solidcorp

I remember a TV commercial from the early 80's where I think a drill seargent barges in on some kids and asks them what they're playing, they say "Space Munchies" and he gives them the new game saying something like "This aint no namby pamby video game!" . Does anyone remember this?! I've looked at every 2600 commercial on youtube and probably the rest of the web (including many copies of the Jack Black and Phil Heartman commercials) and can't find it. I have a feeling it may have been an alternalte Chopper Command commercial or maybe it was even for another game system. It prompted me to write one of my first BASIC games on the Atari 400 - a joke version of Space Munchies, long lost on a tape in a landfill somewhere. I sure would like to see that commercial again.

Me too ( I ported it to the Lynx )

http://www.textfiles.com/games/ATARIMAIL/

What does a cart shell have to cost to be economical? (apiece? per 100?)

I was just listening to Asteroids by Damaskas and had to laugh when I heard Star Castle mentioned in the song.

I don't think cd-w should change the title. The title screen is really nice.

You can get coin op parts from Souzo Happ Buttons, Joysticks, Trackballs (not really Atari 2600 friendly but cool), T Molding (for a nice edge) If you want to make one to use on your PC with emulators, I love the I-PAC and OptiPac interfaces from Ultimarc. They also used to have really good 4 way/8 way top changing joysticks. This is a deep hole to start down but it can be a really fun one. Good luck.

Good point, considering options... Everyone who pledged $20 or more for Star Castle 2600 on Kickstarter should check their email. Enjoy! D. Scott Williamson

Me too! I only have seen one so far and it's pretty cool. There will be six - one was ordered by a good friend of mine who is refusing to do his own artwork (Booo!), does anyone out there feel like making some awesome 48x38 monochrome title graphics for him?

Good point, considering options...

Hahahahahaha!

Sorry, I didn't see this message until today... I actually took a 5 day weekend to work on Star Castle exclusively and the download page is almost ready. I've been working on the production prep for Star Castle 2600 exclusively since last Thursday. It would have been done sooner except I ran into some snags on the Mac, but I got some pro help (THANKS!) and it should be good to go very soon. The "Est. Delivery" is "May 2012" and you should expect an email very soon. Thanks for your patience. Scott

Very cool. We're a step closer to mp3 playback Do you have any demos that use non chiptune/techno samples, like something with conventional instruments and human voice?

Today is your last chance to order Star Castle 2600! Less than 24 hours left before the Kickstarter campaign is over! That was shameless. On a cooler note, I've been talking to Ben Fry and he has agreed to do a distellamap of the game! That's very cool. If you haven't seen them, check them out here: http://benfry.com/distellamap/

Today is your last chance to order Star Castle 2600! Less than 24 hours left before the Kickstarter campaign is over! That was shameless. On a cooler note, I've been talking to Ben Fry and he has agreed to do a distellamap of the game! That's very cool. If you haven't seen them, check them out here: http://benfry.com/distellamap/

This is for you local boy

Pac-Man was not rushed. It was on a normal development cycle of about 6 months, and the final version ended up being 4K. I respectfully concede, and apologize. I was repeating what I heard Rob Zdybel (with whom I worked at Atari) say in Once Upon Atari (Section 5 Chapter 2, 12:46 into the section) where he erroneously stated that Tod Frye made Pac-Man in 2K and begged for more ROM space.

It didn't have to suck in 8K, though it would probably have in 4 (my ring kernel takes 2.5k - 3k I think). PAC-MAN was full of tricks - it was done nearly overnight in 2K - Fry repeatedly asked for more memory to make the game better. Check out the Once Upon Atari documentary.

The custom screen is a static monochrome bitmap that replaces the title screen. If you like I can provide you the existing bitmap to modify; as a matter of fact, that's probably the best way to do it. Thanks. Your ideas are cool but It has to fit in the same cartridge ROM space and use basically the same code.

I think so, well at least mine, it's a standard F8 ROM cartridge without any additional hardware (ignoring the blinking lights). The display and sound kernels are pretty straight forward as many will soon see when they get the full source code on CD. Don't get me wrong, it was hard as hell, but it didn't require supercomputers or anything.

...yet Warshaw came out with Yars Revenge. IMO, about as plain a game as it gets. I'd much rather play this version of Star Castle than Yars, but hey, that's just me. Can't take anything away from Yars at it was such a good seller, but I just didn't like it. I disagree, I see Yars Revenge as a pivotal product that within 4K offered a new level of originality, gameplay, and game quality. It offered 4 variations of 1 and 2 player gameplay and he still managed to squeeze his initials into the game as one of the first easter eggs. It really raised the bar showing what was capable on the 2600, and I really enjoyed playing it because it had a real arcade feel. I didn't discover the connection to Star Castle until 2008, and I'm sure that Star Castle 2600 would not have been nearly as successful if it were developed instead of Yars Revenge. That's just my personal opinion.

I hope he and everyone else has noticed that I used his real quotes with links to his interviews on Kickstarter story page and in interviews I've given. I've also made a point of mentioning that Yars Revenge is 4K while Star Castle 2600 is 8K like Asteroids which came out around the same time. A minor point: Kickstarter is not a marketing site, in this case it's basically being used as a pre-order system - the vast majority of marketing is done elsewhere ultimately driving people to the Kickstarter site.

I'm working on the CAD file for the new case right now These cases will be cast acrylic. The molds will most likely be silicone. It's a good question but I can't really even think about stuff like that until I've shipped my last Star Castle 2600 cartridge in July. In the meantime, I know there are other people out there who are working on replacement cases, and I think that some will be open source so others could fab and cast them. Check with me at or after the Video Game Summit in Lombard.

Thanks for your support and nicely done, I just saw you do that! May I mention your name in a KS update?

The Star Castle 2600 Kickstarter just hit 200% and there are just 3 days left! EDIT: It was an AA member that pushed the campaign into double goal territory! See his post here! Thank you sir!