Albert Posted July 7, 2002 Share Posted July 7, 2002 http://www.azstarnet.com/~jeffryj/radial.htmlJeffry Johnston (aka "Calamari") has announced that he is developing an Atari 2600 game called Radial Pong, inspired by Andrzej Kapolka's Java-based Radial Pong game. Imagine a game of Pong where each player can move their paddle in a 360 degree circle and you'll know what Radial Pong is all about. Jeffry has created a Radial Pong Development Page where you can follow the game's progress, view screenshots, and learn more about the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted July 7, 2002 Share Posted July 7, 2002 I hope this is a driving controller game ;p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liveinabin Posted July 7, 2002 Share Posted July 7, 2002 WOW! I am SO up for this one. It's always the really simple concepts that really shine. I'm sure it's gonna be evil hard to play:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calamari Posted July 7, 2002 Share Posted July 7, 2002 That would be difficult for me to do (I don't own a set of driving controllers. I'm curious tho, can they handle different speeds or is it an on & off deal? Being able to control the speed of rotation is an important part of the game. Right now the game is set up for a standard joystick, but everyone I've talked to on the Stella list wants it to be a paddle game, and after playing with the joystick a while I see their point. Of course, one problem with paddles is that you can't keep twisting forever. But I may have a way around that (haven't tested it for sure though). I could set an artificial midpoint for the paddle, anything clockwise/counter-clockwise of that point sends the paddle in that direction. Speed would be determined by how far off center it was twisted. I'll experiment with it and when I find something halfway useable I'll put it up for comments Thanks, calamari p.s. For those curious, I am still making 5200 Calamari's Solitaire too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted July 7, 2002 Share Posted July 7, 2002 Cool, someone is making this into a 2600 game I posted the Radical pong game i found on the internet awhile ago http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9082 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Slocum Posted July 7, 2002 Share Posted July 7, 2002 The driving controller is digital and I think it has 16 positions per 360 degrees, so I don't think it will work. I think the paddles can be made to work. They're just a pain to read. You have to read them in your kernal. -Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calamari Posted July 7, 2002 Share Posted July 7, 2002 I posted the Radical pong game i found on the internet awhile ago Yep, you sure did!.. It was you and Skatepunk60 who motivated me to try making it as a 2600 game. Thanks, because I'm having a lot of fun writing it! calamari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calamari Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 Ok, I put up a new version with paddle control for one of the players. I'm curious to know what it's like on the real system. calamari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyXB Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 @ Jeffry Johnston (aka "Calamari") Can't download the Version 11 from July 7, 2002. This is not there tell me the browser. Maybe a write error, or forget to upload it? But thanks for the imfo of this game. Look great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 @ Jeffry Johnston (aka "Calamari") Can't download the Version 11 from July 7, 2002. This is not there tell me the browser. Maybe a write error, or forget to upload it? But thanks for the imfo of this game. Look great. Try changing the filename into RADIAL11.ZIP (upper case is important!). Or go to the directory at http://www.azstarnet.com/~jeffryj/radial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyXB Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 Thanks Thomas. now it has work. Have not think about it to change the address to one folder up. Most it don't work. Next time I hope I think about it. So the link on the site is wrong. Or he must change the filename in small letters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGuru Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 Hi Calamari, Man, you've beat me on that one... I've coded a similar game for the vectrex called "Rounders". My idea was to port it to the 2600 as well... There is no need for that now, huh? http://vgcollect.freehosting.net/myvectrex...ex.htm#Rounders is where I have some information about the vectrex title. I was using the Atari 2600 Driving controllers or the original controller for that game. I guess that now I'll have to look for something else to do on the 2600... Good luck on that one, OG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 Hi Calamari, Man, you've beat me on that one... I've coded a similar game for the vectrex called "Rounders". My idea was to port it to the 2600 as well... There is no need for that now, huh? http://vgcollect.freehosting.net/myvectrex...ex.htm#Rounders is where I have some information about the vectrex title. I was using the Atari 2600 Driving controllers or the original controller for that game. I guess that now I'll have to look for something else to do on the 2600... You both could still make a contest who does better. And there is also a little difference/extra in your concept, Calamari's doesn't have a border in the middle. IMO having that as an option would improve the gameplay significantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyXB Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 And there is also a little difference/extra in your concept, Calamari's doesn't have a border in the middle. IMO having that as an option would improve the gameplay significantly. That would be a great add. Maybe diffrent screens (levels). That you can choose between more screens. Some with borders, some without and some with many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 @OG BTW: On your website you say, that you are using the Driving Controllers for the game. Whenever we had a discussion about using the DC for games with high resolution positioning, we always thought, that the DC are not suitable for that kind of game. So, how does it play (and how many positions of the bats do you have?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGuru Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 So, how does it play (and how many positions of the bats do you have?) It plays really nice - if you move it slow (normal play)... I have not implemented "balistic" movement (which means that the faster you move the DC, the further the bat/paddle moves)... I actually use a built in BIOS function to rotate a vector list. This way I have 360 deg. (which are supported by 256 values - i.e., the resolution is 360/256 deg. per increment) and it really looks nice and the movement is smooth. You may want to download the BIN and run it on a vectrex emulator to see for yourself. In my mind, makeing the ball movement is the tougher part of all - at least on a vector based system... never thought how easy/difficult it would be to implement on raster based system. OG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Propane13 Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 Is this just a re-attempt of Paul Oswood's The Core (which the code was lost)? http://videogames.gamespot.com/features/un...screen.html?h06 FYI, the old page http://www.plethora.net/~paulo/thecore.html is no longer up. Just asking what the differences will be. I think this is a good idea. Good luck. -John K. Harvey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarimastermarty Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 I can't wait for this game. I always play the game online, but it's only a 1 player game. Where is it going to be released? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calamari Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 Sorry about that filename , I'll try to fix that tonight so it's easier to download. That Rounders game looks interesting. I was thinking about what I could do for game variations: solo (practice) mode, vs. computer (maybe), different serves (stuck to paddle or out of nowhere like regular pong), keep away (keeps score per hit), etc, and I thought about blocks, but I wasn't sure how much was wanted. It would be pretty easy to add some different playfield layouts, though. If you have some ideas on variations let me know and I'll consider them.. but I've only been programming the 2600 for a little over a week, so I might not be able to do everything yet . I'd heard about The Core from the Stella list, but I've never played it before. I'm not sure when the game will be done.. I want to make sure I'm still working on my 5200 Solitaire game and working on school too (I had a nice break over the 4th of July weekend, but I need to focus again). As far as where, when I get ready to release the game it will probably be either through Hozer, or I could build the games myself with parts from Joe. The ROM & source will continue to be freely available in the spirit of the original game. My next challenges are having te ball stick to a paddle so it can be served, and I need to add detection for the left & right edges of the screen to know the ball went out (right now it only detects the top or bottom). After those are in place then the original game will be pretty much complete and we can have fun adding game variations . calamari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stilphen Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 If you make use of all 4 paddles, you could make a version of Quadrapong (each player patrols a side). Or if you mix in Breakout, you could make a more-faithful version of Off The Wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisjohn Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 I had a play of the 2600 game last night. The controls are... interesting. Obviously a fixed speed is no good. Meanwhile, the variable speed as currently coded is tricky to get used to. Even after a while it's still hard to be in exactly the right spot. This will give the person serving a big advantage. My proposed solution is to use the fire button to limit speed. Lets say the pattern for speed using the paddles is: 8, 6, 4, 2, 0, -2, -4, -6, -8 When you press the fire button the speed should be: 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, -1, -1, -1, -1 That give you a chance to make quick fine adjustments when you're almost in the right spot, and tell you when you're centered again without flailing all over the place. But I'd still like to see a driving controller version, even if it was geared down at a ratio of 2:1 or 3:1. Again, perhaps the fire button could be used for fine adjustment. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skatepunk60 Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 I posted the Radical pong game i found on the internet awhile ago Yep, you sure did!.. It was you and Skatepunk60 who motivated me to try making it as a 2600 game. Thanks, because I'm having a lot of fun writing it! calamari So do we get a free copy or discounts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 I actually use a built in BIOS function to rotate a vector list. This way I have 360 deg. (which are supported by 256 values - i.e., the resolution is 360/256 deg. per increment) and it really looks nice and the movement is smooth. But doesn't that mean, that you need sixteen(!) full 360° DC turns only to get arround once? You may want to download the BIN and run it on a vectrex emulator to see for yourself. That won't work, because I can't attach my DCs to my PC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calamari Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 I had a play of the 2600 game last night. The controls are... interesting. Was this with the 2600 or an emualtor? If it played at all on the real thing I'll be excited My paddle reading routine returned values from 1 to 85 (in the emulator). Here is how I divided up the values: 1-5: -4 5-10: -3 10-20: -2 20-35:-1 35-50: 0 (don't move) 50-65: +1 65-75: +2 75-80: +3 80-85: +4 So the size of the ranges are: 5, 5, 10, 15, <15> 15, 10, 5, 5 This was just something I threw together. If anyone has suggestions on tweaking these ranges please let me know. calamari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisjohn Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 Was this with the 2600 or an emualtor? If it played at all on the real thing I'll be excited Then be excited. Cuttle Cart and (PAL) 2600 Jnr. Real paddles (bit twitchy though). As for the ranges, they're good, but it's sometimes hard to stop in exactly the right place. I'm suggesting that when you hold down the fire button it moves at the same (low) rate regardless of what range it's in. 0-35: -1 35-50: 0 50-85: +1 That way I can massively overcorrect in a desparate attempt to be in the right place and so long as I'm holding down the fire button I don't end up on the opposite side of the arena. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.