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Serious

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Posts posted by Serious

  3. Posted

    I've started a new High Score contest today.

     

    Here's some of the prizes:

     

    prizes_640.jpg

     

    Pictured above:

     

    AtariMax 5200 Ultimate SD Multi-Cart (valued at $129 USD).

    Lothratek SIDE2 Compact Flash cartridge for Atari 8-bit computers and XEGS (valued at $62 USD).

    Turbo Everdrive microSD card adapter for PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 consoles (valued at $79 USD).

    Harmony SD card cartridge for Atari 2600 (valued at $60 USD).

     

    In addition to the above, multiple $50 gift certificates for the AtariAge store are also up for grabs.

     

    Categories include: Atari 2600, Atari 400/800/XL/XE, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Jaguar, Lynx, and TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine.

     

    The contest runs from today until December 20th, 2014.

     

    Full details on the contest are here.

     

    Feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

    • Like 6

  4. Posted

     

    The AtariAge booth was near the stage, which was nice as we could see all the special events that were going on while still being able to keep an eye on all the systems(it's quite surprising how often somebody will turn off a system and then walk away). Though being so close to the stage did make it difficult at times to talk with people visiting the AA booth.

     

    All events, including my presentation, took place on the stage. I was a little concerned about that as I'm used to other events having presentation rooms - it turned out to be a major benefit as way more people attended it than I was expecting. It seemed to be well received and there were a number of good questions at the end.

     

     

     

    The AtariAge booth was awesome!

     

    I really wish I could have made it to your talk. The crowd on Saturday was just too crazy.

  5. Posted

    Day 2 wasn't nearly as crazy as Day 1, which was good because I was able to leave our booth and venture out a little bit more.

     

    Some of the Day 2 highlights for me:

    • Got to spend more time chatting with Al and Darryl Spice.
    • Won a $100 gift card in the Atari 2600 Adventure speed run contest. I earned my best time ever for Game 1 (55 seconds), which made me really happy. Darryl was just 1 second behind me, and he terrified me by using the bridge to take a shortcut back to the Yellow Castle with the chalice.
    • Met Ernie Cline (author of Ready Player One), who surprised me by telling he's used highscore.com. He signed my Adventure speed run plaque. (And he was wearing a cool "Life is an Adventure" shirt.)
    • Saw PacManPlus's Astro Blaster for the 7800 which is incredible! KC Munchkin was cool too.
    • My wife got hooked on Assembloids (2600 version) at the AtariAge booth. So now maybe she'll play more 2600 games with me..?
    • Gave away a bunch of 2600 loose commons to some young kids (ages around 8-10) who were surprisingly enthusiastic about Atari gaming.

    Here's some photos:

     

    Me and Al..

    photo4_zpse576572c.jpg

     

    Ernie Cline

    photo5_zps8118ccdc.jpg

     

    High Score members dj5kjlara and kri5bell

    photo3_zps7c08c117.jpg

     

    Lots of people playing Protector and YASI on the Vectrex all weekend..

    photo1_zps14b2a44d.jpg

     

    Mario came by and bought a boxed copy of Centipede.

    photo2_zpsca419096.jpg

     

    And here's the plaque I received for winning the Adventure contest:

    photo6_zps76253076.jpg

     

    Overall, it was a great experience. Several people from Austin and San Antonio joined High Score, and lots of my extra Atari games and consoles ended up in the hands of some people who were very excited to get them. :)

    • Like 2

  6. Posted

    The first day was great.

     

    I was surprised and a little overwhelmed when people came flooding in when the doors opened. In retrospect, it makes sense that people would want to get in early to hunt for bargains, but being new at this, I expected most of the crowd would come after lunch.

     

    I got to chat with Al briefly today (and yesterday during setup), and it was great to get a chance to meet him in person.

     

    The AtariAge booth was awesome! My wife and I both would have liked to have participated in the tournament, but it was just too hectic at the booth.

     

    We sold a bunch of 2600 games (loose commons and a few boxed rare ones), but the best part was seeing people's faces light up as they saw old games that they hadn't seen since they were kids, and all of the people enjoying playing Vectrex, Intellivision, and Atari games at the High Score booth. Kids absolutely loved the Vectrex, which was another surprise!

     

    My wife and I are exhausted, but I'm still looking forward to being back there tomorrow. It's been a fantastic experience so far.

     

    photo33_zps5813922c.jpg

     

    photo34_zpsc89b3c6e.jpg

     

     

    photo38_zps0ea39f23.jpg

    • Like 7

  9. Posted

    Mr Kaelin (Game Over Videogames) has made no bones about having this event be the premiere show for classic gaming in a few years. He took constructive criticism from last years event and really has made some improvements, and I'm sure he will be open for more suggestions after this years show.

     

    Texas has been needing an event like this........we havent really had anything worthwhile since Alberts show! (2002?...all I remember it was many years ago!)

     

    Was that the event at the Red Lion? I bought my Jack*Bot machine at that show.

  10. Posted

     

    If you're serious about getting a booth, I would not waste too much time. I think they've sold most of their space.

     

    ..Al

     

    Thanks. I am indeed Serious.

     

    I emailed them and filled out the contact form as well.

     

    Hopefully my S.O. will help me man the booth. She's eager for me to get rid of my dupes as well!

  16. Posted

    Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions and input!

     

    I would get a 520ST or 1040STf. Just make sure you get one with a DSDD drive (720k) If you can get one with the RF modulator if you plan on using a TV set with it, otherwise get a nice RGB monitor for it.

     

    Hmm. I'd definitely want composite output if I can get it. I may eventually get an RGB monitor, but I don't have a space on my desk for one right now.

     

    The best is the 4 Mb Mega STe with UlrtraSatan. They can be hard to find and expensive. The next best would be the 1040STe 4 Mb also with UltrSatan.

    A 1040 STf is good to use with floppies because of the 1mb of ram and normally low TOS version. You'll do best to have some sort of rgb monitor no matter the model you get.

     

    Is UltraSatan an SD card reader? If so, I am guessing that it loads some kind of disk image format used for emulators?

     

    Would I need a floppy drive if I have this device?

     

    There are lots of good suggestions here, but I think the 1040STf or 1040STfm would be the best bet for entry-level, because it's relatively available, relatively cheap, and relatively capable.

     

     

    I'm not looking to make a big investment at this point. I've never used an ST before, so I like the idea of going with a more entry-level system and maybe upgrading later if I like it.

     

    I'd also prefer a compact system, as I tend to keep my systems in the box, and just take them out when I want to play them.

     

    The 1040STfm is the same thing as the 1040STf, but with the addition of RF output (for connection to TV on channel 3) and also composite video output on the monitor jack that wasn't present on the 1040STf. However, composite (or RF) video really doesn't do justice to computers such as the Atari ST or the Amiga. I wouldn't go so far to say that it "sucks," but when you compare it to an RGB monitor (such as Atari SC1224) you might be inclined to think that. I've seen 1040STfm go for a little more money because it's a little more rare. I have one, but I never use the composite (or RF) output, anyway.

     

    I'm familiar with RGB from my early Amiga days, and it is indeed beautiful.
    However, I have a 36" CRT TV I used for most of my gaming, so composite output is what I'd be looking for.
    I'd love to have a 36" RGB monitor, though!

    The 520STfm is just like a 1040ST, but with 1/2 the RAM on the motherboard. Most of these models have empty spaces (but NOT installed sockets) for the "missing" 512k, so if you're a skilled electronics guy, you may buy some RAM chips and upgrade with a lot of work. If you're like me and can't solder, I'd avoid one of these unless it was known to be upgraded, as many have. Furthermore, the early versions of the 520STfm had the dreaded SINGLE-SIDED (360k) floppy drive. You can upgrade that too, however. I do have a 520STfm that has been upgraded (not by me) to 1MB and has a double-sided floppy drive, so it's functionally a 1040STfm. However, you can't be sure that any 520STfm you see (on Ebay or wherever) has both a double-sided drive and a memory upgrade to 1MB, so I'd avoid this model unless you really are an electronics whiz.

     

     

    Any machine I'd attempt to solder on I'd probably destroy, so it sounds like the 1040STFM is the way to go for me (No soldering, composite output) and maybe a Mega STE later...

     

     

     

     

    Ok, another question: Since the ST was more popular in Europe than the States, should I acquire a PAL machine for maximum compatibility? Or is PAL/NTSC compatibility not an issue on this platform?

     

    (I already have a setup that can convert a PAL composite signal for display on an NTSC TV, which I used to play PAL 2600 and Videopac games.)

  17. Posted

    I'd like to add an Atari 16-bit machine to my collection for gaming.

     

    I've never owned an ST (or related) system before, so I'm unsure of which would be the best model to buy for maximum compatibility.

     

    I know that with the Amiga computers, many games created during the 500/1000/2000 era won't run on the later hardware. I'm unsure if the there are similar issues with later Atari ST models or not?

     

     

     

     

  19. Posted

    I don't know if it is necessary to state at this time that one would like to buy one of these to get one, but if so, please add me to that list.

     

    I have very fond memories of playing this one in the arcade around 1980-1981, and being able to play it on my 7800 would be a real joy.

  22. Posted

    I am sorry if this is a taboo subject, I am clueless and ask lots of questions.

     

    I was reading about the retron5 and is wondering if there is a 2600 system like that one.

     

    A 2600,5200,7800 would be cool. I am asking due to being on my 3rd 2600 system in 4 years.

     

    I cannot fix anything and have sold them to people who can, but I would like one to just use and play.

     

     

    It sounds to me like you've had some really bad luck. I've hardly ever had any issues with old 2600s, except the power switch getting a little touchy..

     

    But if you're really swearing off vintage hardware, besides the Flashback consoles, there is also the Jakks Pacific TV units: Two Atari ones (one paddle, one joystick) and an Activision one..

  23. Posted

    You're welcome. :) And, yeah, Commodore and Atari paddles use pots with different resistances. It's a little strange considering Commodore just straight out copied the joystick schematics...At least they kind of work across both systems. :)

     

    I've used Commodore paddles to play Demons to Diamonds, and they worked wonderfully for that game. Super accurate and responsive.

  25. Posted

    Hi everyone,

     

    There's a few new contests that have just started on High Score that I thought I'd mention on this thread..

     

    Prizes are available in three categories:

     

    • The top 3 voters during the contest period will win their choice of $25 AtariAge gift certificates or eBay gift cards.
    • The player who wins (and retains) the most Worldwide trophies on NES (emulated or real hardware) during the contest period will win an Everdrive N8 cartridge (like the Harmony cart, but for the NES).
    • The player who wins (and retains) the most Worldwide trophies on Commodore 64 (emulated or real hardware) during the contest period will win an SD2IEC drive (like the Harmony cart, but for the C64).

     

    The contest will end on August 3rd (midnight Eastern time).

     

     

    Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

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