DEANJIMMY Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 10 hours ago, Billiesan said: If anyone was wondering, Audacity's new game Alien Abduction works just fine on the 2600+. Just like their other game Circus Convoy. Been on the site and the editions are quite confusing... how can I order an Alien Abduction cartridge? I don't care about a serial number, boxes, etc. and don't want to read all this stuff... really😅 Just a cart and a manual, please😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plumbob Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 On 6/22/2024 at 2:25 PM, shane857 said: Played Super Cobra earlier and the Colour/BW switch does not pause the game as it should. Interesting. On my 2600+, the Color/BW switch does pause on Super Cobra. Mine is NTSC, is your’s PAL perhaps? (I’m running 1.1x-r4) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Philsan Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 1 hour ago, DEANJIMMY said: Been on the site and the editions are quite confusing... how can I order an Alien Abduction cartridge? I don't care about a serial number, boxes, etc. and don't want to read all this stuff... really😅 Just a cart and a manual, please😉 You must be registered, go to the Store page, select Game: Alien Abduction, then Edition: Standard Edition (the less expensive), then Format (NTSC format runs on NTSC Atari 2600 and Atari 2600+, PAL format runs on PAL Atari 2600 and Atari 2600+, not tested my PAL cart yet). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 3 hours ago, stuartelectronics said: Does anyone know how close are we to getting an official release and will there be a way to update it via mac os or linux? Answer posted here: Quoted below for convenience: Quote There won't be a "final" release for some time. There are (and will continue to be) a number of items to improve on, better compatibility, tweaks, etc. But, the hope is that this particular update* (firmware and dumper) will be promoted to an official update if no regressions are discovered. *Reference. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plumbob Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 On 6/18/2024 at 5:53 PM, raz0red said: Updated dumper (x.02) and firmware (1.1x-r4) on the first page of this thread, please let us know if you experience any regressions. Thanks, Chris. First I just want to thank everyone involved for the continued support with firmware/dumper updates. It is so cool that there is this community of people who come together on this forum and collaborate with each other and test things out. It feels great to help out and be a part of something positive in this world, even though my contributions happen to be very very small. I upgraded my 2600+ to dumper (x.02) and firmware (1.1x-r4) and I thoroughly tested each of the games listed below for more than several minutes each, trying different game select modes and difficulty settings too. Good news, I didn’t notice any regressions! Here is the list of NTSC games that I have that do work: 2600: 10 Games in 1 Cartridge 4 Games in 1 Cartridge Adventure Air Sea Battle Armor Ambush Asteroids Astroblast Barnstorming Berzerk Berzerk Enhanced Boxing Combat Crackpots Demon Attack Donkey Kong Enduro ET Freeway Frogger Frogger II Threedeep! Grand Prix Hangman HERO HERO2 (green PCB) Jr. Pac Man Jungle Hunt Maze Craze Missile command Mr. Run And Jump Ms. Pac Man Pac Man Pelé’s Soccer Pitfall Q*Bert River Raid Space Invaders Space War Spider Fighter Stampede Starmaster Stella’s Stocking Super Breakout Super Cobra Tennis Video Checkers Warlords Yars’ Revenge 7800: Centipede Dig Dug Dragon’s Havoc Galaga Joust Ms. Pac Man Pole Position II Tower Toppler Xevious One game, that is already a known issue, is my HERO2 cart (with purple PCB and serial number below 200). It doesn’t work with this firmware update yet. Picture of debug info below. My other HERO2 cart with a green PCB is working with this update and has been working with previous updates too. Let me know if there is any more information I can provide on this. With this update, Astroblast now works with either paddle or joystick, so that’s very awesome! One thing I did notice, and I hesitate to even mention this because I don’t really think it is related to the firmware, but both Dig Dug 7800 and Galaga 7800 didn’t have any sound at first. I had to reinsert the cartridges and then they worked fine. @shane857 had mentioned that pause is not working on Super Cobra, but for me it does work. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane857 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 11 hours ago, Plumbob said: Interesting. On my 2600+, the Color/BW switch does pause on Super Cobra. Mine is NTSC, is your’s PAL perhaps? (I’m running 1.1x-r4) Yes mine is PAL. I am also on 1.1 r4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 5 minutes ago, shane857 said: Yes mine is PAL. I am also on 1.1 r4 The PAL version doesn't pause in Stella too. The pause code got removed intentionally. No clue why. NTSC: ----- Ld023 lda SWCHB and #$08 ; check B&W switch bne Ld02d ; if color, continue jmp Ld0bf ; else, pause Ld02d PAL: ---- Ld023 lda SWCHB and #$08 bne Ld02d nop nop nop Ld02d 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane857 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 9 hours ago, Thomas Jentzsch said: The PAL version doesn't pause in Stella too. The pause code got removed intentionally. No clue why. NTSC: ----- Ld023 lda SWCHB and #$08 ; check B&W switch bne Ld02d ; if color, continue jmp Ld0bf ; else, pause Ld02d PAL: ---- Ld023 lda SWCHB and #$08 bne Ld02d nop nop nop Ld02d Are there any other PAL games to your knowledge utilising the Colour/BW switch that also have the pause code removed intentionally? Like for instance Quest for Quintana Roo. I have the NTSC version and the switch pauses the game as it should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 16 minutes ago, shane857 said: Are there any other PAL games to your knowledge utilising the Colour/BW switch that also have the pause code removed intentionally? Like for instance Quest for Quintana Roo. I have the NTSC version and the switch pauses the game as it should. Maybe, but there is no technical reason and I am not aware of any other. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockduck Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 So I am not very techie but since this is pretty much never coming out in a format that makes it easy I went through the process to update to beta 1.1 rev 2, and I - tried - to figure out how to update this. So, I can update the "dumper driver" just fine, but I'm not seeing a new image to put onto the 2600+? Does just running the dumper with the 2600+ connected give me these updates or is there something else I'm supposed to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockduck Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 I should mention I seemed to be able to update to the update-012324 disc image file just fine, but I'm not seeing any kind of disc image associated with the newest updates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 2 hours ago, Mockduck said: So I am not very techie but since this is pretty much never coming out in a format that makes it easy I went through the process to update to beta 1.1 rev 2, and I - tried - to figure out how to update this. So, I can update the "dumper driver" just fine, but I'm not seeing a new image to put onto the 2600+? Does just running the dumper with the 2600+ connected give me these updates or is there something else I'm supposed to do? 2 hours ago, Mockduck said: I should mention I seemed to be able to update to the update-012324 disc image file just fine, but I'm not seeing any kind of disc image associated with the newest updates? See the below post containing all files needed in one downloadable archive and step-by-step detailed instructions. The instruction are contained in the post and in the aforementioned linked archive file: Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockduck Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 (edited) 1 hour ago, Trebor said: See the below post containing all files needed in one downloadable archive and step-by-step detailed instructions. The instruction are contained in the post and in the aforementioned linked archive file: Hope that helps! Yeah i used that but no experimental file other than the download appeared in my folder. What is the name of the image file I am looking for for experimental one and two? Edited June 25 by Mockduck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockduck Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 Maybe this will help explain what I am looking for, not sure where to find the ? files: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockduck Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 Also, I'm assuming you need to do these in order, right, rather than skip versions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skorphy Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 I know this is likely an underlying Stella issue but has there been any work toward making the number pad / kid controller work? I've got two young kids itching to play some of those Sesame Street games! I suppose I could go buy a vintage 2600 but I was trying to avoid this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 29 minutes ago, Mockduck said: Maybe this will help explain what I am looking for, not sure where to find the ? files: All of those files are not included in the provided archive download. Download the file from this link: https://forums.atariage.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=1127902&key=3ab0ad1758c85247d946681aea64344d That download link provides the archive file: "How to Update the 2600+ Console_20240618.zip" This is a list of what is provided and sorted in that archive zip file: Follow the direction from this post: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/361600-experimental-2600-firmware-and-dumper/?do=findComment&comment=5488452 Same direction are provided in the included document: "How to Update the 2600+ Console.docx". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 2 hours ago, skorphy said: I know this is likely an underlying Stella issue... Nope. It is a Libretro/RetroArch issue, the controllers are perfectly emulated by Stella. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dionoid Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 15 hours ago, Mockduck said: So I am not very techie but since this is pretty much never coming out in a format that makes it easy I went through the process to update to beta 1.1 rev 2, and I - tried - to figure out how to update this. ... I've read somewhere in this thread that Atari/Plaion is working on a more user-friendly firmware updater. Maybe the people working on this can get inspiration from the Evercade's firmware updater, which has a very simple UI and is basically doing a similar rock-chip updating process under the hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrChickenz Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 (edited) With all due respect, and I mean that! Can someone explain the pallet color change with the new Firmware please. I was under the impression it was just PAL games that needed adjusting. Or is it one and the same? If PAL is adjusted does it affect NTSC also or were adjustments made to NTSC? I am just now noticing some games are to dark for NTSC now. Some I can’t see Sprites while playing. Other colors just look off. PITFALL! The trees trunks are now black, they are the same color as the Tar Pit. The trees trunks should be brown the Tar Pit and very bottom of the screen should be black. Ask David Crane. Keystone Kapers The building’s from the rooftop are black, they should be light gray. It’s not nighttime it’s dusk. Garry Kitchen wanted it this way. Keystone Kapers Hack I can no longer see shopping carts or radios on the rooftop now Harry Hooligan gets away with all the loot! Boxing Red vs Blue Hack Is now Brown vs Blue. I haven’t gone through all my games but I was satisfied with NTSC colors the way they were. I could revert back to 1.1x-r2. But then I miss out on Pitfall II and other fixes. I guess that’s why I have a COLOR/BW switch. lol If there is a file I could download that would change the colors back while keeping 1.1x-r4 that would be greatly appreciated. These pictures were of 1.1x-r2 and 1.1xr4. Edited June 25 by MrChickenz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mastic_man Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 27 minutes ago, MrChickenz said: With all due respect, and I mean that! Can someone explain the pallet color change with the new Firmware please. I was under the impression it was just PAL games that needed adjusting. Or is it one and the same? If PAL is adjusted does it affect NTSC also or were adjustments made to NTSC? I am just now noticing some games are to dark for NTSC now. Some I can’t see Sprites while playing. Other colors just look off. PITFALL! The trees trunks are now black, they are the same color as the Tar Pit. The trees trunks should be brown the Tar Pit and very bottom of the screen should be black. Ask David Crane. Keystone Kapers The building’s from the rooftop are black, they should be light gray. It’s not nighttime it’s dusk. Garry Kitchen wanted it this way. Keystone Kapers Hack I can no longer see shopping carts or radios on the rooftop now Harry Hooligan gets away with all the loot! Boxing Red vs Blue Hack Is now Brown vs Blue. I haven’t gone through all my games but I was satisfied with NTSC colors the way they were. I could revert back to 1.1x-r2. But then I miss out on Pitfall II and other fixes. I guess that’s why I have a COLOR/BW switch. lol If there is a file I could download that would change the colors back while keeping 1.1x-r4 that would be greatly appreciated. These pictures were of 1.1x-r2 and 1.1xr4. Should be ok rolling back the firmware to R2 or R3 and still be able to play pitfall 2, just dont roll back the dumper firmware beyond the expermimental dumper-052024-x.01 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrChickenz Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 Just now, mastic_man said: Should be ok rolling back the firmware to R2 or R3 and still be able to play pitfall 2, just dont roll back the dumper firmware beyond the expermimental dumper-052024-x.01 Ok I will try that. I thought Pitfall II needed the latest firmware also. I will try that now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrChickenz Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 Pitfall II won’t load with 1.1x-r2. And I believe the color change is also in 1.1x-r3. It’s fine I can stay on 1.1x-r2 for now. I play those other games more than Pitfall II anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockduck Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 52 minutes ago, Dionoid said: I've read somewhere in this thread that Atari/Plaion is working on a more user-friendly firmware updater. Maybe the people working on this can get inspiration from the Evercade's firmware updater, which has a very simple UI and is basically doing a similar rock-chip updating process under the hood. Yeah, I've been hearing that, but so far it seems like vaporware. It was supposed to be released in December of 2023, so it's been six+ months without further word on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetmanUK Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 (edited) 1 hour ago, MrChickenz said: With all due respect, and I mean that! Can someone explain the pallet color change with the new Firmware please. I was under the impression it was just PAL games that needed adjusting. Or is it one and the same? If PAL is adjusted does it affect NTSC also or were adjustments made to NTSC? I am just now noticing some games are to dark for NTSC now. Some I can’t see Sprites while playing. Other colors just look off. PITFALL! The trees trunks are now black, they are the same color as the Tar Pit. The trees trunks should be brown the Tar Pit and very bottom of the screen should be black. Ask David Crane. Keystone Kapers The building’s from the rooftop are black, they should be light gray. It’s not nighttime it’s dusk. Garry Kitchen wanted it this way. Keystone Kapers Hack I can no longer see shopping carts or radios on the rooftop now Harry Hooligan gets away with all the loot! Boxing Red vs Blue Hack Is now Brown vs Blue. I haven’t gone through all my games but I was satisfied with NTSC colors the way they were. I could revert back to 1.1x-r2. But then I miss out on Pitfall II and other fixes. I guess that’s why I have a COLOR/BW switch. lol If there is a file I could download that would change the colors back while keeping 1.1x-r4 that would be greatly appreciated. These pictures were of 1.1x-r2 and 1.1xr4. 's This does bring the whole palette discussion up again. Perhaps the standard 2600 NTSC palette needs to be used, I wonder what prompted the change? @Trebor made some good points yesterday when discussing PAL 7800 Fatal Run's wonky colours and how we shouldn't mess with palette settings to accomoodate one game, that would of course be madness, I would never want that. Why was the 2600 NTSC palette changed? And that brings us back to 2600 PAL, that was changed due to Pole Position having a dodgy road colour (EDIT it's not actually dodgy!), but should we have changed that too? For one game? I remember @Thomas Jentzsch being against it at the time, stating that there was another path to take. I do also recall that many pushed for PAL Z26 colours (including me), in hindsight I think that may have been an error. @Ben from Plaion EDIT Looking at Stella on my laptop again with it set to the standard palette Pole Postion is fine, sure the road is dark, but its not a problem. I think many early users of the 2600 Plus had their brightness too low or some funky filter setting on. The PAL palette should be reverted to the standard one in IMO. I can post screenshots. We should revisit this issue please @RevEng Edited June 25 by JetmanUK 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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