johnnywc

Darn, is it that time the year already? I better buckle down and finish the game if you're going to go through the trouble of doing the artwork... now that would be awkward!

Yes, it requires a QuadTari or something compatible. The QT is a multiplexer that switches on the DUMP_POTS bit in VBLANK, so when this is low it reads from one port and when it's high it reads from the other port. In my QT-compatible games, I interact with the Savekey when DUMP_POTS is low and the joystick when DUMP_POTS is high. Alternately, you can just switch on the left controller port with the QT and have two joysticks plugged in there and just the Savekey/AtariVox in the right controller port. With the QT you can have 3 joysticks and the SaveKey (for 3 player co-op) or 4 joysticks with no Savekey. This is how we're able to support co-op in RobotWar:2684 and let each player use 2 joysticks (one each to move and one to fire). The disadvantage to the QT is that since it uses the DUMP_POTS bit, it does not support paddles or keypads. (well, it only supports the paddle buttons since those are mapped to joystick directions. TJ's game Vroom! uses this to support 8 players. ) Hope that helps!

This is why I worked with Nathan Tolbert on the design and testing of the QuadTari: for Wizard of Wor Arcade 2 player co-op + voice. As TJ mentions above, the only 'drawback' is that the game needs to have QuadTari support. Fortunately, this is fairly simple to do (if you have the ROM). I'm not sure who wrote Fall Down, but if they're interested in adding in QT support, I'd be more than happy to help them out.

You're welcome! That's great! I have three brothers around my age and we loved playing Atari together as kids. We all live pretty far apart but when we get together we always find time to play a game or two. Have fun and thanks for the support! John

Hi there, I have tested Galagon on my R77 and it works without issue so hopefully you have the same results! 🤞 We could not secure licensing which prompted the name change. However, a small batch of Galaga branded materials were printed so AtariAge is offering them for sale; the higher price is because of the limited quantity (I think there are < 40). As far as the games are concerned, they are exactly the same except for the title screen logo. I used to play mostly on my R77 as well because of the HDMI, but recently I have switched to a real system (4-switch) with an UAV mod (composite and S-video output) and a Retrotink HDMI converter. Works great, picture is awesome, no slowdown or overheating issues you get with the R77, plus I can easily use an AtariVox for speech in Wizard of Wor Arcade and Gorf Arcade. The setup is a bit expensive of an investment but worth it IMO. Good luck and thanks for the support! John

Hi there! Elevator Agent has not been completed yet but is expected to be released this October with 50 copies available at PRGE at the Champ Games booth. AtariAge will not be involved in the publishing as they have decided to focus on publishing original or licensed games. If all goes well, we hope to have physical copies of both Elevator Agent (and Turbo Arcade) available in our store sometime after PRGE. Thanks, John

Very cool! I bought a VCS 800 about 6 months ago but haven't used it yet (I spent most of my time trying to get it to register my account lol). I didn't realize you could add all of those cool emulators and even use a 5200 trackball! What version of Stella does it support? Steve, I'll send you a PM so I don't clog up James' thread with basic VCS questions.

Lucky you, we're having our "save a penny" sale starting next month! All $20 ROMs will be $19.99!* *limited time only. Limit one penny saved per order. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Penny to be mailed after delivery of ROM, please allow 6 - 8 weeks for delivery.

Thanks for reiterating that TJ - I mentioned it above as well. It's not so much a political decision but a community decision. This thread is very informational and interesting but I think sometimes it seems we're trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, applying "real world" economics, pricing, sales, etc. to our niche market. Would I ever expect Target to work with Best Buy when determining a price to help Best Buy sell a certain product that they have too much stock of? Of course not. The pricing for the ROMs was set as a joint decision between Al and myself at a point that would be beneficial to both of us AND the community. Champ Games had numerous requests to offer or ROMs in digital form and we obliged, taking the time to put together a website, update product pages, develop a registration workflow, process transactions, etc. The main reasons expressed to us were (1) people don't have room for physical copies, (2) they didn't want to spend $50 - $60 on a boxed copy and (3) they wanted to have a way to support Champ Games and our development (both current and future). To that end, I think we succeeded. Additionally, we also put in our our 'coupon redemption' so we weren't double-dipping by offering 50% off a ROM if you bought the physical copy from AtariAge (which hopefully answers any disingenuous claims against us). Now, as I also mention above, since things are changing (AtariAge will no longer be selling our physical games), if we end up self-publishing Champ Games will have more flexibility to set prices according to market demand. Thanks again to all that support our efforts and thanks for all the feedback; both are appreciated! John

Thanks Darrell! Thanks Steve! @Nathan Strum did an amazing job on the graphics and packaging and @iesposta did a fantastic job on the sounds. Mappy was a lot of fun to make!

Regarding the market research quip, I wasn't being serious - just trying to lighten the tension. With that said, there are a few helpful suggestions that I did take away from this discussion, and for that I say thanks!

I'm American, and the jab was actually directed towards me, and although I was taken aback a bit I found it more humorous than offensive. (although to be fair, I was voted Most Sarcastic, Class of '86 so I've dealt out my fair share of jabs ). I'm glad @BobAtari brought this up though, as this entire thread (well, most of it ) is a goldmine of market research for ROM pricing, discounts, bundles, etc. Thanks everyone for the suggestions and feedback!

Good point. Unfortunately, AtariAge and Champ Games are not one in the same so this isn't as easy as it sounds. In my experience, typically physical media and digital media are priced separately, and purchasing one doesn't necessarily mean you're entitled to the other. Of course there are combo deals where the price of a digital download is included in the physical copy so it appears you're 'getting it for free' but most likely you are not. Those package deals, as I mention above, have the benefit of having both medias sold by the same company so it's also easier to bundle them. With that said, Champ Games does offer a 50% discount on a ROM if you have already purchased the physical copy from AtariAge, which we feel is fair. In light of the latest developments with AtariAge and homebrews of arcade conversions, this will no longer be the case moving forward. If Champ Games is able to self-publish our games, perhaps we will be in a better position to offer more competitive pricing and bundles in the future. Hope that helps! Thanks, John

As I mentioned above, we are always more than willing to work within someone's budget for bulk purchases, discounts, etc. Feel free to send me an email at champdotgames@gmail.com and let me know what you're interested in and we'll see if we can work something out. PS Lady Bug (original 16K) and Conquest of Mars are both $10 each and seem to fit in your budget if those are titles you're interested in, with Scramble, Super Cobra Arcade and Avalanche priced at $15 each.

This was an interesting snippet. So us ROM-buyers are in fact effectively subsidising the people buying the physical cartridge? This is a bit of a stretch. ROM-buyers are paying only for the ROMs provided by Champ Games, regardless of the price or what decisions went into setting them. This is a community, and AtariAge and Champ Games have decided to work together to help bring these games (both physical and digital) to the people that want to play them. Some of those decisions are made to help us coexist without putting a financial strain on the physical production of the games. Nothing more, nothing less. Hope that clears things up!