RamrodHare

I just realized that it says 2010 on the title, so this isn't as old as I thought, but it doesn't change the fact that I can't find a way to contact Kurt Howe. I have made a bit of progress using Stella to go through the code, but the version of Stella I have is having issues with crashing on Windows 7. I've got to get that sorted out before I can work on fixing this. I've found VSYNC and managed to make it roll on Stella, so I have a feeling I can just mess around with it until I get it working right, but I'll read through some more tutorials to see if I can get a better grasp on what I'm actually doing, instead of just changing values.

This was done by Kurt Howe, back in 2005, I think. I tried to look him up here on the forums and on google, but I didn't have any luck finding a way to get in touch with him.. I found this info , so I'm going to see if I can figure out how to fix the issue. It seems simple enough, but I got stuck trying to hack colors not long ago. This is all new to me, but I have to learn sometime! 3.3 Vertical timing When the electron beam has scanned 262 lines, the TV set must be signaled to blank the beam and position it at the top of the screen to start a new frame. This signal is called vertical sync, and the TIA must transmit this signal for at least 3 scan lines. This is accomplished by writing a “1” in D1 of VSYNC to turn it on, count at least 2 scan lines, then write a “0” to D1 of VSYNC to turn it off. To physically turn the beam off during its repositioning time, the TV set needs 37 scan lines of vertical blanks signal from the TIA. This is accomplished by writing a “1” in D1 of VBLANK to turn it on, count 37 lines, then write a “0” to D1 of VBLANK to turn it off. The microprocessor is of course free to execute other software during the vertical timing commands, VSYNC and VBLANK.

I'm going to be really annoying when I get old.

I tried the game tonight, on my Jr. I have the same screen issue. It's not really scrolling, but it does jump horribly. It makes it completely unplayable. So, I tested it on my Vader and my 7800. It still had the jumping issue. It's unplayable. I don't see why someone hasn't already fixed it. I would, but I'd have no clue where to even begin.

I like the game, but I have a lot of trouble with the altitude. When it seems I am on the same level as my targets, I miss. I also have trouble with this type of scrolling in relation to the joystick. It just feels off to me.

That makes sense. If this is something you want, then you should get it. I just see plenty of reasons not to get it. Here's my best reason for not getting it, I have a flip phone and have no interest in a phone for any reason other than to make emergency calls. People are addicted to cell phones. It's just ridiculous. I don't text and I don't need GPS, because I'm smart enough to find my way to my destination. If I want to get online, I do it from my tablet or my laptop. I don't use Facebook or any of that crap, I get online in the comfort of my own home. Nothing online is so urgent that it can't wait until I get home, so a fancy phone is a waste of money. Every time I leave the house, I end up beside someone texting and driving. If they want to die, that's fine. I however, would like to get where I'm going without being killed by an idiot. (Sorry, I had to get that off my chest.) Back on topic, the Gameboy SP plays GB, GBC and GBA games. There are two versions, the AG-101 has a VERY bright, clear screen. You can get one for $50 or less. If you already have the carts, well, you are all set. If not, you just buy a flashcart. you then have access to the entire Gameboy library, plus the ability to run a few emulators. If you're looking for something with nice buttons and a clear screen, the GB SP works. If you don't like that, just buy a bluetooth gamepad and use an emulator on your phone. I have a Gameboy Micro and a flashcart. I have over 1,000 games on it, from multiple systems. I actually like it more than my PSP, which is hacked and has even more games from more systems. I also have a Gameboy Player for my Gamecube, if I want to play on a big screen using a nice controller. I also have emulators for countless systems on my Tablet and my Laptop. For me, this is a pointless waste of money.

I'd really love for stuff like this to turn up locally, when I had some extra money. There's no Atari stuff listed within 100 miles of where I live.

This is one of those things that really has no use. The average retro gamer knows that you can get a nice working Gameboy for less than $50, if you look around. The fact that you NEED carts for this, makes it even less useful. You can already run an emulator on your phone. People will buy it, but I won't. One reason being, I'm not one of the mindless drones who can't survive without a phone. I have an old prepaid flip phone that I sometimes carry for emergencies. I actually use it for an alarm clock more than a phone. I'm trying really hard not to go into a rant about people texting while driving and such, so I'm going to end my post here.

I got 58 points on my first try. I like the idea and the gameplay is fun! I thought the speed did just "jump" instead of slowly ramping up. If you are thinking about working on it some more, my suggestion would be to make the speed increase gradually. I didn't get to 100 points. Does the game keep going after you hit 100 points or is that the end? If it's the end, I'd change that to something much higher. My last suggestion, add some sounds. I think with some tweaks, this could be a really fun game.

I read through the manual and since there's no mention of it working with the 2600, I wouldn't take a chance on it for that price. It is possible that it would work, but it might require new code to be written and installed on the device. As far as using it with a wireless gamepad on the 2600, "IF" it worked, you would still need to use switches on the console for some games. There's not much point in going wireless, if you still have to sit within a couple of feet of the console anyway. I could see something like this opening up a lot of controller options for the 7800. I would like to see some other opinions, in case I'm wrong.

There are a lot of games that suck. We all know that. Everyone has their own opinion on what's "fun" and fun is what a game should be. One person may not know HOW to play a game, so to them, it's not fun. Another person may understand how to play, but may find the difficulty too high. It's all subjective. Something to always consider is that people who dislike a game may be more vocal than those who do, making a popular game seem unpopular or vice versa. I really haven't thought much about the popularity of the games I play. Having the Harmony cart, I can just play any game I want. If I decide I don't like it, I can just delete it. I'm sure some of the games I play are considered unpopular by some, but that doesn't affect my ability to enjoy them. I'm not sure I really added to the discussion with that, but I felt like I should post something intelligent after my earlier fart joke.

Someone is going to get a nice deal on this. I'm nowhere near there, even if I were, I don't have the money right now. I wish deals like this would turn up close to me.

Ah.. Yeah. I see that now. I don't know why I never noticed the gear there before. Well, it's not the first time I've felt foolish and I'm sure it won't be the last. Thanks for clearing that up Al.

I'm not sure if this has been brought up before or not, but it's something I've been thinking a lot about. There's a TON of information on this site, but the search function seems to only go back a limited amount of time. Maybe I'm not using it correctly or maybe there's a reason it's like that... I've come up empty when doing some searches for information that I know is in the forums, then used Google and found the information here, even though it doesn't show in a search. My suggestion would be to make the search go farther back in time. Of course if it already does, then it means I'm not smart enough to figure it out. I'm guessing that there may be limitations that I don't understand, so if that's the case, it fine. It's not that hard to use google, I just thought it might help new members find answers without posting something that's already been answered in the past.

I get where you're coming from. I wish I could say there was a way to keep it from happening, but I don't think there is. This kind of thing happens on almost every forum. Sometimes it's a new member, who doesn't know any better, other times it's someone just trying to troll people. It's annoying, but it's going to happen. Sooner or later the offending thread will get pushed down, out of sight. Then someone else will probably make a new thread just like it. At some point, we've all posted something that has annoyed someone else. It's the internet, it's going to happen. Recently, I called out another member in a thread for something they posted that annoyed me. At the time, I felt like it was the right thing to do, but shortly after, I felt horrible for it. I ended up sending him a PM to apologize for lashing out. That's not the same thing, but it proves that we all get annoyed at times. Life's too short to dwell on it.

Well, I'm sure you meant for this to be about 2600 games, but since you weren't specific.... When I'm at my Fathers house, (he has an old dog and an old cat who stay inside). I like to play a game called "Who farted?" The options are- me, the dog, or the cat. The best thing is, the dog and the cat both have gas, most of the time. According to my father, this game is very unpopular. I however, really enjoy it.

Yeah, the first thing I noticed was "E.T. basing". I was reminded of the Bloodhound Gang's song, Mope. Here are the lyrics that I find applicable. "Aw shit, here comes Pac-Man. Hey Pac-Man, what's up? Me you bitches! I'm high on crack! Wanna freebase? No Pac-Man drugs are bad!" Being serious though, I don't really care either way. If people want to make a thread about E.T. being the best game ever made, cool. That's their opinion. If they want to say it sucks, well, that's cool too. I haven't played it enough to care. I usually just read threads that I think will interest me, unless I'm bored, in which case, I'll join in any discussion I think might help me pass the time. You know, threads like this one.

1. Affordable cart shells, for Albert, In multiple color choices. 2. Combat, with a decent A.I. opponent 3. Arcade version of Tron for the 2600 There are countless things I could imagine, but these were already mentioned and I felt adding them to my list might help make them a reality. None of these are really out of reach to the right people. Someone with the money to have molds made could tackle the cart shell issue and I know some of the gifted programmers here could give Combat a working A.I. or code a nice version of the Tron Arcade game. ​

My hypothetical was meant to be a bit silly. In real life you're probably a great guy, so I'm not trying to insult you. My point is that most people don't agree with your views on reproductions and copyrights. Also, a lot of people don't agree with communism. Your posts tied the two together, which is going to ruffle some feathers. When the thread first started, I was open to the idea of making 2600 games more accessible to people. I still agree, to some extent. I do feel that if someone puts the work in to making something, they should be able to choose what they do with it. They should also be able to make money from their work. If they don't want someone copying it and selling it, that's their choice and they have the right to make that choice. If you stick to old out of production games and you are making clearly marked copies to get them in the hands of people who can't find or afford the real thing, I'm with you. I understand where your coming from. I think this thread has outlived it's usefulness.

At first, I wasn't completely against your idea on reproductions, but the more you said, the less I liked where you were taking this thread. Then came the bit of text listed above.. First off, Kropotkin may have been a good scientist in his time, but his ideas on anarchy and communism were absurd and that's what you're quoting. I doubt you will gain any support from other members here if that's the type of thing you're going to use to make your point. If I were to take those words literally and make a hypothetical example, here's what it would translate to. I've just built a new house, some stranger walks in and begins to go through cabinets and drawers. I ask him to leave the house. He states, this house and everything in it, belong to everyone, meaning he has just as much right to be there as I do. Of course this concerns me greatly. Fearing he isn't getting enough oxygen to his brain, I begin to add more holes to his head using surgical instrument number 45, designed by the Colt company. Sadly, the operation is a failure and he leaves "MY" house in a body bag. I have a feeling that the more you bring up communism, the less friends you are going to make here.

Those look nice.

I have the cheap mods in my 7800 and my 2600. I don't think the output looks good on the 2600. There's a lot of color bleed and it makes some games look horrible. Everyone recommends the UAV board that Bryan makes. It's around $25 (I think) and is a HUGE improvement over the cheap one. I've been planning to buy one myself, but haven't been able to find the extra cash. If you have a 2600 Junior, the cheap mod is said to work fine with it, but I haven't tried it to make sure yet. The cheap one does work great with the 7800. There's just something about the 2600 that doesn't seem to agree with the cheap mods. The UAV board pulls the signals directly from the chip, so it gets the best possible picture. Just do a search for UAV board on the forums and you'll find a LOT of info and posts on how great it is.

Thanks Mitch! I checked it out and that's a neat little device. It's actually quite interesting.

We're all pirates, in some form or another. As Forrest Gump so elegantly put it, "That's all I have to say about that."