New pacman for atari 2600

[iesposta]

Congratulations!

Congrats DINTAR816 on getting your Pac-Man on the Flashback Portable 2017!

Funny thing is your Pac-Man is SO good, many will think it is like last year's "not 2600 Frogger" (or the "not 2600 Space Invaders") and think it is encoded for the ARM chip and not an actual Atari2600 game!

I was to do music for the frog game on last year's, but found out that they wanted original multi-channel tunes. I'm not a composer, but I still found it shocking they shipped that game without sound.

 

If for some reason you didn't allow this, that is definitely your version on the website's box art:

[SIO2]

If that is legit and Dintar816 Pac-man is on there, I am going to be getting an FB portable!

[KAZ]

Hey Dintar, I was wondering if you would consider submitting your game to "Video Game Critic". http://videogamecritic.com/

 

I've asked him now twice to review your game, but he keeps telling me to 'have you send him a review copy'.

 

I've even referred to this forum thread.

 

I just want your game to be enjoyed by as many as possible, plus I just know it would get an awesome review. I even told him that Tod Fyre himself played your game and loved it.

 

 

[iesposta]

If that is legit and Dintar816 Pac-man is on there, I am going to be getting an FB portable!

 

That is a picture of DINTAR816's 4K or 8K game.

I was wondering how they'd feature Pac-Man this year with Atari 2600's letdown version.

 

The version pictured is NOT the newest build - which is V7-test (has a more Arcade-like score, the 0 is squished).

 

The newest version is in post #1370 : http://atariage.com/forums/topic/229152-new-pacman-for-atari-2600/?p=3651813

[Andromeda Stardust]

Yes congrats on the screenpost. Bill confirmed in the 2017 Flashback thread that this is not a mistake. If not v7 test then which version of the ROM did they use? First post has not been updated in a while...

 

Unrelated but I found a minor bug in your game when played on my 7800 using a modified Concerto with Harmony firmware. Sometimes the ghosts have a missing row where the mouth is when they turn blue. I haven't tested v7test on my 2600 as my original Harmony is currently MIA so for the time being I can only test ROMs on my 7800.

[iesposta]

Good to know it will be DINTAR's version.

He made a hack so it would run on last year's Flashback Portable.

Maybe he sent that version?

I can hope they corrected the skewed player output a lot of games showed, so he wouldn't have to use an older hacked version.

 

There is more info up now including the game list in this pdf.

Why so many Paddle games!? Kaboom! with a D-pad? Pong, Breakout, Astroblast...

Oh and "Forgger"! ha ha ha

That must be Frogger without the sound. Forgger.

http://www.atgames.net/resources/assets/pdf/2017-Atari-Flashback-Portable.pdf

[Andromeda Stardust]

Man, I want the gold Activision FB soooo bad, but I want Pacman most of all. Why do the Namco IP be exclusive to the portable???

 

And kinda worried if Dintar patched New Pacman to work on the Portable, what if AtGames makes last minute compatibility fixes which break "fixed" ROMs???

[iesposta]

All my existing console systems and emulations do 720p and scan lines via XRGB Framemeister Mini.

 

The Portable will get an inferior Pac-Man 8K. The perfect one we can buy on cartridge here.

 

Oh and the Atari and Genesis Portables have built-in "rechargable" (re-char-ga-ble) batteries. ha ha

[iesposta]

All my existing console systems and emulations do 720p and scan lines via XRGB Framemeister Mini.

 

The Portable will get an inferior Pac-Man 8K. The perfect one we can buy on cartridge here.

 

Oh and the Atari and Genesis Portables have built-in "rechargable" (re-char-ga-ble) batteries. ha ha

[Arenafoot]

And kinda worried if Dintar patched New Pacman to work on the Portable, what if AtGames makes last minute compatibility fixes which break "fixed" ROMs???

Then we will have to start all over again with another list of ROMs for the AFP2.

[+groundtrooper]

Then we will have to start all over again with another list of ROMs for the AFP2.

 

I thought the SAME thing when I saw the AFP2 announcement.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Then we will have to start all over again with another list of ROMs for the AFP2.

I mentioned earlier in another thread that I felt it was a waste of resources to fix homebrew or commercial ROMs to work in "broken" emulators, because said games will just get broken again as the bad emulators get updated. But then I had a change of heart when I saw the feedback from people who were enjoying the ROMs on their FBPs.

 

That was the whole point of retro gaming, to have fun right? But yes, I think if in fact they have made significant changes to the emulator, that we will see another round of "edits" along with fixed ROMs for both the FBP1 and FBP2. So years from now when they release the Flash Back Portable 6, will we need to distribute a half dozen different "ROM sets" based on the hardware revision? That would be a nightmare to curate IMO.

[DINTAR816]

 

That is a picture of DINTAR816's 4K or 8K game.

I was wondering how they'd feature Pac-Man this year with Atari 2600's letdown version.

 

The version pictured is NOT the newest build - which is V7-test (has a more Arcade-like score, the 0 is squished).

 

The newest version is in post #1370 : http://atariage.com/forums/topic/229152-new-pacman-for-atari-2600/?p=3651813

This can not be any 8k version because the "power pills" are yellow and square as it was in the 4k versions.

[Arenafoot]

This can not be any 8k version because the "power pills" are yellow and square as it was in the 4k versions.

so, you didn't license it (or any versions) to AT Games???? ....... oh no! more drama!

[Andromeda Stardust]

Correct. He was not contacted. I guess if you post the ROMs online, it is automatically public domain?

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Correct. He was not contacted. I guess if you post the ROMs online, it is automatically public domain?

Not good. I would be quite upset now.

[Bill Loguidice]

This can not be any 8k version because the "power pills" are yellow and square as it was in the 4k versions.

 

It's the 4K version this year. Let me know if for some reason they didn't get in touch with you. I was under the assumption that was all sorted out already.

[Bill Loguidice]

I've contacted both AtGames and DINTAR816. It was a mistake and they'll try and work something out with him like was previously assumed someone there already did (miscommunication). If not, they'll obviously pull the ROM and just use the Atari original.

Edited June 13, 2017 by Bill Loguidice

[SIO2]

I hope they work something out.

[Feralstorm]

Hope this gets worked out amicably too. I know ATGames' isn't catering to the hardcore types, but I'd wish that both DINTARI's and the Atari version were included, for the historical perspective.

 

Either Way, I'd hope the DINTARI Pac-Man makes it on the unit, if for no other reason than the potential for the kids and 'casuals' going "THIS is the game everyone says helped kill the entire '80s video game industry? I mean, it's kinda blocky, but it's actually pretty good!"

[Andromeda Stardust]

Hope this gets worked out amicably too. I know ATGames' isn't catering to the hardcore types, but I'd wish that both DINTARI's and the Atari version were included, for the historical perspective.

 

Either Way, I'd hope the DINTARI Pac-Man makes it on the unit, if for no other reason than the potential for the kids and 'casuals' going "THIS is the game everyone says helped kill the entire '80s video game industry? I mean, it's kinda blocky, but it's actually pretty good!"

QFT. Please don't put that old Atarisoft turd on it...

[Swami]

I'm sure this story is somewhere, but when I see what can be done like this, I wonder why the first 2600 one was, well, what it was. Sorry to be a noob, but was the programming less sophisticated back then or were they just on a time crunch. This one is really amazing. I hope things work out great for DINTARI for the flashbacks and thanks for the early release roms.

[Bill Loguidice]

I'm sure this story is somewhere, but when I see what can be done like this, I wonder why the first 2600 one was, well, what it was. Sorry to be a noob, but was the programming less sophisticated back then or were they just on a time crunch. This one is really amazing. I hope things work out great for DINTARI for the flashbacks and thanks for the early release roms.

 

It's well-documented. Needing to fit it in a 4K ROM, something of a time crunch, etc. A combination of factors, really, as you would expect. Obviously the later Ms. Pac-Man was quite a bit better. Today's homebrewers have the benefit of modern tools, the knowledge of all that came before them, hobby time to work on it, etc., along with great talent.

[ZylonBane]

QFT. Please don't put that old Atarisoft turd on it...

 

Eh? All the Atarisoft Pac-Man versions were pretty good.

[Arenafoot]

Correct. He was not contacted. I guess if you post the ROMs online, it is automatically public domain?

 

 

 

It's the 4K version this year. Let me know if for some reason they didn't get in touch with you. I was under the assumption that was all sorted out already.

 

 

I've contacted both AtGames and DINTAR816. It was a mistake and they'll try and work something out with him like was previously assumed someone there already did (miscommunication). If not, they'll obviously pull the ROM and just use the Atari original.

OH no.......... I hope they get it worked out in time. That would be horrible if they went with the original Atari 2600 Pac-Man version, and kept that picture on the box.