Simon

Hello everybody, I hope that you had a good start into 2007 and wish you all the best. I used a few hours of my spare time around christmas to start working on a new game for the VCS. Please find attached an early version of this game development. You guide a helicopter through a canyon and have to avoid obstacles. Up and down moves the heli up/down the screen. Left increases and right decreases the flying height of the helicopter. You have to fly above or below the cross braces (depending on their height) and try to fly through the holes in the round row of columns. Thanks, Simon http://www.quernhorst.de/atari/ 02_igame_sq.bin

There's no switch on the SCART cable unfortunately... no picture/no sound. I also tried differnet RF/aerial cables yesterday... no sound.

Hi, What does this mean? Anyhow I can't remember having any problems using both machines years ago... I did this several times of course. Up and down adjustments on both the L or H channel... still no sound. Thanks so far, Simon BTS: I should've brought them with me to the E-Jagfest where we could've checked them out together. Maybe next time.

Hi, I received some additional jag carts for my collection and wanted to play them at the weekend. I set up my jaguar (which hasn't been used for at least the past three years) and connected it via the SCART cable, but their was no picture visible. I tried the aerial connection afterwards and watched an excellent picture, but unfortunately absolutely no sound. I also tried my second jag console and received the same results. The SCART cable seems to be broken somehow. No problem. But why doesn't the aerial connection provide any sound?? Has anybody ever come across this problem? I really can't imagine that both jags lost their sound abilities... Thanks, Simon

Hi, the last available copy of Mental Kombat Limited Edition is sold now. If you are interested in a cartridge copy of this game, then please visit the AtariAge store for the unlimited run of carts and manuals. Thanks, Simon

Hi, I forgot to update this thread as all limited edition copies are sold and shipped already. If you are interested in purchasing an original cart with manual, please visit the AtariAge shop here. Thanks, Simon

Hi, As everything was written and developed from scratch, the pyramids design is intentional of course... ... but does it really look like the Atari Fuji?? Thanks, Simon

Hello, I made a 100 copies run of my first homebrew game "Mental Kombat" and now only 1 copy is still available. You can find more information and pictures here: http://www.quernhorst.de/atari/mk.html The printed box contains: labeled, numbered and signed cartridge, manual, patch and two handmade headbands. The list of owners is shown on the website and #79 is left. The price is 49,- Euro plus postage. So if you are interested, please send me a pm or e-mail and make yourself a retro christmas present. Tradewise I'm currently searching for "NES: Arkanoid (CIB with Vaus-Controller)" or for rare Atari 2600 carts... Thanks, Simon

Hello, the current work in progress version of the "RetroGames Demo" is available for download here - scroll down for the newest version. Thanks, Simon

Hello everybody, after all limited editions of "A-VCS-tec Challenge" are sold and shipped I updated my website and offer the games "Mental Kombat" and "A-VCS-tec Challenge" for free download and play now. You can find the images and the instructions on the games' individual sites at http://www.quernhorst.de/atari/ @Albert: Please add the binaries to your 2600 database entries of both games. Thanks! Also added was the site about the current work in progress "RetroGames Demo". I hope that you'll enjoy the files and information. I'd also like to announce that only ONE copy of the limited edition of "Mental Kombat" is still available... maybe you're looking for a christmas present for yourself. Later, Simon

Hi everybody, please find attached the current version of my RETROGAMES demonstration. The first part is an upscroller with a stretch effect on top and below. You can hold the scrolling with the FIRE button. After the upscroller went through the slotmachine is shown. You can push FIRE to start the rolling of the three slots. Push LEFT, DOWN or RIGHT to stop the individual rolls. You get 10 points for three equal symbols and 20 for the RetroGames-Logo (Arcade - Spear - Man). You win at 99 and you loose at 00 points. Push SELECT to change colors of the rolls. You can push RESET to return to the upscroller part and watch some variations here now. I'm looking forward to your feedback. Thanks, Simon RtrGms_115_SQ.bin

Yes, it's in Karlsruhe. Later, Simon

Oh, I forget to mention the following current controls: - Fire button of left joystick stops the rolling at any position. - "Reset" restarts the demo (initialization of starting positions). - "Select" switches the color of the symbols on the rolls. Thanks, Simon

Hi, while developing the last bits and bytes of my new game ENCAVED I started working on a new demonstration program. It's called "RetroGames" and is dedicated to my friends from "RetroGames e.V." - a german club of arcade and console players and collectors. The demo is planned as a two part presentation and the slotmachine part is planned as small game, too. Please find attached a first preview of the slotmachine part. Thanks, Simon RtrGms_SQ_05.bin

Thanks for the kind words. It's not the intention of this game to have weapons and enemies - it's about being held captured alone in a dark cavern and finding the exit. And believe me: it's hard enough. If you replay the game again and remember the way through a maze from your last game, you may not even have to use the spotlight. The game awards you with double points then. I already made plans for a different game in which you could choose either weapon or light for your movement and have to locate and exterminate all enemies in a mine. Later, Simon

Hello and thanks for the kind words. You must do the HMOVE on every scanline, because the sprites are moved one pixel to the left with every scanline... but it would still be possible to move the logo horizontally. I decided not to move it horizontally, because of the additional copyright text. Yes. The playfield has got priority over the sprites and playfield and background are displayed in black. The two sprites (one is man and the other is the spotlight) are moving behind the playfield. As the man can not cross walls (collision detection) you will never see this sprite totally covered by the playfield (only a bit to show the collision with the wall as you ran into it). The spotlight crosses ways and walls to show the labyrinth. Thanks, Simon

Hi, just to let you know: I updated my small webpages at http://www.quernhorst.de/atari/ with a more comprehensive explanation of the game. All different levels are designed and I'm currently playtesting the game. I have to add some sound effects and will see what the amount of available ROM space will look like afterwards... Later, Simon

My game "Raster Fahndung" is finished and will be released on cart very soon... I'm currently thinking about the items for a limied edition release. More information and screenshots at http://www.quernhorst.de/atari/ I'm currently working on "Encaved"- the game engine works fine and only a few things have to be added. The different levels are designed and implemented and I'm currently playtesting the game on emulator and real hardware. More information and screenshots at http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=94235 Thanks, Simon

Sorry for the typo, I meant x-stretch of course.

Well, it is doable. It's an screenshot directly from the emulator z26. Thanks for the kind words... The logo is shown as both sprites with y-stretch and the credit text is a reused (change of register nusiz0) sprite 0 with normal width. The border of the logo is made of the two missiles. The black diagonal behind the logo is the ball - it's moving horizontally. The whole screen is scrolling up and down as if it is moved by the chains. Thanks, Simon

Hi, following the development of my last game "Raster Fahndung" I started working on a new game... You have been captured and are hidden in caves and have to find your way out as fast as possible. The problem: you are surrounded by complete darkness. You were equipped with a small pda showing your current position and the remaining time of your oxygen. You also got the possibility to navigate a small radar spot over the caves to show you the ways and walls of the maze. You control your man with the joystick. You control the radar spot with the joystick while the fire button is pressed. You have to find an exit in the outside walls to escape the cave and advance one level. Each cavern contains a hidden object which supplies you some more oxygen. The intro is finished, the game routines work fine and I'm currently designing the level maps. The game consists of 4kb and I currently plan to include 24 levels. I hope that you like the attached screenshots and can imagine the game concept behind. Thanks for your interest, Simon

Hello, as written before some people reserved a copy of the limited edition of A-VCS-tec Challenge, but didn't pay or answer any e-mails afterwards. Finally eight people failed to pay or reply to mails and I offered their copies to the people on my reservation list. Unfortunately one of these reservation people failed to pay and answer mails, too. This means that I have got one copy of the limited edition left for sale (serialnumber #49). The price is 55 Euro plus postage and more information can be found here: http://www.quernhorst.de/atari/ac.html If you are interested then please send an e-mail to this address: [email protected] and tell me your complete postal address. First to come... Thanks, Simon

Hi, The official link to the trailer at http://www.quernhorst.de/atari/ac.html still works fine - I just checked it once again... @Marco: thanks for the very kind words. I really appreciate this judgement from one of the biggest collectors!! As some people asked why I only released 55 copies of the limited edition, I just repeat the reason for this: the tracks of the soundtrack CD are copyright protected and I was only allowed to release up to 55 copies of the CD without having to pay royalties for the usage of the tracks. Thanks, Simon

Oh, oh. Then I'd have prefered a PM, as other voters may have liked the game as it is right now, but got distracted by your suggestions now. Thanks again, Simon

Thanks for the kind words and your suggestions, Thomas. I'm happy to have the game ready for the competition as it is now, as I wanted to support the compo and add to the 2600 line-up this year. I'm out of spare time within the next weeks unfortunately. I might change/improve some things in my next holidays in september, but that's after the competition already. BTW: the cursors were shown this way as the bit below should always be visible and not covered too much by the cursors, therefore the cursors are different and not on the very top left corner. I already thought about having two cursor edges for every player... as written above: it may be added to a version 2 maybe. Thanks again, Simon