TI99Kitty

Does anybody remember a movie from the mid-'80s called "Cloak & Dagger?" There was a 2600 game in there called "Cloak & Dagger" that was the focus of most of the movie. I bet the code from this demo could be used in a TI version of that game. ^_^ Edit: I wouldn't recommend putting stolen plans for top-secret military hardware prototypes in the cartridge, though... ^_~

Sorry about the double post, but the "Edit" button seems to have gotten lost down the sofa cushions or something...

Thanks! When I get some more pics ready, I'll experiment with the other label styles. For now, though, here's another:

From the January 1985 issue of Compute!: I have a PDF of this issue. I'd email it to you, but it's 102MB. The program itself (even without the article) is probably too long to LIST here... Right now, I'm doing a copy-and-paste of the entire article to a text file. PM me if you want me to send you a copy.

The Web Browser. I'm kind of half-heartedly collecting DC stuff, so I wanted it anyway. When i found out about "Sega Swirl," I made sure I got the version of the browser that included the game. BTW, I've seen people trying to sell the browser discs for $10 or more. Ditto for the "Generator" discs... >_<

People pay money for that? Surprisingly enough, apparently some people are even willing to pay more than $2 dollars for it! ( <-- paid $1.99, no S&H, which was worth it for a game I didn't know I already had ((D'oh!)), plus a nice, long phone cord ((which apparently had never been used)) )

Tunneling through a garbage dump. Ahhh, the good old days. Best. Idea. EVER. -Rob Fix'd. ^_~

It was a big consideration in my decision to buy "Web Browser 2.0" on eBay (I didn't know it was on the Smashpack disc until I decided to play something other than Sonic...) for my "collection," because I figured the browser would wind up being useless for me.

It's on both "Sega Smashpack Volume 1" and the "Web Browser 2.0" disc. It may be on others, but those two I know for sure, since I have them.

The gameplay on "Sega Swirl" reminds me of "Destructo-Match II" on the Neopets website. I could play that game all day (and sometimes did).

Yeah, like I said before, I'm not sure if that actually saves any memory -- but it's much easier to type in. As for SP/SP$, I only used those because it makes it easy to remember what they're used for (SPrite definition). The SP variable is generated by the FOR-NEXT loop, which is set up to generate the ASCII codes (96, 100, 104, etc.). The hex values are READ into SP$, and then both are plugged into the CALL CHAR statement. It's a cute little trick I learned ages ago (possibly from looking at the code from "TI-Trek"). So, will the plane make multiple drops, or will it be like the skunk in "Alpiner," which drops its "payload" once, then scoots off the screen?

Cute! Any ideas what you might use it for?

Maybe someone who has the image could torrent it?

All I have are some suggestions; I hope you take them in the spirit in which they're intended, as helpful critisism. And feel free to ignore them, if they don't fit in with what you're trying to accomplish; you won't hurt my feelings. Much... ^_~ The first is just a bit of optimization of the code you already had: 1) Using DATA and READ (in a FOR-NEXT loop) to create your custom character definitions (really only necessary when you first type it in, I suppose, to keep from having to type "CALL CHAR" all those times). I don't think the quotes in the DATA statements are strictly necessary, since the strings don't contain any commas or spaces, but they're there, just in case. 2) Moving the code for the start point of the level. In your code, the program loops back up to line 120, whereupon all the character definition code is run again. I moved line 120 down below the character definition code, and edited the GOTO to point there. 3) Tweaking the DISPLAY ATs, to center the "Get ready" message, and to position the "You have lost a bee" message higher up, where it doesn't cause the screen to scroll up. The second is a slight change in the way you handle losing a bee. Rather than simply blanking the screen and saying "you lost a bee," it might be more interesting to have some visual effect. Originally in this suggestion, I was going to delete the "you lost a bee" message, but I'll let you see how it looks with it left in. I know there must be a better way to handle spinning the bee, other than DATA statements, but I'm not that good at math, and don't see a pattern in the way the bee sprites are oriented. No doubt, someone here can tell you how to do the spin with only the FOR-NEXT loop, and leave the READ and DATA statements out, if you decide to leave the "death-spin" in. If the spin and the screen flash are too fast/too slow, I apologize. Classic99 was running too slow, so I shut down BOINC; now it runs too fast, so I haven't been able to gauge what the best delay in lines 424 and 427 should be. I'm including the empty lines (from the lines I deleted), so you can just copy/paste the altered code over the original to test it (make sure you don't save over your original code, though!) The DATA statements originally started immediately after line 520, but I added 1000 to the line numbers, in case you have other code starting at 530 that you didn't post. I didn't want my suggestions to overwrite anything that might affect gameplay! 120 129 REM ** INIT CUSTOM CHARACTERS ** 130 RESTORE 1530 140 FOR SP=96 TO 136 STEP 4 :: READ SP$ :: CALL CHAR(SP,SP$) :: NEXT SP 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 CALL CLEAR :: CALL SCREEN(2) 230 CALL HCHAR(8,1,136,544) 240 250 419 REM ** SPIN BEE & FLASH SCREEN ** 420 CALL DELSPRITE(#2,#3,#4) :: CALL MOTION(#1,0,0) :: RESTORE 1640 421 FOR DEAD=1 TO 8 423 READ SPIN :: CALL PATTERN(#1,SPIN) 424 CALL SCREEN(7) :: FOR DELAY=1 TO 10 :: NEXT DELAY 425 READ SPIN :: CALL PATTERN(#1,SPIN) 427 CALL SCREEN( :: FOR DELAY=1 TO 10 :: NEXT DELAY 428 NEXT DEAD 440 CALL SCREEN(7) :: DISPLAY AT(6,6):" YOU LOST A BEE!! " :: FOR X=1 TO 400 :: NEXT X 450 CALL CLEAR :: CALL CHARSET :: CALL SCREEN(2) :: DISPLAY AT(7,10):"GET READY" :: CALL SCREEN(7) :: FOR X=1 TO 400 :: NEXT X 460 GOTO 220 1529 REM ** CHARACTER INIT DATA ** 1530 DATA "000000783C1E4FE7E7FDFF03070F1E3C0000000000000181F15DF9C181000000" 1540 DATA "0F7840404140406221281452AC1308108080C82410884427118101030282FE00" 1550 DATA "31488780874023100B040100010204048C12E101E102C408F020800080402020" 1560 DATA "01011324081122E4888180C040417F00F01E0202820202468414284A35C81008" 1570 DATA "0000000001C221151521C301000000001C22418102145455555414028141221C" 1580 DATA "040402010001040B102340878087483120204080008020D008C402E101E1128C" 1590 DATA "3844828140282AAAAA2A2840818244380000000080C384A8A884438000000000" 1600 DATA "100813AC52142821624040414040780F00FE8202030181112744881024C88080" 1610 DATA "040402010001040B102340878087483120204080008020D008C402E101E1128C" 1620 DATA "007F4140C0808188E4221108241301010810C8354A2814844602028202021EF0" 1630 DATA "5CA5CA5CA5CA5CA5" 1639 REM ** SPRITE SPIN DATA ** 1640 DATA 120,108,104,100,112,124,128,132 1650 DATA 120,108,104,100,112,124,128,132 Anyway, those are just my little suggestions. I like what you'e done so far. It looks like it's going to be an interesting game, and I can't wait to see it when you're finished! ^_^

Thanks -- though I may have to start putting consoles in the bottom of the table, if I keep acquiring them... Which means I'll have to find some other safe place to put my TI disks and books... -_-

The only game system I have "put away" is a black Sega Sports Dreamcast, because I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it or not. Everything else is in my (tiny) living room, hooked up and ready to go. My TV has inputs in the front and back -- I have one of those modern RF modulators plugged into the coax connection, and my DVD player plugged into the composite inputs. Since the RF box has both a coax input and composite inputs, I have the cable for the PS2 (which also works with the PS) plugged into the composite, and the ColecoVision RF cable (with coax adapter) plugged into the coax (and that works with the CV, Intellivision and NES). That just leave the front composite inputs, which are shared by the Genesis, Dreamcast and (for now, at least) the N64. The TI has its own little 15" TV that sits on top of the PEB, on my computer desk. Now all I need is a box that will let me have both them all hooked up at the same time, so I don't have to swap cables when I change from one system to another that uses the same outputs...

I say we all charter busses from our various locations, and we can all meet there and start digging. I own some land in Deming, so we can set up camp there. Ok, I'm not serious.... but seriously... But seriously, we could tunnel our way to the old landfill -- that way we'd be underneath the concrete, and it would be easier to get to all those E.T. carts! O_O Of course, now I hear Chief Wiggum from "The Simpsons" saying, "No, no, stupid. Dig up!" ^_^

Warning! I wrote a book again! ^_~ Speak for yourself. I gave my 14 year old son a TI-99/4A for Christmas (basically the same setup I had when I was his age), and he was thrilled to get it. He was almost as thrilled when I gave him my PSOne. And he tends to eye my collection of old consoles enviously (and enjoys playing games on them). Not to belittle the importance of emulation (after all, it was emulators that prompted me to get the original hardware!), but I disagree with the assumption that future generations will want to play the old games, but not want the old hardware. As you said in the first paragraph, it's "about the authentic experience of sitting down with the real hardware." It's the coolness factor of playing a game on a 30 year old console, not about 8-bit sprites zipping through an 8-bit background making 8-bit "boop" and "beep" sounds. As an example, my son played around with the emulators on my PC for awhile, then turned around and fired up the authentic consoles to play the games. Why? No doubt because it seemed "cooler" that way. And maybe because it's bit pathetic watching a machine capable of making "The Sims 2" or "Portal" look (and sound) good showing little blinky dots and making "boop" sounds. Kind of like when you see that 80 year old man at the park feeding pigeons, wearing yellow checkered slacks that are pulled up to his nipples and a worn tartan driving cap, you might snicker at his fashion sense. But if you saw an 18 to 20 year old dressed like that, and feeding the pigeons in the park, you'd probably wonder what the hell was wrong with him. While I agree that the demand will go down, there will always be people who are interested in antiques, and the better condition they're in, the more collectible they are. Just look at any episode of "Antiques Roadshow" where someone has brought in some 50 year old toy or appliance, and after finding out it was collectible, got all excited (no matter how well they tried to hide it). Like it or not, the day when the 2600 is a 50 year old "antique" are not that far away (considering it's over 30 years already). Another thing to consider is that the number of consoles/cartridges/etc. is also decreasing, as non-working equipment is cannibalized for parts, or turned into "art pieces" (and actually, some working systems get used for that, too, from what I've seen on eBay). So, while I think Mr. Galaxian is just a tiiiiiiiiiny bit overly optimistic, I don't think the old hardware (and software) will depreciate noticeably, and in fact may appreciate in value, if it still works, as that becomes increasingly rare.

Until recently, I would have said video game consoles started to peak with the ColecoVision and the TI (I know it's a computer, but it made a great game console, and without all the expensive peripherals, that's about all it was good for), and finally peaked with the NES. A friend of mine had a Sega Master System, which he traded in for a Genesis, then a PlayStation. Meanwhile, for most of that time I still had my NES, which was the last new console I had bought until Sony came out with the PSOne for around $50. Still, I have to say that I agree with youki, in this post: I have a tendency to personify inanimate objects (I guess that's why the OS-tans and console-tans appeal so much to me, but I digress). I felt some bond or emotional attachment to my TI, my C64, and my NES. I had none of that with my PSOne (which I gave to my son) or my PS2. If any of my other consoles acts up, it worries or upsets me. If the PS/PS2 acts up, eh, whatever. Sigh and turn it off. Fire up the Dreamcast, because she won't do that to me. And the current gen consoles? If the PS was the zombies from "Resident Evil," then the current gen are the zombies from "Resident Evil: Apocolypse" -- just as dead and soulless, but damn, they're fast! I guess that's why the newest consoles I have are the DC and the PS2, and that's really when I feel things peaked for consoles. Ever since the PS2, it's been all about form, and function be damned. Obviously, the XBox must be an exception, judging by how many people seemed to think it was ugly; I rather thought it looked cool, but y'know, it's a Micro$haft product, so I never felt the need to spend my money on it.

Haven't posted for awhile, so I decided to write a novel... ^_~ At a thrift store near where my mother lives, I found these for $1 each. Haven't tested any of these yet: Prime Time NFL Football (Genesis, loose) NHL '96 (Genesis, loose) NBA All-Star Challenge (Genesis, in box, no manual) Space Channel 5 (Dreamcast, complete, former Blockbuster rental) NFL 2K (Dreamcast, complete) NFL 2K1 (Dreamcast, complete) Myst Soundtrack CD From Goodwill, four Genesis games for $5.95. They all work: Bio Hazard Battle (complete) NHL '94 (no manual, box is torn, missing insert) Sonic the Hedgehog (pack-in, has box but no manual) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (pack-in, complete) Also, though not a thrift store find, I recently purchased, for $67: Sega Dreamcast, with four controllers and a handful of loose game discs (need to see if I can get some of them resurfaced) PlayStation (model 7001), with a controller and some loose game discs (same note as above) Nintendo 64, with one controller, RAM expansion and two variant labels of the same SNES (wtf?) game 2 NES consoles, with three controllers and two games 2 Sega Genesis 2 consoles, with three controller and two games (games) (DC) Crazy Taxi (not working) Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 (not working) Pen Pen Trilcelon (not working) WWF Attitude (not working) Hydro Thunder NFL 2K2 Power Stone Sega Rally 2 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (locks up after selecting skater) Trick Style Ultimate Fighting Championship (PS) Battle Area Toshinden (not working) Resident Evil 2 (both discs, not working) Tomb Raider III (not working) Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (not working) Loaded Olympic Summer Games Ridge Racer Revolution (Gen) George Foreman's KO Boxing (with box, no manual) ESWAT (loose) (SNES) Super Mario World x 2 No cables, but to make a long story short, it all works. I decided to keep one of the NES's and one of the... Genesises? Genesii? I sold the Dreamcast, PS and one Genesis (with the ESWAT game) for $40. As soon as I get another 72-pin connector, the other NES is going on eBay. The N64 has a problem with the power switch (more of an annoyance, really), so I'm keeping it... for now.

It seems to me that Compute! also had a program they offered for the C64 called "Turbo Tape," in the 1983-84 issues.

Historically, my favorite has been my TI-99/4A, followed closely by one cousin's ColecoVision, then by another cousin's Intellivision. Right now, though, I'm really enjoying my Dreamcast. If I ever get a new copy of the original "Legend of Zelda," however, favor just may shift back to the NES... ^_~

I love that one! But then, "Rampage" was just about my favorite arcade game, way back when. ^_^

I wouldn't say that. It's got at least as much chance as my Metal Gear proposal being met by April of this year. You know, you're right! And in this spirit of "can-do" attitude, I'm formally announcing my port of Halo 3 for the TI-99/4A, to be ready to ship by March 31 (give or take a day). I figure... a week to learn assembly on the TI, another week to explore all the nuances of the original game, and most of the rest of the time to design a really cool box and cartridge label. Win! ^_~