All Activity

When I get to around 30,000 points I can't figure out how to get past the "hot dogs". I will try again and try some new stuff.

I think he said Coleco wanted it out by September for the Christmas holiday. I do not necessarily understand why it has to be that early for Christmas, but I guess 3 months prior was considered the standard. So an August release date may have meant that they were able to get some production elements done quicker than expected.

My post is approved?? Since when do I need permission to post? What happened?

This one (Master of Lamps) had always fascinated me because it shows 9 different colors on the lines where the gongs are + the Sprite for the player on top of them, and this is at a 160-width res. I always wondered how this trick was done since it's obviously not DLI'ss, and can't be using PM graphics to add colors (not enough). I think the CPU is counting cycles and swapping out the palette mid-scanline.

I am working on a program - Tape Self-Extractor. This self-extractor is a binary load file that holds a collection of data blocks. After pressing START, all blocks will be written to tape. There is also a block table, for each block, it holds the following information: 1. Block buffer range (2 16-bit addresses) 2. Block flags byte - the bits indicate how long the IRG before the block is to be - 20s, 3s, or 250ms. To write a block, I would like to use the following code (SIOV) ;Now prepare the SIO call lda #$60 ;Cassette sta DDEVIC lda #0 sta DUNIT ;Zero unit sta DCOMND ;No command sta DUNUSE ;Zero unused byte sta DAUX1 ;Zero AUX1 byte lda #$80 ;Indicate Write sta DSTATS lda ZP_SIO_BUFRLO ;Set buffer address sta DBUFLO lda ZP_SIO_BUFRHI sta DBUFHI lda ZP_SIO_LENLO ;Set buffer length sta DBYTLO lda ZP_SIO_LENHI sta DBYTHI lda #$00 ;Short gaps between records sta DAUX2 jsr SIOV ;Call SIO I observed that: For DAUX2==$00, I will get 3 seconds IRG For DAUX2==$80, I will get 250 ms IRG Unfortunately, I have no idea, how to tell SIOV to generate 20 s IRG for a block. Is that even possible? Or will I have to copy/paste more OS ROM code to get 20s IRG? P.S, I cannot use CIO, it is inflexible for my needs.

Does anyone have a working version of "Spare Change"?

Thanks

As I replied to the other comment, I did not know you could mix graphics modes on the fly. I thought you could only do this with colors within a chosen graphics mode. Interesting.

I admit I had no idea the graphics modes were also changeable. I thought you could only change the palette during drawing .. not that you could change the resolution/ graphics mode!!

Are you guys actually reading old VAXVMS tapes with your own equipment somehow? If so, How does that work?

Above games and most Atari games run at 160x200 resolution like on C64. Not many games use 320x200 resolution because it is very limited on Atari (2.5 years older machines). There are other graphics modes and sometimes graphic modes are mixed (for example Bruce Lee, top line has a 320x200 resolution, remaining screen is 160x100, sprites have 160x200 resolution). Mixing graphics modes is not a trick, it's a feature, you only have to change the display list. Modifying display list you can easily extend default 192 pixels height to 240 pixels (full vertical PAL overscan). With Display list interrupts you can have many colors. It is not a trick too, it's mentioned in The Re Atari official manual, but it costs cycles. I don't know if Altirra shows graphics mode. But on Altirra you can save a screenshot. It is saved in 320x200 resolution. If you open it with a viewer (for example FastStone) you can check pixels size and ratio. You can count colors too.

The A8's display list is a unique concept. Each scan line can be a different graphic or character mode. C64 doesn't have that. The A8's indirect color registers allow dynamic color changes from a wide palette without rewriting bitmaps. C64 doesn't have that.

I was going through my mess of consoles and realized that I have a bunch of 2600s. I've got a heavy sixer, light sixer, 4-switch Woody, Vader, and Junior. Is there anyone who has all these plus the Sears consoles? Do you have one you use more than the others? I'm using the heavy sixer the most right now.

Haven't you been around here long enough to realize that patience is required for all of these kinds of projects? Subscribe to the topic by clicking the box at the top and you'll be notified of any updates.

While I don't know of any ready made converters, there are a few GG games that have been converted to the SMS. I've got a folder for my flash cart with quite a few of those conversions. So there are folks that have done it at least.

Can I just say that this is a really out there choice for a homebrew? It's like you were making... game dot com games or something.

We don't have a case yet. This is all a chicken/egg scenario. The 1090XL, without cards, is useless. Re-creating the 1090XL was a major project. The cards, without the 1090XL, is useless. Creating cards is a major project for each and every card. The 1090XL also needs a case. Designing and building a case is also a major project. The very few people, who have created or re-created the cards and main board don't have a case. Somebody, who has a case, is supposed to be getting all of the dimensions. Hopefully, somebody will also soon release a 3d printed case. The work that has been done, in a corporate scenario, most likely takes a team of at least 10 people and includes sub-contractors.

Interesting! It never even occurred to me there might be more than one pattern. I just assumed it was the same every time. I'll have to pay attention next time to see if I can determine if it's one layout for every run, or if it changes randomly.

Definitely going to do a full voltage test on the board before I install the ICs.

Yeah it's better, it's also a 16bit release. I was thinking just 8bit and comparisons are easy enough to find. NES has a few less colors than the SMS one and a slight knock down on the graphics, more like some background details again over coloring too, but that's about it. It has the stages most intact, the mechanics are there, the warps are there, end boss fights including the whale eating you (vs just appearing inside it) and other nice touched were left in place. You can also continue your game and gain lives. The SMS one though that's more colorful, more details present, and depending on taste of audio nicer too (nes/sms toss up) but the game has a good bit of cut content, made it overall harder, and took out all extra lives and no continues so it's 3 chances and go back to stage 1 again sucka!

Yeah - there was absolutely no way those 2 caps would fit. I did insert both before soldering, and there was about a quarter inch of "overlap". Both caps would have been at an angle, or damaged if I forced them in place. Not a big deal, I just wanted to mention it in case you were going to do a large order of parts. My OCD will probably get the best of me, and I will order smaller caps but for now, this will suffice.

You can always pause the game (F9) with the debugger enabled and have a look at the display list and DINDEX ($57). But remember there is no fixed resolution, what is on screen in most games is highly likely a mix of character/graphics modes. So pausing may not show you the entire picture (excuse the pun ) , this is one aspect of the Atari that sets apart from most other computer of the day. The screenshot I posted earlier uses a dynamic display list which changes every vertical blank, so depends when you pause it Even the screen memory does not have to be contiguous, again in my example, the top of the screen starts at $B800 the middle sections are at $8000 and $B018 and the bottom portion is at $3000

@Thomas Jentzsch, you refer to the titles I posted? You or anyone can mess with these titles more. Or I probably will too if there is some direction. I just went with the restrictions as I understood them, 32x23 and two colors, and with my own priority of keeping Paddlefield one continuous word somehow. Color variations I think do make a difference, including how readable some designs are. I didn't spend much time with colors and don't know how the variable works in the game. Here is the blue one in black and white: For me the second one, with the cascading lines under A, E and E is real slick. But maybe too slick, like an action movie logo or something, perhaps misleading or distracting from the game. It might be less so with different lower contrast colors. The last one with straight blocks instead of the cascading lines I think also is more neutral appearance, not so flashy. Looking like a barcode or like a checkerboard, like in the first one or in the blue one, desirable or undesirable, I don't know. It is hectic and interesting. Barcode has some meaning or symbolism. The blue one as posted is also a different letter spacing that I don't necessarily prefer, but reverting would change the checker pattern, for good or bad. I can't remember if there was a reason for that design being the one where the letter spacing changed. In my thought process, having to choose, I end up on the red one, although I would definitely try different colors. It is not my favorite to look at, and I wonder how it functions for other people, but I think it side steps some issues very effectively - Guy I showed some designs to was inclined to read the A as i, PiDDLEFIELD instead of PADDLEFIELD, which is incredibly annoying to me. Also the D D L, three letters in a row all same color and spacing annoys me but almost has to be that way in order to read. But with the full screen repeating the title over and over makes the whole image look like an endless texture, with fairly even distributed contrast and also looking like an optical illusion that requires brief effort to decipher. I think that's interesting and interactive, still looks good, and hides or mitigates the A/i problem and the big fat DDL problem. It's not so difficult to read that people wouldn't get it, especially already knowing and seeing the title printed on the cart label. Eyes aren't quick enough to see and decide on "i" instead of "A" and the constant distraction of the busy design prohibits it I think. And the DDL's blend into each other and into the spaces between somehow and look less big and fat. First, the player is going to see and be like "what is that?". Quickly they will decide, "it must be something, there is deliberate variety and repetition, a pattern". Then I think they will recognize the E's and shortly after that the whole word. And they will recognize it is kind of a sharp image and legible representation after all, "PADDLEFIELD, PADDLEFIELD, PADDLEFIELD". Maybe the "i problem" isn't that critical but it was something I worried about and lead to that design. I don't want people reading or saying Piddlefield. It's embarrassing and really pisses me off. I can hear some guy never letting me forget it. I wonder if you could do something dynamic and echoing the menu selection that people like? One idea is a bar moves across screen on paddle input and highlights one letter at a time. Makes the same clicking noise as menu selections, and screen doesn't advance until you spell out PADDLEFIELD. Well it would help narrow down these designs. Here's another paddle controlled title idea: I guess that could be done with most of the designs but would take more than a few minutes for me to show. Another idea, the full screen red pattern design, or something similar, is moving up and down and paddle turns stabilize it - like TV V-hold adjuster. And player has to kind of focus it before advancing. Here's a different letter spacing, no spaces and every letter alternates color, and different checker pattern for comparison:

You're too preachy for your own good you know that? These things are decades old and hurting no one, this isn't like some multi-million dollar Switch theft racket...that I'd get behind your argument 100% over, no questions asked. You're correct they're a mix of lacked to not giving any F's, same in South America among a few other areas. The thing is, outside asia in particular despicable politicians passed tariffs and other taxes, on top of their social programs making the economy so shit, that buying these old games would be like an entire paycheck or pay for a month. They were bred out of a necessity of local era greed and honestly, doing that crap, I'd call it (even if illegal still) more than justified. Your argument honestly is 100% pure bullshit, you're fanticizing on that bit there about ripping on people like myself and fcgamer there who authors books on this stuff as supporting these people, giving them a living, as we get them second, third...10th hand doing the game of for-sale-telephone. Buying old shit like this whether it's worth a dollar or a hundred of them isn't supporting those bootleggers, they're not seeing a coin out of it anymore than the real IP holder and it doesn't encourage a damn thing either because there's no money in those. You would be right, if you went to aliexpress, and then bought a cart of something on a new PCB they're shipping today then it's an issue and you can get moral about it or not and even then still a gray area. MindKids is a big one, they run copies of Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa for Famicom for around $10USD. Konami doesn't back, support, or sell that one anymore and not in a LONG TIME, so you can either play a scalper $120+USD for a legit cart which benefits no one but that greedy asshole, or pay a 10th of the price. So I mean, I guess you're ok being screwed to take the moral high road? Most people aren't or these wouldn't be being made, or all those Anbernic devices either. Huh funny you should ask that next question, copyright laws DO exist here where I am, and I do have a copier, the Epilogue Operator which can dump any form of Gameboy - Color - Advance games, also write new ones, and their save data too. If someone wanted a game I know where to get the board, I had ONE, a couple months ago I grabbed Balloon Fight GB which was a Lawson's only download in Japan for GB Memory kiosks and I made a cart out of it for myself, I could get more and sell them easily enough but I haven't seen a point in it. You're not going to win any fans here, there are gamers and collectors here, but few I've seen ever get this preachy about it because it's largely effectively dead media with the exceptional cases of when some company puts them up as free(sorta) downloads as part of their service (like nintendo switch online) or makes a rare and far between re-release collection (like Mario 3D/Allstars) for modern system retail. What you're failing to grasp here there are two issues and you're conflating both. 1. Vintage bootleg games where the bootlegger and original company no longer make them hurts no one, not directly and not by some manufactured proxy as they're lost/dead/unsold media only had by resellers/scalpers so IP holder gets nothing. 2. Modern bootleg games where the bootlegger still makes them. This one you have a case, in the exception of the game still being offered by a licensing deal(piko, lrg, etc) or for sale/free offering (super mario 3d allstars/switch online services.) I'd agree with you on point two, but point one...good luck finding anyone to agree on that.