Search the Community

AtariAge and that dude who made a game some time ago present... Carol vs. The World! 2015 Championship It is Christmas time once again and the fourth annual Carol vs. The World! Championship is upon us. Throughout the entire month of December, all boys and girls--naughty or nice--will have the opportunity not only to earn bragging rights, but to win actual prizes! This year, in an effort to encourage novices and newcomers to play, we are changing things a bit. We will separate the veteran players in their own category, so that they will not compete with newer players for prizes. We hope that this will balance the contest better and make it more fair to newcomers. There will be two categories: The regular players and the special "Elite Knight Elf" for veterans players, each with their own rankings and prizes. Veterans are those who have won awards or have submitted scores higher than 1,000 points in previous competitions. Please visit the Contest Rules and FAQ pages for more details on contest rankings. All that said, there are prizes for players of all skill levels, veterans and novices alike, and many other surprises! We encourage everyone to participate, submit their score, and join in the fun! Once again, we've partnered with AtariAge to include some more great prizes! The Top Players on each rank will receive a $25.00 gift certificate for the AtariAge Store, and the Grand Prize winner will be awarded a $50.00 gift certificate. How's that for a stocking stuffer? We've also changed the top prize! At stake this year is a custom-designed, one-of-a-kind Ultimate Video Arcade Marquee. Made with the same process and materials that classic arcade cabinets use, it will look just as great on your MAME cabinet or wall. Plus, the winner gets to help design his own Christmas Carol themed artwork! Like every year before, the championship starts at Midnight (EST) on December 1st, and goes all the way until Midnight (EST) on January 1st of the new year. The rules are simple: Play the Christmas Carol game on your Intellivision® console or PC. At the end of the game, record your final score by taking a photograph or screen-shot of the game screen. This will serve as proof of your score. Announce your points to the judges by posting the image right here or sending it via e-mail to the judges at: <cvw@CarolVsGhost.com>. Be sure to include the name you want to have displayed on the leaderboard. Wash, rinse, repeat as many times as you'd like, until the contest deadline of December 31st, 2015. That's it! There's nothing to buy and no registration required. Whether you play the game cartridge on an Intellivision® console, or the ROM edition on a PC or Mac, it's all the same. Just send us a photo or screen-grab of your score and you're in! We'll post all entries to the Official CvW Leaderboard as they come in, where they forever will remain immortalized on the Internet. Will you save Christmas from the twiggy arms of the Evil Snowman? Is the Ghost Of Christmas Presents your friend or foe? Can you attain a Perfect Christmas? Join us here in the official discussion thread of the CvW Championship! Get Ready... Go! Days Left: 1 Official Leaderboard Current Ranking: Top rankings generated on: 12/31/2015 10:19:46 Number Display Name Old High Score New High Score Level Rank Status Consecutive Days 1 grips03 14,325 16,955 172 Grand Master Veteran 4 2 pimpmaul69 5,702 14,062 142 Grand Master Veteran 30 3 Darrin9999 4,904 7,674 78 Grand Master Veteran 31 4 scalpel 7,079 5,040 51 Master Veteran 1 5 SiLic0ne t0aD85 0 4,244 48 Ranger 1 6 Opry99er 0 3,828 47 Ranger 1 7 JasonlikesINTV 4,036 3,596 38 Ranger Veteran 1 8 Yeliz K. 3,043 2,738 32 Helper Veteran 1 9 stupus 1,574 2,589 32 Helper 1 10 TrekMD 2,635 2,574 31 Helper Veteran 1 11 Iwantgames:) 1,898 2,073 24 Helper 1 12 Wilson T. Oyama 2,933 1,810 20 Helper Veteran 1 13 BurritoBeans 0 1,807 23 Helper 9 15 Saturn 0 1,223 17 Helper 1 14 Canonitis 2,459 1,317 16 Novice Veteran 1 16 Nour K. 1,044 1,081 14 Novice 1 17 Schmeg 0 1,074 14 Novice 1 18 Illtiger1 0 1,059 15 Novice 1 19 Gorfy 1,960 1,048 15 Novice 3 20 save2600 549 1,007 12 Novice 1 21 Apollo's Bow 0 861 11 Novice 1 22 gamer1867 0 853 10 Novice 1 23 atariron82 0 714 9 Novice 1 24 Murrex Ferreus 0 693 9 Novice 1 25 intellivotion 0 647 9 Novice 1 26 BuckoBrand 0 447 6 Novice 1 27 Dante Is Awesome 0 447 6 Novice 2 28 bradd1978 0 392 5 Novice 1 29 jblenkle 249 249 4 Novice 1 30 IVY 0 31 1 Novice 1 . General Statistics: Output for "build-lb" generated on: 12/31/2015 10:19:45 GENERAL STATISTICS: ------------------- Total Entries Processed: 573 Disqualified Entries: 67 Non-Participating Entries: 4 Veteran Entries: 9 Total Qualified Contestants: 30 CHAMPIONS PER RANK: ------------------- Novice: 15 Helper: 4 Ranger: 2 Master: 0 Grand Master: 0 VETERANS PER RANK: ------------------- Novice: 1 Helper: 3 Ranger: 1 Master: 1 Grand Master: 3 LAST STAGES BY RANK: -------------------- Haunted Hollow: 12 Novice: 3 Helper: 3 Grand Master: 6 Frosted Maze: 36 Novice: 12 Helper: 15 Ranger: 3 Master: 2 Grand Master: 4 Candy Cove: 69 Novice: 4 Helper: 48 Ranger: 2 Master: 12 Grand Master: 3 Icicle Lane: 11 Novice: 3 Helper: 8 Snowflake Garden: 15 Novice: 10 Helper: 3 Grand Master: 2 Freezer Burn: 44 Novice: 7 Helper: 4 Grand Master: 33 Krystal Keep: 26 Novice: 7 Master: 10 Grand Master: 9 Twisted Toyland: 31 Novice: 5 Helper: 13 Ranger: 6 Grand Master: 7 ACHIEVEMENTS EARNED: -------------------- One Smart Cookie: 0 The Spirit Of Christmas Present: 30 The Spirit Of Christmas Past: 7 Ice Cave Raider: 29 Cavern Explorer: 29 Santa's Magic Touch: 28 The Boss Is In: 17 Elf In Training: 25 Elf Apprentice: 20 Santa's Elite Elf: 11 Elf Superstar: 4 Practice Makes Perfect: 5 The Perfectionist Elf: 11 I Have A Sweet Tooth: 5 Icy Flower Power: 8 Frozen "P": 9 A Perfect Christmas: 3 Five Golden Rings... Of Life: 9 Savior Of Christmas: 14 The Twelve Days Of Christmas Carol: 3 Elf On Duty: 6 Santa's Little Helper: 14 I, Ranger Elf: 7 I, Master Elf: 4 I, Overachieving Elf: 3 I, Christmas Savior Extraordinaire: 5 Walking On Egg Shells: 5 Code Breaker: 0 To Kill A Mocking Ghost: 3 Tread On Yellow Snow: 2 A Perfect Christmas Supreme: 0 Exalted Elf Knight Of Christmas: 0 A Clockwork Orange: 0 Story Teller: 0 Breaker Of Ice: 1 Nine Elf Ladies Dancing: 2 Kickin' It Old-Skool: 4 Bake A Humble Pie: 7 The Twenty-Four Days Of Christmas Carol: 2 Elf Of The Month: 2 The Ghost Of Birthday Presents: 10 Veteran Elf: 15 It's Someone's Birthday And I Play If I Want To!: 8 The Ghost Of Birthday Presents Supreme: 4 Twice The Challenger Of Birthdays: 6 The Christmas Hero: 5 The Twelve Scores Of Christmas: 5 The Twelve Scores Of Christmas Supreme: 4 . Helpful Links: CvW Championship web site Official contest rules CvW Championship FAQ Official Prizes & Awards List Game Achievement list Official CvW Leaderboard Official Christmas Carol game web site Pre-contest riddles (for bonus achievements) Tips & Tricks discussion thread (CvW 2013) Download ROM Right Here: Christmas Carol ROM Edition Game - Windows Christmas Carol ROM Edition Game - Macintosh Christmas Carol ROM Edition Game - ROM Only Game Instruction Booklet

As you all know, the 2015 edition of the Carol vs. The World! Championship is under way, and we've already had a good turnout by rookies and veterans alike. Now, I would like to introduce you to my fellow judges for this year's contest, hand-selected for their unique perspectives, strength of character, and passion for our hobby. Or something like that, I'm sure. Judges Panel: Albert - First off on the list is our friend and host, Al, operator and administrator of AtariAge itself. Al brings a sense of respectability and fair justice to the judges table, which is well needed in a panel full of excitable and passionate individuals. Revolutionika - Our very own Rev is in the ranks, providing good humour, promoting fairness and equality, and ensuring that fun remains the main focus of the championship. GroovyBee - Nobody is as groovy as the GroovyBee, who's passion is self evident in all his work. Groovy's keen programmer's eye and zen-like perspective helps us make sure that decisions are not done in haste, that judgements are consistent, and that respect for the game is maintained. "Mystery" Judge - And lastly at the judges table, perhaps reluctantly and unknowingly, is the "Mystery" judge (it's my wife, but don't let her know!); through whom I ran all my ideas, concerns, and suspicions, and always ask for council before making decisions or judgements. When I bring up a topic to the judges table for discussion, chances are that "Mystery" judge has already vetted it and influenced it. And of course, there's your's truly, DZ-Jay, wrangling the cats, having fun, but mostly just stirring trouble. Let's all welcome the new judges! New Rules: In case you are not aware, we've updated the contest rules this year in order to make it more fair and accessible to rookies and novices. The most important change is the creation of a separate rank and prize track for veteran players. The idea is to give a chance for rookies and experienced players to win prizes, without having to compete against each other in an uneven match. A "veteran" player is one who has participated in the contest before with a score of 2,000 points or higher. To celebrate their accomplishments, Santa Claus himself has anointed them with the special honorary title of Elite Knight Elves. The other judges and I believe this to be a better approach for everyone, but of course we welcome feedback. After all, this contest is for the community, and to share and have fun during the Christmas Season. So, don't be shy! Whether you've played the game one time, 500 times, or none at all -- you are all invited and welcome to post your scores, share in the merriment, and have a go at winning a prize. Useful Links: Official CvW 2015 AtariAge discussion thread Official CvW 2015 Leaderboard Official CvW 2015 web site Updated contest rules Updated contest FAQ ... MERRY CHRISTMAS! -dZ.

AtariAge and that dude who made a game some time ago present... Carol vs. The World! 2014 Championship It is Christmas time once again and the third annual Carol vs. The World! Championship is upon us. Throughout the entire month of December, all boys and girls--naughty or nice--will have the opportunity not only to earn bragging rights, but to win actual prizes! At stake, like always, is a one-of-a-kind edition of the game Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost Of Christmas Presents, made exclusively for the player with the highest score. There are prizes for players of all skill levels and many other surprises! This year, we've partnered with AtariAge to include even more prizes! The Top Players on each rank will receive a $25.00 gift certificate for the AtariAge Store, and the Grand Prize winner will be awarded a $50.00 gift certificate. How's that for a stocking stuffer? The rules are simple: Play the Christmas Carol game on your Intellivision® console or PC. At the end of the game, record your final score by taking a photograph or screen-shot of the game screen. This will serve as proof of your score. Announce your points to the judges by posting the image right here or sending it via e-mail to the judges at: <cvw@CarolVsGhost.com>. Be sure to include the name you want to have displayed on the leaderboard. Wash, rinse, repeat as many times as you'd like, until the contest deadline of December 31st, 2014. That's it! There's nothing to buy and no registration required. Whether you play the game cartridge on an Intellivision® console, or the ROM edition on a PC or Mac, it's all the same. Just send us a photo or screen-grab of your score and you're in! We'll post all entries to the Official CvW Leaderboard as they come in, where they forever will remain immortalized on the Internet. Will you save Christmas from the twiggy arms of the Evil Snowman? Is the Ghost Of Christmas Presents your friend or foe? Can you attain a Perfect Christmas? Join us here in the official discussion thread of the CvW Championship! Get Ready... GO! Done! The championship is now closed. Below are the final and official rankings. Official Leaderboard Current Ranking: Top rankings generated on: 01/11/2015 14:26:15 Number Display Name Old High Score New High Score Level Rank Consecutive Days 1 Fushek 10,863 29,159 308 Grand Master 1 2 grips03 4,047 14,325 149 Grand Master 1 3 Oscar G. 7,619 9,463 102 Grand Master 1 4 Scalpel 5,692 7,079 73 Grand Master 1 5 bcprs1 0 6,442 64 Master 1 6 pimpmaul69 0 5,702 62 Master 29 7 Darrin9999 3,101 4,904 48 Ranger 31 8 JasonlikesINTV 3,150 4,036 43 Ranger 1 9 Yeliz K. 2,059 3,043 37 Ranger 1 10 Wilson T. Oyama 1,180 2,933 31 Helper 1 11 Emerson 0 2,917 31 Helper 1 12 TrekMD 2,283 2,635 31 Helper 1 13 Canonitis 0 2,459 31 Helper 1 14 Iwantgames:) 0 1,898 21 Helper 1 15 stupus 0 1,574 16 Novice 1 16 ChefPepper 0 1,277 16 Novice 1 17 zapiy 0 1,185 14 Novice 1 18 Gorfy 1,960 1,158 16 Novice 1 19 RetroAl 0 1,154 16 Novice 1 20 BalloonFighter 0 1,105 14 Novice 1 21 JoeMusashi 0 1,011 12 Novice 1 22 IntellivisionDude 3,125 950 12 Novice 1 23 Nour K. 1,044 846 11 Novice 1 24 save2600 0 549 7 Novice 1 25 First Spear 0 548 8 Novice 1 26 Milinea 0 538 8 Novice 1 27 Greyfox 0 504 7 Novice 1 28 Victor R. 0 154 3 Novice 2 29 Mrs. Fushek 0 102 2 Novice 1 30 Andrew 0 29 1 Novice 1 General Statistics: Output for "build-lb" generated on: 01/11/2015 14:30:17 GENERAL STATISTICS: ------------------- Total Entries Processed: 418 Disqualified Entries: 39 Non-Participating Entries: 2 Total Qualified Contestants: 30 CHAMPIONS PER RANK: ------------------- Novice: 16 Helper: 5 Ranger: 3 Master: 2 Grand Master: 4 LAST STAGES BY RANK: -------------------- Haunted Hollow: 17 Novice: 4 Helper: 3 Ranger: 5 Grand Master: 5 Frosted Maze: 36 Novice: 3 Helper: 12 Ranger: 12 Master: 7 Grand Master: 2 Candy Cove: 25 Novice: 5 Helper: 10 Ranger: 3 Grand Master: 7 Icicle Lane: 21 Novice: 8 Helper: 11 Ranger: 1 Master: 1 Snowflake Garden: 24 Novice: 10 Helper: 3 Ranger: 7 Grand Master: 4 Freezer Burn: 29 Novice: 16 Helper: 3 Ranger: 2 Master: 6 Grand Master: 2 Krystal Keep: 31 Novice: 6 Helper: 9 Ranger: 10 Master: 4 Grand Master: 2 Twisted Toyland: 40 Novice: 16 Helper: 7 Ranger: 7 Master: 5 Grand Master: 5 ACHIEVEMENTS EARNED: -------------------- One Smart Cookie: 3 The Spirit Of Christmas Present: 30 The Spirit Of Christmas Past: 9 Ice Cave Raider: 29 Cavern Explorer: 28 Santa's Magic Touch: 27 The Boss Is In: 18 Elf In Training: 27 Elf Apprentice: 21 Santa's Elite Elf: 13 Elf Superstar: 6 Practice Makes Perfect: 6 The Perfectionist Elf: 14 I Have A Sweet Tooth: 7 Icy Flower Power: 10 Frozen "P": 10 A Perfect Christmas: 3 Five Golden Rings... Of Life: 8 Savior Of Christmas: 14 The Twelve Days Of Christmas Carol: 4 Elf On Duty: 7 Santa's Little Helper: 14 I, Ranger Elf: 9 I, Master Elf: 6 I, Overachieving Elf: 4 I, Christmas Savior Extraordinaire: 8 Walking On Egg Shells: 2 Code Breaker: 0 To Kill A Mocking Ghost: 2 Tread On Yellow Snow: 2 A Perfect Christmas Supreme: 0 Exalted Elf Knight Of Christmas: 1 A Clockwork Orange: 1 Story Teller: 0 Breaker Of Ice: 2 Nine Elf Ladies Dancing: 6 Kickin' It Old-Skool: 7 Bake A Humble Pie: 8 Twenty-Four Days Of Christmas Carol: 2 Elf Of The Month: 1 The Ghost Of Birthday Presents: 13 Veteran Elf: 12 PLAYER STATISTICS: -------------------- Overachiever Extraordinaire: Oscar G. (32 achievements) High Elf-Esteem: Fushek (From 7,480 to 29,159 points) Workaholic Elf: Darrin9999 (31 consecutive days) Prolific Elf: pimpmaul69 (71 entries) Higher Elf-Esteem: Fushek (From 7,480 to 29,159 points in only 31 days) Head Of The Class: pimpmaul69 (5 ranks) Busy Bee: Darrin9999 (31 days) Rookie Of The Year: zapiy (From 121 to 1,185 points in only 12 days) Rookie Overachiever: ChefPepper (11 achievements) Helpful Links: CvW Championship web site Official contest rules CvW Championship FAQ Official Prizes & Awards List Game Achievement list Official CvW Leaderboard Official Christmas Carol game web site Pre-contest riddles (for bonus achievements) Tips & Tricks discussion thread (CvW 2013) Download ROM Right Here: Christmas Carol ROM Edition Game - Windows Christmas Carol ROM Edition Game - Macintosh Christmas Carol ROM Edition Game - ROM Only Game Instruction Booklet

Part I: Who's Your Daddy? I was going through my e-mail archives today looking for a particular topic, when I inadvertently stumbled upon the actual birth of Christmas Carol! It's a conversation I had with Joe Z. during December 2010, while working on my port of Pac-Man. We were commenting on the colour limitations. It's funny how things turn out. It started out as a quick-and-dirty distraction and it ended up taking over my life for a significant period of time. Notice those fateful words at the end of the first message, "I'll continue with Pac-Man after Christmas." Well, I've seen that movie and I know how it ends! Anyway, below is the full conversation, at least those pertaining to the Birth Of Christmas Carol, which occurred at noon on Sunday, 19 of December, 2010. Watch the story unfold and read how the characters came to life. I've included the different versions of the ROMs as they were sent throughout the conversation. Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: DZ-Jay To: Joe Zbiciak Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 11:55:22 -0500 On Dec 19, 2010, at 11:44, Joe Zbiciak wrote: > You're using color 13 (light blue, which is a bluish purple). Is color 12 > (pink) too close to red? Exactly. Color 13 was the only one that worked for Pinky. #12 looked more like bright Fuchsia than Pink, and so was too close to red--at least in jzIntv. > As for the eyes... yes, low res is a pain, isn't it? Tell me about it! *sigh* dZ. P.S. I decided to take what I have of Pac-Man right now and transform it into a quick and dirty game with a Christmas motif by changing the sprites and the maze. This is just as a "treat" for the guys on the list. I think I can pull it off in a couple of days, since it's mostly graphics changes. The logic will be just stupidly scripted antagonists moving around. I hope to have enough time to even include Arnauld's tracker playing a little Christmas ditty. It should be cool! I'll continue with Pac-Man after Christmas. dZ. Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: DZ-Jay To: Joe Zbiciak Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:29:12 -0500 On Dec 19, 2010, at 11:55, DZ-Jay wrote: > P.S. I decided to take what I have of Pac-Man right now and transform > it into a quick and dirty game with a Christmas motif by changing the > sprites and the maze. This is just as a "treat" for the guys on the > list. I think I can pull it off in a couple of days, since it's mostly > graphics changes. The logic will be just stupidly scripted antagonists > moving around. > > I hope to have enough time to even include Arnauld's tracker playing a > little Christmas ditty. It should be cool! > > I'll continue with Pac-Man after Christmas. Here's a first test. I just redrew the background and re-configured the maze. Right now it's just blue blocks (ice cubes?), but I plan on changing it soon. The ghosts are there for testing, they will go away soon. Pac-Man will be replaced by a little elf sprite. The antagonists will be two: one ghost and an evil snowman. The power-pellets have turned into magical snowflakes. The fruit will be a wrapped present. The game is called "A Christmas Carol: The Ghost Of Christmas Presents". Yes, that's "presents," as in gift Here's the premise: An evil snowman has stolen Santa's Christmas presents and hid them away in a cave near the North Pole. The cave is haunted by the Ghost of Christmas Presents, who enjoys very much the company of wrapped packages and will not easily let them go. Santa has sent Elvin the elf to hunt down the snowman and bring back his presents. You must avoid the Ghost and retrieve the package from the cave before the evil snowman returns and kills you. There are four magical snowflakes strewn around the cave which, when touched, will temporarily make Elvin invincible. dZ. cc_test1.zip Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: Joe Zbiciak To: DZ-Jay Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:24:23 -0600 dZ, Cute! I think everyone will love it! BTW, I played around with it for a couple minutes and found a couple minor bugs. In the first screen shot, you can see that I managed to get PM to stop at a "dead end" at a half-card boundary (ie. I turned at the right spot, and I think the cornering logic did something funky, since you have some wide-open spaces that it's not accustomed to yet). In the second, PM is stuck. Once he hits the indicated spot, he stays stuck. --Joe Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: DZ-Jay To: Joe Zbiciak Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:13:07 -0500 Regarding the half-card boundary, that was by design, but admittedly a stupid idea. I thought it would give the sprite a bigger range of motion, but it just ended up being weird. The other bug (screenshot #2) was real: That tile had a an open exit toward the wall, so as soon as Pac-Man enters the block, he can't get out. I fixed that. I also removed the half-card movement, so the Pac-Man can only move within the center of the paths, as you would expect. Can you try it now, please? dZ. cc_test2.zip Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: Joe Zbiciak To: DZ-Jay Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:23:16 -0600 dZ, Yep, the one hanging location is fixed. I did find another... --Joe Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: DZ-Jay To: Joe Zbiciak Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:28:53 -0500 Gosh, I saw that one, sorry. I think that's all of those. The "maze" is defined as an ASCII map with exit attributes. What you are finding are those boo-boos such as this: ........ .######. ........ #......# ...^.... #......# ........ #......# .....>.. #......# ...v.... #......# ........ #......# ........ .######. Where a tile has an open exit pointing to a wall. I think there aren't any more. I'm working now on a simple Auto-Pilot script to move the Ghost around the maze. That way I don't have to worry about AI (at least not for the ghost). dZ. Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: Joe Zbiciak To: DZ-Jay Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:36:02 -0600 On Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 8:28 PM, DZ-Jay wrote: > Gosh, I saw that one, sorry. I think that's all of those. Cool. > The "maze" is defined as an ASCII map with exit attributes. What > you are finding are those boo-boos such as this: > > ........ .######. > ........ #......# > ...^.... #......# > ........ #......# > .....>.. #......# > ...v.... #......# > ........ #......# > ........ .######. Ah yes, that makes sense. You can make similar sorts of "inconsistent world data" in Space Patrol by placing rocks and craters too near each other. Leads to some fun graphics glitches. > Where a tile has an open exit pointing to a wall. I think there > aren't any more. I'm working now on a simple Auto-Pilot script > to move the Ghost around the maze. That way I don't have to worry > about AI (at least not for the ghost). Coolness! :-) --Joe Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: DZ-Jay To: Joe Zbiciak Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:54:43 -0500 OK, got the script ready! The Ghost goes on a pre-determined pattern, and your goal is to avoid him. Right now, collisions are not being checked, so it's just visual. Collisions are detected easily with the Pac-Man engine: it's a matter of comparing the virtual tile coordinates of the sprites after every move. Attached is the latest build with the Ghost script. In case you are curious, I have attached the script file. I also include the maze source file, in case you feel adventurous and want to play with the configuration (or search for more inconsistencies). I can honestly say that this silly, simple game is about 80% complete! dZ. cc_test3.zip Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: DZ-Jay To: Joe Zbiciak Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 22:01:00 -0500 Oops! There's a rather big bug: When you eat an energi^H^H^H^H^H^Hmagical snowflake, the ghost disappears after flashing white. I went cleaning up the code that loops through four ghosts at a time and I may have messed up something there. I'll deal with it tomorrow. Talk to you later! dZ. Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: Joe Zbiciak To: DZ-Jay Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:02:34 -0600 I was just about to report that. Guess you found it on your side. :-) Yeah, the AI state machine stuff can be easy to mess up in unique ways. I remember having some weird crashes in SP when trying to get ships to exit, for example. Subject: Re: Pac-Man auto-pilot test From: DZ-Jay To: Joe Zbiciak Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 06:42:53 -0500 OK. I fixed the frightened color issue. Although in this mini game, the frightened mode should just make the elf twinkle (for invincibility) instead of changing the ghost. I also altered the script to introduce pauses every so often, where the Ghost looks around. Sometimes he does a "double-take" before moving It's all definitely non-random, but my focus is to use my already existing assets, and I don't have any AI or random elements pre-fab. I'll spend some more time in the maze (my wife wants me to add Christmas trees), and then I'll start working on collisions. Oh, and a slight change of title. The game is now "Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost of Christmas Presents." Carol is the elf, you see. (Please don't kill me dZ. cc_test4.zip

Christmas Carol vs. The World! Christmas Championship Extravaganza - 2014 With the closing of the year, so we close another season of the high-score championship. With a fantastic turn out and great participation throughout the month, we celebrate another successful and most enjoyable contest. The other judges and I have reviewed all entries, and it is now with great pleasure that I announce the official winners of the 2014 Championship. As always, you can see the full list of participants, the winners, and their achievements in the Official Carol vs. The World! Championship leaderboard page. Please visit the Prizes section of the contest page for more information on the awards. And now, without further ado, I present to you, the winners in all their resplendent glory: Grand Prize: Top Ranking Elf: Fushek - 29,159 Fushek is not only the top ranking player in this year's competition, but he is also one of three players who have rolled over the color-coded score display twice! Plus, he also beat the previous Christmas Carol High Score World Record! Top Rank Prize: Top Master Elf: grips03 - 14,325 Top Ranger Elf: Darrin9999 - 4,904 Top Helper Elf: Emerson - 3,086 Top Novice Elf: stupus - 1,574 Runners Up: Top Elite Master Elves: Oscar G. - 9,463 Scalpel - 7,079 bcprs1 - 6,442 pimpmaul69 - 5,702 Top Elite Ranger Elves: JasonlikesINTV - 4,036 Yeliz K. - 3,043 Top Elite Helper Elves: Wilson T. Oyama (a.k.a. oyamafamily) - 2,933 TrekMD - 2,635 Canonitis - 2,459 Iwantgames:) - 1,898 Top Elite Novice Elves: ChefPepper - 1,277 zapiy - 1,185 Gorfy - 1,158 RetroAl - 1,154 BalloonFighter - 1,105 Special Honors: I've said many times that all scores in the championship are high scores, and this year we decided to recognize all those first-time Novice Elves who tried very hard but were still overshadowed by the fantastic scores of veterans and other skilled players. New participants are the spark that lights up our community, and we want to prove to you and everybody that your scores are just as important. For this, we've created a new honorary rank with a special prize, just for you: Top Elite Rookie Elves: JoeMusashi - 1,011 save2600 - 549 First Spear - 548 Milinea - 538 Greyfox - 504 Congratulations to all Rookie Elves, and welcome! Achievements: Along with the prizes, we've also awarded some extra-special virtual achievements to recognize some outstanding accomplishments this season. These are also posted in the official leaderboard for all the world to see. Overachiever Extraordinaire: The participant who earned the most achievements by far. Oscar G. (34 achievements) High Elf-Esteem: The participant with the most marked score improvement throughout the championship. Fushek (From 7,480 to 29,159 points) Workaholic Elf: The participant who played for the most consecutive days. Darrin9999 (31 consecutive days--that's the entire month of December!) Prolific Elf: The participant who submitted the most individual entries. pimpmaul69 (71 entries) Higher Elf-Esteem: The participant with the highest average score from his first entry to his last. Fushek (From 7,480 to 29,159 points in 31 days) Head Of The Class: The participant who advanced through the most ranks throughout the championship. pimpmaul69 (5 ranks) Busy Bee: The participant who played for the most days throughout the championship. Darrin9999 (31 days--that's the entire month of December!) Rookie Of The Year: The first time participant with the highest average Novice Elf score. zapiy (From 121 to 1,185 points in only 12 days) Rookie Overachiever: The first time participant who earned the most achievements as a Novice Elf. ChefPepper (11 achievements) On behalf of myself, the judges, and the AtariAge leadership, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the competition. I hope you all had as much fun and enjoyment as we did. Thank you not only for playing the Christmas Carol game, but also for sharing your progress and for maintaining the spirit of community and camaraderie that we all cherish. It is this spirit that turns a simple high-score contest into a magical experience year after year! See you all next year! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Last Updated: 01/12/2014 - 05:45:00

Christmas Carol vs. The World! Christmas Championship Extravaganza - 2013 With the closing of the year, the championship has ended; and once again it was a resounding success! We had a much higher turn out than last year, great participation throughout the month, and it seems everyone had a great and joyful time. The other judges and I have reviewed all entries, and it is now with great pleasure that I announce the official winners of the championship. You can see the full list of participants, the winners, and their achievements in the Official Carol vs. The World! Leaderboard page. Please visit the Prizes section of the Christmas Carol web site for more information on the awards. Grand Prize: Top Ranking Elf: Liduario (a.k.a LidLikesIntellivision) - 23,205 Liduario is not only the top ranking player in this year's competition, but he also roll-over the color-coded score display twice, plus he now holds the Christmas Carol High Score World Record! Top Rank Prize: Top Master Elf: Fushek - 10,863 Top Ranger Elf: Scalpel - 4,159 Top Helper Elf: ebelhaki - 2,433 Top Novice Elf: Felson42 - 1,209 Runners Up: Top Elite Master Elves: arquillos - 8,714 Jesus - 8,108 Oscar G. - 7,619 Top Elite Ranger Elves: grips03 - 4,047 mphokie - 4,026 SBAZ - 3,716 Karima K. - 3,206 JasonLikesINTV - 3,150 Top Elite Helper Elves: TrekMD - 2,283 1980gamer - 2,159 Yeliz K. - 2,059 Gorfy - 1,960 JacobZuz7zu7 - 1,808 Top Elite Novice Elves: Wilson T. Oyama - 1,180 voltron - 1,147 Loktar - 1,134 Nour K. - 1,044 intvsteve - 889 Along with the prizes, we've also awarded some extra-special virtual achievements to recognize some outstanding accomplishments this season: Overachiever Extraordinaire: The participant who earned the most achievements by far. Liduario (30 achievements in total) High Elf-Esteem: The participant with the most marked score improvement throughout the championship. Liduario (From 2,758 to 23,205 points) Workaholic Elf: The participant who played for the most consecutive days. mphokie (14 consecutive days played) Prolific Elf: The participant who submitted the most individual entries. SBAZ (46 entries in total) Higher Elf-Esteem: The participant with the highest average score from his first entry to his last. arquillos (From 4,667 to 8,714 points in only 6 days) Head Of The Class: The participant who advanced through the most ranks throughout the championship. Oscar G. (5 ranks in all) Busy Bee: The participant who played for the most days throughout the championship. Fushek (21 days played) On behalf of Left Turn Only Productions and the Intellivision High Score Club, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the competition. I hope you all had as much fun and enjoyment as I did. Thank you not only for playing the Christmas Carol game, but also for sharing your progress, and for maintaining the spirit of community and camaraderie that we all cherish. It truly was another magical experience! See you all next year! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I just received a copy of the English edition of the Revival homebrew magazine, Issue #45, which showcases Christmas Carol in a wonderful review by Michael Thomasson, of Good Deal Games. The French edition has another review by editor RayXambeR. Both give the game an 8 out of 10, and offer some very nice compliments. (shucks!) Below is a photo of the two page spread on the magazine, for those who don't have a copy. That said, Revival is an outstanding magazine, published quarterly, covering the homebrew scene of all retro-consoles--including our very own Intellivision scene! It is always a good idea to support their efforts. You can find out more information about the publication on their web site. Thanks to Michael and Cyril--and all other reviewers as well--for giving my game a chance and for taking the time and effort to write their reviews. Thanks also to all who played the game. I'm really overjoyed by the community response. -dZ.

Just a quick heads-up: The big moving day is finally here. The last few weeks, I've been sorting and purging and packing and sorting and purging and packing. I've been interleaving that with a day job and shipping game orders. Now the big day is finally here. That means I need to take down the network tonight. We should be back up Thursday or Friday, depending on how quickly AT&T gets our Internet connection back up and how quickly I get the Left Turn Only Information Services Department back up and running. (Well, ok, just the web server—an aging AMD Duron system—but still...) Anyway, I've asked dZ to kindly host the ordering page for me, so you should still be able to order Christmas Carol. And, since I'll be off work for the rest of the year starting Saturday, your orders will go out quickly. However, my domains— http://leftturnonly.info/ , http://spacepatrol.info/ , http://spatula-city.org/ , and so on—will be offline for the next few days. We're coming back though once everything's good on the other side. Thanks for your patience!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! Check out our big announcement in the HSC forum, and see what all the fuss is about! Joy to the World. Peace on Earth. And ROM's for all Mankind.

Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost Of Christmas Presents Following some false starts and many delays, I am very proud and happy to announce that the game Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost Of Christmas Presents is finally available for sale to the general public. Christmas Carol is a wholly new and original game concept for the Intellivision® Master Component, designed and programmed by James Pujals (a.k.a "DZ") and professionally produced by Left Turn Only Productions. As Carol Greenleaf, one of Santa's most trusted elves, you must explore the dark and frozen Ice-Cube Caverns to retrieve all the presents before the Evil Snowman returns. Packed with whimsical charm and exciting arcade action, Christmas Carol offers fun for kids and adults alike, and is destined to become an instant classic! The game comes complete with instruction booklet printed on high-quality glossy paper, and hand-controller overlays, all packaged in a glorious "gate-fold" style box. For more information on the game, or to place and order, please visit the official Christmas Carol web site at: http://www.CarolVsGhost.com/ The game is sold directly by Left Turn Only, LLC. Make sure to visit their site for information on additional game titles and other products available for sale. Also, visit the official game site often to stay abreast of the latest development in the world of Christmas Carol. "Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost of Christmas Presents" the game, title, characters, and all other related material are wholly owned by James Pujals, a.k.a. "DZ-Jay". The game cartridge is produced and distributed by Left Turn Only, LLC. INTELLIVISION® is a trademark of Intellivision Productions, Inc. - Neither James Pujals nor LTO are affiliated in any way with Intellivision Productions, Inc.

Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost Of Christmas Presents Following some false starts and many delays, I am very proud and happy to announce that the game Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost Of Christmas Presents is finally available for sale to the general public. Christmas Carol is a wholly new and original game concept, designed and programmed by James Pujals (a.k.a "DZ") and professionally produced by Left Turn Only Productions. As Carol Greenleaf, one of Santa's most trusted elves, you must explore the dark and frozen Ice-Cube Caverns to retrieve all the presents before the Evil Snowman returns. Packed with whimsical charm and exciting arcade action, Christmas Carol offers fun for kids and adults alike, and is destined to become an instant classic! The game comes complete with instruction booklet printed on high-quality glossy paper, and hand-controller overlays, all packaged in a glorious "gate-fold" style box. For more information on the game, or to place and order, please visit the official Christmas Carol web site at: http://www.CarolVsGhost.com/ The game is sold directly by Left Turn Only, LLC. Make sure to visit their site for information on additional game titles and other products available for sale. Also, visit the official game site often to stay abreast of the latest development in the world of Christmas Carol. Thank you all for your patience. It's been a wild and difficult ride to this point, but we've made it. I hope you all enjoy the game as much as I've enjoyed making it. It truly is a fun and charming game. Regards, dZ.

After almost 20 months of anticipation, Left Turn Only Productions proudly presents, Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost Of Christmas Presents A new and original game, packed with retro-arcade game action. The game will be released in cartridge, packed in a beautiful "gate-fold" style box, complete with full-color glossy manual and hand-controller overlays. Carol will make her grand debut at the Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, so if any of you are attending, please stop buy the Left Turn Only/Elektronite booth. We will have few games and other goodies ready to sell. General release and online purchase options will be announced later in the official web site for the game, at: http://www.ChristmasCarolTheGame.com http://www.CarolVsGhost.com So bookmark the page, and watch this space, and remember... The children of the world are counting on you. Can you save Christmas?