+davidcalgary29 Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 After reading the backstory (in the manual) I am certain there will never be a Boulder Dash 2 for the VCS. It took so long for this one to be completed (including 2 or possibly more instances where the project was dropped). Regardless, I am thankful to have been able to give it a go. It's an impressive achievement for the old 2600. Say... David in Calgary... any chance you wanted in on this road show? Seems there's nobody on the 'next' list. My turn is complete... someone should chime in. Thanks! I bought my own copy when it was released, so someone else should have the chance of playing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 May I be on the loaner list? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 May I be on the loaner list? Rob please contact King_Salamon with your details and it will be in your hands before you know it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 The loaner cart is now in my hands in Atlanta Georgia USA. Thanks! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 The loaner cart is now in my hands in Atlanta Georgia USA. Thanks! How about a review? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) BD is well packaged .. I enjoyed reading the manual cover to cover .. and I appreciate all the effort to program it. So tonight I finally had a chance to play it on my 7800 connected to a Toshiba LCD TV. BD displayed first the copyright screen, then AA logo and then a very fast rolling image of what looks like the BD game logo. I tried it on two 7800s .. one RF and the other direct video and both had the same rolling title screen. Eventually the game field is displayed and goes into demo mode. I did get it play and have yet to get through the second level. I hope to pull out a CRT this weekend and share it with a gathering of the Atlanta Historical Computer Socitey. Rob Got through second level ... Fun! Edited January 12, 2017 by Rob Mitchell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Interesting, you are the first to report that screen roll. I am curious if it works on your CRT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 BD is well packaged .. I enjoyed reading the manual cover to cover .. and I appreciate all the effort to program it. So tonight I finally had a chance to play it on my 7800 connected to a Toshiba LCD TV. BD displayed first the copyright screen, then AA logo and then a very fast rolling image of what looks like the BD game logo. I tried it on two 7800s .. one RF and the other direct video and both had the same rolling title screen. Eventually the game field is displayed and goes into demo mode. I did get it play and have yet to get through the second level. I hope to pull out a CRT this weekend and share it with a gathering of the Atlanta Historical Computer Socitey. Rob Got through second level ... Fun! Hmmm. This isn't the NTSC/PAL switch set incorrectly, I wonder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zwackery Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Many thanks for the loan of the cart, and many apologies for the protracted delay in the review. We have a bit over 80 members in our campus Video Game Club. About half are active, with the rest either inactive or still active via our Facebook page but graduated. Not all of the VGC members are students in the Game & Interactive Media Design sequence; in fact, it is probably only about a quarter to a third. Many of the members have been through at least one Game course with me (I’m also the club’s faculty advisor), either as part of the major or as an elective. They know old Doc Hall talks about Atari with some degree of regularity, and in more specific detail in a few courses like Game Industries & Organizations, Games & Society, and Players, Gamers, and Game Cultures. I’ve taken a fair amount of time explaining the importance of game design with this era of gaming, the impact of the hardware on the design, and generally Atari’s place in the overall history of the industry and medium. We have a couple of 2600s in the lab and a smattering of carts, from Combat to Space Invaders to Pac-Man to Yars’ Revenge and a few third-party. I’ve spent time with the Atari: Game Over documentary, debunking the myths about E.T. and how important it was to actually read the manual in order to play the game, something not typically associated with the “easy” games of the period. Plus, when you see E.T. next to something like Mythicon’s Fire Fly, you actually develop an appreciation for what E.T. actually does in terms of game play. (I also like to compare Pac-Man to Ms. Pac-Man for the console and talk about issues of home conversion.) So, some, but not all, of the students have played Atari games before, and a few students were familiar with Boulder Dash, either from the NES or GBA release (there are a lot of Nintendo kids in the club). They knew that games from the second generation of consoles range from simple to complicated, but I think the challenge for a lot of them is that death is a much tougher mechanic in these games than it is in current games (i.e., 3 lives and you’re done as opposed to infinite respawn and retry, generally speaking). Most were impressed by the complexity of the 2600 version of Boulder Dash and found playing to be more challenging than anticipated based on how the game initially appeared. In particular, learning the falling behavior of the boulders seemed to confound them a bit at first, but eventually they got the hang of it. I think they appreciated that the game presented the levels as puzzles, but there wasn’t just one way to get through – instead there were more and less optimal routes. The manual included with the game was very well received, not just in terms of explaining the game but actually documenting its development and the relationship between technical and creative decisions. (Personally, I really enjoyed the manual and think it is a valuable historical artifact). Some of the students were interested in why anyone would continue to develop games for an older system, and we had fun talking about “retro” games and the legacy of solid design no matter what the platform might be. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfoMan Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I'd love to get in on this. I used to really enjoy playing Boulder Dash on the Atari 800XL as a kid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 (edited) Rob, have you contacted InfoMan? I think he is next in line. BTW: You owe us a review and some pictures. Edited February 4, 2017 by Thomas Jentzsch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 I found this link and started creating a trip. User name: Boulder Dash Password: boulder I have updated the trip. BD traveled 23618 miles so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Looks like InfoMan will be the last recipient/reviewer. After that, cartridge goes to auction to assist CPUWIZ. InfoMan when you're done with it, you're either going to have to post it to Albert, or to the winner of the auction, whichever you are more comfortable with. Auction winner will be paying the shipping cost, so it will have to go registered post and be very well packed. If we don't hear from you in a few days, then Rob will have to do the honours, as above. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Is the poster with the card again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Is the poster with the card again? *cart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 *cart Grrr! I thought twice and still got it wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfoMan Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Looks like InfoMan will be the last recipient/reviewer. After that, cartridge goes to auction to assist CPUWIZ. InfoMan when you're done with it, you're either going to have to post it to Albert, or to the winner of the auction, whichever you are more comfortable with. Auction winner will be paying the shipping cost, so it will have to go registered post and be very well packed. If we don't hear from you in a few days, then Rob will have to do the honours, as above. I'm still interested. What do you need from me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 I'm still interested. What do you need from me? Provide Rob your address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 I'm still interested. What do you need from me? As Thomas says, give Rob your address. He will post to you. After a few weeks we'll start the auction. You can opt to post the cart to Albert (at your expense) and he will ship to the winner... OR, you can post it to the winner, who will be paying the postage so you would be reimbursed. Either way, it will need to be registered and insured postage. That's about it. You are committing to writing a review of the game, too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 (edited) I sent a message to Infoman about forwarding the cart to him .. I look forward to the auction for it too! Bloody good game! Edited February 6, 2017 by Rob Mitchell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfoMan Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 (edited) OK, I've sent my address to Rob, and look forward to playing and reviewing the game! Edited February 6, 2017 by InfoMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Where in Utah are you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfoMan Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 I'm in northern Utah County, between Salt Lake City and Provo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 The Loaner cart is on its way to Cedar Hills, Utah. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 (edited) This is how the travel map looks like (25,187 miles). Edited February 12, 2017 by Thomas Jentzsch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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