Arenafoot Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 My first book "The Atari 2600 Homebrew Companion: Volume 1" just went LIVE 2 days ago via Amazon.com (plus 6 other countries)! The paperback is printed in black & white on creme paper, just like the 80's video game digest books. It covers 34 homebrew titles for the Atari 2600 in 182 total pages. Homebrews spanning from 1995 to today! The paperback is $12.99 and the Amazon Kindle version is available for $3.99 and if you purchase the paperback and the kindle, the kindle version is reduced to $1.99. I'm also going to upload a color version of the same book, since I've had numerous requests for color pictures (though it will be pricey due to the color printing costs of Amazon). The book is available through "Kindle Unlimited" for those who subscribe to that service too. There are some preview pics of selected pages (by Amazon) on the webpage. Just click "Look Inside" right above the picture of the cover to see them. If you'd like to see a sample title, I can post one here, since Amazon only shows the beginning few pages and none of the actual homebrew titles (they picked the pages - I didn't). The game list is in the table of contents which is one of the preview pages. Paperback (B&W): https://www.amazon.c...uct/1980969396/ Kindle version (Color); https://www.amazon.com/Atari-2600-Homebrew-Companion-Video-ebook/dp/B07CT8L73Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525493533&sr=1-2 If you purchase a copy, please let me know what you think. How did I do for my first book? Anything you'd like to see added for Volume 2? Thanks! Brian 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 Special Delivery just arrived, Scarlet and Opus can't wait to check it out 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 5, 2018 Author Share Posted May 5, 2018 Special Delivery just arrived, Scarlet and Opus can't wait to check it out IMG_9807.jpg Love it! Thanks for the purchase Darrell!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 I plan to buy one but I will probably wait til I can combine it with something else to get free shipping. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 I plan to buy one but I will probably wait til I can combine it with something else to get free shipping. I understand - wish I had volume 2 done, then the 2 books would be free shipping combined. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 On the back cover... should "conversational" be "controversial"? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enthusi Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 I was lucky to receive the book early on What I like most is the clean information given per game. It is more of an guide to actual players. Very good! The most interesting part to me is what you call 'Analysis', so your personal remark to each game. They clearly show that you know your field and that you have seen/played your share of Atari homebrew. That information is priceless since you can not just read it somewhere online. Personally, I can imagine that more subjective, private comments would be very worthwhile reading. What lacks a bit is maybe the reasoning which titles made it into this first volume. I sure dont complain Assembloids2600 is among them and I really like the four pages you designed around it. Whom could I recommend this book to? It fills a gap for people new into the VCS or just its homebrew scene. They get a very good and practical idea of what is around. Very good! Then people like me that actually dont play games ALOT but are quite interested in them and the techniques/ideas/concepts behind them - as I develop games myself. I would welcome even more information per game. Possibly from the authors themselves if available. That would change the scope of the book alittle bit though. It could attract people from 'outside' that just want to sneak peek into this homebrew scene, but it could be less interesting to the gamers out there. All in all a very good read that really stands on its own. No other VCS related game book that I know is like this. Very appreciated! Thanks alot for your effort here. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 I am not an native English speaker and it is too late anyway, but is Foreward really an alternative spelling of Foreword? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 I was lucky to receive the book early on What I like most is the clean information given per game. It is more of an guide to actual players. Very good! The most interesting part to me is what you call 'Analysis', so your personal remark to each game. They clearly show that you know your field and that you have seen/played your share of Atari homebrew. That information is priceless since you can not just read it somewhere online. Personally, I can imagine that more subjective, private comments would be very worthwhile reading. What lacks a bit is maybe the reasoning which titles made it into this first volume. I sure dont complain Assembloids2600 is among them and I really like the four pages you designed around it. Whom could I recommend this book to? It fills a gap for people new into the VCS or just its homebrew scene. They get a very good and practical idea of what is around. Very good! Then people like me that actually dont play games ALOT but are quite interested in them and the techniques/ideas/concepts behind them - as I develop games myself. I would welcome even more information per game. Possibly from the authors themselves if available. That would change the scope of the book alittle bit though. It could attract people from 'outside' that just want to sneak peek into this homebrew scene, but it could be less interesting to the gamers out there. All in all a very good read that really stands on its own. No other VCS related game book that I know is like this. Very appreciated! Thanks alot for your effort here. Thanks for the kind words! I picked the titles in the book like I stated on the back cover. I knew I needed to cover the whole 23 years from 1995 to 2018. Then I picked through the early games I've actually played, others I tested during development, and then I wanted to add the "conversational"/"controversial" titles. Yeah, I realize that Atari Homebrew games are a niche market, but I couldn't believe that no one else had written a book about them by now. Some of the "Strategy" info did come from the original programmers, after asking permission to include their title in the book and I sometimes asked if there were hints, tips, pointers, easter eggs, etc to their game. I didn't want to include too much of my own opinions, as its more of a companion book and not an opinion book. Of course, my opinions in games will defer than anyone else's. So, I was aiming for more informative info on the titles and some things about certain titles that can not be found, even in their game manuals. I was trying for 4 pages per title, of course, some are 5 and 6 pages, and I think one might have been 3 pages. I could possibly cut back a title or two to increase the number of pages and the room for the others and/or make to book bigger - maybe 200 pages? Just throwing out some ideas for future volumes. Again, Thanks for enjoying my book, I appreciate it! Brian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 I am not an native English speaker and it is too late anyway, but is Foreward really an alternative spelling of Foreword? Wow - I didn't even catch that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 On the back cover... should "conversational" be "controversial"? could be for the T&P Asses of Fire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 Finally got my copy today. Have been paging through it and am very pleased with the depth and attention give to each title. This is extremely well done and should be in every homebrew enthusiasts library. At $13 it's a steal given the wealth of knowledge you are getting. I strongly recommend you pick one up if you are even slightly interested in 2600 homebrewing. Any chance Albert can offer it for sale in the AA store as well? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 Finally got my copy today. Have been paging through it and am very pleased with the depth and attention give to each title. This is extremely well done and should be in every homebrew enthusiasts library. At $13 it's a steal given the wealth of knowledge you are getting. I strongly recommend you pick one up if you are even slightly interested in 2600 homebrewing. Any chance Albert can offer it for sale in the AA store as well? Thank you for the purchase and review! My book is exclusive to Amazon (as they are the printing house that prints them), but I could work it out if he wanted to carry them, I can get them at cost instead of retail - so it would be possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 (edited) Color version of my book went live today on Amazon too! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1981060898 Edited May 11, 2018 by Arenafoot 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 I am not an native English speaker and it is too late anyway, but is Foreward really an alternative spelling of Foreword? It's been fixed! Thanks for catching that! We missed it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Good thing it could easily be solved. I imagined you already had Amazon print 5,000 books but perhaps they print smaller volumes on demand which allows you to submit corrections along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 Good thing it could easily be solved. I imagined you already had Amazon print 5,000 books but perhaps they print smaller volumes on demand which allows you to submit corrections along the way. Amazon doesn't print any until they are ordered, and you can update the manuscript at any time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 My copy arrived yesterday. Really like the way you decided to layout each game, especially the Release Notes section. This book provides a sufficient amount of information for anyone that may be considering one of the games described within it. I recommend it and can't wait for Volume 2 to become available. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 My copy arrived yesterday. Really like the way you decided to layout each game, especially the Release Notes section. This book provides a sufficient amount of information for anyone that may be considering one of the games described within it. I recommend it and can't wait for Volume 2 to become available. 2600HC Vol1 .jpg Thank You for the purchase and the review!! Working on volume 2 currently..... hopefully, it doesn't take 3 months like that first volume did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 I ordered the book along with a Francis the Talking Mule movie collection to put me over $25 and get free shipping. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 16, 2018 Author Share Posted May 16, 2018 I ordered the book along with a Francis the Talking Mule movie collection to put me over $25 and get free shipping. Thanks for the purchase!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arenafoot Posted May 28, 2018 Author Share Posted May 28, 2018 Special Delivery just arrived, Scarlet and Opus can't wait to check it out IMG_9807.jpg I was lucky to receive the book early on What I like most is the clean information given per game. It is more of an guide to actual players. Very good! The most interesting part to me is what you call 'Analysis', so your personal remark to each game. They clearly show that you know your field and that you have seen/played your share of Atari homebrew. That information is priceless since you can not just read it somewhere online. Personally, I can imagine that more subjective, private comments would be very worthwhile reading. What lacks a bit is maybe the reasoning which titles made it into this first volume. I sure dont complain Assembloids2600 is among them and I really like the four pages you designed around it. Whom could I recommend this book to? It fills a gap for people new into the VCS or just its homebrew scene. They get a very good and practical idea of what is around. Very good! Then people like me that actually dont play games ALOT but are quite interested in them and the techniques/ideas/concepts behind them - as I develop games myself. I would welcome even more information per game. Possibly from the authors themselves if available. That would change the scope of the book alittle bit though. It could attract people from 'outside' that just want to sneak peek into this homebrew scene, but it could be less interesting to the gamers out there. All in all a very good read that really stands on its own. No other VCS related game book that I know is like this. Very appreciated! Thanks alot for your effort here. Finally got my copy today. Have been paging through it and am very pleased with the depth and attention give to each title. This is extremely well done and should be in every homebrew enthusiasts library. At $13 it's a steal given the wealth of knowledge you are getting. I strongly recommend you pick one up if you are even slightly interested in 2600 homebrewing. Any chance Albert can offer it for sale in the AA store as well? My copy arrived yesterday. Really like the way you decided to layout each game, especially the Release Notes section. This book provides a sufficient amount of information for anyone that may be considering one of the games described within it. I recommend it and can't wait for Volume 2 to become available. I ordered the book along with a Francis the Talking Mule movie collection to put me over $25 and get free shipping. Could I ask you guys for a favor? I do not have any reviews on the Amazon pages for my books (both B&W and the full-color versions have 0 reviews).... could you add a review or two for the books you purchased please? I would greatly appreciate it!!! Thanks, Brian BTW - Volume 2 is more than halfway done! (21 titles done so far!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted May 29, 2018 Share Posted May 29, 2018 I should probably read more than just my games' entries before doing a review Have a lot going on the next few weeks, today's just like Christmas Eve, so if I can't squeeze it in this weekend it'll be second half of June. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 29, 2018 Share Posted May 29, 2018 My first book "The Atari 2600 Homebrew Companion: Volume 1" just went LIVE 2 days ago via Amazon.com (plus 6 other countries)! The paperback is printed in black & white on creme paper, just like the 80's video game digest books. It covers 34 homebrew titles for the Atari 2600 in 182 total pages. Homebrews spanning from 1995 to today! The paperback is $12.99 and the Amazon Kindle version is available for $3.99 and if you purchase the paperback and the kindle, the kindle version is reduced to $1.99. I'm also going to upload a color version of the same book, since I've had numerous requests for color pictures (though it will be pricey due to the color printing costs of Amazon). The book is available through "Kindle Unlimited" for those who subscribe to that service too. There are some preview pics of selected pages (by Amazon) on the webpage. Just click "Look Inside" right above the picture of the cover to see them. If you'd like to see a sample title, I can post one here, since Amazon only shows the beginning few pages and none of the actual homebrew titles (they picked the pages - I didn't). The game list is in the table of contents which is one of the preview pages. Paperback (B&W): https://www.amazon.c...uct/1980969396/ Kindle version (Color); https://www.amazon.com/Atari-2600-Homebrew-Companion-Video-ebook/dp/B07CT8L73Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525493533&sr=1-2 If you purchase a copy, please let me know what you think. How did I do for my first book? Anything you'd like to see added for Volume 2? Thanks! Brian NEato. Added to wishlist. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Could I ask you guys for a favor? I do not have any reviews on the Amazon pages for my books (both B&W and the full-color versions have 0 reviews).... could you add a review or two for the books you purchased please? I would greatly appreciate it!!! Thanks, Brian BTW - Volume 2 is more than halfway done! (21 titles done so far!) Just added my review. Hope you don't stop at Volume 2. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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