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Would David Crane's, A Boy And His Blob and its sequel, have been 7800 games?

Gunther

By Gunther
in Atari 7800

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MrTrust Stargunner

MrTrust

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30 minutes ago, Gunther said:

Both threads for these games have already garnered nearly 1000 views.

As I said, you're in the minority here dude.

 

 

Not just that, but upwards of four people have said they'd buy a copy, myself included!  Then I saw your proof!  Hello, waiter?  I believe I have one dinner of crow coming.

 

2 hours ago, Gunther said:

It's the tone of your posts dude.

 

In other words: I can't explain how anything you said was actually wrong, or how it warrants the kind of temper tantrum I'm throwing over it, but the way you said it was bad.

Screenshot_20220219-110843.png

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Gunther Dragonstomper

Gunther

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1 hour ago, MrTrust said:

 

Not just that, but upwards of four people have said they'd buy a copy, myself included!  Then I saw your proof!  Hello, waiter?  I believe I have one dinner of crow coming.

 

 

In other words: I can't explain how anything you said was actually wrong, or how it warrants the kind of temper tantrum I'm throwing over it, but the way you said it was bad.

Screenshot_20220219-110843.png

Lol!

So...

 

These games would make excellent shelf-candy!

My original premise is that these games have the qualities that would endear them to ATARI fans in a way that the average N.E.S fan wouldn't really get. I get that the N.E.S was an unstoppable force in the U.S, but where I live that wasn't the case and by the time SMB3 came out the Megadrive crushed it.

I've simply used these two because of the these qualities, but hopefully it will illustrate to other publishers there would be support for new games for the console.

This is due to the quality I see coming from the homebrew community, which in many cases eclipses the N.E.S in overall quality.

 

 

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MrTrust Stargunner

MrTrust

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39 minutes ago, Gunther said:

My original premise is that these games have the qualities that would endear them to ATARI fans in a way that the average N.E.S fan wouldn't really get.

 

Your original premise was that they could have been "big" games for the 7800.  Is Scrapyard Dog the most beloved side-scrolling platform game for the 7800?  Yeah, because it's the only one (officially).  If it were an NES game, NES players would like it less than 7800 players do.  That's because it's not that great a game, 7800 don't have any better options on the system, and NES players do.  If the 7800 had as many quality games in the genre as the NES did, 7800 fans wouldn't give a shit about Scrapyard Dog either.

 

It would have been the same thing with ABahB, but not because it has some magical quality that appeals specifically to Atari owners.  Hunger is the best spice.

 

47 minutes ago, Gunther said:

I've simply used these two because of the these qualities, but hopefully it will illustrate to other publishers there would be support for new games for the console.

 

There's a reason there are 30 2600/NES homebrews for every 7800 one: those are the consoles people have, and that they love.  As it was in the 80s, it is now.  Porting a game like ABahB over to 7800 is a lot of work, and making a physical version is very expensive, and the prospect of making any money with it is just about zero.  Wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you.

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Gunther Dragonstomper

Gunther

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20 minutes ago, MrTrust said:

 

Your original premise was that they could have been "big" games for the 7800.  Is Scrapyard Dog the most beloved side-scrolling platform game for the 7800?  Yeah, because it's the only one (officially).  If it were an NES game, NES players would like it less than 7800 players do.  That's because it's not that great a game, 7800 don't have any better options on the system, and NES players do.  If the 7800 had as many quality games in the genre as the NES did, 7800 fans wouldn't give a shit about Scrapyard Dog either.

 

It would have been the same thing with ABahB, but not because it has some magical quality that appeals specifically to Atari owners.  Hunger is the best spice.

 

 

There's a reason there are 30 2600/NES homebrews for every 7800 one: those are the consoles people have, and that they love.  As it was in the 80s, it is now.  Porting a game like ABahB over to 7800 is a lot of work, and making a physical version is very expensive, and the prospect of making any money with it is just about zero.  Wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you.

And I stand by it.

I think they would have been popular amongst the 7800 userbase when the console was commercially relevant; ergo, making them big-games.

That's my position.

Learn to cope!

 

 

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Gunther Dragonstomper

Gunther

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2 hours ago, Defender_2600 said:

 

30 NES homebrews? Can you show a list of those developed in the last two years? I'm curious.

 

Don't bother yourself.

He's PM'd me claiming that I have said that these two games are 100% in development when I've said nothing of the sort.

Just read through my thread.

 

Dude's crazy...

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Defender_2600 Stargunner

+Defender_2600

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3 hours ago, MrTrust said:

 

There's a reason there are 30 2600/NES homebrews for every 7800 one: those are the consoles people have, and that they love.  As it was in the 80s, it is now. 

 

Atari 7800 Homebrew Games Completed/WIP in 2021

 

Below is a list of all the Atari 7800 homebrew games that have either been completed, updated or released in 2021. Please let me know if there are any missing or inaccurate (credits, binary sizes) entries. Note: Games are only added to this list if there is a playable binary or video of the game.

 

Physical Release

Completed

WIP

 

Previous Years: 2020, 2019

 

More Info:

  • 2021xxxx: When the latest binary/video was uploaded
  • Demo: Not the full game. Limited either by levels, time, lives or in some other way
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Gemintronic Quadrunner

+Gemintronic

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I think the same topic in that other forum is really focusing on gathering support for getting the current rights holders to port the game over.  I'm the crazy, fever dreamed heretic that always recommends making a play alike without the branding. 

 

But, the answer to this topic is no.  David Crane knew the state of the system and decided the NES would get more purchases and recognition.  A smaller user base doesn't guarantee a bigger hit by any means.

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Gunther Dragonstomper

Gunther

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4 minutes ago, Gemintronic said:

I think the same topic in that other forum is really focusing on gathering support for getting the current rights holders to port the game over. 

True.

I asked them first before I did so too.

 

 

 

 

 

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Gunther Dragonstomper

Gunther

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On 2/16/2022 at 12:56 PM, Gunther said:

I think if this had been a commercial release for the 7800 it would have sold almost 1:1 for the system.

 

 

That was actually my original position from the start of the thread.

I should have presented it as a ratio of console user base per platform, even though I never mentioned anything about it outselling the N.E.S version.

 

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Gunther Dragonstomper

Gunther

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On 2/14/2022 at 6:28 PM, Gunther said:

These were two excellent games, but they always felt wrong on Nintendo systems to me.

The franchise didn't achieve the success it deserved on those platforms, and I've always thought they would've been big games for the 7800 had they been released for that system.

They have that classic David Crane/Activision style that we all love.

It would be interesting to hear the community's thoughts regarding these classic games.

I can't find any comment that states it would have outsold the N.E.S version.

 

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Jaden (JRH) Chopper Commander

Jaden (JRH)

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Oh hey @Defender_2600, thanks for reminding me to work on Dig Dug II again lmao.

 

I don't really know what's happening here. I just saw that I got mentioned in this thread. But uh yeah, A Boy and his Blob would be pretty cool for 7800. The system desperately needs more puzzle platformers and puzzle games in general. So, it would be nice to see a game similar to A Boy and his Blob at least. If anyone ever starts that project, let me know because I wanna do music for it.

 

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TwentySixHundred Stargunner

+TwentySixHundred

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54 minutes ago, Jaden (JRH) said:

Oh hey @Defender_2600, thanks for reminding me to work on Dig Dug II again lmao.

 

I don't really know what's happening here. I just saw that I got mentioned in this thread. But uh yeah, A Boy and his Blob would be pretty cool for 7800. The system desperately needs more puzzle platformers and puzzle games in general. So, it would be nice to see a game similar to A Boy and his Blob at least. If anyone ever starts that project, let me know because I wanna do music for it.

 

Im in the same boat, went back to bomber hero the other day and it's been so long that all my colour identifiers have changed. Think there was an update to how 7800Basic handles pallet attributes im unaware of. They are a real pain to set with 160B mode so i just need the motivation to set them all up again.

 

Having said that there is something else i have been working really slowly lately but never mentioned. I have kept i quiet because i don't want to promise but not deliver in a timely manner.

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Defender_2600 Stargunner

+Defender_2600

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1 hour ago, Jaden (JRH) said:

Oh hey @Defender_2600, thanks for reminding me to work on Dig Dug II again lmao.

 

I don't really know what's happening here. I just saw that I got mentioned in this thread.

 

Damn, I'm sorry, I did a quick copy and paste with my phone not realizing that I would have disturbed everyone!

 

So, since it happened, I take this opportunity to sincerely thank ALL 7800 developers, historical wizards and new sorcerer's apprentices, for their enthusiasm, dedication and generous, valuable, huge contribution to the 7800 Homebrew scene.

 

And again, heartfelt thanks to everyone who has released and continues to release (and update) excellent development tools for FREE, and forgive me if I don't mention everyone involved (I would definitely forget someone) but we absolutely owe a HUGE thank you to @RevEng and @mksmith for their amazing, incredible, hard work and continued generous support, without which we would not have seen the current * explosion * of new 7800 releases.

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you who are bringing new youth and popularity to our 7800s and our hobby.

 

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Jaden (JRH) Chopper Commander

Jaden (JRH)

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1 hour ago, harmonyFM said:

Would you have been able to do the music the same way on the 7800? Although the music isn't that great, maybe doing something simpler or having the game take place in silence would have been an improvement on the 7800.

I know the original game used samples for drums. Maybe they could be played through the TIA, while the rest of the music is played with a POKEY. I personally always liked the game's music, but having the option for just sound effects or silence would be nice.

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Razzie.P River Patroller

Razzie.P

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I remember being very interested in this game, but not actually liking it.  It was weird, like I'd rent it again, knowing that I didn't have fun "last time," but still wanted to give it another shot.

 

But yeah, I didn't like it much on NES.   However, I bought the Wii version/remake and loved it.   

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harmonyFM Star Raider

harmonyFM

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25 minutes ago, Jaden (JRH) said:

I know the original game used samples for drums. Maybe they could be played through the TIA, while the rest of the music is played with a POKEY. I personally always liked the game's music, but having the option for just sound effects or silence would be nice.

As far as I remember the tune wasn't bad, but it was just the one song looping forever. I don't know if the music changed if you got further in the game, I never left planet Earth in my playthroughs so I can't say I've ever had the full Blobolonia experience. Having the option for silence is definitely better than being forced to listen to the same song forever.

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TwentySixHundred Stargunner

+TwentySixHundred

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2 hours ago, Defender_2600 said:

 

I don't want to rush you, but I can't wait! :)

Really wanted to keep progress going on Bomber Hero. So will probably work on both at the same time. Bomber Hero got really complex fast with using sprites as tiles. The explosion routines are alot more complex over if i were to use the standard alphadata scheme. Was really pushing me out of my comfort zone. I still want to continue with that format for BH though, as it's very powerful and extremely useful knowledge to have in the toolbox. This other project i have gone back to the traditional 160A alphadata format however trying a few tricks to display more then the limited pallet which seems to work. Biggest reason is i wanted a more simplified engine so i can make faster progress on game content like levels and overall gameplay. Like i was saying though im not dropping Bomber Hero because it looks great and really pushes what can be achieved on the 7800.

2 hours ago, Karl G said:

Is it Missile Command? :D

Lol to be honest the idea has ran though my mind many times. I basically have a full engine from City Defense ready to go and wouldn't take much to port it. The only thing that steers me away is the whole Port idea. It really puts a weight on the shoulders to perform an exact port and live up to iconic titles if not exceed. The expectations are high otherwise there is no point of going a port route. Would be nice though and i have a solid engine ready to go from the 2600 version. This other project i have decided to take a genre that's been done to death but not a port. Would rather the flexibility to have my own take and gameplay without having to follow the rails. Pretty much like i was trying to do with Missile Command but there is alot more possibilities with where it can head.

53 minutes ago, Cebus Capucinis said:

Plumbers Don't Wear Ties 7800?! :lust:

Now that would be interesting ?

Edited by TwentySixHundred
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