+wongojack Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Was just reading through the newest issue of RETRO (Metroidvania) when I found a segment called Homebrew Heaven listing a handful of VCS brews that I've never heard of. Did I miss these on AtariAge somewhere? I only spend like 2-4 hours a day on Atariage, so it is possible that some things get past me , but holy half-life, this is a lot of homebrews that I never knew about. The Classic Gaming Expo (CGE) is known for premiering homebrew releases, and this year’s show in Las Vegas was no different. . . . The Atari VCS, always the favorite of the show, received a whopping seven titles at CGE. The “Candy Crush for math geeks” title 2048 received the demake treatment while new games FailBoat sank and Rocket Pod blasted off onto the scene. Road Duel was being demoed on the show floor (and autographed) by designer and programmer Steven Smith. Seven years in the making, Road Duel may possibly be the first Atari game programmed by a legally blind individual. Kudos to Mr. Smith for making his childhood dream of making his own Atari game come true! Surprisingly, retro homebrew titles The Sha- man, Goblin Chaser, and Monster Ball finally emerged on their own VCS cartridges after lying dormant for well over a decade. Page 8 There is also mention of a Pinball homebrew for the O2 that fulfills the vision of a game by the late Ralph Baer! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+evg2000 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 O2 pinball was at cge 2k, I think 25 copies? They were autographed by Ralph. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necron99 Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 These are all titles you can get from Good Deal Games. most of those games didn't get much attention here. I know there is threads here about Failboat and Rocket Pod but neither sparked a lot of interest. and I don't think the others were even mentioned. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 These are all titles you can get from Good Deal Games. most are Batari Basic games by new programmers. most of those games didn't get much attention here. I know there is threads here about Failboat and Rocket Pod but neither sparked a lot of interest. and I don't think the others were even mentioned. It's not a new programmer, It's Charles Gray who is banned from AtariAge for mocking and insulting the admin Albert and AtariAge directly. On top of that they are all low quality Hozer carts. Anyone that ventures down that path, well, good luck with all that. I'm staying away from them on principal alone. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necron99 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 It's not a new programmer, It's Charles Gray who is banned from AtariAge for mocking and insulting the admin Albert and AtariAge directly. On top of that they are all low quality Hozer carts. Anyone that ventures down that path, well, good luck with all that. I'm staying away from them on principal alone. Charles worked with Greg Zumwalt on The Shaman, Goblin Chaser, and Monster Ball, but he didn't program them. Failboat, Rocket Pod, Road Duel, are all programmer firsts using Batari Basic. Edit: 2048 was programmed in Assembly...my bad. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 2048 has a thread here: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/223570-2048-2600/ I'm pretty sure it wasn't done with batari basic. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 2048 is definitely done in Assembler. Its good to see that all those games get released somewhere, even though they may have been rejected by AtariAge for various reasons. This satisfies the collectors and encourages the developers to continue and improve their skills. Maybe some Basic programmers will eventually even switch to Assembler. Personally I am not much interested into Basic games, since there are way too many, often too simple ones which lack refinement and playability. However that are exceptions and sometimes I miss those. BTW: The developer of 2048 got credits in the Three.s manual. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Charles Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Yes, it was pretty cool to see The Shaman, Goblin Chaser, and Monster Ball mentioned in the newest issue of Retro. There are a lot of very good homebrews carried by Atari Age, Good Deal Games, Hozer Video Games, and other companies. It is good to see the hobby still going strong.Honestly I have never had any carts released by Atari Age, Good Deal Games, Hozer Video Games, 8-Bit Classics, Packrat Video Games, etc. fail on me. All the carts over the years they have manufactured for me have been made very well. The good thing is people have a choice. Every company brings something interesting to the table. It is good to see such a selection of homebrews and hacks. And it is good to see the hobby continually growing. So as you all can see, I am back. I am not here to argue. I am not here to drudge up old arguments and conflicts. I simply want to enjoy the hobby and contribute to it in a positive way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 As far as I can tell The Shaman is not a homebrew, but a hack of Demon Attack. This should be corrected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Charles Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) I asked Greg about this, and here is his reply: "It is homebrew, but it is based on existing code and games with my own contributions. As you know, it was an attempt to recreate, NOT to come up with something new. So... As I said, it is not original at all in concept. I just ran a comparison between the two roms and they have a total of 3 lines of code the same."See last image for comparison of both roms:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.772138139537078.1073741842.100002226978557&type=1&l=d35b228df0 So yes, The Shaman is a homebrew.And here is the story of The Shaman:The Shaman------------- You are The Shaman living peacefully on Earth with your seven cats. You have been teleported in your terracraft from your forest home on Earth to the far away Galaxy ST41. There you must do battle against the evil forces of the undead overlord Darrel the Lich of Whyte. Can you stop Darrel's wicked plans to destroy Galaxy ST41? Backstory: The Shaman is a friend of mine. He humoured me by posing for this pic with his newly purchased Skull Staff. The galaxy in the background is actually my friend Shawn Tripp's scuffed bumper of his new truck someone kicked in at Canadian Tire. The reflection of the flash made it look like stars against the black paint. The ST41 reference is to Shawn's initials and age who took the picture of his truck tailgate, so he got a fictional galaxy named after him. Darrel the Lich of Whyte is loosely based on a real person, who dwells on Whyte Avenue, we joke he may be a Lich. ------------- So here is the evolution of the label for those who are interested.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.701631236587769.1073741830.100002226978557&type=1&l=10d74a29de Edited January 29, 2015 by Atari Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I'd be far more inclined to check out these other homebrews if there were screenshots (or better still - gameplay videos) on Good Deal's homebrew page. I'm not inclined to go hunting all over the place for information on the games - their store listings should be more complete. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Charles Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Yes, screenshots or/and gameplay videos would be ideal. I will mention your suggestion to Good Deal Games. Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 So as you all can see, I am back. I am not here to argue. I am not here to drudge up old arguments and conflicts. I simply want to enjoy the hobby and contribute to it in a positive way. Welcome back. If your on the up and up I guess I will say hi, hello and greetings. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Charles Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks Shawn. Greetings and salutations to you as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I just ran a comparison between the two roms and they have a total of 3 lines of code the same." See last image for comparison of both roms: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.772138139537078.1073741842.100002226978557&type=1&l=d35b228df0 Thanks for the info, but you cannot really compare binaries with those tools. They are made for a different purpose, mainly comparing text files. Therefore I long ago wrote a simple tool called CloneSpy. So since you seem to have the ROM, can you compare it with the original using CloneSpy? I would be very interested into the results. If you need help running that old (16-bit DOS) program or interpreting the results, I am sure I (or others on AA) can help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I'd be far more inclined to check out these other homebrews if there were screenshots (or better still - gameplay videos) on Good Deal's homebrew page. I'm not inclined to go hunting all over the place for information on the games - their store listings should be more complete. You can lookup some additional info here: http://www.atari2600homebrew.com/the-shaman.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Charles Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) Thanks Thomas. I have forwarded on the link to Greg for Clonespy as well. Edited January 29, 2015 by Atari Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Charles Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Yes, this site has some really good info, carts pics, screenshots, and so on about homebrews, hack, reproductions, etc.: http://www.atari2600homebrew.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Zumwalt Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) Below are a few websites that carry games and news of Atari games coded by me. I presently have 42 Atari 2600 cartridges which have been sold by several distributors and put together by several manufacturers outside of AA. A few are hacks, mostly by request or in that they correct original code to make the game work better. Not all are games such as Message Maker, ImageCarts, Music carts, demos. Further, not all carry my name. Even AA carries work done by me and released by others. As a programmer, I don't care to be in the public spotlight. My work is released by others and I don't care about the fame or infamous results. Why these games and sites have not received mention on AA has a lot to do with internal politics and petty feuding which I won't bring up here and hope will be quickly brought to an end. Suffice to say, many programmers, manufacturers, distributors, expo hosts and magazines have been covering new Atari games not mentioned on AA. Part of this is also due to the amount of news. Not any one site, not even AA, can cover everything. At these listed sites one can find many other new Atari 2600 games not widely covered by Atari Age (if at all). Many are covered. http://www.gooddealgames.comhttp://www.atari2600homebrew.comhttp://readretro.com/http://www.packratvg.comhttp://www.gooddealgames.comhttp://www.atari2600.comhttps://www.8bitclassics.comhttp://mag.mo5.com/actu/57402/huit-nouveautes-atari-vcs-2600-chez-good-deal-games/http://ffxi.gamerescape.comhttp://allgamers.frhttp://videogamehomebrew.wikia.com/wiki/Atari_2600_Homebrewhttp://www.rolentapress.comhttp://www.vizzed.com/videogames/index.phphttp://www.cgexpo.comhttp://www.2600connection.comhttp://www.atarimagazines.comhttp://www.atarimania.comhttp://www.retrogamer.nethttp://www.rdrop.com As for you Thomas. You should know better by now than to publicly challenge me.It only serves to embarrass yourself, tarnish Atari Age and keep even more programmers from ever wanting to post on AA.By your own software, my ROM has less than a 1% match. Feel better now? Want to explain to IDM why their software comparison tool isn't good enough for you?I made it clear from the beginning the game was intentionally made to resemble others but is my work. Their is nothing that needs to be changed in the post and you yourself could have asked in private for this information without the public challenge.You're testing my patience.; Created by CloneSpy v0.5 - ©2000/2003 Thomas Jentzsch;-------- 1 1 Demon_Attack_(1983)_(CCE)_(C-823) 4001;-------- 2 2 The_Shaman_QTM_(2014)(Greg_Zumwalt) 3821;-------- 3 3 Demon_Attack_(1982)_(Imagic_W-Picture_Label)_[T1] 4005;-------- 4 4 Demon_Attack_(1988)_(Activision)_(AIX-006) 4008;-------- 5 5 Demon_Attack_(Death_From_Above)_(1982)_(Imagic_Rob_Fulop)_(IA3200P_EIX-006-04I)_(PAL) 4007;-------- 6 6 Demon_Attack_(Death_From_Above)_(1982)_(Imagic_Rob_Fulop)_(IA3200_IX-006-04) 4005 Demon_Attack_(Death_From_Above)_(1982)_(Imagic_Rob_Fulop)_(IA3200_IX-006-04)_[A] 4005 (4) 99.90% (99.90%, 99.90%) Demon_Attack_(Robby) 4002 (45) 98.84% (98.88%, 98.80%) Demon_Attack_(Supergame) 3998 (41) 98.90% (98.97%, 98.83%) *** ATARI 2600 CloneSpy Lister v1.4 *** ©2000/2003 - Thomas Jentzsch(1/1) Demon_Attack_(1983)_(CCE)_(C-823)(2/2) The_Shaman_QTM_(2014)(Greg_Zumwalt)(3/3) Demon_Attack_(1982)_(Imagic_W-Picture_Label)_[T1](4/4) Demon_Attack_(1988)_(Activision)_(AIX-006)(5/5) Demon_Attack_(Death_From_Above)_(1982)_(Imagic_Rob_Fulop)_(IA3200P_EIX-006-(6/6) Demon_Attack_(Death_From_Above)_(1982)_(Imagic_Rob_Fulop)_(IA3200_IX-006-04Unique files: 6Total files : 6*** Press ESC ! *** Edited January 31, 2015 by Greg Zumwalt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Zumwalt Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 It's not a new programmer, It's Charles Gray who is banned from AtariAge for mocking and insulting the admin Albert and AtariAge directly. On top of that they are all low quality Hozer carts. Anyone that ventures down that path, well, good luck with all that. I'm staying away from them on principal alone. Welcome back. If your on the up and up I guess I will say hi, hello and greetings. And I will say hello to you too Shawn, so long as you don't remain on the low and low. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. The remarks about Gray Games, Hozer Video and snide inuendos are not welcome. These public displays of hate do not benefit the community and only serve to damage it. Albert himself has welcomed Gray Games back. The viewers don't need your remarks. Let hope we hear no more of it, because all it does is shows the readers who really trolls the forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS_Dracon Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Please people.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Obviously I cannot detail the values for The Shaman. But the values between the Demon Attack ROMs are wrong. Those ROMs should be all related by about 93..99%. So something must have gone wrong in your compare. Maybe you used a wrong parameter, unfortunately you did not post them. Please make sure that you put all ROMs you want to compare in the same directory and then just execute CloneSpy in there (no parameters needed, it will default to -t33). Here is an example how the result should look like (note: not all ROMs are identical with the ones you used): (1/6) 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 Demon Attack (1988) (Activision) (AIX-006)··············· · 96 97 96 96 93 1 Demon Attack (1983) (CCE) (C-823)························ = · 99 98 98 95 2 Demon Attack (Unknown) (PAL)····························· = = · 99 99 95 3 Demon Attack (Death from Above) (1982) (Imagic, Rob Fulop► = = = · 99 96 4 Demon Attack (Death from Above) (1982) (Imagic, Rob Fulop► = = = = · 96 5 Demon Attack (Death from Above) (1982) (Imagic, Rob Fulop► = = = = = · The generated source file is attached. Looking forward to your correct results. CLONES.TXT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Why these games and sites have not received mention on AA has a lot to do with internal politics and petty feuding which I won't bring up here and hope will be quickly brought to an end. If someone wants to share their homebrews here in the forums, I'm unaware of anything stopping them from doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neotokeo2001 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Charles Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 For myself, I am happy with the Shaman as a game, as a storyline, and with the funny label. I was very pleased when Good Deal Games agreed to carry it as they do an awesome job with their website and in person. For me, although there is a difference between a hack and a homebrew, I value both types of releases. Whether the game is done in Assembly, Batari Basic, Hackomatic, Bit Hacker or using Borg technology from the 23rd century, I have seen some awesome releases by many different people carried by many different companies. When I see new or newer releases making it on the Flashback, I am really happy to see new games making it so mainstream. The Shaman, Goblin Chaser, and Monster Ball being mentioned in Retro Magazine was definitely nice to read. As a fan and hobbyist, I really like the Haunted Adventure Trilogy, Duck Attack, the Alien Greed series, a Slow Year, and many others. When I see programmers push the Atari 2600 to do things never thought possible, that is amazing to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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