Attack of the PETSCII Robots, Atari 7800

[+-^CrossBow^-]

46 minutes ago, bhall408 said:

In Argon, we generally take mono sound chips/PSGs and create a stereo spread out of the individual channels. We have a default panning for each chip, we plan to open up an API that allows dynamic panning at runtime (if the game is recompiled with the API, which is a NOP on original hardware).

 

So something only usable in emulation then? I was going to say, the actual hardware on the pokey doesn't allow for this unless you have a pair of them and the game is made to take advantage of them in that manner.

 

[+bhall408]

40 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I was going to say, the actual hardware on the pokey doesn't allow for this unless you have a pair of them and the game is made to take advantage of them in that manner.

POKEY is a monophonic chip. There are games that take advantage of 2 of them, and then route one right and one left. You need a hardware modified Atari for that.

 

What we're doing is in/at the emulation level.

 

Some had posited that TIA was originally going to have 1 channel left, and 1 right, so that is what we end up doing - we set our default so that one is soft left and one is soft right

[+-^CrossBow^-]

8 minutes ago, bhall408 said:

POKEY is a monophonic chip. There are games that take advantage of 2 of them, and then route one right and one left. You need a hardware modified Atari for that.

 

What we're doing is in/at the emulation level.

 

Some had posited that TIA was originally going to have 1 channel left, and 1 right, so that is what we end up doing - we set our default so that one is soft left and one is soft right

I understand all of that and I even made mention previously about needing dual pokeys to do this on actual hardware didn't I?

 

As for the TIA...sure you can send one channel left and the other right, but with the exception of Skeleton+ I'm not aware of any games that actually were designed around it with the audio moving between the channels properly to follow the action. So to me if the audio doesn't follow what I see on screen, then it just doesn't sound right to me.

[+x=usr(1536)]

21 minutes ago, bhall408 said:

Some had posited that TIA was originally going to have 1 channel left, and 1 right, so that is what we end up doing - we set our default so that one is soft left and one is soft right

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding something, but the 2600's left and right audio channels didn't have the ability to pan, phase, etc. - they were essentially two independent mono channels.

 

Does setting them soft left and soft right imply that there's a panning capability added in?  If they're fixed-position like the original hardware, fine, and if they can pan and so forth great - it's just not totally clear to me what 'stereo' means in this context.

[Trebor]

53 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

As for the TIA...sure you can send one channel left and the other right, but with the exception of Skeleton+ I'm not aware of any games that actually were designed around it with the audio moving between the channels properly to follow the action. So to me if the audio doesn't follow what I see on screen, then it just doesn't sound right to me.

Along with Skeleton+, also Medieval Mayhem.   It is especially noticeable when the dragon flies across the screen.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

15 minutes ago, Trebor said:

Along with Skeleton+, also Medieval Mayhem.   It is especially noticeable when the dragon flies across the screen.

So...two homebrew games officially support this but none of the original released games did. Combat doesn't count because the player shots are always on the left with player 2 on the right. Even when their tanks or planes are on opposite sides of the screens.

 

Panning or something similar is likely possible by adjusting the volume output of the same sound between both channels at once. So basically full volume on the left, and then to pan to the right you lower the volume of the sound on the left as you replicate the sound on the right starting off low and gradually full volume on the right with no sound on the left. Assuming that is possible on the TIA.

 

[Trebor]

29 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

So...two homebrew games officially support this but none of the original released games did. Combat doesn't count because the player shots are always on the left with player 2 on the right. Even when their tanks or planes are on opposite sides of the screens.

Agreed about Combat not counting.  Air-Sea Battle, Indy 500, and Street Racer also 'pull a Combat' with assigning Player 1 sounds always left and Player 2 sounds always right.

 

There is actually at least one more homebrew though that supports stereo, A-VCS-tec Challenge.  During the Spear level, the spear can be heard fading in and out and whether flying from left or right.

[SlidellMan]

I'm glad that you and Matt made this a reality.

[Silver Back]

Anyway I'm glad to see this on the 7800.  I don't really do old school computers or emulators so this is the only way I'd get to try something like this out.  Thanks to everybody who made it possible.  Looking forward to getting my copy!

[Trebor]

Blown away...

 

I received my copy of Attack of the PETSCII Robots and it does not disappoint.  Needless to state, the game itself is well worth the purchase with a ridiculous amount of replay value and is a blast to play, having an awesome balance of action and strategy, containing excellent graphics and a wonderful soundtrack.  

 

@Albert has again outdone himself with delivery of the physical product.  It was shipped, as usual with any AtariAge store bought purchase, in a very well protected and secure packaged box; foam peanuts plus bubble wrap, and an additional plastic bag for the game box itself.  From box, to cartridge, to the manual, everything is of superior quality.  I thought for certain the manual is where perhaps less expense paper and printing would be utilized, but I was dead wrong.  This has been printed with very high quality materials and almost presents like a small paperback book.  The ink and gloss, the overall presentation, is fantastic, and the entire thing feels relatively heavy.

 

@batari HOKEY and PCB delivers consistent results and audio playback under three different consoles (Snapshots of 2 out of 3 consoles are captured below), as beautifully experienced, under the A7800 emulator and MiSTer FPGA. @RevEng, @mksmith, again I cannot thank you enough for porting this great game, in which arguably the 7800 provides the superior 8-bit experience of it.

 

The included SNES2Atari adapter is rock solid and a thing of beauty.  I nearly feel guilty for it being packaged with the game itself at no additional charge.

 

This is truly all around amazing, folks!  Anyone on the fence about a purchase, do not hesitate any longer.  This is a title to own, a must for the 7800 library.

 

[LANC3L0T]

On 4/2/2023 at 3:49 PM, Trebor said:

This is truly all around amazing, folks!  Anyone on the fence about a purchase, do not hesitate any longer.  This is a title to own, a must for the 7800 library.

 

Thanks for the very positive information about this game.  I ordered it back in late January, so I really look forward to experiencing it on my 7800!!  Especially after your glowing comments. 

 

And I agree about the SNES adapter.  They really need to sell that separately, because I think a lot of people would want to own that!!

[Albert]

I finished a large batch of PETSCII Robots over the weekend (and this is not all of them!) 

 

 

 

And here's a bin full of completed SNES2Atari adapters, before I put them in the anti-static bags.  These are included in the box.

 

 

 ..Al

[doubledown]

With any luck mine is in there!  😁

[LANC3L0T]

Wow, I am so excited to get this game.  But seeing how many others bought the game is really cool too.

Albert, I really appreciate the time and dedication you put into producing all those games.  And thanks for sharing the photos!!

 

I was rather sad this game didn't win the 7800 Homebrew Award.  1942 is a great game, but Petscii Robots offers so much more depth and replay value.  They even created the SNES adapter for it.  Not only that, despite being a very recent game, the 7800 joins a long list of retro systems that now have a Petscii Robots port.

[madmax_2069]

On 4/10/2023 at 2:41 PM, Albert said:

I finished a large batch of PETSCII Robots over the weekend (and this is not all of them!) 

 

 

 

And here's a bin full of completed SNES2Atari adapters, before I put them in the anti-static bags.  These are included in the box.

 

 

 ..Al

Wow. You're a soldering beast, I don't know how you do it, but you surely do. Thank you for all the work and effort you put into all that you do. 

[NoelleAmelie]

I might've already said this in the old thread (I've been busy lately, hard to keep track of everything...), but I'm very happy to hear everyone enjoying the game and especially the music!

This game was the first time I worked very extensively with the POKEY, and it makes me feel accomplished to hear everyone enjoying the tunes.

 

I have also finally gotten around to uploading the soundtrack to YouTube for easy listening, as well as Bandcamp if anyone wants high quality recordings of the full score for this version - and every other I worked on! It's priced at $10 for 46 tracks of music.

https://speedyspcfan.bandcamp.com/album/attack-of-the-petscii-robots-original-soundtrack

 

 

[LANC3L0T]

On 4/18/2023 at 6:34 PM, NoelleAmelie said:

I might've already said this in the old thread (I've been busy lately, hard to keep track of everything...), but I'm very happy to hear everyone enjoying the game and especially the music!

This game was the first time I worked very extensively with the POKEY, and it makes me feel accomplished to hear everyone enjoying the tunes.

Noelle,

 

Thanks for sharing that link.  Your skills are very impressive!

 

It's fun hearing how your tunes vary from system to system.

Did you get help converting your music to all the different platforms?  Or do you know how to do that yourself?

Great job on the PC speaker versions!  That had to be tough, given the EXTREME limitations.

 

I grew up with a C64, so SID music always tugs at my heartstrings (I bought that version of Petscii Robots right away).

I have recently gotten into the Atari 5200 and 7800, and thus experienced the POKEY.  Which is very impressive given it was around long before the SID.

My favorite platform you included would have to be AdLib... the quality is amazing.  😀

[+mksmith]

We were very privileged to have @NoelleAmelie complete the music for us - it's a huge part of the ambience of PETSCII 7800! Thank you again 😄

[NoelleAmelie]

On 4/25/2023 at 3:13 PM, LANC3L0T said:

[...]

 

Thank you so much!

 

I did almost every single conversion myself, the only exceptions I'm aware of are SEGA Master System and part of Genesis/Mega Drive (I did half of the music for that). I'm not completely up to date on all the ports that exist, but at the least I can say I did C64/128, PET, Plus/4, 7800, DOS (AdLib/PCSpkr), Apple II, Amiga, part of GEN/MD, and I recall there's a few ports that re-use the Amiga and A2 soundtracks (at least I handed off the source files to a few people). I also did SNES and NES music but I'm not sure when/if those ports are coming out.

 

Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed the AdLib soundtrack - I have had a soft spot for both the OPL2 and 3 since they were the soundchips that got me into making music when I was 14. 8 years later and I still jump on any chance to play with them.

 

On 4/26/2023 at 12:10 AM, mksmith said:

We were very privileged to have @NoelleAmelie complete the music for us - it's a huge part of the ambience of PETSCII 7800! Thank you again 😄

My pleasure! You were all great to work with, and I'm glad to see the final product is such a hit. Hoping some day we can work together again on more Atari goodness 👍

Edited May 9, 2023 by NoelleAmelie
how the heck did I forget two months of work with the SNES/NES ports?

[+Karl G]

I got my copy yesterday, and I got a chance to play it today. I never got to play the demo because I never updated by dragonfly cart to support it. It is playing very nicely, and I like using the twin Proline control option with my Bluetooth controllers.

[Silver Back]

I got mine today.  The SNES adapter works great.  This one I didn't try at all before hand but it seems like a title that I'll get a lot of play out of.   Music is really good especially compared to what were used to on the 7800. 

[LANC3L0T]

1 hour ago, Silver Back said:

I got mine today.  The SNES adapter works great.  This one I didn't try at all before hand but it seems like a title that I'll get a lot of play out of.   Music is really good especially compared to what were used to on the 7800. 

I received mine today as well, and I have to tip my hat to Albert.  The packaging and quality is amazing!!

I agree with Silver Back... the music is wonderful.  Definitely the best I have heard on the 7800.  So, the Hokey chip is a legit Pokey alternative.

 

The game play is very similar to the C64 version that I own, and the graphics look great.  So, kudos to the development team!!

The SNES adapter makes the game super easy to play.  But, unfortunately it does not work with other 7800 games.

 

If you are thinking about buying this game, I would highly recommend it.  But, if you have not played Petscii Robots before, please read the manual first.  Without knowing how things work, you will most likely get bored and quit... missing out on a splendid game.

[madmax_2069]

Received mine yesterday. This is the first game I bought for the 7800, and definitely not the last. 

 

Well done, and Awesome job. 

[doubledown]

9 hours ago, LANC3L0T said:

The SNES adapter makes the game super easy to play.  But, unfortunately it does not work with other 7800 games.

The game has to be programmed to use it...Rat Trap can make use of it...and I think a few other homebrews allow for it as well.  

[Gordon Fecyk]

Do the SNES adapters also work on the Atari 8-bit systems? Or are these specific to the 7800 console?