Tempest Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 I have in my possession, several different versions of Super Stunt Cycle for the 7800 (which I believe eventually became Motor Psycho). I believe these originally came from Curt Vendel. The problem is that I haven't been able to find anyone who can compile the code into a playable rom. I thought maybe if I post them here someone might be able to get them working. As I'm not really a programmer myself, I don't know if all the needed files are present in each folder. Looking through them they seem to be a hodgepodge of files, but there are note files so hopefully that will help. I look forward to seeing what people can do with these. Super Stunt Cycle.zip 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Quote 5/26/89 Memo: Julie Wade, Atari Corporation Hello Julie, Enclosed in "ARC" are two representative place-holder files which I will refer to this weekend with the next files we submit. One file is a view of today's current state of the timing bug. The other is a version of a utility I am working on for the ST to do the cell animation for Super Stunt Cycle. ___ Regarding my animator program on the ST ___________________________________ A real animation utility for the 7800 has been needed since the beginning. Early in the project I suggested that to Dave Staugas who explained to me that a graphic utility WAS being written for the 7800 which would utilize the 7800's own video output. This was to supercede the method provided at the outset of the project which uses NeoChrome and "NEO2S". NeoChrome is excellent, but the "NEO2S" method was admittedly an incomplete system. The awaited utility was never provided and I assume never finished. The need for an advanced animation tool for the 7800 has always been clear. At that time Dave said the utility was overdue, and something about its author going back to school and taking a long time to finish. On several occasions I requested the communications protocol with the developer's emulator board, but was refused. I had hoped a simple disclosure would have sufficed. Having that would have allowed me to interface other graphic work stations. As you know there are many good ones that don't have the fragmentation of NEO2S. To fill the need, I learned to program the ST and wrote a utility of my own. I will take some time this weekend to generate a reference card for it and some animation data to demonstrate its use. The animator accounts for much of the time that I was shy about reporting because it was different from the standard Atari 7800 development method, and I didn't want to argue its merits. Atari's unwillingness to allow me to interface my favorite workstation convinced me not to make an issue of my ST animator. I see that I should have explained sooner, even if it were criticized. ____ Regarding the bug on Top Rider ___________________________________________ Two types of animation are being merged, algorithmic and classic cell types. Both are time-critical, and are influenced by the code reading from the Top Rider. I am certain I can sort it out soon and will have it in order by this weekend. Something closer to your requested milestone is possible by Tuesday as you suggested to John Boeschen. I'll keep everyone more informed. ____ Expected completion of the project _______________________________________ I know I can have SSC running by the date we originally agreed, June 15th. Is that acceptable? I tried to please everyone by doing it faster, but the extra month of work on the Top Rider was more than I anticipated. Does anyone doubt that I can do it? It would be TRULY fair if I were given time beyond the original deadline to adjust for time spent on the Top Rider engineering. Joining the Top Rider with the program has to be done in degrees, and that's how I'll be doing it. I'll explain more details when time permits. I have no modem for the ST, so I must do some RS232 file transfers to another machine. It results in minutes of delay, so please bear with me. Again I apologize for the misunderstandings I've caused. I could not avoid the delays. I'm also sorry to have caused John Boeschen problems by agreeing to do the Top Rider without his prior permission. I wanted to accept the challenging offer from Larry Siegel in the friendly spirit he offered it. I did after all succeed in the task! John is more practical than I am and would have scheduled that extra work more realistically. I hope to soon be forgiven and vindicated, and to have many more years to give to Atari as I have for Atari in the past. Jim St. Louis 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Looks like someone tried to make a A78 back in 2008. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 10, 2023 Author Share Posted March 10, 2023 30 minutes ago, CPUWIZ said: Looks like someone tried to make a A78 back in 2008. Yeah sorry I forgot to mention that there was one bin file in there already. http://www.atariprotos.com/7800/software/motorpsycho/11388.htm 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 It's pretty much just a static playfield demo, but it does describe itself as a milestone release and talks about upcoming enhancements: Very nifty insight into the development process, including the pleadings to Julie. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 I thought I had compiled these a long time ago. Did I never send them to you? Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 10, 2023 Author Share Posted March 10, 2023 10 minutes ago, Mitch said: I thought I had compiled these a long time ago. Did I never send them to you? Mitch Nope. I believe I gave you the code to look at but you never did send anything back if you compiled it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Hmm, maybe I am misremembering then. I will need to verify when I am on my computer again tonight. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 I seem to have more versions than you. It is from 15 years ago so it might take me a few minutes to sort it all out. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 16 minutes ago, Mitch said: I seem to have more versions than you. It is from 15 years ago so it might take me a few minutes to sort it all out. Mitch Awesome! Please post them when you sort them out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Here are the two from 89. One works about the same as the one from 88 but different messages. The other one loads then crashes. I checked my two from 11-88 and they are both identical. I apparently never compiled the one from 10-88. I don't remember why at this point and I don't really remember how I compiled them. I think I was using an ST emu with Atari's old Madmac compiler if someone else want's to give it a try. The other version I have was from 87 and doesn't boot. It may require the 7800 dev card to work. Again, it has been so long I don't remember now. Mitch Spr Stunt 89.zip 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Very cool! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 15 hours ago, Mitch said: The other version I have was from 87 and doesn't boot. It may require the 7800 dev card to work. I actually have one of those. I don't have the ST to load something on it though. It looks like the one that crashes briefly says 123456789ABCDEF. Still looks like a static playscreen demo though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 This is weird. The new version from 4/14/89 seems to be earlier than the 11/3/88 one. Unless there are a whole bunch of behind the scenes changes that we can't see, it's missing the mountain background and engine noise from the 11/3/88 prototype and adds nothing new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 49 minutes ago, Tempest said: This is weird. The new version from 4/14/89 seems to be earlier than the 11/3/88 one. Unless there are a whole bunch of behind the scenes changes that we can't see, it's missing the mountain background and engine noise from the 11/3/88 prototype and adds nothing new. Did you read the README included with that one? Mitch Quote 4/14/89 Dear Atari, Here is a test program combined with playfield, showing that the "Top Rider" device works with the Atari 7800. This is only a test and contains bugs where interrupts need tune-up. The readout is numeric, without linkage of playfield interaction. In the next day or two I will apply decoding of the "Top Rider" and link it to playfield action. Is there a phone number I can upload it to in Chicago, via 1200 baud modem? More soon! ---- Jim St. Louis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 3 hours ago, Mitch said: Did you read the README included with that one? No I didn't. So what does this really mean though? To me it looks exactly the same as the one from 5 months earlier. What is the "Top Rider" device? Was that supposed to be some sort of special joystick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 I do not know. I guess someone would have to ask Jim St. Louis. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 9 minutes ago, Mitch said: I do not know. I guess someone would have to ask Jim St. Louis. Mitch Is there anything in the code that might shed some light in this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 I am not a coder so someone else would have to look at it. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Digging into the '89 SSCDLI.S source, the Top Rider device looks to be a clocked serial controller. At times the source code refers to the controller as a "motorcycle". SSCDLI.S.txt A slightly crazy thought... Top Rider is an NES motorcycle game that shipped in 1988 with an inflatable motorcycle controller, and NES controllers are clocked serial devices. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 25 minutes ago, RevEng said: Digging into the '89 SSCDLI.S source, the Top Rider device looks to be a clocked serial controller. At times the source code refers to the controller as a "motorcycle". SSCDLI.S.txt 4.04 kB · 1 download A slightly crazy thought... Top Rider is an NES motorcycle game that shipped in 1988 with an inflatable motorcycle controller, and NES controllers are clocked serial devices. Interesting. Any way to test this theory with an emulator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Not presently, no - none of the 7800 emulators support nes controllers, and this controller is a bit weird. First, it has analog values spread over some of the bits, so I can't just substitute a gamepad for it. Second, it uses the NES Expansion Port rather than the regular NES controller ports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 7 minutes ago, RevEng said: Not presently, no - none of the 7800 emulators support nes controllers, and this controller is a bit weird. First, it has analog values spread over some of the bits, so I can't just substitute a gamepad for it. Second, it uses the NES Expansion Port rather than the regular NES controller ports. So the code is looking for a special controller on port 2 and won't do anything without it? I wonder if an emulator can be hacked to at least get the demo to do something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Clocked serial communication with the console isn't just a quick hack job. It would be much closer to implementing the thing properly, and this device doesn't seem to be fully documented. Anyway, I tried trowing random values into the 9 different memory locations the serial data gets stuffed into as it's read ($C2-$CA) and also the "latch" locations that seem to also get the data stored in them. ($CB-$D3) In the 4-14-89 version, it just replaces the 03-03-03-03-03-03-03-03-03 text with my random values. (03 would be the all-high value from the serial read, and is an expected result without a device attached) In the 5-26-89 version it just briefly displays the text "123456789ABCDEF". I don't think the controls have been implemented in these protos, beyond the displayed values result. This is the sort of thing I'd write first for a new controller, rather than trying to hook it up to a game engine right away. It was in fact, the first thing I wrote to test the 7800basic snes2atari controller driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 The more interesting question to me is if the final game (Motor Psycho) has the serial code. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.