Missile Command + for Atari 5200

[8bit-guy]

Missile Command + for Atari 5200

 

 

This is the way it was meant to be done in 1982 !!

 

 

Attached trackball version PM me for the full version and many more !!

 

 

Frantisek Houra you are the man !

 

 

mc+ trackball.bin

Edited May 1, 2013 by 8bit-guy

[Charlie_]

Awesome. Thank you!

[Charlie_]

Ok, just tested it out. 1st the button pressing is too sensitive. On the options, just tapping a button is like pressing it several times.

Also, with the trakball I have to have STIK selected for it to work. The Joystick control doesn't seem to work well at all. It is next to impossible to control.

 

But, with the Trakball working it was very fun!

[tep392]

Sounds like the button isn't properly debounced.

[8bit-guy]

Sounds like the button is properly debounced.

 

its a trackball only demo, unfinished

the full version is available

[Gabriel]

I had a very buggy experience.

 

On the first few attempts the game immediately froze upon displaying the Missile Command title screen. I finally managed to circumvent this by banging Start while waiting for the Atari logo to pass.

Next is the aforementioned problem with the game options. It's impossible to actually select what you want without just fiddling with it for ages.

 

Once into the game, the first thing that becomes apparrent is that missiles are fired from whatever base is closest, and this kind of defeats the purpose of adapting the game to more closely resemble the arcade game. Since this is a trackball release, it would be much better for three of the keypad buttons to handle control of each of the missile bases. This is what I expected control to work like and found that the numeric keys automatically return you to the options screen whenever pressed.

 

There is a bug with the missiles which cause a mirror shot to appear to the left or right of the shot actually fired.

 

There is also a bug where the trackball is recalibrated between each level. This means you can't spin the trackball between levels because if you do then your directional control will be cut off on the following wave.

 

I tested the game on a two port.

[8bit-guy]

I had a very buggy experience.

 

On the first few attempts the game immediately froze upon displaying the Missile Command title screen. I finally managed to circumvent this by banging Start while waiting for the Atari logo to pass.

Next is the aforementioned problem with the game options. It's impossible to actually select what you want without just fiddling with it for ages.

 

Once into the game, the first thing that becomes apparrent is that missiles are fired from whatever base is closest, and this kind of defeats the purpose of adapting the game to more closely resemble the arcade game. Since this is a trackball release, it would be much better for three of the keypad buttons to handle control of each of the missile bases. This is what I expected control to work like and found that the numeric keys automatically return you to the options screen whenever pressed.

 

There is a bug with the missiles which cause a mirror shot to appear to the left or right of the shot actually fired.

 

There is also a bug where the trackball is recalibrated between each level. This means you can't spin the trackball between levels because if you do then your directional control will be cut off on the following wave.

 

I tested the game on a two port.

 

 

 

its a trackball only demo, unfinished

the full version is available

[tep392]

8bit-guy, You might want to address the noted bug's directly just so it's clear what has been fixed in the final version. Just comment if it's normal or a bug and if it's fixed.

 

Issues documented above are:

- faulty key debounce

- no independent control of 3 missile bases - shot comes from closest base

- trackball doesn't calibrate correctly. You should use CAL signal so rolling ball won't cause bad calibration

- mirrored missle shots

- game freezes at title screen

[+Allan]

8bit-guy, You might want to address the noted bug's directly just so it's clear what has been fixed in the final version. Just comment if it's normal or a bug and if it's fixed.

 

Issues documented above are:

- faulty key debounce

- no independent control of 3 missile bases - shot comes from closest base

- trackball doesn't calibrate correctly. You should use CAL signal so rolling ball won't cause bad calibration

- mirrored missle shots

- game freezes at title screen

 

Non of these things (except maybe the key debounce) are an issue with the final version although there is another issue that I will discus with him.

 

Allan

[8bit-guy]

8bit-guy, You might want to address the noted bug's directly just so it's clear what has been fixed in the final version. Just comment if it's normal or a bug and if it's fixed.

 

Issues documented above are:

- faulty key debounce

- no independent control of 3 missile bases - shot comes from closest base

- trackball doesn't calibrate correctly. You should use CAL signal so rolling ball won't cause bad calibration

- mirrored missle shots

- game freezes at title screen

 

final version plays exactly as the A8 one,

it was done from scratch,

the existing 5200 game could not be fixed by any means

 

the controls were tweaked and tested on real harware 4port / 2 port,

either with cx-52 or trackball (reset key changes input)

 

anyway there's no interest at all in new 5200 games as i see

[+Allan]

Here's a label for Missile Command. I didn't make this one.

 

Allan

[tep392]

anyway there's no interest at all in new 5200 games as i see

 

I don't know about the other conversions, but I could see there being some interest in this updated Missile Command since it is a classic trackball game for this system and the trackball is one of it's big selling points. I would guess that a physical cart with a nice label would be more likely to sell than just a ROM due to the number of game collectors here. I sold about 30 of my Pac-man Arcade carts and only a handfull of ROMS.

[zylon]

Agreed. I buy only carts unless I have a person ready to make them. The last few times I inquired at the AA store, I never got any replies.

[8bit-guy]

Atarimax showed interest in selling carts for this game at 39.99 us$

maybe...

Edited May 3, 2013 by 8bit-guy

[ledzep]

Put me down as another person interested in this version of Missile Command if it is in a physical cart and provided that the game really does use a separate fire button (keyboard number button, I assume) for each missile base. With a manual and a box, even better. The gold standard is the recent AtariAge 5200 Tempest game, obviously, but I understand what a struggle it is to get something done that completely.

[zylon]

Atarimax showed interest in selling carts for this game at 39.99 us$

maybe...

That's not bad for a well-done, bug-free game.

[Charlie_]

Non of these things (except maybe the key debounce) are an issue with the final version ..................

 

Allan

 

Yes the key debounce problem is pretty bad. Just taping a selection is like pressing it 5 times very fast. Makes it like rolling dice. You have to keep rolling until you land on what what you want.

[8bit-guy]

new version, debounce fixed

 

and MAPPED the 3 missile towers to 1 2 3 keys

 

or you can choose to use fire button and closest to missile base fires

[Charlie_]

Just a follow up here, 8bit-guy has fixed this up really well. The key debounce is fixed, you can select the base to fire from using Keypad 1,2, or 3.

A bug with the triangle bombs was also fixed.

[Gabriel]

I just want to chime back in to say that 8bit-guy has really kicked some tail on this one. My original concerns have been addressed, and now the game is purring along nicely. I think anyone who has a trackball needs to give this one a look.

[stringfellow]

I understand wanting a cart but even though there a lot of commons out there that people use for this type of thing eventually they won't be so common. Homebrews and hacks are the main reason I got the SD cart.

[8bit-guy]

final version is very polished now

[+HammR25]

final version is very polished now

 

Sounds like _Fandal_ has been hard at work.