Albert #1 Posted August 7, 2003 Manuel Polik and AtariAge are proud to announce that Manuel's new Atari 2600 game, Star Fire, can now be purchased in cartridge form from the AtariAge Store! Star Fire is a wave-based space shoot'em-up based on the Exidy arcade game of the same name, and includes several surprises you won't see in the arcade version. Additionally, the first 50 people who purchase Star Fire and send in proof of reaching a score of 3500 points will receive a free Star Fire Patch (pictured to the right)! Star Fire features a new label and manual designed by Dave Exton, with the patch design by Dave Exton and Lee Krueger. Manuel Polik has also released the Star Fire Source Code as well as PAL and NTSC binaries that you can download and play in your favorite emulator. You can learn more about Star Fire here, purchase it in the AtariAge store here and discuss the game with other AtariAge visitors and Manuel Polik in our Atari 2600 Forum. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SS #2 Posted August 7, 2003 Looks and plays great! (But what's that strange blue box floating around? ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rasty #3 Posted August 7, 2003 Aah! The patches! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeeknPoke #4 Posted August 7, 2003 top stuff, Ive been waiting for this. Here's my review. http://peeknpoke.emuunlim.com/atarireview_starfire.htm Lee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas Jentzsch #5 Posted August 7, 2003 (But what's that strange blue box floating around? ) That's the Tardis from Dr Who (for details ask somebody else ). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas Jentzsch #6 Posted August 7, 2003 http://peeknpoke.emuunlim.com/atarireview_starfire.htm 10/10! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cybergoth #7 Posted August 7, 2003 Hi there! http://peeknpoke.emuunlim.com/atarireview_starfire.htm 10/10! The cheque is in the mail! Greetings, Manuel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NovaXpress #8 Posted August 7, 2003 Fantastic game! What the hell is the Tardis doing there? I thought the wave 3 ship was V'Ger from Star Trek at first, then I ralized that bastard Fett was the one hassling me. This is much more than I expected, it really should have been retitled Star Fire Deluxe. Great action, great graphics, first-class all the way. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeeknPoke #9 Posted August 7, 2003 Hi there! http://peeknpoke.emuunlim.com/atarireview_starfire.htm 10/10! The cheque is in the mail! Greetings, Manuel whatbout a free cart bribe me! no really, I had so much fun playing it! Lee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Albert #10 Posted August 7, 2003 Just a clarification about the patch -- this offer is only for people who purchase Star Fire. ..A Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liveinabin #11 Posted August 7, 2003 Just a clarification about the patch -- this offer is only for people who purchase Star Fire. ..A Does that mean I can't enter??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas Jentzsch #12 Posted August 7, 2003 Does that mean I can't enter??? Dunno, but you can enter here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian R. #13 Posted August 7, 2003 Funny - I saw the screenshots in the store, and the one with what looks like the Death Star, and I suddenly heard Chris Rock in my head.... "I think George Lucas is going to sue somebody!" The screenshots make it look a lot like Imagic's Star Voyager. Is it really? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Godzilla #14 Posted August 7, 2003 no, its like the star fire arcade game, actually :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cybergoth #15 Posted August 7, 2003 Hi there! The screenshots make it look a lot like Imagic's Star Voyager. Is it really? In it's core, Star Voyager basically is a very similar game, yes. The "resource-management" is different though and there's a lot more going on in Star Fire. Directly influenced from Star Voyager is the whole warp-gate idea and I found that the way the crosshair was done in Star Voyager was the best suitable for Star Fire, as well. I certainly studied all other available 2600 games of the genre a lot :wink: Greetings, Manuel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edit_5 #16 Posted August 7, 2003 I love this game I think I'm definitely going to have to order this from the AA store... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SS #17 Posted August 7, 2003 (But what's that strange blue box floating around? ) That's the Tardis from Dr Who (for details ask somebody else ). I know. I know. Sorry, thought that my Dr. Who obsession would be well known 'round these parts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Godzilla #18 Posted August 7, 2003 (But what's that strange blue box floating around? ) That's the Tardis from Dr Who (for details ask somebody else ). I know. I know. Sorry, thought that my Dr. Who obsession would be well known 'round these parts. you need to try something like <sarcasm>I don't know ANYTHING about what that blue box could be</sarcasm> since that sort of stuff doesnt carry over too well in ascii Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edit_5 #19 Posted August 7, 2003 I know. I know. Sorry, thought that my Dr. Who obsession would be well known 'round these parts. Tom Baker rocks he's mad you know... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NovaXpress #20 Posted August 7, 2003 I'll have to order this game as well. I'm loving it. I still don't know about calling it Star Fire. Maunel isn't giving himself enough credit. This isn't a port of a primitive arcade game, he''s created something new and far better here. Do the homebrewers and cart sellers feel that adopting recognized games is the most profitable way to go? Is that why we see so few original homebrews being announced? I have nothing at all against the practice, but wonder if such games sell significantly better than original titles. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Player #21 Posted August 8, 2003 In case anyone hasn't seen it, here's the thread with my thoughts on Starfire. http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31564 One comment I overheard at AGE about Starfire. "Wow, that's a homebrew?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas Jentzsch #22 Posted August 8, 2003 Do the homebrewers and cart sellers feel that adopting recognized games is the most profitable way to go? No, usually we are just fans of the old games, e.g. I loved Thrust for 15 years before I converted it to the 2600, and Manuel is a big fan of EPYX (XYPE ) and Star Wars etc. And there are still a lot of original homebrews (like Oystron, Qb, Space Treat, SCSIcide etc.) There is too much labor involved and way too little potential profit, so aiming at the market wouldn't work at all. BTW: Hacks sell better than homebrews (check the Store Bestsellers). So, anybody going to maximize profit would try to make hacks and sell them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+opcode #23 Posted August 8, 2003 Congratulations Manuel! Really fantastic stuff. I just can't wait to get my copy and play it on my AV VCS/29" TV setup... Do the homebrewers and cart sellers feel that adopting recognized games is the most profitable way to go? No, usually we are just fans of the old games, e.g. I loved Thrust for 15 years before I converted it to the 2600, and Manuel is a big fan of EPYX (XYPE ) and Star Wars etc. And there are still a lot of original homebrews (like Oystron, Qb, Space Treat, SCSIcide etc.) There is too much labor involved and way too little potential profit, so aiming at the market wouldn't work at all. BTW: Hacks sell better than homebrews (check the Store Bestsellers). So, anybody going to maximize profit would try to make hacks and sell them. Well, I think NovaXpress is right: recognized games sell better. However I don't see homebrewers choosing theirs projects based on market potential. I think it is all about personal taste. Thomas is right here, there is little or no profit involved (in my case, an independent publisher, there is money loosing). Now, I don't think we could create a rule about hacks selling more. IMHO it's just a consequence of hacks using recognized names and games. Take the "arcade" series for example. There is a lot of nostalgic memories involved in this hobby, so I find it natural people pick titles which relate to their childhood instead of, lets say, an excellent but otherwise unknown original homebrew title... Opcode Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NovaXpress #24 Posted August 8, 2003 This is why ROM releases and emulation should be encouraged. I'm amazed whenever I see people ask what a certain 2600 game is like. Grab a copy of Z26 kids! Homebrews NEED this type of exposure in order to win over fans. Step one of this hobby should be exploring emulation. Games like Thrust and Star Fire sell themselves and prove that while this is pretty much a DIY endeavor, the quality can be totally professional. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edit_5 #25 Posted August 8, 2003 look into my eyes, You feel a strange compulsion to buy from the AA store Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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