Venture Official Release

[Kjmann]

Hello everyone. Long time no see.

Let me start by saying that this attack on Marius is reprehensible. I believe Marius is a good person and does not deserve to have his name dragged through the mud.

As for the attack on me. There is no truth to it and I'm not going to dignify that trash.

 

I would also like to say here and now that my outlook on cartridge only sales has changed over the years. Looking back, I think if I had done the digital sales that so many of you had suggested to me, maybe we wouldn't be dealing with Peter and Lances' crap right now.

Lance definitely had me convinced that digital sales would have lost us control over  the games.

After seeing so much mud slinging in this particular issue and reading the forums from afar for several years, I can see that the majority of this community are people of integrity and love for the platform.

I was wrong with my initial distrust and it's a mistake that I wish I could go back and change. Although it was Lance who planted that seed of distrust in my head, I was in my 30's at the time and was quite capable of choosing not to fall into Lances' abyss.

I'm sorry that I didn't make a better decision at that point.

 

That's all I have to say about this situation.

All of you take care and keep gaming. 

?

 

 

-Sal (kjmann)

Edited October 22, 2020 by Kjmann
Spelling

[pixelmischief]

"I don't know what we're yelling about!  Looooud noises!" - Brick, Anchorman

[Sinjinhawke]

1 hour ago, Albert said:

Here's the first comment on his brand new post:

 

 

He's never going to learn.

 

 ..Al

Damn, small world.  Tim Favro is the man for TG-16 music remasters.  

[Mclaneinc]

1 hour ago, carlsson said:

I kind of regret talking Peter out of entering the C64 market, due to how the "scene" part of it mostly deals with piracy. He would have had a field day with those people once his game(s) were released, cracked and spread. Like mentioned before, the A8 community in comparison seems like a role model in respect and honesty.

Oh why oh why did you stop him

 

It would have been so wonderful to see him dealing with all the sceners ripping seven shades of piss out of him AND making a big thing of poor coding..

 

And yes, the C64 scene is brutal in comparison to the Atari one, rarely do the crackers show any form of compassion to the devs, sure its not being openly released (you have to have an account on a BBS and to get one you have to know some of the people) but its cracked on or before day of release. Martin Walkers crowdfunded game was one title that was ripped but rarely on a BBS, Walker being a C64 legend was given some allowance but it was out there..

 

Poor old Petey would be having kittens...And you spoiled it Carlsson

 

Stand on the naughty step please!

 

But on a side but related note, the C64 scene has shown just how well digital software works in a sales POV..So up yours Petey...

 

Even old scene folk like me with parrot poo on my shoulder regularly buys digital C64 stuff... 

[carlsson]

I have a feeling though that the C64 is easier to program simple games for that are stable. I'm not saying it is better (please, no flame wars), but perhaps games that only occasionally show their bugs would be less likely there than on the A8 platform where possibly more perfection is required to get it to work as intended?

[flashjazzcat]

1 minute ago, carlsson said:

I have a feeling though that the C64 is easier to program simple games for that are stable.

Lack of skill and experience and poor testing fully explain all the issues with the titles under discussion.

 

 

[Marius]

2 hours ago, Kjmann said:

Hello everyone. Long time no see.

Let me start by saying that this attack on Marius is reprehensible. I believe Marius is a good person and does not deserve to have his name dragged through the mud.

As for the attack on me. There is no truth to it and I'm not going to dignify that trash.

 

I would also like to say here and now that my outlook on cartridge only sales has changed over the years. Looking back, I think if I had done the digital sales that so many of you had suggested to me, maybe we wouldn't be dealing with Peter and Lances' crap right now.

Lance definitely had me convinced that digital sales would have lost us control over  the games.

After seeing so much mud slinging in this particular issue and reading the forums from afar for several years, I can see that the majority of this community are people of integrity and love for the platform.

I was wrong with my initial distrust and it's a mistake that I wish I could go back and change. Although it was Lance who planted that seed of distrust in my head, I was in my 30's at the time and was quite capable of choosing not to fall into Lances' abyss.

I'm sorry that I didn't make a better decision at that point.

 

That's all I have to say about this situation.

All of you take care and keep gaming. 

?

 

 

-Sal (kjmann)

 

Wow Sal, this was a post I did not see coming. Nice to have you back here. And people always can change their minds. I also wrote earlier today that I admit that I shouldn't have brought up this subject over and over again. When I could do thing from the past over, I would also make different choices.

I know you and I had some pretty big arguments about this as well in the past, but I left this behind us already years ago. I love your musical arrangements (I still think the Space Harrier music is one of the greatest tunes on pokey ever created!) and the fact you are back is nice too! 

 

I wish you all the best with your health, and let us all enjoy Atari 8bit and pokey chiptunes!
 

[+MrFish]

19 minutes ago, Marius said:

I also wrote earlier today that I admit that I shouldn't have brought up this subject over and over again.

 

I think you should have brought it up. Someone buys a cart from Video 61, and wonders why it has problems; who else can help him understand the problem more than someone who has first-hand experience with it? People have the right to ask questions about faulty products that they pay hard-earned money for, and hear straight-forward answers from knowledgeable peers. The only person not backing you up here is Pete; and, well... big wonder...

 

[Marius]

Just now, MrFish said:

 

I think you should have brought it up. Someone buys a cart from Video 61, and wonders why it has problems; who else can help him understand the problem more than someone who has first-hand experience with it? People have the right to ask questions about faulty products that they pay hard-earned money for, and hear straight-forward answers from knowledgeable peers. The only person not backing you up here is Pete; and, well... big wonder...

 

No I meant the endless discussion about Downloadable versions of the games. I still think it is a good idea, and I am very glad to read KJMANN's post about the subject, but I really brought *that* subject up too many times in the past. 

 

The reason I think it is a good idea, is indeed because of the nature of software. Software almost ever needs fixes, so then RAM is a better choice than ROM .... but well... I'll leave it now. 

[+MrFish]

1 minute ago, Marius said:

No I meant the endless discussion about Downloadable versions of the games. I still think it is a good idea, and I am very glad to read KJMANN's post about the subject, but I really brought *that* subject up too many times in the past. 

 

Oh, I see. Yeah, maybe that was brought up a bit much -- given the level of tunnel vision piracy paranoia. It still stands as an important point for people interested in selling software for 8-bit hardware, though.

 

[Justin Payne]

On 10/21/2020 at 11:40 AM, Mclaneinc said:

I got the same NDA thing, what was more odd that he (Petey) asked me in the first place after saying I was a pirate previously???

I'm pretty sure we all sailed the high seas of software in the past, mostly because software cost money, something of which I didn't have but I did have friends with lots of free software. Now-a-daze, I think if we want something, we'll pay for it. 

[Mclaneinc]

11 hours ago, Justin Payne said:

I'm pretty sure we all sailed the high seas of software in the past, mostly because software cost money, something of which I didn't have but I did have friends with lots of free software. Now-a-daze, I think if we want something, we'll pay for it. 

 

Certainly as I got older and hopefully wiser I grasped the understanding of why buying software etc etc was important, I learnt values and how business worked in a deeper way but I can't pretend in my case that it was about money when I was younger, I did it because I could, I had access to software as part of my job but the dark side was in such easy reach for me that I frequented that domain as well. I had the funds, I just did it because it was there and I knew so many who were integral in the UK supply of copies.

 

Just being honest...Not going to pretend it was all a mistake on my part, I trod a weird path of giving back to the industry and taking away at the same time...Its an oddity, I was so proud of some of the stuff I did on the right side of the gaming front and now ashamed of how naive I was at first with the dark side.

 

Young and stupid, not an excuse...For me it was about swapping these little black squares and getting to play stuff before others, I didn't make money from it..ever, that was not something I ever wanted as I was well paid as it was... I knew many people who did make money but that was just not a path I ever wanted to go down. To this day I'm scared of getting a parking ticket so never take chances, getting in to illegal stuff would just scare the hell out of me and I don't need that pressure

 

Am I trying to excuse myself, no, not in a million years, I had a choice and I chose poorly but it was my choice, the fact I never made money from it does not excuse my choice but as I look back at my younger life you realise you make many choices on the spur of the moment, some good, some not so good..

 

Sadly I can't reach 88mph on foot nor own a Delorean

[rmzalbar]

Hi Everyone. A lot has happened in the thread since I posted my issue. I thank everyone who is concerned on my behalf; paying a retail price for a cartridge game and finding out it isn't quite ready go isn't an optimal experience. Coming here and seeing that the author has stated it would be fixed is concerning because, while I didn't see this thread beforehand, someone else who did would have been making a buy decision with false information.

 

Regarding dumping and sharing - Yes, certainly when I was younger I pirated the heck out of games, but I'm not the same person I was when I was a kid. I evaluate things differently now. I care about the health of the community and the fortunes of others, even those who aren't perfect, and being trustable is important to me as well. So I have formed principles based on that, and they don't change even if the author's behavior is not perfect. I see that as an issue to handle separately, it is not for me to mete justice in that way.

 

I did send an email to Lance, and he is providing support. I'll let you guys now how it works out. Thank you!

[leech]

6 hours ago, Mclaneinc said:

 

Certainly as I got older and hopefully wiser I grasped the understanding of why buying software etc etc was important, I learnt values and how business worked in a deeper way but I can't pretend in my case that it was about money when I was younger, I did it because I could, I had access to software as part of my job but the dark side was in such easy reach for me that I frequented that domain as well. I had the funds, I just did it because it was there and I knew so many who were integral in the UK supply of copies.

 

Just being honest...Not going to pretend it was all a mistake on my part, I trod a weird path of giving back to the industry and taking away at the same time...Its an oddity, I was so proud of some of the stuff I did on the right side of the gaming front and now ashamed of how naive I was at first with the dark side.

 

Young and stupid, not an excuse...For me it was about swapping these little black squares and getting to play stuff before others, I didn't make money from it..ever, that was not something I ever wanted as I was well paid as it was... I knew many people who did make money but that was just not a path I ever wanted to go down. To this day I'm scared of getting a parking ticket so never take chances, getting in to illegal stuff would just scare the hell out of me and I don't need that pressure

 

Am I trying to excuse myself, no, not in a million years, I had a choice and I chose poorly but it was my choice, the fact I never made money from it does not excuse my choice but as I look back at my younger life you realise you make many choices on the spur of the moment, some good, some not so good..

 

Sadly I can't reach 88mph on foot nor own a Delorean

My travels on the high seas were mostly because there weren't a whole lot of retail chains around, it was legit easier to get a pirated copy for most things than it was to get legit software.  That even continued into the ST days.  Not that I had money to buy the stuff either, but for the most part a lot of it was nowhere to buy!  Then again, we didn't get an ST until 91/92, so it was sort of late in the game and most stores had stopped selling stuff.

[Mclaneinc]

A lot of people started as kids swapping tapes in the playground, when I was at school computers were not even out, you played Top Trumps, marbles or conkers when in season

 

For me as with much of my early life I just happened to be in a place at a time when something was happening, most times it was good stuff but I have never professed to being an angel in regard of software. It all seemed harmless at the time and it lead to some great times and met great folk. was strange walking between the good and the dark side, one day helping someone get published and the next taking new software and putting it in multi boot. All that multi booting stopped when they started to use fancy protection checks which i didn't understand (a bad sector read I could do but when it was self modifying code that was above my pay grade (and brain))

 

It all seemed so victimless at the time but when my business skills now in the retail trade I started to see exactly who it affected and as a retail manager it was affecting me as well...Odd way to learn but learn I did, what was more weird was then working with my old mate in his own computer shop and there he was flogging PSX copies while the business was getting lower and lower in sales, lead to a great many rows and me being made redundant only for the shop to close soon after..

 

So yes, I did learn who it affects quite brutally...

 

Now if I like a game I buy it, same with films, I could get both off the internet but its not the same as having the real thing and knowing you are putting something back..If you had said to me back then that I would be buying films and games I'd have laughed and said "why?". Now I have a double wall covered in DVD, Blu Rays, PC and console games, all real..Reformed, probably not as I still take a look at Commodore stuff but wiser because I normally buy it because I liked the look of the game, no more just grabbing it all just to have it...If they want silly money for it I just don't bother with it where as back then I'd have found it online and grabbed it..

 

The only thing I miss about back then was going to the shows to meet friends I'd made in the industry and getting some freebies like PSX mugs etc...That I do miss, the driving 70 miles to pick up 100 Amiga disks, nah...Not that..

[Mr Robot]

16 minutes ago, Mclaneinc said:

Top Trumps, marbles or conkers when in season

Don't forget Pocketeers

 

[Mclaneinc]

Wow, I'd forgotten about them...Had to google them....I had the mini steel ball maze one...

[Mr Robot]

Steeplechase, it's one of the best ones. I used to have a bunch of them, they are quite collectable now

 

[leech]

2 hours ago, Mr Robot said:

Don't forget Pocketeers

 

What, no pet rocks?

[Justin Payne]

12 hours ago, Mclaneinc said:

 

Certainly as I got older and hopefully wiser I grasped the understanding of why buying software etc etc was important, I learnt values and how business worked in a deeper way but I can't pretend in my case that it was about money when I was younger, I did it because I could, I had access to software as part of my job but the dark side was in such easy reach for me that I frequented that domain as well. I had the funds, I just did it because it was there and I knew so many who were integral in the UK supply of copies.

 

Just being honest...Not going to pretend it was all a mistake on my part, I trod a weird path of giving back to the industry and taking away at the same time...Its an oddity, I was so proud of some of the stuff I did on the right side of the gaming front and now ashamed of how naive I was at first with the dark side.

 

Young and stupid, not an excuse...For me it was about swapping these little black squares and getting to play stuff before others, I didn't make money from it..ever, that was not something I ever wanted as I was well paid as it was... I knew many people who did make money but that was just not a path I ever wanted to go down. To this day I'm scared of getting a parking ticket so never take chances, getting in to illegal stuff would just scare the hell out of me and I don't need that pressure

 

Am I trying to excuse myself, no, not in a million years, I had a choice and I chose poorly but it was my choice, the fact I never made money from it does not excuse my choice but as I look back at my younger life you realise you make many choices on the spur of the moment, some good, some not so good..

 

Sadly I can't reach 88mph on foot nor own a Delorean

I was so young and dumb that at one point I actually walked into a computer store with pirated software someone gave me and asked why it wouldn't run. Of course, the guy knew I was ignorant at the time and gave me a gentle warning about doing such things again....and then I think he told me where to find better pirated software. ?
I still purchased games but they had to be really good, take a really long time to finish, and/or come with good swag in the box. Off the top of my head, I think I purchased...

• Star Raiders (well, I got that for Xmas)
• Protector II (cassette)
• Pharaoh's Curse (cassette. Endless load times on the 410)
• Crush, Crumble, & Chomp (cassette. I didn't have a disk drive at the time so I got the lamer version)
• Ultima III and IV (Disk)
• Bruce Lee (Disk)
• ...and then it gets a bit fuzzy....as with a lot of things these days. ?

Edited October 23, 2020 by Justin Payne

[Mclaneinc]

Lol..What you did with the copied software also happened in the computer shop I worked in, this couple came in with shell suits, baseball caps and looking very dosey and they know that we would trade in and buy games so she opens a plastic bag and puts a load of burnt CD PSX games on the counter. Copies where someone had printed out a label and everything.

 

It took 10 mins to assure them that these were not real, I at first thought that they were trying it on and knew what they were but it became clear they were just dumber than a box of frogs. Apparently their "mate" had taken their machine and had something done to it (mod chipped) and started getting them cheap games and they thought it was all ok.

 

They needed some money for Xmas so decided to sell the PSX and the games....Needless to say there was no sale..

 

Thank god Centresofts rep didn't walk in at that point, we were a top 100 dealer (sounds special but if you sold PSX's then everyone got called a top 100 dealer)

 

Didn't help that the owner was flogging burnt CD's as well...Strange and wrong times...

 

Mind you, the same couple got caught with the old Amstrad GX4000 market trader special, every Xmas tons of these awful consoles would on the stalls and being sold as a great new console which was not true, it was a flop that was discontinued and were flogged of to market dealers for a pittance who then mugged the public with them.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Mclaneinc

[Marius]

Hopefully my last word on this matter (Lol, I also say this to myself...)

 

If someone bought a cart from @video61atarisales, and he or she is not satisfied with the purchase, or experiences other issues.
Please contact Lance from Video61 first, and he will work it out with you. 

 

There has been said enough about this matter.

Atari 8bit is a lot of fun, and it is a loss to let negativity throw a shadow on the fabulous computer hobby. 

 

Happy Atari 8bit wishes to all of you!

Marius

Edited October 25, 2020 by Marius

[Mclaneinc]

Well said my friend..

 

Paul.

[flashjazzcat]

Peter copied me (as well as two of the most highly respected members of this community, bafflingly) in on an email last night, asking for help clarifying re: muh beta testing situation or some such. For the record and just in case he does that again: I told him to get f**ked and to stop bothering me with this tiresome, trivial bullshit.

[Mclaneinc]

Lol...Good call..