Pixelboy Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Hello ColecoVision lovers! First of all, I'd like to wish everyone here a wonderful New Year. May you be spared the atrocious calamities which inevitably besiege mankind every year, like war, disease, climate disasters, economic woes, etc. But above all that, may your ColecoVision console (or ADAM computer) keep running smoothly throughout 2015 and beyond. Like, it's important to have your priorities straight, you know... So what does Team Pixelboy have in store for your beloved ColecoVision/ADAM this year? Well, one thing you have to know about me is that I'm not the kind of guy who makes New Year resolutions. Such resolutions are just a way to boost one's ego just long enough to make a good impression among family and friends, and then sweep such "life-changing" decisions under the rug when no one's looking. I'm more into making New Year commitments. Where Team Pixelboy is concerned, I am hereby publicly making one single commitment: To have all ongoing projects finished and behind me before 2015 is over. If the software of any ongoing Team Pixelboy project is not finalized by the end of December 2015, that project will be cancelled, pure and simple. If anything happens in 2016 with Team Pixelboy, it will be related to sales and customer service only. The truth is, I don't even want to think about what I'll be doing in 2016, I just want to focus on what I need to do to fulfill this year's commitment of final closure. What are these "ongoing" projects, you ask? They're all listed on teampixelboy.com, and I'm going to list them below as well, but before I do that, I need to mention that the situation with Eduardo Mello being what it is, there's no telling what's going to happen this year with the second run of Super Game Modules. I'm certainly not going to start making promises on Eduardo's behalf, nor am I holding my breath for whatever Opcode Games has in store for us unsuspecting ColecoVision fans. The first day of the New Year is all about making wishes of good will, and I do wish that Eduardo finally delivers what many have already paid for, but just between you and me, I think the guy's just fed up and that's why we hardly ever hear from him anymore. There, I said it. I think it needed to be said. BOXXLE Mystery Man finished the software of Boxxle last summer, but neither me or him have been able to find sufficient time to beta-test it fully, and that's why the release of Boxxle was pushed back to 2015. Since puzzles are structured in groups of ten and the player cannot move on to the next group until all puzzles in the current group have been solved, you can understand how a single error in the puzzle data could prevent the player from completing a puzzle, and thus prevent him from finishing the game. Thorough beta-testing of this game is therefore essential, and it's something I want to do myself, with Mystery Man's help of course. I'll be spending all my free time in January and February beta-testing Boxxle. JEWEL PANIC I made some good progress on Jewel Panic last spring, but I haven't touched that project in several months. Daniel Bienvenu created some awesome background music for the game last summer, after I showed him a work-in-progress version of the game, and with the Jewel Panic boxes already printed, I definately intend to finish that project. But it won't be easy: Not only do I have to code the remainder of the game's features and find a way to compile the source code (in C language) to produce a bankswitched ROM that works with my Activision PCB, I also have to make sure the EEPROM feature works (to save the high score tables) and I also have to fix some graphic glitches that started popping up at runtime after the last modifications I made to the code. After Boxxle's beta-testing phase is done, I will turn my full attention to Jewel Panic, probably in March and April. FRONT LINE - STANDARD CONTROLLER EDITION Almost two months ago, Eduardo Mello gave me a ROM of Front Line hacked to work with standard controllers, just as I requested, and I have to say the game is surprisingly fun to play! Unfortunately, while I was playing this hack I encountered some graphic glitches which Eduardo has yet to fix. So if we choose to look at it in a glass-half-full kind of way, we can say that a simple graphic bug is all that's standing in the way of Front Line SCE's release. Hopefully this will finally be resolved some time this year. GHOSTBUSTERS, THE STONE OF WISDOM AND SPELUNKER Eduardo made a public comment last summer about having made decisive progress with the MSX port of Ghostbusters, but to this day, he still hasn't shared with me a single beta ROM file of the ColecoVision version. If you're reading this, Eduardo, I don't doubt that you've done a lot of work on it, and that you want to finish the job once and for all, but you should know that the clock is ticking... Eduardo is also supposed to do the MSX ports of The Stone of Wisdom and Spelunker, and as far as I know, he hasn't started working on those ports yet. The boxes for those two games are already printed, and since communications between me and Eduardo are so lacking, I'm currently exploring alternatives to make sure that those boxes will not go to waste. SPACE SHUTTLE - A JOURNEY INTO SPACE You didn't see that one coming, did you? Well, maybe you did because I've mentioned my intention to publish this game several times in the past. Publishing a ColecoVision version of Space Shuttle has been a pet project of mine ever since I discovered the existence of the MSX version. And now, I can say with confidence that's it's finally going to happen, because Mystery Man has graciously accepted to tackle the challenge of porting the MSX game to the ColecoVision. You've seen what Mystery Man can do, and I have full confidence in his programming abilities, so barring any unfortunate real-life incident, the only reason Space Shuttle will not get released on ColecoVision will be because of a technical issue for which Mystery Man can't find a workaround. And by the way, for those who are interested in this game, it's pretty much 100% certain that it will require the Super Game Module to function, because the MSX version requires more than 1K of RAM. It's unknown yet whether it will run on an ADAM without the SGM. Each copy of the game will also come with a controller overlay, but that much is obvious. KNIGHTMARE To make a long story short, Eduardo Mello decided to take Knightmare away from Team Pixelboy and release it under his own Opcode Games label. This is kind of a drag considering all the money I spent on the box art, the PDF box template and the actual printing of the boxes. But you know Eduardo, he could change his mind again, and I'll keep those Knightmare boxes in storage just in case he does (until the end of 2015, that is). For now, I have removed Knightmare from the projects listed on teampixelboy.com. OTHER SECONDARY PROJECTS I have some other projects I want to see done this year, the first of which is putting 5 prototype cartridges of Champion Ice Hockey up for auction on eBay. The game hasn't gone through rigorous testing, so the carts will indeed be prototypes, but in order to avoid eBay's seek-and-destroy protocols towards homebrews, I will avoid using the term "prototype" or "homebrew" in the auction description. I'm not sure when these eBay auctions will happen, but it could be as early as March. Another project of mine is producing more copies of past SGM games (Dragon's Lair, Zaxxon Super Game, etc.) but this will only happen once Eduardo Mello ships the second run of SGMs. I've said this many times in the past to many people, but it bears repeating. By the way, I haven't given up on the ColecoVision trading cards project, but looking at how much I'll have on my plate between now and next December with the final roundup of Team Pixelboy games, I don't think I'll have any time to put on even a single series of trading cards. It's a pitty too, because I definately still want to do it. On a final note, I have arcade posters of SubRoc 3D and Buck Rogers - Planet of Zoom, which I used for the box art of SubRoc Super Game and Buck Rogers Super Game. I no longer have any use for these posters, so if you would like to have them, or if you know anyone who would like to have them, please send me a PM. If no one steps forward, I will simply throw them away, as I don't think it's worth the trouble of trying to sell such posters on eBay just to find them a good home. This concludes this Team Pixelboy news bulletin. We now return you to your regular forum activities. Happy New Year! 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Darrin9999 Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I`ll take the posters, would not want you to throw them away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Happy new year! Thank you for the great ColecoVision news! Let me know if you have a poster to spare…I have a space reserved for it on my wall in the game room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scobb Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Happy New Year Luc - thanks for everything! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 You had me at "find a way to compile the source code (in C language) to produce a bankswitched ROM that works with my Activision PCB". BTW: Happy New Year! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorTom Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I love how Eduardo may be "fed up". Pretty sure most of us are fed up with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phattyboombatty Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Great newsletter, Luc! Thanks for your commitment to the ColecoVision scene! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyBoss Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Hi Happy Newyear to every one, and I think that Pixelboy should learn a Lesson - dont announce anything or print anything before you actually have the rom, this is a Lesson from the 80's alot of software was announced both for ColecoVision, MSX and other systems, but never programmed and released, sometimes screen shoots exists, even in magazines For myself I currently have two Colecovision games which are 90% completed, but ran in to problems, and not sure if they will ever be completed. Both of them are MSX conversions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retroillucid Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) Happy New Year Luc, and all folks here as well Luc, I wish nothing but the best for this year, and hope your projects will all get released As for Eduardo.....well, this is the only thing I can think about him...... Edited January 1, 2015 by retroillucid 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariBuff Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Happy new year, Luc. An if you happen to have some spare posters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 I`ll take the posters, would not want you to throw them away! Okay Darrin, you're the one who contacted me first (both here and via PM) so you're the lucky winner. I'll reply to your PM shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Happy Newyear to every one, and I think that Pixelboy should learn a Lesson - dont announce anything or print anything before you actually have the rom, this is a Lesson from the 80's alot of software was announced both for ColecoVision, MSX and other systems, but never programmed and released, sometimes screen shoots exists, even in magazines I didn't have much of a choice. The printer company which prints my boxes forces me to place an order of at least 6 different boxes, with a print run of 150 copies for each box. So I had a decision to make and I took a chance. But you know what they say, it's not over 'til the fat lady sings... For myself I currently have two Colecovision games which are 90% completed, but ran in to problems, and not sure if they will ever be completed. Both of them are MSX conversions. You should compare notes with some local experts, like nanochess. Perhaps he could give you some ideas on how to solve the technical problems you're having. Of course, if you're trying to port a VRAM-intensive game like a first-person race game (à la Pole Position or Hang On) then such games may indeed be unportable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Luc, I wish nothing but the best for this year, and hope your projects will all get released And I wish that you will finally pay me the 238$ that you owe me for the Team Pixelboy games you bought from me a year ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retroillucid Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) And I wish that you will finally pay me the 238$ that you owe me for the Team Pixelboy games you bought from me a year ago.Yep, for sure! I wil contact you Edited January 1, 2015 by retroillucid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alekmaul Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I'm on for buying trading cards and will try to make mockup for my futur homebrews on Colecovision , please, don't stop this project !!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 As usual, a very informative and frank Team Pixelboy update which is very much appreciated. You are a class act and the CV Community owes you a great deal of gratitude for everything that you have accomplished and will accomplish in the coming year and hopefully years. Happy New Year! As far as the boxes that you have printed for games that are in "limbo", you know how crazy we are for CV stuff and especially vaporware items, so if things don't work out as far as the games being completed by Opcode or someone else... DON'T THROW THEM AWAY, IT WOULD BE A SHAME!!! Uh oh, sorry about shouting. What you could do is offer them for sale at your cost or cost plus $1 so that you can at least recoup some or most of the money that you have invested in their production and printing. The only problem I see here is knowing when to throw the towel in on the games and time the box sales with an actual release so as to make life easier with shipping. It may not be what everyone hopes for, especially yourself, but it's better than the garbage dump. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chart45 Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 BOXXLE Mystery Man finished the software of Boxxle last summer, but neither me or him have been able to find sufficient time to beta-test it fully, and that's why the release of Boxxle was pushed back to 2015. Since puzzles are structured in groups of ten and the player cannot move on to the next group until all puzzles in the current group have been solved, you can understand how a single error in the puzzle data could prevent the player from completing a puzzle, and thus prevent him from finishing the game. Thorough beta-testing of this game is therefore essential, and it's something I want to do myself, with Mystery Man's help of course. I'll be spending all my free time in January and February beta-testing Boxxle why dont you use people to beta test the game im sure like me others will be happy to test it for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sega Ages Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Another project of mine is producing more copies of past SGM games (Dragon's Lair, Zaxxon Super Game, etc.) but this will only happen once Eduardo Mello ships the second run of SGMs.Hi, I appreciate that you're still doing this. I'm looking forward to buying your cartridge versions of those two Adam games (Dragon's Lair & Zaxxon), after Opcode ships my 2nd run SGM this year. Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 why dont you use people to beta test the game im sure like me others will be happy to test it for you Boxxle is one game where I really want to do the beta-testing myself. That's all I can say about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikrananka Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Great newsletter as always. I too would like to add my voice to say thanks for all of your efforts in keeping the CV alive and exceedingly well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I'm not sure how to read this. It sounds like you won't be publishing any more games after the current list for 2015. Does this mean you're leaving the business, or just that you want to have all current projects completed? The list you have sounds great, but if there will be no more in the years to come, this is sad news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 I'm not sure how to read this. It sounds like you won't be publishing any more games after the current list for 2015. Does this mean you're leaving the business, or just that you want to have all current projects completed? The list you have sounds great, but if there will be no more in the years to come, this is sad news. I do want to leave the "business" of publishing games, which implies that I will indeed not publish any more games beyond 2015. But I will not be leaving the ColecoVision homebrew community. Once the final batch of Team Pixelboy games has been released, I will be free to pursue other ColecoVision projects in a more academic fashion. So I will continue to work towards keeping the ColecoVision alive, only in a different way. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Yeah, Pixelboy has finally seen the light... the real money to be made is in programming the games and then letting someone else worry about producing them in CIB form. All kidding aside, it will indeed be a bitter sweet day when the last Team Pixelboy produced CIB game is released but as the old saying goes, "When one door closes, another one opens up". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoDan Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I hope another one opens up, we have gone from 3 big publishers to 1 big publisher. Granted there are a couple guys here and there publishing their own games and do a good job but it is not the same as our big 3 were. Thanks for all your hard work but it will also be a very sad day to no longer see Pixelboy publishing releases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chart45 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) no more xmas morning email to buy great game Edited January 5, 2015 by chart45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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