Lost In Translation/Tapper

About The Game
Tappper is an arcade video game where the player takes on the role of an overworked bartender, serving beer to the ever-thirsty patrons that populate his bar.

All customers must be served before they work their way up to the beer kegs. Empty glasses must also be collected before they slide off the end of the bar and smash to the floor. Extra points are awarded for collecting tips, while bonus rounds involve locating the one beer that has not been shaken, and serving it. The game features 4 different levels :
 * 1) Cowboys
 * 2) Athletes
 * 3) Punk Rockers
 * 4) Aliens

Trivia
Released in December 1983.

There were 2 other versions of Tapper: "Root Beer" (01/1984) and "Suntory" (Japan, Game ID : 834-5385 / 834-5387). The Suntory version was a Sega board, Suntory is a Japanese beer (see "Updates" section for more information).

The main character in the game (as well as the main character of two other Bally Midway games; "Domino Man", and "Timber") is based on a Marvin Glass employee called Mike Ferris, who had the same distinctive moustache and bald head and reputedly wore a red T-shirt all of the time.

The music for the third stage (the punk bar) was loosely inspired by new wave music group Devo's song 'Workin' in the Coal Mine'.

Tapper was play tested in a Chicago-area Rush Streetbar called 'The Snuggery' and received much positive feedback from the bar's patrons. Digitized belches were originally going to be used in the game, but, perhaps thankfully, they never made it into the final version.

The cabinet is designed to resemble a real bar - replete with a brass foot rail and two brass drink or ashtray holders (one on each side of the control panel). The cabinet and game-play on the beer version features the Budweiser logo. The pour spouts have mock-up Budweiser handles that closely resemble the Budweiser taps that appear in real bars throughout the world.

Approximately 3,300 Tapper uprights were made and around the first 100 or so were released with colour side art. About 300 cocktail machines were also made.

Updates

 * Root Beer version is almost identical to the Budweiser version, except the player is a soda jerk serving non-alcoholic root beer.


 * Suntory version has different graphics and most likely different music.

Tips and tricks

 * Take your time in the first few levels. You can make a high score by leaving one person and waiting for more people.


 * The last guy in the row will almost always leave a tip.


 * If a person leaves the bar in the first level you get 50 points but, if you let them get close to the end of the bar, they will drink the beer and stay. It's 100 for getting the empty mug.


 * The longer you stay in the level, the faster the people and mugs move.

Easter Egg
In the attract mode, wait until the word Tapper is filling up with beer, and hold down the joystick, both taps, and the player 1 & 2 buttons. You will then see the names of the game designers.

Staff

 * Designed & Programmed By:
 * Steve Meyer


 * Graphics By:
 * Scott Morrison


 * Sounds By:
 * Rick Hicaro


 * Support By:
 * Elaine Ditton

Ports

 * Consoles :
 * Colecovision (1983)
 * Atari 2600 (1983)
 * Atari XEGS
 * Sony PlayStation (1997, "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2")
 * Nintendo 64 (2000, "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Volume I")
 * Sony PlayStation 2 (2003, "Midway Arcade Treasure")
 * Nintendo GameCube (2003, "Midway Arcade Treasure")
 * Microsoft XBOX (2003, "Midway Arcade Treasure")


 * Computers :
 * PC [Booter] (1983)
 * Commodore C64 (1984)
 * Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1985)
 * Atari 800
 * Apple II (Unreleased)
 * Amstrad CPC (1987, "Tapper - Official Arcade Game")
 * PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (1997, Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2")
 * PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (2004, "Midway Arcade Treasure")


 * Others :
 * Palm OS ("Midway Arcade Classic")