pixelpedant

Since "present" is included - I really, really like the music from Bouncy's Obstacle Course.

Yeah, confirmed. Plays fine with the NanoPEB removed. First game I've encountered like that.

Thanks for the tip. Will try without NanoPEB (and hence 32K).

Hmm. Haven't had any success getting this game to run on my system (F18A+NanoPEB+FinalGROM). Just outputs garbage character patterns to a blue screen for three or four seconds, then freezes.

Perhaps a tidbit from this newsletter offers a suggestion? Some of you may remember a company called A/D electronics, out of Sacramento, California. They produced a control card which allowed sampling of environmental data through an 8-bit analog-to-digital controller. This device allowed hookups of many items, such as temperature probes, light transducers, etc. and was mainly used as a scientific device. Some possible uses included home control, because it also contained a real-time battery backed clock. Plus, there were separate digital inputs and outputs., for switches and relays, respectively. My main use for the A/D card, FIRST ADE, is a mouse. The RADIO SHACK color mouse contains two potentiometers turned by a rolling motion of the mouse. The potentiometers, when interfaced with the ADC0809 chip, (two channels, x and y) gives me mouse control with TI ARTIST. I wrote the DSR myself, and have been using this device for about a year and a half. The MBP clock card is a similar device, although it does not contain a digital input or output array. The ADE card, however, could also switch external relays, or sample data on 16 lines (8 in, 8 out). If timing was correct, an 8-bit parallel interface was possible. I still use this card, and the clock is handy for keeping my p-system master disk up-to date.

Well, the FG99 works in the Navarone (at least for me it does). It's just that almost nothing else does in combination with it. The exception, in my testing (and I don't know the technical particulars of why, but would be interested) is my 1987-1989 Databiotics carts. All of them can be switch selected successfully even with the FG99 plugged in to another slot. FG99 still appears as option 2 at startup even when not switch-selected (and if not in the correct switch position for it, will fail upon menu selection). But both the Databiotics cart and the FG99 cart function correctly if either one is switch-selected on the Navarone (and subsequently menu-selected). But for all earlier carts, garbled graphics result if played while FG99 is plugged in.

? Can't wait to hear more. Also, just discovered your site for the first time. What a great read.

Well, if there's one good thing to be said about the dearth of sports games for TI 99, it’s that the system mostly dodged the bullet which constitutes the largest category of shovelware nobody can be bothered with down the line, for most systems. Particularly where simulationist sports games are concerned (i.e., putting aside Base Wars and Mutant League, for example). Sure, there are exceptions. But by and large “sports game from over 30 years ago” isn’t a category with a lot of pull. Just as well TI didn't push for something equivalent to Sega's "Great [Sport]" line for Master System (whose self-characterisation ended up coming off as ironic rather than convincing). Particularly given how well Indoor Soccer and Football panned out.

New High Score: 77454 (Level 24) Yes, Bouncy's Obstacle Course has taken over my life. Run starts here.

Please? Indeed! I'm afraid I would have missed the June game was Bouncy's Obstacle Course (which I pretty hugely adore) myself, had I not stumbled in here with an arbitrary click. Let's get it updated!

New pics of my setup (a fair bit's changed): Main Console: Further Out: (routing TI 99 video to all displays for the picture was silly, but also trivial, since all video is matrix-switched, and can be routed from and to anywhere - or everywhere - at the touch of a button, on an RS-232 based master control panel I designed - the tiny touch-screen display to the left of the main monitor is actually under normal circumstances my signal routing/processing control interface) The Whole Room:

Good point. Haven't heard it defended. And certainly wouldn't venture to do so myself.

I feel like this thread has answered the original question pretty decisively: there definitely isn't a game that nobody likes. We've even heard nice things said about ZeroZap, MunchMobile and The Attack. People like different games for different reasons. I've been surprised to see games I consider among my favourites on the "worst of" lists of some here. But then, what they bring to the table for me (say, great music, or compelling environments, or good two-player gameplay) might not be what others are looking for in them (say, responsive controls, or gameplay challenge).

Did some more streaming today, and managed to get a higher score: 46472 (Level 15) Run starts here

Ooh, this month is Bouncy's Obstacle Course? Awesome. Here's my current high score, played on real iron (using a modded Genesis controller) from a recent stream: 34178 Full VOD of the run can be viewed here. Will try to beat that, though, since it's such a fun game.

I actually liked Black Hole quite a bit. But specifically as a two-player game. Not much point as a single-player game, as I see it. So I can see being seriously underwhelmed in that regard. But then, you also named Buck Rogers, and I'm likewise a fan of that. Right up my alley, mind you. Love me some 80s Sega. I guess that first generation of "into the screen" shooters just captured my imagination. Plus, games like Buck Rogers, that got ported to just sort of everything, are a fun way to explore the differing ways developers dealt with the same design challenges on differing hardware.

Made it to level 12 and was delighted to find that even though there are only 10 levels structurally speaking, there are more challenges beyond that. Sweet. I am legitimately addicted to this game. Level 5 is a real bastard

Personally, I kind of hope the F18A MK2 (if and when it is released) doesn't introduce more platform featureset fragmentation. I feel like having the 32K upgrade as a fairly standard upgrade doesn't introduce any issues, with its being cheap, easily available, and being a "plug in" whose use requires no technical knowledge at all. And we needed an F18A, given the absence of anything better than a very noisy Composite signal on the original NTSC unit. But even as someone who has both an F18A and 32K upgrade, I find myself appreciating that Dragon's Lair and Bouncy's Obstacle Course can run on unmodified hardware. Because as much as I love the way mods are thriving these days, I feel like things get frustrating for both developers and the new/returning user, when you reach a point where a dozen different configurations of mods and sidecars might be required, to play any given game.

Yeah, I was getting brutalised by Level 5 there for a bit After playing it for an hour and a half, once I was no longer looking at my autoscrolling monitor, the world decided to start autoscrolling in the other direction instead. I think you broke my brain. You'll be hearing from my lawyers. Seriously though, I've always liked Moon Patrol style autoscrollers. Combine that effectively with some platforming, and you've got something special.

Awesome way to start a Saturday! With a fun new TI 99/4A game. I love a relatively relaxing autoscroller. At the same time, level 4 is awesome. Makes me ask what a Zippy the Porcupine for TI 99/4A would be like. Also love the music. Here's a live gameplay vid with me playing level 1 through level 9 (as far as I've gotten so far), from a just completed stream: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/420341195?t=01h19m53s Kind of blew my mind when it switched to vertical scrolling for the first time.

I've got a *lot* of joysticks, about half of them Atari (and thus TI 99/4A + Wico Adapter) compatible. And I generally prefer to use my Wico Command Control bat handle stick. For 9 games out of 10, anyways. In some rare circumstances (for Dragon's Lair, actually, for example), I'll use a Genesis 3 button controller I modded for use with my (controller-modded) Sega Game Gear, which is as a result and mostly by accident also fully Atari compatible (not in the backwards pseudo-compatible way that the Genesis controllers conventionally are - the mux has been completely removed, and the contacts wired directly). A gamepad can be nice for games featuring rapid momentary inputs in the cardinal directions (hence Dragon's Lair).

Okay, so there's definitely some weirder behaviour that can go on with FinalGROM + original era carts, in use with the Expander. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I can theorise on why this would be. The essence of my broader observation is: *All* of my tested 1987 to 1989 Databiotics and Triton carts produce a behaviour wherein FinalGROM is listed as option 2, then the game is listed as option 3 in the opening menu (where it would normally be option 2), if the game is switch-selected at start. Furthermore, the games play successfully. Selecting FinalGROM from the menu when it is not switch-selected restarts the machine. Selecting FinalGROM with the switch in the correct position (even if moved from the startup menu) succeeds. *All* of my tested older carts and first party carts are dysfunctional when switch-selected to greatly varying extents. Option 2 always appears as "For FinalGROM 99" regardless of switch position, though selecting this option selects the switch-selected cart. For example, with the following carts in another slot and selected (and roughly in order of "did it work?"): Barrage: Appears as menu option 3 instead of menu option 2. Completely normal. Black Hole: Appears as menu option 3 instead of menu option 2. Completely normal. Midnite Mason: Appears as menu option 3 instead of menu option 2. Completely normal. Qmaze: Appears as menu option 3 instead of menu option 2. Completely normal. The Great Word Race: Appears as menu option 3 instead of menu option 2. Completely normal. Super Demon Attack: Almost completely normal (a few bad characters) Return to Pirate's Isle: Appears as menu option 3 instead of menu option 2. Some garbled text and graphics. BurgerTime: Garbled graphics Buck Rogers: Garbled graphics, but only once normal gameplay starts Slymoids: Garbled graphics Star Trek: Garbled graphics Tombstone City: Garbled Graphics and gameplay seems to freeze. Parsec: Garbled Graphics and gameplay seems to freeze. Munchman: Fails to start Tunnels of Doom: Fails to start TI Invaders: Fails to start Alpiner: Alpiner language options other than English appear for options 3 to 8 (in addition to FinalGROM option 2, where English should be). Selecting any of them restarts the machine.

My observations on use of the Cartridge Expander with "special case" carts: XB 2.7 Cart - Results in all other carts and position of Expander switch being ignored Dragon's Lair - Same as XB 2.7 FinalGROM - Initial menu presents FinalGROM menu regardless of cart. But menu option selection results in switch-selected cart being used. FlashROM99 - Operates as intended. What I recall reading at some point was that UberGROM boards aren't compatible with it. But probably someone more technically knowledgeable could expand on that. For me, this makes the use of the device very limited. Since in a perfect world, Terminal Emulator II, XB 2.7 and FinalGROM would be my three selected carts.

I was curious to see what the most someone has paid for ZeroZap on Ebay is. The answer would appear to be one cent. What a rip off.

The Switch is 2017 technology. This TI 99/4A cartridge is bleeding edge 2019 tech. Can't really blame Nintendo if they simply can't keep up with the heady, futuristic world of TI, and command the according next gen prices. I'm picturing an illustration of the console wars with Sonic and Mario in fierce combat, while somebody drops a PEB on both of their heads.