r_type2600

Nathan Strum and Robert Gomez have delivered some really nice labels, but my personal favorite got to be David Vazquez' - underwriting Nathan's comments here; plus I like how the label captures the gameplay. My special favorite is Patricio Cuello's - cool take on Edward Munch! Would make for a superb title screen

And I still don't buy the Australia thing either, I got a NTSC CIB Bomb Z-Tack from Canada, with the Iron-On. I can second that: I found a NOS one in Austria (Europe) with the iron-on. Still had the old Austrian currency price sticker on the box.

Hello and hats off to this great little homebrew! Cool how this had developed into a simple, instant fun and addicting action game! A couple of suggestions, if allowed at this late stage: - would it be possible to color-code a bit the various stats at the bottom of the screen? In the heat of the action, it's difficult to locate the specific info you're interested in, with all being white right now. - this is more difficult to consider for sure: If there's anything missing in the game, it would be the reason why the maid is running up all the floors - An idea, which is probably way too complicated to implement is to attach a vacuum cleaner sprite in front of the maid: that would explain why she has to clear all floors. A simpler alternative would be to have her recover typical tools (broom, vacuum cleaner..) at the top left corner. Not very original but well proven; joining the long tradition of Donkey Kong, Kangaroo, Climber 5, etc... I understand that tight ROM is a big issue, had to drop these thoughts nevertheless.. Cheers, Eric

Excellent, espire8, the first variant (stripped arrow) is very nice. The reduced animation speed helps a lot also! Cool to hear MM Knight is returning

The animations are great - as all your work, Espire8. (Hoping for a return of the MM Knight somewhere!) Just would be out of place here, I find. Since the arrows only serve as indicators that the escape tunnels are open, they should remain discrete and in the background. Oversizing or animating them has an adverse effect, IMHO. It's almost like pushing the players to use the tunnels...

Find it quite decent now, comes over less intrusive than before... Maybe a couple more tries: This one could look quite nice: ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx xxx ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx an alternate approach: ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- xxx xxx ---- ---- ---- xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx

Maybe like this?: ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- xxx ---- ---- xxx xxx ---- xxx ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- xxx - a slim triangle, solid but not fat. (the previous revision arrow reminds a bit of Atari's starship....) The reduced size of the arrow would also correspond better with the arcade version Keeping the third column blank, should accentuate its appearance as an arrow. In theory - not sure what it would look like on the real thing...

Hi John! Great to see you back at brewing up more masterpieces for a starving Champ Games fan community! Wizard of Wor looks set to smoothly fit into the ranks of CoM and Lady Bug Love the attention to detail and hunt for perfection the screenshot already reveals - hoping you'll succeed in sneaking the starfield into the kernel. Would give it that special arcade touch At least as a switchable option, in case flicker should become an issue... - figure that the tunnel arrows must be made of playfield graphics, and leave little place for flexibility. Would be neat though if that zebra and flattened current look (at least on the static shot) could be minimized, makes them stand out a bit too much from the rest IMO... Looks like the VCS is set to become the action-gamer's machine of choice this year, with RipOff, WoW, "Mystery Shooter", Lead, Juno First and Colony 7 in the pipeline! Eric

Yeah, agree, the Ninja Golf artwork should not appear on that list, the goofiness is intentional and well complementing the whole mood of the game However Atari would still have made top spot, by far, in my book. And, if you think you've already seen the worst PacMan art, have a close look at this one And the winner is....: http://www.atariage.com/box_page.html?Syst...;ItemTypeID=BOX

I wonder if you could add some simple accoustic effect to the smart bomb? Would help integrate it better into the game, IMO. Other than that, a superbly compact and entertaining package. Amazing that it all fit into 1k! Here's too hoping for an extended version fully exploiting the potential of this great game concept :!:

Exactly my feeling as well. The shade approach was much more intuitive and added to the hypnotic feeling of the game. Maybe the multicolor aliens could be included as a sort of bonus level in an extended version though? (like at the end of Paperboy, Hydra, etc.) Definetely - but I wonder whether the transition could not be smoothened instead of jumping from one size to another? Would also open up new variation possibilities, like ondulating tunnels.

Fantastic game. Original and simple concept; artistic integrity of gameplay, graphics and music; more intense than a Cave shooter; entrancing like Defender or Tempest. WOW! Forza Simone! Really hope you will also go for an extended version, this game has so much potential to become an instant cult classic with some added variety... Nathan and Thomas have already given some good ideas here, I'd like to add the suggestion of a game structured into zones (similar to Tempest for instance with grids changing color every 16 levels) incl. a simple transition level after each zone to break the mood (and rest the trigger finger) . Could look like this for example: - zone A (insectoid enemies): levels 1-8, eight different enemies with different moving patterns, color borders changing with every new enemy. - transition 1: dodge obstacles (fitting the mood of the next zone) a la Slot Racers, no shooting, very simple - zone B (aquatic enemies for instance): levels 9-16, enemies (zone-fitting graphical changes) keep the same patterns but density changes. - transition 2: as above - zone C: as above, horizontal speed change of enemies... etc. To graphically distinguish the different zones (aside from the enemies shapes) one could think of differently patterned borders or a different background colour... Personal Lead1k HSC: 461

...make that several 100.000s. More like 1-2 Million, actually. No kidding. Not sure anymore about the exact figure - was about 15 years ago, my memory's fading... Had placed a larger order with Telegames and was following-up on the "out of stock" items (remember that?- they're still playing the same trick nowadays ) by phone. The manager of Telegames tried to sweettalk me into buying up his stock of 1-2 Million 2600 games (the exact same titles as above) for 5-10 pennies a piece. That was just a few years after the fall of the wall, and he was alluding to the great potential markets in the former eastern block I decided to channel my collecting energies otherwise.. Cheers, Eric

Hallo Marc! Auch von mir die besten Neujahrs- und Genesungswünsche! LG, Eric

Looks better with each version, close to perfect now One more thought - wouldn't it be more intuitive to have the knights walking in from the side of the winning king (e.g. from the left for blue and purple, from the right for red and green)? Shouldn't be too difficult to implement, and would add some variation... Eric

Fair enough, the golden knight distinguishes itself well enough from the silver knight, after all. One suggestion though - I feel that he should parade on screen until all players push their buttons. IMO it is somewhat anticlimatic to switch back to the title screen right after the knight walks off. That works perfectly for the rounds, but the end-game sequence should last longer. This would give enough space for the expectable human interaction (winner teasing the losers, etc.) after an intense game. As for an accompanying victory tune - how would the title tune played an octave higher sound? Not really sure about that, but may be worth the try in case memory and time constraints don't allow for a fancier solution...

A joy to watch this game evolve (- the animated knight deserves a game of his own ) Medieval Mayhem is definetely on the best way to join Lady Bug and CoM as another essential must-have for the VCS... I was wondering - would it be possible to keep the trophy in addition to the blinking golden knight in the game-win sequence? It could scroll in from the top and stay in the upper third of the screen, with the knight parading below it. That would provide the player with an extra well deserved treat for winning the whole game...

Simply Spectacular! Aside from the professional (and original!) graphics that manage to remain close yet add to the atmosphere of the game, I am particularly impressed by the thoughtful composition of this label, which so efficiently captures the essence of the gameplay. The moody scroll type border for the labels rounds up a perfect design. A professional artist's hand, obviously... Eric

That's a very attractive and charming WIP game - "demo" is certainly an understatement. Sure rough and buggy somewhat, but what's there is quite entertaining and addictive already! Really love the original game idea, brings back that early 80's feeling when game creators' fantasy was not yet tunneled into a few genres or themes and surprised us with wacky action games Hope you'll get back to finish it sooner than later, it would definetely enrich the 2600 library!

Hmm...dare I suggest strimming it down - visually? The gothic font looks great and fits the game mood perfectly, but IMO it's too much of the good too also use it for the options text. I hope I don't commit a sacrilege here, realizing how much hard work and love you must have put in creating this elaborate font. But I believe using some simpler (though yet nice, something along the lines of the ones used for Four-play or Lady Bug, for instance) option text would have a couple of desirable effects: - the smaller font would allow to fit all options on one screen - the title logo, now being alone in using the gothic font, would get the visual presence it deserves. No need to flash it anymore to distinguish it from the rest of the text ... Superb work on the game - exciting to see how this has evolved into another arcade-quality homebrew masterpiece Eric

.... This game is so smooth and all-around polished now that it could easily have been put up in an arcade in '79 and be a cashcow for the operator. Pure joy - congrats again for delivering this masterpiece to the 2600!

Nice improvement. That way (more content) the screen now also fits much more smoothly into the attract cycle... Hey, completely new approach here, but one which works optimal! Is indeed intuitive, and very elegant. Maybe just to reduce the propeller spinning a tad more in the slow mode? The contrast to the fast mode is clear enough, but it still has a decent spin on its own. What I mean, is that it should jump to the eye that it is slow. A matter of personal taste only, though. That sounds like a lot, dare I resurrect an old suggestion - a session hi-score feature? I feel this is NOT a small suggestion... Game plays like a dream, managed to break the 200,000 barrier with the new intelligent bugs finally Next target 300,000 - hopefully on cart on the real thing then!

Sorry for that But very glad to hear that you have already elaborated plans for audio clues. They sound to fit nicely with the mood of the game; really like the way this game is developing its own distinct character! Understand and agree, they would not add to the gameplay, so obviously would be low priority. But, if you should still have some free ROM somewhere at the end, maybe you could give a second thought at this idea in an improved version? Instead of having the messages display during the game and at each cave (which I admit would probably also disrupt the gameflow), what about displaying them shortly on a blank screen as a transition to the corresponding death scene? With proper timing this could even increase the effect of the death scene (right now the surprise effect is so fast, that one does not get to fully "enjoy" the animation before having recovered from the shock). It would also give a devious tongue-in-cheeck aspect to the messages, well in line with the macaber-humourous flair of the game Just to drop this idea, fully understand your memory concerns and that there are enough more important features to implement first... That would be a great addition, would certainly contribute to extend the longevity of an already enjoyable game Pretty sure you already considered this - any plans to include different maze designs (could feature as levels also) a la Wumpus 2? Sorry for bothering you with easily thought and expressed ideas. Realize that it is a completely different matter to implement them! Keep up the great work! (also enjoy the concept of Battle of Midway a lot, btw)

(Sorry, still learning to fiddle with the quote mode, so a new message to avoid a complete mess) stats screen: Good point about the text, a departure from standard arcade language may indeed feel out of sync. Just a matter of personal taste, I guess. Main issue here is the position of the PART info anyway, thanks for trying to move it - good luck! speed indicator: Fully agree. The s symbol idea was meant as a compromise anyway (weary of the memo limits); to have a full text display would be nicer, of course. Though I think it would be sufficient to display only SLOW, when enabled, as fast would be the standard and not require to be specially marked. title bugs animations suggestions: (Warning - fantasy running riot...just dropping these ideas despite being fully conscious about the ROM limitations.) Dumb Bugs: (another option for the backtrack animation) Two bugs enter from both sides on the same line, bump into each other, and then backtrack. Drunk Bug: Standard, only that the bug meanders up and down somewhat. Eventually at a slower speed to add to the effect. - a foreseeable problem would be the overlapping with the title logo and screen edge in case of borderline bugs Formation Bugs: Two or three bugs entering from the same side at slightly delayed intervalls. Panic Bug: (as before, with minor enhancements) Bug enters, stops after a while noticing the player (short freeze), turns to the player (vertical frame, short freeze), panics (frantic vertical animation), backtracks Random Speed: - one simple effect for variation Cheers, Eric

Cool that you were able to add this To move the veggie score to the bottom clearly is the best approach. And the switch to a white text in the later build works even better. One suggestion for further refinement: - would it be possible to have the veggie score overwrite the multiplier instead of the regular score? Would permit continued display of the main score, and increase the pop-up effect of the veggie score. It might work good enough to drop the flashing then (which is a bit loud IMO). If the other objects on the same line would pose a problem in implementing this, I think they could just be switched off for the short moment the veggie score is being displayed, as they are only static information during play anyway. That's a nice addition. Also, because now it gives a real purpose to that screen E.g., the "(last) game statistics" screen. Hmm... what about swapping the "game over" and "part x" displays? That way all stats would be grouped together at the bottom. Feels more natural, IMO. Since I am at it, and if memory limitations allow, why not replace the "game over" text by "last game" or "last game results" all-together? Just thinking...what about displaying the "s" letter symbol from the game screen next (or below) the level text for that purpose? Would be a much clearer marking IMO... - the back-track variation for the title screen bugs is another neat extension and cool idea. But it feels a bit unmotivated at the moment. An idea: what about stopping the bug, inserting a vertical frame, freeze it for a short moment , and then having it backtrack? The hoped for simulated effect = the bug enters as usual, suddenly notices the player starring at the screen, turns to him, freezes in schock for a moment, and then runs back in fear) ... Hope I am not overdoing it with my nitpicking Cheers, Eric