gdement
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Posts posted by gdement
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I had Ultima 6 as part of the "second trilogy" set. At first I played Ultima 4, planning to go through the games in order. But I couldn't resist the better graphics and sound of 6, and by the time I got a Sound Blaster I started playing 6 instead.
I think I got pretty far into 6 and really enjoyed the realism. It was the first game I saw with NPC schedules, day night cycles, such detailed dialogue, and realistic world details in general. It's a very cool game.
My only complaint was the tedious interface. It was the first Ultima to support a mouse and it wasn't done very well.
After receiving Ultima 7 as a birthday gift, I really didn't want to play 6 anymore and never beat it.
U7 is still the only Ultima I've actually beaten. Others have always defeated me with some combination of boredom, difficulty, or bugs. Even U7 was on hold for a couple years while I had a glitchy computer that couldn't run it without crashing.
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I originally had 3 button pads, then when the 6-button came out, I ended up getting those. I'm not sure why, and I prefer the 3 button today. I like the size better, most console controllers are too small.
I can only think of 1 game I own that uses a 4th button, and that's the SegaCD version of After Burner, which hardly needs it and sucks.
I'm sure the later fighting games use 6 buttons, but I don't play those and never was a fan.
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What do you flag them as?
Prohibited is the right way to flag them.
This is from the craigslist flagging help page:
Users may flag postings they believe to be in violation of craigslist guidelines, by clicking on one of the flagging links at the upper right corner of each posting:
* miscategorized - wrong category/site, discusses another ad, otherwise misplaced
* prohibited - violates craigslist Terms of Use or other posted guidelines
* spam/overpost - posted too frequently, in multiple cities/categories, or is too commercial
From craigslist terms of use:
7. CONDUCT
You agree not to post, email, or otherwise make available Content:
a) that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory,
libelous, invasive of another's privacy, or is harmful to minors in any way;
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I finally opened this thing up. It's probably been opened before, because 1 screw was missing underneath.
The bottom extent of the spring is flat on one side, but on the other side it curves upward to go up the coil. So on that side the joystick doesn't have much recoil.
I don't know if the spring is deformed, but it looks like it was designed this way. It doesn't look damaged, it just seems like a badly shaped spring for this job.
I rotated the spring, and now the problem has moved accordingly, so I'm sure the spring is the problem. Overall it centers a bit better than before, but it's not what I'd call "good".
It's generally a squishy and squeaky joystick. The buttons are too light and have a tendency to bind. I'm not impressed with it. But it's old and maybe new ones were better.
Is there a known standard replacement part for the spring?
Incidentally, I noticed the serial number looks pretty low:
I'm assuming this is the 6,429th joystick they made? I have no idea how many of these were sold, but that number seems very low.
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Nowadays, youtube videos are an awesome way to check out a game. Watching a vid is worth more than 1000 opinions. Especially if it's a case where my taste differs from what's popular (RPGs especially).
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I paid $50 for Sword of Sodan.
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Harassment and libel are both prohibited under the craigslist terms of use, so I flagged them as "prohibited".
Hopefully this guy fizzles out soon. I'd document the libel/slander/harassment when possible, in case you eventually have to get nasty with him. What he's doing is illegal, but if you're forced to go down that road then you'll need proof.
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Does the SNES have a separate video bus on the cartridge slot, like the NES? If so, it could be a connection problem on those pins.
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I wish I still had that "101-in-1" kit that was given to me when I was a kid. I think it came out of the Sears catalog. That thing had an LED, solar cell, speaker, everything. It was over my head, I just copied the circuits but didn't really understand them. I'd probably have more fun with it today.
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I've only had cheap irons so far.
At first I went through a couple cheap retail Weller irons (~$15-$20 types). They sucked and didn't last.
For at least a couple years now I've been using a pair of Xytronics 200PHG irons (40W and 60W) from Jameco. Those were noticeably better irons despite being cheap. The replacement tips are also cheap enough I could replace it for every job, but I haven't needed to.
My only complaint with those irons is you have to be careful with tightening the tip into the iron. The allan wrench they include is a loose fit and if you overtighten it will start to slip. A slightly larger wrench fits better than the one they give you.
I certainly would like to move up to a proper temperature controlled iron, but for somebody who wants a bargain basement iron that's decent, I recommend those Xytronics at Jameco. Also get a 10-pack of tips (they're barely over $1 each).
I'm actually thinking it might be more worthwhile to spend on a good desoldering station before I spend on a soldering station. I can get by with a cheap soldering iron but desoldering is what I struggle with.
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I used to be an early adopter (when possible), but not anymore. I don't take enough interest in modern games to keep up with them.
My earliest adopted console was the Genesis. And that early build caused me lots of hardware trouble that people with later versions didn't have. I was also lucky enough to get a launch SegaCD as a Christmas gift - and it died twice in the space of a few years. And the early library for it sucked anyway.
I used to happily pay $40-$60 for new games. Basically once I saved up the money I'd buy something. Now I think it's silly to pay that much when I know it'll be $20 later. Besides, I can't run most new games when they come out anymore. I don't have a new computer or a current console.
My newest game is Oblivion, which came out in 2006. And that still strains my computer.
I can't remember the last game I bought full price. I think everything I bought on the PS2 was in the $20 range.
I *might* break my streak and buy Elder Scrolls 5 when it comes out. Maybe.
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Do you have a logic probe? If not, they are normally pretty cheap to buy or you can make one yourself. Use it to check that you see activity on the chip select, address and data lines of Sally, the ROM, TIA and MARIA.
I don't have one, but it's something I'll look into. Might be a handy thing to have.
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There are some errant scratches on the board from when I was cutting the pins on the original ROM, but I've tested continuity and they're all intact.Have you tested the pins for continuity with each other? By that I mean pins that are shorted together that shouldn't be?
Yep. I tried every pair of adjacent pins on the ROM, no shorts.
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I hate to leave a hanging thread, so just to give this some closure...
I made a trade with shadow460, who sent me an original bios mask ROM.
A couple days ago I finally worked on this console again.
I reverted the mod back to standard. That means I moved the OE wire back to the non-inverted input, and moved the jumper at W1/W2 back to W2.
Plugged in the mask ROM, and it still doesn't work. I removed the ZIF and plugged the ROM directly into the base socket (aligned correctly).
Behavior with this configuration (original mask ROM):
2600 games always boot to TIA bars
7800 games always boot to a black screen
empty slot always boots to colorful untuned video noise. The appearance will change periodically. It actually looks similar to what I used to get when I tried to use the Asteroids bios on an EPROM.
Supply voltage is at 5.01v on maria, and tested same on some other chips.
I repeatedly checked continuity on everything I altered, plus many other things, and I just can't find anything wrong. There are some errant scratches on the board from when I was cutting the pins on the original ROM, but I've tested continuity and they're all intact. I've checked countless connections against the 7800 board schematic and everything I've checked is correct. But it doesn't work.
Somehow I screwed up something on this console, but I can't find it.
I've put it in the junk parts drawer.
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I've always liked Contra for testing gamepads. It needs quick and precise control or it's impossible to play. Unfortunately, my own PC gamepad fails that test.
Donkey Kong is probably just as good a test though. I don't think it could play that very well either.
Another thing I learned today is that with newer MAME versions you have to let DK run at its own refresh rate precisely or you get horrible sound. I figure this applies to anything with analog audio emulated.In a few more versions, they'll emulate the original control panel. You'll use a mouse to point at the controls, click the buttons, and click and drag to move the stick. Dual mice are recommended. Joystick support will be removed. It's more accurate this way.
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Back in the days of the 7800 programming mailing list, somebody posted a demo using arcade galaga sprites in high resolution. They looked great, but it flickered badly and was probably very slow.
However, this was caused by a flaw in how the display lists were being generated (that was the question being discussed in the post). If it was coded differently it might work fine.
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I hope the diagonals can be fixed on the Radica stick. It seems like a nice joystick otherwise but 8-way games are a bummer.
I switch between a Radica stick and a Genesis pad, using the radica most of the time. The Genesis pad only gives 1 working button for Atari, but I don't know many games that need good diagonals and also 2 buttons. I prefer the radica unless diagonals are a major issue.
To be more specific, to me it seems the radica registers diagonals fine, but it gets physically stiff when you leave the 4-way axes. That makes it hard to do diagonals quickly.
It's been a while since I used it though, I haven't had my 7800 hooked up recently.
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The Radica joystick is great for 2/4-way games. I have a hard time using diagonals with it though.
The buttons are acceptable, though not as good as the joystick.
It's my favorite controller for Pac Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, etc. I don't like it for Choplifter, Food Fight, or anything where I need to move diagonally.
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Also before my system went out I was using a universal power adapter and had it running at 7.x volts. Could that have done it too. Seems like it wouldn't power on though if that was the case.
Have you tried putting it back up to 9v?
It's possible it could turn on but not have adequate power to run properly. The regulator might not be able to achieve a steady 5v output if the input isn't high enough.
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Besides the above, I'll add Rygar.
Very fun and simple early NES action adventure game.
Goonies II is possibly my favorite of the genre, but that might be partly because it was the first adventure game I ever played.. after Adventure anyway.
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Moisture might have fried something when you turned it on the first time.
1) Even so, I'd take the board out and wash it with alcohol. Scrub some alcohol on the chips with a toothbrush to remove anything that might be wedged between the pins and causing a short. Something that simple has resurrected a Genesis for me in the past. I also had to clean the cart connector to get it going.
2) Also, ditto the above about checking the solder joints. My early model Genesis had a very bad solder joint from the factory on one of the video RAM chips.
3) Try a different power supply if you haven't already. That might be what's actually dead, not the console itself. Even if it turns on the power could still be bad enough to keep it from running properly.
4) Do you have A/V cables for that system? It might just be a bad RF module. It sounds like you've narrowed the problem down to video, so maybe a video mod would fix it, if the A/V cables don't.
It just isnt working for me. I guess ill have to find another one. It powers on and all just only get a slight wannabe image through static on the screen.
There is a non HDG genny 1 at a local game store I kinda wanna buy for 25 bucks. What is better about it saying High Definition Graphics on it?The HDG marking just means it's an older console. The older boards tend to have better video/sound then some newer models.
If it doesn't say HDG, I think it still has a chance to contain a good board but it's also likely to be a "bad" one.
See the first post here:
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7796
Apparently the good ones still have a spot on the back for the EXT port, though it's not installed. The bad ones don't leave a space for it.
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From looking at the screenshots, I apparently have been using the Atari version.
But I like the idea of being able to fill the screen with a selected color.
Actually, that thread that was linked above makes it look like the Atari version can do something similar - I never knew that. I guess I never tried playing with the controls.
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Personally I don't trust the really cheap, new erasers. Especially considering they probably come from some anonymous manufacturer in china who has no reason to worry about safety or upholding any sort of reputation.
I bought a used, brand name eraser (Logical Devices) for about $30-$40 shipped, and it also has a timer. This was much more appealing to me - I prefer stuff that's cheap because it's old, not cheap because it was built that way.
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If you're really interested, I suggest trying out QBASIC on your PC, if you can find it. If you enjoy that, then maybe try to get your parents to buy you an Atari 800 computer. It's very similar to the Atari 5200, but it's a real computer so it's easier to work with. And you'd be programming the same hardware as a 5200.
I've never owned one, but I had an Apple IIc as a kid and I learned a lot from it. Those old computers have BASIC readily at hand, so it's easy to play around with writing code on them.
The Apple has BASIC built-in, but I think Atari put it on a cartridge. Either way, it's easy to get into it and start learning.
You can do BASIC on a modern PC, but I'm not sure where to find it anymore. I know they used to include QBASIC with MS-DOS, so maybe it's hidden in the Windows discs somewhere.
If you master BASIC, then eventually you'd have to progress to assembly. At that point I'd switch to an Atari 800 if you aren't already on one.
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Harmony for Sega Genesis
in Classic Console Discussion
Posted
According to what some people have said, the graphics chip in the Genesis doesn't support SG-1000 video modes. That's the reason F-16 Fighting Falcon doesn't work on it. So it wouldn't be able to run any SG-1000 games.