TI-99/4A Whats the best games?

[Charlie_]

I've had my TI99/4A for a couple years now. My collection of games for it was a handful of modules. I always enjoyed this computer, we had one when I was very young. Recently I purchased a PEB with 32K and disk drive. I also got lucky and found in my old PC parts a floppy controller on an Adaptec card that can write / read single density. So i threw it in an old Windows 98 pc with a 360K floppy drive. This gives me the ability to make disks for the TI99/4A using TI99-PC.

 

So, Ive been downloading and making disks and playing all sorts of games on my 99. I really like the new Pitfall! its great, even if the pits open and close a touch too fast. Its an excellent port of the Coleco version. I'd love to see Smurfs next! There is Legends and Tunnels of Doom, I've been playing and enjoying. I'm hooked on the 99's version of Frogger. Also, Atari's Defender.

 

So what do all you TI-99/4A users think are the best games for this computer? I'd like to get an idea what the community thinks are the real gems for this system.

[snume]

Munchman, Parsec, TI Invaders, Tombstone City, Chisholm Trail, Alpiner, Hopper are a great place to start.

[S1500]

Anything from Atarisoft is good.

[+eebuckeye]

Frogger, Popeye, Qbert are all great.. Pitfall! is an incredible new home brew! I was always a fan of Microsurgeon also.

[+retroclouds]

I like the atarisoft and parker brother titles a lot.

My favourites are Donkey Kong, Moon patrol, Dig Dug, Frogger, Q-Bert, Popeye.

 

Also like many of the games on the assembly section of the TI-99/4A Game Shelf.

War Zone and War Zone II are real cool, so is Neverlander.

 

Glad you like my homebrew version of Pitfall

[BassGuitari]

Defender is my favorite TI-99 game. But there are some other good ones:

 

TI Invaders

Munchman

Burgertime

Donkey Kong

Car Wars

Parsec

A-Maze-Ing

Jawbreaker II

Treasure Island

[Mad Hatter]

I sort of agree with the others regarding the Atarisoft games, with the exception of Pac Man and Ms Pac Man (both are too slow), Pole Position (too jerky, low frame rate) and Picnic Paranoia (its retarded). However I really enjoy Defender, Moon Patrol, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Centipede and Jungle Hunt. Protector 2 and Shamus are okay.

 

TI games I like are ones most of the people previously mentioned including: Alpiner, Munchman, Parsec and Submarine Battle (Bang Bang Sub).

 

And some 3rd party titles I like include: Congo Bongo, Burgertime, Microsurgeon, Arcturus, Ambulance, Barrage (like Missle Command), Jumpy (like Q-bert, but I think it's better), Attack of the Creepers, War Zone, Midnite Mason, and the list goes on. But those are the ones I seem to find myself playing the most!). Like someone else mentioned the Parker Bros games are all very good, my favorite being Frogger.

 

 

So what do all you TI-99/4A users think are the best games for this computer? I'd like to get an idea what the community thinks are the real gems for this system.

[littleman jack]

Parsec

Donkey Kong

Centipede

Moon Patrol

Munchman

Protector 2

and I loved Hunt the Wumpus in the day, but not sure if I'd still like it now.

[Bones-69]

I think TI Invaders is the best Invaders game released on any platform. THE BEST!

 

I am also a little surprised nobody has mentioned Fathom or Return To Pirates Isle..... RTPI was spectacular for its time.

[Buyatari]

The best game?

 

Alpiner

[+save2600]

I agree about TI Invaders being the best Space Invaders clone - bar none. As noted, almost all the Atarisoft games kick ass with exception to Picnic Paranoia. Junkman Jr., Star Runner (great Lode Runner port), Micro Pinball and Miner 2049'er are all excellent. Really, just about any of the commercial games ever produced for the system are excellent. Rare is the game that sucks IMO. Even the early stuff. Car Wars is most faithful to the arcade as well and Blasto has an awesome 2-player goodness along the likes of Combat or Bomberman.

 

Centipede and Donkey Kong are two Atarisoft titles that really stand out and offer incredible gameplay, graphics and sounds. In fact, I like TI's Centipede better than the arcade and can count on one hand how many conversions I'd ever say that about.

 

Tons of value in the Scott Adams text adventures too. Star Trek, Tunnels of Doom, Burgertime - the list really could go on and on and on

Edited May 27, 2010 by save2600

[+eebuckeye]

What arcade game is Car Wars based on?

[+save2600]

What arcade game is Car Wars based on?

Crash! by Exidy

 

http://www.arcade-mu...hp?game_id=7421

 

Munch Mobile by SNK too:

 

http://www.arcade-mu...hp?game_id=8791

 

And Treasure Island by Nihon Bussan:

 

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10187

 

...lol Just like music - nary an original concept anymore.

 

 

Edited May 27, 2010 by save2600

[Mad Hatter]

Centipede and Barrage are both great with the Wico Trackball... just recently picked one up. BTW if anyone is interested in an Atari Wico trackball drop me a line. I accidentally purchased one thinking it would work on the TI (not the case).

Edited May 27, 2010 by Mad Hatter

[+save2600]

Centipede and Barrage are both great with the Wico Trackball... just recently picked one up. BTW if anyone is interested in an Atari Wico trackball drop me a line. I accidentally purchased one thinking it would work on the TI (not the case).

FYI, that trackball should work with a home made adapter (splice and dice a couple of Sega extension cables together) or with the Wico 2600 adapter made for the TI. Not 100% positive it works in full analogue mode however - can anyone verify? Come to think of it, been a while since I played Centipede with the official TI<>Wico Trackball. Does that play with analogue controls?

[Mad Hatter]

Using the Wico adapter for the TI makes no difference when using it with an Atari version of the Wico trackball (one with the "AT" sticker on the side) on the TI, it still won't work. The TI version of the Wico trackball is actually powered, it comes with it's own AC power supply. This is something I didn't know until recently. I thought that the standard Wico adapter would work, but it does not. I got lucky and found a TI version of the trackball (with the adapter) on eBay shortly after I purchased the Atari version. I have no Atari equipment, hence the desire to get rid of the Atari version of the trackball.

 

 

Centipede and Barrage are both great with the Wico Trackball... just recently picked one up. BTW if anyone is interested in an Atari Wico trackball drop me a line. I accidentally purchased one thinking it would work on the TI (not the case).

FYI, that trackball should work with a home made adapter (splice and dice a couple of Sega extension cables together) or with the Wico 2600 adapter made for the TI. Not 100% positive it works in full analogue mode however - can anyone verify? Come to think of it, been a while since I played Centipede with the official TI<>Wico Trackball. Does that play with analogue controls?

[+save2600]

Sorry man - must have been a bad memory. I had a makeshift DIY 2600<>TI Adapter cable that I could have sworn worked with an Atari or SMS trackball. I no longer have that cable, just the Wico splitter box and indeed - it does not work. Either the joystick port does not output the necessary DC to drive those +5v optics or the splitter cable I had somehow preserved it. Probably just getting it all confused with the 2600 I had set up next to it at the time. Sorry about that

[GratedTopping]

My top TI games:

 

"Microsurgeon"

 

"Q-bert"

 

"Tennis" (a 'lost' game released on disk and, I think, cartridge far-after the TI stopped production)

 

"Computer War", based on "WarGames" movie (another 'lost' game; from Thorn EMI; released on disk and a late-released cartridge)

[Opry99er]

My top 3, no doubt...

 

Henhouse

Parsec

Tunnels of Doom.

 

ToD was the first RPG I ever played and I still hear the theme music in my sleep... I'm serious about that..

[jchase1970]

Sorry man - must have been a bad memory. I had a makeshift DIY 2600<>TI Adapter cable that I could have sworn worked with an Atari or SMS trackball. I no longer have that cable, just the Wico splitter box and indeed - it does not work. Either the joystick port does not output the necessary DC to drive those +5v optics or the splitter cable I had somehow preserved it. Probably just getting it all confused with the 2600 I had set up next to it at the time. Sorry about that

 

The TI joystick port doesn't have a +5volt. It's odd the 2 controllers read the 4 direction and 1 button presses though the same wires. It has a selector wire for each joystick, that is +5v when the joystick check is made for that stick other wise it is -5v.

 

 

TI-Invaders best Space Invaders game of the 80's

Car Wars, nice fast action.

Alpiner, The music sticks in the head forever.

Centipede, fast action, fun.

Qbert good conversion.

 

something no one has said yet I think is Shamus, very good Bezerk type game.

 

of course Parsec,

Frogger,

Star Trek was a good conversion.

 

Those are probably the best I have.

[+retroclouds]

Car Wars, nice fast action.

 

Suprisingly, Car Wars is not an assembly language game. It is written in an interpreted language called GPL (Graphics Programming Language).

GPL is noted to be slow. Well, I think Car Wars really shows that fast games are possible in GPL as well

[Opry99er]

I wish there had been more accessible info for coding in GPL.... As it stands, assembly seems much more understandable as a programming language. I wish TI BASIC had been written in 9900 assembly language.... It would be soooo much faster!!! Alas, TI chose GPL as the platfom, therefore all BASIC programs are "double interpreted" and therefore slooooow. But.... There are some great TI BASIC games that got around this. To DL a bunch of great BASIC and XB games (as well as assembly and C99) check out http://www.tigameshelf.net.

 

A couple of my own Extended BASIC games are available for download as well as retroclouds own "Pitfall" port. It's a marvellous game, extremely well done!!!

[+retroclouds]

hehe, thanks

 

As a matter of fact I've been looking at GPL a bit closer lately. That is TI-Intern and the GPL programmers manual both available here.

 

GPL does have some very nice features. They for example have the COINC instruction for doing sprite collision checks.

Something you don't want to do yourself in assembly language.

 

I dunno of this instruction was ever used though

[Retrospect]

I think Car Wars runs so fast (in GPL) because, the sprites are using auto-motion (is that a command in GPL?) ... and it only has to look at positions, locations of the sprites to turn them either of four ways. I'm guessing you could set the automotion to 32 or 48 and it would still catch nicely. I like the game too.