idavis

Sky Blazer by Tony Suzuki (Star Craft Inc)

I looked and the formula you explained above is the first part of the process. You have to build a grid with a 1-9 in each row, column, and square and cannot have duplicates. After that step is done, which can take minutes for the limited cpu to check, and random spaces filled in. Once that is done, you then jump to the process of making a "game". I see your point about letting player continue on if they are filling in a real solution, but that still doesn't mean that it's a unique solution. Which is what this boils down to. As embarrassing as this is to say, it wasn't till well into this process that I found out that there could only be one solution for a valid puzzle. I was also wrongly applying the term puzzle to a filled in grid where all of the 1-9's were in place and valid. That's only half the battle, and just blanking out a random number of squares (like I am currently doing) doesn't ensure a valid "puzzle". To try and apply your last idea I would have to come up with a block of code that can solve a puzzle so that it can confirm your played numbers if you hit the Hint button. I am currently pretty busy at work with 50-60 hour weeks and really haven't had time to even bring the code up. I am mentally in the background running through a number of different schemes/formulas that may or may not work at turning a valid solution into a valid sudoku approved puzzle. I am even contemplating enlisting the help of someone at a university. There is the brute-force method, but I am not sure we have the horsepower to make that work. I also am not 100% sure that taking a valid puzzle and shuffling it wouldn't introduce more solutions. It's something I have to work out. I wish I had more time to devote at the moment, but I will get there slowly. I think it's been 8 years that I have been working on this. Not sure I want to put the code out there just yet. It might take me a year to put comments in so that I am not completely embarrassed or more embarrassed than already. I really do appreciate all of the comments and help over the years on this. I wish there was a quick solution I could just code up, and will keep working on this in the background at the moment. I don't want anyone to think I am not appreciative of the discussion and ideas.

It's a little more complicated than that. I do have a routine and formula that does what you mention above. One of the problems is that with the limited horsepower, even using a pure ml routine, it still can take a while to come up with a valid full grid. From there you have to start making a puzzle and that's where the complications come in. If could write another routine to try and solve each puzzle. Then compare to see if there is more than one solution, which would mean you then discard a puzzle with more than one solution. Right now, I can't figure out how to do that with 1) the cpu available and 2) in 8 bit machine language. I am sure #2 can be overcome with a few long coding sessions, and a few gallons of soda. #1 is a little harder to overcome. Maybe later I can expand on this. I am trying to write this response inbetween meetings at work.

Darren, so cool to see you here. If you wanted to create a special font for the game, I would be happy to include it. About the sudoku game, TheRealBountyBob helped me figure out that it does turn out that the game is not properly blanking out and effectively "creating" a valid sudoku puzzle. Problem is, it's been a real headscratcher for me. The part I am having a problem with is this: The game creates a valid grid, and then has to randomly blank out a number of squares based on the level you want to play at. Well, this is where it's turned into a real nightmare as I am not sure the 6502 has enough horsepower to start solving puzzles fast enough to see if there are two possible answers, and get this done in something resembling a lifetime. I have been researching this, and there's some code that's been written in some higher level languages and on much faster processors. Just converting that down to 6502 asm is not possible. So while I don't have a degree in math I have been wracking my brain to try and come up with some way to make this work. For now, the basic physics of the game (1-9) in each square, each row, and each column will be valid. But it is possible that you can get a playfield with two or more results. At this point you have to rely on the Hints to help you. I hate that it's not working 100%, but might have to get a PHD in math to figure this out.

So no one yell at me, but since it's a podcast and audio based, why didn't you name it Pokey?

Madmaddie, I am sure for most of us, it's the answering of some questions that we find interesting. I know for years we heard these stories about how the carts were dumped, cemented over. It was always just a story with no real proof, or at least that I can recall from the times I heard about it. There would be a posting somewhere and everyone would get all lathered up about it but no proof ever offered up or anyone who was actually willing or able to find this out. Then along come Marty and Curt and offer up some real proof. Not only that, it's not like you are hearing it from the cousin of a guy who knows someone who talked to someone who's father in law saw it happen, it's coming from Marty and Curt! Now it looks like you guys might have an actual chance at unearthing this block of concrete and finally either putting the rumors to rest or making them even more out of hand. You have to remember that back when this was all going on, some of us lived in a real vacuum of information. Like I mentioned in a Pac Man thread, the first time I got to see the game running was when I put it in. There was no internet to check reviews or see preview videos. And when the internet did come along, the "rumor" started it's run. So as the rumor spread it was news to me. Sure I didn't think E.T. was the greatest game, but I also didn't know I was supposed to be burying my copy either. Good luck to you and your team.

I know that we had to drive about 150 miles each way to pick up our copy of Pac Man. I didn't get to see it until I popped it into my console. And to say I was a little disappointed was probably an understatement. But I can guarantee you this, it was the only arcade port of the game, and not only were my parent's NOT driving the 300 mile round trip to return it, they also weren't giving me anymore money to drop into the arcades since we "had a copy at home". So I was stuck with it. Sure I played the crap out of it, but that was because of the situation. It wasn't like I could just groan and pop in GTA V. That was it, all you had, and you damn well better like it, or else..

My original 800. Still works and is my baby.

He had been asking me almost daily to port my Sudoku game to the 5200. I was even doing some work on it, but never sent him a compiled version since I was having trouble with the DLI code. Right about that time I found a real humdinger of a problem with my program and have spent weeks now mulling over how to fix this and frankly porting it to the 5200 is on the backburner until I get this figured out. I wondered why the PM's stopped though. Edit: If this helps he/she was PM'ing me before as 'marialisar' and then I got a message that he/she lost the account info and had to create another account.

Awesome! Keep up the good work.

Mike Patton, right about 2:35 in the video is a 2600 with a Synthcart.

I have been telling my kids about it. I honestly think that we are at a point where the hardest part of using an emulator is the controllers. As I mentioned earlier I am running a Ubuntu USB stick, and both Javatari and Stella are working just fine with my Logitech USB Wingman Precision gamepads. Somewhere in a box I even have a couple that I soldered in db9 connectors and can plug in a real Atari joystick. I know there are also various connectors to bridge the USB-Atari gap, but it's a matter of how easily available are they. For instance, all of my kids have an Xbox controller, but none have any Atari joysticks laying around. I know this is turning into a sidetrack, but in my opinion it's really the one thing that is key to making the emulators more popular. Kudos to both Paulo and Stephena.

And that's the one I was referring to. I remember getting that magazine in the mail and questioning why they would print something like that. It took a while to register what months issue it was. I didn't want to give it away above, just in case someone new didn't realize it.

Just a suggestion, but make a bootable Ubuntu USB stick, or maybe a throwaway virtual machine to access the website, get your roms, copy them to another USB stick and then blank out the bootable USB, or delete the VM. Then if your temp os got infected no big deal as you are wiping it out after you get the files.

Looking good. Still works great on my Ubuntu machine. In fact I am using a bootable USB drive as my OS which means I have a micro sized 2600. The new dynamic cartridge image really adds to it. As someone who has programmed in Java, I am impressed.

Might not classify as a virus, but there was a program in one of the Antic or Analog magazines to turn your Atari into a doorstop? I forget which month's edition it was in too.

Larry, I think I remember making a couple of PRO images, but I don't seem to recall them taking as long as you mention. My actual hardware is boxed up in the closet at the moment so I can't test it for you. What about if you tried with a stock drive and not the Happy version? Maybe that's throwing a little wrench into it. I am just speculating though. I don't have a Happy drive, just a couple stock 810's, 1050's and a US Doubled 1050.

That is just so cool of him. If someone is signed in there, be sure and give him a big Thanks! from all of us.

Thanks. I will also try unlinking my controller from the xbox so that when I turn it on it doesn't fire up the xbox in the other room. Edit: Looks like I have to find a wired controller. From a website about the above driver: "Note that using a wireless Xbox360 controller with the Play&Charge USB cable will not work. The cable is for recharging only and does not transmit any input data over the wire. To use the wireless Xbox360 controller you need the wireless receiver." Appreciate all of the help.

So has anyone made it anywhere on these? I have been playing the Marketing Adventure and seem to be stuck. I have the blue card but can't use it to get up the elevator, in the arcade or up the stairs in the other building where the right dress code is required. I really don't want to cheat by looking at source code but seem to be at a standstill. Just wondering if anyone else has given them a try and also curious if they are complete?

Can you tell me how you are doing this? I was trying to plug in my 360 controller to my linux laptop and use the USB cable. But it keeps trying to turn on my 360 when I am using it. Is it Windows only?

Let me see what I can do for that. I will search for a way to test if it's running on a PAL machine and see if I can bump up the delay just a little. I was thinking on the ending, putting in a "Game Over" message. Right now after it's over, hitting start will take you back to the splash screen and will see about coding in the fire button as well. I have had the joystick menu selections on my list, just got sidetracked on a few things. Thanks for the input. Also, the last version (1.3) uses the keyboard arrows. I added in code so you don't have to hold down the ctrl key to arrow around. If anyone is interested in that in the meantime let me know and I will post it up as a 1.3a version. If it's not a big deal I will just let it roll into the next version. I have a busy weekend and week ahead of me but will try and drop in some changes.

That's awesome. I really wished I had pushed myself to learn assembler when I was learning to program back in the early 80's. It's pretty satisfying to look at some ml code and understand what is going on.

Maybe I have watched too many episodes of Pawn Stars but how about some documentation on where these came from. Can you directly tie any of them back to Atari? I guess what I am saying is the wire wrapped ASMED cart could have been built by anyone with the skills and time on their hands. To make it valuable you would have to have some evidence that it was indeed a prototype built by someone at Atari. Maybe a picture of it somewhere, or if you dump the eproms, something in the bits and bytes that matches up to early code that can be verified? Otherwise it's just a cart that someone created. Back then it wasn't uncommon. I remember having to get the instructions from MPP for the hangup circuit on my modem. We had to open the modem and add some parts to enable it to hang up the phone line. I had a very early 520ST that came with ROM on floppy. We were mailed the rom chips when they were finalized and put them in ourselves. Imagine something like that today. Wouldn't happen.

Awesome Curt!