Dear Friends,

The time has come for me to move on. The two years I have spent with you have
been educational, challenging, and enjoyable. My reasons for leaving are
varied, and are directly related to the recent re-organization. I would have
liked to stay, as I still think I can be challenged and the product is still
interesting, but the enjoyment is gone. 

Reflecting on the past two years makes me kind of sad to leave. The Atari
Coin-Op atmosphere was really radical for me at first, but it is an easy thing
to get used to. John Ray was an excellent supervisor. The people are very
talented and inspired. The product is fascinating, and has nothing to do with
the DOD. I really enjoyed this stimulating environment. 

The job of Team Manager was a great experience for me, also. We worked on
several exciting projects including MACHO44, FIREFOX, CRYSTAL CASTLES, and of
course, SPOOK. We were breaking new ground with that one. I was real excited
with our version of EVOLUTION, also. The work of game design is a really
creative process, something I don't feel as much when I design hardware.
Designing hardware is like looking for the answer to a question. When the
answer comes, it feels like the answer was always there, and your work was
spent in just discovering this existing information. Of course, there may be
several answers to the same question, and discovering the best one is what
differentiates engineers. 

Game design is a little more non-tangible. I still don't have a feeling for
what makes a good game. Past versions of Gremlins indicate this fact very
effectively. I really hope that Gremlins receives the attention it deserves
from management as the next System II game. I'm sure that the current project
team has the ability to pull it off. 

I believe that we cannot interact with someone without affecting the future
course of their lives. My time here at Atari has affected me greatly, some
positive, some negative. Here's hoping that I only touched you in a positive
way. My last day is 2/15. 

Goodby. 

Ross Cox (xxx)-xxx-xxxx