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7800 Piggyback Expansion Module comes to life!


Curt Vendel

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Well, perhaps you guys should post up a poll of top 10 games you'd like to see made, let the dev's know. I know they already have some personal favorite games they want to do and are already working on, but maybe knowing what people want most will help them decide.

 

 

Otherwise, maybe the developers will post up a selection of their favorite 3 to 5 games in a poll and ask people which they'd prefer that coder to work on and they'll focus on that particular game.

 

You can't fault the dev's from also wanting to come up with their own designs and also not want to tell anyone about it until they are ready - Failsafe for example was something Bob has been working on for a long time and wanted to do a sequel to Countermeasure and he kept it hush-hush until he was ready and its always fun to get a great surprise like that.

 

 

 

Curt

 

Can I make a request?

 

No more kidsy animal/bug themed games. Nintendo has enough of all that Yoshi crap. We don't need it on the 7800 too.

 

More high end shooters/platformers/arcade ports/rpgs please.

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Why does everyone always seem to want arcade ports? Don't get me wrong, I have and love almost all of the homebrew games that have been made for the 7800. I would really love to see something totally different now though. A big adventure game or a RPG would be cool. I am sure I will love whatever gets released though.

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I have been following this thread, reading peoples split opinions on this.

 

I just want to say, coming from someone who is not a "hardcore" 7800 player, but owns one, I find it pretty exciting. Since it exists using just expanded ram and Atari technology, it is more Authentic than "just some add-on", and for the price, I think it would be something I would purchase to get more out of my 7800 than just better ports of Nintendo arcade titles, titlematch wrestling, and 2600 games..

 

I am largely interested, but would really like to see less arcade remakes or ports from other consoles that I already own.

It would be neat to see some side scrolling games similar to Xargon: Beyond Reality, or Duke Nukem II, Jazz Jackrabbit etc. and with this expansion module, THOSE kind of games will be possible.

 

And not just nice side scrolling platformers and vertical shooters, but also adventure games similar to LOZ, or even "point and click" games like Kings Quest.

What about strategy games, something similar to the original Warcraft?

 

And if someone develops a ray-casting engine (hopelessly wanting Doom 7800), the possibilities are endless (Imagine a game like AD&D on the INTV but with real time smooth scaling raycasting).

 

I am game, as long as plenty of creativity goes into game development and more than 5 games come out for it.

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Just thought of another one, while reading the O2 thread.

 

UFO! Do it old school, and with some tweaks for variation, or to take advantage of the significantly more capable 7800.

 

Both of these titles can be two players as well. On the off chance we get multi-player time, it's always good to have a homebrew / port title or two to check out. It's like getting a new game. Two-fer!

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I just want them to make whatever they enjoy making.

I agree; I thought that I'd just toss in my $0.02 (whatever works guys, you go!)

I agree with both of you. I just wonder why other people (people not designing the games) always recommend arcade ports.

 

Particularly true, when you can pick up a JAXX plug-n-play that has an almost arcade-perfect version.....not to mention all the arcade collections for the consoles and MAME.

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This is more of a hardware experience for me. The 7800 was a huge underachiever back then, and ought to have been much better than it was, and this helps. I know it'll never get a port of open office (lol) but anything advancing it, especially if it's era-specific, is really cool imho.

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Well, perhaps you guys should post up a poll of top 10 games you'd like to see made, let the dev's know. I know they already have some personal favorite games they want to do and are already working on, but maybe knowing what people want most will help them decide.

 

 

Otherwise, maybe the developers will post up a selection of their favorite 3 to 5 games in a poll and ask people which they'd prefer that coder to work on and they'll focus on that particular game.

 

You can't fault the dev's from also wanting to come up with their own designs and also not want to tell anyone about it until they are ready - Failsafe for example was something Bob has been working on for a long time and wanted to do a sequel to Countermeasure and he kept it hush-hush until he was ready and its always fun to get a great surprise like that.

 

 

 

Curt

 

I think I've already spoke my mind. It's more of a balance. We can use this to enhance the more popular arcade titles, as well as add new ports with nearly perfect graphics and sound. Yes, I realize that I could play them on MAME, but to be able to do it on a 7800 is impressive. Also, we can use this module to finish and enhance 7800 prototypes that never got finished, kind of like was done for the 2600 version of Turbo. In addition, since the 7800 was touted as the system that could play the hottest computer games, why don't we take popular titles from that time and make 7800 versions. Finally, we can make games that deserve sequels or that the 7800 could never accomplish on it's own.

 

We could separate it into categories to better market it.

 

Here's what I'm thinking to give you all a better idea:

 

Enhanced Arcade Ports(all with High Score Save Support):

 

Donkey Kong

Pac-Man

Space Invaders

Burgertime(or Beef Drop S.E. if you guys so desire)

 

7800 Premiers(games that were made as prototypes, finished and remade for the 7800 Expansion Module)

 

Missing In Action

Rampart

Klax

Pit Fighter

 

Computer Classics(7800 ports of popular computer titles from that time period)

 

Oregon Trail

Midnight Magic

Lode Runner

Boulder Dash

 

7800 Ultra Games(All new games made for the 7800 Expansion Module)

 

Yar's Revenge II

Adventure III(made in the vein of Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior with Save support)

Sinistar Returns

 

I'm serious when I mean that I see huge potential and plans for this device. It just sucks that I know jack shit about programming. I can come up with stories, backgrounds, and visions, but cannot execute it. I just hope that you guys see the vision I have.

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I'm serious when I mean that I see huge potential and plans for this device. It just sucks that I know jack shit about programming. I can come up with stories, backgrounds, and visions, but cannot execute it. I just hope that you guys see the vision I have.

 

I do, I really do understand. I, too, wish I could program.

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I admit that I haven't been here in ages but I vaguely remember discussion of this project and I'm glad to see that it's progressing nicely.

 

Other than ZylonLame's comment (you know a thread is important when ZylonBane makes a witty post ;)), it's nice to see people squeezing more out of underutilized consoles. We all know that the 7800 could have been a NES killer and what's wrong with utilizing the potential that Atari failed to seize upon?

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This will be the turning point for a lot of people. To be honest, it will for me too! But looking at the individuals who are working on it, I have faith. They're going about it the right way by preparing both hardware and software simultaneously. I've seen a few projects on AA where people create cool hardware, but it's too hard to install if you don't know electronics or is not supported by much out of the gate.

 

We are working hard to make the expansion module a desirable if not "must have" item for 7800 fans.

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Will Maria be able to access graphics stored in the expansion RAM in 2 cycles or will it be the same 3 cycle access we see with the ROM today?

 

It'll be 3 MARIA cycles to access graphics data in the expansion module RAM (2 cycles for DLL and DLL headers elements as per normal). The MARIA mappers will allow CPU cycles to be saved instead. Modifications to MARIA silicon are beyond the scope of the expansion module. The MARIA mappers operate as a black box between MARIA and its source of data.

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There's hints that some of those being worked on. Some developers just don't want to make any announcements until they feel it's ready for the public. You could check the earlier replies to get an idea what's being worked on. I'm looking forward to what opcode is working on and I expect Groovybee to have something to wow you.

 

Its called good old fashioned teasing. Its a marketing tactic not malice. We all have lives in the real world. If a game was announced before the show and its not ready for whatever reasons then its a let down for the fans. However, its an even bigger personal let down for the developer when they feel that they couldn't deliver.

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