potatohead Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 These screenies highlight something I've always liked about Atari. The sprites! When used in their most potent form, they are simple, single colored things. If a lot of texture exists in the background, and that means detail and color, having a TOTALLY DIFFERENT set of colors and LUMAS to work with, really makes the active game elements stand out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Here too - especially the sound/music in 'Slap Flight' or 'Terracresta' is very anaemic: The remaining two channelswhen there is need for a sound effect are a joke and would led me in turning speakers off. And now please your kick ass A8 games... nothing? oh I'm sorry... Alternate Reality Rescue on Fractalus The Eidolon Ballblazer Shall I continue? I can list others... None of that games is "kick ass" in my eyes. You guys are all blinded by 20++ years of anti-commodore propaganda. And you guys are completely unskilled crap people too. please die now. spinnst du jetzt völlig??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Re: Won't be able to get this stuff. Man, ain't that the truth? I've been saving for at least the SIO2PC deal, if not the SIO2SD. (probably the latter) Right now is a good time for 8bitters. Best enjoy it because it's probably the peak. Who knows though? That peak may go a while... DEFINITELY get the SIO2PC first, and may I suggest the more-expensive ($50) USB version over the serial ($30) version. My old laptop computer was essentially slow garbage, and wouldn't bring anything if I wanted to sell it. Well, it's mint condition because I don't thrash my computers - but we all know how worthless 10 year old laptops are. But it's 10 years old and doesn't have RS-232!! I had been wanting SIO2PC for a long time, but I lacked the skills to build the original Nick Kennedy version myself. I got busy going back to school and working, and didn't follow the A8 developments for some time. When I "got back into it" a couple of years ago, I was astounded and thrilled! The USB SIO2PC is the most remarkable peripheral I have ever seen for ANY computer, PERIOD. The old laptop has suddenly become a valuable member of my computer equipment again. It's pretty much an Atari peripheral now. I like being able to have 8 "drives" on the Atari - each a disk image selected with a single mouse click. The "Atari Peripheral Emulator" software is incredibly intuitive and extremely easy to use. Who the hell needs 8 drives? I normally don't, but you can put 8 of your favorite disc images in there - one in each slot - and "swap" them in any way you want, without having to dig through directories, etc. What I mean is, if there are 8 disc images I really like to use a lot, I have them selected as D1 through D8 and then just swap D1 with whichever I want at the moment and it becomes the new D1. I never have to search for anything! I know this is old news for everyone here, but just want to put out the opinion on how badass SIO2PC is. It's so much cheaper than SIOSD, too. So if I had neither, I'd get SIO2PC. Now, I really like SIO2SD and I hope Loether (sp??) keeps making them. My trouble is, I just blew the wad on a bunch of Commodore stuff!!! Oh my god, I hope I don't get burned at the stake!!! for me similar happened... when I got my Atari ST and found out that the Sio2PC adapter worked with a special software on ST I was back in my 8bit coding as I started to code again...on 130xe with 1mb ram and Macro Ass XE... art assets could be transfered to ST easily and the discs back to PC and public... (there you can see my 1990+ productions... all coded nativly... ) then in 97/98 I got my first win98 laptop from Toshiba and I got the APE software and boom... I still got it as a server for my coding stuff... this laptop was used even in 98ff for playing around with Sony PSX... and agreed with Rybags... SIO2PC plus Ape was/is the way to go... I still have the laptop in place as an retro server for A8 (ok...less now as I have Sio2USB now from Abbuc) and use it for c64 file transfer via XE1541 cable... but this brought me back into retro coding more than f.e. a HD interface (i have one IDE thing for A8 but never used it) or more RAM or Dual pokey... How does the 13-pin SIO connector connect to Atari ST (which port)? I know joystick port on ST is very slow (using ikbd interface). can remember exactly but as my code was saved on hard disc it does not connect to the scsi port or what ever it was. so i suspect it was the serial port with an adapter? the software was called dj800 as far as I remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnacle boy Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 TIGER ATTACKThis game have nice graphics. Has a great feature that I didn't see on any C64 vertical shooter: the screen have horizontal scroll too, letting gain some space on screen, the playability increase with this feature, it looks great when you play. Flying Shark on the c64 does the same thing - lets the screen scroll horizontally, giving the player a bit more room to move. It's also another example of a scrolling shooter that scrolls the colour map. Hard as nails though. Tiger Attack looks like it's probably an unofficial knock-off of Flying Shark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 btw. Albert should lock the damned thread so people get not pissed off... I fully respect all here, even Fröhn as (since for years imho very 50:50 compared to the both machines) but his last posts let me thought of someone else got his account??? never have seen him go personal nor even be assaulting people or sexual orientation?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allas Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) TIGER ATTACKThis game have nice graphics. Has a great feature that I didn't see on any C64 vertical shooter: the screen have horizontal scroll too, letting gain some space on screen, the playability increase with this feature, it looks great when you play. Flying Shark on the c64 does the same thing - lets the screen scroll horizontally, giving the player a bit more room to move. It's also another example of a scrolling shooter that scrolls the colour map. Hard as nails though. Tiger Attack looks like it's probably an unofficial knock-off of Flying Shark. Yes, very similar both. I think, at least Tiger Attack could be inspired in this game. A good found with FLYING SHARK, a little reduction on screen size zone but works fine. Edited April 25, 2009 by Allas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogstar_robot Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I fully respect all here, even Fröhn as (since for years imho very 50:50 compared to the both machines) but his last posts let me thought of someone else got his account??? never have seen him go personal nor even be assaulting people or sexual orientation?????? I'm going to agree with that until shenanigans with his account are ruled out. Much of what he has posted has been heated but respectful. The personal pottymouthing is very out of character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnacle boy Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 A good found with FLYING SHARK, a little reduction on screen size zone but works fine. Yeah I guess they went with the narrower screen (ie: narrower than most c64 vertical shmups) to try to make the orientation a little more like the arcade original. Used to love playing this at the local hamburger shop... even if it kept kicking my butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 i played flying shark very often but do not like Tiger Attack due to the mono sprites... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatohead Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Maybe he just caught a bad mood. It happens. If it happens consistently, something is wrong then. Don't see that yet. One point in favor of NOT locking this thread (actually a couple) The stuff is gonna go somewhere. Right now it's here. So then, if that doesn't fit your groove, it's pretty easy to just not check it out, right? That's what I've done over the LONG time this thread has been going. If I'm actually pissed, I'll just move along and chill. NOTHING said on this thread should permanently piss anyone off. Like I wrote earlier, it's feisty, but not ruinous. Getting a bit feisty, then feeling the challenge has brought some interesting discussion in. I kind of like the gems, when they happen. Would be a shame for them not to happen. To those I've had a play with: I don't hate anyone. If you are pissed proper, send me a down right righteous PM, and let's settle it. Then, feeling a bit better, we continue on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irgendwer Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) ...the software was called dj800 as far as I remember. Your commemoration is correct (800XL DeeJay), it was programmed by my friend Kolja (still passive A8 player) and my humble self. I did even a special Falcon version with 'Screen-Eye' (video digitizer) support too - felt like an emulator... Sorry for the bug that prevent you from accessing the last sector on a disk. I fixed that later on, but this version was never published. CU Irgendwer Edited April 25, 2009 by Irgendwer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 btw. Albert should lock the damned thread so people get not pissed off... Agreed. The fanboyism displayed by both sides makes me sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emkay Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 i played flying shark very often but do not like Tiger Attack due to the mono sprites... ´ Well, Tiger Attack did fit into the main boot of a cassete loader. So what? It was some of those "last tries" to have a game commercially available for the A8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emkay Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) When thinking about a good v-scroller , I'd think of "Xevious" and "FLAK" ... And not to forget "L.A. SWAT" Edited April 25, 2009 by emkay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 ...the software was called dj800 as far as I remember. Your commemoration is correct (800XL DeeJay), it was programmed by my friend Kolja (still passive A8 player) and my humble self. I did even a special Falcon version with 'Screen-Eye' (video digitizer) support too - felt like an emulator... Sorry for the bug that prevent you from accessing the last sector on a disk. I fixed that later on, but this version was never published. CU Irgendwer oh, really??? freaking cool... it was a dream except it was not ATR compatibel... Really Unreal, Carpe Demo and Abbuc Intros were coded with the tool! Thx! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emkay Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 What really could be possible with vertical scrollers? This demo shows some interesting thing... It uses gr. 9 and gr. 15 interlace . Which means it uses a huge amount of CPU cycles to have 16 colours on the screen. It uses big software sprites and the game runs on a playable speed... What do people wait for , doing a vertical scroller with gr. 9 in the background and multiplexing the PMg, instead ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emkay Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Well, what was really possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atariksi Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Also, they did NOT have a single model C64!!! What about the 64C!! HA!! NOT a single model!!! Unlike the Atari, which changed the hardware specs (CTIA to GTIA, different slots, different RAM, different joystick ports, etc), Commodore just repackaged the C64's hardware into a new shell to make the 64C look like the 128. So for the case of this discussion, they're the same computer. There's nothing wrong with upgrading if it's backward compatible. GTIA is backward compatible with CTIA (perhaps some artifacting difference). Joystick ports are the same (just 2 now instead of 4 earlier). RAM is backward compatible and one reason why games targetted for machines fit in 16K or less. All PCs are backward compatible still going back to DOS stuff from 1980s (you'll just have to boot from floppy). I think Commodore was making more machines incompatible. Seems like you missed the point, even though you explained why it can be an issue with the "16K or less" comment. If you're a developer and want your game to run on the most systems(and thus increase possible sales), then you ignore the extra features. Same thing happened with the C128, because it was backward compatible not a lot of software was written to take advantage of it's expanded abilities (extra RAM, faster CPU, 80 columns). In the case of the C64 and 64C, they're the same system - developers don't have to ignore features. Well, Atari 65XE, 800XL are basically same system, but my point is you have a lot more incompatible systems by Commodore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atariksi Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 TIGER ATTACKThis game have nice graphics. Has a great feature that I didn't see on any C64 vertical shooter: the screen have horizontal scroll too, letting gain some space on screen, the playability increase with this feature, it looks great when you play. Flying Shark on the c64 does the same thing - lets the screen scroll horizontally, giving the player a bit more room to move. It's also another example of a scrolling shooter that scrolls the colour map. Hard as nails though. Tiger Attack looks like it's probably an unofficial knock-off of Flying Shark. Yes, very similar both. I think, at least Tiger Attack could be inspired in this game. A good found with FLYING SHARK, a little reduction on screen size zone but works fine. Well, Atari gets the edge in using less CPU power in scrolling... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irgendwer Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 oh, really??? freaking cool... it was a dream except it was not ATR compatibel... To be honest, I'm still not very content with the ATR format and plan to specify a better one for my upcoming 'SIO2WinCE' (working title). I've got a neat Jornada 680 - the series is equiped with a serial port, a standard SIO2PC cable works without problems - which already performs quite well with my test app. These devices are very cheap to get 'on' the 'biggest recycling centre in the world' and thanks to WinCE start without booting time (this was also an argument in this thread I remember). Additionally the display capabilities are much better than many other 'small' (SD-Card-) SIO solutions . All the years I thought that it would be nice to have a disk file-format with more informations about the content - like ID3 for MP3 files. Tags like 'creator' or 'screen shot' came to my mind but also such necessary things like 'should be booted with option/basic off' or 'is high speed SIO compatible' : All this annoying settings which prevent to load e.g. a game in an emulator straight away... Anyhow, thank you for your feedback. Nice, that the DJ made sense... CU Irgendwer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emkay Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 A good found with FLYING SHARK, a little reduction on screen size zone but works fine. Yeah I guess they went with the narrower screen (ie: narrower than most c64 vertical shmups) to try to make the orientation a little more like the arcade original. If so, why did they reduce even the heidth of the screen ? It's always the same fact. The screen is reduced by some hw limitations. 114x192 10 colours... My guess: the "graphics" to the right side is based on a reused Sprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I think this should settle things once and for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allas Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I think this should settle things once and for all. For any additional doubt: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I think this should settle things once and for all. For any additional doubt: And who wouldn't be begging their parents for one on their hands and knees after seeing this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artlover Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I think this should settle things once and for all. For any additional doubt: So now we're comparing the cheapened cost reduced Atari, the 65XE, that came out 3 years later to the C64. One of my "favorite" quotes... "Flight Simulator needs computer power. Only the XE has it". Hahahahahahaha C64 Atari Hahahahahahaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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