New Tempest game in the works for Atari 8-bit

[Keatah]

 

I agree. It was kind of a let down graphically speaking. Although it would be pretty hard to match the original arcade vector quality with the A8, but as you pointed out the 5200 does a much better job in this regard.

 

- Michael

 

What is different about the 5200 hardware vs the 800 that would allow it to do the vectors better?

[Keatah]

Tempest tops my personal list of favorite games, but I have yet to be wow'd by a conversion of Tempest to Atari's home systems. Tom Hudson's Livewire came really close for me, though. I have to rely on MAME to get my Tempest fixes.

 

--Tim

 

Same here. What would be interesting, if just for the technical demonstration, would be a DPC+ Tempest on the VCS. I'm sure it won't measure up to the original the same way the new Scramble does. But it would be one hella achievement and interesting project wouldn't it?

 

Anyways. I finally got around to playing the Tempest Xtreem demo and was surprised that it made me want to play the PC/Jag version all over again, just like in the 1990's!

[Keatah]

I would love to simply see the 5200 version ported over... Or a way to turn off the music in "Xtreem".

 

Too bad the cpu cycles that go into playing the background music can't be used to improve the fluidness of gameplay.

[FifthPlayer]

 

What is different about the 5200 hardware vs the 800 that would allow it to do the vectors better?

 

I think the original message was referring to the port on the 5200 that does the vectors better, not so much the 5200 hardware specifically.

[Keatah]

Ohh..

[peteym5]

I never had plans to do Tempest beyond the Atari 8-bit. I did look at the 7800, but its 4K limit and lack of line drawing mode makes it difficult to work around. May need to do webs made up with characters/tiles instead of a graphics mode. The 5200 would need a bigger cartridge and need to redo the bank switching to play digital sounds. Could do it with no digital sounds, just sound effects. That only has 16K RAM. Tempest Xtreme and Tempest Elite uses the whole 64K RAM area including the RAM under OS ROM.

2600 with DPC+. If those are in someones inventory, I say to it. The only way some games can be done on the 2600 is with some sort of co-processing. I wonder if its possible to change the player/missile hpos, color, shape several times on each line to get 4 or more different players on each scan line.

[BIGHMW]

I would love to simply see the 5200 version ported over... Or a way to turn off the music in "Xtreem".

 

 

I would LOVE to ditch my 5200 and 2600 adapter that I've had for 35 years in favor of the XEGS (deadstock, NWOB A-grade incomplete setups are available on eBay, no gun or any controllers included) as I can play all of my 5200 favorites (actually either 24 of them in cartridge form or with the in-works SD-card-based 8-bit multicart) with controllers that actually work, such as the 2600-compatible controllers like my CX24 Proline joytick or CX80 Trak-Ball as opposed to the CX53 5200 Trak-Ball, in which the buttons (both the keypad and the fire buttons) on both of mine do not work, and having Tempest for the 8-bit would be ultra-cool as I look to possibly make that jump!!!

.......but ONLY if Tempest (regular plain-old Tempest not Tempest Xtreem) is available for the XEGS/8-bit, maybe someone has an 8-bit conversion of the beautiful 5200 version of Tempest that Keithen Hayenga finished and put out through AtariAge that I have for my 5200, THAT would be either the deal-maker or the deal-breaker, depending on its availability, either in cartridge form or a ROM of it.

Edited September 29, 2018 by BIGHMW

[Level42]

You can ditch your 5200 towards me......

Edited September 30, 2018 by Level42

[Level42]

Why did Atariage release that version of Tempest for the 5200 but not for the 800 ????

[SS]

Why did Atariage release that version of Tempest for the 5200 but not for the 800 ????

Come to think of it, why didn't Atari themselves finish this and release it? It would have made for a much better pack-in for the XEGS than "Bug Hunt" and probably would have helped to move quite a few units.

[Level42]

But that is a question that nobody Will answer now......it’s just one of the many killed-off games. Besides.....in 1987, when the XEGS was released, a game like tempest was old already........but then again...they did manage to put Missile Command in it which was about as old

 

Anyway, the AtariAge people in command are still here....why do a 5200 only release when it is so easy to convert it too 800 too.

 

I have an idea about that: ignorance for Atari computers.

 

Whenever AA posts on facebook it is about the 2600 98% of the time, the other 2% is 7800.

 

Arcade machines, computrers, it seems they never existed for AA.......

[Keatah]

It's been that way for years, decades even!

[peteym5]

I am not sure exactly what the history of that 5200 Tempest. If someone can get a hold of the source code, pretty sure it can be ported on the 8-bit and run from RAM. To use a cartridge, bank switching programming would need to be applied. Porting Xtreme or Elite to the 5200 is also problematic in that there is limited memory available. We have a bank switching cartridge, but there is no emulation for it on Altirra, in that it would be hard for me to program and test it . It is a board made by Bryan and had a really weird way of bank switching.

Edited October 2, 2018 by peteym5

[+Stephen]

I am not sure exactly what the history of that 5200 Tempest. If someone can get a hold of the source code, pretty sure it can be ported on the 8-bit and run from RAM. To use a cartridge, bank switching programming would need to be applied. Porting Xtreme or Elite to the 5200 is also problematic in that there is limited memory available. We have a bank switching cartridge, but there is no emulation for it on Altirra, in that it would be hard for me to program and test it . It is a board made by Bryan and had a really weird way of bank switching.

Shame on you petey. You go through so much trouble preventing piracy of your games, and here you advocate blatant pirating of someone else's work. WTF man - you know no bounds.

[_The Doctor__]

Idk it gets to be like petey doesn't want anyone doing any game, unless it is to be a profit for him or someone who knows, then all it's all good.

[Keatah]

Same thing appears to be happening with Galaga (for those that aren't aware of that project).

[peteym5]

I assumed someone on here probably already got the source code or know the people who finished the 5200 version. I am not the one who bought up piracy or I had any intentions of profiting from porting the 5200 version. The programmers even sent me a personal email to see if I can help them finish their game. This is going back a few years, but I think the original source was out there or someone disassembled that incomplete version. All someone needs to do is change the GTIA and Pokey addresses and replace the 5200 controller set up.

 

When I did Tempest Elite, I wanted to fix a few things lacking in Tempest Xtreme like lane-highlighting, pause, and more frames to the flipper animation. Tried to smooth some stuff out and tried to match up the arcade speed rates better. But someone kept calling me up and pressured me in keeping it play as is.

Edited October 3, 2018 by peteym5

[Level42]

Why would a source code be needed ? 5200 games have been ported to the 800 from way back in the early 80’s.

 

Even today it is done (Scramble) so I don’t see the problem for Tempest 5200 ?

[FifthPlayer]

But that is a question that nobody Will answer now......it’s just one of the many killed-off games.

 

The Antic podcast interrviewed Keithen Hayenga, original author of 5200 Tempest, and who later completed it for Atari Age. It's been a while since I heard this interview, but some of the answers you seek are likely there.

 

http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-95-keithen-hayenga-5200-tempest

[peteym5]

Might be a competition issue. I have Xtreem and Elite for 8-bit, Kethen Hayenga has his for the 5200. From the very memory requirements of my version, I could not port mine to the 5200 and since there already is one, I seen little point trying to obtain a bank switching cartridge and making a 5200 version. If Kethen ported his to the 8-bit, its a big question if enough sales will happen to make it worthwhile for him. Games like Venture, Delta Space Arena, Tile Smashers, Amok Bots, and now Animal Keeper had been ported to the 5200 because they were designed to run on any 8-bit computer with a minimal of 16K.

 

Doing a 7800 version is a different story. Can do something with the on board 4K RAM and character mode if we make a font with many possible line angles. I know it make not look as nice as a graphics 15 screen, but its a start. The issue I am having is find a cartridge with both RAM + Pokey, seems like there are set ups for one or the other, but not both. There are BUS and DMA usage issues trying to set up a whole bitmap screen that need to be worked out also. "PACMANPLUS" started something years ago, not sure if he made any progress with it.

[+MrFish]

"PACMANPLUS" started something years ago, not sure if he made any progress with it.

 

Maybe you're thinking about this, which was done by GroovyBee back in 2010/2011: 7800 - Tempest