KAZ

I am an unlimited supply of negative thoughts on all ranges of topics...just look in the off topic section, and you will notice I'm not all smiles. I have nothing bad to say about Atari 2600. It calms me, and makes me happy to collect for it. When I get a cart I purchased from the net, and it arrives in an envelope, all my negative thoughts about everything melt away, and it is just that NEW Atari cartridge that I have never played on a real Atari 2600. After I turn it off, that is when I resume my thoughts of being a no-name soulless creature with no purpose in life except to consume resources better saved for those more deserving of it, such as politicians and pro basketball players. Um j/k, see: Just be happy, you'll live longer that way Oh joy. [ 06-05-2002: Message edited by: KAZ ]

Atari Arts may have the idea, but what I'm trying to show is that there can be someone providing a "thinktank". I like to see myself as filling this role for them. If you were forced into making a cartridge at all costs, whether it was a good game or not, could you do it? Programming a better Berserk, as the Atari Arts suggested they could do may well be beyond their capabilities EVER. What about a tiny pixel thing "shooting" another pixel thing across a blank screen? It can be defined technically as a GAME, right? It doesn't HAVE to be fun ya know. It could be called simply "Pixel Shooter" staring Pixel Joe, and you could have an elaborate instruction manual. And labels might not be too hard to make. Game made, defined as NEW. Goal achieved. [ 06-05-2002: Message edited by: KAZ ]

All right, time to start getting agressive for the sake of Atari Arts whatever.... Ok, I buy an eprom burner...where are they sold at I don't know, on the net somewhere, I'm sure I could track it down and buy it. Ok, I have the ability to burn stuff into an actual cartridge. I get 100 combat cartridge VICTIMS to try my eprom burner out on. Ok, now for the "hard" part. I spend half a day researching about programming, not to become masterful, but simply to be able to create enough data for the eprom burner to actually load up in an actual Atari 2600. Who cares what is on the screen, a bunch of garble, and maybe some text. 1 combat cartridge killed. Ok, I start randomly switching numbers and sequences of numbers around in my CODE from my tiny knowledge of programming. I take cartridge number 2, and try my changes. Did it do anything? Omigod, there is a graphic I didn't see before. Well let's mess with it some more... I research a little more about it, and copy a code that was in an existing game into the code... I load it up on the Atari, and omigod, there's Yar's Revenge's middle distortion thing...how can I work with that? I have 3 dead cartridges and 97 to go... Don't you suppose that by the time I got to cartridge number 50 I'd have something resembling a game? A playable game, I don't know, but it has graphics that resemble actual games, doesn't it? The negativity on this board makes me almost want to do this myself, just to prove it could be done, and I'd use that negativity to my advantage, and develop determination to PROVE to you guys it could be done. Will it be a fun game? Maybe by cartridge 78 it might be, eh? The End [ 06-05-2002: Message edited by: KAZ ]

What ARE all the necessary components you would need to create a new Atari 2600 game from scratch? Computer (obviously) eprom burner? some sort of programming software, like Visual Basic or something? Blank cartridges (eproms?)

Without people like "Atari Arts" new games would not BE made. I think many on here would suspect that your interest about this project, although strong now, will decrease little by little, till you just drop it. I suggest to you NOT to do this. Keep doing your meetings, and SERIOUSLY pursue this venture. If you don't, people will continue to be skeptical. I think it is BETTER that you try to program for the Atari 2600, as it is the platform that is simple enough to allow amateurs to do this. I would imagine you'd need an eprom burner in order to make new games. I'm sure it isn't all that difficult if you establish the right connections to a blank eprom...then the process is just carried out on a computer (using info gained from the internet about programming). So that should be your first step...to pick up an eprom burner, does that sound reasonable to others?

Otto the third, from Berserk and Frenzy? Was there a third arcade game in the series with Evil Otto?

So I've been on a Rage Racer kick lately. The Game shark doesn't have many codes on it by default, so I went on the net to look for some. I found one that is a Joker code that allows you to assign a code to a button. And then I found the NITRO code. I also enabled Vanquire to be driven on either Grand Prix or Extra Grand Prix. I tried the Nitro code with the standard first car you are given, but it wouldn't exceed any more than like 200 mph (it isn't fast enough dammit!) But with the Vanquire, the max speed can reach 350 mph! You know what this means in this game right? I'm not talking about just beating all the other cars in .001 seconds....but about the Mythical Coast on the Grand Prix circuit. You know that main tunnel? Well this course goes straight ahead, and you can JUMP that ridge thing. It is plenty cool if you jump it going at like 100 mph, but what about 350 mph???! hehe, so after some practices with the NITRO I totally hit that thing going at nearly max speed....I was completely airborne...it was a RUSH. I would've fallen in the water at the far end of the hill, if it weren't for the INVISIBLE barrier. If someone could EVER make a NEW rage racer and allow for fatal crashes outside of the course, I would pay TOP DOLLAR for it. It would resemble what you'd see alot in F-ZERO for the super nintendo, where you could crash out of bounds. If you crashed, there would be no going back, and you'd lose a chance on any given race, but it would be realistic.

The best part in Centipede is on the first stage when you don't fire a SINGLE shot the entire time, and let the entire centipede come all the way down the bottom of the screen, one row above the bottom. Then you prepare yourself, and zoom by the centipede firing. It turns into a beautiful row of mushrooms, and you destroy it! Risky, cuz you are so dead if you don't do it right. Another neat trick instead of the "fillet" method, is to fire at its head, and the rest of it gets destroyed on the same single mushroom. These tricks seem to work really well on the Atari 5200 version, and less well in the arcade I believe.

NES sure does have fun titles, there is NO doubt. Mega Man Double Dribble Super Mario Series Excitebike Mike Tyson's Punchout Who can go wrong with games like that? But for fun I still love: Pitfall! River Raid Pac Man (it is unique, k?) And the ones I've discovered recently, that I never played at all when I was young: Artillery Duel Pitfall 2 Phoenix (you bet!) Enduro Gravitar You just can't compare NES to the Atari 2600, the games are so completely different. You COULD potentially say that Donkey Kong Classics for NES looks a hell of alot better than either Donkey Kong Jr (pure barf), and Donkey Kong (fecal material)for the Atari 2600. But I have Donkey Kong for the 2600 because it is on other platforms (collectibility). And Donkey Kong Jr is good for my pop to sit on, er, to see how great a game it was on 2600. So I still have yet to get Donkey Kong Jr., but I plan to. [ 06-04-2002: Message edited by: KAZ ]

I'm going to collect that system whenever I get the chance also. Galaga, Donkey Kong Jr., Ms. Pacman, and Dig Dug all look GREAT on this system. But those are not "unique" 7800 titles... So how bout Karateka, Food Fight, and maybe even the rare title Mean 18 (hard to find tho). I've never actually played an Atari 7800 for real, only on an emulator, so consider that when taking my advice.

I was surprised that I didn't hear a "spoiler" remark in the replies to AtariPitbull. Something like, "oh yeah", well I got a swordquest waterworld from my thrift store for like $5! I've heard it before on these message boards, and am thankful people are genuinely happy for pitbull here. Nice buy, pitbull!

I was typing this, and my computer seemed to have some mysterious surge, it was like it crashed.... I was wondering if you guys could implement counters on topics. Like if the person posting a new topic can choose if they want a counter on their thread. I don't know if this would be easy or not, but just an idea...

I've seen Gran Turismo. The race car game is fine, but it just doesn't have the "rush" you get from Rage Racer. It is like you can "feel" the car beneath you moving in Rage Racer. When you race the Bull Dog or the Devil Car, you will know why Rage Racer is something special. Gran Turismo simply has really great graphics, and crystal clear animation. It probably beats Rage Racer in many "hardware" type categories, like graphic/polygon whatever. I shouldn't judge Gran Turismo, I haven't played it THAT much, I've just seen it played many times.

So why is it do you get stuck on class 2 or 3...maybe you're using the wrong car on the wrong course? I use the corner skidding with any of the Lizard cars (the ones with fast acceleration). I use manual transmission sometimes too. Here's how I take a standard sharp corner....when you get close to the corner, I take my finger completely off the gas, turn the wheel completely either right or left, and then jam on the gas again. To make yourself stop skidding, you have to press forward, and sometimes I have to lower my gears. You can do this with automatic transmission, but it doesn't work quite as well. The other way to corner is with those AGE cars (the ones that handle/turn REALLY well). I set the tires to major grip, and just press the brake till I know I can clear the corner. That Pegase car (it is the yellow class 4 AGE car), can take corners at like 100 mph, it is unreal. It is because its wheels are so spread out I think. I would recommend Lizard cars for both the Mythical Coast and Overpass City. Age cars work fine for the Lakeside Gate. Age cars work pretty good on the Mythical Coast too. But DON'T race Lizard cars on the Lakeside Gate...it will be frustrating!! You can't make the turns. Of course any car can win any course, but that's just some helpful suggestions. I like racing the oval track cars on the over pass city course sometimes, (on lower classes), it is funny to be going 170 mph down that last main straightaway of the course. Blowing by about 7 cars on the straightaways because of maximum speed makes up for NO turning ability, and crappy. acceleration.

Well as you may have heard, I'm a big fan of this game. I just played through all 5 classes on the regular grand prix in one night...I started at like 10pm and played off and on till now (3am). It was recorded at 2 hours, 24 minutes. At first glance, it might not seem like a major deal, but most of the other times I've played this game, I've used the game shark, to either give myself cash, or outright win races. This time I did not cheat even once! I'm amazed I actually beat all of class 5, that is tough as hell. I guess I got really good at playing the game when using the game shark... Kinda like when you try to cheat for an exam, by writing down the answers on your shoe. You get to class, and are amazed to find you don't have to look at your cheating apparatus (bottom of your shoe), because while entering in the data, you actually learned the material. After the 5 classes on the regular grand prix, there is an Extra Grand Prix-with secret cars. You are given a prize of nearly infinite cash to play around with on the Regular Grand Prix. I think the prize for beating class 5 should've been like 1 million, but not 9 trillion. The prize for winning class 4 is 100,000. That way you still have to "earn" whatever cars you didn't get on your first time around. Sorry about being long-winded, but this has been a "goal" of mine for a long time, to beat the game without cheating at all. I just never got around to it, and I was scared of class 5. They used to just kick my ass like I was standing still.

Sylentwulf deleted his original topic precisely because he knows he has competitors who (tho they wouldn't say it out loud), would probably like the idea if he weren't around selling games, and cutting into THEIR profits. So he withdrew the topic, so none of his enemies (I mean competition) would narc on him to Ebay. Considering that sylentwulf takes up a sizable portion of game selling, if he weren't in the picture, it would give other sellers a chance to raise their prices.

That's a great idea! But as was stated before, I intuitively agree with another that said Ebay doesn't give a dam about that. Like every other business institution supposedly, they care about money and profit. Ebay would probably secretly encourage side deals...because the seller had to pay the first fee to list, and another fee to resell the games he has left after a shady deal.

I think it works like this: If you use a lower class power adapter for a higher system, there is no risk of damage... If you were to use a higher class power adapter on a lower system, you'd burn it out. So you could potentially use the power adapter from a 2600 to work on the NES, but not vice versa. I'm not even sure if this would be compatible, but I think I've read about universal power adapters. Supposedly there's nothing too mysterious about power supplies (except having too much voltage), but there's always significant differences when it comes to Switchboxes. I could be completely wrong, but I think that's what I've read before.

Yeah, I do post on a regular basis. The reason is because I just got into classic game collecting, and while trying to jumpstart this collecting, I had to ask alot of questions about games, or comment about the ones I played and liked. I like "hardware" type debates over the specs of systems...or what games are best on what systems, and all the debating that can be involved. I suppose since graduating from college, I miss writing persuasive essays, and so I think it is a good way for me to stay "intellectually stimulated". Lots of friendly people on here too, alot my same age, which validates my interest in collecting also. [ 06-03-2002: Message edited by: KAZ ]

Race Racer Tekken 2 Street Fighter Collection 2 (with the old street fighter, and champion edition) Final Fantasy 7 or 8 (I hate 9, I don't know why, but it sux). Armored Core (mad fun for two players) I have a very limited collection, so the ones I have are definitely great. I rented Rage Racer before buying it, and you can customize the design on your car (I designed a pentagram on it, with "dripping blood", to make the car look badass). Don't miss out on Final Fantasy's summon spells, when you see them you will not regret having a Playstation! Tekken 2 doesn't get much better for fighting games. Jun Kazama's, and others, have "counter moves" that depend on the other guy attacking (like a judo style move). You can defeat the other guy because he's attacking you And the fighter "King" has these wrestling moves that you can link together. It takes unbelievable skill to do this, but one move can last like 20 seconds if done right. Oh by the way, if you ever manage to execute his ultimate "Romero Special", you are one hell of a gamer, the move takes at LEAST a good hour just to get it to work in practice move. Not a very "practical" move, but he's got other linking wrestling moves that you can easily do in battle to defeat your opponent just as easily. [ 06-03-2002: Message edited by: KAZ ]

Good god. It is like this seller was/is trying to stall for time or something. He obviously didn't have the products that he was trying to sell...unbelievable. My guess is he started out trying to steal people's money, and somehow they tracked him down, and he frantically tried to fix the situation. On second inspection, it looks like this seller was "legit" for a while, but she wasn't doing things the "regular" way. She had some sort of "supplier", and I'm sure she stopped getting merchandise from this "supplier", and so this created a bunch of broken "promises", because she started auctions even when she didn't have the merchandise from her "supplier". This is how it looks to me, interesting reading! [ 06-03-2002: Message edited by: KAZ ]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=1357200601 I realize the auction isn't over, but if it sells for $3.25 I will be shocked and horrified. I know many that hate the game, but I consider it one of the most fun racing games for the Playstation. I just got done playing it for an hour. When an Atari 2600 Stampede cartridge is the same price as a great Playstation title like this, you KNOW something messed up is happening. I mean seriously, it is CD based, and the graphics, memory, everything kick the shit out of Stampede, but of course I know that's not why people would buy a 2600 game (I should know, I'm one of them). Maybe some people will jack the auction up to $20 or something before the end, and I can rest easy knowing that one of the coolest racing games still has "value" to people.

"There's no time to lose". The answer is 20 minutes? That how much time there would be to lose if you were playing the game pitfall. Or maybe if you reverse those letters you'd get something like: setunim 02 set the level to two? or maybe Pitfall 2? hehe, I'm just wildly guessing, don't mind me

Well here's the "cutoffs" as I've figured it out...since noone wants to give a straight answer to the question... At 11 posts, status changes to Sr Atari Fan At 101 posts, status changes to Atari Pro At 251 posts, status changes to Atari Pro 2 I have no idea about Atari Pro 3, but I have a feeling it is up around 501 posts... At 1001 it turns to High Atarian, and the exclamation points begin to add on after a while. [ 06-03-2002: Message edited by: KAZ ]

Well I've seen Atari 2600's on Ebay (heavy sixers or not) selling for $50 without boxes...and you say this is new in the box never used. That IS amazing. I'm sure I could see it fetching $100 on ebay pretty easily. Course, what would you do with a never used boxed Atari 2600? Leave it in the box unopened, or would you open it up? If you already have a playable 2600, perhaps you should keep it in its box.