+wavemotion Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Hello all, I've been lurking for a couple of months and back-reading through many of the posts over the past year. Like many of you, I had an Atari 2600 as a child in 1980 and loved the system. Like many people, however, I let it eventually slip into obscurity over the years - and my system and games were sold off at a family yard sale (or maybe donated, I can't remember now). Years passed - game systems came and went and mostly I didn't keep up with the video game community - mostly remembering fondly the games gone by. Until recently... with the help of the Internet, I found that there was a fairly active retro-gaming community of which Atari Age was a cornerstone (at least for Atari related consoles). So I checked in and saw that the games I loved were still being discussed - sometimes quite lively discussions! So I went in search of a 2600 and some games. Visited different thrift stores in the area and couldn't manage to find one! I eventually found a light six-switcher at a local retro-video games store for US$40 with 2 reasonably fresh-looking Atari joysticks and a set of Paddles (used some Cleaner/Degreaser and they work like new) and a few games. I've since gotten a small collection of about 30 games that are all in the "play" category (that is, none are for collecting use, if I don't enjoy playing it, then it most likely will not be in my collection!). My favoriate games are Kaboom, Space Invaders, Barnstorming, Chopper Command, Sky Diver, Atlantis, Yar's Revenge, Warlords, Freeway and Adventure. I'm also fortunate enough to have limited access to an EEPROM programmer and soldering station - so I've got a handfull of standard Atari 4K carts on hand and some 2732 EEPROMS coming that should let me make carts out of some of the fantastic homebrews (most notably SpaceTreat, SCSIcide, Oystron, etc). I'm really impressed at the quality of some of the homebrews - it's great to see some new games for the venerable console! I want to thank those of you who have posted to this forum with interesting tidbits of Atari info - games you have been playing and scores. I've enjoyed the comics and the stories from folks that really care for the platform and have kept it alive quite well. I keep a notebook with all my high-scores in it - and although it's interesting to compare it with other players - mostly I just try to beat my previous score as time goes by. As a side-story, back in 1981 (I think) I was hooked on Kaboom (ok, I still am!) and I was recieving the Activision newsletter "Activisions". I had achieved a score of just over 250000 - which was quite a bit higher than the previous recordholder - and I took a picture and sent it in. In the months between newsletters, it turns out that no less than 4 other people had maxed out the score at 999999. My score never made it to print. I was a crushed youngster (hey, at the time it _seemed_ important)! Anyway, I didn't play it again for years - but have come back to loving the game as it just retains its playability after all these years. On my 3rd or 4th attempt I managed 22,000 which is still an order of magnitude from my previous high score, but I'm working on it (reflexes have slowed, I suspect). I also _must_ thank Alex and Albert for the fantastic site and hosting/running the forums. The site has a nice clean design that is easy to navigate that brings tons of information to your fingertips. I've really enjoyed the most recent article on the CGE2K2 with pictures and various stories from the event itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris++ Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Welcome and well-met indeed! You'll find a vast array of Atari affinity here, as you've already seen -- from diehard, label-scrutinizing collectors to people who simply love to play their favorite old games (and everyone in between). On behalf of the many gentlemen here much more learned in this very active hobby than I, we look forward to conversing! CF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Dave, Welcome aboard! I think you will find us a lively yet friendly lot for the most part! Atari on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chromizone Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 yes we can have one awesome community cant we? welcome to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Welcome and hello, from a player-collector who never got much past 10,000 on Kaboom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Han Posted August 21, 2002 Share Posted August 21, 2002 Welcome and hope you will enjoy your stay Lots of new faces here , nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Welcome, you have reached Atari Nirvana. Here's looking forward to a long, healthy visit! Hello Stan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiggerthehun Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 And welcome from the "Tigger" - Wow! This really is "new people" day - what's this, the fourth "Hello" I've given today? This must be a record! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Welcome friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Hi Dave! Glad to see you've made the transition from lurking! Hope you enjoy your stay in the forums and if you have any questions feel free to holler.. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inextremis staple Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 wow welcome this is really turning out to be one of the best days ive had of all time and to top it all off theres billions of these new ppls comin in great stuff much better transition from losing all of those ppl dum dee do dum da da dum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATARIPITBULL Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 You can't find a better bunch of people anywhere else. Welcome!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicJoke Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Hello and welcome! It is nice to see so many new members posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Hi Dave! Glad to see you've made the transition from lurking! Hope you enjoy your stay in the forums and if you have any questions feel free to holler.. ..Al "Holler?" Its "holla" Al, get with the times man, live in the now already! Sheesh! You Texans...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Welcome! You'll find us all a friendly bunch for the most part. We always like new people to taunt.. Err.. To join in the discussions. Yeah, that's it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyXB Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Welcome @ all new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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