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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/29/2021 in all areas

  1. Well, that worked nicely... circleFadeDemo.bin
    9 points
  2. Right - that's the flugelhorn's job! (Former) trumpet player here. Still have my horns. Including a vintage rose brass Yamaha YFH-631 flugelhorn (same model Chuck Mangione played... but I could never get that kind of a sound out of it). I suppose I should post something on-topic now. I've probably mentioned this before, but to me, the tools, development environment, programming language or cartridge hardware don't matter at all in terms of the actual quality of a finished game. What matters is the outcome. How much fun is the game to play? How engaging is it? Do I want to play it again, or is it frustrating mess? Having been on the ZPH Award nominating committee a couple of times, I've played dozens (if not hundreds) of homebrews. And what jumps out at me are the details. The details programmers get right, and the details they get wrong. I've played more homebrews than I can count that had amazing concepts and/or cool graphics that catastrophically failed because the programmer reached the "I'm done" point too soon and didn't put in the effort to properly finish the game. They didn't follow through on perfecting the controls or physics or difficulty ramping or enemy AI or other issues that have to do with gameplay that are entirely about programming. Whether they lacked the knowledge or lost interest, the end result was a game that failed to reach its potential. No amount of extra hardware is going to compensate for that. You still have to put in the work, and grind through the tedium of polishing every last aspect of whatever your game is until all of the rough edges are knocked off. And for programmers who don't know how to do that, there are plenty of programmers around here who do, who are perfectly willing to share that knowledge.
    7 points
  3. Welcome to the Mattel Intellivision PCB Database. Your source for the many different versions and makers of Intellivision PCBs. As time goes on any new versions will be added. As well as some photos. If you see any missing post in here. Enjoy! (best viewed on tablet or Pc) http://intellivisionrevolution.com/intellivision-pcb-database
    6 points
  4. Hi all, The first public demo ROMs for Turbo Arcade (NTSC and PAL60) are now available for download on the Champ Games ROM Demo Download page. NOTE: Since this is using the CDFJ 64K bank-switching scheme, it does *NOT* run on Harmony or Harmony Encore (or any multi-cars). The game is only supported in Stella v6.0 or better (for now). Have fun and enjoy the long weekend (US)! John
    6 points
  5. I'm a big fan of the scrolling solution you implemented. It plays VERY well. I like it much better than the various ports where it's smashed onto the screen size.
    6 points
  6. I've done this with a VCS and it's kinda sweet, so @marauder666 followed suit. Seemed rude not to put one in the 7800 also... Starting to get busy in here now! Switch is to disable the Atarivox so you can use a 2nd joystick. Link to @marauder666's install:
    5 points
  7. Was browsing through my local regional brews at the grocery store today and came across this!!!! I am not an IPA fan at all, but had to pick it up for display in the game room!
    5 points
  8. After some testing of the 48K+Axlon version by fellow @1200XL M.U.L.E. and @luckybuck, the attached disks now contain all three binaries from the original disk. As a small bonus, a driver for the CX85 numerical keyboard is automatically loaded. Thanks to @CharlieChaplin for posting his "CX85 library". Syncalc supports these memory configurations with three separate binaries on its disk: any Atari with 48K RAM plus available Axlon memory for up to 245K. 130XE version which uses 128K RAM. special 52K version for 400s and 800s with 4K RAM at $C000. This version crashes if the machine also has Axlon memory installed. Unfortunately Syncalc replaces some memory areas which are used by DOS with own code. Therefore the binaries work only with the exact versions of DOS 2.0 which are on the disks. Most patching is done by the XEX files during loading. After patching DOS lacks these features: NOTE, POINT, burst mode and write DOS. While adding the remaining two binaries today, I found out that the DOS patches even vary between the three binaries, because they make calls back into Syncalc. If you want to check the patches yourself then go to this post where I have added the source code of the original DOS and the version patched for the 48K binary. Some discussions about CX85 can be found in this thread. 90K single and 180K double density disks: Syncalc1985-SD-v1.atr Syncalc1985-DD-v1.atr
    5 points
  9. Keystone Kapers has been modified for the PlusCart High Score Club. PlusCart user/tester can find the PAL, PAL60, SECAM, and NTSC versions in the PlusStore directory "Public ROMs\PlusROMs\High Score Club" The NTSC version can be played online in javatari.js. The ROM-file can also be played with Gopher2600. The "PlusCart High Score Club" page for Keystone Kapers: https://highscore.firmaplus.de/?game_id=40
    5 points
  10. The faithful are insisting that the very fact that l'Atari managed to deliver anything, at all, is proof that they won and no criticism of the project or the company was ever justified.
    5 points
  11. After operating for an hour, I checked the temperature of the (now four) dc-to-dc converters. All registered heat output between 85F and 92F degrees, basically, cool to the touch. A far cry from the typical 150F to 175F degrees experienced with 7805 regulators. The card is operating within a standard PEB. When Richard and I looked at these components a few years ago, they seemed clean "on paper." Neither of us performed any further analysis.
    5 points
  12. Hmmm... Since I've had the pleasure of knowing a little about your tastes over the years, I'm thinking I'm not sure if you really would have liked the final result. Scale everything down, therefore including the horizontal resolution, would mean making the sprites 11 x 11 pixels against the current 14 x 14 pixels of the arcade version, with consequent loss of detail. Furthermore, in the arcade version, the width of the vertical corridors and the height of the horizontal corridors measure the same number of pixels and the same applies to the width / height of the vertical / horizontal walls, instead scaling the resolution down some asymmetries are obtained in the proportions of the corridors and walls of the labyrinth. For example, width of vertical corridors less than height of horizontal corridors, vertical corridors with different widths between them, or narrow vertical walls and too high horizontal walls... I'm just saying that I know you as a perfectionist who doesn't really like this kind of asymmetries... Anyway seriously, I think that full high resolution (with 320 pixel aspect ratio) is an fundamental element that distinguishes this your new Pac-Man Collection 320 from other 8 bit versions and we've been waiting to have the same high resolution as the arcade version for years. And without forgetting that the original (excellent) version of your Pac-Man Collection is also always available, without vertical scrolling and full of colors and gameplay options.
    5 points
  13. The End - 39,480 Robot City - 891 Tower of Rubble - 53
    5 points
  14. Hi. I'm new. My first console was an atari 2600. I like reading, playing rpg's and puzzle games and classic rock.
    4 points
  15. Today I finished updating the earlier-pictured Geneve. Or so I thought. Back in the Cecure days, we kept a mouse and joystick on the test bench. Before returning the card to the customer, we would load up my test programs [some were later cobbled into the CYA program] to verify operation before shipping the card back to the customer. Well, that was 25+ years ago. These days I rarely connect a mouse or joystick to my Geneve, since I mostly use it for programming and without a case or PEB cover, the joystick poses quite the liability to the card. It just so happens that I was playing Barrage a few weeks ago and still had a pair of TI joysticks on the bench. So I rolled my eyes and begrudgingly connected the joysticks to the Geneve, fired up the OS, ran my old test programs... and was quite surprised to discover that the only functional joystick operation was UP. Further inspection of the card revealed a cracked resistor network, RN30. The schematic passively informed me that RN30 is for the mouse but of course, I knew better; the joystick wasn't working and the RN was cracked. The schematic must be wrong. So, I replaced RN30 thinking, "this was easy" only to find that the joystick still didn't work properly. Not knowing where my mouse is hiding, I inspected the joystick resistors/resistor network. Everything ohmed out OK. All that I could think to do was to replace the 9901, which seemed like overkill at the time. I mean, three directions and the fire button? That's a lot of 9901 damage! I replaced the 9901, fired up the test program, and lo-and-behold, the joystick port is now working properly. I re-tested the original 9901 and confirmed the failure. Good grief. Now if I can just find my mouse to confirm that replacing the resistor network took care of that problem, I can consider the card 'complete'. (Edit: Mouse located and tested successfully!) And as an added bonus, I won't need to modify the schematic based on my earlier, faulty assumption. Quite the reminder to test all operating characteristics of the card while it is on the bench. Shame on me for allowing my personal card usage (or lack thereof) to cloud my repair judgment.
    4 points
  16. That is probably not up to the $500 GB gold standard, but oh well, doing what I can with my poor man's version.
    4 points
  17. Biased, of course, but Arcade1Up is rather scraping the bottom of the idea barrel with things like the babycades and the incessant rehashes, so they certainly can reach the point of saturation. Companies like AtGames and iiRcade have a different approach with ecosystems and the ability to buy more software. Both models can succeed, but it's much harder with a solely hardware-based approach long-term versus one that mixes in software and services. Everyone has a limit with how many physical machines they'll buy or can accommodate.
    4 points
  18. Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow https://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-417-computers-expressway-to-tomorrow Imagine this. It's 1983 or 1984. You're drudging through yet another day of middle school or high school. But today, there's a surprise, a break from the monotony. The teacher tells your class to put away their stuff and go to the gym, or the cafeteria, or the auditorium. Today, there will be an assembly. As you and your class -- and all the other classes -- get settled in the uncomfortable folding chairs, or the bleachers, or even the floor, you take in the scene: two large projection screens. Some speakers and audio equipment you haven't seen before. One of your peers is getting ready to run a spotlight. Then, this enthusiastic person -- older than you but really not by much -- explains why you're here. Today, at this assembly, you're going to learn about computers. The lights go down, the spotlight comes up on that energetic host, and you realize this is a different sort of school assembly than you've seen before. Two projectors come on, lighting those two big screens -- it's a synchronized wide-screen movie. The presenter -- that not-much-older-than-you person -- talks to the screens, interacting with the movie and talking to the audience too. It's kind of corny, but your peers seem interested so you keep watching. The show discusses the basics of computer operation, and how computers work differently than the human brain. There's a scene where the computers talk in voices like people. There's a section about robots, and a part where Suzanne Ciani shows how she makes music using computers. It touches on computer art, and the social implications of computers in the world. 40 minutes later, the show is over, and it's back to class. You learned a few things about computers, and talk about the assembly with your friends at lunch. Maybe you'll ask your parents for a computer for your birthday. This scenario played out more or less exactly that way for more than a million middle school and high school students in 1983 and 1984. The assembly was called "Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow" and it was financed by Atari. According to a 1983 article in InfoWorld: "Atari has a fleet of ... people traveling around the country giving the Atari multimedia presentation 'Expressway to Tomorrow' to a minimum of 500 people per performance at high-school assemblies." (Full disclosure, the article claimed "Atari has a fleet of 700 people" putting on the show, but I can't believe that number is accurate. More likely the number was closer to 7.) The traveling show would visit 2,000 schools in 1983, and was booked a year in advance. With the required minimum attendance of 500 students per show, that's a million kids. More than a million kids saw this assembly. that year. The September 1983 issue of Personal Computing magazine said: "Since January 1983, nine separate touring units have crisscrossed the United States, presenting the show to nearly 1,400 public and private schools — a total of 1.2 million students to date. Touring begins again this September after the summer break, and will run through December 1984." In reality, I believe the show ended by mid-1984. According to that article: "The show is a lively one, with the host on stage for the entire presentation. Several film projectors are going at once, filling two huge screens with fast-moving shots. Music is constant throughout. The host is busy either talking to the audience or interacting with characters on screen. ...The program aims to give people [a] feeling of comfort about computing. The show focuses on the many applications of computers today, from storing recipes to teaching a language, to tutoring." What survives of this show today? Not much that I know about so far. We don't have the film or the script. Audio tapes were available to help the presenters learn their lines. Informational packets were produced for teachers to hand out after the assembly. So far, I haven't been able to find anyone who has any of those things. (If you do, contact me!) What I do have is two interviews: memories of that project by one of the performers who went from school to school running the assembly, and the filmmaker. Before we get to the interviews, I want to give some background about the business of producing school assemblies. It turns out that school assemblies are a big business. Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow was one of many shows put on by Rick Trow Productions of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. These shows were often sponsored by corporations, designed to educate kids, but also to get them excited about whatever it was they wanted to promote: taking pictures with Kodak cameras. Going skiing. Buying new music. According to an article in the Boston Globe from 1972 -- this is 11 years before the Atari show, but some of the few hard stats I could find -- Rick Trow Productions staged 7,000 assemblies in 1971, maintained 23 touring companies offering 16 different shows to schools. They put on educational assemblies that promoted products and services from companies that wanted to reach the "youth market" -- CBS Radio, Air France, Eastman Kodak, and others. Its multimedia productions also included titles such as "The Black Experience", "Environment: Challenge to Action", and "The History of Rock and Roll". At the time, according to the article, the company charged a school just $80 per assembly. But by the time of the Atari show in 1983, the company seemed to have changed its business model to offer the shows to schools for free; earning their money entirely from the companies whose products its shows promoted. The companies got access to an audience of young people who might become eager to buy their product (or to ask their parents to get it.) The schools got free access to (hopefully) an educationally worthwhile presentation that would broaden their students' horizons. A classified advertisement by Rick Trow Productions seeking presenters stated that in the early 1980s, presenters could expect to receive a salary of $100 per week during rehearsal period, and $500 per week for salary and expenses while on tour. My first interview is with Veronica Wiseman, who was one of the presenters who traveled from school to school putting on the Atari show. Her name at the time was Ronnie Anastasio. Veronica did three "tours" of Expressway to Tomorrow, from January 1983 through April 1984. (interview) Next, my interview with Dr. Chuck Sterin, the filmmaker. (interview) The interview with Veronica Wiseman took place on October 23, 2020. The interview with Chuck Sterin took place on June 5, 2020. Thanks to Chuck Sterin and Veronica Wiseman, and to Tom Bregatta, Bob Barto, and Frank Darby, who were also presenters who provided background information for this episode. If you remember seeing Computers: Expressway to Tomorrow at a school assembly, I'd love to hear your recollections. If you happen to have any of the materials, such as the script, practice tapes, or the film, please contact me. Check the show notes for links to magazine articles about the show, as well as scans of material that Veronica Wiseman saved, including Rick Trow Productions employee newsletters, a large collection of thank-you and feedback letters from many schools where she presented, and her photographs from that time.
    4 points
  19. As usual, a top-notch game. We need a "Retrospect Retrospective" multi-cart of your work!
    4 points
  20. GameStop will sell anything they can to keep the lights on, from Funko pops to novelty footbaths. If the "release" of the VCS is limited to GameStop, I can't imagine it would be significant enough to even warrant a mention in the real world.
    4 points
  21. That my friend has 110% nothing to do with Atari in any way, shape, or form. That was Llamasoft, namely Jeff Minter and Ivan Zorzin. Developed independently and with zero input from Atari, except when those patent troll bastards sued them. Then, after suing them, the scumbags faked screenshots of Tempest 4000 running on their at the time console that only existed in renders. When questioned about it, Llamasoft said they were not contacted by Atari, they did not work on a Linux port, nor did one exist. I'll never stop telling people that this form of Atari sued Llamasoft - the guys that have the best game on the system, because it's been a PS4 and PC game long before the VCS scam even came about.
    4 points
  22. @batari Well I'd like to confirm that everything I've thrown at it so far (retail) now loads and works on my Pal machine ??? Thank you Fred! I'll need to put in my Pokey now.
    4 points
  23. Torr was planning to play some Fortnite, but his PS5 is installing a massive system update. Since he has time to kill, he thought he'd dig out his trusty Atari 2600 and play some of his old favorites. But it's been a while since the last time he hooked it up, and now his Atari stuff is scattered around the house. Before he can play, he'll have to find his VCS, joystick, power supply and game cartridges and bring them back to the TV. In this game, you control Torr. Move him through the rooms of the house to find everything he needs to play some Yars' Revenge. To collect each item, you'll need to finish a minigame. (Well, eventually. Right now only 2 of the minigames are in the game, and they're a little rough around the edges still. You can just grab the power supply and cartridge without playing a minigame.) Once you have all four items, bring them to the TV room and touch the TV. And that's it. The game ends. You don't get a jewel-encrusted joystick or anything like that. This is still a work in progress. In addition to adding to more minigames, I want to improve the item location randomization and possibly add some sort of rating system that awards you stars when you finish based on how long it takes and how many times you have to play the minigames. Maybe a fifth item if I have room and can think of something (manual? snacks?). BoredQuest 20210529.bin
    3 points
  24. Well, most people would, but there would be that small group that would say how innovative it is that they're grilling dogs with a Fuji logo on them, so shut up and take my money, does it come with bluetooth speakers, maybe they can grill E.T. carts next, Atari is BACK!, etc., etc.
    3 points
  25. Except for the thousands of games it supports natively, drivers that just work, etc. It's ok though - I hear that 2021 will be the year of Linux on the desktop Just like I have been hearing for the past 20 years or so.
    3 points
  26. I uploaded the Atari 400/800 dump to the A8 Preservation site a few months back, I've had the cassette since the early 80s. There was already a version for the XL/XE OS and I was sent a copy of that dump. I'll attach them here, but if there's a reason I shouldn't be sharing the XL version that was sent to me, let me know and I'll remove this post. The manual is available here https://archive.org/details/ACE_Atari_Cassette_Enhancer_manual Geoff A.C.E. - The Atari Cassette Enhancer (1983)(English Software Company)(GB)[!][BASIC].cas A.C.E. The Atari Cassette Enhancer (1983)(English Software)(GB)[ver2.0][OSB][Load with BASIC].cas
    3 points
  27. Wasn't there something about Netflix for moms? Maybe just a false memory...
    3 points
  28. I'll never understand why the VCS community isn't actively raising hell about the fact that T4K still isn't officially on the system, even when considering deep brand loyalty (It doesn't count that you can install the PC version on there - talking about an official port, which is exactly what Atari advertised when they first started begging for money). It's not surprising that Atari has pulled a bait & switch with the VCS, just that the consumers who have "invested" into the thing don't seem to care enough to cause Atari a major headache until they live up to their promises.
    3 points
  29. Just for amusement, I converted this into a SQL database to be able to query it, e.g.: sqlite> SELECT COUNT(*) FROM missing WHERE note LIKE 'type-in%'; 114 sqlite> SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT(company)) FROM missing; 731 My conversion is certainly not perfect. I pasted the text into a file, adding line breaks between each company. I then wrote a parsing script with some simple header/footer detection (dropping the footers) and then proceeded to produce a table that was simply rows of (idx, company, title, note). I made that into a database by producing SQL commands to create the table, insert the rows, and create some indexes. It would be great to adopt some kind of text representation for this data to make it easier for people to explore the data however they want. Anyhow, I've attached my work for anyone who might want to use it. am195.zip
    3 points
  30. Users having more available memory is also spurring the creation of more programs to take advantage of it. It is much more a synergistic change than a one or the other thing.
    3 points
  31. I'd like to see Champ-Packs and SpicePacks in the AA store. This would potentially be a pack of roms and pdfs, for sale, of everything each dev has in the store.
    3 points
  32. For the first time in a while, I had to seriously practice playing the violin. LOTS of shifting on the E string, and my fingers feel like the skin is peeling off. Damn Tchaikovsky.
    3 points
  33. So, this happened: I did music and sfx for a 5200 port of the Intellivision classic Tron: Deadly Discs. Of note: The echoing effects are produced through setting the SKCTL=$8B two tone mode, and using mod 31 settings on the carrier frequency. A decay on the sound gives the echoing effect. This works with the $4x and $0x distortions, and even the $8x as well. The title music uses the hi pass filter on $Ax distortion, double 1.79, to make a saw wave. @VinsCool nicknamed it the "croissant wave" because of its shape
    3 points
  34. NO SWIMMING! It clearly says so!! Also, no running, dancing, or singing!
    3 points
  35. Here you can still find the original (excellent) version of Pac-Man Collection, without vertical scrolling and with the most recent graphic update of the ghosts.
    3 points
  36. If you need any help test printing anything let me know, I have an Ultimaker S5 Pro at work: I know I've got PLA, Tough PLA, ABS and Nylon filaments on hand.
    3 points
  37. All I know is that on April 30th June 8th, Gamestop is gonna bring us the device that lets us game, stream, and connect like never before. LIKE NEVER BEFORE. As long as they're able to stay in business for another week-and-a-half, that is. Can't really say that'll be a certainty, but it is nice to think about.
    3 points
  38. I finally made myself an Evercade video. It's just an overview--so nothing this thread hasn't known for a long time.
    3 points
  39. Atari managed to change hands a couple of times and still retain some degree of relevance in that Tramiel made computers and consoles, and Infogrames made games. Current Atari just licenses out IP and sues people though.
    3 points
  40. It was dark in there and likely eaten by a gru.
    3 points
  41. Looks like you don't need to hit game select at all for default...
    3 points
  42. Relationships nowadays are like what happens when you sell an Ultimarc arcade stick as-is and the buyer is mad it does not work fully ? Only certain people will get this
    3 points
  43. By what I can tell from this and a few other VCS threads, it's solely because 40-50 years ago, Atari was run by some people who made some decent or occasionally great decisions, ergo that some how means that the people running the company now make non-stop great decisions and have unlimited Extra Lives to be forgiven with.
    3 points
  44. SOLVED!!! Installed a socket and new TMS9901 AND THE PROBLEM IS GONE. Even after letting it sit for a while and testing, ALL KEYS WORK. This is so exciting, this is also the first time I've ever desoldered and soldered a new chip onto a motherboard. Next step will be getting the TiPi up and running again and trying some demos and online BBS'ing! Thanks so much for your help, this community and its members are a real treasure.
    3 points
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