# Talk:Sky Skipper

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I just rewrote the article. There are remaining questions which I either couldn't find the answer to in reliable sources or were conflicted by multiple sources:

How wide of a release was there in Japan?
If all known boards were Popeye conversions, where did the image leaked on the internet years ago come from?
If no complete cabinets were known publicly, how was the NOA cabinet located by these enthusiasts?
Looking for reliable sources to clear up the confusion, not Sky Skipper Project. TarkusABtalk 03:34, 23 June 2018 (UTC)
Hi TarkusAB.  I wrote on this article earlier(because of firsthand experience) but I don't know if I can be counted as a reliable source.  A friend of mine owns one of the recreated Sky Skipper cabinets and so does a collector I know in the UK.  Near as they can figure while researching the game that there were only ever the 10 USA ones although there is a Japanese flyer. Alot of his notes are on his blog at https://www.skyskipperproject.com/ if you want to look at that Darkcat1 (talk) 14:04, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

@Darkcat1: Hey there, thanks for your message. Yes I'm aware of Sky Skipper Project, but unfortunately it does not pass Wikipedia's standards as a reliable source because it is user generated. Also, even if you have a first hand account, we can't add content to the page just because you believe it to be true, we need to cite a source. Reliable sources would be websites like IGN, Eurogamer, GameSpot, Siliconera, etc. They need to talk about the subject for content to be added to the article. TarkusABtalk 14:54, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
@TarkusAB: Yeah that's mostly why I kept things here on the talk page yesterday.  I was actually at the Southern Fried Gaming Expo(where it was unveiled) and have played the recreated cabinet, talked to my friend, the proprietor of thisoldgame.com(he helped turn the scans into art they could used on the cabinet) and the other collector involved in the Sky Skipper project. The game was kinda my obsession that year but I didn't want to hog it so I kept getting out of people's way so they could play too(not fair to hog something that was at the time the only one outside of Nintendo).  The only things I have that might be useful on wikipedia are some photos of one of the deconverted PCBs and of the recreated cabinet that could be put up as public domain photos since I took them.  Too bad I can't play reporter and put this up on the main page but if you just want to chat for the heck of it I'd be glad to.  Darkcat1 (talk) 20:27, 23 August 2018 (UTC)
@TarkusAB: I don't know if these count either:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QynhZdfS7C4 (John's arcade taping of reveal)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnA3m-iPe0g (Nintendo Arcade AKA Alexis Crowley one of the owners)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mSU0sMdr4o (UK recreated cabinet reveal/John's Arcade)
I'm there in the front row of the US revealDarkcat1 (talk) 21:01, 23 August 2018 (UTC)

@Darkcat1: A picture or two would definitely be a cool addition to the article! You can upload them to Wikimedia Commons if you want to publish under a free license, it's really quick and easy. Go HERE to upload, and ping me if you need assistance. The videos are cool but they are also considered user generated so can't be used as reliable sources to cite facts in the article. And even as simply entertainment, per WP:YOUTUBE, we can't link to copyrighted videos. If they were published under a free license, we could upload them to the article.
One of the glaring omissions from the article is contemporary coverage. I'd like to see some uncovered, but I imagine this will be a difficult task. @PresN: Hey Prez, you're quite the connoisseur in old arcade games. Do you know any publications (American or Japanese) that discussed arcade machines in the early 80s and could have possibly discussed this game? Its limited American release probably doesn't help. TarkusABtalk 21:12, 23 August 2018 (UTC)
Not really in terms of reviews, though I've only worked with early 70s arcade games. Cash Box might have something, though it didn't really do reviews, just announcements. --PresN 02:51, 24 August 2018 (UTC)
@TarkusAB: I left some photo links on your talk page.  I'm not sure how to use all of them...I know how to link them but I'm not sure how to fit them in. Darkcat1 (talk) 15:15, 24 August 2018 (UTC)
Thanks, those are great photos. I've added a couple to the article and one to the Walter Day page...And thanks PresN for the link, I'll need to sort through that. TarkusABtalk 15:41, 24 August 2018 (UTC)
@TarkusAB: Saw your questions and I'm answering-
2. If all known boards were Popeye conversions, where did the image leaked on the internet years ago come from?
Not sourced but here's how I heard it from the Sky Skipper Panel/Sky Skipper Project people:  Apparently the CEO of Level 5(I'm sure you've heard of these guys) made a deal to borrow Sky Skipper if he finished his game on time and under budget(one of the Rouge Squadron games).  He totally did it and while the game was in his possession he leaked the ROMs into Mame/onto the internet.  I can't find any source other than my friend but apparently there's an interview where the CEO admits to this.  And yeah it's total hearsay on my part but worth looking into(to find the interview).
3. If no complete cabinets were known publicly, how was the NOA cabinet located by these enthusiasts?
Some of this is related to #2 and a story from the sky skipper project but apparently there were rumors that Sky Skipper had been sitting in NOA's break room for years and that Billy Mitchell himself had seen it and played it during a visit.  Several former employees had confirmed/corroborated this story but the project people had trouble contacting NOA themselves so knowing how to contact Billy Mitchel and Walter Day who have met people who worked at NOA in order to get an in to get permission to scan the cabinet. It's pretty hard to get inside NOA but with their help they managed to get in contact with them trough a process to get permission to scan the cabinet.
and that's what I know. Although it's not quite Wikipedia material unless you can source it other than people I know how to contact. Darkcat1 (talk) 13:28, 31 August 2018 (UTC)

Wow if that Level 5 story is true that's incredible. Would be great to find that interview. Thanks for clearing up some of my confusion. TarkusABtalk 14:00, 31 August 2018 (UTC)
Do you mean Factor 5 on the ROM story? That's the company that made the Rogue Squadron games, not Level-5. JOEBRO64 17:55, 6 October 2018 (UTC)
Oh wow lol, I read that as Factor 5. Now I have no idea. TarkusABtalk 19:44, 6 October 2018 (UTC)
Wow this story is documented in Issue 170 of Retro Gamer. The article stops short of verifying the dumped ROM is from Factor 5, but the rest of the story seems to be true. I'll have to add this into the article. TarkusABtalk 17:50, 10 October 2018 (UTC)

Just two sources about the Atari version of Sky Skipper I happened to stumble upon.

http://www.atarihq.com/reviews/2600/sky_skipper.html
https://www.wired.com/2011/05/weekend-thrifting-sky-skipper/
JOEBRO64 19:45, 26 June 2018 (UTC)

@TheJoebro64: Thanks bro TarkusABtalk 20:18, 26 June 2018 (UTC)

This review is transcluded from Talk:Sky Skipper/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Reviewer: DasallmächtigeJ (talk · contribs) 11:32, 9 February 2019 (UTC)


### 1. Is it well-written?
In short, yes. The layout seems perfectly fine, so does grammar/spelling. Would lose the "mysteriously" in the preservation section though.


### 2. Is it verifiable with no original research?
Yes, the article is meticulously sourced. All sources are reliable.


### 3. Is it broad in its coverage?
'Yes.. It covers everything from development, gameplay, to the release and preservation efforts.


### 4. Is it neutral?
Yes.


### 5. Is it stable?
Yes. Absolutely nothing is going to change here.


### 6. Is it illustrated?
Yes, sufficiently.


### Conclusion
After examining the article, I conclude that it qualifies for an immediate pass.--DasallmächtigeJ (talk) 11:32, 9 February 2019 (UTC)

I also have no idea why it wasn't copied here in the first place but now it seems to be settled.--DasallmächtigeJ (talk) 15:40, 9 February 2019 (UTC)