Mad Scientist

I may as well add this question from the ignorant fringe: There is an option in Tempest 2000 to turn interlacing on/off. How does that relate to this topic? I'm not suggesting that the game actually puts out an "interlaced" signal, but how does its output differ in terms of resolution (on an interlacing or non-interlacing diplay) when you select the non-interlaced option? -MS

The mystery carts remain a mystery. :wink: Did you happen to bury them under your new tub? P.M. sent about a month ago; let me know if you need the info again or if you were fully kidding (I enjoyed looking up the answers, so it's not a big loss). -MS

p.m. sent. I'll definitely be there! -MS

I received mine today. Thanks for the speedy shipment, Jay (or Mrs. S.)! I have only looked at the P.C. files so far; I still need to properly configure the audio for Highlander, but it runs well otherwise. -Eric p.s.- Gunstar, I imagine yours will show up tomorrow, as our packs probably caught the same USPS transportation...

I'll give it a shot: 1-John Thompson 2- RB Bennett (I saw a reference to him actually dying in a tub in England, but I'll try it anyway, as it was the only non-Thompson tub reference that I could find. FWIW, I have five other "one-termers" to try, if this one is wrong.) 3- Taft 4- Buchanan -MS

It's disappointing to hear that Sam & Max 2 was cancelled. However, LucasArts has not been resting on its laurels/ sticking to established franchises to the degree that several of you are implying. Consider these three recent release, for starters: Armed & Dangerous- fairly innovative, I hear; wasn't it distributed by them? Wrath Unleashed- a pleasant descendant of Archon; I've enjoyed the demo. Gladius- a strategic turn-based gladiator game. Again, I enjoyed the demo, and I may soon buy a copy. LucasArts could be chastised for neglecting some of their great old "non-marquee" titles, but I think that they are still putting out some good original products. -MadSci

I-War has those same problems for me, too. However, it also behaves badly when inserted directly into the base unit. It is the only cartridge in my collection that does not work reliably (including the more recent releases and mass-release protos). How do you go about cleaning the contacts within an edge connector? While my Jag is running well, I think I may need to do this for my Genesis power base converter. -MS

Given the "Hot Rod" name, I half-expected to find some connection to a certain former Jaguar developer. That still may be the case, but a whois look-up of the domain name shows that it is probably a legit site. The name was registered in 1999 to two guys in San Carlos, Cal. I would have guessed that it was a simply re-use of the case molds, but the memory card threw me for a loop. That is _very_ hard to believe... at best, the logic behind it seems odd. These days, why would anyone build a device dependent upon a proprietary storage format when SD, MMC, etc. would easily fill the need? Sure, it's another source of revenue, but I would think it would hurt initial sales and reduce service revenue. I'm not sure what to think at this point. -MS

April 1st is the forty-post deadline? You might want to consider delaying it a day or so if you want folks to have more faith in the contest. As for myself, I'd never post that often... I don't even crack the 40 mark in an entire year here. Good luck, though! -MS

True I have a few things to get off my chest also. 1) People who only use emoticons to respond to something. What is the deal you can't respond with words? I think it is stupid bumping topics up just to leave a ponder icon. Watch Mock respond with just a ponder icon 1b) People who criticize something that they don't understand. It's not a "ponder" emoticon; it's an "eye-rolling" emoticon. You'll see it several times an hour if you watch nearly any 12-year-old being spoken to by his or her parents: the "Oh my gawwwd, how could you ever say somethin that stoopid?" look. I agree with the essence of your point, though. -MS (And yes, they are addictive) (...as are parenthetical sides. Whee!)

Hmmm... how about a baseball glove for the Beantown sports fan? -MS

30... "TV gaming" since the days of solid-state dedicated consoles. -MadSci

Who's Grindle? I was expecting Grundle... just a typo?

Read the entire listing... it is listed as a bonus item, when we know darn well it is the item that is the most likely to drive the bidding. He (?) is not going to say that he is "selling" Soulstar, since eBay almost always shuts down auctions for prototypes and the like. These auctions will probably be pulled, as well. -MS edit: Actually, Jason may be right. If so, it still seems odd to have the "for ebay" tags on the images and soulstar in the title. Perhaps it would be less ambiguous if someone took him up on: "questions my be sent to atarijaguar@earthlink.net" There have been more misleading listings on eBay before, but I still don't like these. -MS

I'm working on the lit/ toy/ geometry crossovers right now. Boy, there's some weird cross-genre fan-fic out there... but still no answer. -MS

The seller has yet another copy posted: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=3060014594 It is for HS:UL with a bonus "demo" of Soulstar (as if the Hoverstrike CD will be driving the final price..). Is it safe to assume that the seller is making copies? Any idea where this one came from, beyond the seller's "i think i got these at the atari booth at the Electronic Entertainment Expo .... " line? -Mad S.

#1 was moot, and the next two were easy. The fourth ("26") is a doozy. I've found half of the objectives so far, plus several other words (including Jaguar luminaries "Doug" and "Sven"). Are there any diagonals that are required? I have yet to find one that seems intentional. I'm wondering if the solution is linked to the one element that appears intact once and split twice. However, the 20x20 layout does not lend itself to the types of manipulations to the playfield that come to mind. -Mad Scientist edit: It should also be noted that the one and only hg2g "ultimate answer" did not work. Bummer. Back to the puzzle...

I found what I think may be my first "6" this weekend: Sega's Spy Hunter for the VCS, along with Super Baseball (not bad, althugh I am having pitching troubles) and Star Wars Jedi Arena. Also bought: boxed Inty Burgertime and a copy of PaintShop Pro (hello, label contests!... well, maybe). -MS

Thomas, think of a cylindrical "encryption key;" that's what's meant by the password reference (it gives access to the "question"). You don't need to filter names if you can decode the message. -MS edit: Congrats! I guess I was too late, anyway. I've never owned the game, so I'll take your word for it. The FAQs I saw referred to the last bosses as being part of a Sigma boss sequence, with Velgauder being the last entry in the walk-through that I read. -MS

Browsing certain FAQs, Velgauder seemed to best match the reference in the statement/question. FWIW, Clues 1 and 2 were sufficient. I'm not sure why "David Crane" would be funny, though. -MS

Velgauder (if Sigma wasn't a good enough answer).

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(2x post)

Lately, I've been using a 7800 joypad or my GOATstore JAMMA 2600 stick. Prior to acquiring the 7800 pads, I frequently used a 6-button Genesis controller... they're a tad small, but I like the D-pad and overall feel. I just found one of the funky Wico sticks (rubber coated, molded to fit in your left hand with index-finger firing) at a local thrift, so I'll be trying it our next. Several others also get occasional use: the original 2600 sticks, a few Tacs, etc; I guess it depends on the game. -MS

How about Realsports Volleyball instead? It has the appropriate "re-release" look. Nothing indicates that it needs to be a North American release. -MS p.s.- I actually found two pristine red label cars this weekend: Sprintmaster and RS Boxing. Woohoo!