gorf68

Thanks to everyone who replied. I'm going to try and have a look at this on the weekend.

Ah, ok. I had it in my head that it banked to use different RAM when in 3, 8 or 16K mode was used. But it's been a long time since I've used it! So swapping and socketed ROM and RAM chips, one at a time, from my good VIC may show me what (if any) chip is at fault then?

The ROM is socketed. Unfortunately I don't have an E-Prom programmer just now (used to) but I do have other VIC-20's, so I can try swapping the chips. If it's RAM maybe using my 16K RAM expansion cart would work, as it would be switched to a new bank location!? I'll give these a go.

Hello, I just tried one of my old VIC-20s and it freezes when trying to boot up into basic. It will however play all cartridges that don't boot to the prompt. So all games appear fine except for adventure games that start with the cursor prompt. Any idea what has went wrong? Is this likely a memory thing, or something wrong with the ROM? Is this a common issue? Any help would be appreciated.

Let me know if I can do anything to help with a Vectrex version. Although using the 'normal' ROM object drawing routines I was pushing it to make Vec Wars and Circus Vectrex! But I did manage to do Spike and the argry Vortex Bird by mostly drawing lines directly to the screen, and not using the object draw routines. The grid lines constantly move forwards in this, and the walls and diamonds also move towards the front of the grid, making a pseudo 3D effect. All these are drawn to the screen using direct lines, with the Spike character using the draw object ROM routine.

Just wanted to say I've stopped working on the initial version of 'Vec Wars,' and 'Spike and the angry vortex bird (thing)' now, but thay are still available from my blog page. If anybody is looking at making another Vectrex multi-cart please feel free to add these if you like them. They are now both full games that can be played through compleatly, with no glaring game-play bugs that I have found. http://garrysgamingblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/programming-projects.html

Yes, I'm from the UK. As I said this isn't so much a collection as what I have left over from when I bought them as new. We had a lot of budget 8Bit Atari titles in the UK. With most full priced software coming from the states. I think Draconus was a full priced UK game though, although I could be wrong. I also found 4 8Bit cartridges (StarTrek, Missile Command, Star Raiders, and Super Breakout - all unboxed), and also a bunch of UK Atari User, Page 6, and the later Page 6 Atari User magazines. Around 40 in total - most in good condition. I will have a look in the market place, thanks.

But I did find these in a box in the loft. Unfortunately I haven't had any machine to play them on for a lot of years. I sold all my disk software, and quite a lot of tapes, a while ago, but completely forgot about these: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qdpunpuuq157kml/2013-06-26%2017.48.04.jpg?dl=0 Is there anything interesting there?

Thanks, hopefully I just have a bit of tidying up around the edges of the graphics and movement routines to do, and hopefully put a popper tune on the front screen. I will release the binary, and/or rty to get it added to a multi cart... so if anybody is interested let me know... I do want to try and make (literally) two or three cartridges of this one, complete with box and overlay just as a bit of an experiment, but the cost is high!

My first computer was a VIC-20. My first TV games machine was a Telling Colour star. My first console would be a Master System.

How about an in progress BIN? http://garrysgamingblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/programming-projects.html

Circus Vectrex - because I haven't finished it yet LOL

I've updated these games and added more to my Vectrex blog page since these posts, if anyone is interested... http://garrysgamingblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/programming-projects.html

I am writing a game for the Vectrex that is based on Circus Atari and was going to try to convert the 'Entrance of the Gladiators' music for the title screen (using VECSOUND). However I can only find this in tune in SNDH format and not YM. Is there any way I can convert an SNDH file to a YM file using a PC? VECSOUND only converts YM files to Vectrex code. I believe you can do this on an ST. Unfortunately an ST is one of the systems I don't have. Read more: http://vectorgaming.proboards.com/thread/798/vectrex-music?page=3#ixzz3Z82gQQyC

Um, am I missing something? How can I share my thought on a list of names!? It there a download link or a site URL or something I'm missing? Am I being thick here?

I've got a few Vectrex things at various stages, an a VIC-20 project in the pipeline... Feel free to have a look at my blog: http://garrysgamingblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/programming-projects.html And let me know if you are interested, Some things have moved on since this page was last rewritten.

I've just uploaded the latest version of the first VecWars to my blog (http://garrysgamingblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/programming-projects.html). This has a few bug fixes, and some changed game-play changes: mostly the addition of an energy bar, that limits how long you can hold the laser button down for. It also has rudimentary sound, which would need some work before the game is finished. But from this I hope you can see my idea for the finished game taking place: Go to my blog or download from: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1c17uirecoaszk5/retdev.bin

How about a micro (plugs into TV) console ranging through all the 8Bit computer lines stuff from th 400 and 800 right through to the XL/XE. The onboard lineup could be trully fantastic! And if you made IO ports that people could use to load their own cartridges, tapes, and floppies... Now that would surely be the best retro micro-console ever!

Health and safety, there libal if anything happens with it... I've had to smash and skip countless PC's and (CRT) monitors for the same reason.

The fist TVGames system I ever got was a Teleng Colourstars as well They didn't really call them consoles back then... It was out a few years before the VCS though! The same console was produced under a variety of names, if I remember correctly.

I've been working on adding shooting and explosion sound FX and I'm looking at adding a random respawn - based on moving the player away from other objects. Above this I'm looking into allegations of the game crashing when played for a while, and info or feedback would be appreciated. For the second one, I think I've found a way to get that bit more on the screen without causing too much flickering, although I havent run these tests on my real Vectrex yet. I was also playing with the idea of using bullets instead of the laser... Although I do like the simplicity of the laser.

I may have written some similar code for Spike and the Angry Vortex Bird, feel free to give me a shout if you get stuck and theres anything I may be able to help out with.

I think something like the Atari 2600's Robot Tank should be doable, with relatively simple scalable pre-drawn shapes. The Vectrex can draw lines relatively quickly and it can rotate and scale pre-designed shapes relatively quickly, but it does suffer from a fair bit of flicker when doing the maths and the drawing in real-time. I got quite a lot of big-object movement into my Spike and the Angry Vortex Bird game by using direct line drawing (and some creative maths) to move the background, but what you see there is about the limit (drawing-movement wise) that I could fit on the screen.

I don't know if anyone is interested or not, but I'm looking at starting a VEC-WARS 2 game, based on my (almost finished, but now old, and previously abandoned) VEC-WARS game: See -> http://garrysgamingblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/programming-projects.html Much to my surprise I recently found out that this had gathered a bit of a niche following, and I was asked to finish it - which I am currently working on. This was when I started thinking that it could be improved with a re-make. So I'd be interested in seeing what people think works and dons't work from the origonal, and what you would like to see added. Please remember that this is a real project that I ideally want to make into a game worthy of release on it's own cartridge, so nothing too starry-eyed. But all suggestions will be read and considered. Thank you for your support.

What was the 3D vector squash type game for the Dreamcast called? I think the Vectrex could just about handle a cut down version of this. I think I could probably adapt a few of the routines from one of my old games.