johnnywc

Hello all, I hooked up my 800xl for the first time in about 15 years tonight. Even hooked up the 1050 disk drive and loaded a few games (One on One, Montezuma's Revenge, etc). Anyway, I was trying to load some old BASIC games I wrote but I seem to be doing something wrong. 1) I load up BASIC and get my READY prompt 2) I insert my disk that has the files on it. In this case, I want to load up a game I wrote called "SORCERER". NOTE: Prior to all of this I loaded up DOS 3 and confirmed the file was on the disk 3) I turn on the disk drive 4) At the prompt, I type LOAD "D1:SORCERER". 5) I get back ERROR - 130 (device does not exist) Things to note: - in DOS, I took the Filelist of D1 and made sure the file was there - the drive works when loading disks like One on One (I hold down OPTION, insert the disk, turn on the drive, and then turn on the computer) Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks,

Ouch!! Goochman - you stepped all over one of my fond memories with that one!! Seriously though - I played the game last night on my 800xl and must admit it hasn't aged well. Maybe I should just let the memories be just that... With all that said, I think the one thing we can all agree on is that One on One would be awesome!! Let's hope it happens someday... kenfused - thank you for all you've done with these ports. It is very much appreciated!!! Thanks,

Update: I finally got around to cleaning the joysticks and found the docs for Sean Kelly's multicart (hadn't seen it in about 8 years!!!). Good news is that I can now play games on the 5200 - controllers work great (for now), picture is decent (considering it's RF), but the sound is still just white noise. Even tried games with voice (Berzerk, Baseball) but nothing. As for the controllers - I'd love to get those Best Electronics gold replacements. Any feedback on those from anyone? Are they worth it? How difficult is it to install them? I feel comfortable opening up the 5200 sticks (I cleaned them ok) and putting them back together - should I be all set to do this upgrade? As for the RF video, it's ok but I've been spoiled with the composite out on my XEGS and a video mod on my 2600 so it's not going to cut it. Does anybody have info on the video upgrade for the 5200? Is it easy to do? Is it composite or S-video? It certainly is an exciting time to be involved with the 5200. I'm glad I got on board when I did!! Thanks everyone for all their help!!

Hello all, I was just reading some 5200 reviews over at The Video Game Critic and this line from the review for Choplifter! caught my attention: "This is the exact same version of Choplifter that was released by Broderbund for the Atari 8-bit computers in 1982. It may have been an easy port, but Atari really should have reworked this game to take advantage of the Atari 5200's capabilities." Isn't the 5200 essentially the same hardware of the 8-bit line? What capabilities (if any) does the 5200 have over the 8-bit line, except the different controller (allowing for 2 buttons, keypad, analog support, etc)? I also noticed that Centipede for the 5200 looks much better than the 8-bit, suggesting this just wasn't a port of the 8-bit. Is their some sort of enhancement the 5200 has over the 8-bit line that would allow it to feature nicer graphics, or could the 5200 Centipede run on an 8-bit (with the obvious modifications for controllers, console buttons, etc)? Thanks!!

Are there schematics on how to modify an s-video cable to hook up an Atari 800 XL to s-video or composite video on a TV? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

Bry - Thanks for the info - I just sent payment. Can't wait!!!

Question: Where can I get this "Castle Crisis" and will it work on the XEGS? Let's hope so!! Thanks,

I agree - One on One was the other basketball game we played the heck out of. Is this one a possible 8-bit to 5200 conversion??? We did play the other basketball game a lot too - it's a different style (full court) and getting to both be on one team was really great fun.

Hello all, With all the excitement created by kenfused and his DK/DK Jr/etc. 8-bit to 5200 conversions, it got me thinking about how to get a decent basketball game onto the 5200... The game I'm thinking about is Atari's Basketball (4 player). It was 2-on-2, very similar to gameplay as the 2600 version, except you could pass. The passing was awkward, however, due to the one-button limitation of the Atari joystick, so to do it the second player had to hold down their button while the person with the ball pressed their button to pass. It took a little getting used to, but in college my roomate and I had it down to a science and had some great games against the computer. Anyway, here's my thought: 1) convert the 8-bit version to the 5200 2) modify the code so that the person with the ball can pass with button 2 (replace the logic of "if player 2 button 1 and player 1 button 1, pass" with "if player 1 button 2" Personally, I would think this would be a great addition to the 5200 library and would make for an awesome game. Let's face it - the Realsports Basketball proto floating around is unplayable at best... What does everybody think of this? I'm not sure how popular the basketball game for the 800 was/is... Thanks,

Hello all, I have a friend who really wants to get back into Atari after 20 years, so to spread the good joy I'm going to give him one of my 4-switch systems. Unfortunately, I don't have any good joysticks left and I know how important it will be to have a good controller if the Atari is going to make a positive impression on this guy. Can anyone recommend a place to get good Atari joysticks (the original) - preferrably new? Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks,

So what was game #5 anyway? I missed the download window...

Wow - is that Jumpman I see? Who would still own the copyrights to that??? Oh well - let's hope it comes back...

OK - I'll try it out, but where did the file go??? And what was mystery game #4?? 1 - DK 2 - DK Jr. 3 - Preppie 4 - ??? 5 - ??? Thanks!!

For those of us without an emulator - what game is this? And what was mystery game #4??? I missed it!! Man - I need a 5200!!!

Adventure Midnight Magic Thrust! Jr. Pac-man Kaboom! H.E.R.O. Millipede Montezuma's Revenge River Raid Yars' Revenge Als - anyway we could have a poll of some sort? This is like the 20th time I've done this!! (and I never can resist)

This looks fantastic!!! Does anybody know if there is a chance it will be made available for any modern systems (the XBOX in particular)??? Let's hope so!!! Thanks,

Hello all, First - I would like to congratulate Jess Regan on his hack of Galaxian (aka Galaxian Arcade) - it's fantastic!! I do have a question about the colors - is there any plan on making the colors of the enemies match the colors of the arcade more closely (ie. with blue, purplue, red and yellow)? I know this has been discussed before - did anything ever become of it? Thanks!

Wow - this sounds fantastic!! It looks like the audio/svideo cables are pretty short - does anybody have a recommendation where extensions can be purchased? I know Radio Shack will probably have them (at a high $$$) - is there a "recommended" place to get these cables? Thanks!

Update: I just broke 100K (116,650) but have only to managed to kill Sinistar once in a game (he's much easier to kill on level 1 than level 2). I also noticed once when I was hitting Sinistar with Sinibombs in chase mode he DID degenerate graphically (I could see him breaking down) but it only happened once. Maybe a glitch? Does anybody know if this is was ever deemed a FINAL version of Sinistar (for release)? It certainly seems complete to me. Thanks,

Thanks to CPUWIZ, I've been playing Sinistar on a real 2600 for the first time - and for the first time I destroyed that b*st*rd!!!! (Sinistar, not CPUWIZ ) I know there has been some debate as to whether Sinistar can be destroyed, but rest assured he CAN be destroyed!! First off, you must let him get completely built up and chasing you (before he's built you can always go chop him down a bit to get points, even eliminate him altogether, but he'll continue to build up until you let him start chasing you. You can only "destroy" him after he's chasing you). Once he's chasing you (which is pretty scary if you ask me!!), you then must avoid him at all costs and try to get in some "pop" shots with your Sinabombs. Here's the part I didn't realize: no matter how many times you hit him, he never "degenerates" visually after he's chasing you (you don't see him being "chopped" down). The secret is the number to the right of the # of Sinibombs. This normally displays the # of ships remaining, but when you're attacking Sinistar in chase mode, after each hit this number displays the # of hits remaining until you destroy him (I think it's also displayed after you get destroyed). This number I believe starts at 18. Be aware that this number will rise (Sinistar repairs himself) if you take too long to destroy him. Once he's destroyed, you'll be greeted with a fantastic end-of-level sequence, complete with a full musical score!!! Your ship is then automatically transported to the next level where you do it all again, except it's a little more difficult. Anyway, I thought I'd post my findings to what I believe to be one of the best games and certainly one of the best arcade translations available for the 2600. BTW - my personal best is 82,065 but I plan on breaking 100K tonight... Also - does anybody know what the purpose of the RED ships are in the game (they seem to just swarm around you). I know the BLUE ships will fire at you and kill you, but I can't see any purpose for the RED ships except to get in your way (which they do quite well). Thanks for listening!!

Thank you all for your help. As for the TV/Switch box, I'm not using one (I'm using the RF/Coax adapter). I opened up the system and cleaned all the dust off but no luck. The picture is very clean and clear - the sound is just awful though. And I'm suprised that both of the sticks don't work at all, but with all the horror stories of these controllers I guess I shouldn't be. What kind of announcement is being made by BE?

Hello all, About 8 years ago I purchased an Atari 5200 (2-port) with a multicart from Shawn Kelly. At the time, it worked very well, except for some minor maintenance on the controllers (standard for any 5200 controller). Well, a marriage, 2 kids and a house later I dug out the ol' 5200 to play some games and I'm having some problems I was hoping a 5200 expert could help me with: - system powers on fine and I get a very nice looking picture (in this case, Missile Command) - with the game on, there is a constant "white noise" being generated - controllers don't seem to do anything, no matter what buttons I press - I have tried this on Channel 2 and 3 with the same results. I have also tried different games, also with same results. My question is: does anybody know how to fix this thing? More specifically, is there a service out there where I can send this 5200 for a tune up? I've heard about "gold plated contacts", refurbished controllers, etc. - can anyone lead me in the right direction to get this thing up and running? It's been a long 8 years and I can't wait to play these games again... Thank you all for any help.

Looks like Spacemaster X-7 to me...

Well, after a year I finally picked up a copy of the Anthology for the PS2 (actually, I just got a PS2 from my nieces who weren't using it anymore; I'm an XBOX guy!!)... Anyway, I was very impressed by the presentation and the games. As for the remix, I would suggest: 1) when you toggle the difficulty switches, have a graphical representation on the screen of what each is set to 2) high score saving definitely 3) an easy way to exit a game without a million prompts (4 if you don't have a memory card) 4) I might be missing something, but when I play Barnstorming there are no geese/birds to avoid. Any ideas??? Overall, a great package. Hopefully it will make it to the XBOX too!!

Tom - I completely respect your decision. I was poking a little fun at the whole situation. I mean - it's getting pretty bad when people don't even want you to know that a prototype exists, never mind releasing the ROM to the public!!! Either way, the whole point about this thread is to commend Tempest on his fantastic site. So to that end, I say GREAT JOB!! to Tempest and keep up the good work!!