What's with this BallBlazer Cartridge?

[NightSprinter]

So, I broke under pressure and carefully lifted up the top of the shrinkwrap after cutting it open so I can open up my sealed, boxed copy of Ballblazer for the Atari 7800, and I noticed the front label is silver while the top/end label is red. Was this a mis-print, or does anyone else here have a cartridge like this?

[Mot]

So, I broke under pressure and carefully lifted up the top of the shrinkwrap after cutting it open so I can open up my sealed, boxed copy of Ballblazer for the Atari 7800, and I noticed the front label is silver while the top/end label is red.  Was this a mis-print, or does anyone else here have a cartridge like this?

965760[/snapback]

 

Did you see:Ballblazer Color label - Red end label?

[NightSprinter]

Not sure how often language is moderated/censored on these forums.. but HOLY SHIT!! I just managed to get myself a NICE buy for $7 at a flea market then (if I'm guessing right).. I guess that was worth cracking open the box and finding I had an R3 cart..

[birdie3]

Supposedly there was a VCS Ballblazer in the works. Maybe they had a bunch of labels already printed.

[Tempest]

Supposedly there was a VCS Ballblazer in the works. Maybe they had a bunch of labels already printed.

966158[/snapback]

 

Nah I think it was more a printing snafu or miscommunication. The 2600 version of Ballblazer was canceled back in 1984 and wasn't more than 30% or so complete (maybe as much as 60% depending on who you believe).

 

Tempest

[birdie3]

Supposedly there was a VCS Ballblazer in the works. Maybe they had a bunch of labels already printed.

966158[/snapback]

 

Nah I think it was more a printing snafu or miscommunication. The 2600 version of Ballblazer was canceled back in 1984 and wasn't more than 30% or so complete (maybe as much as 60% depending on who you believe).

 

Tempest

966159[/snapback]

 

 

Wasn't the dude who was coding 2600 Ballblazer a big time stoner? I can't see that turning out to be all that great of a port.

 

I think a diagonal bird's eye viewed version of Ballblazer would be pretty cool. It would have to have some really wicked background music. Change the name to "PongBots" or something like that. Maybe throw in a few power-ups or something.

 

A

[+FujiSkunk]

Wasn't the dude who was coding 2600 Ballblazer a big time stoner? I can't see that turning out to be all that great of a port.

 

You do realize a good many programmers at Atari during its heyday were big-time stoners, don't you?

 

I don't advocate the habit, but it seems they were still capable of doing something right.

 

I'm more curious about how a 2600 version would even be possible. The playfield demo I've seen is pretty sweet even despite the lack of proper perspective, but that alone has to consume a lot of resources, and I can't imagine how the 2600 could do the math required for anything close to decent ball physics.

[Tempest]

Tod Frye was the programmer working on Ball Blazer for the 2600.

 

Tempest

[supercat]

...and I can't imagine how the 2600 could do the math required for anything close to decent ball physics.

966175[/snapback]

 

Would you imagine that a 2600 would be able to superimpose a smoothly-rotating 24x20 pixel (max dimensions) lunar lander module on a high-resolution landscape, generating the rotational graphics in real time, in a 4K cart, using no RAM expansion?

 

'Cuz it can.

[jaybird3rd]

Tod Frye was the programmer working on Ball Blazer for the 2600.

 

Tempest

966230[/snapback]

Heh ... I think I remember him telling the story on the "Once Upon Atari" DVD about how he rolled himself a funny cigarette one day, took a nice long drag, and had a vision in which the complete algorithm for the 2600 BallBlazer display kernel suddenly materialized in his mind. This was (according to him) followed by months of simple clerical work to code it out.

 

But, getting back on topic, I bought a whole stack of 7800 BallBlazers cartridges once from O'Shea's to use as POKEY-enabled donors for homebrew games, and I've found one or two of them with red end labels.

Edited November 16, 2005 by jaybird3rd

[+FujiSkunk]

Would you imagine that a 2600 would be able to superimpose a smoothly-rotating 24x20 pixel (max dimensions) lunar lander module on a high-resolution landscape, generating the rotational graphics in real time, in a 4K cart, using no RAM expansion?

 

'Cuz it can.

966254[/snapback]

 

I doubt you'd be saying that if it weren't true, but I'd still have to see it to believe it. And is that with or without interaction from the controller? And can it then split the screen in two and render both halves independently, with interaction from both controllers?

[NightSprinter]

So to go back on topic folks, how much is the red end-label Ballblazer worth since I actually have an R3 cartridge?

[jaybird3rd]

So to go back on topic folks, how much is the red end-label Ballblazer worth since I actually have an R3 cartridge?

966301[/snapback]

Not very much, I'd suspect. BallBlazer is one of the more common 7800 games, and even the unusually-labelled ones are more plentiful than some of the truly rare titles. I've seen them go on eBay for about the same price as regular BallBlazer cartridges (or maybe $1 or $2 more).

[supercat]

I doubt you'd be saying that if it weren't true, but I'd still have to see it to believe it.  And is that with or without interaction from the controller?

966291[/snapback]

Well, look at http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=78627 and tell me what you think. Note that in that demo, the ship is rotated with Select/Reset. It's a kernel demo, so physics aren't implemented, but the only tricky part of the physics is collision detection. Otherwise F=mA is pretty darned simple.

[shadow460]

In my collection, the silver end label is the rare version. I have a redone that I, too, cracked the shrinkwrap, thinking I'd sell it or remove the pokey. Not so, my friend. On that day in Norman, OK, I discovered (to my delight), that I had a red label BallBlazer.

I just won another one from fleabay with a red label.

I paid $2 for my first one MIB, and now I play that one instead of the silver one. The ebay set will cost me $25 for 11 games. Alien Brigade is in that set, so that means the other games will cost me about $1 each.

[NightSprinter]

In my collection, the silver end label is the rare version.  I have a redone that I, too, cracked the shrinkwrap, thinking I'd sell it or remove the pokey.  Not so, my friend.  On that day in Norman, OK, I discovered (to my delight), that I had a red label BallBlazer.

966368[/snapback]

 

So.. why is the silver label done as an "R1" according to this site, while the red label is listed as an "R3"?

[shadow460]

The silver label is more common. I'm just too blind to have seen more of them, I think.

Either that, or it's just on of the strange little things that happen in life.

I see it a lot when collecting for N64--the "rare" or HTF games are supposed to cost more, but I usually wind up finding them really cheap.

The most difficult ones to get are like R3 (the N64 really only goes to R5). You'd think stuff like Ogre Battle 64 would be hard to find, or Commando 7800 would be hard to find, but I see 'em all the time, especially online.

[Lord Helmet]

Supposedly there was a VCS Ballblazer in the works. Maybe they had a bunch of labels already printed.

966158[/snapback]

 

If that were the case, the red labels would say 2600, not 7800.

Edited November 16, 2005 by Lord Helmet

[Joey Kay]

Wasn't the dude who was coding 2600 Ballblazer a big time stoner? I can't see that turning out to be all that great of a port.

 

 

Nothing wrong with smoking the odd gagger if it turns out such product as Ninja Golf!!!

 

Cheers!

 

Joey

[birdie3]

Off the record..

 

I am pro-marajuana!!!!!!!!!

[Zwackery]

I seem to have found one red end label Ballblazer for about every 2 silver label ones.

 

An R3 is just scarce, but since all the other Atari 7800 releases had silver/grey end labels, this makes the red version a little extra different and special.

[NightSprinter]

Thank you, Zwackery. That's just what I was wanting to hear in the simplest way possible. Now, would it still be considered R3 if it's new in the box?

[shadow460]

It sure does look cool in a collection with a lot of red 2600 labels and many 7800 titles.

Makes it look like a 2600 title got mixed into the wrong bin.

I usually play my red label BallBlazer instead of my silver one.

[Zwackery]

Thank you, Zwackery.  That's just what I was wanting to hear in the simplest way possible.  Now, would it still be considered R3 if it's new in the box?

968938[/snapback]

I would consider the rarity level the same be it CIB or just loose - the box for either label version is still the same (I think - some other 7800 games do have box variations).

 

Some people are more methodically tracking boxes and box variations for other games, however, and for some games the box can sometimes command equal or greater value to the cartridge itself (i.e., 2600: Crazy Climber, silver label Gravitar, Chase the Chuckwagon; 5200: Zaxxon and Quest for Quintana Roo; 7800: Mean 18, Tank Command), although with these you are going into the realm of increasingly rarer games.

Edited November 20, 2005 by Zwackery