Ladybug - 2600

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

You're sure? Nathan doesn't have a dinosaur listed in his blog:

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?a...wentry&eid=1124

 

Hm... the only bug of those that could possibly be confused with a dinosaur would be the praying mantis it seems, did you mean that?

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[NovaXpress]

Dinosaur?

 

Regardless, this game looks better than I could have expected, it's going to be wuite an event when it's ready. I'm just hoping that there's no possible trouble that would force it into hiding.

 

Maybe Beef Drop has shown us the way. I'm voting to call this game Bug Munch because it sounds kind of like "butt munch" and because "dung beetles" is already taken.

[brpocock]

We're not doing anything special to protect the copyrights (content of our shows) because it's so much easier to sue over.

1007517[/snapback]

 

Thanks to Disney and MicroSoft (and Sonny Bono), copyright is automatic.

 

Unless you have proof that you created something uniquely, you are in violation of copyright law as it stands today. Guilty until proven innocent.

 

Such proof means: Source code; new artwork or music that differs (greater than 51%. Yes, that means 52% or more. Weird law) from the old; different text &c.

 

** Note that this is all US law. European law is quite similar but reserves more rights to authors, and less to publishers, and doesn't default to extending for centuries.

 

As for "works entering the public domain:" as it now stands, the last published works to go into the public domain were in the 1920's. Unless someone has explicitly, in writing released a work to the public domain, it's copyrighted, and distributing it without authorization is illegal.

 

There's some work (by lawyers) going on trying to create a new class of "abandonware," refering to works where there is no clear owner of copyright any more, but there isn't a legal concept of such as yet. So, if I pick up some novel from 1938 and decide I wanted to copy an illustration out of it, I have to find who claims ownership of that novel. Just because I can't find the person claiming ownership doesn't allow me to copy it. Which sucks, because the person who theoretically owns it might not even know it. Even if the author died intestate, the copyright might have reverted to an agent or publisher...

[Hakogame 箱亀]

I too found the dinosaur in the arcade rom some time ago.

There's enough tiles in the rom to make it walk and turn it's head, but I don't think it's actually used in the game (unless it's a secret the programmer took to his grave).

Here's a pic:

 

Yeah, there's also a bone in the graphics set as well.

[+Nathan Strum]

I too found the dinosaur in the arcade rom some time ago.

There's enough tiles in the rom to make it walk and turn it's head, but I don't think it's actually used in the game (unless it's a secret the programmer took to his grave).

Here's a pic:

 

Yeah, there's also a bone in the graphics set as well.

 

Weird... I've never seen that. Well, I'll if someone can prove it's used in the game, I'll make one. Maybe one of the MAME DEVs knows.

[+SpiceWare]

I've seen a sprite for the Enterprise in Galaga that I've never seen during game play

 

<google>

 

Hmm - guess it is used. Scroll down to Bonus Stage H

[+Nathan Strum]

So far, it doesn't look like LadyBug uses the dinosaur.

[NovaXpress]

Maybe the dinosaur was going to be part of the animation scenes?

 

You gotta include the dinosaur somehow, he's been frozen in code for too long!

[ZylonBane]

Maybe Beef Drop has shown us the way.

No it hasn't. Titles like Beef Drop and Castle Crisis are needlessly paranoid. No lawyers have come knocking on Opcode's door for his arcade-identical ports, have they?

[sandmountainslim]

Maybe Beef Drop has shown us the way.

No it hasn't. Titles like Beef Drop and Castle Crisis are needlessly paranoid. No lawyers have come knocking on Opcode's door for his arcade-identical ports, have they?

1008442[/snapback]

What about Crazy Balloon and SeaWolf? Both arcade ports using the name of the original arcade game and as far as I know Manuel hasn't been taken to court.

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

What about Crazy Balloon and SeaWolf? Both arcade ports using the name of the original arcade game and as far as I know Manuel hasn't been taken to court.

 

*Knocks on Wood*

 

I personally think that the "Beef Drop Way" ruins an otherwise flawless port.

 

Sea Wolf was abandoned by Midway long ago it seems. And regarding Crazy Balloon, it seems that unlike some other brainless lawyer-ran companies, the people at Taito either realize the scale of an 8-Bit homebrew release - or at least still know who their fans are.

 

Well and if some day they decide to C&D any of my games, that's it then for those. No more ports of their games from me... honoring other companies games instead then... I'm certainly not doing it to get a kick in the butt as reward

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[NovaXpress]

It comes down to this: Who knows what copyright holders will choose to do?

 

Atari clearly isn't playing around. Activision is highly aware of what goes on around here as well. But we're apparently flying under everyone else's radar or they simply don't care. Good news.

 

I'd love to have a properly-labeled Ladybug port, but I also don't want any programmer to put in a big effort only to have it screwed up by lawyers. If simply changing the name can provide some protection then I'm all for it.

 

But it really is just a roll of the dice isn't it?

[sandmountainslim]

It comes down to this: Who knows what copyright holders will choose to do?

 

Atari clearly isn't playing around. Activision is highly aware of what goes on around here as well.  But we're apparently flying under everyone else's radar or they simply don't care. Good news.

 

I'd love to have a properly-labeled Ladybug port, but I also don't want any programmer to put in a big effort only to have it screwed up by lawyers. If simply changing the name can provide some protection then I'm all for it.

 

But it really is just a roll of the dice isn't it?

1008692[/snapback]

I'm for calling it Ladybug but if it cannot be then "L-Bug" would work just swell

Edited January 29, 2006 by sandmountainslim

[+Nathan Strum]

But we're apparently flying under everyone else's radar or they simply don't care. Good news.

 

I'd love to have a properly-labeled Ladybug port, but I also don't want any programmer to put in a big effort only to have it screwed up by lawyers.

 

I think unless it's a major game with modern-remake potential (like Pac-Man, Frogger, Q*Bert or Space Invaders) in which case the game companies want to maintain absolute control over the use of those properties, or the companies (like Atari, Nintendo and Activision) are actively working at keeping control over all of their intellectual properties, then it's not likely to be an issue. I have a hard time imagining the copyright holder for LadyBug coming out of the woodwork to put a stop to a port of a rather obscure, 20+ year-old arcade game, that's only going to run on the Atari 2600, and may sell a couple of hundred copies (maybe), at very little (if any) profit to the programmer and manufacturer.

 

2600 LadyBug isn't going to negatively impact any currently active intellectual properties, isn't copyrighted by a major game company (that I know of), and it would probably cost whoever owns it more money to hire a lawyer to send out a cease and desist letter than it would be worth to them.

 

I think that's been the case with SeaWolf, Crazy Balloon and Star Fire. They either don't know, or don't mind. If they were actively pursuing such things, they'd know about it by now. (Maybe GameTap might be irked if they'd licensed the arcade version of LadyBug, but they'd have no claim over a 2600 port anyway, since one never existed. )

Edited January 29, 2006 by Nathan Strum

[supercat]

I'm for calling it Ladybug but if it cannot be then "L-Bug" would work just swell

1008699[/snapback]

 

If the trademark really is expired (as seems to be the case) then calling the game Ladybug would prevent anyone from registering the trademark again. Not sure exactly what the procedure is for officially noting that you object to any future trademark registration under the name.

[Cybergoth]

Not sure exactly what the procedure is for officially noting that you object to any future trademark registration under the name.

 

Registering it yourself?

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[NovaXpress]

I just registered a trademark on the word "Cybergoth."

 

THE C&D IS ON THE WAY!!!

 

(I'm going after "supercat" next)

[supercat]

Registering it yourself?

1008903[/snapback]

 

That would be one way, but trademark registration is expensive.

 

My understanding of the procedure is that a company seeking to register a trademark has to officially publish it in a certain way, and then wait a certain period of time to see if anyone who objects to the registration can show a current use of the mark by someone other than the registrant. For example, if I wanted to register a trademark on a national chain called Happy Joe's Pizza, someone familiar with Janesville, WI could file an objection on the basis that there already is a Happy Joe's Pizza there. If that Happy Joe's Pizza didn't register their name as a trademark (I don't think they did) they couldn't stop me from calling my own pizza place by that same name <i>but</i> they could stop me from trying to claim it as my own trademark.

[brpocock]

I'm for calling it Ladybug but if it cannot be then "L-Bug" would work just swell

1008699[/snapback]

 

If the trademark really is expired (as seems to be the case) then calling the game Ladybug would prevent anyone from registering the trademark again. Not sure exactly what the procedure is for officially noting that you object to any future trademark registration under the name.

1008807[/snapback]

 

The name itself is absolutely fair game. Original artwork, e.g. cabinet art, specific copy of the way the word "ladybug" was written (e.g. scanned photos), that sort of thing ... not so much. Crapshoot as to whether whoever currently holds that copyright decides to get pishy.

 

The screen artwork should be safe since you're not precisely duplicating anything, just drawing a different representation of a ladybug and so forth.

 

Simply using the name protects against future claims. Trademarks can't be applied retroactively.

 

(EDIT: clarified "artwork")

Edited January 30, 2006 by brpocock

[+Nathan Strum]

I figured a way around it.

 

Just call it "Thrust + Ladybug Edition".

 

Problem solved.

[NovaXpress]

How about "Ladybug Triple-Plus Palladium Edition With A Side Of Dinosaur"

 

Or, keeping with the green lizard theme, "Godzilla vs. Ladybug"

[+johnnywc]

Hello all,

 

Just thought I'd post the latest "stable build" from Ladybug. Here are the major changes:

 

- all graphics are single-line resolution now

- new ladybug and bug graphics (thanks Nathan!) with animation

- ladybug can eat dots

- score is semi-working

- letters/hearts rotate color

- ladybug can eat hearts (increases multiplier indicator - score doesn't multiply yet)

- ladybug can eat letters (correctly indicates letters in SPECIAL and EXTRA)

- bugs can be displayed on the screen (don't move yet)

- removed pesky door in the middle of PF1 and PF2 (saves lots o' ROM)

- ladybug can revolve all doors

- semi-intelligent flicker between ladybug and enemies

 

Still plenty to go - any feedback is welcome!

 

Thanks,

ladybug.bin

[SeaGtGruff]

Hello all,

 

Just thought I'd post the latest "stable build" from Ladybug.  Here are the major changes:

 

- all graphics are single-line resolution now

- new ladybug and bug graphics (thanks Nathan!) with animation

- ladybug can eat dots

- score is semi-working

- letters/hearts rotate color

- ladybug can eat hearts (increases multiplier indicator - score doesn't multiply yet)

- ladybug can eat letters (correctly indicates letters in SPECIAL and EXTRA)

- bugs can be displayed on the screen (don't move yet)

- removed pesky door in the middle of PF1 and PF2 (saves lots o' ROM)

- ladybug can revolve all doors

- semi-intelligent flicker between ladybug and enemies

 

Still plenty to go - any feedback is welcome!

 

Thanks,

1011775[/snapback]

 

This looks great! I have only two gripes:

 

First, it's hard to turn; you have to be lined up precisely right. Even if you think you're lined up just right, you might still be a tad off. Maybe you could add a small fudge factor, like if you're trying to turn, and are within a color clock either way, then you will automatically line up as needed so you can turn (if that makes sense).

 

Second, the flickering when the ladybug overlaps another bug's scan lines makes both of them much darker (which is the nature of the flicker beast, of course). I wonder if making the colors brighter on those scan lines would help, since flickered colors get combined? That is, on scan lines where there's no flickering, just use the normal colors. But on scan lines where flickering is needed, if the colors are made brighter, then flickering them against the black background might result in a less noticeable loss of color, like this:

 

Normal scan line (no flickering):

Frame 1: Ladybug color = $44 (or whatever).

Frame 2: Ladybug color = $44 (or whatever).

Combined result: color = $44.

 

Scan line with flickering:

Frame 1: Ladybug color = $48 (i.e., twice as bright as normal).

Frame 2: color = $00 (background).

Combined result: color = $44? (not really, since hue 4 and hue 0 doesn't give hue 4; but lum 0 and lum 8 = lum 4?).

 

I don't know if anyone's ever tried something like that, but it seems like it might possibly help.

 

Michael Rideout

[Atariboy2600]

Hello all,

 

Just thought I'd post the latest "stable build" from Ladybug.  Here are the major changes:

 

- all graphics are single-line resolution now

- new ladybug and bug graphics (thanks Nathan!) with animation

- ladybug can eat dots

- score is semi-working

- letters/hearts rotate color

- ladybug can eat hearts (increases multiplier indicator - score doesn't multiply yet)

- ladybug can eat letters (correctly indicates letters in SPECIAL and EXTRA)

- bugs can be displayed on the screen (don't move yet)

- removed pesky door in the middle of PF1 and PF2 (saves lots o' ROM)

- ladybug can revolve all doors

- semi-intelligent flicker between ladybug and enemies

 

Still plenty to go - any feedback is welcome!

 

Thanks,

1011775[/snapback]

 

Im sorry but this is sooo F$ING cool!!! I had to make a Coleco cart I made the label and Ill do it my self if I have to cuase this game looks soo much like any Coleco game for the 2600, I mean how did you make it? Its soo arcade like. Thanks man!

[+MrFish]

 

Still plenty to go - any feedback is welcome!

 

Thanks,

1011775[/snapback]

 

One thing I noticed was that the player (lady-bug) must be positioned carefully in order turn down a passage. This makes it difficult to navigate quickly. The original game allows you to enter a passage once you are within a certain range of it.