As 2014 comes to a close, what's the BEST of the BEST on the TI?

[Omega-TI]

2014 has been an incredible year for new TI goodies. In fact, it's been so great there are just too many things to keep track of. So what do you think has been some of the greatest contributions or contributors to the TI-Community this year?

 

Some are obvious, others have some 'underlying new technology' or development by a TI'er that makes many other things possible that many of us never notice. Even the people that build and sell these things have improved the condition of the community in a large way. Whether it be hardware, software, implementation, design, construction, dissemination, or whatever, drop a paragraph or two, below. Feel free to pat a fellow TI'er on the back and let them know you noticed them and even benefited from their contribution in some way.

[Omega-TI]

Here's my entry...

 

One of the people that made the biggest impact this year has been Tony “Gazoo” Knerr in my humble opinion. This guy has put more cartridges into people’s hands this year than anyone could possibly imagine. From his totally awesome ‘Extended Basic 2.7 Suite’ cartridge that even brought the lurkers out into the open, to all those game cartridges, it’s been simply amazing to watch.

 

This guy brought excitement levels up, helped sell a lot of PCB’s, chips, cartridge shells, and improved the lives of basic users, all the way up to the more advanced.

[Iwantgames:)]

Well for me I also enjoyed Gazoo's cartridge contributions but also all the games Rasmus has been making for the TI, hope to see more games by him in 2015 also alot of other awesome looking games being made that I hope see completion next year

 

And a certain TI Blog helped me alot in my deciding what upgrades to get

[am1933]

XB 2.7 and Sabre Wulf, although Sabre Wulf induces more bouts of bad language than XB 2.7 ever could.

[Iwantgames:)]

XB 2.7 and Sabre Wulf, although Sabre Wulf induces more bouts of bad language than XB 2.7 ever could.

[Omega-TI]

XB 2.7 and Sabre Wulf, although Sabre Wulf induces more bouts of bad language than XB 2.7 ever could.

 

I think the Rasmus port of Flappy Bird is probably one of the greatest expletive generators in the TI software library.

[+Ksarul]

And you still can't put it down once you start, can you, Ohm?

[+OLD CS1]

I find Flappy Bird rather relaxing.

 

[PeBo]

Few things have made me cry quite as hard as reading about the XB 2.7 Suite carts a month AFTER 8 had come and gone!

 

But I'll anser the topic's question in a much more personal context. The best things on the TI in 2014 were quite simply, my hands.

 

I sold my original 4A back in '86, and always regretted it. Since then, I've been though several Atari's (both 8 bit and ST's), and I build my own custom PC's, so my regular desktop system is pretty bleeding edge every few years, But whenever I loaded up a 4A emulator, I got a mighty pang of loss and nostalgia. Maybe it's because it's the machine that got me hooked on computers, maybe it's a need to root for the underdog, but whatever it is, I love these gosh darned machines.

 

Well after a major health scare earlier this year, I had a few month with nothing to do but recuperate...I decided to order a pair of Atari Joysticks (still the best ever made for retro gaming) and while on ebay, a picture of a TI came up in the "Other items you might like" photos.

 

Well, besides the fact that it was kinda creepy that eBay could be so spot on accurate about what I might like, it hit me that I could probably find everything to rebuild my original system.

 

I've got to say I was pretty shocked at the speculative trading on both hardware and software (I honestly had no idea people profit-traded this stuff...I always just give my old stuff away), but what really surprised me was just how much stuff I could find (much more conveniently than 30 years ago I might add, when most local retailers had already stopped stocking anything!).

 

Well, I broke the bank (it is so much less dangerous to spend frivolously without the fear of deadly spousal retribution, when one has just been through a major medical event!), but I've managed to build a near duplicate of what I had 30 years ago - and then some.

 

So everything is new and exciting again to me this year!

 

Best Game for me has to be Darkstar...not sure what year it was released, but it is SOOO much the kind of game I like, and it just looks brilliant.

Best Peripheral has got to be Mr Malilongs' nanoPEB. Not often I've installed hardware on any system that was as trouble free as this was. I've never had 312 floppy disks leave my desk so tidy! It has ensured that the PEB I also bought (that should be arriving this week) will likely be relegated to the role of insanely expensive monitor stand.

 

But the bottom-line best TI-related thing that has happened to me this year, is meeting the folks in these forums.

 

As Stan Lee used to say....

...."nuff sed!"