Papa

They actually randomly attack you and do not copy your every move. When struck the enemy is knocked back and this gives you the opportunity to move away. Most games like this have enemies that stay in close proximity and attack relentlessly.. again.. if you're already not a fan of this type of game it's not really important to me. The screen changes color ONE TIME when you are struck to indicate damage! This is not flashing (on-off on-off on-off..that's flashing..)! Does anyone who plays games made from 1989 to the present that involve cartoon animated violence like this game?

The color cycling is really no big deal in this game. It's only brief, doesn't rapidly change the brightness and is a controlled effect to show fire or lightning. I've already gathered that you don't care for the game so you can keep your opinion to yourself. The flashing that the Game Design page is talking about is, from what I take it to mean, games that have no complete backgrounds and therefor are flashing the entire screen in, what I would agree to be, irritating fashion. The effect I did was meant to imitate games such as Golden Axe or Ghouls & Ghosts where two colors are cycled for effect, not what I would consider whole screen flashing that is known to be irritating. If I had no backgrounds that covered the entire screen, or huge graphics that blocked out most of the color cycling, then I would understand, but really it's not bad at all. My son likes the game as do my daughters and wife. I don't really like whole screen flashing in background-less games either. This is not the same as that. Since you don't really like, uh.. Punchy/Kicky games (do you like defender, where a ship blasts lasers at things? Or Q-Bert, where the hero is landed on from above by coiling snakes and apparently curses?) I.E. most games, then why keep attacking my game for the one thing you don't like? Does anyone who downloaded my game like it? There are apparently eighteen other people who may or may not like Hack & Slash games that have yet to comment!

..I will post a video of it being played if I can get a good capture off of my screen.

Are you sure it's not just the magic sequence? In one a giant dragon comes down the screen breathing fire, in the other a bolt of lightning rips down the screen and cascades off to the sides. I have experienced ZERO crashing in this game, EVER!! Magic will also send you a screen ahead if you use it when there is no badguy or if the badguy is very weak when you use it! It will also occasionally stop shuriken and fireballs! Using combos like down + action then right + action then left + action can get you three hits rapidly. A jump attack then a special attack then a basic attack will also cause more damage. The final game will likely have more magic sequences and I may have the boss characters use a magic attack! I also might have a demo from the title and a longer ending sequence.

..also I would classify this as a Hack and Slash game rather than a Punchy/Kicky game. To each his own I guess. I think the game plays great and looks extremely good considering it's an Atari 2600 game. When you hold down and action the Dwarf does a rolling attack and the Valkyrie does a sword spinning attack.. Did anyone else who downloaded it experience any crashing?

The flashing is fire from a dragon or lightning. What are you playing it on? I have tested this on a Heavy Sixer and a 4 switcher, in Stella, on a 7800, and on a Gemini with no crashing or anything of the sort!?! If you hold up or down (without the button) on the title screen you get a music track. I would very much like to see what you're talking about as I have experienced nothing like that! The flashing doesn't bother me, as it is brief and is part of the games effects.

Rarest games, but here ya go! Using the AA rarity gauge I have.. Spy Hunter Ghost Manor Space Shuttle Tapper Gas Hog Shuttle Orbiter Montezuma's Revenge Time Pilot Rampage Raiders of the Lost Ark

The game looks good. It's like a cross between Lemmings and Lost Vikings, I think. I will pick it up soon with a handful of other Jag titles I would consider essential. It was also on the Lynx with a possibly more attractive title. If you can ignore the 64 then most of the games are really good!

By the way..it's a 32K bankswitched game that uses the 16-bit randomizer and as much color as I can squeeze out of the Atari 2600! I have 12-15 more games I'm working on with graphics and animation as good as this one or better! Any comments would be appreciated. Anyone who has downloaded the game please update me on how it plays or if you like it or not. I thought that overcoming the basic sprite collision detection was rather effective at emulating the collisions on the later systems. Also..on the controls.. B/W pauses the game (also zooms the characters and plays a song) Reset goes back to the title (resets) This game has a few warp spots and traps as well!

Games?

It helps to have a wife/partner that works with you! A lot of thought and drafting went into this first. I have a stack of paper behind the creation of these cabinets. They were all conceived beforehand! My wife is very good at math and that is a necessity!! I taught her to solder and handle a saw and quite a few other things that she has since perfected. Thank you, Lost Dragon! This work was all based on a design I drew out back in the early nineties when I wanted my own cabinet. It was going to use an old RGB monitor and have a Sega joystick, but I have since learned so much about arcade parts that I wanted to go that way with it. The need to cut the cost of producing them down also weighed heavily on the design. The total parts cost, not including the game systems or TV/Monitors, is somewhere around $250 to $300.

I would like to give folks a try at my new game before the finishing touches are added. If you like my game please consider buying it when it comes out!! This was programmed from scratch, by me!! Here are the instructions.. Joystick = moves the character Hold action = Jump (in Jump let go of action to attack) Left + action = attack Right + action = attack Down + action = special attack Hold up + action = Use magic (uses power) In easy hold action on the Game Over screen to continue In Hard hold action to begin at an earlier point in the game (usually), or choose a different character On the title screen hold a direction to listen to one of the music tracks, five in total! (I made all the music, too) This game is one of my most loved creations and I hope you all enjoy it and consider purchasing it when/if it comes out at AtariAge Please don't take my code or modify it in any way!! I present.. Titan Axe Beta TitanAxeBeta.bin

I wouldn't use lipstick and a rubber band, as USPS will have it's way with it anyway!!

Also..I just realized I've been saying Zippy instead of Zippyy which is how they spell it..

THANK YOU!!

Love that necklace.. ..I actually thought she was holding a gamepad until I clicked the picture. A gamepad there would have been better.. maybe..

Send him a message!!

I play a lot of Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Final Fight, Ghouls & Ghosts, Groove on Fight, Shock Troopers 2, Voltage Fighter Gowkaiser, King of Fighters, Golden Axe, Altered Beast..etc.. JAMMA used the Cherry switches and they were the standard after JAMMA+ came about. I don't see how a leaf over a switch could make the switch faster!? Even with an extension you're still waiting for the switch to come back up. The speed of the reset would have to do with the quality of switch you're using and the resilience of the button itself. Cherry switches are soft and fast, whereas Zippy switches are tough, clunky and strong. Happ stuff is so good I would recommend it to anyone using an arcade machine. I agree,though, that those leaf switches were all the norm in those older pre-JAMMA vintage cabs and if you want authenticity pre-JAMMA, it would be required. My wife scores super high scores on our Galaga with Cherry switches and a restrictor plate Zippy short stick. Better than the vintage Galaga at Pizza King down the street. WICO uses little leaf extenders in everything..even the Command Control joysticks. They are easy to tweak, but I will always prefer Happ, Cherry and Zippy for my stuff. I can get a great big bag of switches for both buttons and joysticks and don't need to worry when the joystick needs a new one. Several of my joysticks use the extended switches.. these ones do.. http://www.jammaboards.com/store/classic-arcade-joystick-8-way-to-4-way-switchable-joystick-classic.html http://www.jammaboards.com/store/super-arcade-joystick-8-way-to-4-way-switchable-joystick-super.html http://www.jammaboards.com/store/competition-style-arcade-joystick-joystick-1.html http://www.jammaboards.com/store/zippyy-ball-handle-joystick-seimitsu-ls-32-clone-long-shaft-zippyy-joy-long.html these ones don't.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/HAPP-COMPETITION-8-WAY-JOYSTICKS-14-BUTTONS-COMBO-GREAT-FOR-MAME-FIGHTING-/361154720112?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item54167fb170 Both these guys have great deals on buttons, switches, and joysticks!

Just ordered it!! My lynx screen is getting nasty-ish..with missing pixels and what not! CAN'T WAIT!! I will post all manner of pics and stuff when I get it done..

I like the switches because I can order one type of switch for all of my buttons and joysticks! If the switch goes bad that is controlling a direction then I have to have those types of switches (or remove the internal extension piece and install it into a regular switch). The Happ design uses a cube activator and can be set to thick or thin panels all in one joystick. It's what a lot of machines use, so it's what I like. I would hate to have dead switches that I have no replacement for. I also really like the resiliance of Zippy switches, although Happ stuff is rated higher. The most expensive I've seen are Cherry. X-Arcade matches the feel, if not the standards of Cherry, though. Either way, I try to keep it as close to real arcade hardware as possible!

Mrs. Papa here with more info. Parts List for Cabinet: Tools: Drill, jigsaw with blade for wood and blade for metal, clamps, carpet or exacto/hobby knife, plexiglass cutter, straightedge, tape measure, pencil, 1/2" countersink drill bit, circle hole bits (whatever the dimensions are of joystick buttons, and larger one if happ joysticks are used), pilot drill bit, phillips head drill bit, glue gun, solder/iron, graph paper, scotch tape, packing tape, heavy-duty screws (1-1/4”, 2-1/2”) Wood: 2-4'x8' plywood, one thick (5/8" or so) cut to 6' and cut longways down the middle; one thinner (1/2" or so), cut longways at whatever internal width you have (based on tv) 7-6'-2"x4" (or whatever combo you need to accommodate your internal width and transportation capabilities) Machine screws/nuts for control panel--#10-24x2”; we also used skateboard hardware with locking nuts (1" bolts) to secure joystick Plexiglass/Acrylic screen (screen uses .22 I think--thick; control panel, marquee use thin) PVC trim: Dakoramine PVC Banding, attached using Locktite Indoor Adhesive Paint Angle Aluminum--support trim for marquee 2-Corner protectors for bottom of marquee Corrugated cardboard and poster board Whatever internal parts--game system, surge protector, corresponding hookups for the screen; 22-16 AWG Disconnect female wire ends; stranded wire Note: Each one of our cabinets are customized based on the available TV/Monitor we had. Dimensions of the cabinet are dependent upon what screen is used. This is a rough draft just so you have the info. I'll try to attach a pdf tomorrow with instructions.

The design must have been a way to blend the paddle controllers with joysticks for games like Centipede. I really like the system, too. Like the Jaguar, it just needed more controller options for the consumer. I've had a LOT of these stop working on me. I pawned my last 5200 years ago. I still have several games for it and often play the XE or emulate systems for those rare games that were actually different than the computer counterparts. The joystick was left over from a lot and I was using it to demonstrate the idea from long ago. The band on the inside seems to look like it would function better.

But..but..but... ..FARTING MONKEYS!! (..yes, I know..it's a member of the great ape family! It's not a monkey..)

Thanks everyone! I thought this project would take only a couple of days, but ended up taking eight! I recently had a baby with my wife (our second son) and we have a 1 1/2 year old daughter, and four other older kids. Bit by bit we got it done and I must say It's one of the best cabinets I've ever made. The joysticks are excellent and use regular (button style) micro-switches instead of the joystick style ones with extended metal pieces, which makes them easier to deal with. X-Arcade has great joysticks and I also really love Zippy, switch driven sticks. They have many different colors and lengths and are the perfect price for hobbyists. Sanwa is good and all, but as they moved away from switches and have analog designs as of late, I have moved to clones (Zippy) and Happ parts. Nothing is as good for Atari games (with sometimes frustratingly stiff joysticks) as micro-switch joysticks. I've found that even systems with smooth pads, like the 3DO and the Saturn, are still extremely good with arcade sticks and buttons. They last a very long time and can be easily repaired, whereas pads can mess up quite easily and are just a cramped mess compared to the ease of use to be found with real arcade parts. For a more modern system I would recommend I-Pac or, for the 360 or PS3, the X-Arcade DIY kits with adapters. The modern habit in today's custom cabinets seems to revolve around PC rigging and emulation. BAAAAHHH!! I use real hardware and actual controller pcb's from the actual systems and sometimes converter adapters to get multiple systems in there.. My Saturn cab uses real Saturn pads and then a Saturn to Playstation adapter that then goes through a Playstation to PC-Engine adapter for SuperGrafx and PC-Engine compatibility! So you have a Saturn, SuperGrafx, and a PC-Engine (mine has a Region switch to play TG-16 HuCards, if I choose) all in one cabinet! My 3DO cabinet uses SNES controllers with the SNES to 3DO controller adapter, so the cab contains a 3DO and a Super Nintendo (modded for Super Famicom compatibility) and a Fighter X disk system on top. A RetroPort (for NES games) and a RetroGen (for Genesis/Mega Drive games) are also in there! I use system selector boxes to switch between systems. An easier cabinet uses Sega Genesis pads, which can be used with several systems. My Sega Genesis arcade cabinet has a Gemini, a Flashback 2, and a Model 1 Genesis with Sega CD, 32X and the Power Base converter. This requires no adapters and still supports all of these systems! My SegAmiga cabinet has a powerful 64-bit PC with Windows 7 for games like Street Fighter IV and emulators (..meh.) of the many systems including the Amiga (It used to house my 2500, but I wanted to cover AGA and found that emulation made that easier for me) through Amiga Forever, and a Japanese Sega Master system. The PC uses a Genesis Pad to USB converter and the cab is wired with two 6-Button Sega pads, so no adapters are needed for the Master System. I also use a VGA converter to port the video from the Japanese Master System to the VGA monitor. My next cabinet will use a FOAC system!! I have a flimsy one that can barely be played due to the cheapo controllers, but has perfect graphics. That coupled with several multicarts will make this a formidable system! Eat your heart out Players Choice 10!!