Atari Creep

So it sucks having to put a mask on every time we go out. Sucks but important. There is no reason however we can't make it a little fun.
 
STRONG LANGUAGE
 

So it sucks having to put a mask on every time we go out. Sucks but important. There is no reason however we can't make it a little fun.
 
STRONG LANGUAGE
 

So it sucks having to put a mask on every time we go out. Sucks but important. There is no reason however we can't make it a little fun.
 
STRONG LANGUAGE
 

I love taking something old and giving it new life. That said when it is a creation from someone else past it can be a bit touchy. Anxiety on red alert. This kit was someones work of art, their creative outlet in the time in witch it was created. No matter, some things need to be restored and given new life. I am more than happy to do so. In fact it's an honor. Someone its giving you something VER PERSONAL regardless if they feel so or not. Regardless of the extent I do or do not put my spin on a restoration I try to retain something, even a small part of what was there to start with. 
Thanks to @btbfilms76 for entrusting me with small slices of your childhood, even if you do not take it as serious as I do.
 
 

I love taking something old and giving it new life. That said when it is a creation from someone else past it can be a bit touchy. Anxiety on red alert. This kit was someones work of art, their creative outlet in the time in witch it was created. No matter, some things need to be restored and given new life. I am more than happy to do so. In fact it's an honor. Someone its giving you something VER PERSONAL regardless if they feel so or not. Regardless of the extent I do or do not put my spin on a restoration I try to retain something, even a small part of what was there to start with. 
Thanks to @btbfilms76 for entrusting me with small slices of your childhood, even if you do not take it as serious as I do.
 
 

I love taking something old and giving it new life. That said when it is a creation from someone else past it can be a bit touchy. Anxiety on red alert. This kit was someones work of art, their creative outlet in the time in witch it was created. No matter, some things need to be restored and given new life. I am more than happy to do so. In fact it's an honor. Someone its giving you something VER PERSONAL regardless if they feel so or not. Regardless of the extent I do or do not put my spin on a restoration I try to retain something, even a small part of what was there to start with. 
Thanks to @btbfilms76 for entrusting me with small slices of your childhood, even if you do not take it as serious as I do.
 
 

Welcome to the first "annex" entry into the Game Cave.  I'll post reviews of homebrews, community projects, and other goodies here. First up, my review of the Robotron 2084 controller for the Atari 7800 by Mike @RetroGameBoyz   I ordered my controller last week after reading about it on the forums and received it on Friday.  It was shipped in a plastic mailer with plenty of bubble-wrap for protection.    
As many of you know, the Atari 7800 version of Robotron can be played with either one or two controllers.  With one controller, you can only shoot in the direction in which you are moving.  Using a two controller configuration, the first controls the direction of movement and the second controls the direction of fire.  Honestly, this is the best way to play Robotron 2084 and closely mirrors the experience of the arcade version.  That said, as you can imagine, without a coupler, using two unsecured joysticks or gamepads can be difficult. This is where Mike's gamepad comes in.     Using a 3D printed gamepad, modern style pad holder, dual d-pads and two 9-pin cables, the RetroGameBoyz Robotron 2084 controller allows you to play the game in the way that it's meant to be played.  

First impressions:

The game pad itself is just about the size of an NES pad.  In the optional holder, it's just a little larger than a Dual Shock 4 and is pretty comfortable.  At first, I was worried that the square-ish shape of the holder would feel clunky.  I'm happy to report that it actually feels quite nice and I don't anticipate taking the pad out of the holder.  

The parts have that "ridged" look that is typical of things made with a 3D printer. However, this isn't to say that it doesn't feel substantial.  The build quality is legit and the controller responds nicely in all directions.  I really like the custom sticker; it's a nice finishing touch.     The two 9-pin cables are extra long, measuring 9 feet!  No extension cables needed! 

Let's see how it plays: 

I really love the 7800 version of Robotron 2084, although I'm not that great at it.  On the default "intermediate" setting, I can generally get up to wave 8 before giving up the ghost.  Playing with one controller requires you to play in a defensive way.  With the dual pad, I was able to get to wave 12 and score over 170,000 points.  Being able to have independent directional control over both movement and fire allows you to play much more aggressively.  Simply put, it's an entirely different - and better - game.     The controller also includes independent fire buttons for use in other 7800 games.  Its important to note, this works with the left pad only; the right pad isn't used outside of Robotron.  I played Xevious, Choplifter, Centipede, Ms. PacMan and Food Fight to put the controller though its paces. I found it to be light, comfortable and responsive. The buttons seem to work correctly.  The d-pads hit all of the directions accurately.  After a solid two hours of gameplay, I didn't feel the least bit of fatigue in my hands.  Compared to the Atari 7800 europad, this controller was at least as good if not better in most every respect.     Final thoughts:   The dual-pad Robotron 2084 controller for the Atari 7800 is a winner.  It looks cool, plays great, can be used for more than just Robotron and - for $49 - is just about the best damn controller you can get for the 7800.  I really like it and can see this becoming my goto for the 7800, 2600 and A8 although Mike has a single pad variant on offer via eBay.    If you want more information on this controller, check out the original thread or visit Mike's eBay link: https://www.ebay.com/sch/retrogameboyz/m.html         

It is no secret at all that one of my favorite franchises is the Terminator Flicks. NOTHING and I mean NOTHING will ever beat the original no matter how much people try to tell me T2 is a better film. The original had everything. SciFi, action, a bit of noir and a hint of the slasher element from horror films of the time. Most important the film had the  greatest villain (next to Darth Vader) in cinematic history, Cyberdine Systems 800 series Terminator model 1 0 1. A cybernetic organism with living tissue over a hyperalloy endoskeleton. And though it is the iconic metal skeleton that draws me to the character, the "Tech Noir" look will forever be the most iconic look for the Terminator for me. 

For me Arnold in the gray M65 jacket lined in chains and metal studs, gray pants and black engineer boots will always be what comes to mind first when I think of the Terminator. But what completes that look in my mind is the weapon most associated with that look, the .45 Long Slide with laser sighting and it was just a matter of time that I would seek to recreate that iconic weapon.
 
It all starts here in this box.

Most of the parts need to make this a reality are within.
 
The real weapon is based off of Colts famous model 1911 .45 pistol. My prop replica starts with this....
 
A cheap but somewhat accurate toy of a 1911 from eBay.

 
And a pile of 3D printed parts designed and created by my buddy Mike of IRMAO Custom Models

 
First task is to make the barrel/slide a few inches longer. Mike printed an extension and sleeve to help guide it in the right place.


 
Next is the laser sighting. 

 

 
The only part Mike was unable to design and print was the bracket that attaches the sight to the gun itself.
 
I found and printed a 1:1 image of the bracket on paper and 1 on heavy card stock to use as a template.

 

 
This is the only part I will need to fabricate and I am ok with that. One of my favorite parts of any build is finding things in the world that have a "look" and  repurpose it for my needs.  
 
I decided to go with this...

 
If you look at the bracket you will see the left grip is part of the assembly. I then looked at a window scraper and thought it had the right "look" for my needs. It is going to take a bid of cutting, grinding, epoxy putty and some resin to work it out but in the end, I think this should work just fine...
 
Thanks so much for having a look at the first steps in this journey and I hope you will be back to watch it all unfold. 
 

Chris
The Atari Creep
 

It is no secret at all that one of my favorite franchises is the Terminator Flicks. NOTHING and I mean NOTHING will ever beat the original no matter how much people try to tell me T2 is a better film. The original had everything. SciFi, action, a bit of noir and a hint of the slasher element from horror films of the time. Most important the film had the  greatest villain (next to Darth Vader) in cinematic history, Cyberdine Systems 800 series Terminator model 1 0 1. A cybernetic organism with living tissue over a hyperalloy endoskeleton. And though it is the iconic metal skeleton that draws me to the character, the "Tech Noir" look will forever be the most iconic look for the Terminator for me. 

For me Arnold in the gray M65 jacket lined in chains and metal studs, gray pants and black engineer boots will always be what comes to mind first when I think of the Terminator. But what completes that look in my mind is the weapon most associated with that look, the .45 Long Slide with laser sighting and it was just a matter of time that I would seek to recreate that iconic weapon.
 
It all starts here in this box.

Most of the parts need to make this a reality are within.
 
The real weapon is based off of Colts famous model 1911 .45 pistol. My prop replica starts with this....
 
A cheap but somewhat accurate toy of a 1911 from eBay.

 
And a pile of 3D printed parts designed and created by my buddy Mike of IRMAO Custom Models

 
First task is to make the barrel/slide a few inches longer. Mike printed an extension and sleeve to help guide it in the right place.


 
Next is the laser sighting. 

 

 
The only part Mike was unable to design and print was the bracket that attaches the sight to the gun itself.
 
I found and printed a 1:1 image of the bracket on paper and 1 on heavy card stock to use as a template.

 

 
This is the only part I will need to fabricate and I am ok with that. One of my favorite parts of any build is finding things in the world that have a "look" and  repurpose it for my needs.  
 
I decided to go with this...

 
If you look at the bracket you will see the left grip is part of the assembly. I then looked at a window scraper and thought it had the right "look" for my needs. It is going to take a bid of cutting, grinding, epoxy putty and some resin to work it out but in the end, I think this should work just fine...
 
Thanks so much for having a look at the first steps in this journey and I hope you will be back to watch it all unfold. 
 

Chris
The Atari Creep
 

So recently I was in talks with a fellow maker, he had asked if I would be willing to make a trade once I finish one of my soon to come figures. I looked over his shop and noticed he sold one of his figures in a kit form. I inquired about maybe doing a toy art swap where I sent him a raw casting of one of my figures and he would send me one of his. Here is the build video of that trade.
 
STRONG LANGUAGE!
 
 

So recently I was in talks with a fellow maker, he had asked if I would be willing to make a trade once I finish one of my soon to come figures. I looked over his shop and noticed he sold one of his figures in a kit form. I inquired about maybe doing a toy art swap where I sent him a raw casting of one of my figures and he would send me one of his. Here is the build video of that trade.
 
STRONG LANGUAGE!
 
 

I thought it may be interesting to share what happens when my pager goes off for a fire call.
Thankfully, I've only had false alarms to respond to, aside from two minor car accidents. (Since October 2017).
We average one call per week. Thankfully, most of them are during the day, but there have been the occasional middle of the night calls. (The pager also goes off for any ambulance calls, which I only assist if the EMTs need help lifting the stretcher onto the ambulance boat.)
Technically, I only need to respond to every call while officially on call (we're split into teams that are on call for two weeks at a time, eliminating the need for 20 people to show up for a false alarm), but because I live so close to the fire house and that I want the practice of putting my gear on & driving the truck, I make it a point to go to every call. (Again, there's not that many calls, so it's no big deal.)
The pager tones don't sound like Station 51's tones but it's still pretty startling when it goes off.
Anyway, here's the video. Let me know if you have any questions!
 

For my 13th birthday, in 1987, my mother picked up a game system I never knew nor heard of. It just mysteriously appeared. For I had unwrapped a game console that would forever change the way I perceived video games. That gift was the Nintendo Entertainment System. At first I didn't like the controllers because there was no joystick. In a joystick's place was this "thing" that controlled on-screen movement of a playable character or other image. Then again when the only games you have are Gyromite and Duck Hunt the controllers really didn't get a chance to show their worth until a while later.
 
Mom and I were living with my grandparents, her parents, and the town had barely 2,000 people. Mom had got the system from the only video rental store in town at that time on a payment plan. And with every payment she made I got a ticket to rent a game. So the controllers eventually got to prove how good they really were. This is when I would come across games I would eventually declare as the best on the system. These games include Gradius, Castlevania, and most of the initial issue titles. As much as others enjoy it I am really not a huge Donkey Kong fan but the NES really got a spot-on port of that one. Really well done.
 
It took us (Mom and I) month after month to locate a single copy of Super Mario Brothers. That game was very hard to come by. But...I wasn't too worried because I had come across a different game one time while paying a visit to the hometown's Wal-Mart. As luck would have it I was planning to spend the weekend with my Grandmother in my hometown and my NES was back at the other grandparents' house. But, this visit scored me what I am assuming was an initial release of the adventure game everyone would talk about decades later as well as spawn a huge franchise with a large fan base following. Zelda had made it to store shelves.
 
I had to sit for an entire weekend admiring a game I had no way of playing. I took the game out of the box, read the instructions front to back, read the back of the box, rinse and repeat, over and over. Mom could not have come to pick me up any sooner. But, once back to my NES I didn't hesitate one second. I made a bee line to the system which was setup in the room we were sleeping in. On went the TV, in went Zelda. I started my adventure not realizing just how involved this game would become.
 
At school I could hear others talking about the game I picked up over the weekend. Some were getting stuck in areas I had not reached yet. One couldn't find the first dungeon. Mom and I paid a visit to one of her friends who's son was a friend in school. He also had Zelda and we spent a few hours on that game trying to get through dungeon after dungeon. What was really happening was that the NES and Zelda had triggered video gamers to socialize about the games being played, how to beat this or that boss, and getting unstuck in troublesome levels. This was before Nintendo Power so the only thing left was pretty much word of mouth.
 
Once Mom and I moved back to my hometown there was a change in schools and atmosphere for sure but there was one thing that didn't change...the talk about the NES and its games. Call me weird or crazy, or both, but there was nothing I wanted to do more than stay at home and play Nintendo games. After school I would come home and spend time on it before doing my homework. On the weekend, if I wasn't sleeping, eating, using the bathroom, or doing something for my grandmother, or visiting my other grandparents (I love them dearly so don't get that wrong...I just don't know how else to word it), I was on the NES playing games.
 
The little console had revitalized video gaming on a massive scale. I still have one here that works without issues. Well...there are times it will do the screen flashing thing but that doesn't bother me. I just clean the carts and keep trying. I rarely blow on them.
 
For what it's worth I really owe a lot to the NES. The game play was addictive because once you had that latest game in your hand nothing else mattered except beating that game. If you got stuck you turned to a game magazine or call the hotlines at 99 cents a minute, give or take a few cents. You see, I was so involved with the NES that I didn't go out of the house much. I had no need to. I sat, in my room, playing video games. At the same time the NES was keeping me off the streets and out of trouble in a lot of ways. I might have gotten into trouble sometimes for not always doing my homework but I wasn't being arrested for being intoxicated or under the influence in public like some of my high school friends were. I didn't have a girlfriend because, now that I think about it, I was already married...to the video games. As crazy as that sounds that's pretty much how I was.
 
I still play the NES on a regular basis. As much as I love my Atari stuff the NES is the only non-Atari console that has a large place in my heart. It is a well balanced system with lots, and I mean LOTS, of games. If you've never had one before for one reason or another pick one up. Before you do, however, do your homework first and ask around about what games you should lookout for. Whatever you do don't compare the system and its games with modern stuff. The system and games have already proved their worth years ago...they should simply be enjoyed as they are.
 
To think that any gamer who lived and experienced the NES during its production run spent countless hours if not months or more on a single game just to beat it. With a few exceptions like Zelda had there really was not much of a way to save the game progress. You started and endured the challenges. Later the idea of writing down a password to save game progress was seen in most NES games like Metroid and Kid Icarus but if you got one character wrong, guess what...you had to start over again.
 
The real value of the NES is the overall package. The games, the system, the controller options, and I have never seen ALL of the NES games. There are sooo many that I would most likely need another lifetime to try them all. So...NES...solid entertainment that will challenge you. I would love to hear favorite games of other NES gamers so be sure to post those in the comments section below. Thank you for reading and I will return with more thoughts running in my head. Well...that might be a bit scary.