Lord-Chaos

I still have some boxed/new ATARI XEGS games, most of them are not that rare. Ok,Crystal Castles is not ultra-common, but you should check all European ebays , this game can be found there. What I don´t understand is this : http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=3069832704 For "Lode Runner".This game is not rare.I usually offer it on ebay for 8 Euro (ca. $10) and it´s sealed,too. The ABBUC had "Into the Eagle´s Nest" NIB for 1.30 Euro ($2) , but it´s now sold out.They still have Barnyard Blasters+some others (check www.abbuc.de). I have Ace of Aces ,Airball,Archon ,Ballblazer Crimebuster ,Crosbow , David´s Midnight Magic , Desert Falcon ,Eastern Front 1941, Final Legacy , Gato,Hardball , Joust, Loderunner, Millipede (large box) , Millipede (small box) ,Moon Patrol, One on One Basketball, Pole Position , Rescue on Fractalus , Robotron 2084, RS Football , Star Raiders 2, Thunderfox,Tennis The only problem is the expensive overseas shipping , which is even more expensive for buyers who pay with $ since one 1 Euro now is ca. $1.28 (used to be much less). Thimo

I don´t like the old systems so much, probably because we had a junior only back in the 80s and the junior was very common in Europe until the mid-90s. Since there are many carts around here in Europe which won´t fit very good in old systems (SALU white label Activision for example), I really prefer the 2600 junior.And it´s smaller. I think for just playing,the junior systems are the best. Thimo

If you are experienced with soldering/de-soldering ROMs from existing PCBs and rewiring/modifying , the cheapest way to produce "small runs" would be to buy existing XEGS carts. Some of the are rather cheap, the ABBUC in Germany sells Barnyard Blaster for only 1.30 Euro (ca. $1.60) , Barnyard Blaster can be found on ebay.de for 1 Euro sometimes. There could be similar cheap games in the US, especially the Lighgun games since there a lot are more of these games than Lightguns. So if you want to make 10 or maybe 20 carts without investing money for new PCBs, you may try to locate some cheap new XEGS carts, since some are really common and cheap. Thimo

If anyone is able to create a PCB for an NTSC version of Fatal Run , please contact me. I´m planning to release an NTSC version of Fatal Run , probably 100 boxed & new copies including both PAL and NTSC versions. For Fatal Run a new PCB design is required. I want to offer this game for $40-45 including shipping (less for the cart without box) , so I hope it´s possible to create about 100-200 boards for a good price. This is a PAL Fatal Run , the game instructions and the text on the backside of the box are English only. I´d use a common ATARI game cartridge for the NTSC version, so the PAL label could be 1:1 reproduced, since I won´t damage the original PAL version (buyers would get both carts). Fatal Run was the last game ATARI made.It was released in 1990 as PAL version only, I don´t know if there are genuine ATARI NTSC prototypes. This game is a 32K cartridge, one of the biggest I know (only 32 in 1 is 64K). BTW. : Production of Ghostbusters 2,My Golf and Acid Drop NTSC starts as soon as the PCBs arrive. Thimo

Could there be problems on ATARI 2600 NTSC machines if I write a game on a PAL system ? I mean timing problems, missing scanlines , wrong colors. What do I have to do , so that a game will work on both PAL and NTSC without problems ? Do I need different color tables , since some NTSC games really look awful on PAL machines (blue gras in International Soccer , ugly!) ? The problem is that I only have PAL machines and emulators , but no real NTSC machine. And what about SECAM machines ? Thimo

Is there anyone who would be able to convert AMIGA pictures to the ATARI 800 XL with Graph2fnt if I supply them? I once wrote an unfinished rpg using Bard´s Tale graphics from ATARI ST (or AMIGA, both almost identical) in 256 color mode.It suffered from the lousy resolution. The idea is to repaint the pics in 160*200 instead of 80*96 , the pictures are 112*88 on the AMIGA/ST , means 56*88 on the ATARI , usually less than 16 colors , there are more than 50 , almost 100 pictures. The 3D graphics is build from tiles , has only 14 colors. The game is pretty much a "conctruction set" , an engine , the only thing that is missing is an actual "game" , a story and a playable adventure. BTW. You may look for "Beyond Castle Blackthorne" , it was the working title of the demo and may be somewhere in the net, it´s 128K and I think it was a double density disk. I think with Graph2fnt the ATARI should almost reach AMIGA graphics quality , without animation. I can also supply tgraphics of the Bard´s Tale clone "Legend of Faerghail" , which was 32color AMIGA (16 on the ST) , but non animated. Thimo

I don´t know if this version was published in the US , it´s a SALU picture label cartridge that is common in Europe and Australia (here published by HES). This game works fine on junior systems and black 4-switchers. But it won´t work on old 6-switches. But even more odd is this : It usually won´t work on the 7800, but sometimes it does work withour problems. I´ve tested this with multiple copies and I don´t know why this happens. AFAIK Decathlon uses a special bankswitching and maybe the different SALU PCB causes problems in some ATARI 2600 units. The SALU version is this : Thimo

The C64 graphics of Bard´s Tale are not very good. With Graph2fnt the ATARI can do the AMIGA graphics, these pictures are 16 color pics at 112*88 pixels and could look almost like on the AMIGA on the ATARI at 56*88 (160*200). I once ripped all the pictures,but without animation.Maybe a complete conversion of animated graphics with Graph2fnt is possible. The 3 Bard´s Tales and the Construction Set are available as AMIGA disk images on various ROM sites, I have them,too, if anyone needs them. Thimo

Look at http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?View...owpics=1&stab=0 They offer a few ATARI 2600 games , probably PAL , but AFAIK are the silver box games NTSC and Telegames carts could be NTSC.If you get them for 1 pound , this should be no problem. They also have several ATARI 800 carts,usually these XEGS carts are NTSC , several Intellivision and Colecovision , some Jaguar cart and CD games and some Neo Geo carts/CDs. Some of these games went cheap, just 1 pound , so you may give it a try. Thimo

ATARI games seem to be expensive on ebay.UK , that´s true. But UK gamers may buy from other European ebays , since shipping in the EU is not expensive and common games usually are cheap on ebay Germany. Or you may try "dead" ebay sites like ebay France,ebay Swiss or ebay Austria , there are not many bidders. And there still is Telegames UK, but their prices are rather high. Thimo

Yes, this is the game published in the "Computronic" in 1986.I still have the magazine with the listing. Thimo

One Smurf - clone was a BASIC type-in game in a German magazine called "Computronic" , it was in one of the 1986 issues AFAIK. The "Computronic" was a German magazine with type-in listings for ATARI 800 XL,C64,Sinclair Spectrum,VC20,C16,Apple II and Amstrad machines.I think the first issue was released in 84 or 85, the last one by end of 1987. AFAIK this Smurf game has no enemies , it´s just jumping over obstacles.Since it´s plain BASIC , it should be simple to improve the game with some machine code. Thimo

this is the Swiss ebay site, Tuesday-Thursday are free listing days. Although the Swiss ebay is as almost dead, the auctions will be listed on ebay Germany,too and ebay Germany is the biggest in Europe. So you may offer some games there , NTSC games usually are not a problem except ATARI 7800 games, and many games common in the US may be uncommon or rare in Germany. Thimo

Some carts won´t fit into old 6-switch systems - SALU carts for example. Anyone ever made an adaptor, so that this adaptor remains in the console and carts are put on top of this adaptor? I know these adaptors from SNES, since I have a PAL system and NTSC SNES games won´t fit at all in a PAL system.You can put them on top of the adaptor and everything works fine (this adaptor also allows NTSC games to be played on PAL systems) Thimo

these auctions will end soon : http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?View...owpics=1&stab=0 There are about 20 different boxed ATARI 400/800 XL/XE carts - Airball,Archon,Ace of Aces,Ballblazer,Crime Buster,Crossbow,Desert Falcon,Eastern Front,Final Legacy,GATO,Hardball,Joust,Lode Runner,Millipede,Midnight Magic,Moon Patrol,Pole Position,Robotron 2084,Rescue on Fractalus,Realsports Football,Robotron 2084,Star Raiders 2,Thunderfox,Tennis These games are NTSC , with English instructions only. Thimo

This depends - air mail is fast ,but expensive , surface mail is cheap , but slow. Thimo

Yes, I still have Airball , if there is no airball left on ebay, I can sell one without ebay. Thimo

Look at http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?View...5&since=-1&rd=1 This is the last auction on ebay I make this year before I go back to university. So anyone interested in boxed ATARI 2600/7800 and XEGS games and some lots may take a look, the auctions are buy it now. Please note that shipping is high for 1 game, because I´m overseas , but package isn´t really expensive for $14 for up to 15 games. Thimo

Since some prices were too high, I´ve now lowered them.Most games have starting price = buy it now price , so you won´t need to wait until the end of auctions. http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?View...owpics=1&stab=0 Please note that sending more games than 1 or 2 is cheaper , a package is only $14 for up to 15 , maybe even 20 games (depends on the weight , SALU carts weigh not much , Telegames/ATARI carts are heavier) Thimo

This is the version ATARI sold in a smaller box.There are such versions of many ATARI games , Millipede,Joust and more. This is one of the small-box Moon Patrols. Thimo

Sorry , forgot the picture : This is a SALU Pick n Pile PCB , a 16K game. And this a Telegames 8K Bump n Jump PCB This one is much bigger. Would it be possible to create cheap boards like SALU did today to reproduce rare ATARI games ? I mean, SALU did reproduce Hero,Pitfall , River Raid 2 and several other good Activision games and made Ghostbusters 2 and Acid Drop and Pick n Pile. Thimo

Older PCBs are sometimes "large" boards with ROM and other small parts. SALU PCBs are an ultra-small board with just 1 ROM. Anyone knows how this works and if it´s possible to reproduce such small boards for a few bucks or is this only possible in large qts. ? Thimo

Thanks man! I actually used one of those translators too. Yours is a little better than the one I used. I would not buy them , the seller says "untested" which often means "not working". Better check ebay UK , ebay Germany or other European ebays , these pads can be found for a better price since they were sold with the 7800 and the 2600jr. I may get several hundreds of these pads soon and may offer a deal to ATARIAGE, so that everbody can buy tested and working pads for a decent price. The pads in this auction are too expensive for untested stuff. Thimo

I´ve started these auctions, http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?View...owpics=1&stab=0 Most of the ATARI 2600 games are PAL, but they are versions that were only available in Europe (SALU). ATARI XL/XE carts always are NTSC , but also work on PAL systems. all the games are boxed+new + instructions Thimo

My opinion is : They are too expensive ! In Germany, these pads were sold with the junior system and last time I´ve seen them, the price was 5 DM (about $2.60) for a complete junior system + 2 pads + a game. These pads are ultra-common in Europe and you should not pay more than maybe $5 for them. There are thousands of them in several warehouses. Thimo