Evercade?!

[+jgkspsx]

Sounds like Thalamus is coming:

 

[famicommander]

Thalamus games from back in the day

 

Commercial releases:
Sanxion (1986, C64)
Delta (1987, C64)
Quedex (1987, C64)
Hunter's Moon (1987, C64)
Armalyte (1988, C64)
Armalyte: Competition Edition (1988, C64)
Hawkeye (1988, C64)
Snare (1989, C64)
Retrograde (1989, C64)
Sanxion: The Spectrum Remix (1989, Spectrum/Spectrum 128)
Hawkeye (1989, Amiga)
Armalyte (1990, Amstrad CPC)
Q8 Team Ford Rally Simulation (1990, Amstrad CPC)
Delta Charge (1990, Spectrum)
Creatures (1990, C64)
Summer Camp (1990, C64)
Heatseeker (1990, C64)
Venom Wing (1990, Amiga)
Digital Musician (1990, Amiga)
Mindroll (1990, Amiga)
Armalyte: The Final Run (1991, Amiga)
Creatures (1992, Atari St)
Creatures II: Torture Trouble (1992, C64)
Winter Camp (1992, C64/Amiga)
Borobodur (1992, Amiga)
Nobby the Aardvark (1993, C64)
Creatures (1993, Amiga)
S.U.B. (1993, Amiga/PC)

Unreleased titles:
Starline (1987, C64)
Bamboo (1989, C64)
Q8 Team Ford Rally Simulation (1990, Spectrum)
The Search for Sharla (1990, Spectrum, C64, Amiga)
Creatures (1990, Spectrum)
Armalyte (1990, Spectrum) - a demo version of one level was released.
Armalyte II (1990, C64)
Bombuzal (1990, Spectrum)
Delta Patrol (1992, Amiga)
Arsenal FC (1992, Amiga)
Beastmaster (1992, Amiga)
Nobby the Aardvark (1992, Amiga)
Street Warriors (1993, Amiga)
Restrictor (1993, Amiga and Atari ST)

 

So it's gonna be another PC cart. Just a matter of which platform(s).

[+madman]

A simple link to the Wiki would've sufficed. That said, let's hope they leave Spectrum games off the cart.

[Matt_B]

I'm pretty sure it would be either C64 or Amiga, possibly a bit of both. They're the systems that Thalamus were most at home on.

 

While I'd like to see the Spectrum come to Evercade at some point, this isn't it. A collection from Ocean, Hewson or Ultimate might hit the spot though.

[roots.genoa]

3 hours ago, Matt_B said:

I'm pretty sure it would be either C64 or Amiga, possibly a bit of both. They're the systems that Thalamus were most at home on.

And also the only two computers Evercade handled for now.

[+madman]

6 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

And also the only two computers Evercade handled for now.

An MSX game is coming in 2 months though.

[Bill Loguidice]

Considering this is primarily a UK-based platform, I'd be shocked if we didn't see ZX Spectrum and Amstrad stuff at some point (and maybe even BBC Micro). Although I'm peculiar in that I enjoy all platforms from all regions, no matter how primitive, I can also acknowledge that Spectrum content in particular is pretty rough for US experiences/sensibilities and is definitely one of the more nostalgia-driven experiences. Still, I think such a collection would do extremely well for them, and, regardless of how it might be received by North American buyers, an important step forward. They need to support as many platforms as possible and any content that is amenable to solely gamepad-like controls.

[+jgkspsx]

Man, I’ve loved the Spectrum games I’ve played on the phone emulator, aside from the fact that phone controls suck for it.

 

Not everybody is going to love Kokotoni Wilf (even though they should):

But I would be shocked if people didn’t appreciate Thanatos:

 

or Rana Rama:

There is some ambitious stuff that might not go over so well with most people, like Total Eclipse:

 

But more primitive stuff like Chuckie Egg should really entertain most of us:

 

 

[roots.genoa]

I never had one at the time (so it has nothing to do with nostalgia), but I have a soft spot for ZX Spectrum aesthetics (the basic 16 colors of Windows 3.11's icons), color clash included, and for its rudimentary sound. Fight me!

[famicommander]

They need to start releasing more than two carts per month if they're going to start wasting slots on Spectrum garbage. 

[Bill Loguidice]

2 hours ago, famicommander said:

They need to start releasing more than two carts per month if they're going to start wasting slots on Spectrum garbage. 

[Matt_B]

There's your answer Bill. 😉

 

Seriously, it's not like the Spectrum scene needs an Evercade cartridge for validation or anything. There's so much quality homebrew coming out these days that it's hard to keep track of it all. The thought that Blaze might not want to tread on its toes has crossed my mind.

 

Given that we already have VCS, Intellivision and 70s arcade carts, I seriously doubt that the issue would be primitive graphics either. If that was the issue, there are Next-enhanced versions of a lot of games now with Amiga-style graphics. Maybe Vradark's Revenge or Aliens: Neoplasma could make a future cartridge? The latter might need a rebrand, of course.

 

On the whole though, the Evercade treads a fine line between supplying a good variety of games, while keeping the quality high, and the library relatively small. That's all to make it worth the while of those collecting a full set to continue doing so. Delving into the less mainstream platforms isn't something they want to be doing too often and even then it'll probably be for a deep cut on on a cart with more obvious attraction, as is the case with Sword of Ianna.

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by Matt_B

[Bill Loguidice]

3 minutes ago, Matt_B said:

There's your answer Bill. 😉

 

Seriously, it's not like the Spectrum scene needs an Evercade cartridge for validation or anything. There's so much quality homebrew coming out these days that it's hard to keep track of it all. The thought that Blaze might not want to tread on its toes has crossed my mind.

 

Given that we already have VCS, Intellivision and 70s arcade carts, I seriously doubt that the issue would be primitive graphics either. If that was the issue, there are Next-enhanced versions of a lot of games now with Amiga-style graphics. Maybe Vradark's Revenge or Aliens: Neoplasma could make a future cartridge? The latter might need a rebrand, of course.

 

On the whole though, the Evercade treads a fine line between supplying a good variety of games, while keeping the quality high, and the library relatively small. That's all to make it worth the while of those collecting a full set to continue doing so. Delving into the less mainstream platforms isn't something they want to be doing too often and even then it'll probably be for a deep cut on on a cart with more obvious attraction, as is the case with Sword of Ianna.

 

I agree about there being no issue with "primitive" and again, it's not like the Spectrum wasn't a massively popular platform in certain regions. Goodness knows that enough Spectrum games have been released as-is on various platforms, including Xbox and Steam, that there's no reason to think there'd be an issue now on a platform that's primarily focused on retro. Frankly, I can't imagine ANY platform being off limits in any way, as you can make up for mediocrity with more titles on the cart or licensing costs with making sure you have a banger or two in a smaller set.

Of course, there are two main issues with targeting EVERYTHING. First, of course, is that license rights for most games are a mystery and the second is that the controls/interface have to be adaptable to just a d-pad and some buttons. 

[famicommander]

13 minutes ago, Bill Loguidice said:

I can't handle Spectrum games. I can and do play 2600, 5200, Colecovision, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, Vectrex, C64... but Spectrum games are just unpleasant to look at, listen to, and play. I'm fine with them releasing Spectrum carts, not every cart needs to be for me and I don't need to buy every one, but with the intentionally limited release schedule it makes it a bit of a disappointment to have one of the precious few slots going to a system that pretty much only nostalgic British people of a certain age can even stomach. Evercade has grown far beyond its initial scope and I think they've outgrown that release schedule. 

[Bill Loguidice]

Just now, famicommander said:

I can't handle Spectrum games. I can and do play 2600, 5200, Colecovision, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, Vectrex, C64... but Spectrum games are just unpleasant to look at, listen to, and play. I'm fine with them releasing Spectrum carts, not every cart needs to be for me and I don't need to buy every one, but with the intentionally limited release schedule it makes it a bit of a disappointment to have one of the precious few slots going to a system that pretty much only nostalgic British people of a certain age can even stomach. Evercade has grown far beyond its initial scope and I think they've outgrown that release schedule. 

I honestly don't think the release schedule is intentional in any way other than they have a limited pool to draw from and it takes time to acquire new licenses. In other words, their "sluggish" release schedule is a side effect of how they're acquiring licenses, not an actual plan (I know when I worked for AtGames, negotiations could stretch on for years, which is why, for example, you're only just now seeing a Zen partnership for AtGames). Of course, they DO have to be careful not to flood their own market, balancing releases with what their present userbase will support. It does them no good to have thousands of titles available when the roughly 500 they have now are what can presently be supported by their userbase. 

In short, I think they simply can't increase the pace even if they wanted to. Getting new licenses is tough. The trickle of releases is all that's possible, plus again, it allows their present userbase to snatch up most of what's available rather than having to pick and choose because too many cartridges are released at once. I know for me this is one of the only platforms I've been able to purchase (collect) EVERY release for for that exact reason. Any speedier and I'd inevitably have to skip some.

That's also another way to say that adding a Spectrum, ColecoVision, Apple II, whatever cartridge to the mix is not really going to affect scheduling one way or the other. That just gets baked into the sustainable release cadence.

[roots.genoa]

Also it's not like they released both Commodore 64 carts or Toaplan carts the same month for instance, so nobody is gonna have to skip a month because of the ZX Spectrum, don't worry. Personally, I'm all about quality vs quantity, so I would even be OK with less releases if that's mean better compilations (even though that's partly subjective of course, as you just reminded us with your shitty American tastes, famicommander 😉).

[+GoldLeader]

14 hours ago, jgkspsx said:

Man, I’ve loved the Spectrum games I’ve played on the phone emulator, aside from the fact that phone controls suck for it.

 

Not everybody is going to love Kokotoni Wilf (even though they should):

But I would be shocked if people didn’t appreciate Thanatos:

 

or Rana Rama:

There is some ambitious stuff that might not go over so well with most people, like Total Eclipse:

 

But more primitive stuff like Chuckie Egg should really entertain most of us:

 

 

 

Although I see one color sprites,  graphically it's almost ColecoVision territory!  I thought maybe it was more primitive,  but I don't know why...(Not familiar is the main point).

 

Anyway that Kokotoni WILF game looks Great to me!   Now I know what a MILF is,  but what does the "W" stand for?   On second thought I don't want to know.

[roots.genoa]

3 hours ago, GoldLeader said:

Although I see one color sprites,  graphically it's almost ColecoVision territory!

Iirc, the ZX Spectrum can display two colors per 8x8 square, NOT sprite. Which means that most of the time, the second color will be black as the background. Otherwise, a sprite can take the color of the background, which is called color clash. This picture from Altered Beast's port kinda shows how it works:

[mr_me]

 

With no graphics support for sprites, no native audio chip or game controller ports, the ZX Spectrum wasn't meant for games.

[Bill Loguidice]

18 minutes ago, mr_me said:

 

With no graphics support for sprites, no native audio chip or game controller ports, the ZX Spectrum wasn't meant for games.

Many computers, and some consoles, really weren't, but that doesn't mean there weren't great games that did take advantage of what few pluses there were. Again, I'd never praise the Spectrum's capabilities, but there's no denying that it's home to many good games, including all-time classics. 

[+GoldLeader]

3 hours ago, mr_me said:

 

With no graphics support for sprites, no native audio chip or game controller ports, the ZX Spectrum wasn't meant for games.

 

Yikes!

 

I'll stick to my Coleco ADAM.

[wolfy62]

21 hours ago, famicommander said:

They need to start releasing more than two carts per month if they're going to start wasting slots on Spectrum garbage. 

Actually, they release 12 cartridges a year,or 1 a month.

Sometimes they release a couple faster or slower, but still 12 a year.

Which is perfect for collecting purposes at $20. a cartridge I know what to expect from Evercade for the entire year except for a new console or handheld I may want to buy.

This also works in the situation where I don't particularly like a couple cartridges because of the game content, I'm not out much and I at least get to try some games I have never played, like them or not.

And I will say I have found a bunch of great games I would never have known about if they didn't release such a wide array of different companies games.

I hope they stay the course with their current program. 🙏 🤞

[famicommander]

They're at the point where they're putting in active development on these games, like with the Duke Nukem cart. They have indicated they are interested in developing original games internally for the platform. They are beyond the point where they should be exclusively catering to the kind of people who just want to compulsively buy a complete set. They've sold hundreds of thousands of consoles in several form factors over a multiple year span. They need to offer more volume and more diversity. The Super Pockets are in effect a massive price drop for an entry level Evercade and the Duke Nukem carts are likely going to be their biggest sellers yet. The ecosystem has outgrown the release schedule. 

[Bill Loguidice]

1 minute ago, famicommander said:

They're at the point where they're putting in active development on these games, like with the Duke Nukem cart. They have indicated they are interested in developing original games internally for the platform. They are beyond the point where they should be exclusively catering to the kind of people who just want to compulsively buy a complete set. They've sold hundreds of thousands of consoles in several form factors over a multiple year span. They need to offer more volume and more diversity. The Super Pockets are in effect a massive price drop for an entry level Evercade and the Duke Nukem carts are likely going to be their biggest sellers yet. The ecosystem has outgrown the release schedule. 

I disagree. They're still a small company and the sole publisher of games. It's a different type of business. We also don't know how many portables and consoles they've sold. They still might not be at that next level where it's sustainable to increase the number of releases.

[famicommander]

Just now, Bill Loguidice said:

I disagree. They're still a small company and the sole publisher of games. It's a different type of business. We also don't know how many portables and consoles they've sold. They still might not be at that next level where it's sustainable to increase the number of releases.

We don't know the exact number of consoles they've sold but we know that the number of limited edition consoles they've sold is well over 20,000. We can get that number just by adding up the number of Funstock preorders they took for the purple OG, black OG, black VS, Duke VS, and black EXP consoles. I don't think the Super Pocket double bundles are sold out yet but that'll be another few thousand. 

 

So the question is what percentage of the total sold are limited editions? We don't know, but considering how quickly all the limited editions sold out and considering they only sold them through one retailer I think it's fair to say the vast majority of Evercades in the wild are not of the "limited edition" variety.