NovaXpress #1 Posted June 11, 2003 He was talking about releasing one of his old 2600 unfinished attempts last year but as far as I know, nothing came of it. Does anyone know about this project? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Godzilla #2 Posted June 11, 2003 http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.p...hlight=rob+fulp ive occassionally re-proded by posting into that thread with little result.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NovaXpress #3 Posted June 11, 2003 After looking that thread over a few times I have a pretty good theory. Mr. Fulop had a little something that the Atari community might have fun with. He wanted to find the best way to share it and graciously asked the board. He made it clear that he wasn't looking to put out any great deal of effort or money to it, just something he had in a box to offer to the world. Okay. So now look at the responses. Here is an example of the typical reply: "Hey, you need to spend the next three months finishing the game without any pay while you neglect your real job. You should just make Demon Attack 2. That would rule!" "You need to release 30 different customized versions. We need a CGE exclusive with 3D boxcover in a special edition of 20, you gotta send me a copy though. Then an extra special edition autographed with your blood. Then a special AtariAge addition, then one that's produced by my cousin. You'll be paying for all of this yourself, of course." This is what he gets, over and over. The guy was trying to do everyone a favor just so they can have fun ENJOYING the hobby and he gets slammed with a bunch of people who only care about COLLECTING special editions. The thread is barely started before Fulop stops posting. The fun was taken out of it so why should he bother? The next time a classic programmer is good enough to offer something, let's take it easy on the poor guy. Okay? And if Rob still would like to release the ROM for any real Atari lovers to enjoy, I'll be grateful. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
broncoman #4 Posted June 12, 2003 that's messed up i totally love his stuff im a big fan of imagic games ever since i first got atlantis id wait forever to play a new one from him Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NovaXpress #5 Posted June 12, 2003 And the collection fetishists remain silent. I'm thinking that many people realized that they were being jerks and want it to let it drop. Can we agree that the next time such a game is offered, our number one concern should be making the ROM available to the masses. Let people get a chance to play it and if they want a cute cartridge box to stick on their shelf then they can pay for it themselves. Especially for an incomplete prototype like this one. Do any of you people really feel that deluxe packaging is what's important for an unplayable game? Convince the programmers to release it to everyone. Let the game be the most important thing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Room 34 #6 Posted June 12, 2003 It is really unfortunate that the previous thread on this topic raged out of control. It definitely seems that RF was scared off by it! (I don't blame him.) Rob Fulop is clearly one of the heroes of the Atari 2600 and we should be grateful that he drops in here at all. For him to offer up to the community an unreleased prototype is a delight! That said, since everyone has to get their 2 cents in, here's what I think he might want to do with the game, if he still cares what any of us think at this point! Since he was willing to produce a limited number of signed "collector's" copies of the game, I think he should do that, and sell them for a deservedly high price at a convention. This will recoup his efforts both in making the collector's copies AND in developing the game in the first place, 19 years ago. Next, and this would be entirely his prerogative, he could sell the original on eBay, where he'd surely rake in a hefty sum. The sale would, of course, be on condition that the ROM would be available to the community. And finally, he could license the game to AtariAge to make unlimited reproductions (albeit with less "flare" than the collector's edition) for sale in the AA store. The ROM could also be added to the archives for free download. And no, I do not expect anything whatsoever for free, even though being a member of this community makes me a close personal friend of Rob Fulop. I guess this fits an "all of the above" answer to Rob's original proposal, but I think all of these things could be done with a minimal outlay of Rob's time, and would certainly reap at least a little financial reward for his efforts. Last thing I'll say, and I'll make it emphatic: No one should expect Rob to finish the game! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas Jentzsch #7 Posted June 12, 2003 Last thing I'll say, and I'll make it emphatic: No one should expect Rob to finish the game! Well, he had contacted me last December about that. We had a brief conversation but then he stopped responding. Maybe (as always) I made things too complicated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Room 34 #8 Posted June 12, 2003 Hey... if he WANTS to finish the game, by all means. If he wants to hand over the code to Thomas or Paul or one of our other ubergenius homebrewers to finish, great! All I'm saying is, let's not put PRESSURE on Rob to do something. It's his work... let him decide what to do with it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NovaXpress #9 Posted June 12, 2003 Come on, Room. You still need multiple editions of an UNFINISHED game? How about just asking the programmers to make the ROM available and offer assistance if they want to do anything more with it. There isn't enough money in this business to promote the profit margin. You know it will end up being packaged and sold anyway. We had a brief conversation but then he stopped responding. Don't even tease us with the thought of a Fulop/Jentzsch collaboration. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Room 34 #10 Posted June 12, 2003 If you ask me, a lot of the commercially-released games during the 2600's heyday were unfinished! I see your point. I'm just saying that I do think there's a potential market for Rob to make a little bit of money on this, and he should be entitled to take advantage of that. Personally, I would download the ROM. If I dug it, I might buy the "standard" cart version from the AA store. I have no interest in buying the prototype or a limited edition. I do like the Fulop/Jentsch collaboration idea though! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NovaXpress #11 Posted June 12, 2003 there's a potential market for Rob to make a little bit of money on this, and he should be entitled to take advantage of that. I completely agree. However I think that he was led to believe that we all expect and demand all of these collector's editions. I'm sure that he is smart enough to know how to do a CGE release and make some cash if he wants to. He just wanted to know what we wanted. The answer was: everything and more. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas Jentzsch #12 Posted June 12, 2003 The answer was: everything and more. Well, that's the usual answer to that kind of question, isnt it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Godzilla #13 Posted June 12, 2003 All I want is 'it' to be available to 'us' by whatever means makes rob the happiest, without excluding availability. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Historian #14 Posted June 12, 2003 Amen, Zilla. I suppose it is a matter for the honorable Mr. Fulop to wrestle with. It boils down to what he wants for himself and what he wants to share with the community. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MegaManFan #15 Posted June 12, 2003 I have a feeling we'll probably never see it now; then again since I never saw it in the first place either I'm okay with that. His code, his choice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RMila75 #16 Posted June 12, 2003 It's a shame if the die-hard collectors put him off. Personally, I just like to have a game on a cartridge with a respectable label. Just enough to have something that actually plays in my 2600/7800. No limited edition/special packaging, etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Historian #17 Posted June 12, 2003 I dunno.. maybe I'm different... I'd just like to see the community get it in any form. Even if he just sold the copy he has. After all it is a lost relic that has been found, not unlike a lost painting from one of the masters. And anything is better than nothing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Atari2600Lives #18 Posted June 13, 2003 I do not agree. There were many post praising him as a designer and also telling him to simply make the ROM available or telling him that they would pay for a reproduction of the game. he stopped answering because ....well....he stopped answering. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MattG/Snyper2099 #19 Posted June 15, 2003 Well, I don't know about this thread but my response to Rob went something like: "It doesn't matter what it looks like. Where do I sent the $100 dollars?" You know, I consider myself a diehard collector but I don't give a crap about a special edition anything, long as I can play the game. NovaXpres, please try not to lump all us "diehards" into one category. I'm willing to pay for this game if it ever comes to be. If it doesn't, so be it, I'm still a happy atari player/collector. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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