Add me to the 5200 club

[Add me to the 5200 club]

I've got enough VCS/2600s and 5200s that I haven't taken the time to try and install it yet, but a few years ago I needed a $0.75 part from Best Electronics, and bought the compatibility kit that retrofits the 4-port to work with the 2600 adapter. I think the kit, at the time, was $5 (so I still needed to buy even more before I'd hit whatever minimum order amount I was trying to get to!)

 

And the AV-Mod not displaying the 2600 adapter isn't as strange as it may sound. The adapter is really just a self-contained 2600. It sends it's audio/video output through the cartridge port to the 5200, and receives power from the 5200 through the cartridge port. That's it. The 5200 just takes the outputted A/V and passes it on to the TV through the RF circuit.

 

The A/V Mods for the 5200 tap the 5200 circuitry *BEFORE* the audio/video is sent to the RF circuitry. The 2600 game signals never go through the circuitry tapped by the A/V Mods.

[Add me to the 5200 club]

One thing you should know regarding the VCS Adapter - *if* you choose to do an A/V mod on your 5200, you won't be able to see/hear the 2600 games through the AV ports. I know this is true with the 8-bit domain mod; I believe it applies to other 5200 A/V Mods as well, but am not certain.

 

You should still be able to play the 2600 games using the traditional RF switchbox, but if you connect the 5200 to your TV using the composite cables (RCA phono-plug style connectors), and try to play a 2600 game through the VCS adapter, you'll see and hear nothing.

 

Other than that caveat, welcome to the club and have a good time. I love the 5200, even the controllers.

[OK, you got me on this one. (Robotron)]

As with most lives, I've suffered miseries, and enjoyed happier episodes. Somehow, the 5200 figures in at least a few of those happier episodes. And possible bad times, where the 5200 was involved, were turned around and converted in to good memories.

 

This is one of those - back when Space Dungeon was current, I played the hell out of it. It was one of my favorite games, and I played it constantly on the 5200. I was probably around 12 years old at the time, which would have put my brother at 9 years old. We routinely left things out (still do, as pathetic as that is), and somebody stepped on our controller coupler and broke it. If I recall correctly, nobody ever admitted to being the culprit that stepped on the coupler, and I've got no idea who left it in the middle of the floor.

 

What I *DO* recall, vividly, is my extreme joy and relief when my Mom somehow repaired the thing with rubber cement. For over 20 years (since the repair job) I've held my breath and been certain the pieces are going to fall apart every time a controller is inserted or removed, but as of last week the coupler is still intact, and working fine.

 

I wish I knew what magical spell or adhesive my Mom used, but it's still doing it's job, and I'm still enjoying Space Dungeon. 8-)

[Atari 5200 HSC Round 15 *Berzerk*]

I remember loving Berzerk in the arcades, and not really liking Frenzy. Other than that, I don't have any memory of Frenzy at all.

 

And I think the 5200 Berzerk is excellent.

 

As for the HSC, I managed to hit 10,910 tonight. Hopefully I'll have time later in the week to improve on that, but I've committed to a Bump'N'Jump challenge over the weekend, so I'll probably put time into that instead. Sometimes life can be so hard!

[Atari 5200 HSC Round 14 *Vanguard*]

For about 20 years I've felt like I never gave Vanguard a fair chance. I thought that if I'd spent more time with the game I'd learn to appreciate it.

 

Tonight I decided to revisit the game, and toss my hat in the ring for the HSC. And I could only tolerate the game for at most ten minutes. It's obviously been about 20 years since I played the game in the arcade. But playing it on the 5200 was a miserable experience.

 

I *like* the 5200 controllers, but the control on this game is awful. Lousy. Dreadful. I sucked, but my God the control was bad in this stinker of a game.

 

I can't fathom how you guys that are good at this can do so well.

 

As for me, my best score after a few minutes of play, and maybe 5 or 6 games, was 4950. And that's about as good as I'll get.

[Atari 5200 HSC Round 13 *Space Dungeon*]

Yep - 1 try. I had plenty of time to kill, though - I was running a System Recovery CD on an HP Pavilion desktop PC. The docs with the recovery CD said the process could take up to 5 hours, and I was shocked to find that was pretty much on the money! Every so often I'd pause the game and glance over to see if the PC was finished the recovery process yet.

 

Back on-topic - You mentioned Robotron. I am the worst at Robotron. I'll bet a 4-year old, blindfolded, would be competitive with me on Robotron. As for Space Dungeon, yes, I played it a LOT back when the 5200 was current. My favorite 5200 game is probably a toss-up between SD and Star Raiders, in fact. I love games that can put me 'in the zone' - vibrant flashing colors, fast-moving action, mainly hand-eye coordination. My all-time favorite videogame is probably Defender. Space Dungeon hits my buttons just right. And to make things interesting, while playing you need to decide whether to hit the 'Collect Bonus' as soon as you can, or try to clear the level for the bonus. Do you try to collect every single treasure before exiting the level? Do you keep nailing bad guys for points, or keep moving?

 

Tips that may be obvious, but maybe not -

* I always try to leave every room empty. I hate exiting a room that still has bad guys in it.

* I always try to clear every room in a level - it's an extra 10k points when you exit the level if you do it.

* Obviously try to collect all treasures before exiting.

* When you travel through a doorway into another room, the doorway you passed through turns solid and impenetrable for a few seconds. If you leave the new room while that doorway is solid (example, slide over a little and return to the first room), the doorway will remain solid forever. It's possible to seal yourself in a room that way. It's possible to seal off the 'Collect Bonus' room that way too. It's unlikely either of those scenarios will happen unless you're trying to do it, but it's something to be aware of.

 

I'm confident I'd have gotten to much higher levels, with a much lower score, if I'd played with a different strategy. If you always try to clear every room of all enemies before exiting, your score will naturally increase due to the additional carnage you're forced to dish out.

[Which X-box mod chip to buy? (not 360!)]

This thread was started by somebody else, who specifically wrote he was uninterested in softmodding. And, having just read the whole thread, I didn't notice you really making your desire to learn more about this known. Your message below sounds (to me) unreasonably bitter and irritable, all things considered.

 

NOW, a few weeks ago I did a softmod in my Xbox, for the first time, in my first and only Xbox. After the softmod, I replaced the hard drive with a larger hdd. I'm not at all an expert, but managed to get the job done. Additionally, I wrote about the process on my blog, if you have any interest in that. Full Disclosure - the blog post is not at all a tutorial and wasn't written with the idea of helping anybody do this, so you won't gain any applicable knowledge from it.

 

In my case, the hardest part of the whole process was figuring out how to copy the save-file from the PC to the memory card (used, no included instructions or driver), and then trying to figure out how to copy the file from the memory card to the XBox hard drive.

 

As I recall, I needed:

* An Xbox Memory Card

* A USB Device to read/write from/to the memory card using my PC

* The Xbox game James Bond: Agent Under Fire

* A special save-file for Agent Under Fire

* A crossover cable to connect my PC to the XBox, or a hub/router/switch to plug both the Xbox and PC into, so they can communicate.

 

I found something, I think called 'Ndure', online that included the save file and whatever files are included in the softmod.

 

Once the process is begun and the mod has started making changes, there will be an FTP server running on yoru XBox, and you can copy files to/from the system using your PC.

 

I found a few howto docs online with details on how to do the job. It was intimidating at first, but not at all difficult. A few tidbits that might not be listed in the howtos:

 

1) You can use one of three games: Splinter Cell, Bond:Agent Under Fire, or Mechassault, I think. The online guides indicate you must use the original pressings, not the Greatest Hits versions, or whatever MS calls the re-releases. In my case, I found a used copy of Agent Under Fire (AUF) for $5, and although it was the re-release version, it worked fine for this.

 

2) With the other two games, you begin the mod by loading the special save-file into the game at the 'load saved game' screen. With AUF, this results in a system crash. With AUF you must first start a game. After starting the game, you can then quit the game, and load the save-file.

 

3) If you try to load the save-file from the memory card the Xbox crashes. The file MUST be copied to the Xbox hard drive, and loaded from the Xbox hard drive.

 

Good luck - the task seems more daunting than it really is. I think if you do some online searching you'll find plenty of info on this. I found more than I could absorb, and became overwhelmed. Just find a good howto you can follow, and focus on it. I think there was good help at xbox-scene, as was mentioned above.

 

 

 

OK, my new softmod arrived in the post this morning and will be soldered in over the weekend

 

its a DuoX2 GS BTW.

 

mods please lock as this is going absolutely nowhere

 

 

.

 

I actually agree with you here. "Softmodding is so easy, I've done it dozens of times.." Anything is easy if you've done it dozens of times. I need to do it once and I don't know how. "But we can't tell you where to get what you need..." Thanks for nothing.

 

I'm sure if you have all the tools and the experience softmodding is simple. But I don't, and all this talk about how great it is but we can't tell you exactly how to do it or where to get everything you need is just BS. I'll just order a damn chip.

 

Thanks for all your help...

[Atari 5200 HSC Round 13 *Space Dungeon*]

I haven't played this game in a very long ttime - probably years. On the other hand, I do have the dual-stick holder, and it used to be my favorite 5200 game, so I logged untold hours practicing back in the early 80's.

 

Tonight, I played the game ONCE. Only once. My score? 339,885. And I was ONE ROOM away from the Collect Bonus, had covered every room in the level, and had every single treasure on board! And I died, 115 points from an extra life!! The AGONY!

 

I took 9 pictures, trying to get a good shot of the screen. None of the pictures came out very well, but I've attached the one that shows the score the best.

 

Sorry phuzaxeman, but I felt the need to raise the bar a little!

339,885

[Storing the controllers inside the unit?]

I've been storing the controllers as Remo described for about 20 years, and never had any trouble with it. In fact, I always liked the cable mgmt Atari implemented with the 5200. There's the tabs under the console to route excess RF cable, the storage bin for the controllers, and with the auto-switchbox, there's not a separate power cable running from the TV to the coffee table with the console itself.

 

All in all, a neat & tidy arrangement.

[Atari 5200 HSC Round 9 *River Raid*]

Believe it or not, until today I'd never played River Raid on the 5200. When it was current I played it once or twice on the VCS, and thought it was a little boring. I think I was turned off by the inability to fly over the land and hit the land-based enemies.

 

This afternoon I figured I'd finally give the HSC a shot (I don't think I've entered any of these previously), so I just hooked up the 5200 and played some River Raid for about 30 minutes.

 

The game's more fun than I remember it being, and I thought the collision detection was surprisingly perfect! I love it when I can slide a missile exactly one pixel to the side of something on the screen. (imilar to letting a shot go through my neck on Berzerk.)

 

My fire-button-thumb's joint where the thumb meets the hand is very sore now, but it was worthwhile. I can't touch Cafeman 's score, but he probably just spent a few minutes this morning reprogramming the game so he could add an invincibility code or something!

 

My best score was 25,900, Bridge 14.

 

(EDIT: NOW: 29,640 Bridge 16)

[Rent Wars, and a minor (high score!) achievement]

2007 marked yet another year that I didn't make it out to Classic Gaming Expo. Fortunately, I was able to convince a friend of mine that was going to pick up Rent Wars for me, and I picked it up this morning on my way to work.

 

About 10:00pm tonight I finally had an opportunity to hook up the 5200 (my best 5200 - 4-port, 8-bit domain's video mod, everything works, and it's clean!) and give it a shot.

 

I think it looks like it could be a very fun game, but I've noticed showstopping controller issues, which were very disappointing. I'm hopeful that I'm just stupidly overlooking something, and others will chime in here to say they can play the game just fine. I was using controllers that I'd previously rebuilt, and when I've used them other times within the last 6 months (multi cart, Adventure 2) I saw no issues. Initially I thought the controllers had bombed out and was aggravated, but I then played a few games of Adv 2 and Berzerk, and the controllers performed flawlessly on those 2 games.

 

Here's my issues:

1) On two of the three controllers I tried I could not get the '1' key or Start to work, so I couldn't play.

2) The third controller can get the game started, but while I'm playing it becomes harder and harder to move my player to the right, until I have to really jam the stick to the right so hard I can feel the plastic beginning to flex.

 

Now, on to the minor achievement. After the frustration and disappointment of not being able to play Rent Wars (and believe me, I think it looks like a very fun game if I can get the controller to work!), I popped in Berzerk. After about 30 minutes, I managed to hit 7750!

 

I think I'll try hooking up a two-port system, and see if that makes any difference.

[5200 Troubleshooting: blank, black screen]

I don't know if this will help, but the below thread links to a long, involved process I undertook repairing a dead 5200. The potential relevance to your situation was that I got to a point whereby my system put out a crystal clear blackish/greenish screen, and no sound. Turns out, the power in the 5200 is split down two channels. One of the channels powers the AV circuits, the other powers the CPU. In my case, there was an IC on the board, near the power switch, that was responsible for this 'splitting' of the power. The IC was defective, and was powering the AV circuitry, but not the CPU circuitry. The result was the AV components essentially putting out a blank screen and blank sound. Once I replaced the IC (a very common IC, iirc) I saw & heard the games.

 

Link here: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...c=98403&hl=

[Has anyone played Bristles?]

I frequently buy and try out homebrews. I've probably got close to two dozen by now, ranging from Albert Challenge to Adventure II.

 

Some I love, some I don't. I'm not a 'graphics-whore' - one of my all-time favorite homebrews is SCSIcide.

 

That said, I hate to write this, but I didn't like Bristles at all. I thought the control was poor, and the game was boring. In fairness, I didn't give the game more than maybe ten minutes before rendering judgement. And it appears I'm going against the grain, so don't consider this a definitive say on the matter.

 

But, if you're looking for opinions, chalk this one up as a 'Nay'.

[Post your adventure 2 lucky number]

#108 here.

 

After nearly a week-and-a-half, I finally managed to actually play the game last night.

 

Very cool. I tried playing as the animated Knight, but preferred the simple, classic, square.

 

AND, I couldn't see a good way to open the 'Lost?' envelope without bending or tearing something while removing the seal (the AA sticker), so rather than getting up and taking a chance I may get some exercise, I simply slid one of the cool magnets underneath the seal and lifted it right up off the paper!

 

[Adventure II Ships!]

^

^^^

^^^^

|||

|||

|||

 

What he said!

[Adventure II Ships!]

As of 2:47pm EST today, I've received my copy!

 

I actually walked out my front door and saw the mailman walking up to my box. I greeted him, said Hi, and asked how old he was. He was understandably a little thrown by the question, but he said he was 41, at which point I asked if he remembered the Atari 5200. He said he did, and I told him what was in this very anticipated box he was delivering. He was surprised somebody was still making games for the system, and surprised I still had the system too!

 

Unfortunately, aside from this brief online break, I need to work on our deck and backyard and haven't had an opportunity to actually open the pkg yet! I can't wait for tonight, though! I'm married - this is as good as a Saturday night gets!

[OH Maria!]

If I remember correctly, the AV mod I installed a while back on my 4-port (the 8bitdomain AV mod), while a magnificent product, does not carry the AV signals when using the VCS adapter. In other words, if I am using the VCS adapter on the 5200, I still must use the RF adapter to get the signal to the TV.

 

Will this still be the case for the new 7800 adapter? Or did your statement about the compatibility with the 5200 AV mod mean that the new 7800 adapter *will* play through the AV mod? If so, will 2600 games also play thorugh the mod, with the new adapter?

 

Thanks,

Steve

[ADVENTURE 2]

Hey - I think I have a couple of those books!!!

 

 

Adventure II boxes being glued:

 

 

..Al

[UPDATE: My 1st 5200 - Pics added 3/29/07]

Yeah all 3 of the bear PCBs work but I found frogger the joystick didnt move the froggy ? but works in all the other games or is there a weird control scheme for it

 

now I think i may play some Star Wars or see if a Parker Brothers board will fit in a Atari shell

 

From the manual:

USING THE KEYPAD OR JOYSTICK 

Keypad: Using four keypad buttons to control the direction of Frogger's movement. Press button #2 to hop Frogger forward, button #8 to hop Frogger backward, button #4 to hop Frogger left, and button #6 to hop Frogger right. 

Joystick: Use the joystick to turn Frogger in the direction you wish him to hop. Then press AND COMPLETELY RELEASE the lower fire button on the side of the controller to hop Frogger once in that direction. 

Note: The frantic pace of Frogger may leave you breathless, but don't try to catch your breath with the PAUSE button. There's no stopping the fast-paced action of the game!

[ADVENTURE 2]

Just an FYI to everybody - The update from Albert was caught by my ISP's (Speakeasy) SPAM filter, and I had to fish it out manually. If I hadn't checked in here, I'd have never known to look for it.

 

So, if you haven't seen the email and were expecting it, don't be too quick to delete your junk mails.

 

--

[5200 with Green Screen....]

One other tidbit I learned from my repair adventure Fall 2002 -

 

I BELIEVE (but might be mistaken) that the 5200 power input is split into 2 'channels' once it enters the system. One path powers up the circuitry that sends the sound and picture to the TV. The other side powers the computer parts.

 

I'm guessing your system is powering up the picture/sound circuits, and the computer side of things is going unpowered, thus the 'green screen'.

 

-- Steve

[5200 with Green Screen....]

I can't tell from your post what's specifically wrong with your system, but in 2002 I brought a 5200 back from the dead, with the help of the sci.electronics.repair newsgroup. I don't know if that old thread will or won't be helpful to you, but you might glean something useful from it.

 

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electro...8afbd284262c5d6

 

Then:

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electro...f15732509561d70

[the right price for a 5200 with rebuilt controllers.]

With 2 rebuilt controllers, I think that sounds reasonable.

[Hacking Galaxian into Galaga how hard would it be?]

Actually, I'm concerned about the loss of Curt's knowledge, as well as documents/knowledge/materials in his possesion.

 

If Curt falls off the face of the earth tomorrow, what happens to all of the useful documentation and equipment he has collected and shared? Would whoever handles his estate know it's worth, or put it out at a Garage Sale?

 

The 5200 Programmers that may have benefitted from his docs lose out, for starters.

 

...God, I feel like a vulture even discussing this.

 

you should just stop now, you sound like a complete tool. If i was Curt i would be offended reading your two posts. You seem like well, maybe i should leave Noah all my stuff if i die, is what your trying to imply in a round about way.

 

 

I wasn't trying to suggest that in any way, shape, or form, and I'm sorry it came across that way. I've been around here a long time, though not a frequent poster, and I'd hope my visible history on the boards can attest that I'm not the opportunistic ass you appear to think I am.

 

In any case, what with the hermetically sealed UV-protected shrinkwrap being set in place around Curt's home, I'm satisifed my concerns have been addressed.

 

As for the actual topic at hand (remember Galaga? It's a song about Galaga...), I never really played much Galaxian on the 5200 - I don't remember why. I assume I just didn't like it all that much, but I honestly don't recall. Of course, I never was a huge fan in the arcades either. When it came out, I thought it was just a ripoff of Space Invaders, and as a kid I had a hangup about not giving perceived ripoffs like that any appreciation. (I never watched the original Battlestar Galactica because I thought it was just ABC trying to cash in on Star Wars' success.) Also, I was pretty bad at the arcade Galaxian.

 

However, I'd definitely be interested in a Galaga for the 5200 if it was done. I always was disappointed the 5200 didn't have the long-term commercial success I felt it deserved, and would love to see it pull something like Galaga off.

[Hacking Galaxian into Galaga how hard would it be?]

Actually, I'm concerned about the loss of Curt's knowledge, as well as documents/knowledge/materials in his possesion.

 

If Curt falls off the face of the earth tomorrow, what happens to all of the useful documentation and equipment he has collected and shared? Would whoever handles his estate know it's worth, or put it out at a Garage Sale?

 

The 5200 Programmers that may have benefitted from his docs lose out, for starters.

 

...God, I feel like a vulture even discussing this.