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Champ Games - Qyx (aka Qix) for the Atari 2600


johnnywc

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Hello all,

 

Yesterday on the Champ Games FB page we revealed a proof-of-concept for Qix for the 2600: 

 

qix_4.thumb.png.7d84db82cdf9b74e2ea987416ef5379d.png

 

It's only a few hours of work but it shows some good progress:

 

  • full status area with QIX logo, 6 digit score in Qix arcade font, # of reserves, % claimed and % needed to complete level, plus the sparks timer (all with no flicker ;)  )
  • 38x96 draw area
  • filled sections in blue (fast) and orange (slow)
  • 2 sparks that travel around the perimeter
  • your marker, that can also travel around the perimeter, plus draw fast or slow sections 

 

We currently plan on supporting 2 control schemes for drawing:

  • 1-button "Lynx" version control where you tap the button while moving to draw fast, press and hold the button and while moving to draw slow (release to finish drawing fast)
  • 2-button Genesis gamepad control with button 1 to draw fast and button 2 to draw slow

 

We also plan on supporting multiple skill levels, 1 or 2 player (alternating, maybe co-op if we can come up with a cool idea), high scores, etc.

 

 We posted the question "Would you like to see a completed version released by Champ Games?" and the response has been overwhelmingly positive ? :D  so we will most likely work on this for a potential release in 2021.  

 

Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

Thanks,

John

 

 

 

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I've heard of qix before but have never played it. Had to play the arcade game to get a feel for it. I definitely feel it will have a good home on the 2600 and be a faithful reproduction from Champ Games. You guys have so much planned for the next year or two it's crazy.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

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52 minutes ago, socrates63 said:

John, will 7800 controllers work in the two-button Genesis gamepad mode you mentioned?

 

28 minutes ago, Karl G said:

I'm pretty sure there's no way to make separate use of both buttons for an Atari 7800 controller for an Atari 2600 game. 

Hello there!  Yes, as Karl G says, I don't think there's any way to make both buttons on a stock 7800 controller work for a 2600 game due to how it's wired up (although I'm sure it could be modded to do so).

 

52 minutes ago, socrates63 said:

Thanks for dropping that bomb of an announcement on FB the other day. It was great seeing the community respond to your announcement. ????

It was pretty exciting and a bit surprising... I didn't realize there were so many Qix fans out there! ?   The irony is that I'm not a huge fan of Qix... I've always enjoyed it but was never that good at it, but after the positive response on FB we may have to put this on in the development queue for next year. :D  

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Thanks, John and Karl for the info. I now have a better reason to pick up Genesis arcade stick or gamepad.

 

It's great to hear that community feedback played a role in Champ Games project prioritization. I love the Qix game concept, and I am a fan of Taito arcade games in general. Finally, some good news in 2020 :)

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5 hours ago, johnnywc said:

bit surprising... I didn't realize there were so many Qix fans out there! ? 

Yes! I’m one. I love the 5200 version, play it often on my Lynx as well. No backsies, now that you’ve provided us with this news. ?

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I do believe someone is making Qix for the 7800. I would never say I don't want to see a game being made but do you have other games that you have been thinking about other than Qix? Sure I would like to see Qix for the 2600 but with a 5200 Qix and possibly a 7800 Qix ... 

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5 minutes ago, AtariBrian said:

I do believe someone is making Qix for the 7800. I would never say I don't want to see a game being made but do you have other games that you have been thinking about other than Qix? Sure I would like to see Qix for the 2600 but with a 5200 Qix and possibly a 7800 Qix ... 

Thanks for the info @AtariBrian, I didn't realize a version was being made for the 7800! :thumbsup:  Looks like I'm off the hook! ;)   Incidentally , the 5200 version of Qix was the first version I ever played and I really enjoy it.  I do think a 2600 version would still be a worthwhile effort considering the fan base but it most likely won't be worked on for awhile as Robotron is being completed for a holiday release, then Gorf Arcade, plus Champ Sports Baseball and Rip Off! in the hopper, and of course a few other "secret" projects... ;)  

3 minutes ago, AtariLeaf said:

Fantastic news John such a fan of your work. Qix is a great game and I'd be happy to add a cart of Qix to my homebrew collection. Along with Robotron of course ?

Thanks!  Robotron is being worked on now with a planned release by end of year hopefully!  :thumbsup:  PS I haven't forgotten about that hockey game either... hopefully a playable version will be available sometime in 2021! :D 

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52 minutes ago, johnnywc said:

Thanks for the info @AtariBrian, I didn't realize a version was being made for the 7800! :thumbsup:  Looks like I'm off the hook! ;)   Incidentally , the 5200 version of Qix was the first version I ever played and I really enjoy it.  I do think a 2600 version would still be a worthwhile effort considering the fan base but it most likely won't be worked on for awhile as Robotron is being completed for a holiday release, then Gorf Arcade, plus Champ Sports Baseball and Rip Off! in the hopper, and of course a few other "secret" projects... ;)  

Thanks!  Robotron is being worked on now with a planned release by end of year hopefully!  :thumbsup:  PS I haven't forgotten about that hockey game either... hopefully a playable version will be available sometime in 2021! :D 

That's fantastic news. So excited about that hockey game. I hope the Leafs are in it ?

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1 hour ago, AtariBrian said:

I do believe someone is making Qix for the 7800. I would never say I don't want to see a game being made but do you have other games that you have been thinking about other than Qix? Sure I would like to see Qix for the 2600 but with a 5200 Qix and possibly a 7800 Qix ... 

 

Many people prefer one of those three systems way more than the others so a version on all 3 is warmly welcome, IMO. 

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25 minutes ago, johnnywc said:

Thanks for the info @AtariBrian, I didn't realize a version was being made for the 7800! :thumbsup:  Looks like I'm off the hook! ;)   Incidentally , the 5200 version of Qix was the first version I ever played and I really enjoy it.  I do think a 2600 version would still be a worthwhile effort considering the fan base but it most likely won't be worked on for awhile as Robotron is being completed for a holiday release, then Gorf Arcade, plus Champ Sports Baseball and Rip Off! in the hopper, and of course a few other "secret" projects... ;)  

 

I’m working on Qix for 7800. I am calling it 7ix. I wasn’t sure whether to chime in here or not but since the subject has been opened...

 

Progress has been slow but steady. I have posted one demo in the 7800 Programming Forum. It is okay but doesn’t really show what I’m aiming for.

 

The projects are fairly different, and I am fascinated to see how it can be done on the 2600.

 

Feel free to contact me if you’d like to discuss any aspect.

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2 hours ago, bizarrostormy said:

 

I’m working on Qix for 7800. I am calling it 7ix. I wasn’t sure whether to chime in here or not but since the subject has been opened...

 

Progress has been slow but steady. I have posted one demo in the 7800 Programming Forum. It is okay but doesn’t really show what I’m aiming for.

 

The projects are fairly different, and I am fascinated to see how it can be done on the 2600.

 

Feel free to contact me if you’d like to discuss any aspect.

Thanks for the offer!  I would love to talk shop and collaborate too, that always makes developing these games much more interesting. :thumbsup:  Since the 2600 and 7800 both use the TIA, perhaps we can collaborate on the sounds (unless you plan on using the Pokey chip). :music:  I would also love to discuss the game mechanics as I'm not that familiar with Qix (or at least how to be good at it :lol:), like what determines the path the Sparks follow, setting the sparks trap, flood fill routines, etc.  I'll send you a PM... I look forward to chatting! :D 

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18 minutes ago, johnnywc said:

Thanks for the offer!  I would love to talk shop and collaborate too, that always makes developing these games much more interesting. :thumbsup:  Since the 2600 and 7800 both use the TIA, perhaps we can collaborate on the sounds (unless you plan on using the Pokey chip). :music:  I would also love to discuss the game mechanics as I'm not that familiar with Qix (or at least how to be good at it :lol:), like what determines the path the Sparks follow, setting the sparks trap, flood fill routines, etc.  I'll send you a PM... I look forward to chatting! :D 

 

Sounds good.

 

I have been working on TIA sound. It’s important to me that it have good sound with a stock system and TIA is relatively well suited to Qix sounds. I do also want a way to do better sound.

 

Fun fact 1: arcade Qix does not do speech synthesis but uses a TMS5200 speech synthesis chip for its sound.

Fun fact 2: the Speakjet chip provides direct control of its synthesizer.

 

So — no promises because I haven’t really dug deeply into either of the above facts — I am hoping to eventually use AtariVox as a way to get better sound. Hopefully that would work for both 7800 and 2600.

 

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