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Recently, a friend of mine did me a favor and desoldered and dumped the ROM chips on a broken spare Atari 1030 modem I've had lying around for a while, to help answer some questions I've had about the behavior of the device. Attached are dumps for both the external 8K ROM chip and the internal 4K ROM on the 8050 and a disassembly of the internal firmware, for anyone curious about this slightly odd duck of a modem. Some notes: Unlike the XF551, which uses internal ROM or external ROM for its 4K firmware, the 1030 uses both the internal ROM and external ROM together for a total of 12K of firmware. The external ROM is used entirely for data storage and has no 8048 program code in it. The entirety of the external ROM and ~60% of the internal ROM is taken up by the downloadable T: handler and ModemLink software. The T: handler didn't quite fit in the internal ROM and needed an overflow to external ROM. I guess once they had that, it made sense to fill it with the ModemLink software. The different tones played during the ModemLink download are due to slightly different speeds of the routines pulling from the different storage locations, including internal bank 0, internal bank 1, and external ROM. The firmware runs four serial shift registers entirely in software: send/receive to SIO and send/receive to the modem. These are run at quarter-bit phase resolution (1200Hz for 300 baud). Thus, the 1030 reconditions and re-serializes bytes in both directions. There is a bug in the firmware where invalid command bytes can cause the firmware to jump to random code locations. For example, $5F locks up the firmware. I didn't dig into this much for fear of hardware damage from the 8050 trying to pull SIO ready low. Atari1030-8050.bin Atari1030-external.bin 1030-firmware.s

I converted some pictures this weekend. I'v been away from the Atari scene over 20 years and I'm feeling like a noob. Doom1.xex Robo1.xex alien1.xex

Hello all. Like many, I came across the forum while looking for advice on how to fix my console. We got it back in 1980, and had 28 of the basic 55 cartidges plus 4 non Mattel ones. When my folks cleaned out their basement recently I got them all. I had ordered a RF connector, and picked up a lot of 30 games which game me another 10 Mattels that I needed, and 2 Imagics. Then I found a Masters of the Universe online (with the comic). When the connector arrived, I was gutted to find out that our console wasn't working. In fact, it seems it had been in to the repair shop and been picked up, missing four of the case screws. Following the videos and advice here, I picked up some solder braid but before I could delve too deep, I followed the most common advice and picked up another console for $30. It seems to work fine except for the reset button. Out today, I picked up another two carts, Frogger, and Atlantis, CIB as well as a loose Activision Pac-Man. I've been working from the back of the forum, up to page 60. It seems like a good group. I'm glad to have found you.

(F+1) Fixes: -fixed blocking of letters from falling out in later levels (On this version I managed to complete all 63 levels). ---- In this and earlier versions, the flickering speed of sprites during the game can be set with the keys 1-6 (how many frames). Gacek128_230717.xex

mine run ti basic.zip This is a little game for TI Basic. It's a WAV file so you can load it like a cassette. In this game you're a lunatic who likes to run across mine fields jumping over said mines out of sheer boredom. The lunatic is constantly moving to the right, pressing SPACE will make the lunatic jump. There are 3 mines in each screen to jump over. Completion of a screen awards the lunatic 1 point. The first 4 screens are in broad daylight, just to prove it I displayed the Sun at the top of the screen. The next 4 screens are in darkness, the Sun changes colour to white to pretend to be the Moon. This is where it gets hardy pardy. In the darkness mode, the game will flash the mines on and off briefly. Then they go black. It's up to you to remember where they were! After 4 screens of utter torture, the game resumes daylight for another 4 screens. Have fun!

Some fix: - after completing a level, the player does not fall into the swamp/trench - at the start of the level, the player does not throw a grenade commando230810.xex

I just posted my video for this release. Less than 100 copies of the First Run are left, so just a heads up.

Here it is! Latest version of Harpy's Curse! This should be feature complete, with a few more secrets (again, if you found an area requiring four keys, try going back that way in this build... ) These ROMs support SaveKey/AtariVox (A7800 supports it, and hardware if you're playing the ROM using an SD Cart): HarpysCurse_9_2_2023_Beta7_SaveKey.bas.a78 HarpysCurse_9_2_2023_Beta7_SaveKey.bas.bin These *don't* have the save feature, but that makes them a little more emulator-friendly (they'll run fine on BupSystem, for instance): HarpysCurse_9_2_2023_Beta7.bas.a78 HarpysCurse_9_2_2023_Beta7.bas.bin I did a ton of last minute bug fixes, so if anyone finds anything glitchy or buggy, please let me know! POKEY audio doesn't seem to work on 7800GD currently - I'll try and figure that out. Haven't tested on Dragonfly or POKEYfied Concerto.

Old TV ad for rare Intellivision competitor in the link! Anyone collect for it? https://reddit.com/r/intellivision/s/6t2tUqZkCH

VBXE packages 2023-09-03 (MyDos, Sparta DOS X ATR-s included) new core, GTIA + ROCKY Palette (rocky_real_atari2.act) File: v1fx126a.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 LAOO PAL " File: v1fx126r.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO LAOO PAL " File: v1g106a.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 LAOO PAL " File: v1g106r.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 RAMBO LAOO PAL " File: v2fx126a.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 LAOO PAL " File: v2fx126r.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO LAOO PAL " File: v2g106a.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 LAOO PAL " File: v2g106r.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 RAMBO LAOO PAL " File: v1g106g.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 5200 LAOO PAL " File: v1fx126g.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 5200 LAOO PAL " File: v2g106g.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 5200 LAOO PAL " File: v2fx126g.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 5200 LAOO PAL " File: v1x126a2.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 ROCKY PAL " File: v1x126r2.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO ROCKY PAL " File: v2x126a2.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 ROCKY PAL " File: v2x126r2.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO ROCKY PAL " File: v1g106a2.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 ROCKY PAL " File: v1g106r2.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 RAMBO ROCKY PAL " File: v2g106a2.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 ROCKY PAL " File: v2g106r2.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 RAMBO ROCKY PAL " File: v1x126a3.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 NTSC " File: v1x126r3.rbf converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO NTSC " File: v2x126a3.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 NTSC " File: v2x126r3.rbf converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO NTSC " VBXE_package_20230903.zip

Because nobody ever bothered to ask me directly? It seems, you all prefer years long discussions, I was not aware of.

There's no way to fix that Jag CD, I'll give ya $50 shipped for it to take it off your hands.

Here's a tested version of the Beyond Wordwriter cartridge that uses standard bank-switched mode (no more CRU switching). With thanks to @PeteE for making the conversion four years ago. I pulled the original thread forward as well, since it has a lot of data concerning several of the DBT CRU-switched cartridges. bww8.bin

Happy Fathers Day to any Aussies on the Forum! Have a bloody good day.

😎😝I am a day late but Sept 1st was Frankenstein Day! On this day in 1797, author Mary Shelley was born. 21 years later, she published ‘Frankenstein’ anonymously and over 200 years later, we’re still celebrating Shelley and the legendary Frankenstein!

I've shown only the first stages. There are five stages each with different enemies and bosses.

VBXE FX v126 NTSC palette cores VBXE_FX_v126_cores_ntsc_palette.7z

It took me a while, but I finally managed to buy each of the original cartridges released with the Atari 2600. The sticking point was Star Ship, and the fact that my budget was $5.00 per cart. To mark the occasion, I put them in a stack on the dining room table, and took photos which I then turned into i-device wallpapers. They look pretty good on my iPhone. I haven't tried them on an iPad yet, but I made them with plenty of space around so that they'll work in both portrait and landscape on an iPad. Here's screenshots from an iPhone: You may notice that the screenshot with the cartridges arranged in a helix has squiggles where the time should be. This is because on weekends, I don't want to know what time it is, and iOS doesn't allow one to remove the clock, so changing it to a language I can't read is almost as good. It's also not possible to remove the date bar, but I can replace it with the weather, which is less awful than seeing the cold, bony hand of time scratching across the top of the screen. The wallpaper files are probably too large to upload to Atari Age, so you can download them from these links: Stack Helix

I used a 4-layer board with power and GND planes in the middle layers. Basically the very best you can ask for when it comes to minimizing noise and droop in the power bus, as well as providing full isolation between the top and bottom traces Now days the added cost in going 4-layer vs. 2-layer is minimal, and in my opinion well worth it for motherboard designs. It also makes it sooooo much easier to do a PCB layout when you don't have to route the power and GND paths.

And do you include all 2,600 varieties of palm trees in the scrolling background? Priorities, man! dZ.

I was at Fujiama for the first time... I met very kind people who spend time in an amazing atmosphere 🙂 Now I feel what it means to be a real Atari maniac 🙂 I want to be there next year! Thank you to the organizers and all participants!

BOOM! WE DID iT! Thank you, everyone. Especially @tebe, @candle, @flashjazzcat, and of course Electron , who found the time and built the core version 1.26 for VBXE with native NTSC palette. VBXE_FX_v126_cores_ntsc_palette.7z

1 call char(32,"38448282824438") 2 goto 2

Why are known scammers like Mike Kennedy and Jeff still welcome here in the first place again?

Excellent idea OX. Reminiscent of "Chalice" thankyou. I shall see to that on my next coding session

https://madteam.atari8.info/index.php?prod=vbxe

I mostly agree with your comments, but I do take issue with your assessment of Evercade. To me, they're the embodiment of niche done right. They identified what their target market wanted/liked/would support and went ahead and did it. While I absolutely agree that a good percentage of the Evercade collection is in fact crap to mid-tier games, that doesn't take away from the fact that people still want to play those games. If you think about it, even though we like to remember and focus on the "hits" from our past, it's the "deep cuts" that most of us played just as much of, good, bad, or otherwise. If you're playing on nostalgia, it's not a bad approach to try and cover exactly what we experienced back in the day, which again, was a mix of everything. I also note that a lot of the comments related to Evercade are about people discovering what for them are hidden gems and their first exposure to certain games. That's one of the reasons for having a larger collection of games with some duds versus a smaller collection with just the hits. Someone(s) is going to discover a new favorite. There IS an interesting psychology there. When I worked at AtGames, the Legends Ultimate launched with 350 games onboard. There were roughly 50 heavy hitter all-time classics. The rest were the deep cuts, meh games, etc. A lot of people focused on the idea that there were "no good games" or it was mostly crap because they were overwhelmed by the amount of games included. Arcade1Up on the other hand, released an Atari cabinet with something like 12 games - each of which could be found on the Legends Ultimate - and was not accused of the same thing. So essentially, for around the same price, you could get those 12 games or those 12 games plus more to get to 350 and a bigger machine with a bigger monitor and more controls, etc. But still, some only saw the so-called "filler" games and not the all-time classics because they couldn't be bothered to parse the whole list and the cabinet was not themed to one specific IP or brand. There's something to be said for giving the customer less, even if it's a lot less. It's sometimes a bit too much to expect the consumer to put a lot of thought into a purchase. Giving them less to think about is sometimes better. I think that applies in some ways to the perception of the Evercade, but again, their approach works for them and their audience, so I'm glad they take the "mixed" rather than "only hits" approach. Along those same lines, I was playing Anstream on my Xbox Series X again last night, and was again presented with overwhelming choice. There are obvious all-time classics on there like Gauntlet, BurgerTime, Smash TV, etc., as well as the aforementioned "deep cuts," and frankly, some deep cuts that have no business trying to be played with a controller rather than a keyboard. I'm a bit ambivalent overall about the service, as it does some things brilliantly and others are a bit frustrating, not the least of which is none of the games seem to be locally cached (no doubt contractually) versus needing to be constantly streamed. I always wonder about lag in the back of my mind, even though the console I was playing it on was hardwired on a Gigabit+ connection. In any case, my main problem with the service is figuring out what to play (which I know kind of takes some of the wind out of my previous arguments). I don't always want to go back to the all-time classics, but that's the path of least resistance for sure. Ultimately, it's up to the provider to make the successful argument to the consumer that more is better (and make doing so as easy and accessible as possible) rather than something that's solely curated.

That just reminds me of those moments when you waited for CS1 to complete loading your 10K program, and then, after minutes, the noise from the speaker died, no DATA OK, and an error message popped up.

57535 Finished it. There's an irritating bug that sometimes happens. When you enter Skylab you immediately lose all your remaining lives, which is how this go ended. Anyway I'm happy that I've finished it. I can put that with Jet Set Willy as completed the pair. I lay down the challenge to anyone else who cares to try! 20230903_094146.mp4

You know, It's fine to agree to disagree. Without some kind of time machine or MultiVerse travelling device, we'll never know. But if we could have stopped the biggest source of lies...If we could have had a Tommy that told the truth...(Only then IMHO would this thing have had a snowball's chance in Hell, a slim chance, but a chance all the same...) Well, Keep in mind I Hated this product and most of its very ideals, but even I have to agree there was a possibility of success, especially as defined in much narrower terms, like Beefy said. For example, (Maybe I'm just thinking out loud here; but play along for the sake of argument): Assume Tommy was not lying about money and an angel investor, They'd have money. Assume he wasn't lying about how far along it was, The console could have been ready for production. Assume he wasn't lying about the controller, The controller would be ready and working. Assume he wasn't lying about how fun it was, Maybe people would try it out and end up wanting one. Assume he wasn't lying about the marketing and how it hadn't begun yet, There could have been some marketing yet to come. Assume there really was an Earthworm Jim sequel on the way, That might have shifted some units. Assume he wasn't lying about many of the licenses they had yet to procure, Some of those things could have interested people. Assume he wasn't lying about some of the people he claimed were working on things behind the scenes, Maybe some smart people could have fixed some of the problems. Assume he really had Game Stop and Wal Mart on board, because he almost did... (of course having a product would have helped) Just assume the guy wasn't so full of it, Which I admit (especially in hindsight) is Really, Really, Hard... But I think the problems for this company (almost) all started at the top...There's not equal blame in all things here...There's one problem that was bigger than all of the rest... And we know his name...

HardWork is ignoring this thread This thread is ignoring HardWork Ignoring HardWork is this thread

I'll see your Rise of the Robots and raise you a BODY BLOWS ! We can only hope Dino Rage can rise to these delirious heights of awesomeness!

Looks like the infamous Rise of the Robots to me.

Just got mine in. I think it says #19. Limited and regular editions😍 Thank you for these Carl & JV Games!

Isn't that the Canadian way to do it? Pour a Molson Ice and play some Inty

Yes but is there a snow level?

Here it is! Latest version of Harpy's Curse! This should be feature complete, with a few more secrets (again, if you found an area requiring four keys, try going back that way in this build... ) These ROMs support SaveKey/AtariVox (A7800 supports it, and hardware if you're playing the ROM using an SD Cart): HarpysCurse_9_2_2023_Beta7_SaveKey.bas.a78 HarpysCurse_9_2_2023_Beta7_SaveKey.bas.bin These *don't* have the save feature, but that makes them a little more emulator-friendly (they'll run fine on BupSystem, for instance): HarpysCurse_9_2_2023_Beta7.bas.a78 HarpysCurse_9_2_2023_Beta7.bas.bin I did a ton of last minute bug fixes, so if anyone finds anything glitchy or buggy, please let me know! POKEY audio doesn't seem to work on 7800GD currently - I'll try and figure that out. Haven't tested on Dragonfly or POKEYfied Concerto.

Let me clarify, by best chance I mean while people couldn't buy Switches they might have been able to net some extra sales that way. It was my wife's comments, who people here claimed were made up. When it was around 200-220 She flat out said she'd rather have a Switch because it actually had more casual games than appealed to her. She loved Animal Crossing and Clubhouse Games. They didn't know their supposed market and the idiots here could see past their own ignorance about it. The game lineup was terrible for a casual market. Games like Astrosmash have been around since the 70s and are still available today. If those drew in casuals it would have already happened on existing devices. My interest came from the fact I love family stuff. In fact, Junior Beefy is basically the same age as this dumpster fire. So I was interested in a "Baby's first console" type situation. Which at $150 would have been around the right price, with $10 max games. I liked the idea of edutainment games but their IQ is at the same level as my ice box, and couldn't use the proper form of peek, and tried to act like it was a penis joke or something equally stupid or creepy (like Tommy talking about porn games with a 14 year old). In fact, a cheap Walmart Onn tablet we got for $27 on sale did what Amico couldn't game and entertainment wise for Junior Beefy. And despite what idiots who know nothing about having kids would say, it is pretty easy to lock it down. No apps, games, or movies get through without our approval and we control the times the tablet can be used and when it locks itself. In fact we were just talking about finally getting a newer version because the battery is trash on the old one. No one (me) ever said the games on Amico couldn't be fun. The experience or lack thereof just isn't worth the $200+ price tag. At that range I can play arcade classics, good cheap indie games, have games for kids, Clubhouse Games, animal crossing, or something big like Tears of the Kingdom. It can also be done via on the goal or the big TV. I just find it all funny that as I type this Junior Beefy is playing Pikimn 4. They grow up to be gaming racists so fast! It comes down to Tommy amd anyone that fully backed him were clearly out of touch with most things modern. The mindset encouraged here came out from the 90s and Tommy amd many seemed to think nothing in gaming really happened since that frame. There's a difference between wanting something to succeed, and joining a cult amd deluding yourself to reality. Unfortunately to be considered a supporter and not a hater you had to take the later path. So did they have a chance to disrupt gaming? No. Did they have a chance to maybe break even and make a few bucks and carve a splinter of a niche? Yes. Assuming they weren't incompetent idiots. Which they were. When you factor that in they never had a chance. *edit* Gaming racism in action!

"Removing resistance to education since 1823" 😁

Let's start a poll.

I'm satisfied with the on-line version... ⏫(LINK)⏫

I think I've figured it out. When Jag_Mag makes his weekly announcement of leaving the forum, he actually means he's only leaving for a day or two and then will come back like a bad case of herpes. There's no other explanation as to why he'd do this over and over again.

7,100

Hello guys We took a group picture, as always: (click to enlarge) As always, you'll find the picture with the names on my meetings page. (Which might take a bit longer this year since I won't have internet at home until around next Wednesday. Yes, they screwed up!) Sincerely Mathy

Ignoring this thread is HardWork

Im going to temporarily lock this thread until @checkeredslag PMs me more info

No, before the first button press. You could take all the time you need to decide on which club to utilize and how much strength to put behind the swing. If someone is really determined to play as best as possible, have a printout or manual handy with the chart listing the clubs and max distance the average distance they send the ball with 100% strength: Think of it as a golfer in the real game going to their bag and deciding on a club after judging the distance to the green. In Mean 18 though, the game tells you the remaining distance to the hole, so you just need to reference the club chart to make a decision on which club to leverage and how strong of a swing. Once you know how much strength you want to utilize with whichever club you've selected, then make the first button press. From that point is when the player has seconds before the desired strength percentage is reached on the meter, and the second button press needs to be performed to set that desired strength percentage. Side note: The loft degrees is important to consider if you're in front of/close to a tree or trees or a steep upward hill that cannot be avoided. A player may be ~200 yards away from the green, but the risk of hitting trees and possibly the ball going out of bounds, one may opt for a club that doesn't necessarily hit the ball nearly as far (8 or 9 Iron instead of a 2 or 3 Iron), but better ensures missing the obstacle, having a shot that creates a higher upwards angle during the ball's initial travel.

There was no "best chance" for the Amico. It was ill conceived from the start and there is no scenario where it was going to work out. If they had delivered exactly what they said they were going to at the height of the pandemic it would have failed spectacularly. The "best case" for them was simply waiting until after they released something to fail like the Ouya or the Atari VCS. We all know they never even got that far, but this idea that if they had just spent their money more wisely, pushed a machine out the door, or said the right things in the press everything would be fine is asinine. The core issue is not fundraising, manufacturing issues, unwise spending, the pandemic, Tommy saying dumb things in the media, or anything else. The core issue is there was never, ever going to be a significant market for this device. Intellivision is not a brand that matters and the concept of the Amico itself was a dumb idea regardless of branding or who came up with it. The Amico was not going to exist in a vacuum. The casual market, the family market, the retro market, the hardcore market... all of these markets are already more than adequately addressed by Nintendo, Xbox, Playstation, PCs, phones, tablets, etc.

It's just sprites. You can only do color math between two planes (main and sub... and sub can be substituted for a color window instead). It just about rendering sprites to obj-palettes 0-3 and 4-7. Sprites with pal 4-7 can be used for the shadowing here. But his demo again gets it wrong.. there's a part in his video where Alucard's shadow overlaps one of the goombas. You would get a weird clipping issues. All the "shadow" sprites would have to be behind all the normal sprites. You can even see this in SMW where translucent ghosts (including the big boo translucent boss ghost) are behind normal sprites - to avoid this clipping issue. But anyway, there's nothing special here going on. Unclear why he's all "speak to me if you want to know details of how I did this". Not to mention the whole thing where I broke down memory usages.. this additional stuff further cuts into it (which could be solved if he just clipped the viewable area). Not sure I'm going to waste my time, but the coins don't prevent the PCE from doing this (minus the shadows of course). Just shows how little he knows of other systems too. His statement that the PCE can't do the coins in parallax (with my engine) is bunk.