Ballblazer Troubles

[Saracen]

Greetings,

 

    I recently picked up a 7800 to compliment the 2600 I purchased a few weeks ago.  I had an Atari XEGS as a child and I wanted to revisit some of the games I used to enjoy back then.  I purchased a number of 7800 games from a local retro gaming store and half of them worked without any intervention of my part.  The remainder required repeated, thorough cleaning with contact cleaner, isopropyl alcohol, and an eraser before they would work.  The only game that still will not play is Ballblazer.  It consistently boots to the Atari logo and then will either give me a blank screen, a flowing screen with some discordant sounds, or something that looks like a black and white test pattern.  Do y'all think the game is shot or should I just keep on cleaning it every so often?  Is there a possibility that I bought a PAL version or that the POKEY chip has been harvested (the label looks good)?  The store will allow an exchange (they have one other copy) or refund to store credit, so I don't want to open it up at this juncture.

Best,

 

Saracen

[+-^CrossBow^-]

PAL games will fail the NTSC encryption check and since you mentioned the Atari logo that means you have an NTSC console. Can you provide some pics of what BB looks like when it does happen to sorta get past the Atari logo? 

 

Also, even if the pokey is removed from BB the game still works fine just no audio from it as BB uses only the Pokey for all sounds. I know this because I have 2 different revisions of BB that are pcb only and no longer have their Pokeys and still work game play wise minus sound.

 

Based on the pics you send, it could be possible you have a CPU related compatibility issue and there is a possible fix for this.

 

[Saracen]

3 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

PAL games will fail the NTSC encryption check and since you mentioned the Atari logo that means you have an NTSC console. Can you provide some pics of what BB looks like when it does happen to sorta get past the Atari logo? 

 

Also, even if the pokey is removed from BB the game still works fine just no audio from it as BB uses only the Pokey for all sounds. I know this because I have 2 different revisions of BB that are pcb only and no longer have their Pokeys and still work game play wise minus sound.

 

Based on the pics you send, it could be possible you have a CPU related compatibility issue and there is a possible fix for this.

 

Here's a picture of it doing the test pattern.  And yes, it's an NTSC console.

IMG_2293.HEIC

[+-^CrossBow^-]

50 minutes ago, Saracen said:

Here's a picture of it doing the test pattern.  And yes, it's an NTSC console.

IMG_2293.HEIC 2.58 MB · 6 downloads

What picture format is that? None of my PCs here at work can read this image file type?

 

 

Was eventually able to open this but I had to use GIMP on a rarely used computer to view this and even then it still had to be converted on the colors. But that just looks like the pattern you get when the cartridge cannot be read properly by the console.

 

I know you stated you cleaned this up etc... but your either have a bad cartridge itself or there is still something not making good contact for this game to work.

 

[Saracen]

10 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

What picture format is that? None of my PCs here at work can read this image file type?

 

 

Was eventually able to open this but I had to use GIMP on a rarely used computer to view this and even then it still had to be converted on the colors. But that just looks like the pattern you get when the cartridge cannot be read properly by the console.

 

I know you stated you cleaned this up etc... but your either have a bad cartridge itself or there is still something not making good contact for this game to work.

 

It's the picture format used by the iPhone.  Thank you very much for your help.  I'm planning on heading back to the store over the weekend.  I'll clean it some more and see if I can get it working.  If not I'll exchange it for the other copy they have.

 

Best,

 

Saracen

[Trebor]

11 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

What picture format is that?

Apple's proprietary "high efficiency" format... here's standard JPEG instead:

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

2 minutes ago, Trebor said:

Apple's proprietary "high efficiency" format... here's standard JPEG instead:

 

I see...well I'm pretty much a strict 'Droid' user here in that case my phone just takes standard jpgs. My wife has an iphone but I don't think I've ever had a need for her or I to take pictures off it. Pretty sure she just keeps them on her phone to show people.

 

[Trebor]

6 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I see...well I'm pretty much a strict 'Droid' user here in that case my phone just takes standard jpgs. My wife has an iphone but I don't think I've ever had a need for her or I to take pictures off it. Pretty sure she just keeps them on her phone to show people.

 

iPhone user here... but not a fan of the proprietary image format.  My iPhone is all JPG picture taking goodness.  Then again, I'm not a huge photo person.  I definitely see its usefulness though, if you love and utilize Apple products and take a lot of pictures. 

 

Converting to a standard format helps all the bystanders to watch along. 

[+sixersfan105]

23 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

PAL games will fail the NTSC encryption check and since you mentioned the Atari logo that means you have an NTSC console.

Yeah I think he knows he has an NTSC console, he's just wondering if the Ballblazer cart might be PAL, which in my book is possible based on the symptoms he described. 
 

@Saracen I have had success with Brasso (I personally have Weiman's) if isopropyl doesn't get the job done, though some will poo-poo that idea as being too harsh on the contacts, but it almost always works when all else fails! If that doesn't work, I'd do that exchange for another Ballblazer that you mentioned would be a possibility with the store. 

[Saracen]

@sixersfan105 Thank you, I'll give Brasso a shot!  I might try it on this old WCW NES cart that I've never been able to get working, too.

 

Saracen

[+sixersfan105]

Sure thing! Ah yes I've had a ton of success with Brasso on NES and Genesis games. My method is qtip with isopropyl alcohol, let dry, qtip with a small amount of brasso (a little goes a long way), new/dry qtip to wipe/rub off Brasso, followed by another round of isopropyl. Hope it helps!

 

For whatever reason, I have needed it far more often on NES and Genesis carts compared to Atari 2600/7800 carts, but I have brought a few Atari carts "back from the dead" with that method, too! 

[Saracen]

Greetings,

 

    Thank you all for you help.  I cleaned it with Brasso and that did cause it to boot to the "test pattern" more consistently but I just couldn't get it to work.  I exchanged it for another copy and, after a cursory cleaning with alcohol and and an erase, that copy worked!  I love this game.  I can't believe how smoothly it runs.  The NES couldn't have pulled this off, certainly not in split-screen.  The music is also really good.  I can only imagine what my seven year old self would've said if they'd been able to play it on the XE.

 

Best,

 

Saracen