87 replies to this topic

[Coleco]

Got my copy today. Thanks for the quick service.
This is not a game I played much in the arcades, so I'm a bit lost. Figured out how to gather up bombs and whatnot.

Dumb question: How does one shoot sinibombs? Second fire button? Or do they just come out when you fire at Sinistar?

[rmaerz]

Coleco, on Thu Jun 24, 2010 5:04 PM, said:

Got my copy today. Thanks for the quick service.
This is not a game I played much in the arcades, so I'm a bit lost. Figured out how to gather up bombs and whatnot.

Dumb question: How does one shoot sinibombs? Second fire button? Or do they just come out when you fire at Sinistar?

Use the bottom button (assuming your using the stock 5200 controllers)

[Coleco]

rmaerz, on Thu Jun 24, 2010 8:39 PM, said:

Coleco, on Thu Jun 24, 2010 5:04 PM, said:

Got my copy today. Thanks for the quick service.
This is not a game I played much in the arcades, so I'm a bit lost. Figured out how to gather up bombs and whatnot.

Dumb question: How does one shoot sinibombs? Second fire button? Or do they just come out when you fire at Sinistar?

Use the bottom button (assuming your using the stock 5200 controllers)

Yes, but that's the same button you use to make regular shots. Does it shoot the bombs when you point it at Sinistar?
Sorry to sound so moronic here. I'm sure I'll figure it out given a bit more time playing the game.

[Allan]

Coleco, on Fri Jun 25, 2010 8:54 AM, said:

rmaerz, on Thu Jun 24, 2010 8:39 PM, said:

Coleco, on Thu Jun 24, 2010 5:04 PM, said:

Got my copy today. Thanks for the quick service.
This is not a game I played much in the arcades, so I'm a bit lost. Figured out how to gather up bombs and whatnot.

Dumb question: How does one shoot sinibombs? Second fire button? Or do they just come out when you fire at Sinistar?

Use the bottom button (assuming your using the stock 5200 controllers)

Yes, but that's the same button you use to make regular shots. Does it shoot the bombs when you point it at Sinistar?
Sorry to sound so moronic here. I'm sure I'll figure it out given a bit more time playing the game.

When you have automatic fire on, the bottom button shoots the sinibombs. When the auto-fire is shut off, the bottom button is your laser, the top one is the sinibombs.

Allan

[NoahsMyBro]

<Homer>

Uuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm, Cinnabuns...........

</Homer>

Oh, Sin-a-bombs, you say?

[Akidagain]

Great game!!! Great service!!!  If anyone is thinking about getting Sinistar, do it.  It's a lot of fun and very challenging.  
Al, thank you for all you do.

Best,

Eric

[JohnnyBlaze]

DAMN! I wish I still had my 5200. But, the controller kept pissing me off and I was worried about breaking it from playing so much. Anyways, is it just me or is the collision detection a little off? That could be what wasn't finished on the cart.

[Albert]

JohnnyBlaze, on Sun Jun 27, 2010 8:53 PM, said:

DAMN! I wish I still had my 5200. But, the controller kept pissing me off and I was worried about breaking it from playing so much. Anyways, is it just me or is the collision detection a little off? That could be what wasn't finished on the cart.

Seemed fine to me when I played it on real hardware.

..Al

[rmaerz]

Albert, on Sun Jun 27, 2010 9:02 PM, said:

JohnnyBlaze, on Sun Jun 27, 2010 8:53 PM, said:

DAMN! I wish I still had my 5200. But, the controller kept pissing me off and I was worried about breaking it from playing so much. Anyways, is it just me or is the collision detection a little off? That could be what wasn't finished on the cart.

Seemed fine to me when I played it on real hardware.

..Al

I disagree - the collision detection is off a bit.  I have to be on top of the warriors in order to kill them off.

As I said in the other thread: the collision detection in arcade Sinistar is "spot on" but this version is not.

[ledzep]

rmaerz, on Sun Jun 27, 2010 9:33 PM, said:

I disagree - the collision detection is off a bit.  I have to be on top of the warriors in order to kill them off.

As I said in the other thread: the collision detection in arcade Sinistar is "spot on" but this version is not.

This brings up a question I wanted to ask about this game.  Before I go any further, this is not a complaint!  I appreciate all that's gone into even getting this out to people at all, to say nothing about what it bear it must have been to convert it to 5200 cart form.  But this (barely) incomplete version of a popular arcade game can't help but remind me of the ongoing efforts to get a complete Tempest out for the 5200.

So my question is (having nothing to do with this current prototype release), would it be possible in the future for Sinistar to be "finished"?  I know, easy thing to ask, I certainly am not implying that it would be simple or take only a couple of days.  I'm just curious if whoever has been dealing with the conversion has become familiar enough with the code to make the leap towards fixing the apparently few issues with the game (such as the collision detection, the color changes, corrupted text, etc.) that people have noticed, if the original programmer would even mind.  Just wondering out loud, I'm happy enough to have been able to get any version of this for the 5200, especially one so close to being a complete version (compared to some unplayable protos).

[Greg2600]

This maybe should go to Wrathchild, who did the conversion, but does the 5200 version use special bank switching like BBSB?

[Albert]

Greg2600, on Thu Jul 1, 2010 5:52 PM, said:

This maybe should go to Wrathchild, who did the conversion, but does the 5200 version use special bank switching like BBSB?

No, it does not.

..Al

[Wrathchild]

ledzep, on Mon Jun 28, 2010 4:15 AM, said:

I'm just curious if whoever has been dealing with the conversion has become familiar enough with the code to make the leap towards fixing the apparently few issues with the game

Sort-of familar  

In doing the 5200 port first, this was done with the approach of leaving everything in its original prototype state, therefore the code and data lay at the same addresses and are padded or call extra routines to handle the differences between the A8 and 5200 (joystick mapping/key reading etc). Hence its <24K fitted onto a 32K cart.

Since then I have played with moving the A8 version onto FlashCart and have correct all tables etc so that the code/data can be relocated anywhere and so in doing so a bit more understanding has been made. However I haven't attempted to track down and fix any of the bugs.

Mark

[BydoEmpire]

I played a lot of this over the weekend and I just couldn't be more impressed with the sound - it's pretty spot-on to the arcade game.  And just having a Sinistar cartridge plugged into my 5200 just makes me smile.  Thanks to everyone who worked on this and helped get it out there.  Very much appreciated.

[ledzep]

Wrathchild, on Fri Jul 2, 2010 1:04 AM, said:

Sort-of familar  

In doing the 5200 port first, this was done with the approach of leaving everything in its original prototype state, therefore the code and data lay at the same addresses and are padded or call extra routines to handle the differences between the A8 and 5200 (joystick mapping/key reading etc). Hence its <24K fitted onto a 32K cart.

Since then I have played with moving the A8 version onto FlashCart and have correct all tables etc so that the code/data can be relocated anywhere and so in doing so a bit more understanding has been made. However I haven't attempted to track down and fix any of the bugs.

Mark

That's good to hear.  I have no expectations and you're not obligated to deal with a game you didn't even start, I just think it would be cool to eventually get a "complete" version.  I'm thinking like the ongoing efforts to finish Tempest and Cloak & Dagger.  I guess it's the old-school fanboy in me that thinks it would be sssssooooooooo cool to have those (now) three games in complete form for the 5200, this is better than when the system was new!

[bohoki]

ledzep, on Mon Jul 5, 2010 9:55 PM, said:

Wrathchild, on Fri Jul 2, 2010 1:04 AM, said:

Sort-of familar  

In doing the 5200 port first, this was done with the approach of leaving everything in its original prototype state, therefore the code and data lay at the same addresses and are padded or call extra routines to handle the differences between the A8 and 5200 (joystick mapping/key reading etc). Hence its <24K fitted onto a 32K cart.

Since then I have played with moving the A8 version onto FlashCart and have correct all tables etc so that the code/data can be relocated anywhere and so in doing so a bit more understanding has been made. However I haven't attempted to track down and fix any of the bugs.

Mark

That's good to hear.  I have no expectations and you're not obligated to deal with a game you didn't even start, I just think it would be cool to eventually get a "complete" version.  I'm thinking like the ongoing efforts to finish Tempest and Cloak & Dagger.  I guess it's the old-school fanboy in me that thinks it would be sssssooooooooo cool to have those (now) three games in complete form for the 5200, this is better than when the system was new!

i applaud the maker of the sinistar cart it is very decent although it is my most hated arcade game

but i'd much rather have say bump and jump/burnin rubber whatever its supposed to be called

[Official Ninja]

Ive been playing my cart and notice that sometimes letters are missing from the text in the game.
Is this normal or my cart?

Besides that, I've really been enjoying the game. Its lots of fun!

[Allan]

Chazbeenhad, on Mon Jul 19, 2010 12:10 PM, said:

Ive been playing my cart and notice that sometimes letters are missing from the text in the game.
Is this normal or my cart?

Besides that, I've really been enjoying the game. Its lots of fun!

This is a bug in the game. It pretty much happens every time. It takes a bit to start in the game but so far for me it eventually happens in every game.

Allan

[Tempest]

hmm... Perhaps someone can investigate this bug?  I noticed this as well when I was doing my review.

Tempest

[atari-dna]

Hi Albert,

This looks exquisite.  Despite a few bugs, I could not resist.  Payment has been sent!

Looking forward to Tempest, Keithen is my hero for completing this!  Will there be trakball compatibility?

Jeff

[gHan2000]

At 2:41 it's funny how the 8-bit voice makes him sound bored!

[BIGHMW]

Got mine just a couple of weeks ago, I can't wait to play it, but my beloved 5200 (that I have owned since my 17th birthday, which was on 5/19/83, a 4-port, U.S.A.-made unit, Serial No. 141101) is currently on the DL with powering up issues. Once those are taken care of, as well as my taking delivery on a new (but still Windows XP Pro) PC, I will re-acquire both Meteorites and Bounty Bob Strikes Back for my AT52. I was forced to sell them both on eBay a couple of years back due to mounting financial issues as well as being unemployed at the time.

"BEWARE..... I LIVE!!!"

-the immortal words of Sinistar himself

[Official Ninja]

Albert, on Tue Jun 15, 2010 6:20 PM, said:

Before someone asks, I will release the binary soon.  

..Al

Al, was the binary ever released?

[segagamer]

Official Ninja, on Sat Oct 2, 2010 7:40 PM, said:

Albert, on Tue Jun 15, 2010 6:20 PM, said:

Before someone asks, I will release the binary soon.  

..Al

Al, was the binary ever released?

I would like to know as well...

[Wayne2072]

Is this cart still available?  It's not on the AtariAge store link.  It's definitely one I would like to get.  

Wayne