Opcode prototype auctions - batch 2

[+opcode]

As probably you guys know, last year I decided to produce and sell 5 copies of 3 prototype games that I ported over the years but had no intention of commercially producing. The money generated by those two auctions is helping to finance the two hardware projects I have going for the ColecoVision.

So in order to keep the cash flow (and believe me, one of the projects is consuming a ton of money), decided to produce a new batch of prototypes.

First one is Track&Field 2, not really a follow up to the famous arcade game as the name may suggest, but actually the second half of the original arcade. The game is a port of the MSX version, and for some reason Konami decided to split the original game into two cartridges when they ported it in 1984.

Now, here is the story behind the ColecoVision port (I don't think pixelboy would mind). A couple of years ago Pixelboy asked me to port both games and to merge both into a single cartridge. Halfway during the project the deal felt through and Pixelboy decided to go ahead with just T&F1, while I kept the almost finished T&F2. So I decided to just put the final touches on it and finally release the game, though in a very limited run of 5 cartridges.

So without further ado, here is the link for the second copy of Track&Field2:

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 160542653259

[Yurkie]

As probably you guys know, last year I decided to produce and sell 5 copies of 3 prototype games that I ported over the years but had no intention of commercially producing. The money generated by those two auctions is helping to finance the two hardware projects I have going for the ColecoVision.

So in order to keep the cash flow (and believe me, one of the projects is consuming a ton of money), decided to produce a new batch of prototypes.

First one is Track&Field 2, not really a follow up to the famous arcade game as the name may suggest, but actually the second half of the original arcade. The game is a port of the MSX version, and for some reason Konami decided to split the original game into two cartridges when they ported it in 1984.

Now, here is the story behind the ColecoVision port (I don't think pixelboy would mind). A couple of years ago Pixelboy asked me to port both games and to merge both into a single cartridge. Halfway during the project the deal felt through and Pixelboy decided to go ahead with just T&F1, while I kept the almost finished T&F2. So I decided to just put the final touches on it and finally release the game, though in a very limited run of 5 cartridges.

So without further ado, here is the link for the second copy of Track&Field2:

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 160542653259

 

Your too damn good to participate in the forums, but when it's time to hawk your games your back huh?

 

I say screw you Eduardo.

 

Added Monday Feb. 7th 5:09PM EST

 

While posting to sell your games on Ebay struck me as opportunistic, I do apologize for the personal attack. Hope we can be friends.

[+opcode]

 

Your too damn good to participate in the forums, but when it's time to hawk your games your back huh?

 

I say screw you Eduardo.

 

So now you have a problem with me coming here, eh?

You didn't seem to have such a problem back when you wanted me to "sponsor" your joystick mods, when you wanted to call me to discuss your business(I suppose you thought my reputation was good enough back then).

Or when you wanted prototype ROM images for free (I still have the emails here in case you want me to refresh your memory, the last one isn't that old actually).

But since you didn't get what you wanted....

 

You know, I swore I could never let people like you ruin my enjoyment of the hobby again, so if you don't like me, it is your problem, pal....

Edited February 7, 2011 by opcode

[1980gamer]

Yurkie,

 

You could just not bid on the protos!

 

I for one am glad to see Eduardo back here in ANY way, shape or form.

 

He is the MAN! I am an Intellivision Fan, but I would buy his CV2 in a new york minute.

 

Anything I can do to make CV2 a reality.... I am in.

 

1980gamer... is 1982gamer today!

[Lendorien]

Could we keep the flaming and personality conflicts to a minimum?

 

If you have an issue with someone, take it to PM where it SHOULD be resolved Mano A Mano. Let's not air old dirty laundry in public. Frankly, a lot of us just are tired of it.

 

Thanks.

[retroillucid]

Could we keep the flaming and personality conflicts to a minimum?

 

If you have an issue with someone, take it to PM where it SHOULD be resolved Mano A Mano. Let's not air old dirty laundry in public. Frankly, a lot of us just are tired of it.

 

Thanks.

 

+1 I second this

[Yurkie]

 

Your too damn good to participate in the forums, but when it's time to hawk your games your back huh?

 

I say screw you Eduardo.

 

So now you have a problem with me coming here, eh?

You didn't seem to have such a problem back when you wanted me to "sponsor" your joystick mods, when you wanted to call me to discuss your business(I suppose you thought my reputation was good enough back then).

Or when you wanted prototype ROM images for free (I still have the emails here in case you want me to refresh your memory, the last one isn't that old actually).

But since you didn't get what you wanted....

 

You know, I swore I could never let people like you ruin my enjoyment of the hobby again, so if you don't like me, it is your problem, pal....

 

Your a cry baby and now your attempting extortion. I stand with my original comments.

[+opcode]

Yurkie,

 

You could just not bid on the protos!

 

I for one am glad to see Eduardo back here in ANY way, shape or form.

 

He is the MAN! I am an Intellivision Fan, but I would buy his CV2 in a new york minute.

 

Anything I can do to make CV2 a reality.... I am in.

 

1980gamer... is 1982gamer today!

 

Thanks, glad to hear someone still cares about my efforts. I suppose everyone here is entitled to an opinion about my person, I am just human, far from perfect and not very good dealing with people I must admit, but you Yurkie, you haven't put a fraction of the time and money I have on the ColecoVision scene.

 

I am actively working on stuff, things will be revealed at their proper time, that is what I think matters. Until there I think it is my right to come here in this open forum and post whatever I think may be of interest, even if for only a very few people.

[Yurkie]

 

I am actively working on stuff, things will be revealed at their proper time, that is what I think matters. Until there I think it is my right to come here in this open forum and post whatever I think may be of interest, even if for only a very few people.

 

Your not contributing anything, only hawking your wares on Ebay for big money. You really like to hipe your might happens. Refer to post #2.

[jblenkle]

 

Your too damn good to participate in the forums, but when it's time to hawk your games your back huh?

 

I say screw you Eduardo.

 

So now you have a problem with me coming here, eh?

You didn't seem to have such a problem back when you wanted me to "sponsor" your joystick mods, when you wanted to call me to discuss your business(I suppose you thought my reputation was good enough back then).

Or when you wanted prototype ROM images for free (I still have the emails here in case you want me to refresh your memory, the last one isn't that old actually).

But since you didn't get what you wanted....

 

You know, I swore I could never let people like you ruin my enjoyment of the hobby again, so if you don't like me, it is your problem, pal....

 

Eduardo...why are you such a hateful and vindictive person? Yurkie has a point. You pissed off a lot of people who wouldn't kiss your a** and left here in a huff vowing never to return. Then when you want to sell something you come back. No offense, but the REAL collectors here will find your stuff without you posting messages about it.

 

You've teased people here and elsewhere literally for years with promises of games and expansion modules, etc. Coleco and other companies did this too and the items never materialized. It's called vaporware. There was a lot of anticipation, disappointment and bad feelings over these products.

 

How do the people out here know that your items will ever materialize? Why should we even care as you'll only sell to your "fans" and not anyone who has ever crossed you.

 

Undoubtedly you'll fly off into another rage now and shut down development on everything, blaming everyone but yourself.

 

If Yurkie has the problem....why is he and everyone else still here and not you? You're the one who left after basically flying the finger at everyone.

 

Why don't you offer up an apology and come back and participate in this forum like the rest of us have continued to do since you left?

[Pixelboy]

Could we keep the flaming and personality conflicts to a minimum?

 

If you have an issue with someone, take it to PM where it SHOULD be resolved Mano A Mano. Let's not air old dirty laundry in public. Frankly, a lot of us just are tired of it.

 

Thanks.

 

+1 I second this

And I third it. You have a problem with Eduardo, that's your business. Don't ruin it for the rest of us.

[phattyboombatty]

Why don't we just let old problems lie, and be grateful for new developments, huh? I'm stoked that Opcode is working on some awesome stuff. It's not cheap, and very few of us have the development skills to produce such awesome retro games. If anyone has drama, post it privately instead of publicly flaming others.

[Tubular Gearhead]

---Channeling Rodney King....----

 

Can't We All Just Get Along?

[jblenkle]

---Channeling Rodney King....----

 

Can't We All Just Get Along?

 

Actually, I get along with everyone -- which speaks volumes as to who has the real problem. But I'll shut up now as my opinion is only a speck of sand in the cosmic expanse of the universe.

[newcoleco]

And I accept the anger in advance... I recognize each person's point of view as also my own. The abrupt leave and come back without any word except "buy my eBay stuff" is kinda rude. Also, in order to be on topic, we should talk about the original subject of this thread. So, to make things right, I welcome back Eduardo and ask him how far he is to a release of the 2 Coleco hardware projects that need that money.

Edited February 7, 2011 by newcoleco

[+opcode]

Eduardo...why are you such a hateful and vindictive person?

 

I don't think I am hateful. I easily loose my temper, yes, but I am not hateful.

I came here to post something I thought would of interest of a few people, this is an open forum after all. Then some guy, who now seems to hate me just because he didn't get what he wanted a few months ago, starts to publicly insult me. Who is being vindictive? I think I have the right to defend myself and expose the facts since I have been publicly offended...

 

Yurkie has a point. You pissed off a lot of people who wouldn't kiss your a** and left here in a huff vowing never to return. Then when you want to sell something you come back. No offense, but the REAL collectors here will find your stuff without you posting messages about it.

Does that means I am not allowed to post anymore?

 

You've teased people here and elsewhere literally for years with promises of games and expansion modules, etc. Coleco and other companies did this too and the items never materialized. It's called vaporware. There was a lot of anticipation, disappointment and bad feelings over these products.

Coleco was a company. I can argue that I am just an individual that do stuff during my free time. And good stuff takes time. I have always posted updates about my progress, here or on my website. It isn't like I post mockup and screenshots that never go beyond conceptual stage. Most of the things I am working on have been demoed in some form publicly.

So again, I am sorry that I cannot announce things a day and then release them the next. The only option is to not announce anything at all until it is done.

 

 

How do the people out here know that your items will ever materialize?

That is something no homebrewer can guarantee, unless again we don't show anything until it is done.

 

Why should we even care as you'll only sell to your "fans" and not anyone who has ever crossed you.

As far as I remember you are the only person I ever refused to sell something, and you know why...

 

 

Undoubtedly you'll fly off into another rage now and shut down development on everything, blaming everyone but yourself.

Actually not...

 

If Yurkie has the problem....why is he and everyone else still here and not you? You're the one who left after basically flying the finger at everyone.

Why don't you offer up an apology and come back and participate in this forum like the rest of us have continued to do since you left?

 

Apology is a good advice that you should follow, as I never got one from you.

But, yeah, you are right, apologies are in order:

So for what it is worth, I apology for my behavior here months ago during the David Harley episode. My sincere apologies for all the ColecoVision fans here that always supported me and who I might have insulted or offended or disappointed with my questionable behavior. In my defense (and knowing it isn't by any means an excuse for my actions) I have to say that the whole ROM distribution episode was very stressful and I was under a lot of pressure at the time, and that I got carried away, lost my temper and really said things I now regret.

In special I would like to apologize to retroillucid and steven tucker who really didn't deserve to get involved the way they did. In fact I would like to extend my apologies to everyone who I may have offended in the past, newcoleco, a few others, and even you mr Blenkle. We are such a small community, we may not be all friends, but we surely share the same passion and in name of that we should at least try to get all along. I hope you guys can accept me back…

 

Eduardo

[retroillucid]

When all is said....

 

 

Welcome back Eduardo! and I (we) certainly hope to see you more offen here

 

 

Cheers & peace

 

 

J-F

[Ikrananka]

So for what it is worth, I apology for my behavior here months ago during the David Harley episode. My sincere apologies for all the ColecoVision fans here that always supported me and who I might have insulted or offended or disappointed with my questionable behavior. In my defense (and knowing it isn't by any means an excuse for my actions) I have to say that the whole ROM distribution episode was very stressful and I was under a lot of pressure at the time, and that I got carried away, lost my temper and really said things I now regret.

In special I would like to apologize to retroillucid and steven tucker who really didn't deserve to get involved the way they did. In fact I would like to extend my apologies to everyone who I may have offended in the past, newcoleco, a few others, and even you mr Blenkle. We are such a small community, we may not be all friends, but we surely share the same passion and in name of that we should at least try to get all along. I hope you guys can accept me back…

Very well said Eduardo - glad to hear that you're prepared to bury the hatchet. I just hope that others are willing to do the same. As you say, we may not all be friends but we do all share a passion for the CV and I believe we should try and simply focus on that and retain a collaborative and sharing attitude.

 

So I too would like to welcome you back.

[+5-11under]

Welcome back, Eduardo. Feel free to post as much or as little as you like... . There's nothing wrong with a sales thread, either. Plenty of people around here only post here to sell things, and that's just fine.

 

I see you as a near-perfectionist, who won't let anything out the door until it reaches your high standards. That obviously takes much more time than rushing things out the door. Real life "gets in the way" too, I'm sure. The downside, of course, is that less projects get completed, and the people who really want them need to wait very long.

 

Signed,

another vaporware provider,

5-11under

 

Actually, most of my stuff is not vaporware either... just too many (good) things going on.

[newcoleco]

So... how far your hardware projects are now? the design 50% in its final form? the design done but not "printed"? it's "printed" and just need casings and packaging?

[Murph74]

I kinda don't care who gets along and who doesn't... And I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment. Assuming we're all adults here, the bickering really should be kept behind closed doors or in PM. The principals here have all made contributions in some way, shape, or form, and I thank each of you for doing so. Notably Yurkie with his mods/refurbs, Joe with his archive, and Eduardo with his software. All excellent works!

 

That said, welcome back Eduardo, and looking forward to more releases!

[+opcode]

And I accept the anger in advance... I recognize each person's point of view as also my own. The abrupt leave and come back without any word except "buy my eBay stuff" is kinda rude.

And I kind of agree, though it was never my intention to sound opportunist or anything. But I realize it may sound like that and again apologize for my rudeness.

 

Also, in order to be on topic, we should talk about the original subject of this thread. So, to make things right, I welcome back Eduardo and ask him how far he is to a release of the 2 Coleco hardware projects that need that money.

 

Excellent question. So lets see:

- SGM/Expansion module: the hardware was revised and is mostly complete now. However I still need to finish the new bankswitch cartridge that is required for most arcade ports (the one with save memory). There is also the case, what I am still saving money for. The project and tool (mold) are all very expensive. Also I am depending on Donkey Kong being completed until I can release anything.

- CV2: here I have some good news (at least it is promising). When I was about to move to the US in 2006 I made a deal with a guy in Brazil called Ademir Carchano. He is a pretty known individual in the MSX community, with literally decades of contributions, including many professional ones during the 80s. Curiously Ademir also worked on a ColecoVision project in the 80s, he commercially released a device that could allow user to download games from tape. That was a pretty big deal in the 80s, at least in Brazil where most video game stuff was pirated.

So anyway, in 2006 we had this deal, he was going to work on the much more ambitious version of the module I had back then (that is well documented in some old thread here). Unfortunately the deal felt through that same year when Ademir faced serious financial problems and was forced to move away from all his hobby stuff, including all his MSX products (back then he was selling a brand new super MSX2+ system with 1MB of RAM, double speed CPU, 50% more video RAM, among others).

Well, it seems his personal finances improved and he decided to come back a few weeks ago. However he was basically out of cash to restart his MSX projects and there was when I saw the opportunity for a new deal. So he is now back aboard and we have just started discussing plans. We want to lay down a complete spec of the machine before starting anything, but I suppose that once we agree on the specs, and have everything in place (and if we can agree upon monetary compensations), we should get a prototype soon. Ademir is far, far more experienced than me, he does those things for a living, and he has tons of experience with ColecoVision-like architectures, so it should be easy for him.

We are keeping the specs pretty down the Earth, still there are improvements like the faster CPU, better video and extra sound. It is still going to be a cartridge based machine, same cartridge format, same controllers. We also agreed on not including any mass storage device like SD cards, that is a design decision that I guess will please some and upset others, but polls and stuff always proved inconclusive, so I decide to use my personal preferences to decide the matter. And of course the new machine will be fully compatible with the CV1, as well as the SGM. At least as compatible as the new video chip allows, which based on my MSX experience is like 99%.

Of course having a prototype is a thing, manufacturing the thing is another, the mold for one is going to cost a small fortune, but I prefer to think of that later. A pain a time...

 

And I cannot resist mentioning some progress I have done on two arcade ports for the SGM, Pengo and Moon Patrol, though I will refrain of showing anything until they are fully playable… Pengo is a good deal done, perhaps 30%, while Moon Patrol is more of a tech demo right now (part of the attract mode code showing the moon buggy on a smooth scrolling moon surface, complete with animated wheels).

 

Eduardo

[retroillucid]

About the SGM case.... will it look like the unreleased SuperGame Module from Coleco?

 

Would just be awesome!

[Pixelboy]

- CV2: here I have some good news (at least it is promising). When I was about to move to the US in 2006 I made a deal with a guy in Brazil called Ademir Carchano. He is a pretty known individual in the MSX community, with literally decades of contributions, including many professional ones during the 80s. Curiously Ademir also worked on a ColecoVision project in the 80s, he commercially released a device that could allow user to download games from tape. That was a pretty big deal in the 80s, at least in Brazil where most video game stuff was pirated.

So anyway, in 2006 we had this deal, he was going to work on the much more ambitious version of the module I had back then (that is well documented in some old thread here). Unfortunately the deal felt through that same year when Ademir faced serious financial problems and was forced to move away from all his hobby stuff, including all his MSX products (back then he was selling a brand new super MSX2+ system with 1MB of RAM, double speed CPU, 50% more video RAM, among others).

Well, it seems his personal finances improved and he decided to come back a few weeks ago. However he was basically out of cash to restart his MSX projects and there was when I saw the opportunity for a new deal. So he is now back aboard and we have just started discussing plans. We want to lay down a complete spec of the machine before starting anything, but I suppose that once we agree on the specs, and have everything in place (and if we can agree upon monetary compensations), we should get a prototype soon. Ademir is far, far more experienced than me, he does those things for a living, and he has tons of experience with ColecoVision-like architectures, so it should be easy for him.

That's pretty cool news. Does André Lamothe still fit in your CV2 plans somewhere?

 

Pengo is a good deal done, perhaps 30%,

Just one small question concerning Pengo: Will you be squeezing the playfield vertically so that the arcade levels fit on the TV screen, or will you be truncating the playfields?

 

Cool to have you back, in whatever capacity.

[+cmart604]

Very cool news, thanks for the update!