HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dmarshall@trentu.ca (Dave Marshall)
Subject: Re: 2600 controllers
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: Trent Computing and Telecommunications Department
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 21:26:00 GMT

>>Anyone remember the touchpad-controller that they released with 
>>Star Raiders when it came out for the 2600? It had a replacable
>>card on the front so they could use it for other games, but I don't

I bought a couple of those (even though I didn't have a 2600) to cannabalize.
I built a drawing tablet using potentiometers at the joints of an arm. By 
reading the "paddle" inputs I could compute the location of the stylus. 
Those keypad controllers were about $2 at the time. I connected the other 
end to my Atari 400 and off I went. (patent pending ;').

David (digitizer pad) Marshall
dmarshall@trentu.ca
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: mglicksman@loyola.edu (Michael `SLAM' Glicksman)
Subject: Re: Off-topic posts  (Was Re: Lynx review! JOUST)
Followup-To: alt.games.video.classic
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: ALL - Amiga Lovers of Loyola
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 05:01:00 GMT

In article <2JAN199319354945@udel.edu>, jdelisle@udel.edu (J. G. Delisle) writes...
>In article <1993Jan2.163046.2129@hellgate.utah.edu>, galt%peruvian.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Greg Alt) writes...
>>ObClassic: A friend and I recently bought a Pitfall II cartridge for the
>>atari 2600.  And we found a map tucked away in the box of cartridges...
>>We plan on typing up an ascii version of it and posting it in the next few
>>weeks.  Pitfall II is a great game!  
> 

Yes, Pitfall II was a great game. I think that I got it for Christmas and
finished it in only a few days. I also drew my own maps. If I recall, the
characters in the game(Quickclaw and Rhonda) were based on the characters
in the Pitfall cartoon. Super Pitfall for the NES was very disappointing.

_______________________________________________________________________________
| From the Amiga of  | PLAYING FOR TIME, Don't wanna wait for heaven.          |
|     MGlicksman     | LOOKING FOR LOVE, For an angel to forgive my sins.      |
|         @          | PLAYING WITH FIRE, Chasing something new to believe in. |
|     Loyola.Edu     | LOOKING FOR LOVE, The way the big wheel spins. -peart-  |
|____________________|_________________________________________________________|

Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: galt%peruvian.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Greg Alt)
Subject: Re: Classic Atari 8-bit programs
Date: 23 Dec 92 15:59:42 MST
Followup-To: alt.games.video.classic
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept

In article <skelly.0ld9@amiganet.chi.il.us> skelly@amiganet.chi.il.us (Sean Kelly) writes:
>     Well, you are missing a few systems there, but it also depends on what
>type of systems you are looking to include in your list.  Pong was not a
>programmable system (meaning it did not accept cartridges) while all the
>others you listed are.  Here is the list with their release and demise 
>dates:
>
> Fairchild Channel F         (1976-1983)
> Atari 2600                  (1977-1990)
> RCA Studio II               (1977-1978)
> Professional Arcade         (1977 - renamed as Astrocade in 1982)
> Magnavox Odyssey II         (1978-1983)
> Atari 5200                  (1982-1985)
> Atari 7800                  (1987-1991)
> Atari XE                    (1987-1990)
> Atari Lynx                  (1989-Present)
> Intellivision               (1978-1983)
> Intellivision II            (1982-1985)
> INTV aka: Intellivision III (1985-1991)
> Mattel Aquarius             (1982-1983)
> Arcadia 2001                (1982-1983)
> ColecoVision                (1982-1986)
> Coleco Adam                 (1983-1986)
> Coleco Gemini               (1983-1986)
> Vectrex                     (1982-1985)
> Nintendo NES                (1985-Present)
> Nintendo GameBoy            (1989-Present)
> Nintendo Super NES          (1991-Present)  
> Sega Master System          (1986-1990)
> Sega Master System II       (1990-Present)
> Sega Genesis                (1989-Present)
> Sega Game Gear              (1991-Present)
> NEC TurboGrafx 16           (1989-Present)
> NEC TurboExpress            (1990-Present)
> SNK Neo-Geo                 (1991-Present) 

Three more systems to add to the list: (This should be put in a FAQ)

Odyssey       (1972 - 197?)
Entex         (19?? - 19??)
Microvision   (19?? - 19??)

I have a broken Odyssey (it is kind of like pong, but it takes
cartidges and uses screen overlays).

I'm not sure about the Entex, but I have 2 cartridges that say 
"Entex Select-A-Game(tm) cartridge".  (Space Invader2 and Pinball)
They do not appear compatible with any system I've ever seen.

The Microvision is a hand-held cartridge system. 
----
"Dwayne Dibly?!" - The Cat (I've seen 5th season.  Have you?)
----
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: mandel@dms.agames.com (Glenn Mandelkern)
Subject: Re: The Classics
Organization: Atari Games Corp.
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 21:11:15 GMT

In article <SCHERR.92Dec19180200@occs.cs.oberlin.edu> scherr@occs.cs.oberlin.edu (Joshua R. Scherr) writes:
>
>the name of the Exidy game w/the tie-fighter style ships is called
>STAR FIRE.  

SF Bay Area residents may be interested to know that:
	A STAR FIRE may be found at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Arcade.

>Jeez, this newsgroup brings back memories.
>
	Many other classic video games and pinballs are available 
	also here at Santa Cruz.  You may find me playing one of 6 
	working Tempest's here (no, none of them have the "free" 
	40-credit trick), or two of my favorite pinballs from 
	my "Wonder Years", namely Elton John's Captain Fantastic
	and Future Spa.
From: jdelisle@udel.edu (J. G. Delisle)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Re: Off-topic posts  (Was Re: Lynx review! JOUST)
Date: 3 Jan 93 00:35:00 GMT
Followup-To: alt.games.video.classic
Organization: Boyz from the Dwarf
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1993Jan2.163046.2129@hellgate.utah.edu>, galt%peruvian.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Greg Alt) writes...
>ObClassic: A friend and I recently bought a Pitfall II cartridge for the
>atari 2600.  And we found a map tucked away in the box of cartridges...
>We plan on typing up an ascii version of it and posting it in the next few
>weeks.  Pitfall II is a great game!  

	I liked Pitfall II on the Atari 2600, but I didn't like it on the
Commodore 64. The C64 version's graphics just seemed a bit overboard, and
were more of a distraction to me. And it didn't have the right 'feel' to it
(even though I was using Atari joysticks with it :-).

(Of course, I played the C64 version after I beat the Atari 2600 version).

	Joe Delisle

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| From the terminal of Joe Delisle      |                                    |
| jdelisle@loyola.edu  (preferred)      |    "Home is where the hell is."    |
| jdelisle@cs.loyola.edu                |                                    |
|              "I was up above it, but now I'm down in it"                   |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: jerry@cs.mcgill.ca (Gerald (Jerry) KUCH)
Subject: Re: Atari 8-bit emulation on a PC
Organization: SOCS - McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 17:43:48 GMT

In article <1993Jan1.061904.22032@grebyn.com> rich@grebyn.com (Richard Lawrence) writes:
>There exists a product that will allow you to emulate an Atari 8-bit
>computer on an IBM PC (the same guy, Darek Mihoka, also writes an
>Atari *ST* emulator for the PC, but who cares...).
>
>This is such a completely silly and unpracticle idea that I have to have
>one. What I want to know is, has anybody seen it? Does it emulate
>player/missile graphics? Mihoka's 8-bit emlator for the Atari ST was an
>excellent product, on an 8Mhz machine it came close to half the speed of
>an Atari 8-bit. I figure with my current 486/50 I might be covered.

I agree.  The 8-bit emulator for the ST was quite impressive.  I particularly
liked how well it managed to emulate the sound chip using the ColecoVision/TI
chip in the ST.  It did have some trouble with display list interrupts, but
also managed to get them right from time to time.  Very well put together.

The fact that it got EA's Archon through the title screen was to its credit.

>A plan to ask Mihoka about it on CI$, but I wanted an objective opinion
>as well.

I'd agree that it would be odd to do on the PC... Sure you could make up for
some of the display list tricks (mode changes/resolution changes are 
trivial, color changes are helped by the bigger SVGA palette) but it would
be a pretty processor intensive affair... also modelling the 8-bit's chipset
fully enough to simulate all of the weird side effects that got used in 
Atari software sure wouldn't be that easy...

>Rich Lawrence, Synoptics Systems Engineer  DOD#9630  rich@grebyn.com
>     '92 Seca II "Yuri"  CI$:71101,2272  GEnie:R.LAWRENCE14
>   215 years ago my government gave me certain inalienable rights.
>     Since then, they've been trying to correct their mistake.


-- 
 Jerry Kuch (jerry@cs.mcgill.ca) | Wishing I were an emaciated chihuahua. 
 "I was wrong to play God.  Life is precious, not a thing to be toyed with.
  Now take out that brain and flush it down the toilet."
                  --- M. Burns  "Treehouse of Horror II"
From: jvigneau@cs.pac.man (Joe Vigneau)
Subject: Pac Man will Never Die!!!
Organization: Not Much
Distribution: alt
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 17:06:08 GMT

Has anyone else seen this new Pac Man game? I think its called Pac Mania or
something like that. Its has 3D type graphics, and you can jump over the
monsters! Any other thoughts? I saw this game coming home fron New York on
the Mass Pike last month. Too bad I really didn't have time to play, because
my ride was leaving... :(

BTW: I know I will probably get flamed here because it is a new game, but is 
a spinoff of the old classic, so I decided to post here.
--
jvigneau@cs.ulowell.edu-<All opinions are mine, not UMassLowell's>-Joe Vigneau
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: olavs@Lise.Unit.NO (Olav S|yseth)
Subject: ORIC-1
Keywords: ah...
Organization: Norwegian Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 92 21:39:43 GMT

Any ORIC-1 owners out there ? Ah, I just loved the PING,SHOOT and EXPLODE
command. And the games...oh..those were the days...
From: skelly@amiganet.chi.il.us (Sean Kelly)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Re: Colecovision list v 0.2
Date: 26 Dec 92 03:18:45 CST
Organization: Amiga Network Information Systems

 
 
     Mr. Do's Castle for ColecoVision was definately released.  I have a copy
of it (actually TWO copies) right here...

%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%
%   Sean Kelly - Sysop Amizon BBS (312)594-1146                         %
%   Always looking for classic video games for the following systems:   %
%                                                                       %
%  Atari 2600-Atari 5200-ColecoVision-Atari 5200-Intellivision-Vectrex  %
%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: petitc@vccnw06.its.rpi.edu (Christopher Jon Petit)
Subject: Re: ANALOG games (was Re: RipOff: Heh Heh Heh Nyaah)
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 02:47:13 GMT

greg@Quotron.COM (Greg "Maddog" Knauss) writes:

>petitc@nuge104.its.rpi.edu (Christopher Jon Petit) writes:

>>Yeah.  I think I have something like 3 dozen of them.  And I typed in Rocks,
>>a 3-D Maze Game, a Database program, a spreadsheet program, Train Crazy,
>>and my favorite:  some game where you're at the bottom of a cave with a
>>limited supply of air and strength (and had to avoid a dart and bat).
>>Loved building silly caves for it.

>It was called "Upward!"  I wrote it, geez, when I was sixteen, years and
>years and years ago -- it was my first real game.  I've overjoyed that you
>liked it, and it's nice to see that someone used the editor.  (ANALOG forgot
>to print the documentation for it.)

  Yeah.  I lost it, though (disk died).  I remember an EVIL board---it had
something like one tiny path you could barely make.  And if you choose one
of three paths up wrong, you ended up in lava.

>	And wasn't the music awful?

  Didn't notice---was too busy avoiding Skyler and so on.  I think I wanted to
add some items to the game (e.g. an umbrella that let you control descent, a
gun to shoot Skyler, and a Shield).

  I'm always hacking games, it seems.  :&)
-- 
Now on sale, in Aisle 5 of the Divine Supermarket---Lives, and Clues.  Buy
yours now and avoid the rush!  They make great Christmas gifts!
Cynicism is only realism projected into the future.
If your fondest wish is to fly, don't draw up plans for flippers.
From: wallich@ncd.com (Ken Wallich)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Re: BallBlazer
Date: 23 Dec 92 00:30:09 GMT
Reply-To: wallich@ncd.com (Ken Wallich)
Distribution: na

kpb@quicksand.cis.ufl.edu (Kevin Barrett) writes:


>Lucasfilm Games made the Eidolon and Ballblazer for the Commodore 64.  After
>4 or so years I have given up looking for a Ballblazer port on any machine.

I have a good version on my Atari 7800.  It's the reason I bought the
box in the first place (although Joust is quite good as well).  Not that
7800's are all that easy to find now either...

Xref: sparky alt.games.video.classic:1068 rec.games.video.arcade:9792
From: hship@sw.stratus.com (Howard Ship)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic,rec.games.video.arcade
Subject: Time Pilot '84
Date: 21 Dec 1992 14:19:29 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: teton.sw.stratus.com

Does anyone out there in Netland know the correct dipswitch settings for a
Time Pilot '84.  I'm about to sell mine, and the new onwer will probably need to
know these.  Thanks.


-- 
"I can't believe I had the Anti!"
Howard_Ship@vos.stratus.com
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: dsembr01@starbase.spd.louisville.edu (Darren S. Embry)
Subject: Re: PC Joust...Again
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 18:41:33 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Louisville

In <1hn3g2INNin5@uwm.edu> alanchem@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Alan Scott Olson) writes:

>A while back a posted requesting where I could find a PC version of Joust.
>One followup was posted stating that it was at ftp.ulowell.edu.

>I found 'joust.zip' there...but it was very small (~30K, if I recall).

>It unzipped to joust.com, again very small, which hung the computer
>when executed.

>Any help would be appreciated!

Well, JOUST.COM happens to be a *very* old program which worked perfectly on
original IBM PCs.  Needless to say, I, too, had trouble getting JOUST.COM to
work on *REAL* machines.  I have a PCjr at home, so I can play it all I want
:). 

However, there *is* a reasonable clone called JOUSTVGA.ZIP somewhere at
ftp.ulowell.edu.  Don't know the exact location.  /msdos/Games/Misc or
something like that.  Later.

-- 
---->8------ Darren Embry --- dsembr01@starbase.spd.louisville.edu -----8<----
 o  o   This is the Internet.  This is a .signature.  This is the 1990's.  You
\____/  know what to do.  This sentence is the implied disclaimer.  You know
        where to direct flames.
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: lazuli@hardy.u.washington.edu (Fred Sloniker)
Subject: Re: Bosconian
Summary: That's the one, all right.
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 05:13:15 GMT

In article (foo) wdavid@unf6.unf.edu (Bill David) writes:
>In article (bar) LAID@vtcc1.cc.vt.edu (Vinny the Cyberpunk) writes:
>>
>>	I've seen BOSCONIAN mentioned a few times.  It was another fav.  
>>Didn't it say something like "Arrive Alive, Arrive Alive"?  Many of my 
>>pals thought it was cheesy, but I loved it.  So much for peer-pressure!
>
>Hmm. Wasn't Bosconian a space shoot-em-up game? If so, "arrive alive" 
>wouldn't seem to fit. Anyway, the game I'm thinking of was a 
>space game, you piloted a ship around and had to destroy these
>space stations shapped (roughly) like wheels with six round things
>aroudn the edge. You could blow the station up either by destroying 
>all six round things, or shooting into this little door that opened
>up in the middle every so often.
>
>It was a *great* game, though it didn't get much attention. I first
>saw it at the World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee (in... um... 1982?)
>I've only seen one machine since then, at an arcade near where I 
>went to high school.
>
>-Bill
>wdavid@unf6.cis.unf.edu

Ayup, that's Bosconian.  The phrase was actually, if I recall, "Aloit! Aloit!"
Well, it was *supposed* to be "Alert! Alert!" but the speech synthesis was
really, well, wierd.  I thought that game was pretty cool, actually (though
nowhere near as cool as Major Havok, which I would kill-- well, maim-- to get
a chance to play again.  (:3

				---Fred M. Sloniker, kidding!  Honest!
				   L. Lazuli R'kamos, FurryMUCKer
				   lazuli@u.washington.edu
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: smj@sdf.lonestar.org (Stephen M. Jones)
Subject: Re: Hacking 2600 cartridges
Organization: Super Dimension Fortress - Public Access Unix - Dallas, Tx.. 
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 02:29:06 GMT

In article <Bzp3p7.HM3@rice.edu> abuhr@owlnet.rice.edu (Aaron M. Buhr) writes:
>     Did anyone else ever "hack" 2600 cartridges by turning the power
>on first then jamming the cartridge in?  The one I remember as having
>the neatest effects (though several worked to some degree) was the
>Outlaw cartridge.  The regular game only went up to game number 32 or
>so, whereas if you jammed the cartridge in it would go all the way
>up to 99.  You'd get some pretty hilarious variations of the standard
>game, such as moving (bottom to top) cactii, indestructible walls,
>outlaws that faced the wrong direction, and steerable target balls!
>I think that's one of the first things to ever get me interested in
>how electronic gadgets work.

wow... never tried those.. I think I will though! hheheh

my favorite 'hack' was turning on the power while holding the reset
switch down on SPace Ivaders!  DOUBLE BULLETS! yeah!


-- 
Stephen M. Jones (214)436-4622  
smj@sdf.lonestar.org <Cs&E>
From: wdavid@unf6.unf.edu (Bill David)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Bosconian
Date: 20 Dec 92 08:59:54 GMT
Organization: University of North Florida, Jacksonville

In article <LAID.7.724583626@vtcc1.cc.vt.edu> LAID@vtcc1.cc.vt.edu (Vinny the Cyberpunk) writes:
>
>	I've seen BOSCONIAN mentioned a few times.  It was another fav.  
>Didn't it say something like "Arrive Alive, Arrive Alive"?  Many of my 
>pals thought it was cheesy, but I loved it.  So much for peer-pressure!

Hmm. Wasn't Bosconian a space shoot-em-up game? If so, "arrive alive" 
wouldn't seem to fit. Anyway, the game I'm thinking of was a 
space game, you piloted a ship around and had to destroy these
space stations shapped (roughly) like wheels with six round things
aroudn the edge. You could blow the station up either by destroying 
all six round things, or shooting into this little door that opened
up in the middle every so often.

It was a *great* game, though it didn't get much attention. I first
saw it at the World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee (in... um... 1982?)
I've only seen one machine since then, at an arcade near where I 
went to high school.

-Bill
wdavid@unf6.cis.unf.edu
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: pochanay@cae.wisc.edu (Adisak Pochanayon)
Subject: Game Programmer looking for artists
Organization: College of Engineering, Univ. of Wisconsin--Madison
Date: 27 Dec 92 15:55:16 CST

     I am a professional Amiga games programmer (Thromulus - reviewed in Amiga
World, Amazing, .Info..... and 4-GET-IT - ranked #1 of 8 games in a review in
Amiga World).  I am interested in programming some classic game clones as
well as new games.  I am very good at graphics programming and music but I
am rather bad at drawing art so I need help with characters and other graphics
for my games.  If there are any artists out there interested in working on any
new games, Please e-mail me.  You may attache IFF's (uuencoded) as examples.
From: ng4@husc10.harvard.edu (Ho Leung Ng)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Re: Hacking 2600 cartridges
Date: 23 Dec 92 10:52:42 GMT


   Yeah, I remember trying that with just about every game I ever got my
hands on.  Can anyone explain why these "special effects" appeared?

Ho Leung Ng
From: ah292@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Robert Krynak)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Re: Moon Patrol
Date: 28 Dec 1992 06:22:38 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: ah292@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Robert Krynak)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc4.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, zippy@cs.brandeis.edu (Patrick Tufts) says:

>There were tanks, UFOs, mines, boulders, craters, and enemy land
>vehicles.  I think there were also fixed turrets that fired at you.
>
there was also volcanoes to shoot (or jump over).

Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee)
Subject: Re: Bosconian
Organization: Johns Hopkins University CS Dept.
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 05:30:45 GMT

In article <1992Dec20.085954.26741@sinkhole.unf.edu> wdavid@unf6.unf.edu (Bill David) writes:
>>	I've seen BOSCONIAN mentioned a few times.  It was another fav.  
>>Didn't it say something like "Arrive Alive, Arrive Alive"?  Many of my 
>>pals thought it was cheesy, but I loved it.  So much for peer-pressure!
>Hmm. Wasn't Bosconian a space shoot-em-up game? If so, "arrive alive" 
>wouldn't seem to fit. Anyway, the game I'm thinking of was a 
>space game, you piloted a ship around and had to destroy these
>space stations shapped (roughly) like wheels with six round things
>aroudn the edge. You could blow the station up either by destroying 
>all six round things, or shooting into this little door that opened
>up in the middle every so often.

That's Bosconian, and the sound was "alert alert"...
--
"the bogosity in a field equals the bogosity imported from related areas, plus
the bogosity generated internally, minus the bogosity expelled or otherwise
disposed of."  -- K. Eric Drexler

Ken Arromdee (arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu, arromdee@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: fseipel@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Frank E Seipel)
Subject: Re: 7800 Games: Trak-Ball Centipede? Midnight Mutants?
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 20:34:52 GMT

 I am using the black CX80 Trak-Ball.  The button on the reverse of the
unit switches between Trak-Ball mode and joystick emulation.  Is there
any way to modify this Trak-Ball to work with the 7800 Centipede?  Where
can I get one that does?  It functions fine in joystick mode, but this
isn't what I'm looking for.  The whole point of using the Trak-Ball for
me is to have control over velocity as well as direction.

-- 

Frank Seipel                      | A.C.E.C. BBS (614) 267-3342 3/12/24oo bps
fseipel@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu | Atari 8-bit BBS
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic