Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration compilation will include Jaguar games

[roots.genoa]

1 hour ago, Stephen said:

Is the emulator really 64-bits, or is it two 32-bit emulators running in parallel?

Worse than that. A 16-bit emulator driving two 32-bit emulators and then, there's a bus emulator that's very limited...

[zzip]

Is the emulator compatible with Coleco Chameleon games since it used the same case design?

[doctorclu]

So I'll chime in.

 

Of course I would have loved the Jaguar's entry into the Bubsy franchise playable on the PS4.  That would have been amazing.   Not sure how long Atari's license to use Accolade's titles were purchased however.   If it is anything like music rights and TV shows, probably only a few years.   A shame though as Atari's programming team made a unique game in the end of their own.   Except for the character.

 

So Bubsy would be complicated.   However, let's talk about Battlemorph.   Now there is a Atari title that would have been amazing.   Compliment Cybermorph, etc.

 

Or the Iron Soldier series, both 1 and 2.   Maybe even throw in 3.     Actually would have been cool to add some Nuon tie in.

 

Could have Atari Karts AND Merlin Racing.

Tempest 2000 and Tempest 3000.

And right there we'd have half the Nuon library. 

 

Other games that would have been awesome on this:

 

Fight for Life?   How about Ultra Vortek?   We all know that was the better fighter on the Jaguar.

Kasumi Ninja is funny and fun, but has aged poooorrly with the stereotypes.

 

Happy about Club Drive.     Can't wait to play a two player game on the PS4.   Maybe World Tour Racing?

 

Tempest 2000... yes... yes... yes!

 

The others Atari Karts (nice!), Cybermorph (love it!), Evolution Dino Dudes (erm ok...), Missile Command 3D (very nice!), Ruiner Pinball (Different)

 

Trevor McFur In The Crescent Galaxy... bringing a mediocre shmup into the mix.   But as Raiden has licensing complications I'm sure, and the same with Defender 2000... ummm.. sure?

 

Here are some more that would be good entries:

Alien vs Predator (but like Bubsy, probably licensing issues)

Attack of the Mutant Penguins

Brutal Sports Football

Super Burnout

Val d'Isère Skiing and Snowboarding (always loved the gameplay on this one)

Zero 5 (hey, if you have Fight for Life....)

Zool 2 (probably the best of the Zool ports, just have to work out licensing with Gremlin).

 

 

 

[Atariboy]

On 10/12/2022 at 7:31 AM, KidGameR186496 said:

Do you guys have plans to make the Jaguar emulator that was written for the collection publically available online?

I think everyone already knows this answer.

 

It's not an open source fan-made emulator. It's a commercial product developed to make a profit, which has been programmed under contract for Atari SA. So it's not going to be released for free for our own personal use afterwards.

[+CyranoJ]

2 minutes ago, Atariboy said:

I think everyone already knows this answer.

 

It's not an open source fan-made emulator. It's a commercial product developed to make a profit, which has been programmed under contract for Atari SA. So it's not going to be released for free for our own personal use afterwards.

Unless the emulators are licensed to Atari SA for use, which would have been the smart thing to do. In that case,  DE would own them 

[Atariboy]

They probably do just such an arrangement. Why start from scratch for instance every time that they touch the NES for a project when they can just retain ownership of their own program and repurpose it. A lot cheaper and faster than reinventing the wheel the next time that they get the opportunity to touch the same console platform again. 

 

So I imagine what you say is the case here. The emulators Digital Eclipse have coded for this project are their own property and are just licensed to Atari SA for use in Atari 50. Probably not too likely to see the Jaguar emulator resurface on a non-Atari SA project down the road (although one never knows, we could be pleasantly surprised). But their 2600 emulator in particular would seem to be marketable at the very least (An obvious example is if they ever get the chance to work on a spiritual successor to Activision Anthology).

Edited October 15, 2022 by Atariboy

[roots.genoa]

8 hours ago, doctorclu said:

Compliment Cybermorph

"Cybermorph, you're great!" 🙂

 

Seriously now, it's obvious we would not get AvP but I'm disappointed about Super Burnout, since it's supposed to be on of the best racing games on the system (and it was published by Atari afaik).

[+cubanismo]

11 hours ago, doctorclu said:

Can't wait to play a two player game on the PS4.  

T2K is two player

[JagChris]

On 10/12/2022 at 4:31 AM, KidGameR186496 said:

Do you guys have plans to make the Jaguar emulator that was written for the collection publically available online?

Talked to Mika and he said this is a possibility. No guarantees.

[JagChris]

5 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

"Cybermorph, you're great!" 🙂

 

Seriously now, it's obvious we would not get AvP but I'm disappointed about Super Burnout, since it's supposed to be on of the best racing games on the system (and it was published by Atari afaik).

AvP is a future possibility along with both IS. They have interesting plans I don't want to try to quote from memory. 

[JagChris]

On 10/12/2022 at 1:46 PM, zzip said:

Can your emulator emulate the MASSIVE untapped power hidden in the Jaguar that nobody has been (yet) able to exploit?

It can if they find some good Jag programmers. Then expounded on how hard it is to find said programmers. They have future plans.

 

I said you're in luck there happens to be a fella here who fits that description.. Then I tried to describe @cubanismo to them and the Lanyard but he looked puzzled. 

 

So tried to holler at Cubanismo when I ran into him at the Diablo 2 retrospective in passing to go talk to Digital Eclipse but I don't know if he understood me over the noise. 

[JagChris]

I wasn't aware Disney now owned the AvP license and Atari didn't own Iron Soldier. 

[KidGameR186496]

3 hours ago, JagChris said:

AvP is a future possibility along with both IS. They have interesting plans I don't want to try to quote from memory. 

 

2 hours ago, JagChris said:

I wasn't aware Disney now owned the AvP license and Atari didn't own Iron Soldier. 

Disney owns both Alien and Predator ever since the Fox buyout. But it beats the hell out of me why they don't own at least Iron Soldier 1, since that's the one Atari published, whereas the 2nd one was published by Telegames.

[+cubanismo]

3 hours ago, JagChris said:

So tried to holler at Cubanismo when I ran into him at the Diablo 2 retrospective in passing to go talk to Digital Eclipse but I don't know if he understood me over the noise. 

I got the general idea. I'll go chat with them tomorrow just to see what they're up to or need. It's not like I need more projects.

 

It may be all the beers at Ground Kontrol, but clearly the power of the Jaguar can be tapped by this emulator if we can only harness the synergy of the Digital Eclipse skillz and those of the AtariAge community.

[JagChris]

I got down there a little late and it was at capacity. I wasn't going to wait out in the street in line at 5th and Couch at the late hours with a backpack full of goodies. Not a good idea.

[JagChris]

I will try to relay what I remember of my talk with Mike Mika at the Digitally Eclipse booth.

 

Since they were right next to us I kept an eye on what was going on and there was a gray haired guy hanging out with Mike who just kept talking his ear off.  Constantly the entire time I seen him there. Nonstop. Would not shut up.

Vlad and I went over to the booth after a while and were checking out the Atari 50 demo. In a rare break from the gray hair guy talking it seemed that Mike desperate for something anything else turned to us and introduced himself to me. And started asking about our interests in the Atari 50.

In a few moments the conversation quickly steered to the emulator for the Jaguar and it's details. Talking about his future plans in that direction he exclaimed to Vlad in what seemed to be a rather exasperated manner in that I half expected him to grab Vlad's collar and start shaking him 'DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND GOOD JAG CODERS?!'  Vlad just kinda stared at him with his eyes bugging out. Vlad is rather tall and Mr Mika is shorter than I am. So it made a rather comical mental image.

He said that both Iron Soldiers if I remember correctly run well on the emulator. More titles will come out in the future hopefully as rights and such gets ironed out. Whether they are free or you have to pay for them I am not sure. I didn't get a chance to ask him. The emulator is not perfect there are still kinks in it that they are working out behind the scenes But for the most part it is far and away the most advanced jaguar emulator known. And it's development was and is nowhere near a simple matter. 

It may be available in the future to the public. I questioned him on this saying well if you give away the milk why would anybody buy the cow? There may be protection for certain titles against running on the emulator. At this point my accuracy in remembering is becoming foggy because it became my companions turn to um... not stop talking. And so because of this I didn't get a chance to ask about more specifics such as Doom etc. Will they be free or pay for play etc.

He indicated he wants to support the community and so they may release the emulator in some form or another in the future. 

At this point my companion was monopolizing the conversation to such an extent that it was hard to get a word in edgewise. So after a few minutes I just said come on let's give Mr. Mikas ears a break. Then immediately the gray haired man once again jumped in and started yaking and yaking and yaking at poor Mike.

I figured that I would get another chance to come by alone the next time for sure and talk to him some more. I wanted to even maybe get a little video of him saying hello to the jaguar community and perhaps of him talking so that I don't have to rely on my memory for what was said.. 

Well that assumption was completely in error. Mike both days only stayed for like a couple hours in the morning. I think on Sunday he was only maybe there for the 1st hour. And near every moment was this gray haired guy right in his ear. Then Mike was gone to parts unknown. I never even saw him walking around the convention center. So I never got the chance to talk to him again directly.

Edited October 18, 2022 by JagChris

[neo_rg]

From what I can make out the emulator is a continuation of the tempest 2000 emulator that's sole mission was to run that game alone. It was able to run other ROM though.

[Isgoed]

Nice story, JagChris

 

I could say how it bothers me that you couldn't speak to Mike some more, but what really bothers me is the question that remains unanswered.....

 

Who is "the grey haired guy who not shut up" ??

 

 

[JagChris]

8 minutes ago, Isgoed said:

Nice story, JagChris

 

I could say how it bothers me that you couldn't speak to Mike some more, but what really bothers me is the question that remains unanswered.....

 

Who is "the grey haired guy who not shut up" ??

 

 

I don't know. A business associate I assume. 

 

Once I think I remember looking over and seeing Mike bent over putting something together at the booth and the guy was bent over his shoulder still in his ear. Dude at least help him put together whatever he's building. 

 

it may be why Mike left.

Edited October 18, 2022 by JagChris

[Lostdragon]

I don't suppose there's any chance of Mike joining here and being able to answer sensible, polite questions directly is there? 

[JagChris]

1 hour ago, Lostdragon said:

I don't suppose there's any chance of Mike joining here and being able to answer sensible, polite questions directly is there? 

I don't know. He's on Twitter. 

 

Though no luck on my end getting responses that way. He doesn't respond to me. Or Scatologic. Or most anybody on Twitter.

 

Except @Jag64 

 

Mike Mika absolutely loves that guy. Huge bromance.

[DavidD]

Hmm... what I find interesting is that Mika appears to have implied that there are future plans for more titles being added to Atari 50.

 

More 800/XL/XE titles, Lynx titles, and Jaguar titles would be nice.  Who owns the remains of Epyx these days?

[sirlynxalot]

Good question re epyx, though an epyx atari lynx collection cart came out for the evercade handheld system recently (actually the first time these games were every rereleased I think) so someone has been involved with licensing that epyx 90s stuff recently.

Edited October 18, 2022 by sirlynxalot

[JagChris]

7 hours ago, Isgoed said:

Nice story, JagChris

 

I could say how it bothers me that you couldn't speak to Mike some more, but what really bothers me is the question that remains unanswered.....

Yeah it bothers me too. Especially when I got my chance to talk I was getting talked over. I waited my turn wait yours. 

 

It makes you forget what you want to ask. It makes you feel rushed. It makes your memory less clear. 

 

It's was a rare opportunity that was not wasted but spoilt by rudeness. 

 

Later on one of the Atari50 reps told me Atari owns nothing of their arcade licenses of old from Paperboy on. Not even Klax. 

 

Can you believe Atari doesn't even own Paperboy anymore. All sold through the years to make a buck. Made me want to vomit.

 

Then I found out someone I knew at the PRGE had sold a 2 console bundle consisting of a 5200 and 7800 for $200! 

 

He hadn't told me and I missed it. Then I really did want to vomit. And strangle them. And vomit.

Edited October 18, 2022 by JagChris

[sirlynxalot]

Stuff like paperboy, marble madness, klax, harddrivin etc were all made by the separate atari arcade company that remained with Warner when Jack Tramiel started atari corp (two atari companies with different owners existed simultaneously from about 1984 to 1995), so those mid 80s and 90s atari arcade games were never part of tramiels atari.  This is relevant because the remnants of Tramiel's atari are what was transferred around and eventually wound up with Atari SA, who are doing the 50th anniversary collection, and Atari SA has never owned anything related to the separate atari arcade company. 

 

The atari arcade company was bought by Midway in the 90s and then ironically I think midway or it's assets and ips were sold back to Warner around 2009.