BinaryStar

Hadn't noticed there had been some response to this, thanks for your advice. Christopher - I had figured regular reads broken up within the frame would probably be the best bet for this. Thanks for the advice, I will likely stick to using the analog stick if I cannot get satisfying results with the trackball. As far as items on screen, the 'centipede' parts become bombs which quickly fall down the screen so its never filled with too many objects. I will likely get back to this soon (working on another game) , I'll let you know how I get on with doing as you suggested. ledzep - there are two types of cx80 - one that uses grey code like an atari st mouse and the (i think more common) one that i have that indicates direction and movement on two axes using two pins each 0/1 or direction and 0/1 patterns for each 'click'. Both use the 4 vectrex buttons to read the data, I have programmed this to read trackball movement in port 2 and the standard vectrex controller (for fire/pause) in port 1. Hope that makes sense.

The raspberry pi handles softsynths pretty well, the drivers for the inbuilt audio aren't great but they work, you can always use a USB soundcard to avoid problems. I'm running raspbian+pure-data as a midi sound-module @ 25ms latency using a cheap USB midi cable.

'Tailgunner mode' is a new mode, not the game "Tailgunner". Just that instead of shooting from the front of your ship, you shoot from the tail. Making the game more challenging.

I love the GB version of Dropzone, classic game.

Of course screen size affects the size of the pixels.

As I understand it, the Vectrex Regeneration guy has purchased worldwide rights to use the Vectrex name and software catalog. I'm guessing titles like Pole Position, Scramble etc have also been licensed from Namco, Konami and whoever owns Cinematronics IP. IMO they should have charged for game packs rather than just the megapack option. Glad this is now running on my iPad 1/iCade but nothing beats the real thing (sat next to my iCade).

Trance Vibrator with PS2 Res, hehehe.

I have improved response by upping the framerate (changing a timer value) but I'm still not 100% satisfied. The controls are responsive but still fail to track at higher roll speeds.

Hi, I have a centipede-style shmup in development for vectrex at the moment and I have added I initial support for the Atari CX80 trackball (in trackball mode). Currently I am reading the trackball values once per frame which tracks nicely when moving the trackball slowly or more carefully but it fails to read accurately when the ball is rotated quickly. I was wondering, can anyone advise the best way to update my trackball reading code? Is there a way I can set this code to execute every x milliseconds/cycles, independent of my main loop? Any advice greatly appreciated, Chris

There is a homebrew Star Wars clone called 'Star Fire' which plays very well.

Rob, I'll be sure to add a horizontal option. I've had a few ideas to improve the gameplay (especially for one player) so I'll probably make two versions of the game, a simple clone of the arcade game, and my own version. I'll likely start coding it soon.

Good Idea, I may give Death Race a go if I find the time soon. I played on the arcade machine a few years ago at Musee Machanique in San Francisco. http://www.museemeca...es/IMG_8965.jpg

Its an emulated gba that can use real carts etc.

That's the answer I was hoping for. Thanks Thomas.

Hi, Just bought one of these and was wondering if anyone can tell me what data/voltage it outputs on the joystick connector (in trackball mode)? Does it output grey code like a driving controller or voltages like a paddle? Any info on this would be greatly appreciated, can't seem to find this info on the net. Cheers!

There is a homebrew Tempest clone called 'Tsunami' but sadly the sound effects are woeful and it doesn't really feel like tempest as much as it looks like it. Wormhole by Jon Dondzila is a superb looking, sounding and playing Gyruss clone though, I highly recommend that one.

Sounds good, I love Fortress of Narzod, I like the changes to the design too (power ups, boss battles) I look froward to playing it one day I'm programming a game inspired by G-Force - a "flat" tempest clone originally for the ZX Spectrum. My version uses an atari driving controller spinner in port 2 and vectrex joystick in port 1 http://www.worldofsp....cgi?id=0005178 I also have several other shoot-em-up games fully planned on paper (and prototyped on vectrex) right now. I've been pretty busy with other stuff lately but I'm dying to get back to the Vectrex

Brilliant Idea!

I've been writing a game for the Vectrex (in assembly) lately, in fact I've already started a couple others too Been a bit distracted of late after buying a ZX spectrum and doing a little programming on that but I'm hoping to have something ready for Vectrex in the coming months. Most games I have planned are arcade-style shooters though, as that's my favourite genre.

High-larrrious!

Because the homebrew market is limited, sometimes it's not worth making another run of 100 copies (for example) simply to cater for 4 people who missed the first batch. At the end of the day, the programmers are doing this in their spare time and funding the development and production themselves, so it's entirely their decision whether or not its worth doing another run.

My old grey gameboys typically get 28+ hours from a fresh set of batteries.

If we are talking underrated and unique, it has to be the Vectrex. For cultural impact, I'd go for the Atari 2600/VCS. If we are talking game library, I'd go for NES, PS1 or even Dreamcast.

No they aren't. The chances for scoring/winning would be different every time. That is BAD games design.

Bedroom : Commodore 64 (in my bedroom - though it's used mainly for making music, it does get some gaming love) Living room : Vectrex (if it counts) Atari Jaguar (hooked to my main TV)