Dragon's Lair is sold out!

[HOME AUTOMATION]

5 hours ago, OLD CS1 said:

7 hours ago, Albert said:

I am, but I cannot do that until I get the current wave of games I am working on adding to the AtariAge Store finished. Which will be pretty soon.  I'd say in January I will be in a better position to move forward, and I'm happy to put money into this project up front to make more copies available for those who want them.

 

 

...One up!

[ti99iuc]

11 minutes ago, Albert said:

Manuals are, by far, the most time consuming element to develop as far as boxes, manuals, labels, and other materials go.  I'd be glad to work with you to create a manual.  Writing the initial round of text can be a lot of effort, depending on the complexity of the game and if any extra material is added.  For Dragon's Lair, it would be fun to include a section related to development of the game.

 

 ..Al

Yes, I agree, I wrote some of the manuals for TI99 games too and them always required a lot of time. I think that maybe we could exchange some PMs and try to figure out if we are on the same page in doing the manual ?. Maybe you have a completely different style and idea than mine and see if we are not on the same page. When the time is right, if you want we can update each other on this. 

[Tursi]

8 hours ago, OLD CS1 said:

I was wondering if you were thinking about this.  ISTR you mentioned something before about something you would have done differently, or something.  Something like that, you know?

Only regret I remember is lack of Easter Eggs.  

 

8 hours ago, Albert said:

That would be the plan, unless the parties involved did not want it in the store for some reason.  I'm also working on a shiny new store that will be much nicer than the software I'm currently using.

This is probably better aimed at the private conversations than the public ones, but the previous license permitted sale only through the licensee's website. So that would be yours this time around

 

7 hours ago, ti99iuc said:

Well, I think it is arrived the moment that maybe I could finish the Dragon's Lair manual I had started months ago then ?

 

7 hours ago, Albert said:

Was a manual not included with the initial release?  I'm big on doing nice manuals for games I publish.

No. I provided an instruction sheet on the back of the poster due to time, costs, and frankly, interest. I wasn't making the game for collectors, and players don't read manuals anymore.

 

I suspect that any such manual would need to be approved, if I understand the concerns from last time, so will increase the time it takes to get it released. But perhaps that can be sorted more easily now that it's known. There's no guarantee in any event that the license can be renewed, so nobody should be getting too excited yet.

 

 

[+OLD CS1]

9 hours ago, Tursi said:

I wasn't making the game for collectors, and players don't read manuals anymore.

 

While modern games may have replaced the manual with tutorials, FAQs, or READMEs, a manual, even without illustrations, is a tangible part of the game which brings a special kind of immersion.  You hold the Parsec manual in your hand and you are not just playing the game, but you are perusing your pilot's briefing detailing the Swoops and Dramites you will face.  A well-crafted manual provides additional dimension and body to a game.

 

Like an LP, cassette, or CD insert, a game manual is an integral part of the full experience.

[Albert]

8 hours ago, Tursi said:

I wasn't making the game for collectors, and players don't read manuals anymore.

I don't make manuals for collectors, either, I want everyone to play the games!  But many people do appreciated nice, printed materials instead of just a PDF copy of a manual.  I can't even guess as to how many people actually read the manuals, but I know at least some poeple do based on feedback I've received.

 

 ..Al

[Tursi]

4 hours ago, OLD CS1 said:

While modern games may have replaced the manual with tutorials, FAQs, or READMEs, a manual, even without illustrations, is a tangible part of the game which brings a special kind of immersion.  You hold the Parsec manual in your hand and you are not just playing the game, but you are perusing your pilot's briefing detailing the Swoops and Dramites you will face.  A well-crafted manual provides additional dimension and body to a game.

 

Like an LP, cassette, or CD insert, a game manual is an integral part of the full experience.

I dunno, I've never held a Parsec manual in my hands!!

 

[Tursi]

4 hours ago, Albert said:

I don't make manuals for collectors, either, I want everyone to play the games!  But many people do appreciated nice, printed materials instead of just a PDF copy of a manual.  I can't even guess as to how many people actually read the manuals, but I know at least some poeple do based on feedback I've received.

Not saying don't do it. Just explaining that I didn't.

 

[HOME AUTOMATION]

3 hours ago, Tursi said:

I dunno, I've never held a Parsec manual in my hands!!

...I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

[Tursi]

2 hours ago, HOME AUTOMATION said:

...I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Guess that depends on how important the Parsec manual is to you.

 

[+OLD CS1]

1 hour ago, Tursi said:

Guess that depends on how important the Parsec manual is to you.

 

 

[JB]

4 hours ago, Tursi said:

Guess that depends on how important the Parsec manual is to you.

 

I consider it a holy text. All, like, seventy words of it.

[+acadiel]

Who among us shall step forward and accept the task?

It’s like accepting a quest. It’s commitment. [emoji6]

[Archimedes5000]

If there is any chance to get one. Please think of me !

Greetings Axel

[SkyPilot]

 

 

Edited January 11, 2022 by SkyPilot

[mvancopp]

I'm also interested in getting the game/cartridge, probably two ? 

Also, if there is anything I can do to help in this "quest" please let me know! (Sorry acadiel for stealing your words ? )

 

[Pheonix]

Shout out & some play scenes on "The History of Dragon's Lair" located at 13:52 (ish) in the video

 

 

 

[Tursi]

Hehe, I did see that. He's playing the demo version - evidenced by the large amount of flicker artifacts. I improved that substantially before release. Still, it was neat to get a call out.

 

[+dhe]

On 11/24/2021 at 11:35 AM, Albert said:

I am, but I cannot do that until I get the current wave of games I am working on adding to the AtariAge Store finished. Which will be pretty soon.  I'd say in January I will be in a better position to move forward, and I'm happy to put money into this project up front to make more copies available for those who want them.  It's pretty amazing that this exists on the TI-99/4A at all (and I did get to see it in person and was awestruck at the talent required in order to pull this off!)

 

 ..Al

 

Hi @Albert  any news ?

[CLBrown]

Twenty two pages...  that's a lot to scan through, and life is short, with lots to do.  So, forgive me for being a bit out-of-the-loop, but can someone (ideally Tursi) summarize the current state of this?

 

I never even knew this was coming out... and would DEFINITELY have signed up for a copy, had I know...  but it seems that I missed the boat.  That much is clear.  But, from what I can pick up from that last several pages, it sounds like someone is going to put out a "reprint" of this?   I would be... well, obviously, from some of the other posts I've seen, not FIRST IN LINE, but certainly way up there.

 

I mean, it just seems SILLY to have done all that work and then have it never be available, at all, to the majority of potential users (that is, anyone who doesn't follow this forum religiously).

 

So...  what's the status? 

 

CLBrown

[+arcadeshopper]

11 hours ago, CLBrown said:

Twenty two pages...  that's a lot to scan through, and life is short, with lots to do.  So, forgive me for being a bit out-of-the-loop, but can someone (ideally Tursi) summarize the current state of this?

 

I never even knew this was coming out... and would DEFINITELY have signed up for a copy, had I know...  but it seems that I missed the boat.  That much is clear.  But, from what I can pick up from that last several pages, it sounds like someone is going to put out a "reprint" of this?   I would be... well, obviously, from some of the other posts I've seen, not FIRST IN LINE, but certainly way up there.

 

I mean, it just seems SILLY to have done all that work and then have it never be available, at all, to the majority of potential users (that is, anyone who doesn't follow this forum religiously).

 

So...  what's the status? 

 

CLBrown

current state: SOLD OUT

no current effort being made to make more that has been communicated other than vague intention but no action that has been noted 

[Serafini Lapo]

Peccato.. ho visto e rivisto i video su youtube.. sarebbe come se, ai tempi.. (ho 47 anni) a 15 anni, avrei visto girare dragon su c64 praticamente QUASI uguale al coin op..

Io comunque spero ancora!

[Tursi]

On 10/3/2022 at 9:05 PM, CLBrown said:

I mean, it just seems SILLY to have done all that work and then have it never be available, at all, to the majority of potential users (that is, anyone who doesn't follow this forum religiously).

Why is is silly? It's silly to put in all that work, lose money on the product, have a copy stolen by a begging thief, and then have people tell me that I should keep dealing with it forever. That's what's silly.

 

The majority of potential users got a copy. There have been fewer than a dozen people who came out and said they missed it. Even of the potential users who did get a copy, most just stored them for the collection, they didn't play them. So I could have just printed and sold boxes -- designing PCBs, writing VHDL and pages and pages of assembly code, that's silly.

 

Honestly, printing and selling "what if" boxes for retro systems would probably be a good way to make a few bucks.

 

But the point is, I achieved my goals. I created an impossible, licensed product, thus scratching the itch for myself. I got to sell copies to my friends in the community and give everyone a little "what if" thrill. Those were worthy goals of all the silly.

 

So, forgive the ribbing... to answer your question, there's no status at this time. We aren't doing anything in the background right now.

 

I have said that anyone who wants to handle the licensing, manufacture, and distribution can work with me to get programmed PCBs. Everything else is your problem, and you must have the license FIRST as I will not support unlicensed copies. Thus far, only Albert considered stepping up, because people realize that all that is a LOT OF WORK.

 

 

[Albert]

I am still interested, and I think it'd be a lot of fun to do a TI 99/4A release like this.  The first release on a new system is a lot of work, though!

 

 ..Al

[+OLD CS1]

1 hour ago, Tursi said:

Honestly, printing and selling "what if" boxes for retro systems would probably be a good way to make a few bucks.

I have a book here filled entirely of "games that never were."

[whoami999ster]

On 10/5/2022 at 4:47 PM, Tursi said:

Why is is silly? It's silly to put in all that work, lose money on the product, have a copy stolen by a begging thief, and then have people tell me that I should keep dealing with it forever. That's what's silly.

 

The majority of potential users got a copy. There have been fewer than a dozen people who came out and said they missed it. Even of the potential users who did get a copy, most just stored them for the collection, they didn't play them. So I could have just printed and sold boxes -- designing PCBs, writing VHDL and pages and pages of assembly code, that's silly.

 

Honestly, printing and selling "what if" boxes for retro systems would probably be a good way to make a few bucks.

 

But the point is, I achieved my goals. I created an impossible, licensed product, thus scratching the itch for myself. I got to sell copies to my friends in the community and give everyone a little "what if" thrill. Those were worthy goals of all the silly.

 

So, forgive the ribbing... to answer your question, there's no status at this time. We aren't doing anything in the background right now.

 

I have said that anyone who wants to handle the licensing, manufacture, and distribution can work with me to get programmed PCBs. Everything else is your problem, and you must have the license FIRST as I will not support unlicensed copies. Thus far, only Albert considered stepping up, because people realize that all that is a LOT OF WORK.

 

 

Even if I'm not a lucky owner of this "product" ... I'm completely agree with Tursi .... let's enjoy the positive side of his work that has pushed the limits of the TI99 to the edge of the unbelievable