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AA Homebrew ROM archive ?


easmith

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Maybe it's just me , but it seems the ROM page is down on the site ?

 

 I think this has been discussed in another thread , and if so I am fine with this being moved there, 

but I would like there to be an archive of Homebrew ROMs  available with the author's permission.   There are so many good games that have been developed that I am afraid might be forgotten or slip through the cracks , whether from homebrew pioneers from early 2000s or from current people on the scene like me .   There are many finished games that are maybe not quite up to Atari Age store standards but would be considered good enough to be on this list . Of course that presents the question of who judges this....

 

Now I know that some people ( Arenafoot  I think? ) maintain a database, but I think that most people looking for ROMS or Atari-curious people  probably come to AA as a first option.  So as the  go to place for Atari, it seems like it makes sense for Atari Age to be a library for this content.  Easy for me to say I know since I don't have to maintain it .    For every game  that I have seen , played , or seen played on say ZPH  that I downloaded and have somewhere , I know there are many that I am completely unaware of or have forgotten I saw .

 

I recently found a thread about "legacy " style games ( games that could have been made in 80s)  vs  advanced chip games like ARM games.  There is concern about older games , assembly games , < 32K  games for example  being lost to history or unfairly compared to the more advanced hardware games .

 

Perhaps a repository that classifies games by style and specs could help tell the story to casual players and keep apples from being compared with oranges, while also providing quality homebrew games that meet some minimal standard of quality . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This is already in progress, there's a "Downloads" module that isn't visibly publicly that I've been working on. The intent is to allow homebrew authors to upload their games, complete with screenshots, a description, video (linking to YouTube or another site), and other data specific to homebrew games (which controllers are supported, for instance).  Comments and reviews can also be left for files in the Downloads section. And you'll be able to very easily see all the files uploaded by a particular author.

 

Right now I'm working on allow authors to charge for their games if they desire, not just for games that are currently available in physical form in the AtariAge Store, but for any homebrew games that people have created.  AtariAge will take a commission for any games offered for sale in this fashion.  I contracted with someone to add "Gift" support to the Downloads module, meaning you'll be able to buy games for another member and they will show up in their account. 

 

Additionally, this will be a very useful addition for homebrew authors while a game is in development.  The Downloads module supports versioning, so authors can upload new versions, complete with updated release notes and screenshots.  The authors can choose to let older versions remain, so you could have a nice historical archive of all the development versions of a game if an author wants that history available. 

 

Here's a screenshot of Draconian, as an example (I don't have a video linked in this one, but it would appear at the bottom of the description):

 

image.png

 

Once this is made public, when you search for a game, any hits in the Downloads module (which I'll probably rename to something more fitting) will also be visible.  When a new file is uploaded, this will show up in the various "Activity" feeds as well. 

 

 ..Al

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wow.  that looks like a lot of work !  But awesome.   Maybe you could require people that have games listed to be paid subscription members :) .  Could also add info about hardware / bank switching methods for completeness, although personally I do not think this is necessary but some might like it . 

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12 minutes ago, easmith said:

 Maybe you could require people that have games listed to be paid subscription members :) .

I want to encourage authors to upload their files, so I don't want to erect barriers like that.  I will also add games to the database, and I can then assign the files directly to the authors if they are members here, or if they join. 

13 minutes ago, easmith said:

Could also add info about hardware / bank switching methods for completeness, although personally I do not think this is necessary but some might like it . 

I already have a "File Size" field, but I could add an optional "Bankswitching Scheme" field for those who want to include it.

 

 ..Al

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Yeah it's looking good, i was all for this when mentioned as a response to one my similar concerns awhile back. It really gives a place for homebrew to live rather then scattered posts among the other general topics. There is many areas of the AA forums that homebrew gets uploaded to. Many of the AA members tend to hang around a single subtopic they like and don't venture far. Im sure there is homebrew people don't even know about, gets lost in the timeline or in a subsection they never venture. Either way im excited for this new feature as i have a few of my own i would like to upload to the downloads module ?

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5 hours ago, easmith said:

Maybe it's just me , but it seems the ROM page is down on the site ?

 

 I think this has been discussed in another thread , and if so I am fine with this being moved there, 

but I would like there to be an archive of Homebrew ROMs  available with the author's permission.   There are so many good games that have been developed that I am afraid might be forgotten or slip through the cracks , whether from homebrew pioneers from early 2000s or from current people on the scene like me .   There are many finished games that are maybe not quite up to Atari Age store standards but would be considered good enough to be on this list . Of course that presents the question of who judges this....

 

Now I know that some people ( Arenafoot  I think? ) maintain a database, but I think that most people looking for ROMS or Atari-curious people  probably come to AA as a first option.

This is pretty much the same reason why I started the "List" in 2013.

 

 

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  • 9 months later...

I heard ZPH mention  about the new section you planning  Al, I think its great.
 As I'm planning to get back to homebrew scene retweeking may laser man 88 game for the 2600
and possibly doing some jaguar and 7800 programing thanks to the two dev tools thats is out (might even work on some 2600 games as well)

Edited by Dan Iacovelli
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