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Laser Blast X


peteym5

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a valid hint for nice and cheap boxes - off-the shelf carton box (random google find: http://www.pakonline.com.au/20pcs-mailing-postage-carton-box-100x75x50mm/) +printed sleeve (look up GR8 boxes).

for a small box a letter size printer might be sufficient, but for bigger boxes A3 printer is required.

 

a hint for glossy labels (smearing when touched) - spray with a clear coat (lacquer). done this many times with excellent results.

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a valid hint for nice and cheap boxes - off-the shelf carton box (random google find: http://www.pakonline.com.au/20pcs-mailing-postage-carton-box-100x75x50mm/) +printed sleeve (look up GR8 boxes).

for a small box a letter size printer might be sufficient, but for bigger boxes A3 printer is required.

 

a hint for glossy labels (smearing when touched) - spray with a clear coat (lacquer). done this many times with excellent results.

 

Thankyou, those probably be good for the cartridges. As stated, Video61 is already using a clear plastic clamshell with a nice printed label on them. Has like many of them that he uses for different products. Puts a laminated instruction sheet inside. I am satisfied we are doing something better now than what happened with the first release of Venture.

 

 

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With many of the games with packaging people had pointed out to here, I did notice something. Many of those programmers only produced one game. I would love to see these great programmers to make more than one game, it will keep our market alive. Something we do have to careful about is not to spend too much on labeling, packaging, parts, and ordering a much larger quantity. I understand a few people ordered 500, 1000, or more for their product. If you spent around $900 USD to make a 1000 labels, and only sold 30 units for $25 , you would had lost money. 100 is a fair and good estimate, not just with software, but hardware products as well. I seen many of those "Pre-orders" on products and frequently get less than 50 orders for the initial run.

 

The majority of programmers made many games, not a single one; they were available for free and not packaged.

The making of a good package needs a lot of work.

AtariAge does this work and there are a lot of Atari VCS packaged games fo sale.

BTW, the majority of homebrew packaged games were free to download: for example Bomb Jake, Yoomp!, Dimo's Quest, Rolltris, Thetris, Hobgoblin, Bomber.

In fact there are not many A8 homebrew games not free to download: Venture and your other new games, Xenophobe (to recover original cartridge costs), Beef Drop, Dungeon Hunt,

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The majority of programmers made many games, not a single one; they were available for free and not packaged.

The making of a good package needs a lot of work.

AtariAge does this work and there are a lot of Atari VCS packaged games fo sale.

BTW, the majority of homebrew packaged games were free to download: for example Bomb Jake, Yoomp!, Dimo's Quest, Rolltris, Thetris, Hobgoblin, Bomber.

In fact there are not many A8 homebrew games not free to download: Venture and your other new games, Xenophobe (to recover original cartridge costs), Beef Drop, Dungeon Hunt,

Funny thing too. When the games were avialable for free (Line Runner for one) I bought the game on cart, and didn't play the download version until my cart came in. I never have broken the seal on that thing either.

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I should restate. Most people that manufactured a game, put all that labeling, printed boxes, and manuals, etc. Only produced one or a limited amount of games. I am not going through AtariAge, but going with Atarisales instead. We attempted to team up with AtariAge to produce the Venture cartridge back in 2012, but had issues trying to get the game to run from the AtariAge XEGS cartridge. We try to get the cartridge out without it costing everyone lots of money.

 

However we are working on something with the packaging with our next set of games with the manuals. Everyone will have to wait and see what is going on. If anybody has any suggestions, you can post on the Atari.IO also where we work together with people. One thing I tried to do is get this guy to make labels for us: http://forums.atari.io/index.php/topic/770-end-label-sets-for-multiple-systems/#entry5487 still waiting for word back from him. He seems to have equipment to make some good labels.

Edited by peteym5
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We are currently finishing up a set of games that fit onto 16K cartridges and deflate parts into RAM. I will be disclosing the titles on here when it gets closer to the release dates.

 

For my next set of games I am going back to doing stuff on bigger cartridges. I have this one game I started long before I got involved with KJMANN or Video61 and I do want to finish it. It was originally going to run on Atari's with extended RAM like the 130XE. Really big RAM screen scrolling around like Sonic The Hedge Hog or Super Mario. Have lots of stuff moving around, so there would be issues trying to get it to run in just 64K or have 16K mapped for the Cartridge ROM. I have to figure out how to work around those things to get it to run on cartridge. It was going to be part TurboBasic with ML routines, but I know how to do it all in ML.

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  • 8 months later...

 

Very neat and exciting game! Cartridge is still available from www.atarisales.com for $39.95. All reports the game is running solid from those who had purchased it so far. Only one person reported the game not coming up at all, but that may be either a something else defective or dirty cartridge port.

 

There is much more to this version of Laser Blast playing on the 8-bit. More detailed and colorful graphics. More game options where you can be confronted by more enemies on the ground and in the air.

 

This game does use over scan mode and some stuff will be visible on some Wide Screen HDTV displays on the sides like some static on the right side

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Are there different types of enemies than the ones shown?

 

The entire video shows 3 types of enemies which if true would get a tad monotonous after a time...

Plenty games got away with less than that, so to me it's not a dealbreaker, but I can see your point.

 

While I don't like it enough to spend $40 for a cart (not a collector), I sure like it enough to spend $10 for a digital download. Right.This.Very.Moment.

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OOOOOHHH....Don't go down that route, Petey will throw a fit...

 

Us all being possible pirates and that.....

 

I had quite the barney with Petes mate Sal about digital downloads, I thought it was business 101 but then we especially ME were all pirates...

 

It works bloody well for the C64 but apparently us Atarians are bigger pirates :)

 

And Pete, before you say it (again), there will be NO digital or free downloads Everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Edited by Mclaneinc
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100 or more people at 10 or 15 dollars digital download = a grand a grand 5 (1,000.00 to 1,500.00) or MORE of profit... with only the code invested. No cost for hardware to be deducted etc etc... Just saying... but yeah that's a horse that's glue that's dried up crusty peeling and cracking horse glue...

Edited by _The Doctor__
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OOOOOHHH....Don't go down that route, Petey will throw a fit...

 

Us all being possible pirates and that.....

 

I had quite the barney with Petes mate Sal about digital downloads, I thought it was business 101 but then we especially ME were all pirates...

 

It works bloody well for the C64 but apparently us Atarians are bigger pirates :)

 

And Pete, before you say it (again), there will be NO digital or free downloads Everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Color me stoopid, but I swear I was actually looking for a download link and an online payment processor...

 

I watched the YT vid and just wanted to play it this very moment, even if only on an emulator (my Atari is in the box now). It's a definition of impulse buy - I never heard of this game before, saw the YT vid, it looked exciting and just wanted to play it. Guilty as charged !

 

Hell, I probably would have parted with $15, even...

 

Now, I'm not gonna advise them on how to do their business, I just don't understand how a cart (once it's out there) is technically preventing anyone from dumping the ROM ?

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Laser Blast X standard default option is your ship vs the 3 tanks below that maintain an equal distance apart, just like Atari 2600 Laser Blast. Options allow Enhanced vs 4 Tanks, Tanks + Fighter, or Six Tanks. Since the Atari 8-bit only allows 4 players inside one of this DLI horizontal zones, 6 tank mode will flicker a little until you destroy some of the tanks. Enhanced 4 or 6 tanks has a blocker shield moving back and forth that absorbs your laser. You can disable the fixed distance that allows the tanks to move left or right randomly making the game much more challenging. An option allows the enemies to launch a continuous stream of short bolts than can add another level of challenge.

 

Laser Blast X is compatible with common Atari Hardware and Operating Firmware. Runs on 400/800, 600XL, 800XL, 1200XL, 65XE, 130XE, 800XE, and XEGS. The game is not supported if running on an emulator or problems arising when attempting to run on custom hardware. This game is being ported to the Atari 5200 and Atari 7800 as well. I do have a programmer interested in assisting with porting to the Jaguar as well.

 

I have no comment on other subjects mentioned as this will again lead to a flaming war and I will not be adding fuel to the fire this time. If you have an issue with the price, you may contact Video61. The game is available on cartridge for $39.95 with free shipping inside the United States (lower 48) Outside of that is just a little more depending on exchange rates. Customer and Technical Support will be provided to those that bought the cartridge. I will post technical solutions to the games on cartridge on here if anything gets reported.

Edited by peteym5
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100 or more people at 10 or 15 dollars digital download = a grand a grand 5 (1,000.00 to 1,500.00) or MORE of profit... with only the code invested. No cost for hardware to be deducted etc etc... Just saying... but yeah that's a horse that's glue that's dried up crusty peeling and cracking horse glue...

 

 

I know, I know....For me its a no brainer, a look at the C64 scene just proves how well it works with titles like Sams Journey, I don't have a C64 these days so if I can afford one of the DD games I go for it and I just had to have Sams Journey, I could if I wanted get it for free but its such a great game I just had to chip in.

 

I know its not my business to run but it BEGS for DD's, the impulse buys alone would seal the deal, who isn't going to take a risk on 10 - 15 bucks for a game....

 

As for the piracy ideal, utter cobblers, just look how many of Petey's (or any other recent paid for game) has turned up on multi boot...From my finds, NIL...But considering the coding talent in here I'd be pretty sure some have made digital copies for themselves but in circulation, not here mate :)

 

Don't worry Pete, I'm NOT trying to change your mind, you have made it more than clear what you and Video61 want but you can't blame some of us for having this look because of it..

post-13027-0-25740600-1515491900.png

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I decided to make a better quality Youtube Video. I wanted to showcase the Scrolling ground 3D effect a better, however YouTube re-samples the video so I do not have real control of the quality. I have considered a demo, but will not be able to get to it anytime soon as I am tied up with doing ports to the 5200 and 7800 now.

 

I let the option screen stand for a few seconds showing what option being played for a few seconds in the video.

 

The game is only available on cartridge from Video61 for $39.95, free shipping.

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I'm a guy that prefers physical copies of games, but it does limit me financially. So I've bought or plan on buying about a quarter of Pete's total releases (which I've reviewed some of them in EXCEL issue 5 coming soon) Some games just don't interest me enough for the price. But, if there was DD available, I most certainly would still have bought the physical copies I did, and still more I intend to get, but I would also buy digital download versions of ALL, including ones I bought cartridges for, too, assuming a $10-15 price point. And if I discovered I liked a DD game more than I thought, there's every chance I'd decide to eventually buy a cartridge version. So how much more would Video61 and Pete make from me?

Edited by Gunstar
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I wonder if there will be V61 Petey Pack where you can buy a 3 pack of petes games a discount... or a mega petey pack 5 or more....

 

I don't think they get it.... if someone doesn't like the price or format they lose the sale and I guarantee they have it anyway... if the other options existed they'd have way more sales... and as it had been demonstrated... games in physical form become DEMANDED when they are good... just look at all the folks who want more runs of the complete packages... home brew guys are doing it even when they are done with the project and command really good prices!....

Edited by _The Doctor__
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I have proposed bundled deals in the past, and Video61 may make deals personally if you looking to purchase several items from him at once. That also cuts done shipping costs. At the time, I only had 3 games on the market when I spoke to Video61 about it. I am waiting until more games are finished before looking into bundled deals again. Most likely it will be the 16K cartridge for $39.95. However you need to bring this to Video 61 since he is the distributor.

 

I know some games are going to sale better than others, it is a matter of which games a person will like to play. Honestly I am not a big fan of those "fighting" games. As for sports games, better to use a more modern game system with advance graphics. Although I have theories on how to make TouchDown Football play at a higher frame rate using parallax scrolling. I think it redraws the football field each frame.

 

Another set of games I made for 16K cartridges I made is about to be released. These will be the last ones I will do for awhile as I would like to go back to games for 128K and 1MB cartridges. Along with porting these games to the 5200 and 7800 as well.

 

I experimented with some new stuff for Secretum Labyrinth, even released an updated demo to show changes to the room graphics engine.

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What Peter says is true, Lance at Video61 has been fantastic in my experience, and he did, in fact, give me a discount with my multiple cartridge purchase. Though I don't think it would be right to reveal that one-on-one deal. And Lance offered, I didn't ask. He was quite generous.

 

I've been dealing with Lance since the mid-nineties myself, mostly with Atari Jaguar items until more recently, and here I am, more than twenty years later, still dealing with him. So what does that tell you.

Edited by Gunstar
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Sounds good to me, they need to get their marketing ears on, people WILL buy the stuff but cart prices put them off unless like has been said they promote a multiple cart discount.

 

I remember all the fuss with Sal, Pete's ex Music supplier about piracy piracy piracy and what grates is that if you look at the threads all I've ever done is try to help them MAKE money, apart from Tempest Extreme and Venture that I own there's nothing recent that I'd want or play, its purely that I'm picky about what types.of game I like (mostly shooters / arcade).

 

Mega Petey Pack...Yeah sounds good, maybe PJM presents The Ultimate Pack....nah......

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KJMANN originally proposed Laserblast X as part of a multi-game cartridge with a set of Activision 2600 games that never made it over to the 8-bit. I started the graphics, and some test programming for these things around same time I started Venture. I do not remember if Venture was to be included. However, we were advised by several parties, it be better to sell these games individually because every time a company like Activision made one, it sold poorly. Majority of the consumers prefer individual games, because these multicart things usually have 1 or 2 games out the set that was worth anything.

 

What I do instead with games like Laser Blast X, Surround Em, Putt 18 is have a larger set of game options where you can turn features on and off or change the style of play. Laser Blast X already was 4 different styles: 3 tanks, 4 tanks, tanks + fighters, 6 tanks. Along with an option for the enemies to shoot lasers or bullets up at you. I was working on several ideals that never made it to the final game. Like having an extra large rocket shoot up when going to the next set of tanks, or something fly in from above and drop a bomb for you to dodge. Ran into issues with trying to make all that happen and was adding more complexity to debug and figure out how to make it work. I do not remember if I was coming up a against fitting inside the size of the ROM also, but I always got around it by optimizing other parts of the program or compress more sections of the game.

 

Other 2600 games that were pitched were Chopper Command, Enduro, Sky Jinx, Barn Storming, etc. But I am doing something similar to Chopper Command / Chop Lifter. What happened after I figured out how to use Deflate/Inflate with Venture, I asked myself can I do this with some other game, maybe a few other games. Have them deflate stuff from the 16K ROM cartridge without using the more expensive bank switching set ups. These are like 20k+ games compressed onto a 16K cartridge.

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