5200 Homebrew Roms and Conversions?

[Tempest]

1 hour ago, tep392 said:

I don't know why someone would want to port the 8-bit Centipede to the 5200 which has the far superior version.  8-bit Centipede was one of my bigger disappointments back in the day.  I was always jealous of the 5200 version.

Personal preference I guess.  Everyone says the 5200 version of Qix is the superior one but I like the 8-bit version better.  Like I said, they're the versions I grew up with so that's what I'm used to.

[tep392]

22 hours ago, Tempest said:

Personal preference I guess.  Everyone says the 5200 version of Qix is the superior one but I like the 8-bit version better.  Like I said, they're the versions I grew up with so that's what I'm used to.

I get that.  After switching from the VCS to the 400 back in the day, I became a bit of a graphics whore.  I would put Defender in on demo when not playing, just to have it's amazing graphics on display.   Regarding Centipede, I was mostly bothered by the lack of smooth centipede animation but actual gameplay was fine.

[BIGHMW]

 

As much as I am starting to get used to playing the 1982 5200 port of Asteroids, I still would love to see a more proper, more-controllable redo of it, and @Tempest has been waiting for the other games he requested to also be ported to Big Sexy, we would both love to see those 5 8-bit ports (myself Asteroids and the other 4 for @Tempest) and we know someone actually downloaded all 5 of them so we hope they will be ported to the 5200 soon. Even though I am starting to get used to the feel of the CX52 on the current port of Asteroids, she still won't work properly with the CX24 (through the 7800 Redemption 5200) as she acts off-center using it, we hope that he can get his 4 ports and I can finally call the 5200 as the preferred home for this shoot 'em up rock-busting classic. In fact Asteroids is the only port that has had me have second thoughts on Big Sexy and leaning towards the XEGS, all that can be rectified with a re-port of the 8-bit version to the 5200. Intellidiscs, check. Yar's Strike, check. Tempest, check. Qix, check. Star Island, check. Q*Bert with true diagonals, check. All we need is 5200 Asteroids to finally be done right nearly 40 years later, check. The ROM's are in this post I linked so you don't have to look far, thanks I'd appreciate it too, it'll also become a favorite for you guys too, much like all those other 5200 ports I already listed earlier on on this thread.

Edited June 15, 2021 by BIGHMW
spelling error

[Tempest]

Did someone fix the controls on Q*Bert?  Is that rom available somewhere?

[BIGHMW]

34 minutes ago, Tempest said:

Did someone fix the controls on Q*Bert?  Is that rom available somewhere?

It was always diagonal, the thing on the 5200 was is that every time you wanted to hop around the blocks you had to press the fire button for each step or hold it down for however long you wanted to navigate Q*Bert around, then let go of the fire button to stop. The 5200 joystick has to be in a diagonal direction, unlike the original 8-bit and 2600 versions in which you had to hold the joystick with the fire button up top. So yes the 5200 Q*Bert did have true diagonals considering you didn't have to hold the 5200 controller in an awkward way.

 

BTW, since you own an 8-bit system, as do I having both a 65XE and an XEGS, there now is (and I was the one who requested it) a diagonal hack for the 8-bit version on Q*Bert right here. But you only have to move the stick in a diagonal direction (no need to hold the fire button down as it is automatic on the 8-bit digital controls), but at least you don't have to hold the joystick in any kind of awkward way, just move the stick diagonally as on this hack it now reads 2 adjacent directions at once.

 

 

Q-Bert Diag Hack.xex

Edited June 15, 2021 by BIGHMW

[Swami]

On 6/14/2021 at 11:44 AM, Tempest said:

Personal preference I guess.  Everyone says the 5200 version of Qix is the superior one but I like the 8-bit version better.  Like I said, they're the versions I grew up with so that's what I'm used to.

Are you just looking around or thinking about making a homebrew pack like the 7800 Trebor one?

[Tempest]

31 minutes ago, Swami said:

Are you just looking around or thinking about making a homebrew pack like the 7800 Trebor one?

I could put all the homebrews and conversions I've found into some zip files and post them here if people want.  All the homebrews I've found were free downloads so I can't imagine there would be a problem with it.

 

As for the games I requested for conversion, Qix would be my number one top request.  The rest are just 'would be nice'.  I honestly don't know how hard it is to convert them.  All I know is addresses and control schemes need to be changed.

[BIGHMW]

12 minutes ago, Tempest said:

I could put all the homebrews and conversions I've found into some zip files and post them here if people want.  All the homebrews I've found were free downloads so I can't imagine there would be a problem with it.

 

As for the games I requested for conversion, Qix would be my number one top request.  The rest are just 'would be nice'.  I honestly don't know how hard it is to convert them.  All I know is addresses and control schemes need to be changed.

....and my number one top request, if I could only have one, would be Asteroids. A proper 8-bit-to-5200 conversion would right the wrongs that plagued the original 1982 conversion (erratic controls, no dead zone, not being truly neutral at center, etc., especially when using a CX24 with my 7800 Redemption unit) Star Island, Rasteroids, Megaoids, Meteorites, and Delta Space Arena do not have those same problems, and work perfectly with both the CX52 analog and also the CX24 digital sticks. Asteroids (CX5201) just needs that same treatment, considering it was going to be the pack-in game for the 5200 in the first place.

[Wrathchild]

Responding to the OP, mine are here

[Tempest]

1 hour ago, Wrathchild said:

Responding to the OP, mine are here

Thank you!

[+Gemintronic]

Didn't find a list per se but PDROMs.de lists some homebrew.  Not sure if these are duplicates.

 

Koffi - Yellow Copter http://cafeman.www9.50megs.com/atari/5200dev/KoffiKopter.html

Chicken http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=145936

Rolltris http://atariage.com/forums/topic/218019-rolltris-3rd-place-abbuc-sw-contest-2013/

Castle Blast https://pdroms.de/files/atari-atari5200-a5200/castle-blast-philly-classic-4-binary

Shooting Gallery http://sebastianmihai.com/atari-5200-shooting-gallery.html

 

[BIGHMW]

Thanks! I just downloaded Rolltris for both the 5200 and the 8-bit. I didn't know this existed.

 

As for Castle Blast I would love to see an 8-bit version of it available, I DO currently have it for the 5200.

[Tempest]

One of these days I really need to dig out my old homebrew Cypher and finish it.  I got to a point where I needed to start working on the AI and promptly gave up.  Of course now it would look like absolute crap compared to the homebrews that are coming out now. 

[BIGHMW]

10 minutes ago, Tempest said:

Of course now it would look like absolute crap compared to the homebrews that are coming out now. 

Who cares about what it looks like, it's how it plays, graphics nowadays for Atari systems are moot point, I would play it and download it in a heartbeat. I'm sure many of my fellow colleagues here on AA will be more than willing to oblige.

[Tempest]

1 hour ago, BIGHMW said:

Who cares about what it looks like, it's how it plays, graphics nowadays for Atari systems are moot point, I would play it and download it in a heartbeat. I'm sure many of my fellow colleagues here on AA will be more than willing to oblige.

I've honestly forgotten how to program the 5200 in the last 20 years, I'd have to study up again.

[+Cafeman]

2 hours ago, Tempest said:

One of these days I really need to dig out my old homebrew Cypher and finish it.  I got to a point where I needed to start working on the AI and promptly gave up.  Of course now it would look like absolute crap compared to the homebrews that are coming out now. 

I remember you working on that, like 20 years ago. I'm surprised you still have the source code and didn't lose it across the various PC's you've likely owned. 

[Tempest]

22 minutes ago, Cafeman said:

I remember you working on that, like 20 years ago. I'm surprised you still have the source code and didn't lose it across the various PC's you've likely owned. 

I think I still have it.  I have the rom for sure, but may not have to source code.

[+Gemintronic]

4 hours ago, Tempest said:

I've honestly forgotten how to program the 5200 in the last 20 years, I'd have to study up again.

 

That link I gave for Shooting Gallery could get you ramped up quickly.

 

Sebastian Mihai not only provides the source to his games but the best version of the dev suite he used.  Including documentation for the 5200 hardware and 5200bas.

 

From what I understand 5200bas is just enough high level language to complement assembly programming.

[Wrathchild]

This post also has collected together a lot of the homebrews/conversions

 

 

and don't forget

 

 

[Tempest]

I had completely forgotten about Sinistar.  Thank you!

[+sramirez2008]

31 minutes ago, Tempest said:

I had completely forgotten about Sinistar.  Thank you!

I like Sinistar on the 5200 so much that I purchased it on cart from the AA Store.? 

[+sramirez2008]

On 6/15/2021 at 10:25 AM, tep392 said:

I get that.  After switching from the VCS to the 400 back in the day, I became a bit of a graphics whore.  I would put Defender in on demo when not playing, just to have it's amazing graphics on display.   Regarding Centipede, I was mostly bothered by the lack of smooth centipede animation but actual gameplay was fine.

IMO 5200 Defender looks and plays extremely well and I prefer to play this game with the CX52 joysticks. I think this games is well suited for the CX52. 

[BIGHMW]

7 hours ago, sramirez2008 said:

IMO 5200 Defender looks and plays extremely well and I prefer to play this game with the CX52 joysticks. I think this games is well suited for the CX52. 

I myself enjoy playing it on the 5200 as well, I didn't even need the overlays figuring how simple she was to control, with the top fire buttons being the smart bombs and any key 0-9 being hyperspace, I wouldn't know which keys on the 8-bit/XEGS would do those things while using the CX40, so yes I do prefer the 5200 version on it because of its ease on controllability. 

Edited June 17, 2021 by BIGHMW

[Tempest]

Do any 5200 games really need the overlays?  Maybe Star Raiders.

[+DrVenkman]

11 hours ago, sramirez2008 said:

IMO 5200 Defender looks and plays extremely well and I prefer to play this game with the CX52 joysticks. I think this games is well suited for the CX52.

I never appreciated 5200 Defender until @MakerMatrix and I started making controllers. Not too bad for a 50-something dude who hasn't played the game regularly since the 80's (the A8 version).