Flashback 2+ for preorder on Atari.com, get a free T-shirt

[Retro Rogue]

I'd just like to re-ask the questions I posed in an earlier post in this thread (Post #131), to which I'm still hoping for answers:

 

1. When was the FB2+ announced (or at least put up on Atari.com)?

 

Probably the same day it was posted about here.

 

2. Is there any further background info available on why General Mills chose to approach Atari to do this promotion (to Curt/Marty)? If so, what can you tell us? Honestly, this seems like an awfully strange thing for a cereal company to do.

 

I'm not sure which you're saying is strange - that they're doing this Atari giveaway promotion, or that they contacted us to manufacture a run of them. Neither are strange at all. Cereal companies have given away consoles and such before, they did it with plenty of systems back during the heyday of the 2600 as well. Likewise, how do you think all the promotionals and such are done for the cereal companies, fast food restaurants, etc.? They pay for many of those. We recently did a software contract for a fast food company via Atari as well that should be coming out soon.

 

3. Who are "the Chinese guys," and how did they get involved with the Flashback 2 project?

 

The group of triads we made a deal with to get the FB2 and 2+ manufactured.

[TrekkiELO]

We recently did a software contract for a fast food company via Atari as well that should be coming out soon.

 

Is it the Del Taco one promoting that new Atari Star Trek Online game?

 

Signed,

 

Rick Vendl II

Edited January 26, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[Atariboy]

[quote name=TrekkiELO' date='Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:21 PM' timestamp='1264544505'

I already asked this question back on page 6 in our thread here look @ Post #145...

 

I know, and it went unanswered so I thought I'd ask the question again and point out that a simple renaming or going with the alternate title would resolve any licensing issues with Indy 500.

[jaybird3rd]

I know, and it went unanswered so I thought I'd ask the question again and point out that a simple renaming or going with the alternate title would resolve any licensing issues with Indy 500.

Indy 500 requires a special driving controller that Atari isn't making anymore, so what would be the point of including it? The controllers might not even be compatible with the FB2+ for the same reason that the Star Raiders touchpads won't work without modification, and if so, it wouldn't even make sense as an "unlockable."

 

As I said before, if you want a special game (like Indy 500) that badly, mod the console and add a cartridge slot, or just play it on your 2600. Pestering the Legacy Engineering guys with endless little "whydidntya" questions accomplishes nothing except annoying them and discouraging future products.

[TrekkiELO]

I already asked this question back on page 6 in our thread here look @ Post #145...

 

I know, and it went unanswered so I thought I'd ask the question again and point out that a simple renaming or going with the alternate title would resolve any licensing issues with Indy 500.

 

Thanks, I appreciate that!

 

 

Rick

Edited January 26, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[TrekkiELO]

I know, and it went unanswered so I thought I'd ask the question again and point out that a simple renaming or going with the alternate title would resolve any licensing issues with Indy 500.

Indy 500 requires a special driving controller, so what would be the point of including it? The controllers might not even be compatible with the FB2+ for the same reason that the Star Raiders touchpads won't work without modification. As I said before, if you want a special game (like Indy 500) that badly, just mod the console and add a cartridge slot. Pestering the Legacy Engineering guys with endless "whydidntya" questions does nothing except annoy them and discourage future products.

 

Paddles were also special controllers that are similar in every way but one, Driving Controllers turn all the way around without stopping, so why does a Paddle work with Arcade Pong and that hidden easter egg Paddle Games, now Top Secret menu?

 

Rick

Edited January 26, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[jaybird3rd]

Paddles were also special controllers that are similar in every way but one, Driving Controllers turn all the way around without stopping, so why does a Paddle work with Arcade Pong and that hidden easter egg Paddle Games, now Top Secret menu?

No. Paddles and driving controllers are totally different internally. But whether they work or not isn't the point; the point is that pestering questions are counterproductive.

[Retro Rogue]

Paddles were also special controllers that are similar in every way but one, Driving Controllers turn all the way around without stopping, so why does a Paddle work with Arcade Pong and that hidden easter egg Paddle Games, now Top Secret menu?

 

Rick

 

Nope. Paddles were standard controllers that shipped with the console.

[TrekkiELO]

Paddles are also special controllers, so why do they work with Arcade Pong and the hidden Paddle Games, now Top Secret menu?

Paddles and driving controllers are totally different internally.

 

How can they be that different, there only difference is Driving Controllers turn all the way around without stopping?!

Edited January 26, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[jaybird3rd]

How can they be that different, there only difference is that Driving Controllers turn all the way around without stopping?!

Open them up and look. The driving controller is a quadrature encoder-based device that senses relative position, like a computer mouse; the paddle is a potentiometer that senses absolute position, like a volume control knob.

[jaybird3rd]

Two guys ask legit questions about something and you call that "pestering", so what's the point of this forum, shut it down then!

Asking legit questions is one thing. Asking the same questions over and over again in a bunch of different variations ("Why didn't you include game X?" "Why didn't you just rename it to avoid licensing fees?" "If you included X, why didn't you include Y, too?", etc) is another. If you were Curt or Marty, would you enjoy being on the receiving end of these kinds of questions after working so hard to create the Flashback series and to get it on store shelves at a reasonable price?

[TrekkiELO]

Pestering the Legacy Engineering guys with endless little "whydidntya" questions accomplishes nothing except annoying them and discouraging future products.

 

If this is all that it takes to discourage future products from these guys then they're being petty and are too thin skinned!

Edited January 26, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[brojamfootball]

Summary of this thread for those just now joining us:

 

"FB2+ now up for pre-order!"

"There's a sweepstakes game on a website where you have a chance to win a free FB2+."

 

"FB2+ is lame! They should have made it portable with built-in holographic Jenna Jameson simulator!"

"This is total BS that I haven't won the sweepstakes game!"

"Paddles are exactly the same as driving controllers!"

"It sucks that Left for Dead isn't compatible!"

"Where do babies come from?"

"Does it play Jaguar games if you mod in a CD drive?"

"Come pick me up!"

"Chapstick!"

"Can you help me find my mommy?"

"Derka derka derka Muhammad jihad!"

 

Oh yeah, and there's a free Atari t-shirt if you pre-order.

Edited January 26, 2010 by brojamfootball

[+LS650]

Asking legit questions is one thing. Asking the same questions over and over again in a bunch of different variations ("Why didn't you include game X?" "Why didn't you just rename it to avoid licensing fees?" "If you included X, why didn't you include Y, too?", etc) is another.

Curt & Co. don't owe anyone explanations. They were contracted to do a job for Atari, and they did it. These guys scrambled like mad dogs to get this done.

 

Let's thank them for their hard work rather than bully them with a bunch of questions: "Why isn't my favorite game included?" etc. It ain't included because it ain't included. 'nuf said.

[TrekkiELO]

Two guys ask legit questions about something and you call that "pestering", so what's the point of this forum, shut it down then!

Asking legit questions is one thing. Asking the same questions over and over again in a bunch of different variations ("Why didn't you include game X?" "Why didn't you just rename it to avoid licensing fees?" "If you included X, why didn't you include Y, too?", etc) is another. If you were Curt or Marty, would you enjoy being on the receiving end of these kinds of questions after working so hard to create the Flashback series and to get it on store shelves at a reasonable price?

 

I would know that it comes with the territory.

Edited January 26, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[jaybird3rd]

I would know that comes with the territory.

So, if they decide that they're tired of being picked apart by gnats and fleas on message boards every time they create something, and announce that there won't be any new Flashbacks, will you come out and say that they're "lame" because they wouldn't take all the crap that you kept giving them? Is that their reward for the privilege of giving you something new to enjoy?

[TrekkiELO]

Asking legit questions is one thing. Asking the same questions over and over again in a bunch of different variations ("Why didn't you include game X?" "Why didn't you just rename it to avoid licensing fees?" "If you included X, why didn't you include Y, too?", etc) is another.

Curt & Co. don't owe anyone explanations. They were contracted to do a job for Atari, and they did it. These guys scrambled like mad dogs to get this done.

 

Let's thank them for their hard work rather than bully them with a bunch of questions: "Why isn't my favorite game included?" etc. It ain't included because it ain't included. 'nuf said.

 

I already did by preordering one!

 

So are these guys now gods and as such beyond reproach?

Edited January 26, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[Atariboy]

The man wondered if Indy 500 was included as the top secret game that isn't being disclosed yet (Similar to the hidden paddle games from the first Flashback 2 that use a controller not included with the package), and was told it was because of licensing issues.

 

All we did was point out that those licensing issues are easily worked around. There's nothing wrong with what we asked, and that it uses something besides the included joystick has no bearing on the subject when paddle games have been hidden in the past and they mentioned how they wanted to hide Star Raiders in this one.

Edited January 26, 2010 by Atariboy

[TrekkiELO]

I would know that comes with the territory.

So, if they decide that they're tired of being picked apart by gnats and fleas on message boards every time they create something and announce that there won't be any new Flashbacks, will you come out and say that they're lame because they wouldn't take all the crap that you kept giving them? Is that their reward for the privilege of giving you something new to enjoy?

 

If you call it crap, then what in the heck is this world coming to?!

 

Their reward was my predorder and I presume Atari paid them or did they do a job for free?

Edited January 27, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[jaybird3rd]

So these guys are gods and beyond reproach?

No. They're some of the few people on these boards who put in the time and effort to create something at the level of a quality mainstream consumer product, instead of spending their lives arguing and daydreaming and living in the land of "wouldn't it be nice." I'm not saying that they deserve to be worshiped or that they're beyond reproach; I'm saying that they should get the respect they deserve.

 

Their reward was my predorder for one and I presume Atari paid them or did they do it for free?

People quit well-paying jobs all the time because they find the jobs annoying, or boring, or because they feel they aren't appreciated. If you were to ask them why, they would probably tell you that these other non-tangible forms of compensation (appreciation, gratitude, etc) are even more important to them than money. By writing the kinds of posts you've written, you're detracting from the sense of satisfaction that Curt and Co. are able to derive from putting a product on the marketplace and seeing it enjoyed by those of us who can appreciate it the most, whether that was your intention or not. Your one little preorder is no compensation.

[TrekkiELO]

So these guys are gods and beyond reproach?

No. They're some of the few people on these boards who put in the time and effort to create something at the level of a quality mainstream consumer product, instead of spending their lives arguing and daydreaming and living in the land of "wouldn't it be nice." I'm not saying that they deserve to be worshiped or that they're beyond reproach; I'm saying that they should get the respect they deserve.

 

You misunderstand, I have the utmost respect for Legacy Engineering and Curt because of everything that they do for us!

 

Signed,

 

Rick Vendl II

Edited January 26, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[+MattelAquarius]

 

 

2. Is there any further background info available on why General Mills chose to approach Atari to do this promotion (to Curt/Marty)? If so, what can you tell us? Honestly, this seems like an awfully strange thing for a cereal company to do.

 

I'm not sure which you're saying is strange - that they're doing this Atari giveaway promotion, or that they contacted us to manufacture a run of them. Neither are strange at all. Cereal companies have given away consoles and such before, they did it with plenty of systems back during the heyday of the 2600 as well. Likewise, how do you think all the promotionals and such are done for the cereal companies, fast food restaurants, etc.? They pay for many of those. We recently did a software contract for a fast food company via Atari as well that should be coming out soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Right on the game contest screen, they say "Look for Honey Nut Cheerios retro packaging sold exclusively at Target."

 

It seems they are trying to recreate a bit of the 80's for an ad campaign. I think it's a cool idea.

 

This all makes me remember a time in the 80's when one brand of cereal was pushing the Odyssey2 on the back of the box. I was mesmerized by the large pictures on the back of the box showing the O2 playing Alien Invaders Plus. Although I considered the graphics inferior to SI on my trusty 2600, it was intriguing, because I'd never actually seen on O2 before it showed up during my breakfast "reading."

 

Edit: Looks like it must have been Kellog's.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Jay Silverheels

[TrekkiELO]

So these guys are gods and beyond reproach?

No. They're some of the few people on these boards who put in the time and effort to create something at the level of a quality mainstream consumer product, instead of spending their lives arguing and daydreaming and living in the land of "wouldn't it be nice." I'm not saying that they deserve to be worshiped or that they're beyond reproach; I'm saying that they should get the respect they deserve.

 

Their reward was my predorder for one and I presume Atari paid them or did they do it for free?

People quit well-paying jobs all the time because they find the jobs annoying, or boring, or because they feel they aren't appreciated. I would argue that these other non-tangible forms of compensation are even more important than money. By writing the kinds of posts you've written, you're detracting from the sense of satisfaction that Curt and Co. are able to derive from putting a product on the marketplace and seeing it enjoyed by those of us who can appreciate it the most, whether that was your intention or not. Your one little preorder is no compensation.

 

My one "little preorder"?! All those small orders add up. Like I said in this thread before, companies who think your way either wonder why they lose money every year or go bankrupt.

 

Since you obviously missed this reply, I'll repost it here again now, taken from Post #187...

 

Pestering the Legacy Engineering guys with endless little "whydidntya" questions accomplishes nothing except annoying them and discouraging future products.

 

If this is all that it takes to discourage future products from these guys then they're being petty and are too thin skinned!

 

These questions of mine were never even close to a personal attack, nor should anybody else take them as such, on Legacy Engineering and Curt who have brought us 3 fantastic Flashbacks.

 

 

Rick Vendl II

Edited January 27, 2010 by TrekkiELO

[AFS]

Maybe this is pie-in-the-sky thinking, but I wonder if it would be possible for users of the FB2/FB2+ to buy batches of games/licenses directly from Konami or Activision or whomever.

 

I'm not so interested in modding in a cartridge slot and fumbling with cartridges, but it would be nice to expand the game library, so if another game developer were able to sell a larger memory card, that includes the FB2+ games but also has licensed games added, that users could swap in, then I'm sure a lot of us would happily pay for it. It seems to me that producing something like that would be an easy way for the license holders to make some money off of enthusiasts with very little capital invested.

 

I mean, 40 games sounds like a lot, but aren't there more than 900 games out there for the 2600 that should work seamlessly with the FB2 or FB2+? It totally makes sense that Atari would limit the built-in library to limit the cost of producing the unit, but that just seems to create an after-market opportunity. Surely someone could come up with a properly licensed replacement memory module with 200 games or so and sell it for $100 or so . . .

[Atariboy]

Just so it's clear what was being discussed, this is what jaybird3rd took offense to.

 

Well now, it's not stated outright that it's a paddle game, just that it uses a non-joystick non-keypad controller. It could very well be Indy 500!

Nope. Atari doesn't own the rights to the name.

That was my hope as well, but the name Indy 500 is licensed, maybe Curt went with its Race title by Sears or could that also have licensing issues?

Change the name to something like 500 or or use the Sears name for the game which was Race. There's no IP from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway being used in the game beyond the title "Indy 500".

 

I don't see where the harm was, just discussion like this forum was meant for and perhaps pointing something out that they never thought about. I don't think it warranted those replies.