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What are the 5 rarest homebrew games on Vectrex ?


scalpel

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When Chris at Binary Star announced that I had won, I considered myself the luckiest jerk in the world! I know, its just the cart with the USB port and Xmas tree, but, like I said, I never win anything, and I know quite a few of the more "involved" Vectrex people were upset they didn't get one (like you said). Out of all the systems I have, it is probably my most prized possession (besides the Vectrex itself...and my Neo Geo AES).

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  • 2 years later...

Spike Goes down was only available on the 100 Protector LE carts and is not available for download.

 

Ok, in order to unlock Spike Goes Down, you need to score 20k on Protector. Problem is, that game is too hard for me... ;-( I never got close..

Last year I brought my Vec with Protector Special Edition in to work and had a mini competition.

One guy scored 17,200... So close... ;-(

This year, I brought it back to work and had a competition again.

The same guy from last year and another guy got competitive with each other (I was egging them on) and...

 

They (both) broke 20k!!!

 

So today, for the first time since I bought Protector SE back when it was first released, I was FINALLY able to play Spike Goes Down!!!

YAY!!

 

Hey, it's a really fun game, and more my speed.. ;-)

 

desiv

Edited by desiv
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Ok, in order to unlock Spike Goes Down, you need to score 20k on Protector. Problem is, that game is too hard for me... ;-( I never got close..

Last year I brought my Vec with Protector Special Edition in to work and had a mini competition.

One guy scored 17,200... So close... ;-(

This year, I brought it back to work and had a competition again.

The same guy from last year and another guy got competitive with each other (I was egging them on) and...

 

They (both) broke 20k!!!

 

So today, for the first time since I bought Protector SE back when it was first released, I was FINALLY able to play Spike Goes Down!!!

YAY!!

 

Hey, it's a really fun game, and more my speed.. ;-)

 

desiv

 

Hah, funny... I took my Protector to a games meet years ago when Protector was pretty new and someone unlocked the game, I don't even know if I was aware of a bonus game on the cart. I love Spike Goes Down, use it as a high score competition game whenever I have a games meet.

 

Regarding this topic... I guess in 4 years there's been a few additions to the rare list!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Spuds Revenge.

 

Spudster's Revenge:

 

1 Proto sold on ebay (numbered #0, slightly different code)

14 Developers Editions (only for trade with developers of other vectrex games, and my personal copy, only version with a cover and shell with label, different title screen, slightly different code, only 5 made so far)

100 Bargain Editions, numbered copies just PCB and EPROM or OTP PROM

 

Free Edition ROM Download, missing all easter eggs. available here http://entropy.tmok.com/~gauze/vectrex/wip/spud_free.bin

 

new rare ones:

Karl Quappe Limited edition, I think 11 made with Retail style box, and 4 made with Foil Letter pressed box. (unlimited Packrat edition with clamshell out now too)

Robot Arena (38 made, cart only)

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  • 1 year later...
  • 1 month later...
On 9/12/2014 at 8:36 PM, iesposta said:

I, personally, don't count "made rare on purpose" as a rare homebrew.

Kind of negates the need for this thread if that's a rule :D

 

Once upon a time I made a homebrew "copy" of ArtMaster ... and labeled it "#001".  I wasn't trying to make it rare, I just never made any more, that I remember.

 

VeCaves stands out for me as being very rare, and I love that it's being re-released!  Yay, now ya'll can play it :D 

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On 3/2/2020 at 7:52 AM, playvectrex said:

Kind of negates the need for this thread if that's a rule :D

 

Once upon a time I made a homebrew "copy" of ArtMaster ... and labeled it "#001".  I wasn't trying to make it rare, I just never made any more, that I remember.

 

VeCaves stands out for me as being very rare, and I love that it's being re-released!  Yay, now ya'll can play it :D 

 

Well, I understand the reasoning to a degree.  I mean, it would be a simple exercise to track down how many copies of each game were ever made and then, whichever game had the least amount of copes made automatically is the Most Rare, going down the list with increasing production numbers.  But that's not how it works for most games, the official ones were sold all over the place, some were made in larger numbers than others, and some were so popular that everybody bought them, so finding a copy now is a bitch.  Which means rare.  Other games were just as numerous but since people don't like them as much, way easier to find them on eBay or wherever and pay less for them, so much less rare.

 

Making only ~10 copies of a game, on purpose, when you know that most Vectrex fans would buy a copy if only they were given the opportunity, is idiotic.  That's just bragging rights to be "super rare!".  Check out my new game, isn't it cool, well, jump through these hoops to get one because I'll only allow 20 of you to have it!  A more organic way to achieve rarity many times is due to perceived lameness at the time.  The game seems to be a dud, production stops compared to other games, 20 years later it's hard as fuck to track one down, especially complete (box/overlay/instructions).  Another way is the due to the unappreciative laziness of gamers, they buy the game, don't care about the packaging or other crap, play it for a while, neglect it, it's gone, one less copy for later when someone else would buy it off the owner.

 

I would shoot more for popularity (most copies bought) over exclusivity (hardest to encounter).  I mean, just because you make 10,000 copies of it doesn't mean you'll actually sell 10,000 if it sucks.  On the other hand, you make 300 copies and you sell out, that's saying something about how cool your game is, maybe you should make another couple hundred due to demand.  What good is it to make a game ridiculously rare?  Everybody wants my game, it's so rare!  Prove it, make 200 more and see how well it sells.

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Definitions of rare:

 

(of an event, situation, or condition) not occurring very often.

"He rarely plays his copy of Entex Adventure Vision Super Cobra, probably because he doesn't have the console -_- (...sigh)"

 

(of a thing) not found in large numbers and consequently of interest or value.

"Gee, this copy of Entex Adventure Vision Super Cobra sure is rare... literally everyone keeps pestering me to sell it for lots of beer money!"

 

unusually good or remarkable.

"Everyone that has a Vectrex has the game Mine Storm, which is a such a great clone of Asteroids that 50% of players prefer it over Asteroids! ...and that's rare."

 

"Rare" is individually subjective, but if you tally up the posts here you can find out what name pops up the most and... boom, that's the "rare" one.

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 3/13/2020 at 6:46 PM, playvectrex said:

Definitions of rare:

 

(of an event, situation, or condition) not occurring very often.

"He rarely plays his copy of Entex Adventure Vision Super Cobra, probably because he doesn't have the console -_- (...sigh)"

 

(of a thing) not found in large numbers and consequently of interest or value.

"Gee, this copy of Entex Adventure Vision Super Cobra sure is rare... literally everyone keeps pestering me to sell it for lots of beer money!"

 

unusually good or remarkable.

"Everyone that has a Vectrex has the game Mine Storm, which is a such a great clone of Asteroids that 50% of players prefer it over Asteroids! ...and that's rare."

 

"Rare" is individually subjective, but if you tally up the posts here you can find out what name pops up the most and... boom, that's the "rare" one.

 

True, but I doubt that anybody is using #1 or #3 in these discussions, "rare" usually means hard to find/buy/even encounter.  And you forgot close to uncooked (rare steak), why would you skip that definition?

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On 3/2/2020 at 10:52 AM, playvectrex said:

Kind of negates the need for this thread if that's a rule :D

 

Once upon a time I made a homebrew "copy" of ArtMaster ... and labeled it "#001".  I wasn't trying to make it rare, I just never made any more, that I remember.

 

VeCaves stands out for me as being very rare, and I love that it's being re-released!  Yay, now ya'll can play it :D 

Do you mean this old thing?

WIN_20200418_17_32_34_Pro.jpg

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  • 4 months later...

does it count as rare if it's something you made for yourself?

 

(or if someone made for you, e.g. Thomas' standalone cart with Tailgunner)

 

(btw you can make boxes like these yourself: http://gtoal.com/vectrex/DIY-Vectrex-Cartridge-Box-Kit.zip or http://gtoal.com/vectrex/DIY-Vectrex-Cartridge-Box-Kit/ )

 

unblockme.jpg

unblockme-box-back.jpg

finished tg box.jpg

Edited by gtoal
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6 hours ago, gtoal said:

does it count as rare if it's something you made for yourself?

 

(or if someone made for you, e.g. Thomas' standalone cart with Tailgunner)

 

(btw you can make boxes like these yourself: http://gtoal.com/vectrex/DIY-Vectrex-Cartridge-Box-Kit/ )

 

Rapidly launches URL to get Tailgunner for Vectrex ........ then dismay sets in when it's just how to make the box for it.

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1 hour ago, ComputerSpaceFan said:

Rapidly launches URL to get Tailgunner for Vectrex ........ then dismay sets in when it's just how to make the box for it.

That's how rare it is ;-)  Seriously though, I'm doing my best to eventually get it out there... it'll be available with the PiTrex when we release it.  (A release specifically for developers will be coming out Real Soon Now.  (Weeks, not months; maybe even days.)

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