MrFish

I also typically favor the original cart type that was used for the commercial releases. In cases where a title was never released on a cartridge commercially, there are sometimes differences in the content. Typically what I've seen in some of these cartridges is that they do not include title/splash screens, whereas others may have it. So, I always favor the ones that retain the extra content.

I think the last few people posting here are not understanding the question being asked. This is what he's saying: 1. He owns a physical AVG multicart. 2. He has a collection of ROM Files, many of which are duplicates of the same game but that use a different cartridge banking scheme (Atarimax Maxflash, Switchable XEGS, Williams, SIC!, Megacart) 3. He would like to get rid of the duplicate game ROM's (files). 4. He would like to know if there is a banking scheme, among those presented, that is more preferable than the others and why that might be so. 5. Having obtained useful information in regards to the above, he is planning to delete the duplicate ROM files on his AVG cart, so that he doesn't have a bunch redundant games on it. The first 2 replies [edit: and bfollowell -- who replied while I was typing] answered the question being asked with a meaningful reply. The next 4 replies seem to be answering as if he wants to know what kind of physical cartridge he should get, which is a completely different subject.

The XL/XE supplies are considerably bigger as a result too (except for the 1 amp model, used in 65XE's without ECI -- and maybe XEGS too). The 400/800/1200XL/1050 power supplies are quite compact.

9 volt AC transformer.

Here's the guy I was referring too. He even makes a nice-looking 1200XL cartridge extender, which might be a nice solution for some people. COREi64 - Atari 3D Printed Cases

I was just thinking the same thing about 3D printed cases. Wasn't there a guy in Canada that was making nice custom shells for various A8 cartridge hardware? I think he made one specifically for the Ultimate cart. Maybe his skills could be summoned to craft something for the SIDE 3. Most people end up having to modify their machine so the door can stay open while running. These machines are notoriously a pain when it comes to working with such cartridge hardware.

The current Atariage serial number list stands at 472 unique 1200XL's. The 1200XL is an extremely popular model among enthusiasts. Giving that many enthusiasts are not involved with the forums here, I'd venture to guess there are at least twice that number of machines which haven't had their serial number submitted here. The other thing is, Bob1200XL has only submitted 7 serials numbers himself, and we all know he has several hundred stashed away at his place. Note: My statement about the number of 1200XL's is not meant to side (pun) with anyone here regarding the cartridge size discussions. Personally, I think it's perfectly understandable that some cartridges will not end up fitting in 1200XL's or 400's / 800's. I think most hardware developers do their best to accommodate as many machines as possible (as it's it their best interest to do so); but various factors may ultimately dictate that those tougher cases (pun) don't make the cut.

I was partly joking, because Bosconian was made by the same author as Last Squadron -- hence the "wink" at the end of the message. They're quite different games, so a bit difficult to compare, actually.

Yes, agreed. A lot games also used models where the boss would either change colors or lose pieces of himself as his strength diminished. These are all useful indicators that progress is being made towards defeating him.

Going back to 1942 / 1943 again: 1942 used a "back loop" for its action when pressing the second button. This would help you get out of tight spots and prevent you from being hit by any enemy fire for a short time; 1943 used a "kill all enemies on screen" for its action when pressing the second button. Both of these actions worked for a limited number of times, but were repowered at various points. So, this type of behavior (or anything else that might be suitable) is something else you might want to consider.

I didn't mean bi-plane here, I meant that they used some type of twin prop aircraft. The main point, though, is something unique in the game, whatever it happens to be.

OK, you asked for it. Suggestions of varying levels of importance, listed in no particular order. Improvements • Protagonist hit sound I see the protagonist's plane will change colors momentarily when shot by an enemy; but it would be nice to have some sort of sound effect for it too. The reason I say this is that my focus is most often on the enemies and other objects coming up ahead; so, I'm not always sure when I've been hit or not; and it takes away from my focus if I have to continually look up at the health meter to see where I'm at. • Continue from last spot after game over (and possibly use of continue codes) • Make protagonist more distinctive graphically The protagonist looks the same as the other planes on screen. Generally speaking, it's fine (I don't lose track of who I am on screen); but it's nice to have some sort of special graphic, for instance, like how 1942 has the bi-plane graphic, which is different from all other planes in the game. • On screen point displays for certain objects This would be more for eye candy; but it's also nice to know what kind of points you're getting for certain objects. I don't know exactly how the scoring goes for the game, but maybe the higher point items could be shown. As an example, the occasional points shown in Atari Blast are really nice (they used a really nice graphic for it). Options • Difficulty level For me, the regular gameplay difficulty is just about right; but the bosses seem a bit over the top difficult. So maybe a setting to tone down the bosses a bit; or maybe there could be settings for bosses and gameplay that are separate. • Music on/off With music off there could also be room to add more sound effects, since more voices would be available for use. • Option to use unmodified Sega Genesis controllers I don't have one at the moment, but I'd been using one before. The unmodified controllers are simple to program for; and, as stated by Gunstar, there are other games that use them; therefore I think there would already be an audience of Atari users who have them unmodified and would like to use them. Expansion • Bombing & special bomb targets Well, bombing just rules. It's one of the fun things to do in Blue Max. • More alternate gun shot types Another good feature in Atari Blast, with a great array of shot types. I know Last Squadron isn't a space ship game, but I think more variety would be nice, especially if you can add some bonuses that get you the special shots/guns. One example would be: double shots/bullets at 2-pixel width.

Good to hear you're getting better. The game looks interesting. How do you play it? Are there any instructions?

Thanks, I appreciate the download (haven't played the game yet), but man, that's a bit of a complicated download path.

I certainly didn't mean an exact one to one replacement. The 1090 just needed to at least cover what the 800's internal slots could do. But of course it made a lot of sense to bring more to the table with the 1090, from both an evolutionary and marketing standpoint.

Very unique, fun, challenging, and addictive game. The digital sounds add to the uniqueness and fun. I really like the presentation too. Congratulations on winning second place. Your entries always add a lot to the contest. Thanks for releasing to the public.

I think we can all appreciate the fact that contest-entry deadlines can dictate some lack of focus on bells and whistles and more concentration on the actual game. I have a few suggestions for improvements too, which I can provide at some point, if you're interested.

Yeah, Adventure is kinda like Pong... only you're the ball and the dragons are the paddles that hit you back and forth across the terrain.

Fantastic game, sprite engine, graphics, and sound effects. An amazing amount of colors and action on screen at the same time. Nice use of P/M's, including extended width graphics. Thanks for sharing it with us all. I like the damage model (power meter / hit points + instant death when running into enemies) Congratulations on the win. Definitely one of the best shooters on the Atari computers -- maybe only eclipsed by Bosconian. Appreciate the great level of NTSC support. Dem bosses is tough! It seems that the special shot is latched ("by pressing the fire button several times") with a 1-button controller, but then seems revert after a while and needs to be relatched. Is that due to a limit on how many special shots the player gets? Are there full instructions for the game, or at least a few more specifics on things? I'll be interested in the extended version.

Actually, devices drawing too much power from the computer may not have even been a concern for Atari; they may not have even cared what anyone else might want to do the PBI port; they could have simply been designing it with their own concerns in mind. So, in that sense, it could be seen as having been somewhat short-sighted. I suppose, partly, it has to be considered from the standpoint that Atari was designing the replacement for the 800 to be cheaper, but they still wanted a means of adding upgrades in a plug and play manner. So, the 1090 was the external version of the 800's internal upgrade slots; and the PBI was probably not really seen as some playground for 3rd party developers, but rather a means of accomplishing their own goals.

From all the interviews I've heard with Atari employees, I think it's safe to say that Atari never was a cohesive company; and I think its decision making was at least partly a symptom of that fact.

The thing about the XE range is that we're dealing with a completely different company by that time.

Considering the ideas in the post of mine that I'm quoting here, it wouldn't have been short-sighted. It wouldn't have left the 1090 as the only way of utilizing the PBI for upgrades either; it just dictated that devices pull power from elsewhere. Do I agree with this philosophy or their decision? It's hard to say. We can't rewrite history and see how things would have turned out if the 1090 had been released. From the modern standpoint, 5 volts on the PBI makes perfect sense. But considering the remedy is so simple to implement, it's hardly a realistic point of concern -- more of an annoyance.

So, I guess the 1090 (where all upgrades would live) was the main goal of the PBI, and it couldn't be powered by a host machine, so no reason to have 5 volt power on the PBI. But the 600XL (economy machine) needed a simple (relatively cheap) memory upgrade, which required 5 volt power; and external power would have been rather silly. It all makes sense, if the 1090 gets released.

I should say: SIO, Cartridge, and Joystick ports.