message “CED by Ethan and Greg” is coded as graphics (picture #1).  {John Harvey}

• EASTER EGG: (original version) The message “by Ethan and Greg” (for programmers Ethan ? and Greg Munster – picture #2) will appear if you do the following: Using the Right controller, at the main title screen press the FIRE button, UP+PAUSE, DOWN+PAUSE, LEFT+PAUSE, and RIGHT+PAUSE.  {Bob DeCrescenzo}

• EASTER EGG: (later version) The message “Dave S. says ‘Hi!’” (picture #3) will appear if you do the following: Using the Right controller, at the main title screen press the FIRE button, UP+PAUSE, DOWN+PAUSE, LEFT+PAUSE, and RIGHT+PAUSE.  {Bob DeCrescenzo}

• HIDDEN MESSAGE: Near the end of the code you’ll find either the text "IF YOU CAN READ THIS YOU’RE TOO CLOSE.GCC© 1984" (in a prototype version) or “TOO CLOSE.GCC©1984” (in the released version).  {Ward Shrake}

• At least 3 different prototype versions have been found.  One version contains a different Easter egg message (picture #2), which also has a different copyright date on the title screen (1988, instead of 1984). Another version was found labeled 3-D Asteroids (as listed in the Atari 1984 Rev A catalog); early artwork with this name has also been found.  Another working title was Asteroids Deluxe (as listed in the Atari 1988 Rev A catalog).

• BUG: The box lists the copyright info as “Atari, 7800, and Centipede are trademarks of Atari Corp”.

• Atari later reused the same UPC code for Jaguar’s Tempest 2000 game!