Homebrew

[ubersaurus]

Ok, Basically, having talked it over with my friend, we decided to do games based on the supercharger, since buying cds and burning them is easier then getting all the cart stuff together, and more RAM is sweet. We've got a few ideas that I'll announce when I'm finished boning up on Assembly to actually start development. All I can say is that we have two arcade ports in mind. My main thing though, here, is this-Superchargers aren't exactly in great number, nor are cuttle carts (this being the final run of them), so I was thinking, who would be interested in buying new premodded superchargers? One of our group is good with electronics and may be able to whip up some, since these games are using that technology, it would be easier for people to play. Throw ideas my way.

[Junie]

Let me say this has nothing to do with custom PCB's, as I know many of you think it does.

 

Anyway I personally do not like the fact I am buying a game on a cassette that is easily destroried. Or even worse a CD in which if you simply clean it wrong you can scratch it and then it's worthless.

 

Not to mention having to buy some expensive new hardware/or hard to find original hardware to play the limited amount of games, I personally think the idea is very cool though. But there is no way I could afford to do it.

 

When I think of Atari I think of Carts, not cassettes or CD's-- Maybe I am just to old fashioned?

[Junie]

I forgot to mention, I do wish you and your friends the best of luck.

 

Perhaps in a few years it'll become cheaper, the hardware can be found at thrift stores, or when it is "obsolete" and gets some age I might collect it too

[cschell]

quote:

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Originally posted by ubersaurus:

One of our group is good with electronics and may be able to whip up some, since these games are using that technology, it would be easier for people to play. Throw ideas my way.

---

 

I don't see how making new Superchargers from scratch would be any easier than making homebrew carts. You'll still have to make PCBs, program eproms, and some sort of custom chip as well to emulate the Supercharger's functions.

 

Also, don't forget that you'll need a license from Bridgestone Multimedia to put out new Superchargers or anything else using their audio format.

 

Chad

[ubersaurus]

Eh, it was just a thought. But I question also, why did you put out a section on programming supercharger games with your cuttle cart, as well as advertising it as having 64k to program games with, when as it turns out, it's illegal to do so? I'm missing something here.

 

[ 11-15-2001: Message edited by: ubersaurus ]

[cschell]

I think you're misunderstanding what is illegal. Putting out new, original Supercharger games is perfectly legal, and you have no need to contact Bridgestone about that.

 

Putting out a new Supercharger, as in the hardware itself, is (most likely) illegal (without a license). This includes new devices that decode the Supercharger audio format on the 2600. That's why I had to get a license for the Cuttle Cart, because it is new hardware that uses the original Supercharger format. At one point it actually used the Supercharger decoding routines and display ROM as well. But I replaced the routines with newer, faster ones of my own. Sadly, this is not sufficient to eliminate the need for a license given today's ridiculous new copyright laws.

 

I hope the clears that up.

 

Chad

[ubersaurus]

Ooooh, ok ;p you worded that really oddly. I was confused. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Ze_ro]

Y'know, you can program a game and test it out using a Supercharger or Cuttle Cart, and when you think it's done, you can get Hozer to actually make you a cartridge of the game. You can even make your own label if you want. It's not like you have to make all the cartridges yourself (Hozer takes old Pac-man, Combat, and E.T. cartridges and gives them new lives as homebrew games).

 

This is what I was planning on doing when I get enough time to actually hunker down and work on the game I've been planning...

 

--Zero

[ubersaurus]

Yeah, but I would rather not support such behavior. I don't believe in the destruction of historical objects.

[mvigor]

When I read in the Cuttle Cart manual that it had 64K of space to use. I almost started drooling.

 

Will someone with the know-how PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make a 64K game? Just a demo would be pretty cool. Maybe just a ROM with encoded speech, like at the beginning of QuadrunQuadrunQuadrun.

 

Maybe Chad Schell will release a 64K game demo ROM, just so that people can see that their cuttle cart is totally amazingly capable. How about it?

[mvigor]

Also, everyone, please know that the cuttle cart is worth many times what it is being sold for.

 

The cuttle cart is the ultimate, final answer to organizing your collection. Just burn yourself a few CDs and then put your collection in some boxes in the storage room. When you want to look at the carts every year or two, get them out. Otherwise, just keep the CC and a portable CD player under the TV.

 

The cuttle cart only costs $100, which is the same amount you will spend picking up 6 $16 4K carts from Hozer, or less than 5 $21 8K carts. That is NOT MUCH compared to the capabilities.

 

Also remember that you get the Stella Gets a New Brain CD, which is EVERY supercharger game and lots of bonus tracks, a (something like) $25 value, thrown in as a bonus with your $100 expense.

 

I imagine that a 64K homebrew cartridge would cost $30 or $40 to produce. But if you have the cuttle cart, all you have to do is pay the $5 (or so) royalty to the author and then, with permission, burn your own CD.

 

I can't say enough good things about it.

[Ze_ro]

quote:

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Originally posted by ubersaurus:

Yeah, but I would rather not support such behavior. I don't believe in the destruction of historical objects.

---

 

I think homebrews are worth more than any of the Combat's, ET's, or Pacman's out there... In my opinion, you're doing the cartridge a favor! Better than leaving it to rot in the bottom of someone's collection amungst 30 of the same cartridge.

 

--Zero

[atari70s]

ok im gonna say my game Mad Atarian. its an 8 bit game but its gonna be Phat. and when i learn to do it to 2600 or give to randy to do the 2600 if he wants to your gonna think its PHAT too. think randy would want it if its only in 8 but. think hed convert it and make it an HOZER exclusive?

[ubersaurus]

but soon that 30 goes to 25, then 17, then 3, and then pretty soon people will start looking actively for these games. No matter what you think, it's destroying something someone else put alot of work into. I mean, I'm not gonna go out, scrape the painting of a canvas, and put something new on it. That's what I equate gutting carts for other things to. Granted, I do have a cuttle cart, but I consider that an exception, being as uber useful as it is.