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solidcorp

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Posts posted by solidcorp

  2. Posted · Edited by solidcorp

    Unless I'm mistaken, he posted that it is a standard F8 game. So no, it is not using a unique scheme...and (would) run on anything that can load 8k.

     

    His comment was in reference to what he used during development. One can only imagine what HSW could have done with a modern dev system and Harmony to test on-the-fly back in 1981 ;)

     

    Chances are, it would blow anything that is being done today completely out of the water.

     

    I used DASM, Xasm, Z26, Stella, and Harmony in development.

     

    Last year I showed the game on a Harmony cartridge, this year on my own cart (64K with 2 software controllable LEDs) that has my own bankswitching. Star Castle on this cart still takes only two banks.

     

    I have two versions in source control, one F8 and the other for my cart.

     

    From Howards DP Press interview:

    We used a VAX system to compile/assemble, and then downloaded the code to an emulator box for execution, patching, and debugging.

    So he had emulator hardware, and could download and debug, which was great in the 70's/80's. I'm sure he could have done a lot more, or did what he did faster with all the features available in Stella debugging - source level, stepping through the rasterizer... It is a really wonderful tool and emulator.

    • Like 1

  4. Posted

    Hey wait... I just caught this... so you used Harmony in developing this game? I thought your had written a proprietary bank switching scheme for Star Castle. Harmony happened to have support for that built in?

     

    And now I understand the price. Deep inside the text of terms of use that hardly anybody bothers to read, the authors and developers of Stella and Harmony, respectively, have a clause that includes them in any proceeds when people sell their wares commercially. So there. D. Scott isn't the only one that stands to make out here. Share the wealth 'yo! :lol:

     

    Star Castles does use a proprietary bank switching scheme and recent development has all been EEPROM burning.

    (which is a total friggin' pain, and if I could ever get my LoadBoy working again I wouldn't have to do it :) )

     

    I have read the entire EULA for both products, they say a lot of stuff.

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    Don't be so hard on yourself.

    Some of you guys are just ruthless.

     

    I believe that it is physically impossible for RT to ignore a "straight line". He would probably explode like the fat guy in "Meaning of Life". Solidcorp, I do have to say that you have dealt with the whole thing (the difference of opinion, the reponse, and the guys who just want to get a laugh) pretty calmy and respectfully.

     

    Thanks man, I really appreciate your saying so.

     

    This particular forum [programming] is really not the venue for any launch announcement, let alone one like this.

     

    I come here out of habit, it's a good group, and the best Atari site in the world.

    • Like 1

  6. Posted

    Cool, that means I can lock this nonsense now?

     

    BTW, You make carts right? Did you ever make the carts with the LEDs? ...I remember you being interested.

    What's your maximum capacity?

     

    I've made many carts with LED's, why? Are you talking about any of my many different PCB's, when you ask about capacity?

     

    I was just curious, I haven't seen any with LED's, but I haven't exactly been looking, and didn't know what capacities you had made either. Your PCBs are available, no?

     

    Yea, perhaps a better question is do you have a link to your online store, or many different PCB's?

    • Like 1

  7. Posted · Edited by solidcorp

    Once again I am defending myself.

     

    No need. It's your game and your decision... no matter what anyone tries to tell you, you don't have an obligation to distribute it online. I think you've got the right idea about selling the cartridge on eBay and uploading the ROM at a later date... that way everybody wins, eventually. Don't let the chiselers convince you that your work is worth nothing, and that you MUST give it to them NOW.

     

    At risk of diverting the topic, I was really impressed with how arcade-faithful Roadblasters was. Did you use code from the original game or just obsessively play it during development? I've played a lot of arcade ports in my time and this is one of the most accurate I've seen, released at a time when arcade perfection wasn't exactly job one for developers (see every NES game ever made). There's an Easter Egg in the arcade game that you can find by hitting turbo just as you reach the finish line... the car shoots past it to the horizon while a female voice remarks, "Now THAT'S cruisin'!" IT'S ACTUALLY IN THE LYNX VERSION! Now THAT'S attention to detail!

     

    Thanks, I don't consider the people here in the Atari 2600 programming forum chiselers, and I really regret using the word kitsch today (I did say that I had an irrational aversion to reuse of Atari games, but enough about that).

     

    Anyway,

     

    I got the source code very late in the project, most was having the coin op right next to my desk. There's another Easter egg where you run into a cannon at the end of each level you can get like 10000 points, that we got in. I worked with Steve Ryno, who was a professional game player before producer at Atari and he let me in on a lot of the details. The game is interesting too, fuel consumption gets worse the longer you play - I don't think you can finish the game without feeding quarters, but you don't have to die to reset the counter, just put money in. If I remember correctly there is a comment on the code (that I still have printed out somewhere) that says something to the effect of "this is where we embezzle money from the player". I laughed my butt off when I read that.

     

    There are a few more Easter eggs where you can see my face or Matt Scott, the audio engineer's face and warp to almost any level - you can find those on the web. The end music was really cool too.

    • Like 1

  9. Posted

    That's just 50 cents a byte for the whole cart, or $4 a byte for the 8K Star Castle runs out of.
    If somebody can't afford the whole shebang, can he pick which bytes are bought? ;) :D

    :)

    To be fair, it's proof only if you stuck to known programming techniques. Even besides that, however, the modern cross-programmer has tons of resources and utilites that didn't exist in Atari's heyday...so there is no way to be on equal footing with the pioneers.

     

    So what he said is true.

     

    ...from a certian point-of-view.

    I agree completely. I tried to be historically accurate & I stuck to known programming techniques. I pulled out my 6502 book, documentation, and perforated printouts from when I worked at Atari. I did use Stella and Harmony, wonderful tools that no doubt made a difference. Someone else also pointed out how much time I spent on the project which is a good point too.

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    In all honesty I feel a little sad with all of this. You've obviously put a lot of effort into making a quality conversion, but it's quite obvious no one will ever be able to enjoy it.

     

    Yeah, I feel a little bit like the orphan boy watching the rich people through the window eat their Christmas dinner. Kinda wondering why things are the way they are, and all hungry inside.

     

     

    I'd gladly pay $25-$30 for a homebrew such as this, but $32,000+ is just plain absurd.

     

    I'm sad about this entire conversation.

     

    Thank you for your compliment.

     

    A lot of whats been said has been absurd.

    • Like 1

  12. Posted

    Yes. Exactly that. I make Atari 2600 lamps. I am the creator of the "kitsch" you singled out. Perhaps it would be better if I just took pictures of the things I make and tell everyone they can't have one?

     

    DOH!

     

    I had no idea I was speaking directly to you.

     

    I'm not going to take back my honest feelings about repurchasing Atari consoles and carts that way, but I will say that I am sorry for referring to it as kitsch, and my last post about the glue etc... You have a right to do what you want with them.

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    I'll just be over here making my "kitsch"......and sharing it with the community. Thank you for your words of support!

     

    So, like a lamp or bookend or something? All stuck together with hot glue and maybe epoxy?

     

    I was referring to using cartridges as a craft material, NOT for homebrew carts.

     

    There was someone who was offering new injection molded cartridges a while back but they disappeared.

    • Like 1

  14. Posted

    I know that millions were made and they are still plentiful, but I can't help wondering what my Harmony cartridge started its life out being :)

    It was probably an E.T. cart. But don't worry, although they were all sent back and buried, there are still millions of them out there somehow. I think it was a 1982 Christmas miracle.

     

    Wow,

     

    In an interview Howard said he kind of liked having the distinction of having made the best game, Yars Revenge and the worst game, E.T. (his words, not mine, and in his defense he made E.T. in a ridiculously short amount of time, something like 4 weeks I think)

     

    It would be really cool if by a twist of fate, I used one of his E.T. carts in the development of Star Castles 2600.

    • Like 1

  16. Posted

    If you don't want your work stolen, your in the wrong business. There has always been software piracy and it will not go away. This is an unfortunate fact. The only way to avoid it is to not produce software or never make it publicly available.

    I've been making games professionally for 24 years, I know and agree which is why I wasn't going to release it at all.

    The thing you need to realize about this small 2600 software market is that your primary audience are collectors who will buy the game because they want to hold the physical cart in their hands, not just play it. The people who download the rom without paying for it are cheapskates who would have never bought it in the first place. The number of carts you sell is not going to be substantially affected by the availability of the rom file.

    That is why I made my own cartridge. I wanted it to be unique and I also have an almost irrational aversion for repurposing old Atari carts. I cringe every time I see someone make a lamp or some other kitsch out of a stack of carts. I know that millions were made and they are still plentiful, but I can't help wondering what my Harmony cartridge started its life out being :)

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    How many game variations are on the cart?

     

    Just one, single player Star Castle.

     

    I made the graphics for two player and had to cut it when I ran out of room. Two player is just taking turns with the single player game anyway and I decided to focus on the most faithful port of its appearance and game play. I've had to go back and "make room" three times now, I'm sure all the low hanging fruit is gone. At this point I don't even have the bytes to add code to read the select switch properly or display the mode without throwing out the title screen graphics.

     

    I did add an invincibility cheat for VGS so people could get a good look at the game without getting killed.

     

    Scott

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    This is all very interesting and so wrong. I can understand keeping a binary from the unwashed hoarders. I also understand the pride and desire to seek acclaim for one's work. I even understand wanting a reasonable return on your time. Good luck. However, there's a line where pride and sensibility ends and pure tackiness begins and this particular one is way way over it. Put whatever ridiculous price you want on your cartridge, and maybe some idiot will buy it. That's your right, but it doesn't make it right. And despite your "many months of very hard work", or words to that effect, and your laughable asking price of $32K... no matter HOW hard you worked and HOW clever you think you are... that pales to insignificance compared to the work that many other homebrewers have done on their games which have, generally, freely been available as playable binaries. And no matter what you write, and how good you think it is, there are far better programmers out there who can do just as good a job. You may not get this -- the REAL reason that most of us program '2600 is... because we enjoy the challenge. Not for the money, not for the fawning accolades of those begging for copies, nor for the feeling of self importance you may get. We do it because we can and because it's fun. It's a real pity you don't share that community spirit and sense of fun with the rest of us.

     

    I did it for the challenge and love coding on the 2600.

     

    Tacky or not, I put a price on it in response to last years 14 page conversation (here) and I've offered to release all the source and binaries along with it.

     

    Your attacks on my programming prowess are unfounded. My work on Star Castle is not insignificant compared to other home brewers. How many have designed their own cartridge, implemented their own bank switching or even programmed an EEPROM? There are some but not many. There are certainly comparable programmers out there, and probably a very few who are clearly better. The only fact here that speaks to my programming ability is that I took the initiative to write a good game that a very brilliant, famous, and influential man said would suck, something others had only talked about for 29 years. There are other great programmers and a long list of fantastic homebrew titles, none of which take away from my efforts, accomplishments, or abilities.

     

    I encourage anyone who is interested in writing Star Castle or any other title to do so. As for Star Castle, I've proven it can be done and practically laid out a road map for anyone who would care to try.

     

    I've done my best to thank those who have offered kind words.

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    Solidcorp has committed a horrible injustice. He has copied another persons game without getting permission, and now

    he wants to profit$ from this.

     

    I don't care how hard you tried to get the copyright holders permission Solidcorp, the fact remains that you DO NOT have permission to make or distribute this re-production.

     

    Until you get the original copyright holders permission, this game cannot be sold in good conscience.

     

    Good point, but it's not an injustice until someone actually writes a check.

     

    And that goes for all the coin op ports and inspired games in the homebrew community, not just Star Castle. You've singled me out because you think my price is absurd and I've wagged a finger at piracy.

     

    Even the box and cartridge scans here on the site may be infringement, unless you have permission from Atari (ugh Infogrames). I LOVE Atari Age, and for all I know the reproductions are legal, but look at the bottom of the

    Yars Revenge label: it says clearly "Label, Program, & Audiovusual © 1981 ATARI, INC."

    • Like 1

  21. Posted

    This remind me of record collectors who will pay thousands to get their hands on a one-of-a-kind recording of Elvis, The Beatles, etc, yet won't let anyone hear it or allow a record company to reissue it for fear of losing it's value.

     

    DS should at least let Atariage give this game a good workout and review it. Lets see if its a kick-*** game thats worth $32,768.00

     

    It's more like a good but not famous studio vocalist records a song that Elvis couldn't sing, but led to the song Jailhouse Rock. The studio vocalist hangs on to their recording but plays it publicly. Afterwards several people are interested in buying a record of the song, but not enough to make it commercially viable. The artist decides to keep the recording to themselves, but later realizes that for enough money they would be willing to sell the record and give away the mp3's.

     

    Everyone could have come and seen it at VGS in 2010 and 2011. It's exactly what it promises to be, a faithful port of the Cinematronics Star Castles coin op. No more no less.

    • Like 1

  22. Posted

    Would it be possible to have a raffle for the cart? It would be hard to get one person to pay $32k but it may be easier to get 1000 people to buy a $32 ticket or 500 people to buy two tickets for the chance to win the cart. You can give incentives to get people to buy tickets. Maybe let them know they are paying for the ROM with the bonus of winning the actual cart? Maybe say you will release it to everyone when all 1000 tickets are sold? Maybe say you will give the rights to make and sell more carts to Atari Age? You could do it at a gaming expo and online at the same time. Could something like that work if finely tuned just right?

     

    It has also been suggested that I just put the cart on eBay with a high reserve (higher than my asking price to account for the eBay and paypals exorbitant rates, but then again, they provide a valuable service by providing a marketplace and painless transactions).

    • Like 1

  24. Posted

    One good thing, is that, to me, classic gaming is far superior to many of the newer games released. I was totally abhorred by the recent Star Raiders remake. There isn't anything quite like the original 8-bit version by Mr. Neubauer. It's even a good two-player game if you get a navigator and science officer operating the keyboard. You cannot do that with the X-BOX release.

     

    As children, I couldn't get the co-pilot idea over on my buddies, they all had to be pilot. But today, adult gamers would often prefer that position instead of mindlessly blasting Zylons. We often begin a gaming odyssey with one game, complete it, and transition into another totally different game.

     

    It's like docking at an abandoned space station with Orbiter, then playing a custom level in Doom, then going back to the spacecraft. Ahh well, this is now off-topic.

     

    Basically I agree, but I can't say either is superior. New games are a totally different animal, they need to be richer and deeper. You can't really sell those old twitch coin-op or vintage cart experiences any more no matter how you try to rewrap them - unless they are unmodified in some retro collection.

     

    Star Raiders on the Atari 400 (where I started programming) was and is one of my favorite games. I never liked it on the 2600, though it was a good effort and the ST version was ugly and klunky.

    • Like 1

  25. Posted

    I understand this is your project, but it's not often when someone in the professional gaming industry makes a game for an older system. Ed Fries made Halo 2600, it was shown to bungie, sold at CGE 2010, and still got a rom release. Selling the game at a high price and not letting any company make another cart, limits who can see and try the game. The high bidder doesn't make the game more of less legal. The extremely high price for a brand new game that is not a prototype or unreleased game will make sure most won't be albe to play the game for a long time. Not to mention that if someone does buy and decides not to release the rom to the public, but still dumps it, may make piracy more likely.

     

    Who cares? Nobody is going to support these shenanigans at all, not even that Wonder dude, it's a simple game of "Look at my shiny ball, you can't play with it!". :roll:

     

    Reminds me a bit of those Jaguar weirdos, like Gorf.

     

    S1500 and Cebus brought up Jaguar Gorf last year.

    That must have really struck quite a nerve.

    • Like 1
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