JoeLogname Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 (edited) It seems bizarre that - especially now Xtreem is a decade old and "obsolete" after the release of Elite - there doesn't seem to be any way to get either game without buying a monstrously expensive physical cart (although that may be a moot point as I can't actually find a working link to buy either one in physical format either). Wouldn't they like some money from us emulator players too? And if not, why not just release Xtreem for free as a taster? Edited November 14, 2018 by JoeLogname 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 (edited) I shall handle this so as to try and not cause problems... The makers and creators of these games have chosen to to not use the reasonably lucrative digital release market out there, the discussion of this has caused some friction between them and the people who want it but that is their stance and we must abide by this choice no matter what we may feel.. You as a buyer were probably unaware of all this and I strongly suggest you write to Lance at Video61 and politely explain how it would be a great idea rather than use in here as it generally causes mayhem We respect their rights and for those of us who want digital sales we just have to hope in time it changes but we don't own the company or write the software so its just one of those things we must accept gracefully.. Edited November 14, 2018 by Mclaneinc 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLogname Posted November 15, 2018 Author Share Posted November 15, 2018 (edited) Fair enough. I'm new here and was just genuinely asking. I'm amazed that nobody with a cart has just gone "sod it" and dumped it, in that case. It's been a decade. I can't get to the end of the demo anyway, so it might as WELL be the full game Edited November 15, 2018 by JoeLogname 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLogname Posted November 15, 2018 Author Share Posted November 15, 2018 (I *think* I finally just managed to find their barely-working website. It says "If you order something from us and we don't have it in stock, we'll give you store credit only, no refunds." LOL.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gozar Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Fair enough. I'm new here and was just genuinely asking. I'm amazed that nobody with a cart has just gone "sod it" and dumped it, in that case. It's been a decade. I can't get to the end of the demo anyway, so it might as WELL be the full game Atari users now days are a pretty good group when it comes to piracy. Now, if you ask the author or publisher, they believe the reason is because it is released on cartridge and can't be dumped. We all know this isn't true, but they cling to that line of reasoning. I just play Tempest 2000 on my Jag. :-) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Stuff that you can still buy isn't (and shouldn't be) available for download from non-official sources. If they are still selling it and don't wish to give it away or offer it digitally at all, that is up to them. How old a title has to be before it becomes a legitimate target for preservation is a discussion I've not seen here but 10 years does seem a reasonable timeframe. I *think* 10 years is the MAME cutoff as well. Whoever is the first person to release a 10 year old community homebrew without the authors permission will have to brave the wrath of the community/risk banishment, I'm not sure anyone wants that. Hoarders never learn from the lost software of the past even when their copy finally fails and there isn't one available to repair/replace it. Money grabbers don't see the stuff they sell as future history, they see it as product; when it's no longer making money, it's of no use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 It says "If you order something from us and we don't have it in stock, we'll give you store credit only, no refunds." LOL.) You should send Lance an email first before placing an order. He is pretty good at getting back to you fairly quickly. That way you will know if the item is in stock or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I'm with Mr Robot here, there should be an accepted time frame where a non available item becomes 'out there' so it can be archived and saved....I'm not suggesting items are posted everywhere on very public sites and I'm not suggesting that an author can't request an item taken down if it is up, I'm purely saying that if its now an MIA item then it should be accepted as ok for it to be dumped and made archived for future enjoyment... It has to work or many of us would not be playing the games we are as they would never have been continued to be available. As for the OP, I see your point and I do understand its awkward you do order and get told you don't get refunds ( if that is what happened) and its annoying that a game can develop a following yet you can't buy it but you risk wrath if it finds its way out...Its awkward and needs that accepted time period where its deemed ok unless there's genuine author refusal.. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLogname Posted November 15, 2018 Author Share Posted November 15, 2018 You should send Lance an email first before placing an order. He is pretty good at getting back to you fairly quickly. That way you will know if the item is in stock or not. The website is so ridiculously terrible I can't tell if they even sell outside the USA (which I am) at all. And as I don't own a real Atari 800 any more, it's a bit of a moot point anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nezgar Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Lance sold to me outside of USA. Ordered via e-mail and paid via paypal. Happy to support the author. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Thag Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 It's kind of a funny truth that most of the good Atari vendors online all operate on these ridiculously archaic, 1996 era websites and have all these funny quirks about how/when you can contact them to buy something. I've had good experiences with Lance, Best etc. but it's like... c'mon folks, it's 2018. Make a goddamn Wix website with a shopping cart! It's not hard! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLogname Posted November 15, 2018 Author Share Posted November 15, 2018 Lance sold to me outside of USA. Ordered via e-mail and paid via paypal. Happy to support the author. So am I. That was the whole original point of this post, trying to give him money... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I've also never had a problem either contacting Lance or ordering from him. I'm in Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nezgar Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Archaic websites go hand in hand with our archaic computers. at least we don't have to send payment via mail too like the 80's! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.E.R.O. Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 As much as some would like digital be made available & would pay for such but once it's out there, it's out there for a whole lot of people who wouldn't feel so obliged to go hand to pocket & throw some coin a dev's way. I'm always appreciative of those who do decide to allow their games to be shared like johnnywc who puts out the final version of his games or Team Pixelboy who hooks up the Colecovision fans with some games gratis each holiday season. I'm aware of Tempest Elite but not in possession of the hardware to play such but been playing Jeff Minter's Tempest 4000 for that type of gameplay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Lets do one thing and say 100% that all the sites I know are MORE THAN HAPPY to send to places like the UK and Europe, if you are not sure then ask the site or in here without knocking the site without reason. Yes the sites tend to look a bit bland but these are normally 1 person operations and not always their job so rule of thumb is to ask if you can't see what you want in relation to that website, Brad on Best can be a bit grumpy BUT its usually when he's getting a run around or the person is changing their mind constantly....Keep it simple and to the point and he's happy as a lamb in hay, its not a perfect way with customers but he has stuff that no one else does so suck it up and get your goods.. I think its fair to say that the whole forum is in debt to those that put their titles out for free or those that release the paid versions at no cost at some point, both ways are just wonderful. Lets not turn this in to a piracy based item, no one is advocating dumping and releasing as sold products, we ask that if they stop selling that the authors may consent to releasing them to the community for archiving and just pleasure.. Paul.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 What the heck, even BBS had online stores, what planet is this? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gozar Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 As much as some would like digital be made available & would pay for such but once it's out there, it's out there for a whole lot of people who wouldn't feel so obliged to go hand to pocket & throw some coin a dev's way. Once you’ve sold the cartridge, it’s out there. No difference between a physical or digital copy. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swami Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Archaic websites go hand in hand with our archaic computers. at least we don't have to send payment via mail too like the 80's! LOL! That brings back memories of 12 year old me, calling companies for replacement part numbers and prices before sending out a letter with a check and waiting 4-6 weeks. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrathchild Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Once you’ve sold the cartridge, it’s out there. No difference between a physical or digital copy. Agreed, however if you go through the extra 'expense' of digitally stamping each with a unique identifier then this can be mapped to the buyer such that if a file version does surface then there is a good chance they can be named and shamed... not that it would bother them I would suspect. Then again, it can be equally distributed amongst a non-public group and who would be the wiser? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peruchi Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I recently bought five cartrige games from Video61. Lance is very helpful, kept contact with me via email. No complaints at all! BTW, I`m in Brazil, and the shipping was fast and easy. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 Both would sell better on the 5200 if they were converted. Of course, Dual POKEY upgrade boards would have to become a *thing* amongst us 5200 owners to maximize the audio experience(s)... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhd Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 Agreed, however if you go through the extra 'expense' of digitally stamping each with a unique identifier then this can be mapped to the buyer such that if a file version does surface then there is a good chance they can be named and shamed... not that it would bother them I would suspect. Then again, it can be equally distributed amongst a non-public group and who would be the wiser? This has already been done; BITD there was a letter to a Coco magazine from the developer of a heavily copied game. Since only a very small number of copies had been sold originally, the purchaser's name was encoded into the software itself. I have also seen (non-gaming) PC software with the purchaser's name prominently displayed on the title screen: for several years in the 1990s, I used a second-hand copy of Lotus 1-2-3 that I had legitimately purchased at the bankruptcy sale of a local business. Since that copy was initially registered to the (now defunct) company, its name always appeared on the main title screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 (edited) (I *think* I finally just managed to find their barely-working website. It says "If you order something from us and we don't have it in stock, we'll give you store credit only, no refunds." LOL.) Get Best Electronics onto IRATA Online since he [best] seems to be allergic to anything beyond Web 1.5... hmmm... strike that. Correction: Web 1.0. Edited November 23, 2018 by Lynxpro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 It's kind of a funny truth that most of the good Atari vendors online all operate on these ridiculously archaic, 1996 era websites and have all these funny quirks about how/when you can contact them to buy something. I've had good experiences with Lance, Best etc. but it's like... c'mon folks, it's 2018. Make a goddamn Wix website with a shopping cart! It's not hard! B&C Computervisions seems to be wholly operating on eBay under the MyAtari name. At least you can see their current inventory that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.