7800 'Space Duel' and 'Asteroids Deluxe' Questions/Problems

[GameGeezer]

Hi all,

 

I'm very interested in picking up the 7800 homebrews of 'Space Duel', 'Asteroids Deluxe' and 'Space Invaders', but I have a few issues, primarily problems testing the former two out.

 

The 'Asteoids' series has always been and still remains to this day, my favourite arcade series. I spent many quarters in them when they originally came out in arcades and at one time I owned all three games, including both upright and table 'Asteroids' systems. The upright was the original coin door model too, but that went west along with my 'Space Duel' (see below). Thus, the idea of a home port of 'Space Duel, even lacking some features is very intriguing and appealing to me, but alas, I'd lie to try it out before I invest in it in cartridge format.

 

The problem you ask? I can't seem to get it to run in an emulator. Oy veh! I hate emulation in the first place, and play games on actual hardware routinely. This is why I'd like to buy the carts, and I already plan to buy the 7800 SI, but I'd like to order them all simultaneously.

 

My question: What emulator will run 'Space Duel' and 'Asteroids Deluxe'? I've tried them both in ProSystem (v1.3) and EMU7800. I know that the emus are functional, as I was able to run some test ROMs, but attempting to load either 'Space Duel'. or 'Asteroids Deluxe' seems to be impossible. Both either give some form or error or simply a black screen. No title, no gameplay, no nothing. I installed the emulators this week purely to check out these titles, and I'm at a loss as to what's happening.

 

Thus, I guess that my question is twofold: Are either game supported in either emulator, and if so, what could be causing this? Do I need to convert them from .bin or .a78 format to something else? I downloaded the images here, so I'm using those, and the 7800 system ROM, which I also found here.

 

I'd love to check them out to see if they give me the experience that I lose when I loaned out my 'Space Duel' machine to a thief, never to see it again. I do have an 'asteroids Deluxe. upright, but I need to repair it, so at present it is not in use. I think that one of the caps on the mainboard is missing, so at the least I'll have to repair that. It has been in storage for ages and after attempting to set it up again, it's toast.

 

At least my 'Asteroids' cocktail is working...well, mostly. For some reason, it glitches in 2P mode and the screen refuses to flip properly, but that is all subject matter for another day.

 

Does anybody know how to run 'Space Duel' and 'Asteroids Deluxe' in an emulator, and if so, which one to use? (Hopefully not MESS...) Lastly, do the carts run on normal hardware, or do they require system modification?

 

My thanks in advance. You have a wonderful community here and I am happy to begin including myself within it!

 

-Geezer

[GroovyBee]

What version of ProSystem are you using? If you search the forums the latest 1.3e. Ideally you want to load files that have the *.a78 extension because they have extra information to help the emulator out with the correct configuration.

 

All homebrew carts released to date will run on stock machines. Anything extra required like more RAM or a POKEY are included on the cart PCB.

[HammR25]

If you use the Spacduel.A78 file out of the zip in the post on this page you shouldn't have a problem.

 

Just make sure you don't download the one with the "P" on the end of zip file name as that's the PAL version.

 

Same goes for Asteroids Deluxe here.

[GameGeezer]

If you use the Spacduel.A78 file out of the zip in the post on this page you shouldn't have a problem.

 

Just make sure you don't download the one with the "P" on the end of zip file name as that's the PAL version.

 

Same goes for Asteroids Deluxe here.

 

Works like a champ now. I'll have to give them a little spin, but the initial reaction is fantastic! I'm glas to hear that the 7800 doesn't need any add-ons to run them, and i will definitely pick up the carts.

 

I did not a slight bug in 'Space Duel', that when you lose a ship, you can materialize directly inside an enemy or right next to one for a double-death, so you don't have the couple seconds of invulnerability that should be there, which prevents this as I recall. Also, the initial pinwheel enemies could be a tad cleaner, but otherwise, it looks great.

 

I may also want to mod the ROM of 'Asteroids Deluxe' to switch from green to blue colour. Of course, on a monitor, i can always just switch the hue about. For those who don't know, the original machine has a backdrop, with a blue filtre and a mirror. The monitor is placed in such a way that it projects an image of the screen at the angled mirror, creating blue vector graphics against the 3-D looking background. It was a very wicked-looking concept and looks amazing on a restored upright machine. These features didn't exist on the cocktail and cabaret versions though, which is why I own the full upright machine.

 

I may need to order a new mainboard if I can't repair the ones that I have, and after all the years in storage, it may need other work, so at least now I can have the 7800 version for my sitting room. I don't know if the original programmer has any interest in furthering the work on these two, but I have one last suggestions:

 

A difficulty option for starting number of ships / points for an extra ship, like the DIP switches on the arcades.

 

It would also be neat to try to replicate the backdrop, muted out, to replicate the arcade, but this may prove too difficult to add.

 

Other than that, they look vibrant, the gameplay is smooth and exciting, and they show what could have been done if Atari has been putting out good arcade ports rather than trying to modernize games. 'Asteroids. doesn't need solid-looking objects...it should have always been no more than this: a simple, direct port of the original vector style converted over to raster-baaed images.

 

Now all we need is a port of the original 'Asteroids' and we'll have the full triad. I'm very excited about 'DK Arcade' for the CV. I need to have a chat with the programmers of these two titles and 'DK Arcade' about another project for a different platform...

 

I have my own ideas as well.

 

-Geezer

[PacManPlus]

Hi Geezer:

 

In Space Duel, you actually do have a few seconds on invulnerability upon re-materializing... Just don't touch the controller or it cancels out.

The Pinwheels were as good (as I could get them) with the resolution I had. I actually took the objects from a screen capture of the original game and scaled them down to the resolution I needed (I believe it was 10x16) to use them. The pinwheels needed the most work after the scaling so that may be why they look the way they do.

 

In Asteroids Deluxe, I don't know why I chose green... I think at the time the color palette in ProSystem was off so it looked 'teal' to me.

 

Also, the original Asteroids *is* hidden inside of Asteroids Deluxe... You may have to search here for how to trigger it.

 

Thanks for the compliments!

Bob

[PAC-MAN PRIME]

I've had these games since their release, and I didn't know about the Asteroids Deluxe secret 'til now. Searched the forum and found the trick, just tried it out, and wow! That is awesome!!! I was actually hoping this would be done sometime, so what a surprise to know it was there all along! hehe

 

I would still buy a cart of original vector Asteroids though, if one would ever be made.

[tremoloman2006]

Also, the original Asteroids *is* hidden inside of Asteroids Deluxe... You may have to search here for how to trigger it.

 

Awww man... I didn't know that! Somebody give us a hint! PLEASE?

[mimo]

something to do with pressing pause when you turn on the system iirc (or was that for a different game)

[Hydro Thunder]

Thank you for posting help on this thread, guys. I'd had the same trouble with the roms from the main AtariAge store, and those links got what I needed. Downside: Now I HAVE to buy Asteroids Deluxe, in addition to the copy of Space Duel I got at CGE 2K10. What an amazing piece of work, it just looks absolutely incredible.

[JonnyBritish]

Thank you for posting help on this thread, guys. I'd had the same trouble with the roms from the main AtariAge store, and those links got what I needed. Downside: Now I HAVE to buy Asteroids Deluxe, in addition to the copy of Space Duel I got at CGE 2K10. What an amazing piece of work, it just looks absolutely incredible.

 

 

Is there a ROM for the Pacman collection on the 7800, I would like to try before ordering a copy

[mimo]

Thank you for posting help on this thread, guys. I'd had the same trouble with the roms from the main AtariAge store, and those links got what I needed. Downside: Now I HAVE to buy Asteroids Deluxe, in addition to the copy of Space Duel I got at CGE 2K10. What an amazing piece of work, it just looks absolutely incredible.

 

 

Is there a ROM for the Pacman collection on the 7800, I would like to try before ordering a copy

 

yep

http://www.atariage.com/forums/forum/68-atari-7800-hacks/