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CrossBow

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Posts posted by CrossBow

  1. 36 minutes ago, Atari 5200 Guy said:

    Do NOT burn a DC CD over x2 speed.  If you can adjust the burn speed before you burn, turn it down.  I've not had any luck with a burned DC CD if I go over double speed.  Also, brands.  TDK or Maxell brand for data work best.  Those for music can have too thin of a reflective layer for the Dreamcast.

    Slowest my burner will burn at is 8x and I've never had an issue? I've got a few verbatim's but mostly used a stack of Taiyo Yuden's I had but have since ran out of.

     

  2. 9 hours ago, Video 61 said:

    hi crossbow,

     

     if you ever played the XEGS version you would never play the 7800 version again. if you ever played the 2600 version, which should have been a light gun game, but joystick control is very good, you would never play the 7800 version again, at least that is the way it is with me.

     

    lance

    www.atarisales.com

     

     

    Not played the XEGS version but I have played the 2600 version. And we will have to agree to disagree on this one. Again with joystick controls I got to be really good at it back in the day because I could exactly place the cursor where it needed to be and just strafe it left and right in most screens to clear away stuff and each scene I had a particular spot where to place the cursor initially and had a pattern for most of the them along with the timings for the enemies being memorized as well back then. I do find the 2600 version to be very impressive graphically given the hardware and I honestly never even knew the 2600 version existed back then. But at the time I owned my 7800 I didn't pay attention to 2600 game releases anymore either and was strictly all in on the 7800 at that time.

     

  3. 1 hour ago, Justin said:

    That's a great point. I've usually played it with the light gun, but the controls always felt not as responsive as they should have. Were you playing using the CX40 Pro-Line Joystick? I'll have to give "Crossbow" another play from a fresh perspective using a crisp joystick.

    Yes because I wasn't aware of any others to use back then? I don't remember them being an issue with me when I was younger but I really wouldn't want to use them now since I have other controller options available to me.

  4. I disagree on Crossbow. It was on the games I saw in the Sears catalogs back in the day that made me want the 7800 and as soon as I saw it available at my local Service Merchandise, I scrounged up the allowance and mowed lawns to get it. I was NOT disappointed with the game at all and used it as one of the showcase games for how the graphics were impressive on the system to my friends back then. But I never had the light gun because I never knew back then that the XE lightgun was the one to use and always expected to see a 7800 branded lightgun released. As a result, I only played this game with joystick controls and I actually find it to be quite responsive that way. I have tried to play the game with a light gun since, but the lack of accuracy did not sit well with me. However, Alien Brigade is pretty much a light gun required game as that is the only way I've managed to beat that game.

     

  5. I thought the original programmer posted something about this in the AA forums a few years back? Something to do with him programming the game in Forth and that was likely part of the issue but was the only option available to him at the time or what he was familiar with? I'd have to search the AA forums to look for it again but I never play the game. I remember playing it a little on Apple IIe's in the computer lab in 6th grade but never got that far in the game. Kinda like how I could never get past the 2nd screen in Conan back then and now I only get stuck on the 3rd screen these days LOL!

     

  6. On 2/26/2022 at 9:12 PM, TrekMD said:

    I use the 7800 mainly but I use the 2600 for games that require the switches (like Phaser Patrol or Space Shuttle). 

    You can still play those games with a 7800 without much issue. Space shuttle is the only real trouble maker as the OMS rockets are activated with the color/bw switch. Since that is the pause button on the 7800 you only have two options to play Space Shuttle. Either keep your finger pressed on the pause for as long as you need your OMS burn to last, or... read up where it states in the manual...

    That I believe player 1 difficult can be used to turn on emergency OMS rockets. So when I played Space Shuttle on my 7800 in the late 80s (And I played Space Shuttle quite a bit...), I just use the emergency OHMs burn instead of the primary. 

    For Phaser Patrol, just play with the shields on at all times hehe. That is what I do!

     

  7. Been using 7800s for both 2600 and 7800 since I got my first one in the late 80s. I lucked out with my original 7800 because it turns out it is an '84 made unit so it doesn't suffer from any of the known compatibility issues nor have I ever had issues with inserting games. It won't seat a supercharger properly, but that wasn't something I knew about back then because I didn't own an SC much less know of its existence back then. Same with Tigervision carts that have issues, I didn't own any Tigervision games back then.

    But, even now I still use a 7800 for all of my 2600 and 7800 gaming needs. With some slight modifications, I'm able to play all the tigervision games and use a supercharger if I wanted.

     

  8. A top 10 on 7800 ehh? This might be tough for me to list. And I wouldn't say I have a particular order for them either. But these are the games that impressed the heck out of me when I had my 7800 in the late 80s and still impress me today.

    Double Dragon - yes I know the music is ear grating and the graphics could be better. But at the time I preferred it to the NES version as I felt the 7800 version was more like the arcade in the level layouts. Plus some of the levels did have some pretty great detail in their graphics and it was really just the character sprites that were lacking most.

    Xevious - This was one of the games I got pretty early with my 7800 and I still feel this is the best home port of the arcade game.

    Joust - Again, this was an early game I got for the 7800 and after my mom and I had played the 2600 version so much, this was QUITE a step up and still great to play.

    Rampage - Again it doesn't compare as well to other releases such as the SMS version, but at the time, it was one of the games I saw coming out soon that made me want a 7800. I played it all the time in the late 80s. But it doesn't get much if any play time these days.

    Xenophobe - Again the Lynx version of this just trounces the 7800 version. But between the 7800 and NES versions, I always preferred this one and I still play this game today as I like how quick it plays and find it impressive still.

    Food Fight - I had never seen the arcade game when I was kid, but I was enticed by the screen shots on the back of the box back in the late 80s when I bought this. I was NOT disappointed and played it much more than I ever though I would.

    F-18 - Yes it is a sad excuse for being a flight simulator. But at the time I found it very impressive and still fun to play given the graphics and the odd stuff I would try and do when playing this game and had a lot of fun playing it and mastering the challenges.

    Pole Position II - yes it was the pack-in for the console. But it was also one of the games that made me want the console because I felt at the time that the graphics were amazing! I don't play this one much these days but I sure did when I was kid!

    Crossbow - well, it shouldn't surprise anyone that this one is on my list. After all it is indeed part of why I have my online handle. The arcade game was always a fascination to me so when I saw this was on the 7800, I had to have it. And I still play this one from time to time even today. I actually prefer the joystick controls with this game because that was how I leaned to play it in the late 80s when I owned it. I still find this game to be pretty graphically amazing on several of the scenes. The volcano and castle scenes for instance were quite something back then.

    Commando - This was NOT a game I originally owned in the late 80s and would only come to know of its existence on the 7800 years later when I got back into retro gaming and started collecting. Not sure how I didn't know about it back then but I did own the 2600 version and played that a bit. But once I got Commando on the 7800, it is and has been my favorite home port of the arcade game. And I'm quite familiar with the arcade game as I own the actual arcade cab. The 7800 version is very close to the arcade gameplay and ups it a bit with the hidden POW spots to find. However, I've found at least one spot where it is easy to just farm enemies over and over so high scores on this game are stupid easy to amass. Still, I play this quite a bit and it is sure to be played at least once, anytime the 7800 is powered up for any extended session of play.

    So I guess I lied and I did kinda make this as a top ten with Crossbow and Commando being my two top faves for the system of original releases. The 7800 is easily my favorite Atari console I own and my second favorite console to play and collect for next to my Sega Genesis.

     

  9. Except that Matt was there at the 2010k even I know for a fact as he was assisting Al with the AA booth and somewhere he had his plexi cases up with his protos in it. Might have been loaned to the museum now that I think about it for the show. It was the last year I think AA was part of CGE though? I don't know for sure as I never attended CGE again beyond that. the 2010 event was the last one before I went to PRGE in 2018 and 2019. 

     

  10. 12 hours ago, Clint Thompson said:

    @CrossBow Want to say I had checked but since the price was almost double, I didn't mind waiting.

    Price was double? How much did you pay then if you don't mind my asking? I think when I bought m UNO from TBA it was only about $50 at the time and just a tad more with shipping so I felt that was a pretty good price. 

    The UNO is really nice but I've found a few disk images that it just simply doesn't seem to want to work with. As a result, I've found myself using my FujiNet more these days. But I still pop in the Uno when I need to load up something fast! I also ended up getting a replacement case for mine as the original case from TBA.... didn't last long. The case on the one you received looks pretty nice!

     

  11. 14 hours ago, Clint Thompson said:

    Finally after about a month shipped from Slovakia, the UnoCart for my XE/XEGS arrived so now I can play a ton of XEX, ATR and other goodies....

    xegames.jpg.bf1fa633019b7dd1c4ae810b836e095e.jpg

    Why didn't you just order one from The Brewing Academy? Are the out of stock there or something? That is where I got my Uno for my 130xe, but found out later it has some issues with some ATRs and XEX and so I find myself using my FujiNet 90% of the time now.

    My only issue besides the compatibility, is the 3D printed case that TBA provides. I ended up spending more money for a much better quality 3D printed case to house both my Uno and FinalGrom carts in.

     

  12. 1 hour ago, nosweargamer said:

    I love how the NES and Genesis are called too complicated in this picture from their StartEngine page.

    b4d3745d-e91d-498c-974b-caf0991769c3.png

    Honestly, nothing in that complicated pile is complicated. You put in a game and turn on the system and start playing for the most part. Sure the Xbox had updates etc. but it was part of the start of online stuff back then. And while those controllers in the later gen consoles shown might have quite a few buttons, how does it compare with the original Intellivision controller or with how many possible buttons could be created on that touchscreen that the Amico is using on the controllers?

    Pretty sure it will still be quicker to power on and be up and gaming even on that Xbox in that complicated systems picture than it will with the Amico or any of the current modern systems today.

     

  13. Well, while I don't have enough for a full controller build, I did use some of the older 3 contact domes like those found on CX-40 controllers to replace some missing buttons for my test 5200 controller in the lab and while it took some fiddling to get them to line up and work, they do work and seem to work well.

    Ideally it would be nice if some slightly smaller domes could be made with the 4 contract points even smaller than the ones that C5 sells to make them easier to install and be usable.

    Not sure how well they would work on the graphite coated mylars though as I would suspect the metal dome to eventually wear aware the conductive graphite coating.

     

  14. 11 hours ago, Scott Stilphen said:

    Who else is using Melody boards?  Who else has means to even program (flash) them?  There's a reason no such information about them has ever been made available, or that you can't even purchase them for your own projects.  The Melody is (unofficially) exclusive to Atariage.

    I understand that, I meant... going through AA to make these up as again the work there has already been done and it likely would have been much cheaper to just procure Al's services to make these up or possibly license whatever from Al to sell them the boards and program them up themselves.

  15. I've got a working JagCD but rarely use it. Battlemorph is probably the one game that has the most hours of use from the JagCD. When I first got my Jag and JagCD combo back around 2002 or so, the JagCD didn't work at first. But a small tweak on the laser diode trimmer took care of it and it has been working since. Although again, I don't really use it that much although it is always attached to the Jag.

     

  16. I'm more curious why they didn't reach out AA to get boards for this purpose? AtariAge already has the Melody boards that can pretty much do what their board design claims to do so I'm not sure why they went to reinventing the wheel. Unless the current Atari just has NO idea about the existence of AA?

    Either way, it looks to be a good design so I'm going to be more curious about how well it works with not just the 2600, but all the various clones, and the finickiness of the 7800 console revisions.

     

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