dauber

After taking a month off, we're back with a new episode! In fact, after recording the main body, it turned out there was more room for one more story, so in comes a special guest to the rescue! In this chapter ・𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝗽𝗶𝘁 - a tour of an early life of schnookery ・𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻' 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 - riding Amtrak for the first time ・𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀: 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁...but you got me instead. https://schnookpodcast.com/2021/02/28/chapter-30-firsts/

'Swonderful. 'Smarvelous. 'Stime for episode 120! If each of the hosts of Pie Factory Podcast had his druthers, which games would he’d ruther have in his home arcade over all the other ones? Tune in to this exciting frost-biting candy-throwing installment to hear the gory details! https://piefactorypodcast.wordpress.com/2021/02/28/episode-120-our-top-ten/

Episode 119 has DROPPED! New month, new year, new U.S. President, New Balance Stores Phoenix, and...oh, yeah! NEW EPISODE! Woohoo! What more can we say, but....vroom! Chop! https://piefactorypodcast.wordpress.com/2021/01/24/episode-119-hang-on-and-golden-axe/

Saturday the 16th

For me the attraction in Combat 1990 is that it's a one-player game. The reason I didn't like Combat on the 2600 is that it requires two players: given that when we got the 2600 in 1982 my brother was (and, actually, still is, now that I think of it!) ten years older than me, I was kinda-sorta an only child for all practical purposes. Yeah, I had friends, but they didn't always want to play Combat!

GOLDEN AXE! Hang On and Golden Axe. (Can't believe I actually had to listen to remember! Yeah, could have asked Jim, but...what's the fun in that?? What grinds my gears is that I was actually at an arcade that HAS Golden Axe since we last recorded and I didn't play the thing!!)

Wait...wasn't there just a new episode a few days ago? Well, yeah, but...let's talk about 1990. It was a time when we needed to pray just to make it today. (Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.) In this episode: The Year That Was 1990 - and how a teenage schnook deals with a new school and a new job Music for Schnooks - How a simple Christmas present changed an angsty teen's life forever https://schnookpodcast.com/2020/12/24/chapter-29-the-1990-episode/

Unless you count Impossible Mission, then Fight Night. The computer player has special moves, while the human player does not.

In the first release of December 2020, we look inside the mind of a 14-year Chicagoan, God help us all. In this chapter: ∙ About a Schnook – Does he live quietly? What are his personal habits? ∙ Music For Schnooks: Rubber Schnook – An approach to a classic Beatles album. British version? American version? A hybrid? https://schnookpodcast.com/2020/12/22/chapter-28/

Next games are Hang On and...oh, crap, honestly, I don't remember. 😕 It's mentioned at the end of the episode though. You can post feedback here if you want, or tweet us @piefactorypfp, or e-mail us at piefactory@fab4it.com

Pie Factory Podcast episode 118 is out now! For this final episode of the year, Sean and Jim talk about the world situation, economics, and their five Christmas wishes. (Wait, was that this episode? Hmmm...maybe that was another...) But what could this week's theme be? Is it games with pluralized round things in their names? Only The Shadow knows. https://fab4it.com/piefactory/audio/PFP_Episode118.mp3

I look at it as more of a tweak, much like the difficulty switches. If all that needs to be done to vastly improve a game is to quickly do a one-time switch-flip, it's hardly on the level of squinting to see better.

I have to agree wildly about Donkey Kong Junior. Just...awful and buggy. And seriously, anybody who truly believes Pac-Man is necessarily a bad port, try this: flip the "TV Type" switch to B&W. You'd be amazed at what a difference that makes.

I can't believe I have to admit, but I've never played Air-Sea Battle! But I'm going to have to say Sears -- because Combat requires two players. If all you have is the console with its packin, you can't rely on always having another person present!

Just in time for the end of November, a super-sized Schook! In this episode: ∙ the best TV episodes ever -- or, at least some of them! and ∙ a very in-depth review of concerts Sean attended in 2020. A mammoth blockbuster if ever there was one! https://schnookpodcast.com/2020/11/30/chapter-27/

While you’re enjoying turkey with your family, why not put Pie Factory Podcast on as your background? Jim’n’Sean discuss two fairly unusual arcade games in episode 117. And so should you. https://fab4it.com/piefactory/audio/PFP_Episode117.mp3

I hope those BOOOOOOOs I'm hearing are because it's Hallowe'en and not a response to this podcast! In chapter 26: Life as a Software Engineer - a peak into a schnook's web site job Music for Schnooks - The significance of rock'n'roll albums of 1970 By the way, post-production on this episode took a long time. To get this episode out in time for October, I didn't actually listen to the final product as I usually do, so if you notice any errors...you get a prize of...being smug enough to brag about finding them! https://schnookpodcast.com/2020/10/31/chapter-26/

Once upon a time there were two Midwesterners named Jim and Sean. One was tall, the other was...well, also tall, but who cares? There came a time when the two decided that their mission was to discuss two arcade games from Japan, leading them to...well, you'll just have to listen to find out! http://fab4it.com/piefactory/audio/PFP_Episode116.mp3

I'm not much of a breakfast food person. And I never understood why certain foods are considered breakfast food...I mean...what difference does it make what time of day you eat what foods? Your digestive system doesn't check the time and process it a different way whether it's 8:00am or 5:00pm! I hate it when I'm out and the only place I can grab a bite to eat is one that hasn't started serving "regular" food yet. And I hate eggs and hash browns. Having said that, I do enjoy pancakes and waffles. As a software developer, one morning every two weeks I have to get up extra-early for a release. After the release, I reward myself with pancakes from a nearby greasy spoon before I resume my day. 🙂 (At least during our company's work-at-home-because-of-COVID directive!) Oh...and I am a fool for sugary breakfast cereal that probably shouldn't even be on the market! I have this stuff maybe once every three or four years, mind you, but it's sooooooooo good! Froot Loops...mmmmmm! (Especially in chocolate milk!) Lucky Charms....Alpha-Bits...

Port it to the 7800 and you got my sale. 🙂

Another month, another episode! In chapter 25: No, my computer is NOT my girlfriend! An exploration into the joys and sorrows of a 13-year relationship Digital Alopecia – What? Does this mean that someone lost finger hair? Well…you’ll need to listen to find out! https://schnookpodcast.com/2020/09/28/chapter-25/

Ooh, good to know -- I love Klax. 🙂 We stayed at the Birchwood in Sister Bay. Loved it! Oh...and my wife asked the concièrge how far a walk it was to the business district. She was told, "It's very close, but you probably want to drive; it's a pretty steep road." My wife said, "We were just in San Francisco a few months ago." "Oh...then you'll have NO PROBLEM walking then!"

In episode 115, does Sean love Space Zap as much as Jim? Will they agree on a Space Invaders-esque shooter? Will George be reunited with his ticker tape machine? The Shadow knows. http://fab4it.com/piefactory/audio/PFP_Episode115C.mp3

EATING it is a friend; PREPARING it is a foe...such a PITA to do. Have to pluck the leaves off the stem, which takes a long friggin' time, and it's very difficult to successfully store properly if you don't eat it all in one sitting.

Might as well contribute my thoughts...in no particular order: Pinball Dreams / Pinball Fantasies Grouped as one. Never played Pinball Illusions. I had a copy of Slam Tilt when I bought my Amiga 4000 used, but I could never get it to load properly. But Pinball Dreams was the first thing I ever experienced on an Amiga, a friend's A500. wipEout2097 I have a soft spot in my heart for racing games. I bought this as soon as I got a Cyberstorm PPC accelerator for my A4000. Sadly, that card went south very quickly, so I didn't get much play out of it until I got the AmigaOne. But man...such a smooth 3D space racer. Really dug it a LOT. Walker I think it was the graphics that impressed me the most. Super-high-res and smooth gameplay. Desert Strike I played it on the Sega Genesis when my brother had one, so I had to seek out an Amiga version. On one hand, I was disappointed that it didn't have the inertia options that were available on the Genesis version, but on the other hand, I loved that it had extra digitized voices. Never could win the game, though, even with a trainer installed. (The Leader always escaped.) Klax You will never, EVER find a better version of Klax than on the Amiga. It's even better than the arcade version. Archer Maclean's Pool Not the most popular title on the Amiga, but I loved it. I always enjoyed playing pool and ergo always liked pool video games. Good 3D views, and some amusing hidden animations. Lemmings Because why not? Such a classic. Scorched Tanks Shareware equivalent to Scorched Earth. Just the overall strategy in the game; really loved it. Vroom I stumbled on this game accidentally. I feel it gets hugely ignored, mainly because of the Lotus series. There are other racing games on the Amiga that look a bit prettier, but this by far was the smoothest and most enjoyable, IMHO. Deluxe Pac-Man Because I HAVE to include a Pac-Man game. 🙂 Been a big Pac-Man fan since 1981. I was a poor college student when I first started with the Amiga, and this was one of the few shareware titles I actually registered. The late Edgar Vigdal designed a really great Pac-Man clone. He also did a great Galaga clone called Deluxe Galaga that's eons better than the original Galaga. (It was also out on smart phones under the title "Warblade," but given that Edgar is no longer with us and ergo can't update the code, it might not run on said phones any more.)