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SS

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Posts posted by SS

  1. 3 hours ago, Stephen said:

    On all of my 400/800 machines, I solder in a tiny jumper across the bottom of the power PCB which makes the switch act always closed.

    I don't relish the idea of opening up that 400 case again!  It was quite a struggle to get it back together the last time, largely because of that wound-up RF cord.  Do you know of any diagrams that detail exactly what contacts that I should solder my jumper to?  If I *am* going to go to the bother of opening everything up again, I should probably give thought to finally putting in that "Super Color CPU Card" that I have been sitting on too.  Thanks for the insights.  

    • Like 1
  2. Does anyone know of a way to add a simple mod to the 400 power door so that the system WILL NOT shut off when the cartridge door is open?  And, perhaps more importantly, is there any good reason as to why I should not do this?  In the past, I have used a small stick to prop against the open door and hold down the button but this necessitates always leaving the cartridge door open while running a game or program.  I am asking because I am thinking about getting an A8PicoCart to use with my RAM modded 400 but I would like to be able to have access to the cartridge's reset switch while the machine is running.  Thanks.  

  3. On 2/10/2024 at 5:42 PM, nyandeyanen said:

    and as I found out recently it also works with 8bitDo's wireless adapter for their M30 controller which doesn't work with the Seagull 78.

    FYI - The 2.4ghz wireless adapter for the 8bitdo M30 absolutely does work with the Seagull 78, at least with the newer style release.  I have not been able to try it with the original style Seagull because I broke mine by stepping on it a few years ago but I have two of the newer style and the 2.4ghz M30 works on both.  

  4. Hi.  I got my GameDrive from Stone Age Gamer in the mail today.  So far, everything looks pretty great after downloading and installing the Feb 8 firmware.  I am still in process of checking everything out but I have had issue with a few of Bob DeCrescenzo's games.  "Galaxian" experiences a lot of slowdowns throughout and has a momentary screen freeze every time that a player shot hots a Galaxian ship.  "Armor Attack II" runs but very, very slowly.  "KC Munchkin" loads and the game starts but then crashes with a total screen freeze almost immediately; this happens in both versions of the game.  Thanks.

  5. 39 minutes ago, MrFish said:

    I'm just waiting for the 400 Incognito to be released...

    If and when the 400 Incognito gets released, my 400 will definitely move into permanent setup as my main Atari computer.  

  6. 3 hours ago, Mr Robot said:

    Why did they pick the ugliest Atari to use for the case?

    Gotta disagree here.  To my eyes the "retro-futuristic" look of the 400's case is the most beautiful design of all the A8s.  I never had a 400 as a kid but I own two of them now.  I also own about seven or eight XL machines (and the 800XL was my very first computer) but I would honestly be less interested in this mini in an XL style than I am in the 400.  If only it had a functional SIO port so that I could use it in conjunction with my 810 styled SDrive-MAX!  

    • Like 5
  7. 4 hours ago, JagChris said:

    Does it have the same problem of being too easy or something else?

    It's decently put together and fun for short bursts occasionally.  It just doesn't hold my interest for long.  Maybe "easy" isn't how I'd describe it but it's certainly not all that challenging either.  If I didn't own the A8 version, I would probably not mind getting the 7800 cart.  I just really wouldn't put enough time into it to warrant owning two.  

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  8. I've thought a few times about picking up the 7800 "Nova Wolf" but keep talking myself out of it.  I already own the Atari Computer version that Video61 put out a few years ago.  Not a bad game in any sense but not horribly exciting either.  As much as I like the idea of 7800 homebrews, I just don't think that I need an upgrade on this one.   

    • Like 1
  9. On 1/2/2024 at 5:35 PM, OverMuch said:

    That is indeed the one.  He told me he had it listed on eBay for $8k, but didn't know what to expect because he's got zero feedback.

    It certainly looks legit.  Still, I would have some reservations with dropping $8K with a seller with zero feedback.  🤷‍♂️

     

  10. I probably play 7800 homebrews more than I do the originals.  Except for "Ballblazer" and "Food Fight"; not only are these my favorite 7800 games but they are really two of my favorite games ever on ANY platform 😃.  My other three favorite 7800 originals are boringly "Asteroids", "Centipede", and "Commando".  

    • Thanks 1
  11. Classic releases would have to be either "Pitfall!" or "Demon Attack".  For homebrews I would have to go with "Skeleton+"; I have always been amazed with ho much that Eric was able to squeeze out of 4K for that game.  

    • Like 1
  12. 1 hour ago, remowilliams said:

    That looks like you have a bad dump with the sample data missing/corrupted.

    It looks as if you are right.  I updated the AtariMax firmware and gave all of the contacts on everything a good scrubbing.  I had to give it three more tries but it looks like the third time was the charm and that I finally got a good dump.  At least it seems so thus far after about 20 minutes of testing.

     

    This newest dump actually runs OK on my 7800 via Harmony Cart.  The original cartridge continues to produce the same screen jumping effects.  Now I am wondering what the difference could be that the Harmony makes to the 7800 for running the game?

  13. 3 hours ago, JetSetIlly said:

    Out of interest, do you have copies of the other new Atari cartridges? Have you tried ripping them?

    I have successfully ripped some 7800 homebrews and A8 carts with my AtariMAX device but none of the other new official Atari products.  

  14. 3 hours ago, remowilliams said:

    What model of RetroTINK are you using, perhaps the video loss/resync is not fast enough and you are missing the window the voice samples play in?

    I am using a RetroTINK 2X-MINI.  I think that you are probably right about it not resyncing fast enough.  

  15. Some updates.  Bezerk Enhanced Edition works good on my 2600 Jr.  I still haven't been able to get the 6-switcher out of storage, so no new info there.  I tried dumping the game again as a standard 32K Atari game.  It will load via the Harmony but still crashes.  Strangely, via the Harmony, the game will start out normal on the 7800 without the jumping effect.  However, when the player gets killed the game totally crashes just as the voice effect tries to start.  It does this on the 7800, the 2600s, and the Stella emulator.  

     

    Here's what I am seeing.  The first video is how the game looks on my 7800s.  The screen jumps and makes the game unplayable.

     

    The second video is how the crash happens when attempting to play the game through the Harmony Cart.

  16. 6 hours ago, DEBRO said:

    I'm not sure why you are having issues with this game on your 7800. It is a standard 32K Atari ROM. Anyone else having issues with this and their 7800?

    I also posted this on the AA Facebook page.  A member there reported, "My copy works on my 4 switch but makes a tone and triangles on my light sixer. That's all I have to try it on." and another member said, "Doesn’t work at all on my unmodded 7800 but works great on my 4 switch 2600. I have heard others say it works on their 7800 so maybe it is works on particular models."  So I am at least not alone with this issue.  I still need to dig my Telegames 6-switcher and 2600 Jr out of storage to see how it acts with them.  I am pretty sure that I have a 3rd 7800 packed in with them too, so I need to try it out as well.  The two 7800s that the game hasn't worked with are both expansion port models; I think that the other one is a later revision.

     

    The other mystery here is that I DID try to rip the BIN as a standard 32K Atari ROM but did not have any luck with it in Stella; it looks as if it's running correctly but then resets itself every time on screen #2.  Weird.  I didn't even bother trying it on the 2600 via Harmony because of this issue but it looks like I need to give it another look to see if my issue is replicated there as well.  @DEBRO, I have to assume that on your end the ROM runs correctly on Stella.  I wonder what my issue could be?  I will report back once I try putting it on the Harmony.  

  17. 30 minutes ago, Thran said:

    It does run on my 7800, but I don't get any voices. 

    This is what happens with the game on my modded 2600 when I run it through the RetroTINK.  Game runs fine but no voice effects.  Everything works perfectly though when I use the normal A/V input on my television.  

  18. I got a $50 gift card from work, so I decided to spend it on the new Berzerk Enhanced Edition.  I was hoping to rip it in order to put on my Harmony but no luck thus far.  I am using an AtariMax USB Programmer and I thought that I had done it by ripping the BIN as a 32K Atari bankswitched cartridge.  It starts up in Stella seemingly fine but then resets on the second screen when you hit the fire button every time.  Hopefully I can find a workaround.  

     

    More interesting, though, is how the cartridge itself works on my consoles.  On BOTH of my 7800s, the Berzerk screen jumps (not *quite* rolls but kind of like that) as soon as the game starts up and doesn't stop, making the game unplayable.  I wondered if it was the RF feed onto my modern(ish) TV that was causing the effect but it did exactly the same thing on my A/V modded 7800.  So I dug out my A/V modded 2600 expecting the worst.  Kind of surprisingly, the game plays perfectly on this system.  I've got an un-modded 6-switcher and a Jr in the back porch storage closet but didn't want to brave the cold rain tonight to try them out; maybe I'll dig them out this weekend.  The old Berzerk VE hack does not cause these effects on my 7800s, BTW, it works great on both machines.

      

    The Berzerk Enhanced Edition box definitely says that it is compatible with a 7800 but my experience was definitely different.  Has anyone else gotten this game and had similar results?  I am very curious.  Plus, does anyone know who did the programming/hacking of this for Atari?  I was wondering if it was possibly someone here on the forum because they might be able to offer some insight.  

     

    As for the gameplay itself, I really liked the addition of the diagonal shots for the robots.  It was definitely extra challenging and fun.  Does the old hack say "Got the intruder, got the chicken" like this one does?  My brain is old and mushy but I liked that too.  

  19. 1 hour ago, Giles N said:

    One could think of a Frenzy Recharged.

    My thoughts about "Berzerk Recharged" is that it really feels a lot more like Frenzy anyway, with the way that everything comes at you from all directions at once.  I would imagine that the "Berzerk" name is a lot more marketable/recognizable than "Frenzy" though, so that's the name that they ran with.   

  20. Hey Fred.  This is all fantastic news!  I am very much looking forward to getting one or both of the CEM modules.  However, in the meantime, I am wondering if there is a way to purchase a HOKEY chip to put into the Concerto that I already own?  I have a real POKEY in there at the moment, which works well, but I would like to swap it out with a HOKEY so that I can finally attatch my label to the cartridge once and for all.  (Then the POKEY can safely go back into storage for when I might need it for an XL repair.)  Thanks!

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