Pixelboy Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 I would like to start this News Bulletin by saying that this is my 4000th post on the AtariAge forums! Wow! What a milestone! And it's also the right time to share all the latest Team Pixelboy news with all of you ColecoVision fans! THE 2012 RELEASE LINEUP I would like to remind everyone that my next lineup of ColecoVision games will be released on December 25th 2012. I still don't know what the pricetag will be on each of these games, but I'm pretty sure this will be settled in early December. Anyhow, in terms of how I operate, this year will be no different than previous years: On Christmas morning, I will be sending an e-mail to everyone listed in my customer records, and from that moment on, I will operate on a first-come-first-served basis. So if you want your copies of these games, better not wait too long to reply to that Christmas e-mail once you receive it! (And please don't send me an e-mail 24 hours in advance to try to get ahead of everyone else, such e-mails will be ignored.) I won't have time to glue together a full supply of boxes between now and Christmas, so initial stocks available on release day will be limited: - Wonder Boy (40 copies out of a total of 75) - Mopiranger (40 copies out of a total of 75) - Princess Quest (40 copies out of a total of 75) - Quest for the Golden Chalice (40 copies out of a total of 100) - Dragon's Lair (SGM required) (80 copies out of a total of 100) - Zaxxon Super Game (SGM required) (60 copies out of a total of 100) - King's Valley (SGM required) (50 copies out of a total of 100) - Thexder (SGM required) (50 copies out of a total of 100) After the holiday sales rush is mostly behind me, I will glue together the remaining boxes and honor as many orders as I can with the "remainder" lot of copies. Considering that Opcode currently has close to 200 paid pre-orders for the SGM (I expect he will reach at least 220 pre-orders by next December) I can say with absolute certainty that 100 copies of Dragon's Lair and the other SGM games won't be enough to satisfy the immediate demand. You can rest assured that I will waste no time in January to order more transparent cartridge casings (and the electronics that go inside them) and prepare more copies of all the games as soon as possible, but I'm afraid a good number of you will have to be patient. I'm just a lone and humble CV homebrew publisher trying to keep his head above water, and I do have a day job. MORE COPIES OF PAST RELEASES Speaking of preparing more copies of my games, the e-mail I will send to my customers on Christmas morning will also include an offer to pre-order new copies of some of my old games which are currently sold out, namely: - Pitfall II Arcade - Track & Field - Destructor SCE - Circus Charlie - Star Force - Ninja Princess - Golgo 13 - Bank Panic - Konami's Ping-Pong I still have several copies of Gulkave in stock, and also 3 copies of Girl's Garden left, so that's why they are not listed above. I will not produce any more copies of Girl's Garden (after those last 3 copies have been sold) or Peek-a-boo because I don't have any light pink and dark pink cartridge casings left, and I have no plans to produce more. For the other games, I will produce only enough new copies to satisfy the immediate demand, so you should all consider this as a limited-time offer. If my total initial stocks of Wonder Boy, Mopiranger, Princess Quest and Quest for the Golden Chalice are not sufficient to satisfy the demand, I may produce more copies of those games as well, but it's not a sure thing yet. I'll make my decision about that in January or February, depending on demand. THE REMINDER SERVICE There is yet another item that will be included in the Christmas e-mail: I understand that I will be releasing a lot of games on the same day this year, and not everyone has pockets deep enough to buy them all on release day, especially not in this economy. Last year, I ran a layaway plan, which a lot of people used, but in the end, I had enough copies of my games for mostly everyone. This showed me that a layaway plan, with hard payment deadlines, is not really necessary. So this year, I'm going to offer a simple reminder service: I will send customers an e-mail at the end of each month, to remind them of the Team Pixelboy games that they want but haven't bought yet, and they can choose exactly when they want to buy them, even if it takes them months to come up with the money. This reminder service will NOT be a way to reserve copies of the games, however. I will still operate on a first-payed-first-served basis at all times, so if you wait too long, the games you want may be sold out by the time you're ready to pay for your order. A little discipline in your gaming budget next winter will go a long way, if you really want these games in your collection. The reminder service will be tied into the offer to buy new copies of my past games (Pitfall II Arcade, Track & Field, etc.), and also into the release of supplementary copies of the SGM-dependent games (Dragon's Lair, etc.) so the e-mail customers will receive at the end of each month will be more like a customized newsletter. LATEST NEWS CONCERNING THE SUPER ACTION SOCCER COLLECTOR MINI-CARTS I'm getting close to receiving the last couple of parts I need to complete the packaging for my Super Action Soccer Collector Mini-Carts! The overlays are printed and I attached a picture below to show you what they look like. Aside from that, I'm missing the filler piece that will be placed inside the clear plastic box, and this should be done by next Monday, if all goes well. It was supposed to be a wooden filler, but it will actually be a metal piece with a very cool feature! I'm not sure yet on exactly what date these Collector Mini-Carts will be put under auction on eBay, but I think it's safe to say that it's going to happen sometime in November. A GLIMPSE INTO NEXT YEAR If you've been keeping up with the threads devoted to the SGM in the Opcode sub-forum, you know that Eduardo and I recently reached a tentative agreement for Team Pixelboy to publish The Goonies, Knightmare, Yie Ar Kung-Fu II and Zanac for ColecoVision. All four games will require the SGM. While I'm very happy and glad to be publishing these games, it will however force me to change my plans drastically for 2013. I can't say for sure when these four new games will be released. What I wanted to do was to get all the boxes printed in mid-March, so that I could release games throughout the year instead of making people wait until Christmas 2013. I still intend to do this, but how I'm going to pull it off with these four new additions to my outsourced lineup (and the few other games that I have in the pipeline which will be announced on January 1st) is anyone's guess. I'll do my best to make it all come together. WHAT ABOUT BASICVISION? I don't even want to think about it until late next year. Besides, what would you rather have? A bunch of new games to play on your CV, or a programming language that only a select few among us will bother to use? The answer is pretty obvious, and I have to put my efforts where it counts. So I'm sending BasicVision back into its little cave and it will hibernate for another year at least. If I find the time in 2013, I'll try to do preliminary work on BV, but I expect that I'll have my hands full over the entire course of next year with the next lineup of Team Pixelboy releases. So 2013 will be a repeat of 2012, it seems... Oh joy... This concludes this Team Pixelboy News Bulletin. We now return you to your regular forum activities. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scobb Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Looks awesome - thanks very much! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) Hmmmn, if those "select few" make more Colecovision games via BasicVision doesn't that give you more bang for your buck? Also, batari Basic may have started with a select few but look at it now. Just sayin' Regardless, I'm just glad it's still somewhere on your timetable. Making a tool for others to make games just isn't as fun as making them yourself. You're truly altruistic to even consider such a project. One game made by you is fine - but many games made BECAUSE of your work keeps the Colecovision alive for us all. Edited October 18, 2012 by theloon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 Hmmmn, if those "select few" make more Colecovision games via BasicVision doesn't that give you more bang for your buck? Also, batari Basic may have started with a select few but look at it now. Just sayin' Regardless, I'm just glad it's still somewhere on your timetable. Making a tool for others to make games just isn't as fun as making them yourself. You're truly altruistic to even consider such a project. One game made by you is fine - but many games made BECAUSE of your work keeps the Colecovision alive for us all. Yeah, I hear ya. There may be a bigger potential userbase for BasicVision than I tend to anticipate. But at the same time, I do have a responsability towards all those 200+ CV fans who will be buying a Super Game Module and want to see it used to its maximum potential. The latest additions to my lineup (Goonies, etc.) are already roughly 90% complete software-wise, so it's clear to me that I need to prioritize those games and release them ASAP. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 I volunteered for testing two different game making projects - one for NES and another for SNES - that are currently in limbo due to developer ennui. I'm glad B.V. is back-burnered because of previous commitments as opposed to you being burnt out on the project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retroillucid Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Kewl! Awesome news! Keep up the great works, Luc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coleco_master Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Great news Luc !!!! and very nice overlay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidLikesIntellivision Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 (...) On Christmas morning, I will be sending an e-mail to everyone listed in my customer records, and from that moment on, I will operate on a first-come-first-served basis. So if you want your copies of these games, better not wait too long to reply to that Christmas e-mail once you receive it! (...) Bad memory, bad memory.... Am I in your customer records? If not, please put me in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 Bad memory, bad memory.... Am I in your customer records? If not, please put me in! PM sent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidLikesIntellivision Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Thanks for reminding me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoquickcapri Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Can I get on your email list? I would like to get Wonder Boy, Quest for the Golden Chalice, Zaxxon Super Game and Thexder when they come out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Any chance you'll be selling digital only copies of your SGM games? There are nearly 200 orders for the SGM at this point and I'm certain that the majority of those people will want your games. At just 100 copies for each, that's nowhere near enough to go around. I would expect that most people buying the SGM also have the AtariMax SD cart, so they'd be able to use any such ROM that's released. The ROM release could be handled in the same way as D1K for the Intellivision, with each ROM modified to include the buyer's name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Any chance you'll be selling digital only copies of your SGM games? There are nearly 200 orders for the SGM at this point and I'm certain that the majority of those people will want your games. At just 100 copies for each, that's nowhere near enough to go around. I would expect that most people buying the SGM also have the AtariMax SD cart, so they'd be able to use any such ROM that's released. The ROM release could be handled in the same way as D1K for the Intellivision, with each ROM modified to include the buyer's name. They'd have to write an emulator that supports the SGM features as well. I think they already have their hands full Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoDan Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 with each ROM modified to include the buyer's name. You say that like it is no big deal. That would be a ton of more work. Not really sure how this helps keep people from stealing either. Yeah I guess if a rom makes it back to the seller or he sees it out there then he knows. What is he going to do other than say I won't sell another ROM to you? That doesn't really help the fact that many people stole his work and didn't have to pay. And when he bans that guy then one of the guys who got it from him can do the same thing and the circle can just keep moving. I know it is the appearance that you are protecting the work but all the added work of putting a persons name on the game really doesn't do anything. I would love to see my name on each game but that would be for the cool factor not the idea that it is now safe from giving it to people. They'd have to write an emulator that supports the SGM features as well. I think they already have their hands full I am pretty sure he wasn't thinking about people that play on emulators he only cares that people that have the SDCart can get the game if they can't get the stock that is sold. Or for what many people complain about on here an option to get a game cheaper by only having to buy the ROM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 They'd have to write an emulator that supports the SGM features as well. I think they already have their hands full No. I clearly mentioned the ROM for use in the AtariMax SD cart. I said nothing about use in emulators. You say that like it is no big deal. That would be a ton of more work. I never said it was no big deal, but getting boxes printed, cart cases made, ROMs burned and the boards assembled is also a lot of work. I was simply using an example of what another homebrew dev is doing right here at AtariAge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 Can I get on your email list? I would like to get Wonder Boy, Quest for the Golden Chalice, Zaxxon Super Game and Thexder when they come out. PM sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 Any chance you'll be selling digital only copies of your SGM games? There are nearly 200 orders for the SGM at this point and I'm certain that the majority of those people will want your games. At just 100 copies for each, that's nowhere near enough to go around. I would expect that most people buying the SGM also have the AtariMax SD cart, so they'd be able to use any such ROM that's released. The ROM release could be handled in the same way as D1K for the Intellivision, with each ROM modified to include the buyer's name. So what you're really saying is that you're way too impatient to wait just a couple of months. Right... Look, if I could, I'd order more cartridge casings right now and have a ton of manuals printed just to make sure everyone gets their copy on release day, or soon after. But the sad truth is that manufacturing eight ColecoVision games for a single deadline is very, very expensive. All the expenses are coming right out of my pocket, and with just 100 copies of each game, my bank account is already running low. Good thing it's only temporary... Besides, even if I could have 200 carts done of each SGM game in time for Christmas, I'd still need to glue together 800 boxes, which is logistically impossible for me to do between now and then, unless I were to quit my job or something. I definately intend to produce enough copies for everyone who wants any or all of those SGM games, it's just not going to happen on release day, that's all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 So what you're really saying is that you're way too impatient to wait just a couple of months. Right... Sometimes I feel like this Coleco sub-forum is turning in to the Jag forum. Why do people here automatically think so little of others? Is it really that hard to accept that I'm asking the question on behalf of all those who've ordered a SGM? You could have just left out this first sentence and responded with what came next, without making it personal. I don't personally care if I have to wait a few months. I'm expecting my first child to be born any day now, so I won't be spending anywhere near as much time playing games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoDan Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Sometimes I feel like this Coleco sub-forum is turning in to the Jag forum. Why do people here automatically think so little of others? Is it really that hard to accept that I'm asking the question on behalf of all those who've ordered a SGM? You could have just left out this first sentence and responded with what came next, without making it personal. I don't personally care if I have to wait a few months. I'm expecting my first child to be born any day now, so I won't be spending anywhere near as much time playing games. I think you are getting high strung from waiting for your kid because I didn't really think he was trying to dig you with his first statement. It sounded more playful to me. However you could have followed your own advise and not printed your first statement which sounded like an attack on everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 ... your first statement which sounded like an attack on everyone. Yup. I included it on purpose, to call out a trend I've been seeing here lately. Nothing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblenkle Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 The point is, the AtariMax SD Cart doesn't support the SGM features...if you put the rom on the SD Cart, you would still need to have an SGM to play it...if that would even be possible... No. I clearly mentioned the ROM for use in the AtariMax SD cart. I said nothing about use in emulators. I never said it was no big deal, but getting boxes printed, cart cases made, ROMs burned and the boards assembled is also a lot of work. I was simply using an example of what another homebrew dev is doing right here at AtariAge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 The point is, the AtariMax SD Cart doesn't support the SGM features...if you put the rom on the SD Cart, you would still need to have an SGM to play it...if that would even be possible... It's my understanding that the SGM games will simply be on MegaCarts. This bank switching method is supported by the SD cart. So as long as the user has a SGM, a ROM should (in theory) play without issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Didn't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers. I didn't read the second part of your statement goldenegg. Sorry about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoDan Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 It's my understanding that the SGM games will simply be on MegaCarts. This bank switching method is supported by the SD cart. So as long as the user has a SGM, a ROM should (in theory) play without issues. Yeah I agree with you, I think jblenkel thinking is just a little mixed up. It is not the Cart that makes it compatible with the SGM but the code in the Rom that makes it compatible with SGM. So if you get the rom from the game then it should work with the SGM. The only way this would not be true is if the Rom was on one of Opcodes super Carts that is supposed to save score and everything and then the rom would be trying to make calls to that cart design and it would be failing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Didn't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers. I didn't read the second part of your statement goldenegg. Sorry about that. No worries. I wrote my post directed to PixelBoy, who I figured would assume I meant using the SD cart and SGM together. I should have perhaps written it a little more general, so others coming in to the thread would better understand what was being asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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