Monk
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Posts posted by Monk
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Back to topic, the 2600 wins hands down no contest - hey c'mon, when it comes to colour and flexible graphic transitions it can top the 64; go ahead and put Enduro on the 2600 up against any c64 racer and the visuals aren't even close. The C64 wins on sound of course because nothing can beat the SID chip even today
Sorry, but -= NOTHING =- in the Universe beats Enduro Atari 2600 sound! SID cannot produce that kind of juicy, metallic bass-sound.
Please get me right - Sound Interface Device can do very amazing things, and is very flexible for all kinds of interesting sounds and in my opinion, it's the best and most interesting and atmospheric synthesizer that I have ever known about. I love the SID, and composing with it, creating sound effects and instruments with it, and just generally toying around with it (and especially four of them simultaneously with my HardSID PCI Quattro).
But ENDURO .. has just such marvellous sound that I often play it just to feel those euphoric, soul-massaging sounds that nothing I have ever heard elsewhere can come close to duplicating. Emulation is nice, but not quite it. Only a real Atari can produce _THAT_ sound. SID cannot.
Had you chosen some other game, I'd have possibly agreed with you (though Atari 2600 sounds are just generally so incredibly awesome that I regret not having found Atari in the eighties - Atari 800 XL sounds are also something exciting and blasting in a way that SID can't quite reach. The Asteroids-style very low and crisp noise wave just doesn't exist in SID. SID's noise wave is somewhat 'softer' and 'rounder' (hard to explain), only Atari can bring that kind of juicy sharpness to it).
SID pretty much beats everything - except certain, juicy and amazing Atari sounds. SID can do many things, but it cannot duplicate certain, soul-caressing Atari's aural magnificence expressions. Atari's sound chip can't do the things SID can do, but SID also can't do the things Atari's sound chip can do.
They're both great, and I love it all - but if you are saying SID is somehow without any question the all-encompassing master of the 8-bit aural world, I have to disagree with you on certain specifics, even though generally I would agree with that.
Enduro's sound .. aaahh.. it's just something that can't be explained - you have to hear it yourself.
And this is coming from someone who loves the SID chip more than any soundmaking device ever, except Atari's sound chips..(and I am not saying I love Atari's sound chips more, I am just saying those certain sounds they can produce are just something out-of-this-world!)
Yes, I love SID chip even more than Amiga's sound chips..as lovely as they were for me during certain time period, they couldn't really emulate SID all that well, and samples begin to be boring after awhile, especially when compared to "live sound". The problem with samples is that they're 'static' in a way, and if you loop a sample, it will loop faster at higher pitch, and slower at lower pitch, so having a 'live sound' like in SID means this doesn't happen, so any 'loop' will have the same speed at every pitch (a luxury I could only dream of with samples back in the day).
When some Atarians say that Atari's sound chip is better for sound effects, and SID is better for music, some SID-fanatics have been quick to point out the logic that what is better for music, has to also be better for sound effects. But now I see what they meant - SID just can't make sound effects like the Atari 2600, as great things as the SID can do. So in a way, it's true - Atari's sound effects can sometimes sound better in a way that SID just cannot reach.
And SID certainly fits musicmaking very well.
SID is great, and "the best" in most occasions, but there are certain specific ways that the Atari's sound chip is better than SID. And ENDURO is certainly one of them.
By the way, I don't think Enduro would suffer visually all that much by being converted to C64 - it doesn't have that many slow, soft or smooth color transitions, and the C64 does have quite nice color selection to use for all kinds of visual effects. Enduro's graphics are relatively simple, so what the hypothetical C64-version would lose in color slides, transitions and such, it would gain in resolution, multicolored sprites, actual hires sprites and graphics, (even 320x200 with hires charset, etc.) and so on.
But where it would really and truly lose, is the SOUND. It would be just a loss.
Besides, they'd botch it up by trying to make it too fancy.. Enduro's charm is partially that it's so simple, and it oozes this incredible atmosphere (together with the incredible sound) that makes everything feel so good that it's impossible to duplicate - that would be lost in transition. Also, when you 'clarify' a bit 'hazy' and simplistic graphics, you destroy the imagination, and thus worsen the graphics. When the graphics are simple, your imagination 'finishes' the graphics, and also keeps it 'alive' - one day it might look different than some other day, because your imagination 'finishes' it in a different way. With completely 'finished' graphics, there's no room for imagination, and thus the graphics become more 'dead' and stale.
Simple graphics provoke the imagination, and although this doesn't mean you start seeing shades and shapes that aren't there, it means a certain experience, where you become the co-creator of the game's graphics instead of just being a passive receiver of someone else's soulless brilliance of their painstakingly learned pixel-techniques.
Too Long; Didn't Read? Ok.. SID is the best music and sound chip out there, except for a few specific instances, where Atari completely overrules SID's sovereignty, and shows that it, too, can be the MASTER. And Enduro is one of these instances.
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After some more extensive testing, it looks like the interference is not as bad as it was previously. I can hardly notice it in many games, and in some that I can notice it in, it's not that distracting after all. Sometimes I really have to try hard to be able to see the interference (depending on the game), and in other games, it forms a different pattern, that somehow fits the game graphics nicely.
So I decided not to try to open up the Harmony Cart or do any aluminium folio-modifications to the Atari 2600 jr., I mean - the pixels can still be seen clearly and the games are still awesome and atmospheric, so it doesn't matter all that much. Plus, when I concentrate on the game and the atmosphere, sound and graphics, I often forget that the interference even exists at all.
The few games that really display the interference in an almost distracting way (Pitfall!, for example), can always be purchased as separate cartridges anyway. Atari 2600 jr. is a wonderful, magical machine, and Harmony Cart complements it perfectly!
Old games benefit from CRT televisions, and interference often goes together with RF signals, so it just adds to the charm in a way that a modern TFT-lifestyle cannot emulate. So what's a little interference every now and then in a few games.. just added charm, basically.
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I know and it works well, but I still find it faster for the few favorite games to have those cartridges stacked up by the Atari and swap cartridges
By the way, did you know that you can actually create any kind of file structure on the SD? You can even make it so that you can have those "few favorite games" right there, selectable, when you turn on the Atari, so it's going to be much faster than having to take a physical cartridge, switch it with the previous cartridge, etc.
You don't have to use a menu with ALL the games - you can customize directories and even put the games right there in the main menu, quickly selectable.
I have many customized menus - for example, I have "Best Games" menu (basically it means 'Monk's favorites'), I have "NTSC Games" and "PAL Games" menus, then I have different sortings, like "Alphabetically sorted" and "Sorted by Company" (so it's easy to play every Activision game quickly if I want, for example), and so on.
Of course it's going to be slow, if you just dump ALL the games there, and then try to find your few favorites from there. But if you use CUSTOMIZATION and just make things the way you want, there's no reason to use the separate cartridges - which are a hassle, in my opinion - unless you have an interference problem and don't know how to correct it.
Thankfully, it can be corrected with aluminium foil .. but I still am unsure as to how to do it 'elegantly', as in can I somehow open the Harmony Cart and line its innards with aluminium foil, or can I put the foil around the cart and have the solution work, or do I have to try to make some kind of 'inner faraday cage' around the module section (if that's even possible, everything being so TIGHT), or whatnot. The last and the least desirable solution is to just permanently remove the cover / lid and just wrap everything around the cart in the foil. I got this solution to work a long time ago, but I am only thinking of it as the last resort.
Thankfully not every game suffers as badly, and with some games, you hardly notice it. Perhaps I could just purcahse those games as separate cartridges, where the interference is most annoying and noticeable.
Having said that, I had great fun yesterday playing many of my favorite games that I had missed so much .... and the interference didn't really make it any less fun, although it was a little bit annoying with some games. For most of the time, it was just fun gameplaying, and I blessed the creators of Harmony Cart in my mind. Such a great device!
I wish there was some kind of 'intelligent + elegant' solution though, where I'd just need to blu-tack some aluminium foil around some small component on the motherboard, and that'd solve it once and for all..But I guess life isn't supposed to be easy.
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Why don't you just use the high quality RF cable?
It doesn't remove the interference.
I guess my explanation wasn't completely clear.
I mean, the combination of higher quality RF-cable with the other TV being so tiny (it's really small) made the interference less noticeable.
With a larger TV, the interference is very annoying, as usual.
If you have read this thread, you should know that the problem is not in the RF cable itself, but it's between Harmony Cart and the Atari. Even the other 'multicarts' produce this interference effect, not only Harmony Cart.
However, with the pictured aluminium foil solution, the interference can be eliminated.
I just tinkered and experimented with my old aluminium foil, but I guess it's too wrinkly, because I couldn't find any solution with it that would've worked. I plan to buy new aluminium foil next month, so I can continue testing, and hopefully find some kind of -elegant- solution to the problem. It'd be kind of sad to have to keep the Atari open, and not be able to use it properly (I am not even sure how to use the 'Select / Reset' buttons without the lid, it has been a long time).
I wish I could either 1) Open the Harmony Cart, put aluminium foil inside, and close it or 2) Know, -what- bit exactly inside the Atari is the one that reacts to Harmony Cart this way, so I could perhaps just put some aluminium foil on top of that, or something.
I don't really understand electronics very well, so this is always stressful and difficult for me .. I plan to somehow arrange a video-modded NTSC-Atari 2600 jr. to exist on my table some day, but that's far in the future, if it happens.
If it was as simple a solution as you suggest, don't you think I would just have done that, instead of writing these posts - and started a 195 post-long thread about the problem?
If a simple cable could've fixed it, this thread would not exist.
I mean, come on. Give me some credit.
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Hm, I can't edit my post.
Anyway, it seems I typed too soon - the interference is back! It seems that because the cable I was using was of such high quality, and the TV I was using was so tiny, that I couldn't quite make it out.
But with a 'normal' RF cable and a large TV, the interference is very noticeable.
I compared with an original 'Cosmic Ark' - even with the 'normal' RF cable, its picture is so clear and good, that I couldn't wish for more.
With Harmony Cart, however, the intereference is again there. Before I open up the Atari 2600 jr. and start applying some aluminium foil, I'd like to know;
- - Is it somehow possible to neatly open up the Harmony Cart, and re-seal it back, so I could put aluminium foil inside? I mean, surely it can -somehow- be done, but I mean, is there a handy, user-friendly way to do it?
I could also look into the C208-thing (I have no idea what that is though).
It's odd, as many Atari 2600s as I have handled, I have -never- seen one, that would be interference-free with Harmony Cart (without the aluminium foil applied). Am I really that unlucky? Do they all have loose C208s, or are PAL Atari 2600s really missing the capacitor?
Well, at least I know how to fix this with the aluminium foil..
The downside of the aluminium foil solution is that I have to keep the lid off, so it looks a bit ugly on the table. It'd be a neater solution, if I could open up the Harmony Cart and put the aluminium foil there. But I am not very handy, so I don't dare start tinkering with it unless I know it can safely be opened and closed without harm.
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The new Harmony Cart arrived!
It's almost a disappointment, that there isn't any interference this time. I guess this other Atari 2600 jr. is better built.
Too bad my self-fixed half-paddles didn't quite work properly - gotta get a proper 'paddle', I guess. Also, sound doesn't work in that small TV anymore - this was a bit of a shock, since it always worked before, but I didn't use it, because there was no way to listen to it with headphones only (there are RCA-output cables that come out from the TV, but using them doesn't mute the TV's speakers).
However, with Atari 2600 jr., I don't see any other options but to use the television's volume. So I've been playing in silence, which is a shame, because of Atari's absolutely wonderful sound that I love so much.
In any case, it seems that either something has been done to eliminate interference between 2010 and now, or the interference-phenomenon is very 'individual Atari-specific', and might have something to do with the C208 becoming loose in the system.
In any case, everything seems to work (besides the Paddles and my TV's sound), and Harmony Cart is a GREAT, wonderful device, and it was shipped incredibly quickly all the way from USA to Northern Europe.
Thanks, Fred, this is very much appreciated!
It's so cool to be able to use my old collection from the handy menu and just choose games and play them - as well as watching demos. Ahh!
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I figured out my problem... C208 had become detached on my board. Reattached and this interference is gone.
Perhaps some PAL consoles are missing this capacitor?
That's an interesting piece of information.
The solution I found was more crude; I simply covered the Harmony Cart in Aluminium Foil - I had to open the casing of the Atari 2600 jr for this to be possible, but it worked. If this ever happens again, I am thinking I could possibly open Harmony Cart itself, and then just use blu-tack or something to install some aluminium foil on the inside, and then put it back again.
I don't know what C208 is, or if the Atari 2600 jr has it, but if some capacitors on the motherboard seem loose or detached, that seems like an obvious and simple solution, thanks for the notification.
As far as Sega Genesis / Megadrive's 'precizeness' [sic] goes, well.. the word is 'precise', not 'precize', and I don't think graphics can be 'precise' or 'not precise' - only different resolutions and color depths.
In my opinion, anything that was created with a television / arcade monitor in mind, always looks the best in a bright CRT television (or an arcade monitor). So far, every system I have tried, has looked the best on my brightest CRT television, using the VGA2SCART-cable and as authentic (or good-looking) resolution as possible (with soft15kHz), even old DOS games and demos.
The exception happens when the resolution exceeds the usual 'lores', and needs something like 640x512 - but sometimes, even that looks better on the TV - for example, Sega Dreamcast's SCART-output looks much better and more pleasant to my eyes than emulated Dreamcast's output on a TFT monitor (even in a uch higher resolution).
The glory of CRT for the win!
It's not a coincidence that pretty much all emulators of 'older systems' nowadays have some sort of "TV emulation" effect implemented. Especially 'lores graphics' look just so glorious on a proper, bright, CRT television (of course of the TV is dim, it's not going to look that good).
Someone talked about Atari 2600's pixels looking too blocky on a monitor, so that it would look somehow wrong. I somewhat disagree, as to me, big pixels are aesthetically pleasing. People have made art out of small bricks that have become large mural-type wall 'paintings' and such, and to me, they look just fantastic. Still, a real machine on a real, bright CRT television, is always going to be the best combination in my opinion.
Of course modern systems that are designed to run on a high-resolution TFT monitor, might look better with that particular setup. But Sega Megadrive is certainly not one of those systems.. in my opinion, Sega Megadrive's graphics can be done true justice by a bright CRT television - I'd be glad to trade any 'precizion' [sic] to the excitement that the properly bright and TV-"blurred" graphics instill on the player/viewer/experiencer.
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Wow, looks, sounds and feels very authentic!
I mean, as far as the Arcade version is considered.
Great work.
Funnily, I can't get the original Atari 800 Pac-Man to work with my SIDE2 for some reason. It starts loading, and then a black screen appears and remains.
Why is it funny? Well, I have the Pac-Man as a separate cartridge (in fact, my only cartridge for the Atari 800 XL), and that one works just fine. But I just can't seem to be able to figure out a way to make a version to work with my SIDE2, so I wouldn't have to always change the cartridge just for one game, heh.
Some kind of irony of fate, I suppose.. but man, Atari 800 XL is such a fun computer, I regret not owning one before!
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Dino Eggs!
This is one of the very first five games I ever played on a computer or any kind of video game system, at least as far as this incarnation is concerned, as far as I can remember, if sleeptime and astral projection is not included (who knows what we do in our dreams, we only remember a fraction of them anyway - and we usually astral project a little when we sleep, so there might have been astral computer experience - and definitely was before incarnating).
I basically have three things to say.
First, I want to thank you, David H. Schroeder, for giving me an incredibly elevated childhood because of your fantastic and inspiring, imagination-poking game! It gave me plenty of excited moments where I felt truly alive.
The second thing is praise of the original, and explain how much that game meant to me back then, and its meaning for me in the current times.
The third thing is to advice against 'remakes', because as far as I have seen so far, no remake has ever been as good as the original, and almost every single one of them has been atrociously worse, even the ones that are 'pretty ok' otherwise.
So, moving on to the second thing.
I started playing computer and video games (they used to be separate categories, although logically thinking, whatever game that is displayed on a video screen, is a video game, even if a computer is running it. But I like the separation, because it has its own logic, and that way, you can know whether we talk about 'mere' consoles or 'actual' computers) in the early eighties, when I visited a friend that I didn't know all that well back then, to ask him out to play.
Kids used to do that back then, I don't know if they do it anymore, with the internet and cell phones and all.
I think his mother let me in, and I was surprised to see him tinker with his grayscale television and some odd device I had never seen before. I was instantly mesmerized, especially after he explained to me, that it is a COMPUTER.
Wow, a computer! I had seen "Whiz Kids", so I 'knew' what computers could do - I had always wondered about computers, and after seeing those VIC-20 and Atari video game commercials on TV, I was a bit confused as to what a 'video game' even is. After all, in Finland, they used to call "VCR" equipment just "videos" for some reason. Seems a bit silly now, but we didn't know better at the time.
This of course led me thinking that a VCR was needed for those games, and I didn't know how it worked - we didn't own a VCR or a computer.
We weren't exactly a poor family, but the head of the family was so stingy with money, and almost never home, it lead to a situation where we didn't really have opportunities to just buy stuff we wanted or even needed, although food and living was basically 'free' as far as the rest of the family was concerned.
The place I lived in was a small paradise, and I recognized that even as a child - I knew I was living in a special place that most people can only dream of, and I wanted to appreciate it as much as I could. It was a beautiful location that was surrounded by bodies of water - a gorgeous, huge 'pond' (it was big enough to be a lake, but for some reason, it was called a 'pond'), a large river (you couldn't cross it without a bridge or a boat, or a snow sled in the winter - the currents were powerful and dangerous), and a small lake.
The apartment building had only a few very large apartments, meant for richer people, obviously, but I didn't realize that at the time. It also had an inbuilt swimming pool, although the 'pond-lake' was also right there and we could go swim in it also. Even a celebrity that stayed at the building went swimming there.
There was lots of beautiful nature everywhere, and the place was sort of secluded from the city, so everything was peaceful and harmonious, and you could see soul-soothing and inspiring lake/river-scenery in any direction you looked at. What a place to spend a childhood!
It's also rumoured that Extra-Terrestrial being visited the building at one point.
Whatever the case, I was oblivious to it, and I just enjoyed the harmonious, but exciting atmosphere of the building, and made lots of friends there. Whenever I wanted to visit a friend, I could just open our door and ring the doorbell that was right next door. Or I could run upstairs to another neighbor. Or I could even use the elevator that I used to get stuck in many times (I could never understand why you couldn't play with the elevator, even just a little bit..). It's funny, how the building only had a few floors, and yet it had an elevator.
Those rich people sure don't like to exercize, I guess..
In addition to all this, I met friends all over the next street, and this one friend lived still next to the lake, but a bit of a walk or bike ride away, on the next street.
So that one, faithful day that changed my life permanently, he was showing me his computer - that happened to be a Commodore 64 - and I was expecting the same kind of stuff I had seen in "Whiz Kids", but of course the most he could do was change alphabet into 'secret code' and back, and change some colors (which wasn't that interesting on a grayscale TV..) and then of course..
.. the games.
This was a guy that had some connections that I didn't care to know too much about (one of them was a scary guy who bullied us kids), but with those connections, he got new games. A lot of new games. Very often.
Basically every time I visited, he had a new cassette tape filled with games! It seemed almost magical - new games just arriving on a cassette tape, ready to be played.
I can't remember the exact order in which I saw those games, but Wizard of Wor was definitely amongst the very first games we played. Decathlon was another. I also remember playing Spy Hunter and The Movie Monster Game later on.
But there was one game that really made me immerse into another world that I had no idea even existed before.
That game was of course the beloved Dino Eggs.
When the giant dino foot suddenly appeared and crushed me under its enormous weight, I think I screamed out loud out of fear and also admiration. I didn't know the limitations of the computer, but that foot just seemed 'impossible' to me. I think it was the first time I had ever seen a computer do an 'impossible' thing.
It was certainly the first time I had seen something so big move on a computer screen.
I loved pretty much everything about the game - the quirky and juicy sound effects, (complete with the interesting 'smack' sounds when walking the ladders, and the crushing noise when awful things happened - whether the dino stomped on you or the transmogrifation to a spider happened. Effective and scary, but also exciting and immersive. It was really something else.), the beautifully animated graphics, the atmospheric small 'upper scenery' bit that changed for every level, the playability, the surreal nature of it all, the different things you could do (like dropping the cocoons/shells on snakes and spiders, cutting the spider's web, etc. etc.), the time-traveling effects in the beginning that set the mood perfectly.. it was just a glorious world to be able to visit.
The very first things I attempted, when I later on got an Amiga and MagiC64 emulator, was to get Dino Eggs to run on it. It didn't look or sound exactly as I remembered, but it was still good to play.
It was only when I got a real C64 again that I realized how different the emulated version was. Only on a real C64, you get the full effect, even if you have a HardSID Quattro.
I have had fun with that game ever since. Of course there were always other games as well, like Impossible Mission that really made a huge impact on us because of its crystal-clear human voices and screaming sound that we didn't expect - we laughed for ten minutes straight, I am sure, when we first heard it.
But Dino Eggs was really something special - and among other things, it was about time travel - one of my favorite topics and dreams - and also, the time-travel-effect seemed really neat back in the time, and made an impact on me.Most importantly, it acted as a gateway to an alternate world, it created an immersion that other games so far hadn't been able to quite reach - it took me away from this earthly dullness into a fantastic, bright, electrifying and exciting flight and other-worldly atmosphere in such a powerful way that I was never quite content in living 'outside computer games' anymore afterwards.
Now on to the remake-topic.
Back when the VGA was starting to make way for SVGA, I thought that the SVGA high-resolution games were going to look absolutely gorgeous. In my mind, I took the most beautiful Westwood VGA games, and simply thought they would still do the same, exact, hand-pixelling beautiful thing, but just in a higher resolution.
The end result should've been something completely euphoric and saliva-inducing.
So when I heard they were going to make a sequel to "Worms", I was excited - oh boy, this is going to look so great! More detail on the worms' expressions, and even more beautiful graphics.
But what did we get? Did they do the same 'realistic'-looking hand-pixelled VGA-beauty, but just in a higher resolution?
No.
They did.. CARTOONISH graphics.
Whaat??
This is a cop-out! It's the easiest way to "utilize" the higher resolution, without actually elevating the quality of the graphics at all! It's a short-cut! It's a "we are using a high resolution, but we are not doing half the work we used to" kind of modern solution to the highres problem.
Oh no.. don't tell me THAT'S how they are always going to do it! PLEASE don't tell me that's it! Please tell me "Worms" sequel was just an isolated example of a lazy and careless graphics design, and that OTHER game houses are going to still hand-pixel the higher resolution graphics and still keep the VGA beauty and glory ... there are not going to be more 'cartoons', right?
RIGHT??!
*Sigh*.
Why must this world always prove to me that it's better to be pessimist than an optimist? Why can't it ever positively surprise me?
So, from there on, everyone did either:
- Ugly, 3D-rendered crappy graphics that didn't require much work (and didn't have the same 'soul' as the hand-pixelled graphics had)
- Cartoon graphics with cartoon-shading and ugly outlines and computer-rendered effects - nothing hand-pixelled whatsoever
- Photo-based or video-based graphics
And then we started hitting the FMV/3D Engine-era, which worsened things to no end. And I mean literally, there's NO END to that madness.
Now even the 'retro game makers', whatever that means, don't even know how to hand-pixel anything beautiful. Demos and graphics compos feature only crappy hack-graphics, and nothing that has been lovingly and painstakingly hand-pixelled, channeling your finest self into it.
We never got to see what those beautiful VGA-graphics might have looked like in higher resolution. There were probably some slight attempts here and there, but not really enough to notice. Sure, some demoscene pictures did give us hires AGA pictures, but those were modelled from photographics - it wasn't original work (Louie, for example, probably couldn't imagine a dot, his skill was purely in 'photocopying by hand').
Of course, by the year 1994, the whole "3D boom" had exploded, and there was no going back.
When people finally started saying: "Hey, how about going back, and doing what people used to do - simple games with good playability?", the art of creating beautiful VGA lores graphics was completely lost.
Which brings me to Dino Eggs remake graphics.
The black in the background of the original was inspiring - it could be filled by your imagination. It could be the darkness of the night, it could be the space in 'space-time-continuum', it could be all kinds of things simultaneously or separately, and it brought the perfect contrast to your little sprite-self as you tried to solve the Dinosaur problem.
Now that's changed to this monotonous, imagination-killing pattern that only serves to depress the player. Suddenly we are not in "timeless eternity of the black", but we now have a "WALL" right there, destroying all interest.
Suddenly, there is an ugly wall, making everything look very two-dimensional and flat. The black could stretch to infinity - but this atrociously ugly pattern just blocks any stretching of the imagination, and kills the visual glory immediately.
And did I mention the cartoon graphics? Those graphics look like bad corporate clip-art rejects that even Dilbert's boss wouldn't find acceptable. What happened, here?
How can you turn something so atmospheric and beautiful to something so ugly and generic?
Look at those flames and rocks/cocoons/whatever they are supposed to be - do you see any expressions of anyone's finest selves? Or do you see rather computer-generated effect pattern done complete with an ugly cartoonish outline?
The contrast between these graphics and the original's, are a perfect metaphor for the contrast between remakes and originals.
Remakes are not good. Why not do something NEW for an old computer?
Just look at the 'Bruce Lee II' remake-game. Technically, it's not completely a 'remake', but it fails in all respects.
Ok, it's pretty faithful as far as the crappy Amstrad-version of Bruce Lee goes, but if you compare it to the C64 version, you are bound to see multiple problems (I reviewed this game elsewhere, I think in lemon64, so you are welcome to see it there
http://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=660568&sid=b8ee7645ae08f46858f411a602d5b6ad
I think that's the link).
They actually converted the atrocious piece of annoyance and frustration to the C64 - and of course it doesn't even begin to compare to the glorious C64 version of Bruce Lee. I actually had to complete it on a real machine just to get rid of the feeling I got from playing the darn thing. The C64 version of that 'remake' is slighty better (mainly due to the kick and the impact sound), but it's not enough. It's still confusing, illogical, repetitive and annoying - things the original never was).
So, instead of just 'upping the resolution' and making lazy half-assed cartoon graphics and killing all that was good about the original, just so you can say you created a Windows version of it, why not just do something in lores, that allows you to express your finest self into a new project?
I mean, what are remakes, other than attempts to ride on the waves created a long time ago - to exploit people's interest in something good by creating something mediocre? What are remakes but ego boosts or cashcows?
Don't make remakes, make something new in lores.
I am actually in the process of creating a fighting game, in the vein of 'International Karate', but I am making it lores, and I am trying to express my finest self in everything - although at the same time, I want to give a nod to the classics (my backgrounds are purposely similar to the ones in classic fighting games, but not identical - you can see what I mean by looking at the WIP-picture in
http://personal.inet.fi/private/monk/programs.html
(look for "The Smaller Fighting Game")Just to notify, that picture is just a VERY ROUGH SKETCH only to give the viewer a GLIMPSE or an IDEA of what I am trying to do. The actual backgrounds are much better nowadays, though still not finished - and the game already features a guy that you can move and do some fight moves with, but it's still in early, rough stages of development.
The main point about that is to compare the C64 game pictures on the left to the 'TheSmallerFightingGame' pictures on the right to see the idea that I am sort of 'copying', but at the same time, 'doing my own thing' as well. I am fully aware that the graphics quality looks awful right now in those pictures, but that's because they are unfinished, rough sketches.)
My idea is to create something of my own, but only borrowing the good bits from the classics, like the fantastic playability of "International Karate", and the atmospheric sceneries of Way of the Exploding Fist and Fist II (though I probably can't create as much or as great atmosphere).
But making just-another-cartoony-ugly-hires-remake of an old lores classic.. I would definitely advice against that, because in the end, no one benefits (although people are such sheeple that they will praise these projects, not because the projects are good, but because of who you are and because "it's the right thing to do").
Sometimes I think I am the only one in the world that dares to show that the emperor is actually naked, and that people are praising clothes that don't exist, or who actually dares to give negative criticism when it's needed (I still try to keep it constructive and explain).
It's funny - sometimes people simply bark at things that are good for no reason (and no explanations), and sometimes they praise things that don't really deserve that kind of praise - just because everyone else praises them? I don't know, I have never understood the denizens of this planet.
So, let me be something other than the usual yes-men that surround this kind of projects and your kind of celebrity-status men - let me tell you the truth, and give you proper advice.
If you want to create high-res graphics, then hand-pixel them. Don't use photoshop. Use Brilliance on a real Amiga, or Deluxe Paint II on a PC, or whatever pixel-tool you think appropriate (I am using a real Amiga and Brilliance to create my lores graphics). Don't use a rendering program, as tempting as that may be.
Create the graphics at night or early morning, when everyone else is asleep or away. Put some energetic, inspiring music on the background. Elevate your atmosphere in any way necessary (candles work, for example, and incense is good). Create a sort of 'solemn atmosphere' and be excited about your project - LOVE your project so much that you can't wait to just express that love in graphics, programming, musics and sound. Then let it flow.. let the Universe flow the inspiration and wonder through you. You may even pray for inspiration if need be, or ask the Universe to grant you inspiration and creative energy, to let you create something magnificent.
Don't just make some cartoon clip-art with photoshop or 3D Studio during your lunch hour at corporate environment at work and slap something together in a higher resolution and then ride on the success of your previous work, and then boost your ego by getting praises from the yes-men in a retrogame forum, and think you are really great. (I mean, obviously, you have been great, being able to create Dino Eggs, but that's no reason to get sloppy)
If you don't make it into something your soul cares about, if you don't pour your very finest self into it, it will show, and although you will get praises, real human beings will never appreciate your creation as much as your older one(s), and frankly, in such a case, your creation does not deserve even the easy yes-man-praise it will still be likely to get.
You CAN make something great (as indeed, you already once did). But it has to be important to you, it can't be a 'fun side-project at work, when you have nothing better to do'.
You can't just slap any old ugly pattern as the background and think that's going to be ok (even if it's animated). It has to come from inspiration, not from some kind of 'visual need to have something there'.
If you follow my advice, your creations will be great, and absolute masterpieces (at least potentially - there has to be a real possibility of failure for it to be able to mean anything). If not, they will be the 'just another cartoony remake' type, and once the yes-men become tired and silent, there's no one to defend or praise your work, and it will be forgotten.
I hate playing things that only create the urge to play the original instead. It's like playing an ST version of a superior Amiga game - you wish you were playing the Amiga version, instead.
Well, that's all I have to say about Dino Eggs and its remake right now.
Thanks again for creating the original, and sorry if I sounded harsh, but I want to tell the truth rather than be a yes-man.
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I see. Thanks for the replies!
It seems like there aren't ready programs that let you write letters, but one would have to create their own BASIC program for it. Or would you happen to still have that program? I'd like to toy around with it.
The Atari didn't work, by the way, so I am now waiting to gather enough resources to be able to try again.. finding a cheap Atari is quite difficult, though. Oh well, maybe next month, who knows.
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Hello, all.
I used programs that I called 'lettermakers' a lot in the eighties, when there was a need to communicate indirectly with people that I swapped floppies with and such. I always considered it like a fun surprise, or some kind of uplifting extra to look forward to.
Besides, it felt somehow almost magical to just see someone 'typing' text, although there was no one there..
Now that I finally own an Atari 8-bit computer (Atari 800 XL, not sure if it works yet, because I don't have a video cable - already ordered one, but it looks like it's just sitting in one city and seemingly not moving at all - has been this way for already 60 hours or so), I am scouting interesting programs, games, demos, utilities, tools and such.
However, I couldn't find any 'lettermakers' for Atari.
For those who are not sure what I mean by 'lettermaker', you can think of the C64 program called "Lettermaker V", for example, or "Future Writer II", or even Letter Noperator.
http://csdb.dk/release/?id=33027
http://csdb.dk/release/?id=91106
http://csdb.dk/release/?id=20071
(I just learned that Future Writer is supposedly called "Lettermaker VI", so no wonder they are so similar)
These programs work in such a way that first you choose the font and music, then you basically just type what you want to say, and you can use 'effects', change colors in 'real-time', use faster and slower speeds, etc. in doing that, then you save your 'finished letter' to a disk (or possibly even a tape), and afterwards, someone can just load this letter, and it will "play" as you typed it. It's pretty cool, actually!
So my question is: Do such lettermakers exist for Atari 8-bit computer systems?
Especially ones that would work without any memory expansions (my Atari will probably never be expanded, because I can't solder and I don't know anyone, who could).
It would be really cool to be able to type such letters on a real Atari 800 XL, especially with Atari's grand, vast color palette - what kind of great rasterbar-effects could be created! (You actually get nice rasterbar-effects with those Lettermakers if you change colors when you have the fastest speed activated - I am thinking of that, but in a much more beautiful and attractive form, because of Atari's big color amount).
Also, you could do all kinds of neat screenfade-effects and such, that simply aren't possible on the C64, because of the same reason - the amount of colors.
Was there ever a 'lettermaking' culture on the Atari side? I just realized I don't know much about the practical life on 'the other side of the fence', and I'd like to learn.
Thanks to anyone who can give me any information about this, that might lead to me finding such a program.
Some offtopic notes about my recently expanded appreciation of the Atari 8-bit computer line:
I am finding Atari more and more interesting a system lately. I never knew it was this fascinating. I guess Atari 2600 opened the door for me to see how fantastic and exciting the Atari systems can really be (though I was always -somewhat- interested).
And I am loving the vivid Atari colors, and of course Pokey has a great sound capabilities. The Pokey noise wave can reach places that the SID noise can't touch. But also, those games, especially the ones that are better than the C64 versions (there are many), are pretty immersive and exciting, and radiate a wonderful 'Atari atmosphere'. I experienced this a lot with the Atari 2600, but I have realized since, that even with an emulated Atari 800, that great feeling is there.
Can't wait to play games on a real Atari 8-bit computer for the first time in my life..
.. and being able to use a lettermaker of some sort would really make it perfect.
Here is a picture of my Atari and my C64 side by side, living in harmony:
http://s4.postimg.org/9ydzmic6k/Atari800_XL_and_C64_C.jpg
I wonder if it'd be possible to create a demo that runs simultaneously on both computers, and is synchronized - that would be total harmony between the old rivals. The screens would be roughly the same size, and right next to each other (like two TV sets, for example). If a guy running on the C64 screen would throw a magical object to the Atari screen, which would then blaze into a glorious plasma effect or something, and then someone on the Atari side would throw some kind of fireworks onto the C64 screen, and that could become some kind of sprite explosion effect, and so on.
The possibilities would be relatively endless!
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Seems like a cool emulator.
The thing for me is, I have been trying to get Numen to work fullscreen with Soft15kHz and my VGA2SCART-cable, in authentic resolution, and .. looks like, I still can't.
I can get Yoomp! to work (with some odd, clunky-UI-emulator) in lores fullscreen on the television set that I have for the oldskool stuff (I use it for Arcade games as well, with an arcade-controller - the combination of authentic lores graphics on a bright and colorful TV with realistic controller is very satisfying when playing Arcadegames), but Numen doesn't seem to work with the emulator (AtariPlusPlus its name is, I think), and the emulator really brings lots of problems anyway (changing my window positions in Windows, and not supporting multiple monitors all that well - I have four (4) display devices connected, so things become messy really quickly).
So, although Numen obviously works with Altirra, and the UI is very user-friendly as well as system-friendly (though no MAMElike multiple monitors-support), and it lets the user even choose the desired fullscreen resolution (got my hopes up at this point), alas, it doesn't actually CHANGE / SWITCH the resolution, like I was hoping.
Also, there doesn't seem to be a "filtering off" and "stretching off"-modes or selections anywhere, although fiddling with the different 'proportional' settings seems to produce a relatively unfiltered 1x1 image (though not 2x2).
So my question is;
Would it be possible to make Numen work on my television (which is one of my four display devices that my PC is connected to simultaneously), in authentic lores resolution? (It didn't even display anything, when I moved the emulator to the television screen - although sound still worked. Of course I can work around this problem by making TV the number one (1) screen, but since the emulator doesn't seem to switch resolutions, there didn't seem to be much point going through that hassle - it really makes a mess of the window settings and stuff, so it's always a big pain to have to do it and then revert back)
And by 'authentic', I don't mean the exact same resolution that the Atari uses, but something like 320x240 or so, for example (I have a selection of various resolutions, and can even output a true SNes/NES-resolution nicely, and it looks perfect).
Too bad that most people who emulate systems, or code emulators of systems, and even talk about authenticity, don't really even aim to display the emulator screen on an authentic, bright CRT television - which is the only kind of display device that I think older computers and consoles and MAME games should ever be used on. I mean, there's this supposedly super-authentic SNes-emulator, that certainly does not support it, either - and which has a really user-hostile GUI to boot. What kind of authenticity is it, if you can't get the -display- to look authentic, as well?)
In any case, I am planning to acquire a real Atari 800 of some sort in the relatively near future, so this is no pressing matter or anything, I was just curious as to whether I am just too stupid to figure it out, and if there actually -is- possibility to remove all filtering and stuff (the real Atari doesn't filter its graphics, does it? I can understand things like "PAL Emulation", but I don't really get why anyone would want that ugly directx/direct3D-filtering that rounds the corners and makes everything look messy and artificial - and I think adding filtering should always be an option, not forced upon the user), and whether it'd be finally possible to see Numen on the television without interlace..
(The only other Atari 800 emulator that I know that Numen works with, doesn't give me 320x240 fullscreen mode, either, but there always has to be interlace, if I remember it correctly. AtariPlusPlus is the only emulator that lets me use emulated Atari 800 in lores on the television, and it looks gorgeous - but alas, I can't get Numen to work with it for some reason, I think it's a memory problem (it has been a long time since I last tinkered with it)).
If it's not possible, then I'd like to ask whether such features are planned for possible future releases.. so, are they? (:
Like with C64 emulation, I want either to have a good PAL Emulation (optional), or fullscreen lores without PAL emulation (because the TV glorifies the graphics anyway). But the real thing of course beats emulation always.
With C64 emulation (WinVice mostly), I can get all that I want (though with some hassle with different emulator versions, some of which do not support these things, either, and I need like three different versions to accomplish all the different modes I want to use it in - I can't even touch the most modern versions, they are mutilated into something unusable for me).
With Atari 800 emulation, I still haven't been able to make it happen.
The same goes with Amiga vs. Atari emulation - with WinUAE, I can EASILY utilize the television to maximum beauty and wonder - but with STeem, I can't. And NONE of the Atari ST-emulators that I have found and been able to make work, NONE of them support resolution switching.
If ALL emulators were like MAME, I know I would be living on a better planet or in the astral world or something.. but it's something to hope for. And when I say "like MAME", I mean configurability-wise (it's very configurable, and lets you choose not only the resolution, but the DISPLAY DEVICE as well! Though it bugs a heckuva lot with three active monitors - with four, or two, it's more compliant and usable, but this also depends on the version - and newer versions are better in behaviour, but so painfully slow to use, that it always seems to be a tradeoff)..
I wish emulator coders would look at MAME for configurability and think about multiple monitor setups and authentic television screens and Soft15kHz and VGA2SCART-cables and such... but since masses do not demand those, I guess, they feel that it'd be pointless to add such user-friendly features, generally speaking. And such is understandable - who wants to create features that only twenty people use?
Still, the more options and customization possibilities, the merrier.
Oh, another question: What's the point of offering a fullscreen resolution selection, if the emulator is not going to switch to that resolution after all?
I wish there would be "Stretch" and "Filtering" as "Yes/no"-options, and then you could select which mode you want - or perhaps the option "None" could be added to the menus for better user-friendliness. The way it is now, is like "WHICH stretching do you want?" and "WHICH filtering do you want?".
It's like asking "which flavor of ice cream do you want?" without considering that you might not actually want ice cream. (Except that in my opinion, filtering and all similar visual automated interpolation is like a box of spoiled rats instead of ice cream, but that's another story - properly executed PAL Emulation (Like in WinVice) excluded, of course), or "In which way do you want to be beaten up before sauna?". Not everyone wants to be beaten up before sauna.
Other than all that I have said, stated and asked, it really seems to be a really neat emulator with lots of options, and easier to use than Atari800Win (I got Numen working just by selecting it and .. well, changing the machine type to PAL and resetting, but getting it to work on a fresh, vanilla install of Atari800Win would be quite a hassle by comparison).
If it could do those proper display options like Mame and WinUAE can (and even WinVice with some annoying hassle), I would definitely see myself using Altirra probably pretty much exclusively for Atari 800 emulation, since it seems to be the most user-friendly of them all.
By the way, what is the signifigance of the name "Altirra"?
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First, let me apologize for replying to such an old message, but as no one else corrected these mistakes, it's my duty then.
I think i can i've heard the C64 port of Maniac MAnsion is good, true?
How can anyone else know if what you think you can you have heard is true or false. I mean, if you are saying that "Is it true that I think I can have heard the C64 Maniac Mansion is good", how can anyone possible know whether it's true that you think that or not (unless they are telepathic/psychic/etc.)?
Second of all, the C64 version of Maniac Mansion is _NOT_ a port. It is THE ORIGINAL. It is the best, the most glorious, the most beautiful and the most aurally pleasurable version - in addition to being the most atmospheric and the most immersive too. It is simply the best computer/video game that has ever been made that I am aware of so far.
As to someone here saying they like the C64 version for it's quirks - let me remind again, that it is THE ORIGINAL. The original can't have "quirks", it is what the other versions are compared to. The others try to be like it, and when they fail, they have 'quirks'. The C64 version does not have quirks, it only has features. PC version has quirks, it has bugs, it crashes more and has some things changed (for the worse, of course - you can't improve perfection). And, it doesn't look as good because of the lack of the PAL-effect (though I am sure NTSC produces something similar), a bit wrong colors, and too sharp pixels on a typical PC monitor (even at the time). But worst of all, originally such an atmospheric, spine-tingling and mystique-creating, exciting and immersive soundworld is of course totally, TOTALLY destroyed by the rapings of the screeching PC beeper/speaker.
So - to sum it up: the C64 version is not a PORT, it's the only version that is not a port - it is the original. And comparison to the PC version, stating that the original has quirks, is simply a horrendous injustice to a unique work of art the likes of which I have never seen before Maniac Mansion, nor have ever seen anything like it ever since. But maybe some day.. so please don't make such comparisons which would imply that they are almost as good, let alone that the C64 version would be somehow worse - because the truth of the matter is that the C64 version is so good that all the other versions can barely even be seen as 'versions' of Maniac Mansion - just pale shadowy production line copies with no soul and no atmosphere. Especially the Amiga version and the later redone PC-version are total lark's vomits and shouldn't be played, except just to see how ridiculously awful they really are in comparison to the MASTERPIECE that is the Commodore 64 version of Maniac Mansion (especially played with an OC-118N disk drive with it's atmospheric howling, during an autumn night when the moon is full and the air is thick with mystical atmosphere).
- Monk
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Thanks! Yes, I actually did this but forgot to come here and tell that it sorted it great, now everything is properly alphabetized - makes the usability of Harmony Cart again one step greater!
I mean, I used Drivesort - what a handy tool! I recommend it to everyone who's having the same problem of not having the filenames alphabetized properly.
- Monk
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By the way, does anyone else still have problem with Congo Bongo? I can't get any version of it to work. Though I didn't try that Atarimania ROM collection yet, so hopefully that would work.. Hope to test it soon.
- Monk
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Sounds like you're confusing multiple things. Visual bB assumes you already have installed bB correctly. Drawing a playfield is one thing, but you actually have to place the playfield code into a basic file and compile it. The fact that compilation fails is probably because you never installed bB correctly. I recommend you try walking through the bB compiler setup and confirm that is working
No. I am not confusing anything. I was just mentioning that stupidity of not allowing the user to decide where to install it (forcing it always to c:\Atari2600, which is pretty friggin' stupid and underestimating the user's intelligence and capacity to use the computer - at least give us a CHOICE, doggone it!) while explaining the problem I have.
Of course I have the playfield code in the basic before I compile it. Plain playfield code compiles just fine, but if there's something drawn in it, it won't compile anymore.
What do you mean 'never installed bB correctly'? It doesn't come with an installer, only the Visual bB does. I did install that 'correctly', if that means letting it put it in the c:\Atari2600 (which I hate).
So it's not about installation or not having the playfield code in the basic editor. There is some other problem that I cannot seem to solve.
Oh well, no Batari basic for me. I guess I'll have to settle with Coolbasic..
- Monk
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This is probably the best solution, I have to agree only with a small change to that: DO BOTH! that will please all. Give people solid white or black text
for all the people that hate color-cycling, by default, so they stop complaining. And then with a flick of the B&W/Color switch: full or all the main colors(like the early bios had) cycling in awesome retro-psychedalia neon-acid visions! (and not just the Harmony logo colors cycling but all colors) for the people like you Thomas and myself and others? that do actually like all the pretty colors. 
Good suggestion. The problem is, that I have not enough space to do both. So I am trying to find a compromise.
Heh, this is actually my idea in reverse - I'd think the psychedelic color cycling could be the default feature, and those who have retro machines without wanting the menu to show the retro colors (which to me seems a bit weird - why would one even have an Atari 2600 if one doesn't like it's colors and raster effects?).. I think that'd be more logical. I think people who appreciate colors of the Atari 2600 should be served first, so to speak (-8
But I had no idea it's that memory intensive that you cannot do both.. well, that explains why you are doing those compromise things.. too bad there's not enough memory to do both. Well, in that case I am satisfied in how it is right now, I don't really think it absolutely needs to be changed at all.
Thanks for all the info and so on..
Hey, how about having special BIOS files so people could choose which one they want to install - or would that be too much work? I mean, there could be a PSYCHEDELIC Bios files, then there could be SOLID Bios files, and then perhaps SOLID CYCLING Bios files - then everyone could choose whatever they want to see..
Hmm.. Bios upgrading would probably then be too much hassle though, I mean you would have to then upgrade all three different Bioses when you upgrade it, and all three versions of all three Bioses..
But this is just an idea anyway, feel free to toss it in the air and kung fu jumpkick it into oblivion (-8
- Monk
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I originally did not like the cycling, but only a little. I have since brightened up TV and increased the contrast, mainly for Phasor Patrol to see the shield effect correctly. Black is still black, and the mennu looks much better. I am starting to appreciate it more.
I think the cycling is cool!
I just wish the pause mode would show solid colors instead of me having to pause-unpause-pause-unpause until I find good enough compromise where the shading is in such a place where most of the text can be seen well.
The solid colors could cycle solidly.. without rasterbar-effect - just changing the solid color smoothly from one color to another. I think that'd be great, retro AND readable!
- Monk
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It is now using Google Checkout. Just go to the order form, enter your card details and you are basically done.
Thanks.. But what card? My library card? My bus card?
I don't have a credit card.. so this means only credit card owners can purchase Harmony Carts from now on? Dang, there goes my dream of purchasing another one so my mom could also have one.
- Monk
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It's not the text, it's the crappy background color:
Maybe if it was brightened up, I could read it better:
I have no problems reading the first one. It's probably faithfully retro, you see.. (-8
You can always adjust the brightness of the monitor - it's hardly the website creator's fault if you have your monitor's brightness setting too low.
- Monk
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Well, in the next BIOS the menu will become even more "greyish" since we have to use brighter colors to make the menu more readable. And since Atari 2600 palette has less saturation for brighter colors, every color will become less saturated.
So.. you WANT to make the text more readable, BUT you want to still make the text more unreadable, because that's "faithfully retro".
Isn't that a bit schitzo way of thinking about this? (-8
Just make it extremely unreadable when it's flashing so it looks as cool as possible with kewl rainbow colors or whatnot (the retro mode), and then make it as readable as possible with solid, bright colors in pause mode (the readable mode), so you don't have to make any compromises in readability OR retroing.
What do you think?
- Monk
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That's not what I meant - I meant that the 'pause mode' could use SOLID COLORS, so the user could always choose between readable and nice and cycleraster and pretty.
I got you the first time already.
Oh. So you meant that solid colors in pause mode would be somehow less retro than having then unevenly shaded? I just meant that if the purpose of pause mode is to make the text more readable, why settle for such a lazy solution instead of having a solid color? That way there would be the moving raster-effect for the retro effect (yay!), and pause mode for readable text. Everyone wins!
Right now I don't see how the 'retro effect' in pause mode (it's not even moving in pause mode so what's so retro about having the text unevenly shaded?) enchances the experience - I think it has the bad sides from both worlds; the text is less readable and it's not even having a moving retro effect..
So if you got me the first time already, I think I will need a bit more explanation then for why this is better solution than moving retro effect and solid color pause. (the color could be some random bright color though, like orange or something, or it could change colors, but solidly! I think that's pretty retro (-
- Monk
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1. I'm using Windows Server 2008 32-bit (Got it for free through Microsoft's Dreamspark program), going to upgrade it to R2 soon though.
2. I haven't tried compiling through command line yet.
3. I have set up the environment variables.
I have this exact same problem. I can't get anything to show, except a blank playfield - that works just fine. Whenever I draw something into it, and then SAVE and then replace the blank playfield with the one I drew something on - - -
"Missing Binary - Could not locate default.bas.bin and could not recompile. Please check to make sure it was compiled correctly."
I also tried all those update things etc... no change.
I am using Windows XP, I think SP2 or 3.
I tried to do everything they suggest in the tutorial video in youtube, but when he says 'you should see the playfield pop up..', I just get that error.
Oh btw, I really hate the installer; it forces you (in these modern days!) to install into C:\Atari2600!
I mean what's up with not asking the user WHERE he would like the program to install itself? Sheesh.. not everyone is a bumbling mainstream idiot who doesn't know where he wants to keep his files, and especially considering it's a
1) Programming language
2) for a very OLD computing technology
you could really understand, how people who are interested in this one, have used computers since the 80's, perhaps even since the 70's, and learned those good habits from those eras to actually arrange things as THEY see fit, not as bill gates sees fit.
(I hate the whole windows registry thing and how every damn program wants to install into c:\ and all those stupid config-paths in Windows dir - who decided that PROGDIR: isn't good enough anymore for configs and such? Sheesh!)
Sorry for ranting a bit, but damn..
- Monk
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I don't believe it's possible to give better customer service than is being given with the rollout of the Harmony Cartridge.
That is true! Customer service with Harmony Cart has been excellent, patient, informative and wise. Also I'd like to point out that it has been very 'human', not cold, like nowadays is so common. People should be treated like people and not machines.
Also I am amazed at the great lenghts for example mr. Batari has gone to ensure that I have a good and functional Harmony Cart with no problems. Can't remember when I would have ever been given this great service!
Great service, great cart!
- Monk
p.s. Oh by the way - is there any way to properly alphabetize the Harmony Cart directories? They are in such weird order that it's kinda difficult to navigate. I was thinking of just deleting everything from the SD card and recopying it all and never touching it again (I mean, never adding or deleting anything after that)..
Do you think it would work, or do I need to reformat the SD card? Or is there some program that would do this sort of thing? Someone mentioned 'drivesort', but I have no idea what that is. Thanks.
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SNDHRECORD
in Atari ST/TT/Falcon Computers
Posted
Aah!
I wanted an easier way to play Atari ST tunes than using "WinJam" (which is, frankly, a bit user-unfriendly). If I use my Amiga 1200 to draw something, I like having hours of inspiring audio waves punching my eardrums, and I have handy key shortcuts for Winamp, but not WinJam.
Also, as I have been re-discovering the joys of the REAL during these recent years, as opposed to 'emulation' (which I still appreciate and marvel, but let's face it, if you have the choice, REAL always beats emulation, at least in some aspects (though I am aware that emulation can 'enhance' things, like resolution, etc.), and if nothing else, then at least 'feeling' and 'authenticity'), and as wonderful as the SNDH collection is, and as great as WinJam is in many ways..
..after realizing how much more fun (a) real VIC-20, real C16, real C64, real Amiga 1200, real Dreamcast, real Atari 800 XL (the list goes on) (is) are, suddenly 'emulated YM2149' left be a bit cold.
I wanted to hear the REAL Atari ST, the real audio, authentic sound and the proper feel and energy that only a real machine can provide. If the SID sounds and feels so much better on a real C64 than emulation, why shouldn't this be true for Atari ST as well?
So I started searching ... and found this! SNDHRECORD!
It's a dream come true.. I think the SOASC guy was a bit nuts, but he had the right idea, letting a real machine record the authentic sound for posterity for those, who can't or won't be able to have the real machine to play those tunes for them.
I'd like to thank everyone that was involved with this project - recording must not have been easy! What a wonderful gift to the world!
This inspires me to want to start dabbling with the Atari ST music a bit more.. MaxYMiser seems like a nice tracker for this purpose, though slightly too cryptic for me to really understand it properly yet. I've only composed two Atari ST songs, and I do love the chip. Of course coming from the Commodore side of the veil, I miss the filter, but you can't have everything, and Atari ST sound chip has its own, unique, quirky sound that I have grown to love so much.
Also, it presents another challenge, which can be fun! Plus, I don't have to make decision as to what to use the filter for, I can focus on other things.
So many of the Atari ST songs sound just so amazingly good - for example, almost anything that Tao has composed.. I can't wait to be able to properly explore the other composers and hear what they have concocted.
Perhaps I should purchase a real Atari ST as well. The more real machines I have, the less satisfied I feel about the emulation of the others, even if the emulators are great. There's something about the 'feel' of the real machine, plus being independent of 'certain OS' is always great fun, like a vacation from work!
As Grazey so gracely expressed: Great stuff indeed!
P.S. My real machines so far (besides PCs):
Atari 800 XL, Commodore 16, Commodore VIC-20, Commodore 64C, Commodore Amiga 1200 (030), Sega Dreamcast, Nintendō Wii, Nintendō DS, Atari 2600 jr.
All have either some kind of SD/CF-solution with lots of stuff installed, or just 'enough good ones'. C16 gets by nicely with just 1541 II disk drive, but C64C needed an 1541 Ultimate II. Atari 800 XL would need SIO2SD, but for now, it has SIDE2, which runs almost all games I want to play, and some demos, too (plus, it plays my own songs). SD2IEC was good enough for VIC-20 until I ordered the Behr-Bonz. The Amiga obviously has a hard drive (could replace it with a CF IDE-drive, just like I once had), Wii has a hard drive, DS has a SD-card, and Atari 2600 jr. of course utilizes the Harmony Cart. The Amiga is loaded with 192 MB memory and a TFT monitor for 640x480 and 160x200-stuff, plus a bright CRT television for other resolutions.
After all this, it feels somehow annoying to just emulate Atari ST - can't watch demos on a bright CRT on authentic resolution, because Steem doesn't let me change the resolution to something like 320x256 or such. A great emulator, but IMHO all emulators should mimic MAME in the configuration department; it lets you use any resolution your gfx card and system can handle (I am using Soft15kHz and a card that supports even 256x224 and other quirky resolutions for Super Famicom (and NES) and arcade games, with VGA2SCART-cable that lets me output VGA port's signal directly to a SCART port on a bright CRT television - looks great, and the emulation is very good, but I really want to see what a real Super Famicom looks like).
Anyway, sorry for this long digressing almost-rant or something, but I just wanted to make a point about how much I appreciate this project, because I have grown to appreciate "REAL" over "EMULATION" so much lately.
Thank you.