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Hello all, Here are the updated NTSC and PAL60 demo ROMs for Galagon (aka Galaga). PLEASE NOTE: If you plan on playing this in an emulator, you must use the latest version of Stella (6.0.1) or Stellarator. The game works on the Harmony (and Encore) with BIOS 1.0.5 or higher. The game is full functional with the following changes: Savekey support has been disabled After completing stage 8, the game goes back to stage 1 The word "DEMO" is displayed on the title screen. There have been numerous changes since the last demo ROMs. Thanks to all the suggestions and recommendations! We are looking to finish the game up in the next couple of weeks in preparation for the game's release at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in mid-October, so any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks, John changed title screen to "Galagon" (thanks Nathan!) to coincide with the official name change from Galaga to "Galagon" the repeat fire response is faster for difficulty A (no autofire) removed the "150" score display during gameplay for killing a boss in formation (still displayed in the SCORING screen), moved enemies closer together on first wave of challenge stage so you can hit them as they fly in, per the arcade changed blue bee loop pattern so it doesn't fly as low under your ship fixed a bug where you could change skill level by pressing left/right on the Credits screen the breathing/expanding sound is stopped when there are no ships left in formation increase star blinking speed to better match the arcade added SFX when selecting the skill level (bee sound when decreasing, butterfly sound when increasing) removed the boss destroy sound after a 1000 point bonus on the challenge stage. It now plays the sound of the last enemy destroyed, per the arcade fixed SFX for special ships to match the arcade: scorpion: boss destroyed SFX Galaxian: boss hit once SFX all others: butterfly (red enemy) destroyed SFX (was the bee sound) you can now cycle through the number of players on the title screen by pressing the Joystick 2 button changed order of enemies flying in to match the arcade (blue bees are flown in last) fixed the order of flyin patterns 4 and 5 on stage 1 (they were reversed) move the wrap around enemies so they don't fly off the edges of the screen changed it so enemy ships don't fire when they're really close to your ship updated ship explosion sound (thanks Ross!) add "PLAYER 1&2" message when both ships are active during co-cop no fire on flyin for NOVICE until level 4; fire on flyin for ADVANCED on level 1 added in CHALLENGE MODE: Select CHALLENGE MODE by pressing left or right on the title page until CHALLENGE MODE appears for the skill level Challenge mode can be 1 or 2 player, or even 2 player co-op! The object of Challenge Mode is to clear as many challenge stages before you run out of ships while obtaining a high score The rules of Challenge Mode are: You always start with a double ship with 2 in reserve Extra ships are earned the same as in a regular game: 20,000, 70,000 and every 70,000 after that All stages are challenge stages. After a challenge stage is complete: If you have double ships: Perfect score: no change If you hit 38 or more enemies, you will lose a reserve ship, keeping the double ship. If you don't have a reserve ship, you will lose one of your double ships. If you hit 30 or more enemies, you will lose one of your double ships. If you hit < 30 enemies, you lose BOTH double ships If you have a single ship: Perfect score: Bonus ship awarded as a double ship Otherwise, you lose a ship added in CO-OP mode. To select CO-OP mode, press the SELECT switch (or Joystick Button 2) to cycle the # of players until 2 PLAYER CO-OP is displayed. Select the skill level for CO-OP: In NOVICE and CHALLENGE MODE, both players start the game since both ships are active The object of CO-OP mode is the same as a 1 PLAYER game except both players are working together to achieve 1 score. When there is one ship, the player controlling the ship alternates each time a player ship is destroyed or captured. When there are two ships, each player controls one of the ships and can independently move and fire! Player 1's ship has RED trim, Player 2's ship has BLUE trim Players cannot cross each other's path Players can 'push' the other player by moving their ship against the other ship. Players can resist being pushed by moving the joystick towards the other ship. The rules of CO-OP for a regular game (NOVICE, STANDARD or ADVANCED): PLAYER 1 starts in control of the ship (RED trim), except in NOVICE mode where both ships are active to start. In this case, PLAYER 1 controls the left ship (RED trim) and PLAYER 2 controls the right ship (BLUE trim) When there is 1 ship being controlled, the RESERVE ships are trimmed in the color of the player who will control the *next* ship. When a ship is destroyed, if there are reserve ships, the *other* player will take control of the next ship. When a ship is captured, if there are reserve ships, the *other* player will take control of the next ship. Note that if a ship is destroyed while the other is captured, the player captured will control the ship and the player that was destroyed will now be captured When a ship is rescued, BOTH players will now each control one of the ships (PLAYER 1 controls the RED trim ship and PLAYER 2 controls the BLUE trim ship). Note that the ship that was rescued will always be on the RIGHT while the ship that did the rescuing will be on the LEFT Both players are working towards one high score. The game ends when all ships have been destroyed and there are none left in reserve. At the end of the game, hit/miss results are displayed for each player. If a high score is obtained, only one set of initials are entered. The rules of CO-OP for CHALLENGE MODE: Both players are active to start (PLAYER 1 controls the RED trim ship on the left and PLAYER 2 controls the BLUE trim ship on the right) If there are double ships and 1 ship is lost, the ship on the left is removed (the ship that has been active the longest) When there is 1 ship being controlled, the RESERVE ships are trimmed in the color of the player who will control the *next* ship. When a ship is destroyed, if there are reserve ships, the *other* player will take control of the next ship. Both players are working towards one high score. The game ends when all ships have been destroyed and there are none left in reserve. At the end of the game, hit/miss results are displayed for each player. If a high score is obtained, only one set of initials are entered. galaga_dmo_v2_PAL60.bin galaga_dmo_v2_NTSC.bin12 points
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This all started a few days ago when I decided it would be nice to have at least one real Atari printer in my collection. In fact I not only didn't have a compatible printer, but also no SIO to Parallel Printer interface adapter. Of course I could always use the RespeQt method via my Lotharek SIO2PC-USB to bring it over to my PC for printing, but I just thought what the heck, why not do it the old school way just for kicks. Since its been such a long time that I last owned such a beast, I sent an email to Bob Woolley asking him what he thought a good Atari printer would be. I was thinking some sort of dot matrix because I certainly didn't want to mess with the likes of the 1027 for letter quality (yes I know that's what Atari advertised it as, but we all know that's a stretch). So he mentioned the 1025, and something called the XDM121. I knew what the 1025 was, but what the heck was an XDM121? So I did a little research and discovered something I never knew existed... a real honest to goodness letter quality Daisy Wheel printer with an SIO interface. And in my search for more info on this printer, I came across a page on the Best Electronics website saying they had it, and were selling it for $99 marked down from $125 (P/N: CBM102015). This was NOS and still in the original box advertised as coming with a 10 pitch Daisy Wheel, one carbon ribbon cartridge, an SIO cable, and the original printed manual. I decided to jump on it and sent off an email to Bradley over at Best. He responded by that evening, saying that he hadn't sold one of those printers in 5 years due to the size and the weight, but said he would make an exception since I was close by (same state, about a 2 hour drive away). I used PayPal to send him the money, and it arrived the very next day (WOW that was quick). So here's my quick and dirty review. First the unboxing pics... Yes I know my address is on the box, so feel free to send me free stuff . Never mind its too small to read. Drats I guess no free stuff coming my way . Packed very nicely, looks to be original as done by Atari. Very old yucky sticky brown tape, luckily not directly used on anything of value. I love new stuff!!!! IMPORTANT: Don't forget to remove these 2 screws before turning on the printer. Here it is in all of its glory Very clean inside with easy access. Not just one, but two SIO jacks. Power input and ON/OFF switch, as well as a connection for the optional tractor or single sheet feeder. I don't know if Atari put these on or Bradley, but they had to go. And now a short unprofessional video demonstrating it in use... Notes: I see that the Automatic Single Sheet feeder is listed in the Best Catalog for $49.95 (P/N: CB102024). I might investigate and see if this is still available.8 points
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hit a garage sale today, found a sears heavy sixer with 2 cx 10s, the grey psu and a couple of gatefold boxes pretty happy with that8 points
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This update contains a major redesign where changes to the workspace (loading, adding segments, selecting a segment, changing the font, ...) are handled as events in a model-view-controller style. This has removed a lot of redundant code and allows for a more structured approach to handle selections, selection changes and in future font changes. Of course that also means, some things may be not yet as they should be, so I'm looking forward to feedback. Part of the restructuring results are: - A new dialog allows changing the machine type/computer system when a new workspace is created. All dependent elements (system equates, computer font, ...) should be updated accordingly, when the computer system is changed. - Ctrl-N works now for creating a new workspace - "Merge contiguous segments" in the context menu of the segment list now works again. The log contains a summary message of the result. - "Delete Bad Segments" has been removed from the context menu of the segment list. It didn't work before and the file logic prevents incorrect files from being loaded anyway. - All file operations now give the file path, error code and error text in the log message in case of errors - Workspaces where no segments have the "binary" flag set are now handled correctly, i.e. no dump anymore.8 points
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I agree: it's perfectly acceptable, but he wasn't banned from AtariAge for selling Atari 8-bit software. He wasn't banned from AtariAge for refusing to offer digital downloads, either, and if he has a rod up his ass about people asking for them, he need simply provide a convincing argument against or simply ignore everyone who asks for them. However, the marketing strategy is clearly driven by rampant paranoia. I don't think it's necessarily a pity that those who persistently flout forum rules end up getting banned (and one has to work hard to be banned from this forum), regardless of whether they contribute to the Atari software pool or not. A great way to proceed is to contribute to the Atari software pool while simultaneously abiding by the rules. But quite apart from the fact multiple accounts are forbidden under forum rules, the fact shill accounts were employed both on and off-site in order to promote products and hoodwink potential customers is the really sad part. If one produces a decent product, the market will usually ensure there's a demand for it without the need for an elaborate tissue of lies, misrepresentation, and victim-playing.7 points
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6 points
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Hi all, I have had quite a few requests for my lists in the past so I thought I would share them with the world (well AA anyway). These are quite accurate but I may have missed posting a few I have sold. If nothing else they are a fairly good reference for variations. I have pictures of all six sides of the boxes and scans of all the front and back of the manuals. Please enjoy them and ask questions if you have any. HJ Intellivision Boxed Games New School.doc Intellivision Boxed Games.doc Intellivision Cartridges.doc Intellivision Instruction Manual Collection.doc Intellivision Overlay Collection.doc5 points
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In honor of Stephen Wrenn Smith, Good Deal Games is releasing the ROM to his excellent ROAD DUEL game. I think that Stephen would approve if he was still with us. I want as many people to be able to play his game as possible. In case you don't know, Stephen was the first and only legally blind programmer to design and program a game for the Atari 2600. I was honored when he chose my little company to publish it. Due to several interruptions resulting from health issues (such as cardiac arrest) the typical 4-9 month development cycle was prolonged to over seven years. Regardless, he pulled off his childhood dream of making his own Atari game and I was so proud of him. KUDOS again to you, buddy! May you get a perfect score playing 'Road Duel' in Heaven. The conventions won't be the same without you. Best, Michael of GDG's Homebrew Heaven www.GoodDealGames.com Road Duel.bas.bin5 points
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I wrote a quick-and-dirty tool to convert arbitrary images to a 3-colour interleaved chronocolour(TM) format. The idea was that I was going to use this for a full-screen title, and I wanted to see if it would work. Well, it's a bit kludgy but here's a few examples... no flicker, of course, and actually not too bad. I think this is going to work. Screenshots only - binary looks exactly the same... colours are kind of arbitrary; I haven't spent a lot of time trying to get them "good"... Edit: When I say "3-colour" I meant 3 scanlines of set colours. But the image itself is effectively 8 colours, using combinations of those scanlines. You can sort-of-see this if you count the colours in the SOKOBOO screen.5 points
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5 points
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To make it more convenient, here are all the entries in one disk image, one zipped FIAD folder, and a PDF of the instructions. TENLINER.DSK TENLINER.zip DOCS.pdf5 points
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5 points
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The very detailed and in-depth research of POKEY by @pavros, continuation of work of beloved @analmux et al. has been just published on atarionline.pl (http://atarionline.pl/v01/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1564612394&archive=&start_from=0&ucat=1&ct=nowinki). It was previously available in the latest issue of Atari Fan - twenty pages of dense wizardry, but now you can download the whole thing including demo programs and source code. Unfortunately the whole saga is in Polish language only, but we shall be able to help somehow if such a help is needed. The pack is here: http://atarionline.pl/pliki/pavros_znieksztalcenie_C.7z4 points
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My wife and I went to KansasFest this year. What a great event! The Apple guys rent out a college dorm room and cafeteria at Rockhurst University, Kansas City. The week-long event is like going to retro computer camp with 100 like minded individuals. Each day they have scheduled events from 8am to past midnight. You sleep in a dorm room which was actually quite comfortable. The food was good too! You leave the dorm room door open to welcome visitors. Of course everything is mostly Apple // related. I did get to see and talk about other systems at the event: Atari 400, TI-99/4A, MAME arcade, and CoCo. There were podcasters from the retro community related shows as well: Jason Scott, Antic, retro computing round table, assembly lines, etc. In the first day they get together for a giant give-away. Here’s a few shots of the offerings: The pile had a TI-99/4A. It wasn’t working but one dorm room has techs who repair things all day long. They replaced a bad RAM chip for the recipient. Yes, I’ve pointed him in the direction of this forum and Arcadeshopper’s store! The CoCo guy had a version of Hunt the Wumpus he cloned from the TI-99/4A. I thought that was pretty cool: I had no idea this existed?!?!? Hopefully -next year- some 99er reading this may consider KansasFest so the we can get a small "TI-Mafia" presence at the event. It’s basically retro computer camp for adults. I hesitated to attend KansasFest since I figured it was all Apple //. Not true. The attendees were very interested anytime I brought up the TI-99/4A and/or demo’d my game project. Lots of questions about TIpi, Matt’s 32k, F18A, nanoPEB, and the TI homebrew scene. They’re open to a TI-99/4A presentation next year. Anyone want to help? Super cheap billeting and food for a week long event. Much, much, much more enjoyable than anticipated. Imagine attending college with only geeks, no homework, and dozens of retro related events...late night hacking...etc. Enjoyed it so much I thought I’d share the experience with the TI community. Red cups and wine:) Who knew the Apple // guys were so cool?3 points
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Yeah, there was a lot of "you're not a real gamer" in that bleak period. Here's a nice little essay that sums it up. There were lots of these at the time and Kotaku was particularly vocal about valuing inclusion and diversity when the mainstream culture was not. https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2017/09/22/you-are-not-a-real-gamer I'm gratified that retroland generally doesn't seem to have that flavor of exclusion mentality. Maybe that stems from our time scrounging old shit no one wanted from thrift shops and dumpster diving. Retro for me has always been a cheap low-end diversion, the polar opposite of framerate-chasing, overclocking, so-called "pc master race." ?3 points
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3 points
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3 points
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Thierry Nouspikel has both the RS232 source code and his patch on his website (the itself patch can be a bit difficult to find). The patch is basically in two sections - one part with the interrupt handling code and the other with the clock/baudrate code. I divided the patch, assembled the clock/baud rate portion and separately the entire patch together (I now had three files - RS232, clock/baudrate, and complete patch). I used the RAG Linker to create two files - one with just the clock/baudrate mod and RS232 code and the other with the whole patch and the RS232 code. Then, I removed the first 6 bytes of the both linked files with a hex editor (to remove information created by the Linker) so the file had the correct >AA01 recognition byte as the first byte. I then searched the file for the hex string containing the code for <DEL> and replaced it with the code for the true backspace and replaced it. The end result were the .bin files as I posted previously. Not difficult but just a bit tedious.3 points
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3 points
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While traipsing about the interwebs, I stumbled on this 2018 PC remake of T&T. For those that like the game, I think you'll really enjoy this: https://warlock-entertainment.itch.io/trollsomega Just thought I'd share.3 points
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Only if the lights are left on and the attendees aren't shushed from 8am-midnight Not sure I could handle a full week but the venue and way they do this is really cool. I think it would be a hoot to go for the experience!3 points
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It warmed my heart that the first thing he asked he asked him about the Ataco Console was playing Mario. The "oh, fuck me" look on Fred's face was priceless. When he said "everyone is playing video games" and Varney replied "I don't", that was also a nice highlight. "You will!" says Fred,"No, I don't play them!" Stuart insists !3 points
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3 points
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So the deadline has passed and we have 10 entries this year, including two utilities: Florian Dingler - Full House Poker BAHA Software - Train 3 Frantisek Houra - multi 10 James Wilkinson, Daniel Wilkinson & Bob Follett - Dungeon Hunt II Kamil Trzaska - 601F Holger Bommer - ATFILE 1.1 Jason Kendall - Block On Legs: First Steps e474 - ATR Maker Deluxe Martin Simecek, Michal Radecki, Piotr Radecki, Chris Bradburne, John Blythe - Castle Defender Vladimir Jankovic - Warriors Due to the amount of entries which sometimes include more than one disk, the preparation of the contest disks will take some time, so please be patient. We will inform everybody in the forums once you can download it from the members section of the ASC website. Cheers, F.3 points
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Well, my 10% chance happened and I've managed to submit at least somewhat playable game Small beateamup game for two players. Last man standing wins. Find your player 2 and have fun kicking each others ass Was planned to be full sized game, but this is what you get just for taste More to come. Cheers! Vladimir3 points
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I buried a release of the tile engine, that Thomas and I wrote from 2003-2011, in the Sokoban forum. I am re-posting the source code here, so that I have a logical place to explain how it all works, how to use it, and answer any questions. Basically, this is a generic character-graphics display for the '2600 using characters 4 PF pixels wide x 21 scanlines in height, with each group of 3 scanlines being a triad of colours and the pixel on/off status in each scanline forming one of 8 'colours' given that colour triad being used in combinations. It's a tad more complex that that, but that's the gist of it. The tile engine was used to develop Boulder Dash(TM). Thomas and I retained copyright on the engine itself, with a view to eventually releasing it. Well, here it is. If you have any questions about how it works, here is the place to ask. The engine uses the $3E bankswitching scheme. sokoboo_SOURCE_CODE_20190728.zip2 points
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Haha, the XDM121 printer sounds like a typewriter! But I am missing the "ding" at the end of the line:2 points
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Love the Atari Artist (or similar) drawn schematics! Wasn't Incognito 2 simply the second run but with identical specs while Incognito 3 is SD-based instead of CF?2 points
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Yes, I collect underwear. To wear, not to display or keep new in the package. I'm not a hardcore underwear wearer. I (usually) put on a fresh clean pair every day.2 points
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There are alternatives and it has been noted what the real guts of the printer are elsewhere in the threads, just can't remember it atm, the ribbon cartridge and wheels are interchangeable. I think there was one wheel that needed a translation for a couple of differences though.2 points
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Looking good James! You are asking good questions too. Take your time and inspect after every solder session for good clean solder joints and look for any solder bridges that may formed. Reviewing this thread for builder issues to avoid and flashjazzcat's videos will keep your project moving a long nicely. Mike2 points
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2 points
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GamerGate - Anita Sarkeesian created a video series called Tropes vs Women in video games. Anyone who has done scholarly research and been asked to analyze a piece of literature or other art form will recognize that she is specifically applying a critical theory to the art form of video games. She points out the use of tropes and applies Feminist Theory. She could have applied Colonial, Marxist, or Post Modern theory, but that was not the point. She applies Feminist Theory which has a set of pre-defined characteristics. As part of her analysis, she identifies the Tropes used over and over again in video games to depict women (some ARE positive). As you can imagine, women are not portrayed in video games with much diversity, so the examination revealed some very negative portrayals and stereotypes. DudeBros saw it as an attack on all things they love about video games, and a small group launched an online campaign to silence people supporting the videos. Use of the hashtag #gamergate became a common rallying cry and was abused to the point of threatening people and women who said anything about the industry needing to change regarding the characterization of women (or minorities) in games. Anita got MANY death threats at the height and refused to do public appearances for some time. I think that has died down now, but I haven't kept up. I think I saw her in a Maroon 5 video not too long ago.2 points
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The arcade version just doesn't give enough lift or hold enough lift per flap (a fault of the NES version as well), nor do the fall rate/bounces feel accurate or consistent. So it plays slow and it fights the actual point of the game (being able to climb quickly at the last second to gain an advantage, and what happens after you win a joust physics wise). It's a great concept, not perfectly executed. Both the XE and 7800 version play fast and control like butter. Perfecto.2 points
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I just wanted to repeat the well earned praise. The artwork is amazing and the game is like a piece of art itself! Looking forward to its eventual release.2 points
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and more French stuffs than me too (and it's already done actually ^^) ?2 points
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Hmmm, here in Germany we have different plugs (pins) and voltage - would the printer work with 230V or does it require a voltage regulator (230=>110V) ?!? I can easily replace the cable with the plug, but do not know for sure if the printer would work with 230V or if it would be killed that way... Afaik, there is another XE printer, named XMM801. Would be nice to know how the XDM121 compares to it. Think Abbuc PD library (or some other PD library) had printer drivers for the XMM801 available (and even Diamond GOS had drivers for it). On the other hand, Atari never really made printers themselves, so which brand stands behind the XDM121 ?!?2 points
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(beaucoup de Français font l'erreur mais les anglosaxons disent "crash" et non "krach" mais bon, ça ne les empêche pas de comprendre heureusement ?)2 points
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When I went to computer camp in 1982 and 1983, the counsellors were all “blah, blah, if you’re not playing “Moria” on the VAX you’re really not into computers...”, so I’m guessing that fanboi-ism has been a noxious component in computer gaming back to the pre-Spacewar radar smears that would make your eyes melt if you actually tried to “play” them. Nothing new about this at all.2 points
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2 points
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2 points
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Fantastic! I’d get one, but shipping costs to Canada would be exorbitant.2 points
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I usually bring 8 or so systems and that usually includes at least one Inty 2 and a Sears2 points
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2 points
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Yes, it's been a treat watching how this game has evolved over time! It's a fantastic title for the 2600 that really pushes the console to its limits using traditional hardware (this is a 32K SARA game). Óscar, Thomas and Nathan hit it out of the park! ..Al2 points
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Use good quality rosin core 60/40 solder and make sure the iron is hot enough and that the tip is large enough to conduct heat well. If all the prerequisites are satisfied, solder should have no trouble travelling to the other side of the PCB. I'm not sure what kind of solder is in use here, but lead-free alloys are not pleasant to work with in my experience.2 points
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The NES release is a case of "same name, different game". It plays from an exclusively overhead perspective -- kind of like a cross between Dragon Spirit on the NES and the overhead stages of Thunder Force II on the Genesis. The biggest problem is that your velocity is constant and you can't control your speed at all, so you're forced into these constant turns that bog the game down. And there are plenty of other issues -- lack of clear altitude indicators in the terrain, the fact that your enemies can pass through the same obstacles that damage you, the foolish lack of an air-to-ground attack, the tedium of the boss fights...2 points
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2 points
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Hi folks, I've already shown WIP stages of development footage of our game, but here's the final result. The game was done by me, Kamil Trzaska, and Michał Caruso Brzezicki, who contributed with music, which is superb as always. We are teamed up since 10 years or so, and already created couple projects together. The main idea of the game evolved from my C64 project- I thought about creating dynamic 3d envoirment in a unusual way. Then I stopped working on this c64 title, because I had no more ideas how to develop it further. Then, after Forever party I came up with the idea of a golf game- since 3d envoirment was already there. It took me 2 days to port engine to Atari and then the main fun begun- physics! There are two main physics procedures- one for rolling on the ground and one for bouncing. It all involved quite sophisticated algorithm and I can say I'm proud of myself even though there are some inaccuracies sometimes. Well, I hope you folks will enjoy our game, there are 10 regular levels to beat, and there's also a level creator in which you can model the terrain. Thank you!2 points