Bones Brigade Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 (edited) banning people for talking bad about someone who absconds with customer's money? wow. Edited November 8, 2012 by Bones Brigade 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bones Brigade Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I agree that an update would be nice, but you guys are starting to act like kids in a schoolyard doing, the "let's gang up on one" thing. Well, he did take everybody's lunch money. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernando marrin Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 My concern now is for Donkey Kong and B.Bear 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaynz Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Well, I'm kinda curious at the requirements for either game. If it's just Pokey and RAM, isn't there some workaround we can do to get them to play on a regular 7800? Is making new 7800 carts for homebrews (similar to what Atari Age provides for the 2600) with Pokey and more RAM really that unfeasible compared to the XM's ambitions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoTonah Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I see your point but I think there's two different things. 1. Complaining about the delays of hardware is pointless. How many people in this thread have made major hardware projects like this and distributed? Don't all jump to the front at once now! :-) This is still a labour of love in a hobbyist world. It's a complicated project for a small user base. That's life. 2. The bigger issue is messaging and communication. I don't doubt it's going to come out. I think Curt giving an updates as promised and not over-promising on dates would help tremendously. Also, Curt is based in NYC area. Hopefully all is ok. Actually, my order wasn't for an XM, it was for a joystick mod that he had listed as being in stock. And he told me he had shipped it, but refused to give me a tracking number. I've never received it, over six months after he said it went out his door. I hate complaining. I've sat here for over a year wishing and hoping that it was all a misunderstanding. I know that life gets in the way of best intentions, and I know he's been sick, this that and the other thing. I hate to think that he's on the East Coast and I truly hope that he's okay. I do not wish him any personal harm at all. I'm just mad that his way of dealing with complaints is to block them or run from them. That's horrible business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Careful I was banned for saying similar things, And proving Curt never shipped things i bought from him a long time ago... Nobody has been banned for "saying similar things" or criticizing how long the XM project has been ongoing, and I don't blame people for being frustrated. You've been banned because you were causing trouble and being disruptive in many threads, not just about the XM. ..Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernando marrin Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Well, I'm kinda curious at the requirements for either game. If it's just Pokey and RAM, isn't there some workaround we can do to get them to play on a regular 7800? Is making new 7800 carts for homebrews (similar to what Atari Age provides for the 2600) with Pokey and more RAM really that unfeasible compared to the XM's ambitions? Actually for B Bear and Donkey Kong + all BIG games for that matter: a (512k) game + pokey scheme exists and commando carts can easily be modified there are schemes for 512k + pokey on cc2 , no XM is needed it was made with the SOFT CELL demo , entire song + color cycling graphics with 512k+pokey , the scheme is 78POK512 and in that case 78QUICK had to be used because it was not signed Attached SOFTCELL.BIN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaynz Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Has Bob actually said that? I haven't seen him around in awhile.. which makes me sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tep392 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Actually for B Bear and Donkey Kong + all BIG games for that matter: a (512k) game + pokey scheme exists and commando carts can easily be modified there are schemes for 512k + pokey on cc2 , no XM is needed it was made with the SOFT CELL demo , entire song + color cycling graphics with 512k+pokey , the scheme is 78POK512 and in that case 78QUICK had to be used because it was not signed Attached Donkey Kong XM could work on a Commando cart but it's rarity and price make it unfeasible as a doner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaynz Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Hence my other thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bones Brigade Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Donkey Kong XM could work on a Commando cart but it's rarity and price make it unfeasible as a doner. I would spend $30 for a loose copy of Commando and gladly hack up a cart for DK Arcade if it meant I didn't have to wait for something that looks like it might never see the light of day. Also - would it be feasible to do this with a PAL Commando cart? Because there's way more of them available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Also - would it be feasible to do this with a PAL Commando cart? Because there's way more of them available. As far as I know, there's no difference between PAL and NTSC cartridges except for the software. You'll be replacing the ROM, so a PAL cart should work just as well. I've successfully retrofitted a few PAL Alien Brigade carts with NTSC ROMs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 As far as I know, there's no difference between PAL and NTSC cartridges except for the software. You'll be replacing the ROM, so a PAL cart should work just as well. I've successfully retrofitted a few PAL Alien Brigade carts with NTSC ROMs. You're correct, the carts are physically the same, it's just the software that's different. ..Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tep392 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I would spend $30 for a loose copy of Commando and gladly hack up a cart for DK Arcade if it meant I didn't have to wait for something that looks like it might never see the light of day. Also - would it be feasible to do this with a PAL Commando cart? Because there's way more of them available. It could work on a Commando cart, but it won't as is. It would take a lot of time to make it work on that cart. Donkey Kong has 16k of code/data sitting where the POKEY is addressed on the Commando cart. The main problem is that program is not fully disassembled. There are a bunch of tables with pointers to code/data that isn't labled. In other words, the tables point to fixed addresses in memory. If I move the code/data around, the table doesn't know it moved. There are hundreds of these unlabled pointers that I would need to define to make the code relocatable. I may have to resort to this if the XM falls through, but I really don't think that is going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaynz Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Tep, my suggestion in the meantime would be to do DKII on a 'regular' 7800 cart. Then, if the XM shows any signs of life, you can throw the DKII levels as a 'bonus' for the XM version. Get something released in the interim, which will get you a little coin as well as some code and resources that you can use later if things look better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernando marrin Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 It could work on a Commando cart, but it won't as is. It would take a lot of time to make it work on that cart. Donkey Kong has 16k of code/data sitting where the POKEY is addressed on the Commando cart. The main problem is that program is not fully disassembled. There are a bunch of tables with pointers to code/data that isn't labled. In other words, the tables point to fixed addresses in memory. If I move the code/data around, the table doesn't know it moved. There are hundreds of these unlabled pointers that I would need to define to make the code relocatable. I may have to resort to this if the XM falls through, but I really don't think that is going to happen. 200 + cc2 Users WILL gladly pay 10 us$ each for the 512k+pokey Bank Switched rom you can make a few "deluxe" carts as an extra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaynz Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Dude, the cart would be about $70 or $80. The extra markup would be $10 for the reworked board, and $30 from using a rare board to begin with. I don't think that that's going to be feasible for most people here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I've successfully retrofitted a few PAL Alien Brigade carts with NTSC ROMs. Do you still do this? I'd be interested if I pick up a copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Well the idea behind the xm fixes all this... is there really 200+ cc2 users on here willing to buy DK.. the cc2 is dead its not avaible for more than a decade..we need h2 and xm.. when is the question... Why does this always escalate into all this if only the makers of the XM would quit there lying about updates and release dates it would be nice.. We are treated like little kids so you wonder why this all happens.. Dont tell us your gonna this and that and do NOTHING!! I do not and will not tolerate being lied to.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Usotsuki Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 *sigh*. If I but knew the under-the-hood info about the XM, I'd see if I could have someone design a clone just to make sure there was *something* available. I've been waiting for the XM because I had plans for it, but I'm not giving anyone a penny, for an XM or for any other components my project needs, until all the parts are available. It may be that I wind up creating the system with a hardware expansion of my own (I'm not a hardware person, I don't know shxt about that stuff) that has the features of the XM I need (SIO, extra RAM, possibly one of the sound chips) so I can just get going trying to make the damn project happen, with or without the XM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) I hope you hang in there and this xm gets out so you can do what you want with it... It really sucks that developers are losing faith in the xm and soon it will be a $100.00 door stop...oh sorry high score cart.. Edited November 9, 2012 by Jinks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Do you still do this? I'd be interested if I pick up a copy. I don't have time for it anymore, I'm afraid, but it isn't too complicated to do. The instructions for replacing a 7800 cartridge ROM with an EPROM can be found in several places, including here in on AtariAge. The trickiest part is getting the cartridge open without breaking the label to unscrew the shell. I posted a description of the method I used, in case it's helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 The trickiest part is getting the cartridge open without breaking the label to unscrew the shell. 7800 labels come off very easily with a blow dryer. Just be sure to hold the cart in your hand as you heat it up. As long as your hand can stand the heat, the plastic will as well. After warming it up a bit, the label will come right off very cleanly so that it can still be re-applied afterward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I hope you hang in there and this xm gets out so you can do what you want with it... It really sucks that developers are losing faith in the xm and soon it will be a $100.00 door stop...oh sorry high score cart.. Given that one of the people working on the XM has a bunch of XM games, that's silly. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Kai Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Personally I couldn't sleep at night if I had taken over $20,000 of other people's money and hadn't produced a product for my customers for 3 years. I certainly wouldn't allow other people to speak for me, like we have here at AA with the 'Cult of Curt' that apologizes for the guy no matter the circumstances, and at the same time insult good members here who have paid real cash money only to be thrown insults, and told to sit down and shut up for asking to be informed of how our investment is coming along. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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