ZilogZ80 Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Now that is a great nick. That is all correct. In fact most arcades from the early 80s were just like that, 2 or 3 CPUs in parallel, each taking care of a subsystem. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk How close can you get to the real hardware in the terms of graphical fidelity? Is the SGM2 considered emulation because the game is not running the real hardware? or another way to look at it, is which part of the hardware actually gives the original look that seems so hard to replicate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 How close can you get to the real hardware in the terms of graphical fidelity? Is the SGM2 considered emulation because the game is not running the real hardware? or another way to look at it, is which part of the hardware actually gives the original look that seems so hard to replicate? Not sure if I understand your question. What do you mean by "real hardware"? What hardware are you referring to? Arcade? ColecoVision? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 Ok, assuming you are talking about arcade hardware here, I wouldn't say the SGM2 is emulation, not more than Street Fighter II running on a SNES is emulation. We do ports, in some cases really really close to the original, but still ports. The SGM2 is powerful enough to reproduce some arcade games circa 1987/88. Games like Rygar, Commando, Tiger Heli, Bubble Bobble, should all be possible with little to no graphic detail loss. Those games can't be done on a regular CV without a lot (and I mean a lot) of compromises. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 Most arcades from early 80s used 2bits/pixel for graphics. That gave them the characteristic 4 colors per tile we usually associate with ColecoVision era arcades. Later arcade moved to 3 bits/pixel (8 colors per tile) and eventually 4bits/pixel (16 colors). SGM2 is 4bits/pixel, so doing CV era arcades is fairly trivial. But colors is just part of the equation. Early arcades could display a few hundred different tiles on screen, usually 256 or 512. Later arcades could display thousand of tiles. SGM2 can display 4,000 different tiles. And we can display massive sprites, up to 64x64 pixels, just like arcades from late 80s could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killersquirel Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 How many colors per sprite will the SGM2 be able to handle? When the Omni is released are the SGM2 games going to look identical on the Omni as the SGM2? Will the Omni have Omni specific games that are more powerful than the SGM2 games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 How many colors per sprite will the SGM2 be able to handle? When the Omni is released are the SGM2 games going to look identical on the Omni as the SGM2? Will the Omni have Omni specific games that are more powerful than the SGM2 games? Sprites can have 16 colors. Any sprite can select from 16 palettes. Each palette is 16 colors out of 32,000. Omni and SGM2 are same hardware. Thus same cartridges and same games. The differences will have no impact in games per se (different controllers, different AV outputs, etc). And if things go as planned, we should be getting a more balanced mix of arcade ports and Atari era classic sequels by the time we are ready for Omni. The latter class of games requiring bigger budget, so that is what I mean by “as planned”, that we get a large enough installed base of SGM2 to justify the required investment. And personally, that is the kind of game I am really excited about, because of so much untapped potential. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcadeJunkie Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Knowing opcode's track record for CV innovation, I am really looking forward to the future of this and the Omni! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 I’m in. Hope I’m not too late! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killersquirel Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 I’m in. Hope I’m not too late! In the first post there is a link that you can subscribe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 I did before posting. There's no way to tell on the site how many spaces are still open. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smurfbert Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Great newsletter and really looking forward to next one to hear more about the upcoming games. I assume MSX2 games would be part of the line-up (from previous Opcode announcements about MSX2 games), would love a SD Snatcher with English patch. I am not sure if possible but It would be so nice with some Laserdisc games. Colecovision has always been my favorite system mainly due to it's focus on classic coin-up games. It's been awesome with all the great homebrew support to further expand this library. But somehow the Laserdisc games is always none-present. I understand the technical limitations but there barely has been any retro releases at all for any system etc to capture this part of the classic coin up culture. Astron Belt, Cliff Hanger, Road Blaster.... mmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 Great newsletter and really looking forward to next one to hear more about the upcoming games. I assume MSX2 games would be part of the line-up (from previous Opcode announcements about MSX2 games), would love a SD Snatcher with English patch. I am not sure if possible but It would be so nice with some Laserdisc games. Colecovision has always been my favorite system mainly due to it's focus on classic coin-up games. It's been awesome with all the great homebrew support to further expand this library. But somehow the Laserdisc games is always none-present. I understand the technical limitations but there barely has been any retro releases at all for any system etc to capture this part of the classic coin up culture. Astron Belt, Cliff Hanger, Road Blaster.... mmm While MSX2 ports are possible, the hardware is quite different now and would require considerable rework. For now the focus will be arcade ports. I would like to try something post crash in the second wave, something from 1984 or beyond. Commando is favorite of mine and a strong candidate. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smurfbert Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Thanks for the update. Yes Commando is an amazing game. Own the real arcade board with an jamma-adapter but would love this as a SGM2 game from you. Please if possible use nice authentic (flyer ,promotional) graphic for boxcover etc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
128Kgames Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Question on the SGM2 form factor: will the final product be closer to the 1982 Coleco SGM (thinner/wider) or as pictured in the newsletter? I know you stated the dimensions would be "Estimated size 8”x4”, similar design to Coleco’s planned Super Game Module" but now having seen it isn't it closer to the expansion module # 1? The 1983 SGM form factor spanned the width of the Coleco and was skinnier than the Atari module, from what I can tell. I was hoping the SGM2 was going to be closer to that look ('83 SGM) but I'm not sure if you have set everything in stone already with the SGM2 components, case mold etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killersquirel Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 While MSX2 ports are possible, the hardware is quite different now and would require considerable rework. For now the focus will be arcade ports. I would like to try something post crash in the second wave, something from 1984 or beyond. Commando is favorite of mine and a strong candidate. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk That is great news about the arcade ports. That's what I'm most excited about. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imstarryeyed Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Going though all of these great replies got me to thinking, did I even subscribe? I did not, something I just rectified. Looking forward to seeing what is going to happen! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panzeroceania Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 I subscribed and am looking forward to being thoroughly engaged, I've been a long time fan of your homebrew ports and SGM games! The colors in your screenshots really pop off the screen! Looking very good 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catsfolly Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 (edited) Great newsletter and really looking forward to next one to hear more about the upcoming games. I assume MSX2 games would be part of the line-up (from previous Opcode announcements about MSX2 games), would love a SD Snatcher with English patch. I am not sure if possible but It would be so nice with some Laserdisc games. Colecovision has always been my favorite system mainly due to it's focus on classic coin-up games. It's been awesome with all the great homebrew support to further expand this library. But somehow the Laserdisc games is always none-present. I understand the technical limitations but there barely has been any retro releases at all for any system etc to capture this part of the classic coin up culture. Astron Belt, Cliff Hanger, Road Blaster.... mmm RoadBlasters? Do you mean "Road Runner"? Road Blasters was not a Laserdisc game. In the mid 80's, Sega and Namco had sprite scaling arcade hardware - the game would store one image of (for example) a tree by the side of the road, and the hardware would scale the sprite image up or down when the object was supposed to be close by or far away. Atari Games didn't have sprite scaling hardware in 1987- so they faked it in Road Blasters. Every side of the road object was rendered at many different sizes - and they just switched the graphics for the sprite as the object got closer. Since the Omni has scalable sprites, I imagine it could do Road Blasters much more easily than the original arcade hardware. Edit - oops. Sorry about that. I was confusing Atari Games' Road Blasters with Data East's RoadBlaster, which was a Laser Disc game. Sorry. Edited February 11, 2019 by catsfolly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusFrom1982 Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 I don't really understand this product at all. It seems like a console tacked onto a colecovision and that is kind of insane. I bought a SGM and its been years but opcode seems to have abandoned their customers. This makes me ill. Opcode seems unfocused and unreliable. I hate this because i actually talked people into buying the Super Game Module. So many broken promises. Its hard to brlieve another add on is even being contemplated. Outrageous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smurfbert Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 No worries The Data East arcade game is also known as Road Avenger and Road Prosecutor in some releases. RoadBlasters? Do you mean "Road Runner"? Road Blasters was not a Laserdisc game. In the mid 80's, Sega and Namco had sprite scaling arcade hardware - the game would store one image of (for example) a tree by the side of the road, and the hardware would scale the sprite image up or down when the object was supposed to be close by or far away. Atari Games didn't have sprite scaling hardware in 1987- so they faked it in Road Blasters. Every side of the road object was rendered at many different sizes - and they just switched the graphics for the sprite as the object got closer. Since the Omni has scalable sprites, I imagine it could do Road Blasters much more easily than the original arcade hardware. Edit - oops. Sorry about that. I was confusing Atari Games' Road Blasters with Data East's RoadBlaster, which was a Laser Disc game. Sorry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoJoe Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 I don't really understand this product at all. It seems like a console tacked onto a colecovision and that is kind of insane. I bought a SGM and its been years but opcode seems to have abandoned their customers. This makes me ill. Opcode seems unfocused and unreliable. I hate this because i actually talked people into buying the Super Game Module. So many broken promises. Its hard to brlieve another add on is even being contemplated. Outrageous I guess this product is not for you. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted February 11, 2019 Author Share Posted February 11, 2019 Question on the SGM2 form factor: will the final product be closer to the 1982 Coleco SGM (thinner/wider) or as pictured in the newsletter? I know you stated the dimensions would be "Estimated size 8”x4”, similar design to Coleco’s planned Super Game Module" but now having seen it isn't it closer to the expansion module # 1? The 1983 SGM form factor spanned the width of the Coleco and was skinnier than the Atari module, from what I can tell. I was hoping the SGM2 was going to be closer to that look ('83 SGM) but I'm not sure if you have set everything in stone already with the SGM2 components, case mold etc. There is a rare top-down picture Ikrananka posted a while back that gives a good idea of how long the 83 SGM was. So the 4” is correct. Now indeed the 83 SGM spanned the width of the CV, while SGM2 is about half that, but then you have to consider two things: 1) a tooling that wide would cost a small fortune. 2) we don’t need all that internal space, the 83 SGM had a tape drive plus PCB, we only have a PCB. This is a niche project, we must keep costs down. When we (Opcode, Ted hasn’t been involved in this yet) simulated a half wide 83 SGM it looked weird when done full CV height. That is why we made it not as tall as the CV in our render. And in fact that also works better with the new cartridge, because OMNI has a fairly low-profile design, and at full height the new cartridge was almost disappearing inside the SGM2. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted February 11, 2019 Author Share Posted February 11, 2019 RoadBlasters? Do you mean "Road Runner"? Road Blasters was not a Laserdisc game. In the mid 80's, Sega and Namco had sprite scaling arcade hardware - the game would store one image of (for example) a tree by the side of the road, and the hardware would scale the sprite image up or down when the object was supposed to be close by or far away. Atari Games didn't have sprite scaling hardware in 1987- so they faked it in Road Blasters. Every side of the road object was rendered at many different sizes - and they just switched the graphics for the sprite as the object got closer. Since the Omni has scalable sprites, I imagine it could do Road Blasters much more easily than the original arcade hardware. Edit - oops. Sorry about that. I was confusing Atari Games' Road Blasters with Data East's RoadBlaster, which was a Laser Disc game. Sorry. Just want to clarify this. OMNI/SGM2 can’t do sprite scaling by hardware, only background scaling, much like the SNES. Just so we don’t create false expectations. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted February 11, 2019 Author Share Posted February 11, 2019 I don't really understand this product at all. It seems like a console tacked onto a colecovision and that is kind of insane. I bought a SGM and its been years but opcode seems to have abandoned their customers. This makes me ill. Opcode seems unfocused and unreliable. I hate this because i actually talked people into buying the Super Game Module. So many broken promises. Its hard to brlieve another add on is even being contemplated. Outrageous I assume you are Marcus McClain Foster. If so, I won’t waste much of my time with you. We are still releasing SGM1 games, we release 4 games in the past 4 months. We have many more planned, including some high profile games this year. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imstarryeyed Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 (edited) Hey Opcode, just as a suggestion but Smurfbert's post #63 got me thinking about something, how about including a small tongue and cheek version "promo" flyer of the game you are making with the game. I figure it may or may not be based somewhat on the actual arcade flyer or inspired by it but with some humor and more Omni concentric. I think when a company does a humorous thing like a warranty card or some add in, it makes the collecting of games so much more fun. I figure it might also get some of the very talented artists on this board to help out and do a humorous one and submit it. I have found so many people here to be so helpful if given a chance. Having something that is your company's "thing" might be fun.. I also realize this is more work on your company's crazy schedule, but I thought I would at least share this crazy thought. As I lead my teams in business I preach if you have an idea throw it out there, it may fall flat, go sky high, or inspire someone else to go a direction. Edited February 11, 2019 by imstarryeyed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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