ghsqb Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Jaybird3rd: If its not too late, I'd definitely take an aquarius multicart. Already replied to the memory expander thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 My Aquarius just showed up today!!!! (thanks to Revoutionika for the heads-up on that eBay listing!!!!) Can't wait for the multicart!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifershalo Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I thought I already asked the question... it would have been cool if you were able to include the cassette games but I suppose the games would have been to be partially reprogrammed for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I thought I already asked the question...it would have been cool if you were able to include the cassette games but I suppose the games would have been to be partially reprogrammed for that Fortunately, the cassette titles wouldn't have to be rewritten; they'd simply need a new loader to copy them from the cartridge into RAM, in much the same way that the original loaders copied them from the cassette into RAM through BASIC. In effect, it would involve capturing a "save state" in an emulator and then writing a program to reconstruct it on the real hardware. I wrote such a program--complete with a menu--for the six pack-in games that were distributed on cassette with the Aquarius, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, these will be included in the Aquaricart. I stopped with the demo cassette because I wanted to limit Volume 1 to first-party software products. There isn't enough room for all of the third-party cassette releases, and I'm not familiar enough with them to make an informed decision about which should be included and which should be excluded. Converting and testing each one would also add a lot of extra work to an already ambitious project. Besides, many of these titles require 16K of expanded RAM, which most Aquarius owners do not have and cannot easily obtain. Later, when the 32K RAM module is completed and readily available, I might look into putting together a "Volume 2" for the cassette games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I thought I already asked the question...it would have been cool if you were able to include the cassette games but I suppose the games would have been to be partially reprogrammed for that Fortunately, the cassette titles wouldn't have to be rewritten; they'd simply need a new loader to copy them from the cartridge into RAM, in much the same way that the original loaders copied them from the cassette into RAM through BASIC. In effect, it would involve capturing a "save state" in an emulator and then writing a program to reconstruct it on the real hardware. I wrote such a program--complete with a menu--for the six pack-in games that were distributed on cassette with the Aquarius, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, these will be included in the Aquaricart. I stopped with the demo cassette because I wanted to limit Volume 1 to first-party software products. There isn't enough room for all of the third-party cassette releases, and I'm not familiar enough with all of them to make an informed decision about which should be included and which should be excluded. Converting and testing each one would also add a lot of extra work to an already ambitious project. Besides, many of these titles require 16K of expanded RAM, which most Aquarius owners do not have and cannot easily obtain. Later, when the 32K RAM module is completed and readily available, I might look into putting together a "Volume 2" for the cassette games. Jay, When are you going to start to program for Intellivision? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 A quick update, while I'm about it. Thanks to the-topdog's generous loan of an Aquarius printer, I've finally finished the "print screen" routine which will allow you to put individual pages of the electronic documentation on paper, so you can refer to it as you play. Here's an example: pictured below is the condensed keyboard/controller Quick Reference screen for AD&D Treasure of Tarmin, as seen on RealHardwaretm ... ... and here is how this screen will appear when printed on the Aquarius thermal printer ... The color data is lost during printout, of course, so the material will look a bit different on paper than it does on the screen, which is the medium it was really "optimized" for. This makes me glad I moved away from using different colors as "shift key" designators, which you'll see in some of the earlier screenshots I posted. Nevertheless, I think this is a satisfactory solution for quick/temporary reference purposes. At least it frees you from having to have a PC nearby for viewing the manuals and overlays during gameplay. I had hoped to have this damned thing done by now, but I had another urgent project dropped on me by my day job, and it's demanded almost all of my attention over the past two weeks or so. Big thanks to everyone for your continued patience! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-topdog Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 I gotta say, with all the functionality and extras stuffed into this cartridge, this HAS to be the best multi-cart ever built for any system! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaman Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Hi Jay, I suddenly realized that I didn't sign up yet for this incredible Multi-Cart. Could you please write me down for one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-topdog Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Hi Jay, I suddenly realized that I didn't sign up yet for this incredible Multi-Cart. Could you please write me down for one! Psst! Aquaman... these cartridges don't work underwater... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Psst! Aquaman... these cartridges don't work underwater... He's speaking here from experience, so I'd take him at his word. Now you know why I had to send him two prototypes. (Then again, I did ask him to test it thoroughly, so maybe I should have been more specific.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaman Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Hi Jay, I suddenly realized that I didn't sign up yet for this incredible Multi-Cart. Could you please write me down for one! Psst! Aquaman... these cartridges don't work underwater... Luckily I am not living near the sea, but still rivers can harm a lot too, we know that from experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-topdog Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Psst! Aquaman... these cartridges don't work underwater... He's speaking here from experience, so I'd take him at his word. Now you know why I had to send him two prototypes. (Then again, I did ask him to test it thoroughly, so maybe I should have been more specific.) Oddly enough, they did survive being encased in orange jello tho. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D. Head Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Oddly enough, they did survive being encased in orange jello tho. Orange Jello? You savage! A product of such refinement and breeding should only ever be exposed to Lime Jello! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathanallan Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Chuck said it, Lime Jell-o FTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psquare75 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Now my printer will have a purpose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 How do I make sure I'm on "the list" for the multi-cart? Also, will the SuperFont feature include a CC or Public Domain font to start with? I was thinking of making a game using the Aquarius character set until I realized Mattel would sue my pants off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 How do I make sure I'm on "the list" for the multi-cart? I decided against opening the Aquaricart to general preorders, except for a handful of interested individuals who helped to fund the manufacture of the cartridge boards, so there isn't any "list" per se. When I'm ready to begin accepting general orders, I'll start a new thread for discussion of the finished product, and I'm sure there will be plenty available for everyone who wants one. Also, will the SuperFont feature include a CC or Public Domain font to start with? I was thinking of making a game using the Aquarius character set until I realized Mattel would sue my pants off Do you mean you were thinking of making an Aquarius game? If so, you can't help but use the built-in character set because it's part of the machine, so there's nothing to sue over. There doesn't seem to be anyone who is likely to sue, either: Mattel divested themselves of the Aquarius and sold the rights back to Radofin in 1983, and Radofin disappeared into bankruptcy over twenty years ago. Somebody out there must own the copyright, since copyrights don't simply disappear, but nobody (including the lawyers who originally handled the bankruptcy) seems to know who that is. The SuperFont upgrade will include a variety of character sets, and of course, the default set will be the original Aquarius characters. Some of the built-in sets will be "borrowed" from other systems, but several will be of my own design. There will also be character RAM of some sort for user-definable sets, so you won't be limited to the ones in the ROM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Thanks for the reply jaybird3rd! I was considering both actual Aquarius and Genesis development using the built-in font. I'd rather use your fonts if the license allows it (when you get to that point in the SuperFont feature). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Thanks for the reply jaybird3rd! I was considering both actual Aquarius and Genesis development using the built-in font. I'd rather use your fonts if the license allows it (when you get to that point in the SuperFont feature). Ah, I see. I think you'll be perfectly safe using the built-in Aquarius characters when you get to that point, so I wouldn't worry. Aside for a few crazy people like ourselves, the world has pretty much forgotten about the Aquarius (except as a convenient target for all those "worst computer of all time" stories). The Aquarius is actually a very simple system to begin programming for, and it has a lot more to offer than its reputation would suggest. It's certainly a lot less work to get something on the screen than it is with most other systems: just write a byte into the right place in RAM and a character appears on the screen, and if you want to change it to a different color, write another byte. It would be a great platform for somebody just learning about assembly-language programming, even if they don't intend to produce any games for it, which is why I'm thinking of writing some tutorials once the Aquaricart is off my plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-topdog Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 once the Aquaricart is off my plate. It is on his plate because he is eating the Jello! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MattelAquarius Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 It would be a great platform for somebody just learning about assembly-language programming, even if they don't intend to produce any games for it, which is why I'm thinking of writing some tutorials once the Aquaricart is off my plate. I am making a public promise not to hound you for the tutorial, so I can be held to my promise. That is something I've been desiring since I first read the entry for the "USR" command in the Aquarius manual almost 30 years ago. "Exceeds the scope of this manual..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvdsteenoven Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Mattel divested themselves of the Aquarius and sold the rights back to Radofin in 1983, and Radofin disappeared into bankruptcy over twenty years ago. Somebody out there must own the copyright, since copyrights don't simply disappear, but nobody (including the lawyers who originally handled the bankruptcy) seems to know who that is. On his website Kenny Millar claimed that he owned the rights to the hardware. Regs, Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 On his website Kenny Millar claimed that he owned the rights to the hardware. Not according to this page :- http://web.archive.org/web/20070206032957/http://www.classicgaming.com/aqEmu/rights.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 On his website Kenny Millar claimed that he owned the rights to the hardware. That's interesting. I contacted Intellivision Productions about this project last fall, and one of the things I asked them about was the legal status of the Aquarius properties. They told me that, after speaking with the lawyers who handled the Radofin bankruptcy, they weren't able to determine who the current owners are (this might have taken place before Kenny Millar acquired whatever it was that he acquired). It also turns out that Mattel may have retained at least some of the Aquarius rights, probably relating to the Intellivision games that were ported to the Aquarius, although the paperwork which details whatever agreement was made seems to have been lost. If that is so, those rights would have ended up with Intellivision Productions, along with the other Mattel assets they acquired. Their position, quoting directly from their e-mail, is that, "since we do have at least partial rights in the games released for the system, and since Mattel artists designed the copyrighted graphic set built into each unit, we have proclaimed our rights to the system until such time as someone with a better claim can be found." Several of the titles in the Aquarius library are games that are still being sold in their original Intellivision versions by Intellivision Productions, so I wanted to make sure I didn't step on their toes at all with the Aquaricart (that's why I contacted them about it just as soon as I was sure the project would work). Beyond that, though, the legal issues surrounding the Aquarius are so cloudy, and the system itself is so obscure, that I rather doubt anyone would bother contesting anything being done with it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 I am making a public promise not to hound you for the tutorial, so I can be held to my promise. That is something I've been desiring since I first read the entry for the "USR" command in the Aquarius manual almost 30 years ago. "Exceeds the scope of this manual..." I didn't own an Aquarius back then, but I can definitely relate to what you're saying. I remember playing commercially-released games on the TI 99/4A (my first computer), and later on the Atari 800, and wondering how in the world they were able to create such fluid animation and sound effects. Despite my best efforts in BASIC, my graphics and sounds were painfully sluggish by comparison, and it made me wonder what "they" knew that I didn't know. I hadn't even heard about machine-language in those days, and I can only wonder how much of a head start I would have gotten if somebody had handed me an assembler/editor ... or if I would have been completely bewildered by it at the time. If I write a tutorial for the Aquarius, it will be the kind of tutorial that I wish I could have had back then. One of the special treats of this hobby is to be able to go back to a system you're already familiar with and to discover new ways to tap into what it can do, and I think that applies to any classic computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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