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Mikebloke

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Posts posted by Mikebloke

  1. Posted

    I learnt basic because my first "computer" was an amstrad. Kids have Operating systems that do everything for them.

     

    However, having said that, a lot of schools in the UK will do programming in IT lessons to some level, albeit more concepts than a formal language.

     

    A few committed kids will learn a language on their own backs for the purposes of developing something with a "use" but not many. (visual) BASIC and python are usually what's used.

     

    In my line of work (kids n autism) you are more likely to find people who specialise in specifics, such as using random Windows operating systems, or using programs like excel, than people coding. I made my first video game sale (that is, something I coded) in Year 7 (first year of secondary education), I've yet to see someone personally in my work that has done something similar. The rest tend to just play minecraft/fortnite, and other people will regard them as "geeks" for this, but their actual technical knowledge is next to zero.

     

    I bought my eldest child some "coding" books that is more theory and concepts than actual programming, and he didn't display any interest at all and went back to playing pokemon.

    • Like 2

  4. Posted

    The videopac is probably a device most intended for children. My youngest, 3 learnt how to type thanks to the console in less than two days, and enjoys playing the math and keyboard based games.

     

    A friend came over with his teenage girls, and hilariously they spent hours playing some of the games, like the racing one. There is something in the simplicity of it all.

     

    Similar to you, its a console probably best used occasionally, before I would have it out whenever I bought a new game for it, but now I have a "complete" collection this doesn't apply.

     

    I think I'm on the list for a C7061, The odyssey2/videopac multicarts is some of the cheapest devices you'll find for any system, I believe some retailed at something like $30-50 at some point.

  5. Posted

    4 hours ago, Ashevent said:

    Yep, the Football I was bidding on last week was box and cart, this one has box, cart, manual. My guess is someone saw how much the last one went for and put theirs up for auction. and that's me at $81..lol. Last time it was just myself and one other bidder, so since he already has one now... I'm hoping this auction doesn't go much higher.  Although..well we're talking about it here so, and may have tipped off other Fairchild collectors so...I probably just made a few more jump into the auction and i'll get hosed again...lol. 

    This appears to be a thing, I bought a loose empty NES box to store my console and accessories (I did have a box originally... then at some point in the early 90's my parents probably chucked it). Soon after it sold someone put another one up for the same price as I paid saying "apparently people buy these things!", but actually I probably paid a bit more for the box itself because I got half a dozen games with it dirt cheap. Its been 20 years since I've bought a NES game for a quid!

  6. Posted · Edited by Mikebloke

    Sigh, these recent games you guys have mentioned is US only. I can't even find it in search because sellers don't send abroad. Its such a shame, especially given ebay's international system basically pushes all the costs onto the buyer at no risk to the seller. Its like the London effect, but international. Shame, given most of my rare fairchild games have come from the states or europe.

     

    I would have been tempted to go for the boxed american football game, as I could resell my loose copy, but even slot machine is too much for me - good job I can't buy it anyway.

     

    Edit: Can't even message the seller, wow. I mean really? That resistant. I get people probably message with offers all the time... But to block all forms of contact? Oh well. His loss of profits.

  8. Posted

    2 minutes ago, Flojomojo said:

    Hard to say, but "Atari" owns them every day that passes without any real information about their un-console. 

    They feed the beast money, the beast feeds them hopes and dreams of a system capable of playing 15 year old games and preloaded with 40 year old games.

     

    It will all end in a fiery battle where FBI agents try to storm their headquarters before they commit ritual suicide in a cosmic reinterpretation of the word "released".

    • Haha 3

  11. Posted

    On 8/13/2019 at 1:36 AM, zappi said:

    Nice, what kind of songs are on it?

    I love snooping on others via the things they leave behind digitally, I bought a Wii for £5 last month and had a fun time going through the saves trying to figure out what kind of person owned it before (a lot of Lego games and Fifa, probably a 8 year old boy)

    Not a thrift find but an ebay purchase, I got a psp awhile back, the model with component out with a bundle of games and the add on camera. Searching through the files I found what was obviously the previous owner testing out the camera for the first time and going round the house with it. Pretty sure it's a Christmas present too because there was a tree and tired worn out parents who couldn't care less! 

  12. Posted

    11 hours ago, Ashevent said:

    I was the first bidder on this and then shit got stupid. I knew I was screwed when it was up for 9 days. I'm 3 away from whole set and this hasn't come up in over 2 years so..yeah, what's my option? sadly, it's gotten past what i'll pay for it now so congrats to whomever wants it. Last time I missed out on a "buy it now title" it sold for $20 and a week later same game was $200. Resellers are killing it lately I guess. 

    It's frustrating I know. If it was going cheap I wouldn't have published it here in the hopes one of us could nab it but I felt it went into the boundaries of expensive so what's the point. I might have been tempted to pay the loose cart prices (about £65, but then shipping from Australia) if I was desperate to finish a collection and not bothered by boxes. 

     

    I have alien invasion with instructions which I think I paid about 50 for, got a loose copy of pro football for less than that, and I have a boxed saba version of galactic space when I got a set to fill gaps. I get doubles occasionally so I'm happy to post here first from now on but it's usually unboxed, semi rare but not the rarest. 

  13. Posted

    So there is some interesting ebay items at the moment including an ITT Tele match system, which I quite like the shell of but not interested in buying! 

     

    There's a few carts out there too at the moment: boxed 24 Pro football and a couple of loose "rares": 23 and 26, that's the alien Invaders and galatic space wars. 

     

    I'll be honest and say I've never been tempted by boxed copies of the zircon games, too expensive for me! 

  14. Posted

    19 hours ago, atarifan88 said:

    I see a Retron 77 joystick in the picture which makes me ask the question, is the person trying to run the game on a Retron 77?  That would be my next question because those things are very unreliable with actual cartridges.  The real test would be to try it out on actual Atari 2600 hardware.  If it's still messed up, then maybe it's the cartridge.

    Good catch, it's probably this! I tested my pal cart and it had some difficulties including freezing but did eventually appear to work. 

  17. Posted

    Occasionally it can be a bad luck scenario with the cart and the console and the tv setup. My first thoughts as a programmer would be to switch the TV, then try the same TVs with a different console. Variances can cause issues on occasion. I don't own a 4K TV so don't know how they would handle it, but traditional 1080p TV's shouldn't have an issue.

     

    My first thought however was to simply blow into the cartridge slot (don't kill me!) for a dozen tries and hope for the best, if not, give the contacts a clean. It might be an issue with dirty contacts is skipping some code and causing the image to drop in a funny way.

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    Got a new score 9600 on the retron 77.

     

    I think as a dirty casual for 2600 games gorf is tricky, phase 2 seems to have some cheap, although totally predictable I'm just not good enough to avoid attacks that wipe out your lives. The phase 4 ship is a git to get used to. Ironically the first time I did it in one shot and actually said out loud "wow that was easy" have had trouble with it ever since XD

    DSC_0244.JPG

  20. Posted

    There is no such thing as too much, especially for the Channel F!

     

    I've got loads of potential ideas for the system if only I could get my head down for longer than 30 minutes to work out how things work as they do.

     

    I suppose theres two ideas potentially of branching it:

     

    Keep it more like Adventure, and allow movement in all directions, creating a "maze" of screens to find items. Not sure how complex this could be for Channel F but could then use Adventure like mazes where you have to switch screens to get to new areas.

    Make it more like Pitfall, and have a single axis of movement (left, right) and add a form of jump button to avoid obstacles and enemies. It could perhaps be expanded to an underground level through a ladder system later (perhaps switch it to black and white for these areas to make it look "dark").

  22. Posted

    5 minutes ago, CapitanClassic said:

    Yes, you can submit as many high scores as you like for a game before the time limit expires. (Only post a later score if it is higher than the previous, to make it easier on Vocelli)

    Thanks, yeah I'll only post another if its higher!

  25. Posted

    On 8/12/2019 at 6:31 AM, envytomdead2 said:

    Where did you see that? I am seeing retro freaks going for $220 and up?

    I think the deal with the retro freaks is to keep an eye on it and wait for a good deal. The premium version which I was considering going for went as low as £100 in the UK on a random September sale last year. I'm watching it everywhere just in case a sale like that happens again.

     

    I'm in a similar boat to you in that I decided to go for a 77 and upgraded the firmware and was actually very happy with it, understanding full well its essentially an emulator in a box. I actually quite like the controller and would love the one that a youtuber showed off as a new accessory (was it John Hancock or something?). I had been eyeing up a RF for ages because I wanted to get the Game Gear adapter as I've never found the time, money or interest to fix and mod my broken one and it seemed like the easiest solution with the greatest versatility. I also wanted it for the TG16 support but then I just ended up buying a real one anyway!

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