Make Carla Meninsky proud.... somebody finish 2600 Tempest!

[BIGHMW]

Much like the topic title reads, now who's gonna do it..... a finished version of the arcade classic and hit 5200 port that 2600 owners and players can be proud to not only call their own, but also as one of their favorites to play on it,

 

We all saw both the original "Speedo" tunnel and the improved hack that came out later and while the hack was much more playable than the abandoned original 1984 prototype we Atarians were introduced to earlier here on the AtariAge forums, and has been viral when it comes to the ROM for it. But just think of how much more fun it would be if we 2600 owners (BTW I also own a 5200 and have Tempest for it, thank you Keithen Hayenga!) had a very playable and challenging version that measures up to the way Carla Meninsky herself would've envisioned it if it were to be finished, it would be as much a smash hit as is the eventually finished 5200 port, it just needs a few more elements in it (change of different tunnels, more and different enemies, improved sound effects, 8K bank switching, etc.) and it would be even greater than the current hack we have now.

 

WHO is willing to do it??? I would love to play a finished version before the Big Guy Upstairs calls my name!!!

[toiletunes]

Go for it, I look forward to seeing this

[Keatah]

I say make the panties level pink!

[CDS Games]

Turns out I was wrong in the first post on that thread....the Tempest prototype was not written by Carla, at least according to Carla.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/251026-fixing-the-tempest-proto/?p=3650346

 

It's actually not that far from done. Most of the good stuff is already in there. As I left it there was a level problem--once that is fixed, then we can set up a bankswitching scheme. Once that works, the rest is just level design and getting the movement tables right, which is tedious but conceptually easy.

 

Maybe I will post the problem in the Programming forum, see if anyone wants to help with the specific issue that's holding me up. Believe me, I'd love to finish it myself and have something tangible in return for the time I spent messing with it.

[BIGHMW]

I just downloaded both of the latest versions of 2600 Tempest featured in the previous thread http://atariage.com/forums/topic/251026-fixing-the-tempest-proto/page-2?do=findComment&comment=3650346and I thought the 1022 (the "V" pattern version) was THE CLEANEST-LOOKING AND BEST of the 4 ROMS of this port I have seen, and it indeed has more enemies to contend with and was very playable, and once I broke in my OEM CX24 7800 stick I use with the VCS cartridge adapter and the AtariAge Harmony Encore controller response was smooth. Of course controller response will be smoother with either my Wico sticks or a Best-modded CX24. I also saw a clean-looking copyright graph (it read "©1983 Atari" below the tunnel) and also just a small glitch of a blue spot to the top right of the scoreboard but that should be of no bother to anyone who plays it.

 

THIS is something Carla Meninsky would be proud of and certainly if you don't have either this or the other download, the "Circ501" one, which is the cylindrical one, I highly recommend you download it to use on YOUR Harmony Encore multicart or Flashback portable, I found it quite impressive, especially the "V" version, the cleanest, most finished-like version of the 4, and if this is only a prototype, than I can't wait to see the finished version, it's far better playing and looking than the Speedo original!!!

 

I'll post pics of/film it off of the TV soon, because I don't have an a/v-modded 2600 or Flashback Portable so I'll have to do it "live" while I play it.

[BIGHMW]

These are the four downloads of 2600 Tempest

 

 

The "Speedo" original:

 

Tempst26.bin

 

 

The "U" version (with the copyright glitch):

 

Tempestfix401.bin

 

 

The cylindrical "501" one (with the copyright glitch):

 

tempestcirc501.bin

 

 

....and finally the best-playing and cleanest-looking one of the bunch (the "V" version):

 

tempest1022.bin

 

 

QUITE IMPRESSIVE, and all thanks and credit goes to BOTH Carla Meninsky, for inspiring the creator of these improved versions.......

 

AND......

 

to the one who did the work, CDS Games himself, you have done this great game justice for the 2600, and we can't wait to see the finished version if and when you become inspired by all of us to make that happen, and to license it to AtariAge for cartridge release, even though I now exclusively use ROMS on my Harmony Encore SD (for the 2600 VCS adapter) and the AtariMax Ultimate SD (for my 5200) multicarts, I would highly and definitely recommend this as a "MUST BUY" when it comes out!!!

Edited June 6, 2018 by BIGHMW

[MrBeefy]

It would be cool to see this finished and put on cart.

[CDS Games]

We had a month of craziness around here....multiple hospital stays, a car accident. Completely nuts. I dunno when I'll be back to messing around with Atari stuff.

 

Let me ask a question though....if you could get Tempest with just one screen rather than 4 different screens, would that be worth a release? Let's say the V screen since that seems to be OP's favorite.

[toiletunes]

One screen is better than no game, and one good screen is better than four glitchy or 'meh' screens. Four good screens would be even better, but I'd buy it either way it comes.

[BIGHMW]

We had a month of craziness around here....multiple hospital stays, a car accident. Completely nuts. I dunno when I'll be back to messing around with Atari stuff.

 

Let me ask a question though....if you could get Tempest with just one screen rather than 4 different screens, would that be worth a release? Let's say the V screen since that seems to be OP's favorite.

 

That would be the binary marked "Tempest1022", yes i have tried all 4 versions and yes I DO consider the V version to be the best-playing and cleanest-looking version of them.

[Keatah]

I got bored and found this version. Move left right to move left right. Up/down to see other levels. It isn't playable, but, rather, a POC. And I'd like to see work continue with it.

 

 

tempest26000.bas.bin

[davyK]

The V level is one of my favourite Tempest levels.

 

 

What would be really interesting to see is what someone would make of the actual basic idea of Tempest and create an original game around it. Wasn't Yars' Revenge based around Star Castle initially?

Edited June 17, 2018 by davyK

[BIGHMW]

The V level is one of my favourite Tempest levels.

 

 

What would be really interesting to see is what someone would make of the actual basic idea of Tempest and create an original game around it. Wasn't Yars' Revenge based around Star Castle initially?

 

 

I think that Star Castle may have influenced/inspired Yars' Revenge in most bits, now why are Yars' Revenge and/or Star Castle not available for the 5200, like the gorgeous ports we have for both on the 2600? If we can do Tempest, then why not Star Castle and/or Yars' Revenge, makes sense especially since Keithen Hayenga gave us a masterpiece of a vector-to-raster conversion of it for the 5200, hey, both Star Castle and Yars' Revenge are already on the 2600, why not Big Sexy???