[SWCollect] The Warp Factor from SSI

[Per-Olof Karlsson]

Hi all :)   I've got to ask, and hope that somebody more knowledgeable than myself will know the truth.. I'm trying to compile the history of SSI and this game is really bugging me..   It seems to be riddled in mystery. First of all, the box art it has (a pic of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek) has to my knowledge never been pictured in any SSI catalogs. That's the first question, the box art as shown in the catalogs, does it *really* exist?   I know that many games have different covers in the catalogs, but that's so far been true only for NEW games, and in later revisions of the catalog, the real cover art is shown instead of the "prototypes". Not so with Warp Factor, however, it has the same alternate art in all catalogs I've seen it, stretching several years, so the prototype answer doesn't make sense.   Another very strange thing is that in the Summer 1986 and Fall 1986 / Winter 1987 catalogs, all of a sudden Warp Factor is displayed as a Rapidfire release and only for the IBM (the original big box is for Apple only). What the..!?   So, let's ponder on these questions;       1) Has anybody actually seen the alternate box art for the original big box version for Apple, except that picture in the catalogs?     2) Has anybody actually seen the Rapidfire release for IBM?     and slightly more esoteric:     3) If 1) doesn't exist, does anybody know why the real box art was never pictured in the catalogs? (The Enterprise cover)   I would just love to know.   Oh, and <shameless plug> I'd love to hear from anybody willing to trade or sell SSI stuff. </shameless plug>   Cheers, Peo