TheWriteDude

http://videlectrix.com/

I thought I read somewhere (perhaps somewhere on AtariAge.com :-) ) that the landfill is no longer a landfill. There's a building on it -- the entire area has been developed since that time. The music video was simply a wishful fantasy brought to life, and that's what makes it so cool.

The direct link to the video (so you can save it to your hard drive): http://keithschofield.com/et/wintergreen-when-i-wake-up.mov

As far as 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe, don't worry. The original cartridge version also did this. So it isn't a glitch. 963718[/snapback] Yes, the computer does that to preserve processing power while it's "thinking" about it's next move. I know Checkers and I believe Chess does that too. 963763[/snapback] In hindsight, you have to wonder if it might have been wiser for them not to include games like 3D Tic-Tac-Toe in the FB2. Even if there is nothing technically wrong about it, the glitches might make most people think they have a buggy unit and thus return it to the store for a refund. If most people like us -- those who love the classic 2600 and its games -- are not aware that this thing about 3D Tic-Tac-Toe is not a bug, then I wonder what others who aren't as knowledgeable about the classic 2600 think when they see these kind of glitches in the FB2.

I have to agree about the lack of a reset switch. Seems like it would have been a simple thing to add -- a 6th button on the panel that says "menu". Plus, having six buttons on the panel would have evened out the design and made the FB2 resemble the original heavy sixer even more.

That's probably where this guy got all his duplicate Acti patches from 952905[/snapback] Hmmm, that does make me wonder now. How difficult would it be to duplicate the old Activision patches using these custom patchmaking services?

This makes me wonder how one can go about custom-making and ordering patches like those Activision ones. For example, it would be cool if AtariAge could sell patches branded with its logo. Or a homebrew author could make available patches related to his game. ADDENDUM: I just did a Froogle search and turned up this link: http://www.united-states-flag.com/cupa2x3.html Apparently there are lots of other businesses online that will make a custom patch for you.

It's not that easy to answer. Game companies have done a pretty bad job of archiving their old paperwork. Atari in particular because it changed hands several times. Lots wound up in the circular file or in the hands of collectors. This makes it hard to pin down exactly what the original terms of these agreements were. You'd be dependent on the other companies and they might have similar problems. Nobody thought any of this would be relevant decades down the road. I'm sure it's easier and less risky for Infotari to just cut a fresh deal. 952842[/snapback] That would be interesting if it turns out the old Atari held the distribution rights to many of these licensed games for "in perpetuity" so long as it was their 2600 version they were selling.

More ideas regarding my A8 all-in-one paddle unit: 1. It would have four paddles. 2. Rename Castle Crisis to Warlords. 3. Maybe M.U.L.E. could be renamed to something like "Irata Colony", if EA still holds the rights to the name but not to the game itself. 4. Include a new playing card game, like casino style blackjack. 5. Of course, maybe a new variant of Pong should be included. But I would recommend doing something new: Perhaps a version of Pong with multiple on-screen paddles and graphics that look like an overhead view of a foosball table ("FoosPong"?) 6. Title the unit "Atari Party". 7. Sell it for $20. The main unit would be a small box with a long A/V cable running out the back. Along the front would be two controller ports. The paddles would be the repros of the original Atari paddles, but with improved technology, of course, and perhaps different colors. Bonus: That means these paddle controllers could then be used on the FB2 and original 2600. Hmmm, maybe I should be getting paid for my ideas?

It's a shame regarding the status about M.U.L.E.. If the FB3 is based on A8 tech, then it would be cool to see it reused for an all-in-one edition of M.U.L.E.... it could be packaged as four paddle controllers and marketed as a 4-player party game. Heck, such a unit could also include other paddle games: Castle Crisis, Super Breakout, maybe Super Sprint (did this ever exist for the A8 or 5200?). What other A8 games are there that used paddles? If the FB3 is indeed an A8, then we'll probably be able to hack it to add a standard PC keyboard to it. Star Raiders may be a "hidden easter egg" within the unit's ROM.

Three games that I've been finding myself playing a lot on the FB2, to my surprise: 1. Yar's Revenge I never was that into this game when I was a kid and the original Atari 2600 came out. Admittedly, I found the gameplay complicated and tough to enjoy. But now I find myself addicted to it. Perhaps as an adult I have a greater appreciation for it, and it seems much more enjoyable on a TV with the original (repro) Atari joystick. 2. Aquaventure Again, I wonder if I find this game a lot of fun because I'm playing it on the TV and with the joystick. I've played it on the emulators, and thought it looked good and was okay. But never found myself really enthused about it. Now for me it's one of the most played games on my FB2. 3. Atari Climber Same thing. Joystick + TV makes all the difference. I think this is one of the neatest homebrews, but I never played it much on the emulators. Dang this game is tough! Anybody have their own list of FB2 games you're finding yourself playing a lot?

The thread starter was talking about the all-in-one/dedicated units. I don't think the question of a "crash" is particularly relevant to these items. They just come and go, and are mainly cheap nostalgia toys -- the FB2 is one of the pricest and it's only $30. But, with regard to the upcoming generation of consoles, there are some unsettling signs. Microsoft's move to the Xbox 360 is seen by many who cover this industry as an indication that the company really needs to bring its gaming division to profitability -- the Xbox has been on a money loser. That is why the 360 will be even more tied with Xbox Live, which is actually doing pretty decent. Then there's the fact that Microsoft is looking to revive Windows gaming (which they realize now that they neglected by focusing so much on the Xbox for the past couple of years) with its upcoming Vista. There's a lot of a uncertainty as to what Sony is doing with the PS3. Nobody knows really much about the system, actually, and the sluggish sales of the PSP aren't helping things either. And it's obvious that Nintendo is banking more on casual gaming -- they are moving away from flashy realistic graphics and the hard-core gamer. They feel that the present gaming audience is too small, and becoming smaller. Recent surveys that show that the current teen generation isn't as into video-gaming as those older than them is also not a good sign. And here's another problem: The more sophisticated these consoles become, the longer -- and more money -- it takes for game developers to make quality games that utilize the graphics, sound and other features of these systems that their owners expect. I'm not seeing an absolute "crash" in this industry, but a general slow-down and reassessment by the major industry companies as to branching out the audience for their products and creating more games that are less graphically sophisticated. The overall success of "casual gaming" like Nintendogs, and the all-in-one units, may be pointing toward this direction for the entire industry.

I think Yar's Return is okay, so long as you don't focus your attention much at the doubling effect in the center of the screen. But I have to agree that the original games made for the FB2, and extreme hacks (Asteroids Deluxe and Space Duel), are either unplayable or difficult to look at as you play them. Still, I'm quite impressed to learn here that these games were developed in two months.

Based on what I know now, perhaps the easiest solution would be for the next version of the Flashback to feature... a cartridge port. Probably a much, much smaller cartridge design, and each cartridge would feature a dozen or so games. Some of these game collections could then feature these non-Atari arcade classics.

Perhaps the licensing per title could be negotiated down on a license holder-by-license holder basis? And maybe to entice the license holders to go for such a deal, the games would be categorized by company name under the FB menu. So, for example, all of the Namco owned titles would be listed under "Namco", and that company's website would be listed in the menu. Thus, whenever someone wanted to play Pac-Man, they'd have to select the Namco section and would always see the Namco copyright on the bottom of the menu and that company's official Website. After a while, the player may become impressed to check out the Namco site. I don't think having such a Flashback Arcade unit would take away from sales for the license holders' original games. In fact, I argue it would make a new generation of gamers curious as to what the "real" version of Joust is like, and make them eventually consider buying a Williams classics game for their Xbox 360, PSP or whatever. And all over the packaging, the names and logos of these companies could be plastered. The emphasis on the box text would be that these games are "simplified" INTERPRETATIONS of these classic arcade games. Perhaps it could be sold with one joystick to reduce costs (you can buy another joystick separately), and I think at $39.99 for over 50 games people would pay more for this.