peteym5 Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 I'm hopelessly unqualified to speculate on gameplay, but I immediately notice untidy transitions (garbage when moving from one screen to the next) and jumpy status bar updates. Synchronise display list changes to the vertical blank and redraw the status line incrementally rather than erasing the whole thing and re-drawing it. My $0.02. If you are referring to Putt 18, I do have some time to do some additional adjustments before Video61 starts selling the cartridge. From what we can see that game is very rock solid and I am not about to go in and start messing with the code. I am also busy porting these games over to other systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 (edited) Another type-in listing quality game for just 40 bucks....woohoo. If I would draw a direct relation to games that are available for FREE like RGB, Space Harrier and Yoomp!! those games should actually have costed about 400 dollars.....each. Seriously, Tempest and Venture at least look like decent games...but this stuff.....I see 2600 quality..... Edited January 5, 2018 by Level42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Oh and maybe Avery can put his OS replacement on ROMs so we can put them in our stock A8 machines to make sure they're compatible with Venture ? :D But uhmmmmm..... is Atari's 8 bit OS actually still copyrighted ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Until the Atari name brand dies I imagine its still under copyright... Trouble is that the rights went to some French software house (I think that's correct) and bugger all has come from it as far as I know, there's very little Atari branded that I think would be wanted on today's phones or consoles that hasn't been done BADLY already.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 If you are referring to Putt 18, I do have some time to do some additional adjustments before Video61 starts selling the cartridge. From what we can see that game is very rock solid and I am not about to go in and start messing with the code. I am also busy porting these games over to other systems. So IF its rock solid but has these ugly bits you won't change them because you are too busy porting the same issues to other systems.....Wow Petey, I guess old habits are dying hard... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Another type-in listing quality game for just 40 bucks....woohoo. If I would draw a direct relation to games that are available for FREE like RGB, Space Harrier and Yoomp!! those games should actually have costed about 400 dollars.....each. Seriously, Tempest and Venture at least look like decent games...but this stuff.....I see 2600 quality..... But Petey is happy that its "rock solid" so don't expect any changes.....So disappointed with the customer care side, the golf looked good from the notion it was early code but the next video wasn't a real change which is why I asked if there are to be any changes... Seems the answer is no... I can only assume the beta testers are not actually gamers, I say that because if I was testing it I'd have asked what the graphical updates are going to be and what physics based stuff will be in there, Planet Golf that's about half the price on the C64 has physics stuff in it, its not top down but its quite fun for a while... I don't own Extreme but wanted to but I do own Venture and its quite nice, the newer stuff since seems weaker (for me)... I don't want to sound like the nay sayer of doom but quality before quantity Pete... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Keep in mind, any videos done before the game release are Work-in-Progress videos and are not from the final product. I have looked into what I can do to make things less noticeable, and will be sending the updates to Video61. This is normal when DMA/NMI disabling mid frame that may have things flicker for part of a frame, and its not always easy to get the sync exact. A new updated video will be posted once I made sure things are functioning correctly. This is a non-issue with the 5200 because the timing is slightly different that the 8-bit. Cannot comment on the 7800 as that game is still in development, system uses totally different display hardware and routines to control things. Other system versions may be done by different programmers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 This is normal when DMA/NMI disabling mid frame... Of course it is. You fix it by not disabling DMA/NMI mid-frame, but instead syncing it with the vertical blank. If you want to do this from your mainline code, just wait till VCOUNT reaches its maximum value before changing anything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 I actually use an exit flag that is checked with a DLI. I had some process happening before disabling the DMA/NMI instead of after. Well here is the updated video of Putt 18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NC1TxY7-zk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 Better Pete - I like the 3 hole start placement and see you added the water hazard. Can more than 1 player play? I believe I saw a 'scorecard' that appeared to support more than 1? The only real criticism I have is the hole layout/colors come across as pretty drab. Some course decorations and color changes would really spruce things up IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 (edited) Better Pete - I like the 3 hole start placement and see you added the water hazard. Can more than 1 player play? I believe I saw a 'scorecard' that appeared to support more than 1? The only real criticism I have is the hole layout/colors come across as pretty drab. Some course decorations and color changes would really spruce things up IMHO. Thankyou, I appreciate some positive states. I never stated Putt 18 was closed to further updates. However I did want to keep the graphics simple and did what was possible while keeping it fit on a 16K cartridges. The game is rock solid in terms it plays without crashing or having the ball get stuck somewhere and not be able to continue in the game. I corrected something flickering on the screen during screen transitions There are plenty of challenges, and has 1 or 2 player games. There will be an option to disable the move obstacles if you feel the game is too challenging with them. The physics and math for the game is based on trigonometry, ball position is divided to determine which screen byte is underneath and character present under the ball to determine what action is taken. Bounce off wall or roll down a hit. Now back to Venture. This update will be the final one I will do for Venture and we are making sure it works. Video 61 is working with our beta testers and the customers who own the cartridge and reported the problem to him directly. As stated it took over 4 years before anyone pointed out that sound problem and majority of the time still able to play the game for hours. This was not an easy problem to find the cause because it was intermittent and does not happen on all the combinations of hardware, operating systems, NTSC/PAL video, different emulators, etc. Myself and most people played Venture normally by avoiding the hall monsters and getting into the rooms to get the treasures. Got into the rooms before there was a crackle in the sound. The original method of stopping a song after playing once was the culprit. KJMANN was doing the music and he said he was not sure how make RMT stop playing a song inside the VBI. I eventually learned more about RMT later without him and figured out how to hack the song files he sent over to me by making them loop over a blank song line. So I say I know a lot more now about making these things work better that I did not know then. Edited January 5, 2018 by peteym5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darwinmac Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 Pete, To stay on topic, I look forward to the updated Venture. I enjoy the game, but I made the mistaken assumption that it wouldn't be updated because it was available on cartridge. Otherwise, I would've said something earlier. Bob C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 perhaps a key on the cartridge to unlock extras and fixes on disk who knows.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 I will be updating the ROM for future 16K cartridges and will be available at www.atarisales.com. Anyone who has issues with their existing 16K cartridges needs to contact Video61. Appears not to have affected the Williams version. The existing 16K is still playable for long periods of time, as long as you do not sit inside a map room for a very long period of time. The reported problem appears to only affect a small percentage machines with certain combinations of hardware and operation system firmware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 The crash doesn't always happen in the hallway, the game will crash in the rooms sometimes too. I also am playing the game on the exact same original hardware 800XL that I have been using since 1984. I have not made any modifications to this system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 (edited) Problem may actually happen if you sit in a hallway until that sound crackle. At that point, RMT may be compromised. It is affecting random RAM locations. Sometimes the music will not be playing correctly from that point forward, or may crash anytime after. This probably was missed back in 2014 because I was doing a bunch of quick tests, running into the rooms, grabbing treasures, to get to next level. Sitting for a long period of time in the map room is not a normal way people are suppose to play the game. I know sometimes it is not easy to avoid the hall monsters or need to stop for a few seconds. Venture does have pause by pressing the space bar. Edited January 6, 2018 by peteym5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 I do have to ask this as I am looking into the problem. Has anyone copied the 16K ROM of the cartridge and transferred it to an AtariMax flash Cartridge? For some reason, the sound problem is not happening run it is running from the AtariMax cartridge. If that can solve the problem for those who have the cartridge I am not objecting as long as you can still prove to me you still have the original cartridge. If someone still wishes to obtain the working updated Venture cartridge when available, they will need to contact Video 61. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 PM sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 I do have to ask this as I am looking into the problem. Has anyone copied the 16K ROM of the cartridge and transferred it to an AtariMax flash Cartridge? For some reason, the sound problem is not happening run it is running from the AtariMax cartridge. If that can solve the problem for those who have the cartridge I am not objecting as long as you can still prove to me you still have the original cartridge. If someone still wishes to obtain the working updated Venture cartridge when available, they will need to contact Video 61. If you are giving permission to do so, people might give that a go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 If someone owns the original cartridge, they can do whatever they wish with it. It just once they distribute the ROM image to anybody else, it becomes violation of copyright. I know it has been distributed through personal communications, news groups, bit torrent networks, and even on the 5200 forum. I have several intercepted copies, some versions that I never released. It is information what I am after. As stated anyone who has the original cartridge, can contact Video61 or send me a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NML32 Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 (edited) If someone owns the original cartridge, they can do whatever they wish with it. It just once they distribute the ROM image to anybody else, it becomes violation of copyright. I know it has been distributed through personal communications, news groups, bit torrent networks, and even on the 5200 forum. I have several intercepted copies, some versions that I never released. It is information what I am after. As stated anyone who has the original cartridge, can contact Video61 or send me a PM. I wish I would have known this a long time ago. One of the reasons I haven't bought any of your games is and I'm pretty sure you posted that you place locks on your games so they won't work if they are dumped. I don't have a real Atari computer in my possession anymore so all my games are played on a FPGA (MiSTer). I would be happy to buy your games knowing I could dump it and play it on my Atari 800XL FPGA. Is this possible? Edited January 7, 2018 by NML32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Venture does not have any "locks." I cannot guarantee anything with these FPGA things unless you can guarantee what is done with them is 100% stock Atari compatible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Here is another Work-in-Progress from the closed beta of Putt 18 Miniature Golf. This is showing "Power Distance from Ball" mode that allows to play similar to the Atari 2600 Miniature Golf Putting Style. Game will have 4 different eighteen hole courses. Options to use a pointer with power meter, or use the distance to ball for strength of the hit. Can disable obstacles also. Will be available for both the Atari 8-bit XL/XE systems and Atari 5200 systems. I corrected that flickering garbage that has may show up part of the time during screen transitions so the game looks a little better. I do not consider something that may be there for 1/60th of a second a major glitch, its not on the screen long enough to draw much attention to it. Don't anybody blink, you may miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmzalbar Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 (edited) Huh, I just received my Venture cartridge from Video61 yesterday, and it does have the sound problem starting after the tune plays once in the hallway. Once, it even glitched into an unplayable state at the same time the sound went screwy in the hallway. So, I suppose there's still a bug. Edited October 20, 2020 by rmzalbar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 16 hours ago, rmzalbar said: Huh, I just received my Venture cartridge from Video61 yesterday, and it does have the sound problem starting after the tune plays once in the hallway. Once, it even glitched into an unplayable state at the same time the sound went screwy in the hallway. So, I suppose there's still a bug. Told this a million times to Peteym5. This is exact the reason, as long as they do cart only, that I will never buy a single game from V61 ever again. Their games are * NOT betatested on REAL hardware * NOT betatested by skilled people who try to find real existing problems * proven FULL OF BUGS * Unfixable since on a fixed medium (a cart!) It's a pity that you found out after you bought the game. It is even more a pity that @video61atarisales does not do ANYTHING to prevent this crappy experience in the future. They should stop with their outdated 'cart only' policy, since games (and any other software) is ALWAYS buggy, and ALWAYS needs to be fixed. Even with a decent test phase things might go wrong in the future. With a disk or file, or even a FLASH CART (and then sending a flasher for updates of course!) all these trouble could be prevented. It is unbelievable that reported bugs (like this sound issue you describe) are NOT fixed, even though these bugs are reported OVER and OVER again. The bug is not new, at least 2 years ago I already mentioned at Peteym5 (author of game). Total disrespect to customers. My advice: never buy anything from V61, unless they change their attitude towards customers. They simply sell you a game with bugs, while they KNOW it is buggy. Sounds almost like a crime to me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.