I've made a catalog in .pdf form of all the available homebrew games I have for sale. (Added more games on 8-12-2022.)
Frankodragon Games Catalog_updated.pdf
There were times in which I tried and wondered when I have two sets of 'alphachars' when one didn't work properly. For example, let's say you were creating an adventure game. You wanted to use a secondary 'alphachars' file for text only in case you run into a villager. The 'alphachars' for the field display correctly, however the ones for the town are, in fact, look like letters. Even with using the "characterset" code before the 'alphachars' code, it still didn't display properly; still ju
True Story. I was opening donor carts for copies of my 7800 homebrews when I got my thumb pricked by one of those springs inside an Atari cartridge. Let's just say it didn't feel too good. Just like when hot solder drips down onto your ankle. Tal here is replaying that instance by being sarcastic when they test blood. I don't know what color blood dragons have so lets just go with red. As for the springs, I discard them and I'm always reminded to be a little more careful about handling
I've always had a weakness in marketing and comic books are still a hard thing to sell. Video games, on the other hand, are still very big business even for homebrewers. To cut to the chase, just this week before Christmas, I'm having a little sale on my Kindle versions of my graphic novels (in my signature links) for 99 cents each. Oh, by the way, if it's against the forums rules to do this, please let me know and I'll delete this blog entry.
At times, when coding in 7800Basic with Windows, sometimes you may get one of those dreaded messages, '7800Basic Has Stopped Working', and crashes. Before you get really upset and throw your computer across the room, or get help as to wonder if there is a problem with the application itself, there are two instances in which this can happen. Sometimes 7800Basic can catch the error, but other times it'll crash. The first common mistake is inadvertently using an "if-then" statement withou
On the new Svengoolie set, he now has items on a display shelf that he received from fans including the boxcar I sent him. It's a little hard to see but it's there:
I just finished yet another graphic novel featuring my wingless dragons, titled Adventures in Vastia: Temper Tantrum Dragon Clones. Here's the plot:
There are two formats- The Kindle Version and the book format. It has over 100 pages black and white with color cover. Right now it's FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited And as always, here are some screenshots:
There's a lawyer commercial airing on Milwaukee TV with some bald lawyer and he looks like one of those generic muppets from Sesame Street. Just saying.
If you're a crafter, a model railroader, or even a fixer of Atari cartridges, you probably know a hot melt glue gun can come in handy. However, based on my experiences, beware of the inexpensive glue guns sold at department stores like the Ad-tech brand. One day, I had a glue gun plugged in working on my train set gluing together wood pieces for a viaduct. Just then, a fluorecent light I've installed overhead went out. I thought it was the light until I checked the power strip and the wire
I've had one doctor ever since I was born but now he's around 80 or so years old so I've got a new doctor and she put me on high blood pressure medication and told me I had to lose weight. In my family, high blood pressure runs in my family, and is what killed my grandfather (massive heart attack) and my dad (stroke/diabetes). So now I've been trying to eat with less salt and every other day I've been working 20-25 minutes on a stationary bike I've had since about 15 years ago I got due to an
I know everyone is more interested in the 7800 game I've been working on but I just wanted to share some news about my newest graphic novel, 'Pirate Invasion of Castle Rack.' Copies are available here. There will also be a Kindle version.
It's about dragon pirates invading Castle Rack and it's up to Erica, Allan and the rest to drive out the pirates. But how will they do it?
Here are some pages:
Since the last update, DQ has been a 48k, then a 128k, now a 256k game. I didn't release a 128k version since I wanted more maps. I've added
several maps such as another overworld map, caves and additional dungeons.
I've also started maps for a sky tower and so far two floors have been added. A title screen and "game over" have been added. This game is still a demo and there are still bugs and other things I need to fix. One noticeable one is the first cave map has slow down and I nee
If you read my last blog, you know how much I had trouble dealing with bankswitching in 7800 Basic. I couldn't grasp the concept; it takes me a while to figure out something. Before I go any further, let me tell you a story. Way back in grade school, I was a slow learner. In fact, when I first started school, the teachers thought I was stupid. I was put in a slow reading group with two girls. It took me a while, slower than other students, to understand something like reading comprehensi
For games like Legend of Zelda or Midnight Mutants, its rom size is 128k. I've been using the standard 48k in 7800basic. But it's getting used up fast and I've been trying to avoid bankswitching because I've been having problems with compiling errors. I don't know if it's something in my coding, if I'm leaving something out, or I'm just dumb.
I'd like to add more stuff, but then I'll get errors of bank 1 being full. If I try to bankswitch, then I either end up with the same compiling err
Coding with the use of banks have been a bitch. I've been getting errors ever since I had to change from 48k to a size higher like 128 or 256k. It's possibly my coding, but as I added more graphics, that's when I had to choose a higher rom size and then all the errors started happening. But there's one thing that saved my butt: a backup. I've been making a practice of making a backup of the files just in case things start going nuts- and they did. It's also a good idea to keep it on a USB
Nothing is more frustrating when you're making a game and you have to "find" the error when the compiler gives an "error" message. I used notepad to write code and now I wish I knew about other text editors which have number lines as references. So I downloaded an application called Notepad ++ which is free and has reference line numbers.
I had errors caused by misspelling, forgetting to add a "rem" to a line or even forgetting to add a colon. Using original notepad was a pain because try
Instead of posting on the 7800 forums, I've decided to blog about the next project I'm working on: Draker Quest. The original concept is the Zelda example by Atarius Maximus. Although I've been trying to reach him through PM's I cannot. If you're out there, AM, I just wanted to ask, with your permission, is it okay to use your Zelda programming code for my game?
Another member I have to give kudos to is RevEng for helping with other code and any questions I've had. Although there were ti
There are many tutorials describing on how to make an eeprom reader for the original Xbox console and then there are readers you can buy. So thinking after all the projects I've fried over the years, maybe it was better to buy one. Problem is I could get one overseas and pay $20+ for one and maybe use it a few times. So I went ahead and built one following the schematics from this diagram:
So to build one, you need: two 3.9K resistors; two 5.1V Zener Diodes, wire, electrical tape
I was playing ________________________ when my ________________ sister came along and wanted to watch
(name of game system) (adjective)
___________________________. She told me to turn off my system or otherwise she'll pound my____________.
(name of TV show) (body part)
I was really_____________________but then I
I have finished another graphic novel for kids (and the young at heart) based on my cartoon dragons. This link is for the Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Vastia-Andrea-Versus-Mech-ebook/dp/B00KJMX1Y6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1401141095&sr=1-1&keywords=andrea+versus+red+mech
You may also buy an actual book: https://www.createspace.com/4819703
To make the book less pricey, I've used greyscale for the interior pages instead of the full color
While checking on Youtube someone uploaded a clip of a current mail segment of Svengoolie and I sent him a model HO boxcar with a custom paint job. Turns out he displayed it on his show!
For those who have a Kindle or other ebook compatible device, I have two graphic novels available for $3.99 US on Amazon for kids and kids at heart. One is from a previous blog but I lowered the price. These are entirely created by myself and published through Amazon in full color.
The Black Dragon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EJ8B08A
Two Troubles for a Talent Show (NEW) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G4YZ6X2
I did offer this book at Lulu but it was pricey. The Black Dragon is a graphic novel for kids and kids at heart who like dragons and fantasy. It's in full color and it available in the Kindle store on Amazon for $5.99 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EJ8B08A
You may also be interested in a real book of the same title for $14.99. Each book is 72 pages and in full color. https://www.createspace.com/4396386
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