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Hwlngmad

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Posts posted by Hwlngmad

  2. Posted

    On 10/12/2020 at 9:27 AM, carlsson said:

    Based on what RGL just posted on Facebook, I might be wrong after all. The silhouette suggests an Amiga 500 in 2021...

     

     

    Glad you didn't decide to hold your breath, but it wouldn't have been too long of a wait anyway ;)  Yeah, I think that this will be an Amiga of some kind.  Hopefully it is a full-size number a la THEC64 and/or limited edition THEVIC20.

  3. Posted

    On 10/11/2020 at 5:53 PM, JamesD said:

    'THE VIC20' is coming October 23rd (it's not showing it the US Amazon store, so UK only at first?). 
    It's like 'THE C64'     but the primary machine is the VIC, and the 2nd machine is the C64.

    The 'Realms of Quest' games for the VIC look pretty cool. (I don't think that's included with THE VIC20)

    Got mine on pre-order from Amazon UK to ship to the States.  Not cheap, but could be well worth it.

    • Like 1

  6. Posted

    On 10/4/2020 at 10:04 AM, AmigosGaming said:
    A budget title that sort of combines pinball and football and adds in a load of demon spectators. It could only be time for Ballistix!
     
    See the full review and the weeks Amiga news here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCCh64uAHqo
     
    Is this a pig in makeup or is there a gem of a game in there?
     
    You can also catch the audio only version here: https://anchor.fm/amigospodcast
     
    Please share, like, wear the T shirt and shout from the rooftops to let your Amiga and retro gaming pals know about us. That would be much appreciated. 🙂

    Good episode.  Was a little surprised the fellas killed it as much as they did, but, hey, that is why the do the reviews, no? 

  7. Posted · Edited by Hwlngmad

    3 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

     

    And I love how the C-64's BASIC is being painted as the scourge of the BASIC language world by some in this thread. The tens of thousands of BASIC programs weren't coded under duress (and people continue to do impressive stuff with it to this day). It was perfectly functional and easily extendable. Using Peeks, Pokes, mixing in machine language, etc., worked fine. You could do some impressive stuff in a few lines of code like just about any BASIC.

    The BASIC on the C64, or even Vic-20, wasn't as horrendous as what people make it out to be.  Now, was it great, not particularly, no.  However, was and is it useful, yes.  I, too, don't get the haterade being thrown at the C64's BASIC.  Granted, other machines had better BASIC, no doubt.  But, come on, it is not totally useless and/or functional either.

    • Like 2

  8. Posted

    12 hours ago, JamesD said:

    Again, I'm not suggesting the MC-10, just pointing out your statement isn't totally accurate based on my experience.

    Getting it's ass handed to it depends on what you want to do.
    A gaming wonder out of the box it isn't, and if you want to fly multi-color sprites around the screen while playing ear splitting chip tunes, then yes, it will get it's a** handed to it.
    Graphics or sound hardware wise the MC-10 is pretty simple, and the graphics are even cut down for the 6847. 
    You would need to install a hardware mod to do some of the things I talk about here. 
    Sound is accomplished like the Apple II & original Spectrum.

    As I said above, the MC-10 beat the C64 running the BASIC Solitaire Solver program by quite a bit. 
    The Apple II beat the C64 & the MC-10 beat the Apple II by 12%(? I think) so it was a noticeable difference.
    The Solitaire Solver was the only BASIC program I tested using the factory BASIC vs the other machines, all other tests were using my BASIC.
    With my BASIC the MC-10 beats the C64 running Solitaire Solver by 155%!
    When doing a 3D plot, it's even worse thanks to the hardware multiply. 
    Ahl's benchmark dropped from 6 seconds slower than the C64 & Apple vs the factory BASIC (1:53 vs 1:59... MICROCOLOR BASIC's math lib is 6800 code),

    to almost 50 seconds faster after the first math library rewrite.
    The list of machine results for Ahl's Benchmark shows the MC-10 at about 30 seconds behind the IBM PC & Amiga, and I haven't rewritten the slow LOG yet. 
    Sorting tests, prime number generation, fractals, factorials, you name it, the MC-10 wins easily against the C64, & Apple II. 
    Atari BASIC can be a PITA to port to, but you'd need one of it's BASIC rewrites to win anything.  It's pretty fast with the new ones.
    Speccy BASIC is horribly slow so I don't even bother with that.

    This is the CoCo 3 running in double speed mode vs the MC-10.
    The CoCo 3 will mop the floor with the machines you listed for this.
    My BASIC is now even faster than when I recorded this, and once the LOG is rewritten, the MC-10 might even win.
    I need to get busy on the hi-res graphics support.  I've already written pixel setting an line drawing code for it in the past.



    I have several other projects I've been working on, and the 6803 beats the 6502 in every one.
    *edit*
    The editor chopped off the rest of my message. 
    64 column text done in graphics.  Every version has changed since this, read the description for the video on youtube:

     

    Again, wasn't trying to put down the MC-10 too much, which perhaps I did a little.  My apologies on that.  However, while the MC-10 is seemingly an interesting a fun computer, it just isn't something that I would recommend over something like a C64, A8, Apple II, ZX Spectrum, or even a CoCo to a newb getting into the game.  It just doesn't really play into the OP guidance and directive.  Just my opinion on that.  Finally, yes, the 6809 was a very good (and I think underrated) chip. 

  9. Posted

    The MC-10 is a fascinating and seems like a fun little computer to mess around with.  But, all things considered, it positively gets its a$$ handed to it by the C64, A8, Apple II and ZX Spectrum.  Sure, there is fun to be had with the machine, but considering the OP's 8 categories, the C64 is a slam dunk, with the other right behind it.  Not trying to bury the MC-10 or anything, but it is not a computer that really anyone would really, seriously recommend for a person just getting into retro computing.  My apologies, I just don't see it for that machine and/or others off the cuff like the C16, Commodore Plus/4, or other failed platforms over those with plenty of games, SD card solutions, a functional and workable BASIC, and plenty of options within the computing line.  Again, not trying to put down other machines, but there are some (like the C64, A8, and others) that really stand above many others in terms of recommendability.

  10. Posted

    18 hours ago, Arnuphis said:

    But at the end of the day it's his future content that will be the judge of the channel and it's future. I am glad to say the next video posted with the Petscii game was back to the quality I have enjoyed so I will be sticking around for now. 

     

    Just don't loan him any IBM stuff! 

    Agreed.  Also, the Petscii video was pretty cool I thought.  Finally, I wouldn't recommend to loan him any 'rare but not valuable' IBM computers anytime soon either ;)

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    1 minute ago, Bill Loguidice said:

    So maybe it's safe to say, overall, based on the OPs requirements:

     

    North America Tier 1:
     

    1 - C-64
    2 - Atari 8-bit
    3 - Apple II

    UK and other parts of Europe Tier 1:

     

    1 - C-64
    2 - ZX Spectrum
    3 - Amstrad CPC

     

    I also think one thing we shouldn't really overlook with the C-64 is that it's basically one model of computer you have to think about (outside of different cosmetic variations). With the Atari 8-bit, Apple II, ZX Spectrum, CPC, etc., there can be a minefield of models and memory configurations to sort through and figure out which one to get, and varying degrees of compatibility at times. That relative homogeny on the C-64 side was certainly one factor in its success back in the day. The C-64 you bought in 1982 could be the same C-64 that you can still use today with 98% of the software released.

    Pretty much agreed here, although the Amiga 500 could possibly go in the #3 slot for Europe Tier 1 imo.  Other than that, I think it is a pretty solid list and one that I can go with.  Also, yes, good point about the other machines outside of the C64 as there are a lot of model variations concerning memory, ports, etc.  Definitely a factor as there are some models that are really good and some that you maybe should not get, like with recommending an Atari 800XL but not necessarily an Atari 400 (for example).

    • Like 1

  12. Posted

    Overall, the C64 is (probably) the easy and safe choice considering cost, availability, function, and the gaming library.  Second would most likely be the Atari 8-bit range.  But, if one were living in the UK, I would say the ZX Spectrum instead of the Atari 8-bit machines.  Still, really, it is a matter of what floats your boat and what are you willing to do.  Lots of a options out there and good choices at that.

  13. Posted

    10 hours ago, eightbit said:

    I am a Neo Geo AES owner once again. I originally purchased (or I should say my Grandmother purchased for me) my first Neo Geo AES Gold System at the Babbages store in Garden State Plaza Mall in NJ on launch day. It was the summer of 1990 and I was 15 years old. Previously I would play all of these great games at the local Fun N' Games arcade in Willowbrook Mall in Wayne NJ. I particularly loved Magician Lord and Ninja Combat.

     

    So when I got word that this was being released with games that WERE those arcade games and not just lesser ports of them of course I had to have it! My birthday was in June and my grandmother asked me what I wanted. I told her I would wait because something amazing was coming in August. She said OK.....but I never revealed the price of the thing of course. When I called Babbages that day and they said it was there we went down to pick it up.

     

    There it was, behind the counter way high up. I walked up and said "I'll take that Neo Geo Gold System".....and um...Magician Lord and Ninja Combat! When they rung up the total my grandmother nearly collapsed. I thought that was that....but she busted out the credit card and purchased all of it for me! I could not believe it.

     

    Anyhow, I played Ninja Combat at home for 45 minutes and beat the game. $200 down the drain there! Magician Lord proved to be a LOT more difficult. It was the same game as the arcade, but you couldn't just continue where you were as in the arcade by sticking a quarter in. If you died early, you were sent back to the beginning of the level. If you died on the mini boss before the big boss, you were sent back to the level's mid point. I got far, but at a certain point I just could not get past it. Then I had an idea.

     

    I noticed the MVS cab in the arcade had a slot for a memory card. My Neo Geo Gold system came with a memory card. Could that work?

     

    I took the card to the arcade and popped it in the slot. The arcade staff guy ran over and said "What are you doing to that machine?". I pointed to the slot and said "it's for memory cards". He looked confused.

     

    Popped in a quarter and started the game and received the memory card load screen. YES! I continued on the level I was working on and dumped a few bucks in quarters to make it through. Beat the level, saved it, brought it home and was able to keep going now on the next level. That amazed me....still does to this day.

     

    Years past and I am not sure what happened to that AES. I probably traded it like a dumb kid for a PS1 or something.

     

    The story continues when in the late 90's I ended up with one again and amassed a pretty large collection. I purchased Metal Slug X and Shock Troopers 2 when they came out. $250 each IIRC. But, I had a bad breakup, sold my house, sold my collection, and moved on.

     

     

    But now, what I thought would never happen again in my life has happened. Due to some very fortunate circumstances I now have an AES again. It is not a USA system like my last two as they are way out of my price range now, but a Japanese model. That's OK, any Neo Geo AES makes me happy! I opted for a multi-cart that takes microSD now. I would love some real games (and I may still pick some up) but I just don't have that kind of coin. Good enough now to at least PLAY the games on real hardware.

     

    Attached are pictures of it as it stands. It came in the box with a bean style arcade stick (which I really like!). The box actually shows the bean stick coming with it, so this is a later model. The box serial and console serial match as well.

     

    Welp, that is my Neo Geo story. Hope you enjoyed it ;)

    IMG_20201001_155417.jpg

    Very cool and interesting story.  Thanks for sharing and hope you continue having lots of fun on it.  Also, I see an Atari 5200 is parked next to it.  Another fine machine in my opinion.  Take care and happy gaming!

    • Like 2

  17. Posted

    19 hours ago, Arnuphis said:

    At the end of the day you can spin permutations round and round but the best bang for your buck and best bet for an easy life will be a Commodore, Atari or Apple. It's the path of least resistance. Plus you will have access to modern solutions, technical support and the chat room won't be just you and some other guy. If you are in the UK then add ZX Spectrum to the list, maybe Amstrad. 

    I agree with you.  Getting a Commodore, Atari, and/or an Apple machine from back in the day are going to take you very far.  And like you said, if you live in other parts of the world, a ZX Spectrum would be a good choice.  Not sure about the Amstrad on a world wide scale, but definitely a machine to look into if one is living in the UK along with the BBC Micro and/or Acorn Electron imo.

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    On 9/25/2020 at 11:28 PM, bluejay said:

    A few hours ago the 8 bit guy uploaded a video of himself hastily trying to get an incredibly rare IBM 7496 Executive Workstation prototype working properly. He proceeds to dremel the sides of a screwdriver and sticks a paper clip inside the power supply, making it blow up. I'm a fan of the 8 bit guy, but on this episode it feels like he was rushing thing much more than he should have. There are plenty of other people on youtube that would have gladly taken their time to work out what was wrong with them.

    If you think about it, this system is potentially rarer than an Apple I. With this in mind, would he have stuck a paper clip inside the power supply? It's obvious he's too busy right now, working on all sorts of things, and maybe it's time for him to take things slower and dedicate time into restoration projects like he used to.

    If you haven't yet watched the video: 

     

    Yeah, this video was a bit of a fire and sh*t show.  I usually like his videos, but this one just seemed completely off kilter.  Definitely a video that I am sure he wishes he could have done completely different. 

  19. Posted

    23 hours ago, AmigosGaming said:
    What happens when a much loved 8 bit title gets an additional 8 bits to play with?
     
    Join John and Aaron as they take a look at Lords of Chaos on the Amiga : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T_PEA4yMdo
    As always, audio versions are also available: https://anchor.fm/amigospodcast
     
    Lots of options in this game's interface, will it enrage John?
     
    There is the usual news roundup including a look at a new upgrade for the CDTV!
     
    Most people who played the game seemed to love it. It doesn't look that flashy so the the gameplay must be the key to its success.

    Another very good episode.  The guys have really gotten into a very good groove as of late it seems to me.  Also, I am really looking forward to more information regarding the upcoming FPGA options coming out, including the Checkmate case with the UnAmiga in it.

    • Like 1

  20. Posted

    Atari Corp. was focused on computers, and trying to sink Commodore while they were at it.  While Atari Corp. did have some semblance of a home video game interest, it was a clear second fiddle to what they were trying to do with computers.  Michael Katz and others that have been interviewed have corroborated as such.  That being said, I think Atari Corp. did give it the 'old college try' with home video games with the Atari 2600 Jr., 7800, and XEGS.  However, by the time they tried to latch firmly onto the video game gravy train with the Atari Jaguar, it was too little too late as they simply didn't have the resources and/or clout to really push the Jaguar hard, which is sad because I think it was a pretty good system.  But, then again, many a good system have not met with the success it should have had. 

  21. Posted

    On 9/20/2020 at 8:38 PM, CaptainCanadian said:

    I just watched a video that said it runs android 6.0 whatever that is. Also RG350M seems to be markedly better and apparently theres a newer model being released this month. 

    Yes, the RG351P (which is an Odroid Go Advance clone) has just been released.  However, Anbernic has a pretty good build quality.  While I would wait until some reviews are in, that would be a good one to pick up.  Also, the Retroid Pocket Go 2 seems to be a good device to consider as well.

  23. Posted

    On 9/19/2020 at 6:35 AM, AmigosGaming said:
    You must have lots of confidence in your game to name it Awesome.
    This week the Amigos will take a look at this interesting game from Reflections and Psygnosis.
    Is it more than a polished version of Asteroids?
     
    See the full length episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-hKkqT_aOc&t=1s
     
    You can catch all the audio only versions here: https://anchor.fm/amigospodcast

    Another very good episode.  Very much enjoyed it and looking forward to many more episodes covering Amiga games since I am still a relative newb to many a retro computer like the Amiga.

    • Like 1
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