Nathan Strum
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Posts posted by Nathan Strum
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19 hours ago, johnnywc said:
PS Here are the game instructions with more details (also included in the ROM download):
BTW - if you change the font to Courier, you can preserve your original spacing:
Spoiler*** ABOUT ***
This ROM file is a fully playable demo version of Tutankham Arcade for the Atari 2600 with the following restrictions:
- The game is for 1 player only (no 2-player alternating mode).
- ADVANCED and CHALLENGE skill levels have been disabled (NOVICE and STANDARD skill levels only).
- SaveKey functionality has been disabled, but high scores are still maintained for each skill level during play until the game is turned off.
- MAP selection is disabled (only the four ARCADE maps are included). The full version includes four new maps and the option to flip the maps vertically.
- The game ends after stage four is completed. In the full version, there are 100 stages to complete.
- The option to disable forward motion using the left difficulty switch is disabled.The full version of Tutankham
For additional information about the game: http://champ.games/tutankham-arcade
Thank you for your support and have fun!*** COMPATIBILITY ***
* TV type *
The Tutankham Arcade Demo ROM can be played on NTSC or PAL60 systems. Please ensure that the version you are playing matches the TV type of the monitor you are using.* AtariVox and SaveKey *
The AtariVox and SaveKey are devices that allow high scores and game settings to be saved when playing Tutankham Arcade. The demo version of Tutankham Arcade
has disabled the high scores and SaveKey functionality and is available in the full version only.
- For more information about the SaveKey device: https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1194* QuadTari *
The QuadTari is a device that allows you to plug up to 4 joysticks and other compatible controllers to an Atari console (2 joysticks per port). Tutankham Arcade takes advantage of this device by supporting two controllers plugged into the QuadTari connected to the left controller port and an AtariVox or SaveKey device connected to the right controller port for two-player alternating modes.
- For more information about the QuadTari: https://www.bitethechili.com/quadtari/* Multi-carts *
Multi-carts are special cartridges that plug into a real Atari 2600 (or compatible) and allow you to play various ROM files either on an SD card or via WiFi.
Here is a list of multi-carts that Tutankham Arcade has been tested with and the current compatibility.
Where applicable, the version in () indicates the minimum BIOS requirement for the multi-cart.
Multi-carts Compatible? Website
---------------------- --------------- --------------------------------------------------------
*Harmony (v1.06+) Yes https://harmony.atariage.com/Site/Harmony.html
*Harmony Encore (v1.06+) Yes https://harmony.atariage.com/Site/Harmony.html
Unocart No https://thebrewingacademy.com/products/uno-2600-cartridge
PlusCart+ No https://pluscart.firmaplus.de/pico/
*Some older Harmony and Harmony Encore carts contain a bug in the hardware that prevents Gorf Arcade from running properly. If you have issues running Gorf Arcade on your Harmony or Harmony Encore, please reach out to the creators of the Harmony carts for upgrade options.
* Emulators *
An emulator is a special program that runs on a PC that emulates an Atari 2600, allowing you to play ROMs on your computer.
Here is a list of emulators that Tutankham Arcade has been tested with and the current compatibility:
Emulator Compatible? Website
--------------------- --------------- --------------------------------------------------------
Stella (v6.7+) Yes https://stella-emu.github.io/downloads.html
Gopher2600 Yes https://github.com/JetSetIlly/Gopher2600
StellaDS (v7.2+) Yes https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/StellaDS/releases
Stellarator No https://6502ts.github.io/stellerator/#/cartridge-manager
Javatari No https://javatari.org/* Emulator consoles *
An emulator console is a physical game system that emulates an Atari 2600. These systems allow you to play ROMs on devices like HD televisions (or in some cases, on the go).
Some of these systems allow you to play game ROMs via an SD cart or even have a cartridge slot.
Emulated Console Compatible? Website
--------------------- --------------- --------------------------------------------------------
AtGames Flashback No https://www.atgames.us/products/atari-flashback-9
AtGames Flashback Portable No https://www.atgames.us/products/atari-flashback-portable-2019
RetroN 77 (cartridge slot) No https://hyperkinlab.com/retron-77-hd-gaming-console-for-2600-hyperkin/
RetroN 77 (SD card) No* https://hyperkinlab.com/retron-77-hd-gaming-console-for-2600-hyperkin/
Atari 2600+ No https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus
Atari Gamestation Pro No https://www.myarcadegaming.com/products/atari-gamestation-pro
*The latest community firmware of the RetroN 77 is using Stella 6.6, but since Stella 6.7 is required for Tutankham Arcade it is currently not compatible.
When the community build is updated to Stella 6.7, Tutankham Arcade should be compatible with the RetroN 77 from an SD card.
Additional details on the RetroN 77 community build can be found at https://atariage.com/forums/topic/289929-stella-6-on-the-r77-the-eagle-is-landing/*** GAME OPTIONS ***
* Players *
The demo and full version of Tutankham Arcade has a 1 player mode only. The full version adds support for a 2 player alternating mode (players alternate turns
and attempt to get a higher score than the other player).* Skill levels *
To select the skill level, move the joystick left and right from the TITLE screen:
- Novice: Player starts 5 lives and 3 flash bombs. There are less enemies that spawn and move slower. The map shows the location of keys and small treasures.
- Standard: Player starts with 4 lives and 2 flash bombs. There are more enemies, and they spawn and move faster. The map does not show the location of small treasures.
# Available only in the full version: #
- Advanced: More difficult than Standard. Player starts with 3 lives and 1 flash bomb. More enemies that spawn and move faster. The map doesn't show the location of keys or small treasures. Most like the arcade.
- Challenge: More difficult than Advanced. Planned features include power ups, different enemies, different keys, traps, and invisible catacombs with torches to collect and light your way!* Menu screens *
Move the joystick up/down to cycle through the menu screens. If you do not move the joystick or start a game, the screens will cycle through after a certain amount of time.
- Title screen
- Scoring screen
- High scores
- Credits
A short demo of the gameplay will start after the Credits screen.*** DIFFICULTY SWITCHES ***
The left difficulty switch controls whether the player continues to move in the current direction until a barrier is encountered.
- Difficulty A: Player only moves in the current direction when the joystick is pressed in that direction.
- Difficulty B: Player continues to move in the current direction until a barrier is encountered (like the arcade).
# This feature is only available in the full version of the game #
The right difficulty switch controls the delay between button presses that will activate the flash bomb (single-button joysticks only).
- Difficulty A: Player has a shorter delay to double-click the button and activate a flash bomb.
- Difficulty B: Player has a longer delay to double-click the button and activate a flash bomb.To start a new game from the title screen, either press RESET or joystick 1 button.
MAP SELECT (full version only):
- Use the joystick to select which maps to play:
- ARCADE: cycles through the four arcade maps
- CHAMP: cycles through four new maps
- ARCADE (flipped): cycles through the four arcade maps but they are flipped vertically, offering the player a different challenge.
- CHAMP (flipped): same as ARCADE (flipped) but with the CHAMP maps.
- ROTATE ALL: cycles through all maps.
- RANDOM: picks a random order of maps to explore.*** OBJECT ***
You are Dr. Harold Carver, renowed professor and archeologist on a mission to recover the lost treasure of the pharoah Tutankham in the Valley of the Kings.
Make your way through the catacombs collecting keys and treasures while avoiding the creatures who gaurd the sacred tomb. Remove all of the locks to reveal
the rare artifact for each stage, including the facemask of King Tut himself!
Good luck!*** PLAYING THE GAME ***
CONTROLLER OPTIONS
Tutankham Arcade can be played with one joystick with 1 - 3 buttons or two joysticks:
- One joystick options:
- Use the joystick to move Harold up/down/left/right
- 1-button joysticks:
- press the button and push the joystick left to fire left.
- press the button and push the joystick right to fire right.
- double-click the button while centering the joystick to activate the flash bomb.
- Firing backwards: While moving left or right, you can fire in the opposite direction you're moving by pressing the button with the joystick centered (since
your player automatically moves in the direction you're facing). This allows you to fire behind you without having to stop and turn around.
- Firing in place/strafing: If you hold down the button with the joystick centered, your player will not be able to move left or right (but can still move up or down).
In this mode, you can press left or right to fire while not moving. This is very helpful if you are in a tight space and need to shoot without moving.
- 2-button joysticks or Gamepads (Sega Genesis compatible)
- press Button B (or button 1) fires to the right.
- press Button C (or button 2) fires to the left.
- Press Button B and Button C with the joystick or gamepad centered to activate the flash bomb.
- 3-button joysticks (Joy2B+ compatible)
- Button 1 fires to the right.
- Button 2 fires to the left.
- Button 3 activates the flash bomb.
- Two joystick options:
- Use the left joystick to move your player.
- Press the right joystick left to fire left.
- Press the right joystick right to fire right.
- Press the right joystick button to activate the flash bomb. You can also double-click the left joystick button.
Guide your player through the catacombs collecting treasures and keys while avoiding the creatures as they spawn from the monster generators. Make your way through the halls using the map as a guide to remove all locks with the collected keys and reveal the special artifact at the end of the stage.
You can eliminate the creatures by shooting them with your special laser. Note that you can only fire left or right so plan your attack accordingly and the creatures are only destroyed if they are hit with the leading part of the laser shot.MONSTER GENERATORS
There are numerous monster generators located throughout the tombs that spawn various creatures that guard the treasures, including snakes, bats, and condors. Faster and more dangerous creatures and obstacles appear on the later levels. Every so often, a 'hyper-spawn' will occur where many creatures are released in a very short time. There are other times where the monster generators go dormant for a few seconds. Use the time to make your move through the more narrow and congested passageways.SECRET PASSAAGES
In each maze there are one or more underground secret passageways that allow you to move from one part of the map to another instantly while avoiding the creatures. Some areas are only accessible through these entrances so keep an eye for them. Also, use the secret passages to escape the creatures as they can't use them, but be careful not to run into a creature on the other side!THE MAP
On the top of the screen is the Map that shows the layout of the catacombs and the location of the final artifact that is locked behind the large door, as well as other items of interest depending on the skill level you're playing:
- The yellow square shows the location of your player. This is visible on all skill levels.
- The red square with the flashing diamond indicates the location of the special artifact you are trying to retrieve. This is visible on all skill levels also.
- The blue squares show the location of the creatures. These are visible on all skill levels.
- The blinking red squares show the location of the keys. These are only visible on the NOVICE and STANDARD skill levels.
- The blinking blue squares show the location of the smaller treasures. These are visible only on the NOVICE skill level.
The map can show an area that is two times the width of the visible screen. The area that is currently viewable is highlighted by a flashing bar on the top and bottom of the map.FLASH BOMBS
When a flash bomb is activated, all enemies on the screen are destroyed and monster generators an inoperative for a few seconds. The number of flash bombs remaining is displayed under your score with the genie bottle icons. The number of flash bombs you start the game with, and the maximum number of flash bombs is determined by the skill level (3=NOVICE, 2=STANDARD, 1=ADVANCED and CHALLENGE).
If your player is killed by a creature, you will be awarded an extra flash bomb if you have less than the maximum for the skill level.THE TIMER
During each stage, a timer counts down and is shown at the top of the screen under your score. The amount of time to complete each stage depends on how large the map is, how many keys need to be collected, etc.
If the timer reaches zero, you will no longer be able to fire so make sure you complete the stage as fast as you can! Additionally, you are awarded extra bonus points for any time left when you complete a stage.TREASURES
Collect the treasures (rings, crowns, etc.) located throughout the stage to earn extra points. Each treasure collected during a stage is worth more than the previous one. See below for Scoring details.KEYS AND DOORS
Throughout the level there are keys that must be collected to unlock the doors (represented by a lock icon) and reveal the special artifact at the end. Move your player towards the key to pick it up and then carry it to the lock. You can only carry one key at a time and can only use a key on one lock.*** SCORING ***
Action Points
---------------------------------------
Collect a key 500
Unlock a door (lock) 1000
Shoot a snake 20
Shoot a condor 40
Shoot a orange bat 60
Collect a treasure 500-5000 (first treasure is 500 points, second 1000, then 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 points for the sixth treasure collected for each stage).
Collect the artifact 1000-5000 (plus time bonus: 40 points for each second remaining)An extra life is awarded at 30,000 points, 80,000 points, and every 50,000 points after that.
*** CONSOLE SWITCHES ***
During a game the console switches do the following:
- Reset: Restarts the game with the current skill/# of players/options.
- Select: Ends the current game and returns to the title screen.
- Color/BW (PAUSE on a 7800): Pause the game; press or flip the switch again or press the joystick button to resume.
- Left Difficulty: Enable/disables forward motion (your player moves in the current direction until a barrier is reached).
- Right Difficulty: Sets the delay between button presses to activate the flash bomb (1-button joysticks only)*** GAME OVER ***
When all a player's lives are lost and there are no reserves, GAME OVER will be displayed.
In the demo version, the game will end once you have found the facemask of King Tut and completed Stage 4. In the full version, there are 100 levels to complete.*** HIGH SCORE ***
If the current player achieves a high score for the current skill level, the high score entry screen is displayed.
Use the joystick to enter up to 3 initials:
- Move the joystick up/down to change the current initial (blinking) and press the button to move to the next initial.
- Move left/right to change the initial to update. Once completed, press the button after entering in the 3rd initial
to register your name and be added to the list of GREAT EXPLORERS!
NOTE: SaveKey support has been disabled for this demo. In the full version, game settings and high scores (for each skill level)
is saved to an AtariVox or SaveKey device.*** CREDITS ***
Programming and Design: John W. Champeau
Graphics and Design: Nathan Strum
Music and Sound Effects: John W. Champeau
Testing: Jurgen Oster
*** RELEASE SCHEDULE ***
The full version of Tutankham Arcade is scheduled for release in September of 2024. Both digital ROMs and physical cartridges will
be available in the Champ Games store.
Stay tuned for more details regarding the availability by visiting our website at https://champ.games or by following us on
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/champdotgames
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And adding a spoiler tag - so people can show/hide it.
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Will there be an upgraded Harmony as well, for those who'd just rather have a new cart?
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1 hour ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:
The problem is the configuration data (The SpeakJet is pre-configured with 72 speech elements (allophones), 43 sound effects, and 12 DTMF Touch Tones.). I am sure Stella could emulate the chip, but we cannot use the original data. So we cannot faithfully recreate the output.
But if the data were licensed or purchased by Atari and made available to the Stella team, could you recreate the output then? (Yes - this is all hypothetical, and yes - it has a snowball's chance in Arizona of actually happening, but just wondering out loud, in case Atari is looking to make a magnanimous gesture towards the homebrew community.
)
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1 hour ago, SpiceWare said:
Oooh - middle of the workday so I won't be chatting much, but this is ladder-monitor worthy!
Are the bungee cords VESA-compliant?
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8 hours ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:
Stella supports the SaveKey functionality, but not the voice output. This will most likely not change anytime soon, since the speak output chip is still copyrighted. Which includes the data used for speech generation.
I think there should be a point of clarification for those not as familiar with the AtariVox and Stella: While Stella can't internally generate AtariVox voices, Stella can drive an actual AtariVox plugged into an interface like a re-flashed 2600-dapter II (you can order them already flashed for the AtariVox). You still need to plug an external speaker into the AtariVox to hear the voices, but it will work fine. I use this setup with Stella on my Mac all the time. Whether the 2600+ could eventually drive an AtariVox is a different question. So Stella does support the AtariVox, but it cannot emulate it.
As an aside, the SpeakJet chip used in the AtariVox is no longer in production. However, according to this post (confirmed here by the SpeakJet's developer), the SpeakJet is internally a PIC18F1320 which is still in production. So more chips could certainly be made (I don't know if this is an issue or not - I'm unaware of what sort of stockpile AtariAge has). The SpeakJet is one of those IPs I'd love to see Atari acquire so that the AtariVox could (potentially?) be emulated, and have them (or Plaion) design and sell a new AtariVox that has its own built-in (magnetically shielded) speaker, designed to aesthetically to go with the 2600+ (and of course, original 2600s).
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4 hours ago, sramirez2008 said:
Btw, I really like your Complete Peanuts collection. It looks “complete”.
That set is - but I have yet to collect the Sunday strips.
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I have most of the Tiny Arcade series from Super Impulse. It looks like they're no longer selling most of the titles now...
When they're all switched on and running in demo mode it's quite the arcade-like cacophony!
Unfortunately, they only stay on about a minute or so to preserve batteries.
Super Impulse also makes a Tiny Atari 2600 (which I also have), so they've licensed some Atari games too. Sadly, they haven't made any Tiny Atari arcade cabinets. I'd love to see a series of those.
All of my Tiny Arcade games are in storage now. I suppose I should unpack them and dig the batteries out of them before they all corrode.
(I may have done that before packing them... hope so.)
For portables, I have my original Entex Space "Invader" (apparently, they could only afford one), Sears (Coleco) Electronic Touchdown, and a Mattel Auto Race that I bought a few (okay... 13
) years ago on eBay, that I blogged about here. Never did write "part 2".
LEDs seemed like magic back then.
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5 hours ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:
@ZeroPage Homebrew Why do you not use rechargeable batteries for the table tops?
I didn't see the show - but I've found that rechargeable batteries are often slightly larger than their non-rechargeable counterparts, and won't always fit.
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On 3/10/2024 at 7:25 PM, GilsonAnimes said:
My console doesn't want to run this game, I also tried running galaga, but that didn't work either, the console turns off when running the game, does it need any hardware modification to work? like changing C.I, processor... I'm attaching a photo of my board.
What sort of power supply are you using? It looks like you've bypassed the jack and hardwired something in. That would be the first thing I'd check. Looks like it's had a rough life... lots of hot glue and... toothpicks?
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1 hour ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:
Why is Paddlefield preferred over e.g. Paddlezone?
I am not a native speaker, so I might be missing something here.
55 minutes ago, Armscar Coder said:For me it is because it sounds like "Battlefield."
That was my immediate reaction. Battlefield is a much more common term than Battlezone (former Atari IP notwithstanding). Paddlezone sounds just like a pun on Battlezone for the sake of being a pun. That would be okay, but it tends to tie the two games together, when they have nothing in common. The name Paddlefield is unique.
Just try to get this song out of your head now:
This is also a really good point - I hadn't considered the vastness vs. zone comparison before:
52 minutes ago, McCallister said:Field invokes a vast tract of land to my ears, with hints of grandness. Much this game's layout, as opposed to Zone, which automatically gets me thinking of the tank game.
The other reason I like Paddlefield (now that it's already been settled
), is that the game makes full use of the playfield, so it's a nice nod to that.
- Nathan
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12 minutes ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:
There are some similar ones: Paddleground, Paddle Area and Paddlezone
Any more?
Well, you don't have to worry about Paddlezone infringing on any Atari IP.
Paddle Battle would be another (surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet).
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3 hours ago, gliptitude said:
Paddlefield
Kinda digging that one.
Could go with the early Sears naming conventions, like:
- Ball
- Ball II
- Ball Plus
- Ball Fun
- Ball Plus II
- Ball Fun II
- Ball Plus Fun II
- Ball Combat
- Ball Combat Plus Fun II
- Arcade Ball
- Video Ball
- Video Arcade Combat Ball Plus Fun II
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Space Balls (you just knew we were going to get there sooner or later... )
/nothelpful
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I like these two:
4 hours ago, splendidnut said:Particle Wars
4 hours ago, gliptitude said:Pixel Volley
How about Pixel Wars?
2 hours ago, devwebcl said:Bit Battle.
Or that.
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2 hours ago, Ben from Plaion said:
The joystick feels very solid screwed into the dpad. After using it a lot I can't see you snapping it.
I'll let you know.
It does appear to have a much broader base than the Gravis one did, so it looks to be much sturdier there.
2 hours ago, Ben from Plaion said:Only thing that I want to look out for durability wise on release is the plastic thread on the joystick going into the metal screwhole.
I recently 3D printed a replacement joystick for my Gravis (yep... still want to use it) that's hollow, so I can glue the end of a brass machine screw into it. Haven't put it together yet (needs rewiring), but the rest of the controller will probably break before the screw fails.
2 hours ago, Ben from Plaion said:But to be honest the joystick for me is a mere novelty, it's interesting for 5 minutes but then it's like yeah I'm unscrewing this thing and using the dpad.
I played my 2600 with a shortened joystick, using my thumb on the top of it. Weird, I know. But it made me a big fan of the dpad+thumbstick combo.
2 hours ago, Ben from Plaion said:Will we sell spare parts, I thought about it recently, little pack with taller fire buttons, a dpad with no screwhole and maybe a couple of different weighted elastomers. But then it's a load of time spent with small return. See how it goes I guess.
Wondering if it's possible to make the opposite of this: https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1295 to use the CX-78 as a Sega-compatible controller on 2600s?
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I'll admit I haven't noticed this, since I'm still running Safari under Ventura, and they haven't made that sort of change (yet...). Give 'em a couple of days though, and I'm sure Apple will find a way to make it even worse than the other browsers.
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On 3/5/2024 at 9:51 AM, Ben from Plaion said:
Had a bit of time this afternoon. Enjoy!
Biggest changes are in the DPAD feel even though that is constrained by the general aesthetics of the Gamepad. I tried to prevent directional pressing errors as playing with the original pad it was too easy to make a unintended directional movement. I think I acheived it without making diagonal movements too hard. Anyway I'm sure the internet will judge when it comes out in May.
Thanks for the video - that looks great! I'll be getting one for sure (and hacking it to turn it into a right-handed controller - I've never been able to use a d-pad with my left hand).
Question - is there any reinforcement inside the joystick shaft? It appears to be hollow. I've never had an original CX-78, so I'm unfamiliar with it.
The reason I ask, is that I had a Gravis GamePad years ago (favorite gamepad ever) that used a plastic screw-in joystick, that screwed into a metal-threaded insert. The weak point was always at the top of the plastic threads (at the base of the joystick handle), where the handle would snap off. This was especially so if the joystick loosened up a little - causing more stress at that point because of the extra movement and reduced shoulder support. Gravis sold replacements for awhile, but I didn't stockpile them when I had the chance
. Do you think Atari might sell replacement screw-in joysticks for this new one?
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I was debating answering this. I still am. We'll see if I hit "Submit Reply" at the end of it or not.
On 2/26/2024 at 3:19 PM, Living Room Arcade said:What is a homebrew?
Personally, I don't consider Champ Games to be a homebrew developer. I consider Champ Games to be a commercial, 3rd party game developer. To me, Champ Games is the new Activision. IMO Champ Games shouldn't be in any awards called "Homebrew Awards." Champ Games games should be compared instead to other contemporary commercial releases such as Atari's Mr. Run and Jump and Circus Convoy by Audacity Games. A separate awards program for the commercial releases.
Speaking (unofficially) on behalf of Champ Games, these games are made on our own time, published at our own expense – and please read this part carefully here – there's absolutely zero guarantee of selling a single copy. Nobody is paying us to develop these. Nobody is paying us to publish these. This is not a commercial enterprise.
This is a hobby, paid for out-of-pocket. All of the production costs must be paid for, in-full, up front. Circuit boards, cartridge shells, and printing are all bought and paid for, before a single order is ever taken, whether we end up selling any of it or not. In the case of Champ Games, all of that cost comes out of John's own pocket, with, again zero guarantee of making a penny of it back.
Once we start selling the games that we've produced, then and only then do we (and I really mean "he" – since John is Champ Games – I just help out with the art stuff) begin to earn back some of the money that's already been spent. But even reaching break-even is an iffy proposition - especially with our older titles that have been available for years, where most of the market is already tapped-out.
Up until last summer, Champ Games wasn't publishing our own games – AtariAge was. Once AtariAge decided to no longer carry those games, we could have decided, "Well, so much for that" and not gotten into publishing. But the reason we make games is because we love making games. This is not a commercial enterprise. It's a hobby. And we decided to take a shot at publishing them ourselves. This was not a trivial nor inexpensive task, nor a decision that was made lightly. But we did it because we wanted people to still be able to play the games we worked so hard to make, and play them on original hardware. Also, publishing games for the 2600 is pretty-much childhood wish fulfillment. For the both of us.
Any "extra" money that happens to come in from the sale of homebrews – if we break even – will go right back into publishing our next batch of games, and other expenses like PRGE (which itself is a giant money-suck with no guarantee of breaking even either).
We do have a pretty-good idea that there's an established market for our games, and that we will likely sell some minimal number of copies of them. But how many is always a guess, and it's also not sustainable. Sales will hit a maximum threshold pretty soon after release, then fall off rapidly.
On 2/26/2024 at 3:34 PM, Albert said:I disagree. I consider homebrew games to be those developed by enthusiasts in their free time. When John and Nathan have quit their jobs and are working in an office somewhere developing games full-time, then I would consider them closer to third-party publishers from the heyday of the 2600.
Please read Al's comment above carefully, then consider this additional fact: the "when" in this case is "never". Anyone who thinks that it's possible to earn an actual living programming 2600 games in this day and age is at best ill-informed.
On 2/26/2024 at 4:36 PM, Living Room Arcade said:I don't know the answer, but perhaps here's a clue. A homebrew developer will typically pay to have a limited number of carts made with his game on it. He'll announce how many carts were made and that they're for sale, send him a pm and it's yours and when they're gone, they're gone. That's a typical homebrewer.
Now look at Atari, Audacity Games and Champ Games. They all have a brand, a website and an online store. There appears to be NO LIMIT to the number of games they'll sell. They may run out of stock temporarily, but, generally, if you keep sending them more money, I think they'll keep making more games. Like Jay Leno in the Doritos commercial saying, "Crunch all you want, we'll make more!"
Some homebrew developers make and sell limited-edition games like you describe. But those are intended to be limited editions, built in small numbers typically to sell to collectors. That was certainly more the norm for homebrewing 25 years ago, when technology to reproduce the games in physical form was scarce and the process much more difficult. But publishers/resellers like AtariAge, Packrat, Good Deal Games, Songbird and others are more the norm now. That said, everything is limited, because resources are always limited. Publishing games to a broader audience in a less limited manner does *not* make them any less homebrews.
Atari is a corporation, with (presumably) offices, employees, payrolls, etc. So yes, they're a commercial entity. They exist to try to make money off of commercial products. They have shareholders, board members, investors, and paid employees to answer to financially. They have to prove they can be a sustainable commercial entity, in order to convince retailers they're worth the risk of carrying their products. They pay people salaries in order to keep the company producing commercial products. They are absolutely commercial.
AtariAge, now owned by Atari, is a commercial entity by extension. But the developers creating the games that AtariAge publishes? Homebrewers. To my knowledge, nobody developing homebrews presently sold by AtariAge are salaried employees of Atari or AtariAge. So those are still homebrews. Nobody is quitting their day job to develop 2600 games full-time for Atari or AtariAge. (At least, none that I'm aware of. If you are... call me!
)
Audacity made their singular release effectively the same way other homebrews are made. At home. In their spare time. Self-published. Assembled by hand. They chose not to call themselves homebrewers, likely because those developers did work as professional 2600 programmers back-in-the-day, and it would probably seem strange to them to adopt the "homebrewer" moniker in light of that. So it's by their own choice they aren't considered homebrewers. However, if they had decided otherwise, they certainly would've been eligible and welcomed to have their games considered as homebrews. But again - their choice.
Yes, Champ Games has a website. And it has an online store. And a logo. And literally anybody can set those up themselves, to sell whatever they create. This means nothing. They're still homebrews.
We can't suddenly make more games on-demand whenever we run out of something. There's no bottomless pit of money we can just draw from to re-publish games. In order to make publishing even remotely cost-effective (which is not the same thing as profitable), we have to gang-up multiple titles together and hit certain minimum quantities, otherwise the cost per game would be so high that nobody would want to buy them. And we have no interest in selling to the collectors' "limited edition" market, either. Our entire purpose in going into publishing last year was to make our games available for people to play and enjoy on cartridge again. Once we deemed that possible, only then did we go into production. And it took months for us to sort all of that out, with no promise of any financial return.
For circuit boards and shells, we don't have a big warehouse full of them that we can just dip into when we need more. We have to pay third-party suppliers for them, who are also homebrewers doing this stuff on the side. That includes shipping costs, plus whatever up-front expenses are on their end that they have to try to recoup. The advantage of circuit boards and shells is: they can be used in different games (mostly), so we don't have to be so precise with quantity. We still have to buy unique boards for Elevator Agent and Turbo Arcade, but the other Champ Games use the same board that's interchangeable. That helps to spread out the costs, so if one game sells more than another, we aren't sitting on a bunch of unusable boards. But again - we still have to pay for everything we want to use up-front, and hope we guess somewhat right. Guess too low – we run out. Guess too high – we're sitting on games that we may never sell.
Then there's printing.
Printing is EXPENSIVE.
Here's some fun homework: Take any complete-in-box game from Champ Games or AtariAge (or Audacity, or even an Atari game from back-in-the-day) into a local print shop, and ask them what it would cost to reproduce the following full-color printed materials:
- Box (with custom die-cut)
- Labels (front and end labels, with custom die-cut)
- Poster (10"x14", folded)
- Manual (5"x7" finished size, folded, collated and saddle-stitched, assume 12 pages as a starting point)
Have them add a UV (glossy) coating to the box, label and manual cover for good measure. We'll skip the insert for holding the cartridge. But that would have to be custom die-cut too if you wanted one. Not an off-the-shelf item.
Use your imagination for quantity. Ask them to quote for several different quantities, since that makes a huge difference in the per unit cost (most of the cost of printing is in setup).
Then take into account this is per game. Champ published 12 different games last year. Ask them how much *that* would cost.
And also, figure out how you're going to produce the artwork for the packaging in the first place. That's going to take someone's time and talent. You're either going to have to pay for that, do it yourself, or rely on someone doing the work for free.
So no - there is no such thing as "NO LIMIT". It's all limited. Crunch all you want. But we're not Frito-Lay.
On 2/26/2024 at 5:24 PM, Living Room Arcade said:Three categories: individual homebrews, Atari Age-licensed homebrews and commercial releases.
individual homebrews - limited number of carts, no profit motive
Atari Age-licensed homebrews - a limited number of carts, maybe some profit but profit is not the main motive
commercial releases - unlimited number of carts, profit is the main motive
Again - there is no profit motive in homebrews, because there's no guarantees enough of any game will be sold to cover the costs of publishing it. If someone enters into homebrewing expecting to make a profit, they need to find another hobby.
Homebrew authors are not paid to develop their games. They do it because they want to make those games. They can put in hundreds of hours developing them, on their own time, whenever they can find the time between work, family, and everything else life throws at them. Call it a passion, obsession, curiosity, challenge... but it's still a hobby. At least among the developers I know.
If, on the other hand, someone is being paid to develop a game by a commercial entity such as Atari, then that is a commercial game – not a "homebrew". They're paid under contract to develop that game. It's a job.
If someone develops a game as a homebrew, independently, without pay or promise of publishing it, and later on they're paid by a commercial entity to publish it, then the line becomes a little blurrier. I'd say in that case it's still a homebrew, because that was the intent behind it when it was developed. It may gain some measure of "official" status if licensing is involved, but if the original author still defines it as a homebrew, then that's what it is. If they'd rather redefine it as a commercial game, then that's their call. (I'd also amend that to say that if they're paid to substantially re-work the game, the end product is a commercial game.)
For some, developing homebrews is about the technical challenge. For others, it's to see their favorite arcade (or other) game playable on another platform it never existed on. Everyone has their own reasons. I've yet to work with someone where profit was the motive. This is a spare-time, "I think I'll sit down and work on this for awhile this evening because I had a real cool idea today" hobby. Even Audacity has stated their goal wasn't profitability. They knew the market going into it. They wanted to make their game because they could.
As for "AtariAge-licensed homebrews", to my knowledge that would be Boulder Dash and Lode Runner. I'm unaware of AtariAge having officially licensed any other properties (although some ports have been developed with the permission of the original games' authors, and some games based on Atari IP have remained in the AA store, but that's not licensing as such). And while AtariAge has published original homebrews on behalf of developers, I don't believe AtariAge is licensing those properties from any of them. The homebrew authors still retain the rights to those games, and can do with them what they please, provided they haven't signed their rights away.
As for "commercial releases" - that would be Atari, because presumably, Atari is paying for the development of those games. Also included would be Audacity, because that's how they choose to define themselves.
On 2/26/2024 at 7:17 PM, Giles N said:… I’ll throw in here: and that quality really shows! The stuff I’ve ordered from the AA-store is like buying physical new games back in the old days, - not just picked off
the shelves but like sent from the factory…
Hard to believe such quality could be maintained without some costs - given time spent, materials used, assembly and all that.The costs financially are significant, but the costs in time are effectively incalculable. Not just for publishing, but developing. I don't know of any homebrew developer who tracks the time they spend on a given project. It would probably be depressing. I certainly don't track my hours, since it's a hobby and I work on it at my leisure and for my own enjoyment. There are no billable hours. Just hours.
On 2/26/2024 at 7:17 PM, Giles N said:Moreover, I think the most important thing is to encourage the homebrew-scene to keep it going…
A little encouragement goes a long way.
A little discouragement can also go a long way, the wrong way.
It was nice to win the award for best graphics for Turbo this year. John and I put insane amounts of work into that game, and it's nice to be recognized for it. We enjoy that recognition as much as anyones else does who wins - and we do not take it for granted.
But when I start reading comments implying that somehow it's unfair Champ Games keeps winning, or we're cheating by using the ARM, or maybe we should be marginalized to some other category, or whatever, it just sucks the fun right out of it.
This is a hobby. It's supposed to be fun. We do this for fun. The Homebrew Awards are given out by hobbyists to other hobbyists as a means of appreciation. These aren't industry awards. They aren't "official" since there's no official homebrew governing body. James does this because he loves homebrew games and because it's a really nice thing to do. It draws attention to the games and gives recognition to those who work on them.
As far as the whole ARM thing - nothing is preventing anyone else from using the ARM chip for their games. Some do. Others choose not to. If winning an award is someone's end goal, maybe they should re-think their approach. If it's about making the game, then whether someone else uses an ARM or not should be irrelevant.
Our end goal is to always make the best game we can. And if we can use the ARM chip to do that, that's what we do. It's not about awards. It's not about sales. It's about moments like this:
The ARM chip doesn't magically make games better or easier to program. Champ Games are excellent games because of John's obsessive commitment to make every game the absolute best it can be, and fully applying his insane talent as a programmer. Go back and look at the original Lady Bug or Conquest of Mars for proof of that - and those were just his first two games. The possibilities of developing using the Melody board and its ARM are what enticed John to return after a 10-year hiatus. It made 2600 development interesting to him again. The fact that Champ Games have won a lot of awards is because of John's ability to program, and also that he's so prolific that he manages to knock out two games in a year at times. It's not the technology in the cart that makes a game great. It can make a great game better. But it all starts with the programmer.
As for the "easier" aspect, I've created graphics for dozens of homebrew games, and Turbo Arcade was – by far – the most difficult game graphically that I've ever worked on, and I believe John would echo that. We had to develop an entirely new means of working together to get the graphics into the game, including John having to write (and re-write) custom tools for importing the animation. I probably put more time into Turbo Arcade than every other game that I've worked on combined. Nothing easy about that. If anything, the capabilities we were able to tap into due to the ARM made the graphics harder.
On 2/26/2024 at 11:13 PM, Thomas Jentzsch said:I doubt profit is the main motivation for ChampGames.
It might be if there were any.
On 2/27/2024 at 6:18 AM, LordKraken said:We all want a fair competition, and I think James has already made a big step in that direction by creating separate categories for original and license-based games (when it's possible). There's still a debate whether games with special chips should compete against OC games, but other than that I think the competition is pretty fair.
It's already fair. It's fair because James has decided it's fair. If he chooses to change it further, it will still be fair.
Programmers are free to use whatever chips, bankswitching schemes, tools, extra ROM or RAM they want. They could even program multi-load SuperCharger games on cassettes if they wanted. But to accommodate all of the variables to fully level the playing field – how much would the categories get fractured to the point where there's just one or two nominees in each? At that point, you risk giving everyone an award just because they made something that didn't fit into an easily-definable category...
From my standpoint, I'd love to see the Packaging awards split to cover "Special Editions" and standard editions, since it's really hard to compete with games in custom wooden boxes or that include fancy extras. But there are already enough categories, enough awards, and if I really wanted to compete that badly, I would've put a free Hot Wheels in with each copy of Turbo Arcade, and maybe an autographed greasy spark plug.
But I won one for Mappy, and given the level of talent that's creating homebrew packaging, I'm happy with that.
(And David Exton should get a Lifetime Achievement, BTW. Just sayin'. Hint hint.)
On 2/27/2024 at 6:18 AM, LordKraken said:We are all amateur here, nobody is making a leaving from homebrew dev. At best it pays a nice restaurant once a year, that's it
John still owes me a cheeseburger.
- Nathan
(Oh, what the heck... I spent this much time writing it, might as well hit Submit Reply. Apologies if this is too off-topic James. Feel free to delete it.)
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On 2/26/2024 at 2:24 PM, SmittyB said:
That's a dead horse that's been so thoroughly beaten it's now a Tesco lasagne.
That's easily my favorite post of the week.
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1 hour ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:6TH ANNUAL ATARI HOMEBREW AWARDS IN 3 DAYS!
Sat Feb 24, 2024 @ 12PM PT | 3PM ET | 8PM GMT
WATCH LIVE: https://twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/
A huge thank you to AtariAge, our amazing sponsor for the 6th Annual Atari Homebrew Awards for helping make the event happen!It'd be nice if Atari would allow you to restore the original look of the awards, back to using the Fuji logo...
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5 hours ago, TPR said:
I wasn't going to be a graphic designer with them nor was I going to suggest they be turned into packaging. Maybe I should have just not bothered sharing them. Now at least I know better for next time.
EDIT: I went ahead and just deleted them. They really were for my own personal use anyway. Thanks guys. This is a reminder that I don't belong here and I'll just stick to the ColecoVision forum. Thanks. Bye.
My comments weren't meant to be critical of what you did - just commenting on the artwork within the labels themselves. No offense intended.
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2 hours ago, TPR said:
Nevermind again...
The first two are pretty terrible, although Hobo is so blurry it's really hard to tell.
They lifted the tank from Battlezone:
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56 minutes ago, SpiceWare said:
Nice, though the other 2600 UA games do have a distinct design that it would make sense to make these match.
I've misplaced my Pleiades cartridge, though the design follows on the boxes.
That's the magic of David Exton. I don't think those were based on anything pre-existing from UA.
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3 hours ago, TPR said:
Nevermind
AI generated?
)
Unfortunately, they only stay on about a minute or so to preserve 
(I may have done that before packing them... hope so.)
) years ago on eBay, that I 
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