Do you find yourself drifting away from the scene?

[Nebulon]

I drift away... then back again.

It goes in waves.

Recently I received Vector Patrol for the Vectrex and it re-kindled things. What an amazing game that is!

http://kristofsnewvectrexgames.comli.com/

Having said that, homebrews aren't my main focus. For me it's mainly thinking about, talking about, and playing old games that I enjoyed as a kid and still do. I think about games quite a bit (when I'm busy or pulled away into other interests like music or movies). It's comforting that they'll be waiting for me for when I'm craving a couple quick games of "insert name of favorite retro game here".

[Tempest]

I always say "You do you" but I also scratch my head on some things that just don't make sense. Paying someone roughly $300 to CPU upgrade an og xbox so xbmc will work a bit better but it doesn't help games or anything? The concept is cool at a diy aspect under $50, but a Kodi setup that's cheaper and better exists. $600 on a dream C64 setup? Ok, I don't have any desire to play C64 but if the build makes sense and makes you happy, cool.

 

The group I don't understand is the 'Moar Power' group. The ones that have so heavily modified their systems that they're almost unrecognizable. You know, like the people who put super upgraded graphic chips in their system that weren't around at the time and no software supports or those massive accelerators that make the system run 20x faster than it normally would. I always wonder "Why?". But to each their own, I suppose it's like tricking out a sports car or something.

 

The other group that makes me scratch my head (but in a different way) are the 'Power Users'. The people who still use their Atari's to do all their word processing or their Coleco Adam for filing their recipes or whatnot. It's cool and all I guess, but I just don't get the appeal. Then again podcasts like Inverse Atascii exist so I guess there's a lot of people like that. Like I said to each their own.

[Tanooki]

I like Stamos love the gaming aspect of it, and I do try the incarnations of a game or franchise of games when they look like I'd enjoy it and be motivated to make a real attempt to get far or complete it. Motivation is my issue, not drifting, but it would look like that probably on the outside. I have drifted away from reading a bunch of game news sites every day at least once or twice as I did for like probably nearly 20 years. The stuff is just so loaded, fanboy, toxic, paid off, and scripted it's a huge turn off unless you run to the B-tier stuff, niche, and of that like where they still have to try to stand out and not rely on an army of a million plus drone suckups to get by. The problem is just as much the younger ones who jump in because they can short term sustain some crazed push, but it is the gamer kids of the 80s that are a real problem with the fatter wallets and screw other people mentality around it that got bad who show off their online e-peens to get attention.

 

Had I the money for the equipment to learn and grow with it I'd love to take up more repair and modification work but it's beyond my means and sometimes shakier(not new with age) hand at times. That would be a fun boon, but hey least I can fix popped wires, cold solder joints, replace battery brackets on handhelds, and batteries in consoles/console games at least which is fulfilling to do.

 

If there is a scene I did drift from is emulation, it got stale once everyone wanted a piece of it, got all uppity and arrogant, and then most of what needed to be figured out was as it got boring. The development days of 20 years even 10 years ago are long gone and dead in most cases as things have been explored and re-explored plenty. So I just don't keep up well with it anymore, so I do kind of like when Marat posts on the site here about his 25+ year old emulator updates that hit Android now too for a very fair cheap price for what you get out of it.

[Flojomojo]

A while ago, I gave some silly names to the life stages of classic game fandom I've experienced so far.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/279410-traits-of-a-classic-gamer/

 

Pretty sure we are all pundit-wankers to be talking about this at such length. The real gamers don't have time for all this offgassing.

[adamchevy]

I sure wish 7800 homebrews were popping up like flies!

I wish 5200 homebrews were popping up like daisies as well.

[adamchevy]

I agree with everything you mentioned Keatah. I only buy and play on real hardware. I always feel more grounded into that particular hardware vs emulation. If I emulate a console it feels very much like I’m playing on a Dell Computer to me. The advent of retro-podcasts has helped me live even closer to a particular console. I forum on my phone, but that’s it. I don’t own any limited edition games or retro console remakes. The closest I’ve came was buying a Retron 77. I think all of these things has pushed me harder into small niches. Like recently purchasing an Atari 5200. I will buy the occasional exceptional homebrew. I have a Multicart/Wafer Drive on all of my systems so I can try all of the ones that have an available rom. My recent 5200 purchase came with the homebrews I was interested in.

I tried ditching retro and going all modern about 8 months- to a year ago. First I purchased an Xbox 360 with every game I thought I would ever want. Wasn’t for me, sold it. Then I purchased a Switch with every game I thought I would want. Sold it. Then I purchased a Wii U with every game I thought I would ever want. Getting ready to sell it.

Edited August 22, 2018 by adamchevy

[Newsdee]

I went from real hardware (back in the day) to PC and emulation only for many years, to retro hardware again more recently.

 

I definitely notice I lost interest in some things that I find obsolete, such as magnetic storage. I dumped my floppies and tapes and have SD/CF adaptors for all my retro computers. Another surprise was that I am less interested in single screen games (Atari but also early NES era), I find them fun but only as a quick distraction.

 

I avoid most commercial honewbrew on carts, tried some but often the quality isn't there for the price point. I might pay up to 5 dollars for a Flappy bird clone on a cart (for example) but the same game isn't worth $30 with box and manual (also for example. this is an imaginary product and not pointing any fingers).

 

I wonder sometimes which games are worth preserving. While complete collections are worthy, there is probably 20 to 30 percent of games on any given system that aren't good at all. And I dont mean "so bad it's good" or hilariously bad, just plain boring games not worth the electricity they run on.

 

I suppose such list can be very subjective though. Sometimes a shitty game was all we had, and it has memories for some of us. So feels safer to preserve all and let people choose.

Edited August 22, 2018 by Newsdee

[thetick1]

Yep.. lots daily issues get in way with work, wife and kid there is always a crisis.

 

I just go with the flow.. when I get free time to do retro gaming or any gaming it's treat. Right now I can't sleep, and up chatting with Verizon Wireless in another window (Argh) so I'm typing away on this forum.

 

I'm just here because I like retro computers VIC20, C64, Amiga, old DOS PCs, 90's Unix workstations, retro games (Atari 2600, MAME, NES, SNES) and just a little 3DS.

Edited August 22, 2018 by thetick1

[fiddlepaddle]

Don't really interact much with others "in the scene", except occasional conversations at a game store or show. Or here, of course. I like this forum...it keeps me posted on what's new and whats hot (and what's causing consternation or disruption).

 

But my "the scene" is pretty much me and my handful of favorite games interleaved with a fairly low-key life; what other people do doesn't really affect me much, with respect to video games.

 

Yet, this topic has elicited great responses from lots of familiar posters, so I guess you're "making a scene" (scene that one comin'...scene is believing.)

[adamchevy]

One reason I like Old systems is their newness to me. I never owned anything before the NES growing up. It’s like living retro in reverse for me. I enjoy everything that comes along with each system. I try and soak it all in. The hardware, the unique exclusive games, the development, the magazines, the homebrews, the modders, the community, the podcasts, and ofcourse the forums.

I don’t have time or patience for modern games anymore. I made it about 22 hours through Breath of the Wild. I played every night for about an hour, which is as much time as I can spare.

I don’t care for the endless gameplay, which is why I stopped playing World of Warcraft again about a year ago. I built a kickass modern pc to play it again. It had been about 7 years since I stopped playing. I also don’t care for the gameplay style anymore.

I took the Xbox out of my house because I don’t want my kids playing rated M games. I don’t enjoy those types of games either. Mostly First Person Shooters, or a slight variation.

I have really started to wonder if I just don’t like gaming altogether anymore. I have questioned if maybe I have outgrown it entirely. But then I remember those short games on the 2600 that were so satisfying in such a short time. Like playing stampede for 30 minutes and finally learning the patterns of the Black buffalo.

Recently I picked up a 5200 because I’ve never owned one, and for the very reasons it wasn’t purchased back in 1982-1984. I would like to play the same games that are on the 2600, but with better graphics. Those weird analog controllers sound interesting and fun to try. I don’t want a computer that plays games. I want a console based on a computer that plays games that don’t need updates, patches, drivers, configuration, and best of all it starts in seconds on retro consoles.

Edited August 22, 2018 by adamchevy

[spacecadet]

The group I don't understand is the 'Moar Power' group. The ones that have so heavily modified their systems that they're almost unrecognizable. You know, like the people who put super upgraded graphic chips in their system that weren't around at the time and no software supports or those massive accelerators that make the system run 20x faster than it normally would. I always wonder "Why?". But to each their own, I suppose it's like tricking out a sports car or something.

Generally I feel the same way, although I think with computers it's a little different, because there were always storage expansions, accelerators and other things we wanted at the time and would have bought if they were available (or cheap enough), and sometimes it just took this long to get them. So buying 8MB of RAM, a flash storage product, or a CPU accelerator card for my Apple IIGS... these are just things I always wanted even back in the day because the system has limitations without them, and it's just that I can finally afford them or they're finally available. Computers like the Apple II and IBM PC were always meant to be customized and expanded, even in ways the manufacturer never thought of. If a system actually *supports* an upgrade, that makes it legit in my eyes. It was designed for it, even if it took this long to get it.

 

If you need to break out the soldering iron and/or Dremel to get a system to accept an upgrade, though, that's usually where I draw the line. One exception is to overcome artificial limitations like region locks on game consoles, which are a restriction specifically *added* by manufacturers for business reasons, not anything endemic to a system's technological design or the era it's from (and plenty of people did mods like that at the time, with any given console). But otherwise, physical alteration is usually turning a system into something it wasn't meant to be. People are of course free to do whatever they want with the stuff they own, but I just wouldn't do something like installing an RGB mod in an Atari 2600. If you want your games to look that modern, just play an emulator or get a Retron77 or something - it's just as faithful and realistic as RGB output from a 2600 (which is to say, neither is). I don't really understand buying a console that's specifically of a certain time and then trying to make its output look modern to begin with, but especially when there are plenty of easier, cheaper and less destructive ways of doing it.

 

The other group that makes me scratch my head (but in a different way) are the 'Power Users'. The people who still use their Atari's to do all their word processing or their Coleco Adam for filing their recipes or whatnot. It's cool and all I guess, but I just don't get the appeal.

I think this group is probably pretty small but I know it exists too and I don't understand it either. I think this is just an inability to compartmentalize.

[thetick1]

I don't really understand buying a console that's specifically of a certain time and then trying to make its output look modern to begin with, but especially when there are plenty of easier, cheaper and less destructive ways of doing it.

 

 

True but there are some almost modern options. The Vampire FPGA accelerator cards actually make an old Amiga useful but certainly not modern standards. There will soon be a new standalone Amiga using the latest Altera/Intel FPGAs that will be able to handle modern computer tasks (modern web browsing, mp3 playing, youtube etc..)

 

http://www.apollo-accelerators.com/files/V4_announcement_v1_5.pdf

Edited August 22, 2018 by thetick1

[atarilovesyou]

A while ago, I gave some silly names to the life stages of classic game fandom I've experienced so far.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/279410-traits-of-a-classic-gamer/

 

Pretty sure we are all pundit-wankers to be talking about this at such length. The real gamers don't have time for all this offgassing.

More power to those who use forums (any forum, any hobby) as a supplement to their hobby...rather than the forums overtaking the limited time they have to spend on said hobby.

 

Just like facebook can pull you away from living actual life, so can these forums, any forum. Who has time to go to the gym when I need to read about the latest discussion on supplements and training? Who has time to practice scales and chords when you have to find out the latest and greatest gear on some guitar forum?

 

Time!...

 

Time!...

 

Time!...

Edited August 22, 2018 by atarilovesyou

[Trinity]

I predict both events will occur at exactly the same time.

 

 

Sad,,, But true.

[derFunkenstein]

It's just video games. They're supposed to be fun.

That pretty much covers all the bases.

 

I don't really have friends that are into retro gaming. I have a few that still have their own SNES hooked up to an old CRT in the basement, but they're not exactly wild about it. They think it's neat their kids play Super Mario World like they did at that age, but it's nothing more than a curiosity. To me, it's like...this is what I do in my free time. I play games. I've raised my daughter to play games. My wife plays games. We just like playing games in my house. And for the most part, those games are old and super cool.

Edited August 22, 2018 by derFunkenstein

[Tempest]

Generally I feel the same way, although I think with computers it's a little different, because there were always storage expansions, accelerators and other things we wanted at the time and would have bought if they were available (or cheap enough), and sometimes it just took this long to get them. So buying 8MB of RAM, a flash storage product, or a CPU accelerator card for my Apple IIGS... these are just things I always wanted even back in the day because the system has limitations without them, and it's just that I can finally afford them or they're finally available. Computers like the Apple II and IBM PC were always meant to be customized and expanded, even in ways the manufacturer never thought of. If a system actually *supports* an upgrade, that makes it legit in my eyes. It was designed for it, even if it took this long to get it.

 

But those things DID exist back in the day and were fairly common upgrades (much like the Amiga, accelerators were almost expected in the IIgs for some games). I'm talking about people who add 2GB of memory to their Atari 8-bits or overclock their Atari STs with 060's and whatnot. Nothing wrong with it, I just don't see the appeal when nothing uses it. The 7800 XM module also falls into this category for me as it's not so much an expansion as much as a totally new system being slapped onto the old one.

 

Sorry for going off topic.

[John Stamos Mullet]

 

But those things DID exist back in the day and were fairly common upgrades (much like the Amiga, accelerators were almost expected in the IIgs for some games). I'm talking about people who add 2GB of memory to their Atari 8-bits or overclock their Atari STs with 060's and whatnot. Nothing wrong with it, I just don't see the appeal when nothing uses it. The 7800 XM module also falls into this category for me as it's not so much an expansion as much as a totally new system being slapped onto the old one.

 

Sorry for going off topic.

First thing I thought of when I read that. I mean - adding ram and Pokey to support more games that already used those features on-cart made total sense, even the hi-score cart is a nice extra that was originally intended by Atari, but then when they added the Yamaha chip and the SIO port and started talking about keyboards and such - they lost me.

[Tempest]

First thing I thought of when I read that. I mean - adding ram and Pokey to support more games that already used those features on-cart made total sense, even the hi-score cart is a nice extra that was originally intended by Atari, but then when they added the Yamaha chip and the SIO port and started talking about keyboards and such - they lost me.

Well technically the keyboard was planned for the 7800 (not sure about the SIO port although I know they were planning on using 8-bit peripherals with it somehow). Still, my point is more about people who graft on modern parts to old systems until the original system is basically just a power supply pass through because the 'add-on' does everything.

[John Stamos Mullet]

Well technically the keyboard was planned for the 7800 (not sure about the SIO port although I know they were planning on using 8-bit peripherals with it somehow). Still, my point is more about people who graft on modern parts to old systems until the original system is basically just a power supply pass through because the 'add-on' does everything.

Don't you talk about my 32x that way.

[Flojomojo]

32x is a true hybrid though, isn't it? The Genesis does the 2D and the 32x does the polygons right?

 

Off topic posts are like "drifting away from the scene," no?

[Cynicaster]

I have never been a collector, and what little inclination I ever had to acquire stuff has pretty much dissipated. I'm pretty sure my "collection" today is the same as it was 6-7 years ago. I find myself gravitating to the convenient, space-saving, reliable, experience of emulation with its multi-platform availability, clear displays, and perfectly-functioning controllers. Another thing I like about emulation is how you can tinker with it to tweak the experience to your liking, which really appeals to my nature.

 

As for the "scene" aspect, I still enjoy hanging out at Atariage, although I agree with VectorGamer in that it's hard to find discussion topics that haven't been retread a million times. Aside from that, I still enjoy watching the odd well-produced video, and participating in friendly online score competitions.

 

For me, the whole "hobby" is just like a big candy store that serves as a means to blow off steam in an innocent and non-serious way. Where some people do this by watching The Bachelor, I do it with retro games. Some might call it "escapism" but I'm not crazy about that term because it sounds like you're running from something, which I don't think applies to my situation.

 

Meeting this need is part of the reason why I stick with retro rather than modern games. If I kept finding myself lost in and committed to 200+ hour games, I think I'd start to find it depressing and burdensome and overly wasteful from a time standpoint. I'm also certain it would strain my marriage. I've got a lot of other things making demands on my time, so if I must include video games in my life (which I want to do because I enjoy it), then retro is the only right-sized solution, and I'm 100% happy with that.

[Keatah]

Off topic posts are like "drifting away from the scene," no?

 

We're adrift !!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

[RevEng]

[...]Pretty sure we are all pundit-wankers to be talking about this at such length. The real gamers don't have time for all this offgassing.

I find I have more time for discussion on AA than actual gaming lately, but even so the pundit-wankery reinforces my retro gaming habit.

 

I fully admit I may not be a real gamer. Where does one get the accreditation these days?

[Keatah]

I find I have more time for discussion on AA than actual gaming lately, but even so the pundit-wankery reinforces my retro gaming habit.

 

I fully admit I may not be a real gamer. Where does one get the accreditation these days?

 

You don't actually get accreditation anywhere for this sort of thing. It is self-given!

[Flojomojo]

I fully admit I may not be a real gamer. Where does one get the accreditation these days?

 

You'd better get on the stick. There are many pre-requisites:

 

1. Spend at least 50% of your income on a "streaming rig" so you can broadcast boring MMOs and MOBAs in exchange for advertising crumbs

2. Make at least 11 posts per day deriding "console peasants" and referring to your PC ownership as the "master race"

3. If pursuing the "retro game" credential, must have at least two 6-foot IKEA BILLY (or equivalent) shelves full of boxed games, SNES preferred but N64, NES, Genesis, and Atari 2600 are permissable

4. Take at least one monthly online dump on casual pastimes such as mobile gaming, plug-n-play toys, and any game that does not feature burly men

5. Achieve a body mass index of 26 at a minimum, more is better