Ben from Plaion Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 5 minutes ago, DEANJIMMY said: Xevious looks better but not like the original. Even the title screen should have a green background. Galaga should have red, blue and green enemies. 1st pic how it should be 2nd picture is Rev2 Sorry to jump in but Galaga, we are talking here about the 7800 PAL colour pallette right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEANJIMMY Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 (edited) 37 minutes ago, Ben from Plaion said: Sorry to jump in but Galaga, we are talking here about the 7800 PAL colour pallette right? Correct, the 2600 PAL palette is fine. The 7800 PAL palette was only wrong for Xevious (brown). After it got changed in Rev2, Xevious looks better but Choplifter is now far off, Galaga and Commando a little bit. Therefore this other thread with some example pics got started. In the original console you've got a potentiometer to fine tune it. The 7800 Scart console was most of the time a bit off. Choplifter was the best cart for fine tuning (the US flag should have red stripes and not red/brown ones and the desert ground is yellow/ochre and not green. Once done, the other games were Ok. Every console looks a little bit different but we all know how the US flag looks like. If you look at the pictures in the other thread, palette A gets Xevious green, green enemies in Galaga, brown ground in Commando and correct Choplifter colors. Two other palettes look maybe better for some games but not for Choplifter. For Pole Position II you get diferent shades of blue but the sky is at least blue. Edited February 12 by DEANJIMMY 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben from Plaion Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 (edited) 31 minutes ago, DEANJIMMY said: Correct, the 2600 PAL palette is fine. The 7800 PAL palette was only wrong for Xevious (brown). After it got changed in Rev2, Xevious looks better but Choplifter is now far off, Galaga and Commando a little bit. Therefore this other thread with some example pics got started. In the original console you've got a potentiometer to fine tune it. The 7800 Scart console was most of the time a bit off. Choplifter was the best cart for fine tuning (the US flag should have red stripes and not red/brown ones and the desert ground is yellow/ochre and not green. Once done, the other games were Ok. Every console looks a little bit different but we all know how the US flag looks like. If you look at the pictures in the other thread, palette A gets Xevious green, green enemies in Galaga, brown ground in Commando and correct Choplifter colors. Two other palettes look maybe better for some games but not for Choplifter. For Pole Position II you get diferent shades of blue but the sky is at least blue. Yeah I seen them all, need to see them again on a real 7800 but even then that's effected by whatever display I actually use, but still there is a perfect baseline at the display out signal prior to actually being fed into a monitor/tv? Edited February 12 by Ben from Plaion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEANJIMMY Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Ben from Plaion said: Yeah I seen them all, need to see them again on a real 7800 but even then that's effected by whatever display I actually use, but still there is a perfect baseline at the display out signal prior to actually being fed into a monitor/tv? I have 3 TV sets and the difference is not as big as between some original consoles, like Scart and RF. And the NTSC games do not have the same colors as the PAL ones... Edited February 12 by DEANJIMMY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz0red Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 (edited) 12 hours ago, JetmanUK said: Really enjoy hearing about the upgrades that are in progress, thanks to everyone who is hard at work in this. We all really really appreciate it. 😊👍🏻 An annoying question, sorry to ask it... Is the next build far off? Most of the work has been on the 2600 side. We are now making similar changes on the 7800 side. Hopefully, if all goes well, a build won't be too far off. 9 hours ago, Dionoid said: Really looking forward to the update with the video driver fix. Will that update also bring back the 50Hz video output for PAL games? Yes. 7 hours ago, DEANJIMMY said: And palette A for 7800 PAL games, please😊 Yes. 7 hours ago, shane857 said: And also, would it be possible to add save states? 🤔 There are several issues with that unfortunately. They are all resolvable, but it would take a bit of time. First, the 7800 side would need the save state portion ported over (it wasn't included in the initial port as it isn't a listed feature of the 2600+). While that one is pretty straight-forward, the next two are less so. Another issue is that there is very limited storage space on the current image. To allow for full use of this feature, a user partition would need to be enabled. Finally, the current image upgrade process wipes any persisted data. Thus, a modified approach would need to be used for your saves to be persisted across upgrades. Again, all these are resolvable, but as this isn't a stated feature of the 2600+, it hasn't been prioritized. Chris. Edited February 12 by raz0red 6 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varanis Ridari Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 So far, on vanilla v1.00 firmware, I have the following foibles: -Picnic (load fails) -Jr. Pac Man (graphical glitches, no music, pellets don't disappear, unplayable) -Smurf Rescue (unit loads, has a heart attack, unplayable) -Journey Escape (slow gameplay, clippy music) -Wizard of Wor (slow when too many objects on screen, then fine afterwards, mostly still enjoyable) Everything else is fine. When I'm home from work (typing this from mobile), I'll try this firmware update and see what works, what doesn't, and hope my Picnic isn't just a dead cart (seller said tested lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorkbot Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) 2 hours ago, Varanis Ridari said: -Jr. Pac Man (graphical glitches, no music, pellets don't disappear, unplayable) Jr. Pac Man works perfectly for me on firmware 1.0 …I have none of the problems you listed here. Wizard of Wor behaves the same for me on Atari 2600+ as it does on original Atari as far as I can tell. I don’t have the other games you listed. Just a reminder to thoroughly clean the cart contacts and then clean them again…and then again… if any cart is behaving weirdly. Edited February 13 by Glorkbot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varanis Ridari Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) @Glorkbot I cleaned the Jr. Pac-Man several times, and also the Picnic. I've had several issues with games not loading due to dirty contacts that were resolved with cleaning, but never had games load with graphical or programming issues. At this point, if the carts still fail after I do the firmware update (where others have noted success), I can only assume bad carts are the result, and will need to return them. Edited February 13 by Varanis Ridari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 I agree with Glorkbot: both Jr Pacman and Wizard of Wor ran fine on my Plus with firmware 1.0 I can only suggest cleaning them again. I had a 2600 Popeye that I probably cleaned a half-dozen times - maybe 20 minutes total of cleaning and scrubbing before it finally started working fine. No problems with it since. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varanis Ridari Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) On 1/24/2024 at 11:41 AM, Ben from Plaion said: Hello all, Many thanks for all the feedback on the Christmas update. We have a revision of the firmware as well as a repost of the latest dumper software attached to this post. We've made the decision to roll back to a 60hz only output for the time being so that the missing sprites issue doesnt effect PAL cart owners. Now that the 7800 emulation and cart compatibility is in a good place, attention now focuses on 2600 emulation. We have the intention of resolving the 50 60hz issue and want to re-introduce it as well as rectifying high CPU usage that maybe affecting some 2600 games as noted in the original 1.1 beta update thread. Thanks especially to @raz0red and @RevEng for all the fantastic support. Another technical whizz has offered support on 2600 homebrew compatibility and we hope to make further advancements there in a future update. 2600 fixes Donkey Kong Jr - Coleco (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9) Smurfs Rescue in Gargamel's Castle - Coleco (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9) Masters of the Universe - Mattel (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9) Burgertime - Mattel (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9) Bump n' Jump - Mattel (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9) Robot Tank (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9) I'm interested if owners of Coleco white cart rev 3 and M-Network games not listed above can confirm cartridge compatibility with this latest build. 7800 fixes A.R.T.I. (Pokey sound fixed) Asteroids Deluxe (PAL), now correctly starts in PAL mode Asteroids Deluxe (Escape sequence for hidden game, both buttons + right for 3 seconds, immediately on load) Crazy Brix (PAL), now correctly starts in PAL mode Danger Zone (Pokey sound fixed) Diagnostic Test Cartridge (Now loads correctly) Double Dragon (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9) E.X.O. (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9, Pokey sound fixed) Karateka (PAL) (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9) Keystone Koppers (Pokey sound fixed) Klax (may load now, unverified) Millie & Molly (Pokey sound fixed) Moon Cresta (PAL), now correctly starts in PAL mode Pac-Man Collection (PAL), now correctly starts in PAL mode Pole Position II (Course select screen fix) Popeye (Fixed freeze on game start, 1.3c version) Possible Mission (may load now, Dumper 1.1.0.9, unverified) Rampage (now loads, Dumper 1.1.0.9) Scramble (PAL), now correctly starts in PAL mode Space Dual (PAL), now correctly starts in PAL mode Space Invaders (PAL), now correctly starts in PAL mode Tower Toppler (Composite smoothing) Xevious (PAL) (Palette update, less brown) Instructions for updating remain the same as the Christmas update Many thanks and I hope to further bring more updates to optimise the experience of the Atari 2600+ AtariDumper1.1.0.9.exe 5.26 MB · 409 downloads update-012324.img 68.85 MB · 374 downloads I did the dumper upgrade successfully, but I keep getting "Prepare IDB Fail" when I start the firmware update, and can't get any further. Edited February 13 by Varanis Ridari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varanis Ridari Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, Varanis Ridari said: I did the dumper upgrade successfully, but I keep getting "Prepare IDB Fail" when I start the firmware update, and can't get any further. Disregard, finally got it to take the update. Can delete the above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben from Plaion Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 36 minutes ago, Varanis Ridari said: Disregard, finally got it to take the update. Can delete the above. What did you do differently to get past the "Prepare IDB Fail" message? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varanis Ridari Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) 44 minutes ago, Ben from Plaion said: What did you do differently to get past the "Prepare IDB Fail" message? Not quite sure, besides trying different USB-C cables besides the Pack-in and deleting/redownloading the tool. I do recall my install of Win10 and my browser (Firefox) both flagging the images and tools as malware, and having to manually unblock them, but I did that before any of the myriad attempts (like 12), and multiple USB port and cable changes. After everything, just that last random time, if finally took, and I was jumping up and down after 2 hours with it. As an aside, my Jr Pac-Man (1983 copyright red label) still had visual glitches and no music plus my Picnic (notched case US Games) still didn't work after multiple cleanings both on 1.00 and 1.1rev2. So I just made the eBay return on them both, and the Smurf cart that is having the same issue as everyone else, except 90% it doesn't load. When it does, gobbledygook results. Other than that, everything else is fine. Edited February 13 by Varanis Ridari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vexorx Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 On 1/24/2024 at 1:16 PM, chad5200 said: 2600 NTSC Coleco Smurf Rescue In Gargamel’s Castle (white shell) still is not working for me. I’ve mentioned it before but just wanted to reiterate in this thread. Curious to know if anyone else is having the same issue. here is how it is loading: IMG_2904.mov 23.94 MB · 10 downloads Works great on classic 2600. Yep, the same is happening with my white Coleco copy of Smurf Rescue in Gargamel’s Castle. Before and after the most recent beta update. I can also confirm Robot Tank does work after the update, though as most know with many Activision carts, you have to double clean them and sometimes you have to pull the cart out slightly once inserted. No found issues with any other carts. The only one I have not working besides the Smurf one is of course Pitfall II. 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody2000 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 On 2/2/2024 at 7:30 AM, chad5200 said: The problems with Tac-Scan and Spike’s Peak should be simple for Plaion to fix. Tac-Scan wants to be played with paddles in the RIGHT port and for whatever reason Stella is not correctly doing this. Also, Stella is incorrectly detecting Spike’s Peak as a paddle game when it is really a joystick game. originally in the arcade tac-scan was a paddle/spinner game so its possible it is for the atari to not sure tho as i do not own a copy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody2000 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 On 2/12/2024 at 7:20 PM, Varanis Ridari said: @Glorkbot I cleaned the Jr. Pac-Man several times, and also the Picnic. I've had several issues with games not loading due to dirty contacts that were resolved with cleaning, but never had games load with graphical or programming issues. At this point, if the carts still fail after I do the firmware update (where others have noted success), I can only assume bad carts are the result, and will need to return them. not common to have bad carts tho if a bad cart does arise its usually the cbs ram plus carts as the ram chip fails happened with my tunnel runner cart thankfully ive since then hunted down 2 more so i have one to play and one as a backup 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varanis Ridari Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 23 minutes ago, Cody2000 said: not common to have bad carts tho if a bad cart does arise its usually the cbs ram plus carts as the ram chip fails happened with my tunnel runner cart thankfully ive since then hunted down 2 more so i have one to play and one as a backup Only CBS cart I got is Wizard of Wor. That one seems too simple to need any cart-side enhancement, but I could be wrong. I'm no electrical engineer for sure. 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrChickenz Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 (edited) I just received my copies of Robot City for the 2600 and Frenzy for the 7800. Robot City works great! In the 2600+ Frenzy works but seems a bit laggy when the enemies explode. Has anyone else tried Frenzy in the 2600+? Maybe that’s how the game runs. I’ll try it in original hardware to compare. Two awesome games I have to say! Edited February 15 by MrChickenz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 19 hours ago, Varanis Ridari said: Only CBS cart I got is Wizard of Wor. That one seems too simple to need any cart-side enhancement, but I could be wrong. I'm no electrical engineer for sure. 😅 The CBS games with RAM Plus actually say so on the label. Wizard of Wor, Solar Fox, and Gorf do not use RAM Plus, and run fine on the Plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Kellertronix Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Bump & jump worked, Burgertime turns on but I cant start Time Pilot white cartridge still issues as listed below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeM_ Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 18 minutes ago, Kellertronix said: Bump & jump worked, Burgertime turns on but I cant start Time Pilot white cartridge still issues as listed below. Burgertime started for me after moving a difficulty switch. Not sure if that's on purpose or not, but since it started working I counted it as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varanis Ridari Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 1 hour ago, LS650 said: The CBS games with RAM Plus actually say so on the label. Wizard of Wor, Solar Fox, and Gorf do not use RAM Plus, and run fine on the Plus. That's good to know if I come across any others. Most of my acquisitions post-2600+ have been chance finds at local retro stores or rummage sales. I've only purpose-bought a handful of games online so far, and none of them were CBS, as I only went after what I had as a kid (never had any CBS carts growing up). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrChickenz Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 7 hours ago, MikeM_ said: Burgertime started for me after moving a difficulty switch. Not sure if that's on purpose or not, but since it started working I counted it as good. Yes Mike, you are correct. The left difficulty switch will pause the game for Burgertime. This happened to me with two other games that I have I thought weren’t working. Turned out they have a pause feature. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KainXavier Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 (edited) I finally got around to testing more of my games on Rev 2 and the v1.1.0.9 dumper, and I found an issue new to this build. Juno First (NTSC) no longer boots. It loads into a black screen and a beeping / clicking sound plays continuously. I verified the game still works on my 7800, and I've also tested the game on previous builds. Edited February 16 by KainXavier Indented issue for readability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 4 hours ago, KainXavier said: Juno First (NTSC) no longer boots. It loads into a black screen and a beeping / clicking sound plays continuously. I can confirm this behavior with my cart as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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