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almightytodd

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Posts posted by almightytodd

  1. Posted

    ...I played for the first time yesterday, for a good solid 20 minutes or so. Endless falling in pits, falling, falling, falling, collecting phone pieces, getting them stolen by the CIA guys, eating candy, falling in a pit 7x in a row. Run out of energy and the boy comes to bail you out...

    Simple explanation. There are no "pits" in Adventure.

     

    ...Which brings me to the one only true criticism I have of E.T... ...they made the most difficult, challenging, un-winnable version of the game, "Game 1", and then didn't make it clear that there are two other less challenging game versions to START WITH AND LEARN SOME RUNNING/NAVIGATION/ENERGY MANAGEMENT SKILLS so you can work out the "puzzle" aspect of the game without being constantly harassed by the two human adversaries. Have you ever tried playing "Game 3"? Did you even know it exists? There's plenty of satisfaction to be had in collecting the three phone pieces, having E.T. "phone home", and waiting at the space craft pick-up spot. And without the FBI agent and Scientist constantly on your ass, keeping yourself from falling in the pits is not terribly difficult.

     

    almightytodd, on 03 Aug 2014 - 4:49 PM, said:snapback.png

     

    ...And the thing that always puzzles me, is how "Adventure" is so frequently ranked as one of the BEST Atari games ever, and yet the game-play and objectives (collect stuff, avoid or defeat enemies) are really quite similar. This is especially confusing to me when you compare the graphics in these two games (...you're an adventurer... ...that's you... ...a square block...).

    Simple explanation. There are no "pits" in Adventure.

     

    Yeah, I get that, but in Adventure there are also these dragons you have to fight with a sword, except the objective of the game is to collect items from castles that require that you're carrying a key to unlock, and then you have to drop the key to pick up the item you're trying to collect, and oh yeah, you have to drop whatever you're carrying to pick up a sword to fight the dragon... ...oh and there are these bats that just come out of nowhere and grab whatever you're carrying out of your hand... ...And EVERYBODY always plays the HARDEST game version of Adventure FIRST; no one EVER starts with Game version 1... ...tell me again how this is the greatest game that ever was and it's not in any way frustrating as hell? ...But E.T. is an unplayable steaming turd? ...oh, and in Adventure, you're a square block...

     

  2. Posted

    Makes you question why people wont leave this poor game in peace. Lost track of how many times ET has been mentioned or polled and yet it is never enough for someone somewhere will drag it back into the daylight and go on about how bad it is. I am with Random on this one (never thought I would ever say that). The game is by far the worse ever released for the 2600 and I actually enjoyed playing it so if you think it is bad just don't play it, we don't need another thread forming about its merits or therefore lack of it ;)

     

    The game is by far the worse ever released for the 2600 and I actually enjoyed playing it...

     

    I'm guessing you meant to say, "The game is by far NOT the worse ever released...", because otherwise the statement is not consistent with the context...

     

    ...And the thing that always puzzles me, is how "Adventure" is so frequently ranked as one of the BEST Atari games ever, and yet the game-play and objectives (collect stuff, avoid or defeat enemies) are really quite similar. This is especially confusing to me when you compare the graphics in these two games (...you're an adventurer... ...that's you... ...a square block...).

    • Like 1

  3. Posted

    I agree with the previous posts that it would be more accurate to say "Atari-2600-like" games or something similar. But one idea I haven't heard anyone kick around is, "What if this technology was used to prototype prospective games, or to test a game-play concept to see if it "works", before going to all of the trouble to program it "for real" in assembly or even Batari Basic?"

  4. Posted

    Have you seen it?

     

    If I am not mistaken I saw an Atari 800XL, although the context as totally wrong, but who cares. :)

     

    EDIT:

    I will post later where I might have seen it.

     

     

    Episode 6. 08:16 Minutes (depends on the version you watch I guess)

     

    I really like the show. It might not be historically correct ( and for what reason does he modify a game on the XL when she plays it on her PC?).

    But all in all it gives a nice view of the times. I was born in the late 70s so I haven't "lived" in the early 80s :)

     

    I noticed what looks like one of the XL models in one of the scenes as well, as shown here:

     

    post-12574-0-01527800-1405651954_thumb.jpg

     

    But it looks like it's hooked up to an 80 column monochrome monitor, which wouldn't be right. As to the machine she uses to play the game... ...I don't think they're supposed to be using IBM PCs at Cardiff. You might recall that in the first or second episode, Gordon Clark buys an IBM PC so they can figure out which chip is the BIOS, and pull it out to reverse engineer it. In the scenes that show the software developer machines, it looks like they're either Zenith Z-100 computers or terminals...

     

    tafel%20009.jpg

    Zenith Z-100 computer

     

    640px-Zenith_Z-19_Terminal.jpg

    Zenith Z-19 Terminal

     

    ...or some other terminal, such as the DEC VT52 connected to a Main Frame:

     

    Terminal-dec-vt52.jpg

    DEC VT52 terminal

     

    ...In any case, none of the machines I've seen in the scenes of Cardiff Electric look like the original IBM 5150 PC:

     

    647px-Ibm_pc_5150.jpg

    IBM 5150 PC

     

    The other question I had, was the program code they showed while she was working on writing a command-line interpreter:

     

    post-12574-0-53712900-1405652985_thumb.jpg

     

    I question whether in 1983/84 she would be writing system-level program code for a 16 bit CPU using Camel-case "C" language code?! I am especially curious about this aspect, because in previous scenes, they've shown assembly language code on her screen. Is it realistic to believe she'd be proficient (or ingenious) in both?

     

    Am I getting too bogged down in the details?

  5. Posted

    ..., hardest 2600 game for me these days has got to be Star Castle.

     

    I agree, and yet I still find I'm able to do better on this version than the arcade original through MAME... ...if I'm able to blow up the star cannon once, it's been a successful playing round. Twice is rare... ...three times? I may have done that once...

  6. Posted

    ...

     

    FEATURES
    - All-In-One! No other installations needed.
    - Atari 800 emulators(Altirra, Atari800Win Plus) included
    - No setup needed. Just extract a .7z file and run main executable

     

     

    I was seriously interested in this and then I saw the note about the .7z file... ...oh why 7-Zip? Why, Why? Yeah, I get it that it's better compression but hard-drives are big, and broadband is everywhere. The last time I installed 7-zip on another computer, I had to dodge add-ons and browser bars and such in the install package; then, when I wanted to unzip regular zip files, 7-Zip was the default to do it, with a slightly more complicated UI than I want to deal with. I finally uninstalled it, but then noticed that my context-menu "create new compressed folder here" option was gone. Did some research and saw that there are registry tweaks to bring it back... ...but I'd rather spend my time at the computer surfing the Atari Age site and playing retro games than being "amateur systems admin guy" digging around in my registry. I have a new computer now with the original zip features that come with Windows 7... ...and I think I want to keep it that way.

     

    ...But other than that, this looks like a really cool app!

  10. Posted

    You really don't have to go through a large expense, dedicate storage space and even collect for a particular system these days with so many great Multi-Cart options that are available. In the case of the ColecoVision, you can narrow things down to a few options:

     

    1) Buy a loose original CV system for around $50-$60 (sometimes you can find them for less) and then buy the AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart for $129.95. With this setup, you can place all the original releases, unreleased and prototype rom images from the 80's and A LOT of the homebrews that have been made since the mid-90's on the SD Card and therefore have a huge library of games at your disposal that will keep you busy for many a night. You could even have Yurkie mod-up the system to your liking at a later date.

     

    2) Buy a Yurkie modded CV system and the AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart. You can find info about Yurkie's mods in his pinned thread as well as his sales thread in the MarketPlace. You will have piece of mind knowing that you will be receiving a perfectly working system with some added benefits that the mods will provide.

     

    These first two options will also allow you to use any of the special controllers made by Coleco if you ever become interested, of course offer a cartridge port if you ever want to buy a new Homebrew release and has the front Expansion Interface for hooking up the Opcode SGM for playing games that require it. Basically put, you have options available to you if and when the desire or need arises.

     

    3) Buy the CV Flashback (CVF) with it's 60 built-in games and then if sales warrant it, buy the CVF 2 in the future for it's lineup of games that weren't on the CVF 1. Again, if sales warrant it, further into the future, buy the CVF 3 for it's lineup of games.

     

    4) Emulation... ...of course there are downsides, but the upside is that it is significantly less expensive than the first three options... ...and you can still choose from any of the other options in addition to an emulation strategy.

  11. Posted

    The Space Invaders arcade game was one of the last, and arguably the best of the Black & White era. I've always felt that the fact that it was ported to the 2600 at all was a stunning achievement - given that the system was designed with built-in support for two players, two missiles and a background. Others have mentioned the challenges associated with a lower resolution available for the 2600 version, and there's also the problem that the arcade game was displayed in a portrait-orientation.

     

    Obviously, compromises had to be made. But I believe the design choices were good, resulting in a very playable home game that offered a huge variety of options not available in the arcade, including two-player simultaneous cooperative mode. The graphics for the 2600 game are possibly the most hacked of any game, starting with the "official" hack to create "Pepsi Invaders". I enjoy having the option of playing the original in MAME, the original VCS version and associated hacks, and all of the various ports to 8-bit systems. I even like to crank up the TI Invaders port every now and then :) .

  14. Posted

     

    ...But with all of the frustrating popular games since then that require the learning of insane skills and demand that players make no mistakes or they will have to play a bunch of levels over and over again until all dance steps are learned and perfection is achieved, avoiding wells and getting out of wells should be easy in comparison. Adults who have played through years of NES, SNES, Playstation, and beyond should be pros at problem solving by now.

     

    Over the years, I've played Mountain King dozens of times, and only once, made it to the top of the mountain with the crown before the time ran out. When my son was in Jr High, there was no NES game that he couldn't rent over a weekend, and return it to the store on Monday having "finished" the game. I've never made it past the third level of Super Mario Bros 1, 2, or 3. NES Mega Man? Forget it... ...defeat one of the bosses? I can't even make it to one of the bosses.

     

    Are any of these games "the worst game ever made"? Of course not - they were all good sellers. Are they "incredibly frustrating"? They are to me, but not to everyone else who is somehow able to develop the skills and knowledge to survive, excel, and triumph when playing them. It sounds to me like a good case could be made that HSW was ahead of his time in creating a game that had a similar level of depth and challenge of games that would follow during a time when the typical video game challenge was, "move left and right, avoid collisions, and shoot aliens".

     

    My only gripe with E.T. all along has been that "game 1" is the hardest variation, while "game 3" provides a training experience free from pursuit by the Scientist and FBI agent, so you can figure out the world of the "E.T. cube" and practice getting in and out of the pits. I'm guessing that HSW must have thought if game 3 was the default, it would have been too easy and many of those "throw away the manual and play" types might not have ever discovered the challenges of out-running the humans in the other two game variations...

  15. Posted

    I really enjoy playing Colecovision games in emulation, but I find myself returning to only three or four favorite titles again and again. I'm interested in a Flashback unit if only for a simple plug-and-play casual gaming experience and a small collection of games without having to scour the web looking for ROM files.

    • Like 1

  16. Posted

    At 54, I'm older than some here, but I'm glad to have had opportunities that many younger folks missed out on:

     

    • Got to ride many Yesterland attractions at Disneyland, including the Flying Saucers, Adventure Thru Inner Space, the Rocket Jets, People Mover, and the Skyway between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland
    • Witnessed the first human beings to set foot on the Moon on live television
    • Witnessed the last human beings to set foot on the Moon on live television
    • Played the first arcade videogames on real hardware (Computer Space, Pong, Space Race, etc.) when they were new
    • Witnessed the birth of the integrated circuit, microprocessor, and the first microcomputers
    • Got to open the box of a brand new original heavy sixer Atari VCS on Christmas morning 1977
    • Got to see 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen
    • Got to see Star Wars Episode IV "A New Hope" on the big screen (...before it was known as Episode IV - when it was just "Star Wars")
    • Other epic movies include: Jaws, West World, Logan's Run, Alien, all of the Star Trek movies, Planet of the Apes, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Ghost Busters
    • Learned how to type on a mechanical typewriter so I understand why the keys are arranged the way they are
    • Saw the return of Halley's Comet when I was old enough to remember it
    • Observed FM radio replace AM for music broadcasting
    • Observed Color television replace Black & White programming
    • Saw transistors and printed circuit board electronics replace vacuum tubes and point-to-point wiring in most consumer electronics
    • Listened to Beatles songs on the radio when they were new, and the Beatles were still together
    • Played with Hot Wheels cars when they were first introduced

    The nice thing is that with modern technology, I can virtually time-travel and relive a lot of those memories. I can emulate many of those classic arcade videogames, classic computers and game systems. I can re-visit the classic TV shows I grew up with. For example, I watched the pilot of "My Favorite Martian" on Hulu this weekend. I've watched the entire first season of Star Trek TOS on Netflix in the order that each episode was originally aired.

     

    In short, I feel like I grew up in an exciting and hopeful time, and I see little advantage in being younger and part of a jaded, cynical, hopeless generation who can look forward to being part of the 99% servant class catering to the wealthy 1%, fighting for scraps in a permanent trickle-down economy...

    • Like 8

  18. Posted

    Atari was big in the arcades, Games like Asteroids, Missile Command,Gravitar,Centipede,Star Wars, Tempest and so on. That should at least count for some advertisment for the Atari 8-bit Home computer. For me it was a no brainer buying a Atari Computer back in the early 80's. I mean who wouldn't want a piece of the Atari Arcade Magic in your own living room Back the early 80's ? ;). I think Missile Command for the Atari 8-bit is one of the best Arcade ports ever.

     

    Yes, but that was a bit of a two-edged sword as well. Some people were nervous about the idea of spending upwards of $1,000 (1983) dollars (or more by the time you include a disk-drive, some software, and a dedicated TV to hook it up to) on a "game machine with a keyboard". I think a lot of TRS-80s sold during that time because they were cheaper than Apples, but seemed more like "real" computers than the "hook it up to your TV set" devices.

  20. Posted

    I don't have the skills, patience, or time to devote to 8 bit machine programming, but I am very interested to follow along in the efforts of others, and then to sample and enjoy the results. To me, there's an element of time-travel and time-shifted virtual affluence. When these systems were brand-new, if you could afford to own any of them at all (...a full-blown Atari 800 system with a disk drive and monitor would cost thousands in inflation-adjusted 2014 dollars, plus a few hundred dollars for a handful of software titles), you would have to carefully decide which system would provide the most value for you. Nobody except for the super rich could have a PET, a TRS-80, an Apple II, an Atari 800, an Atari VCS, 5200, 7800, XEGS, a Colecovision, an Intellivision, a TI 99/4A, a Tandy Color Computer, and a Nintendo Entertainment System. But now thirty some-odd years later, a person of even modest means could possess all of those systems (...space to display them becomes more of a limiting factor than cost), or at least run emulators to experience the game-play (...plus an arcade full of coin-op games via MAME).

     

    Back when I was taking computer courses in college in the early 1980's, there were some professors who were fond of drawing an analogy saying that, "...if the advancement of automobile technology had progressed in the past 20 years as much as computer technology, a Rolls Royce would have a a super-sonic top speed, would get a million miles to the gallon, and would cost five dollars". I don't think anyone even tries to create an updated version of that analogy because at this point I think all of those metrics would be approaching infinity.

     

    Consider the Flashback 4 with its 75 game titles... ...if you were to duplicate that collection in 1983 at $15 per cartridge (many carts were more at the time, as I recall), you would be looking at over a thousand dollars for the whole set.

    • Like 2

  22. Posted

    The bottom line is, the game was rushed. It wasn't a completely horrible game, but it wasn't a great game either. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to the game's acceptance was unrealistic expectations. With a little extra time for testing and a few tweaks, it could have been widely accepted as a good game at least. In case you haven't seen it, this thread discusses a few changes that could have pushed it in that direction...

    • Like 2

  24. Posted

    ... But why didn't they at least try to improve the FB2? I guess the money wasn't there, but then why re-release the newer versions that are guaranteed going to piss off the retro crowd with their cheaper quality?

     

    Well, as I stated in this thread, there are some new features in the FB4 that make it arguably an improvement over the FB2 - there are almost twice as many games, a simplified alphabetically sorted game selection menu, and wireless controllers that allow you to reset and return to the game selection menu without having to turn the console unit off then on... ...all for a lower cost than the original FB1. For the less enthusiastic retro game fan who may have passed on all of the earlier iterations of the Flashback, 75 games and wireless controllers may have been the tipping point to get them to buy. And then there are people like me, who bought both, along with having original gear (I have two 7800's and our family's original 1977 Heavy Sixer), and being heavily into the emulation scene.

     

    I don't want to speak for Curt, but my recollection was that after creating the epitome of VCS replication accuracy, he was ready to move on to other projects (...a hand-held? ...the 7800 XM project? ...some kind of Atari 800 Flashback?), plus, he and Marty did the Taco Bell CDs (which I have); Curt developed an Atari USB stick (I have one of those); they were working on their book (I also have that) and to top it all off, Curt ended up in the hospital and almost died, partly due to how much work he was putting into so many projects.

     

    So in the context of all that, I'm perfectly satisfied with how things worked out. The success that AtGames had with the FB3 and FB4 have given them the opportunity to do Sega and Colecovision units, and I believe I've heard something about an Intellivision FB in the works? That being said, there isn't a single retro-gaming product that I would rather have, than the knowledge that Curt Vendel is alive and well. That's my perspective...

    • Like 2
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