RevEng Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 What a great project please keep up with it. Works great in Stella (and I hope in Stella DS later on the train, too...) Thanks! I'm definitely sticking with it... Too much time and effort invested to abandon it now! I'm partway through a spits addition right now. Lots of code changes, but I've made good headway so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuppicide Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Looks great. Would be great if there were a way to buy add on packs.. sort of like Strip Poker on the C64 did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Philsan Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Great project! I have to say that I am a fan of Artworx's Strip Poker too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 Looks great. Would be great if there were a way to buy add on packs.. sort of like Strip Poker on the C64 did. Thanks yuppi... add-ons would be great, but the images take up the bulk of the cart, so that rules out anything imported via savekey/atarivox saves. I have no other ideas on how to do it, other than multiple carts, which seems a bit excessive. If there was some way to do it without physical carts, I'd release at least a few add-ons for free, and open the spec and tools so others could do the same. Great project! I have to say that I am a fan of Artworx's Strip Poker too... Thanks Phil! This project is definitely an homage to Artworx's Strip Poker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 Ok, I've finished my first whack at splits. (see the first post for the updated binary) You're allowed up to 3 splits/4 hands, but other than that they're presently unrestricted. I'm looking for suggestions on what split restrictions I should implement. Jeff, I believe you mentioned "no resplits on aces". Wikipedia mentions that hitting split aces is usually not allowed, and based on this breakdown of blackjack rules there's a heck of a lot of variations on splitting restrictions. Not really sure where to start. As always, any bug reports or non-splitting suggestions are totally welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatohead Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Is it possible to fetch data from a harmony cart SD card? I recall somebody saying it was possible. Perhaps filling one bank slowly, while playing out of the other banks? If so, some progressive action could be implemented, where if a player has a real cart, they get the stock screens. If somebody is playing on harmony, additional data could be fetched with specific file names, perhaps based on games won. Just a thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 Is it possible to fetch data from a harmony cart SD card? I recall somebody saying it was possible. Perhaps filling one bank slowly, while playing out of the other banks? If so, some progressive action could be implemented, where if a player has a real cart, they get the stock screens. If somebody is playing on harmony, additional data could be fetched with specific file names, perhaps based on games won. Just a thought... Thought appreciated! batari mentioned using an extra eeprom on a melody board, but it sounds like at a minimum it would need a bunch of ARM code handshaking with the 6507 code. I'm not a purist by any means, but as a point of pride I want to keep the code for this project entirely on the 6507, with as little hardware trickery as possible. Presently I'm using F4 bankswitching, but that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwierer Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Ok, I've finished my first whack at splits. (see the first post for the updated binary) You're allowed up to 3 splits/4 hands, but other than that they're presently unrestricted. I'm looking for suggestions on what split restrictions I should implement. Jeff, I believe you mentioned "no resplits on aces". Wikipedia mentions that hitting split aces is usually not allowed, and based on this breakdown of blackjack rules there's a heck of a lot of variations on splitting restrictions. Not really sure where to start. As always, any bug reports or non-splitting suggestions are totally welcome! Most tables in Vegas don't allow resplitting aces (BTW a split A+10 is just treated as a normal 21 not a blackjack - haven't come across this yet in your game). Perhaps on the easy setting you would allow resplitting aces. Half the tables won't let you double after splitting (in real life walkaway if that is the case). The toughest tables will only allow doubling when dealt a 9, 10, or 11 (definitely never play those tables in real life). Surrender is not all that common anymore. You'll come across tables labeled liberal that will allow that and a few other crazy things. I noticed that the player is not offered insurance when the dealer has a Ace showing (which is a sucker bet unless you have an accurate count), but that is still one piece missing. I love this though, this is a great addition to the 2600! -Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Most tables in Vegas don't allow resplitting aces (BTW a split A+10 is just treated as a normal 21 not a blackjack - haven't come across this yet in your game). Perhaps on the easy setting you would allow resplitting aces. Half the tables won't let you double after splitting (in real life walkaway if that is the case). The toughest tables will only allow doubling when dealt a 9, 10, or 11 (definitely never play those tables in real life). Surrender is not all that common anymore. You'll come across tables labeled liberal that will allow that and a few other crazy things. I noticed that the player is not offered insurance when the dealer has a Ace showing (which is a sucker bet unless you have an accurate count), but that is still one piece missing. I love this though, this is a great addition to the 2600! -Jeff All of that is *way* helpful - thank you! I haven't implemented the fact that a split Ace+10 isn't a blackjack. I'll put that on the TODO list. I like your idea to have Ace resplitting on easy mode only. One more on the TODO list. I did know about Insurance being a sucker's bet (why I didn't bother in the first place) though I never thought about it in the context of counting. I'll look at implementing insurance... I'll need to squeeze another byte out for it, and probably shuffle more code between banks. Thanks again for the help, Jeff. I love the idea of this being as realistic as possible, despite it being a tongue-in-cheek adult 2600 game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian O Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Quick question, when the player and dealer tie, should it always be referred to as a "push"? It seems as if it is referred to 3 different ways in the game ("push", "tie", and "no one wins"). Just wondering if it needs to be consistent. That said, I really enjoy the game and I like how you handled the splits. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Quick question, when the player and dealer tie, should it always be referred to as a "push"? It seems as if it is referred to 3 different ways in the game ("push", "tie", and "no one wins"). Just wondering if it needs to be consistent. Defective by design. Some of the dealer responses are randomized between 4 different versions of the same response. I had hoped it would make the game a bit less monotonous over the long haul. When the player wins a hand, the dealer might say "you win", "I can't win!", "did you cheat?", or "you're hot!" Maybe for a push I should make the choices more presonalized, like the winning/osing ones? Or lose the randomization altogether? That said, I really enjoy the game and I like how you handled the splits. -B Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svenski Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Great work! and just shows there is a lot of life left in the 2600 . A big thumbs up for you, for all the work you've put into this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwierer Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 All of that is *way* helpful - thank you! No problem. All those years of sitting at a table is finally useful I did know about Insurance being a sucker's bet (why I didn't bother in the first place) though I never thought about it in the context of counting. I'll look at implementing insurance... I'll need to squeeze another byte out for it, and probably shuffle more code between banks. Yes insurance is typically a sucker bet, but if you know the count is deep in favor of the player (rich in 10's) and you have a decent hand like 20 then it can come in handy. If you're going to allow insurance then you also might want to consider even money. If the dealer is showing an Ace and you have a blackjack you an opt for an even payout as an alternative to insurance. player blackjack vs. dealer is a push. Once again if you know the count it could be better to take even money vs. playing the hand, but otherwise play it though as you can't lose and the chance of 1 1/2 payout is good. You could probably just implement this in logic. If player has 21 and takes insurance, end hand and pay standard payout. Speaking of counts, smaller casinos pay 4:1 or 3:1 on a side bet where your first two cards are a 20. If you have a fairly empty table and the count is way in the positive then you can start to beat the side bet. Side bets aren't all the common though I wouldn't implement that. -Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Great work! and just shows there is a lot of life left in the 2600 . A big thumbs up for you, for all the work you've put into this! Thanks, svenski! You could probably just implement this in logic. If player has 21 and takes insurance, end hand and pay standard payout. Sounds like an easy enough detail to add, once I get insurance up and running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahfish Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Should I get the "2600 porn guy" shirt printed now? That sounds like a custom above-avatar status for the forum if ever I've heard one.... Rick is already the Atari Porn King Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 If you tie, the dealer wins. Or is that not the way here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 If you tie, the dealer wins. Or is that not the way here? That's the way Atari 2600 Blackjack works, but I've never heard of that rule being applied in real-life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackjack_%28Atari_2600%29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Is it possible to fetch data from a harmony cart SD card? I recall somebody saying it was possible. Perhaps filling one bank slowly, while playing out of the other banks? If so, some progressive action could be implemented, where if a player has a real cart, they get the stock screens. If somebody is playing on harmony, additional data could be fetched with specific file names, perhaps based on games won. Just a thought... Thought appreciated! batari mentioned using an extra eeprom on a melody board, but it sounds like at a minimum it would need a bunch of ARM code handshaking with the 6507 code. I'm not a purist by any means, but as a point of pride I want to keep the code for this project entirely on the 6507, with as little hardware trickery as possible. Presently I'm using F4 bankswitching, but that's about it. Fetching from SD card during the game would be difficult as the SD driver is large. However, it is possible to fit an EEPROM to a Melody board and use that for extra storage (the EEPROM driver is much smaller). Harmony also supports Supercharger multiloads, but only up to 4 or 5 parts. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 That's the way Atari 2600 Blackjack works, but I've never heard of that rule being applied in real-life. In Vegas no... if we want to follow those rules, then ties just push as currently programmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 I've updated the first post with the latest binary. Insurance and Even-Money are now implemented, along with some of the other rules mentioned in the thread. I also added a casino location to the options menu... this is just meant to add flavor, but please let me know if you think its a change for the better or worse. I'm going to look at implementing a "boss key" with the black&white switch, and maybe rework the sound effect engine. Also, I think I might have the dealer not offer insurance in the easy mode, to avoid confusing beginners. If anybody else has any other ideas, I'm all ears! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwierer Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I've updated the first post with the latest binary. Insurance and Even-Money are now implemented, along with some of the other rules mentioned in the thread. I also added a casino location to the options menu... this is just meant to add flavor, but please let me know if you think its a change for the better or worse. I'm going to look at implementing a "boss key" with the black&white switch, and maybe rework the sound effect engine. Also, I think I might have the dealer not offer insurance in the easy mode, to avoid confusing beginners. If anybody else has any other ideas, I'm all ears! I was betting 10 and I tried surrender today. Instead of losing 50% of my bet I lost 60% (6). Typo? -Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Ah, thanks for the report. It's a rounding error which should only affect the 10 bet. I'll fix it in the next release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian O Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Great work as usual! Looks good so far. I'll keep playing and let you know if I find any glaring errors. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Thanks Brian! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) All I have to say is: this game is pretty much ready for prime-time as it is now. I can't think of anything that really needs to be added/changed. Well, maybe just a minor thing: you have two different dealers in Vegas. Perhaps Lake Tahoe needs a little attention! Edited January 13, 2011 by Devin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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