HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: abuhr@owlnet.rice.edu (Aaron M. Buhr)
Subject: Hacking 2600 cartridges
Organization: Rice University
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 04:41:31 GMT

     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.


Aaron Buhr
abuhr@owlnet.rice.edu

Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: sgolson@trilobyte.com (Steve Golson)
Subject: Re: 7800 Games: Trak-Ball Centipede? Midnight Mutants?
Organization: Trilobyte Systems
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 03:11:49 GMT

In article <1992Dec19.052416.14213@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> fseipel@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Frank E Seipel) writes:
>  First, is there anyway to get 7800 Centipede to work with Atari's
>Trak-Ball in Trak-Ball mode?  I think this is a glaring omission!  The
>game is the best home version of Centipede I know of, identical to
>the arcade in almost all respects but this one.  Anyone know who
>programmed it?  It would only take a few bytes to get the Trak-Ball
>working.

Ummmm. It was certainly designed to use a track ball. Perhaps the one
you are using is not the track ball it was designed for... I don't
think a 2600 track ball will work. A new track ball was designed for
the 7800, but I'm not sure if it ever got to market.

-seg

Steve Golson -- Trilobyte Systems -- Carlisle MA -- sgolson@trilobyte.com
"As the people here grow colder, I turn to my computer..." -- Kate Bush
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Tempest Repairs - worth the cost?
From: Michael.Breen@UC.EDU
Date: 23 Dec 92 13:29:36 EST
Distribution: world
Organization: University of Cincinnati

According to a local vendor and an arcade operator the Tempest machines had a
habit of frying transistors about every week. Seeing that this local vendor
says that he will sell me a Tempist for $50 if and when he sees another one, I
was wondering is it worth it.

Was it the same piece that keeps frying? Can these pieces be found and soldered
into place by your average computer technician (me)?

Anyone that has dealt with Tempest repairs or would like to share some horror
stories with me is welcome to e-mail. Tempest was and is one of a kind and I'd
like nothing better than to have one in my living room by next christmas even
if I have to repair it once in a while :)

MTB
Admin. Computing
Univ. Cincinnati 
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: eng10470@nusunix1.nus.sg (TAN KOK MENG)
Subject: Re: Miner 2049'er
Organization: National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 08:09:52 GMT

ttttt
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: rich@grebyn.com (Richard Lawrence)
Subject: Atari 8-bit emulation on a PC
Organization: Grebyn Timesharing
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 06:19:04 GMT

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

-- 
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.
From: smj@sdf.lonestar.org (Stephen M. Jones)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: VIC-20 games forsale
Date: 22 Dec 92 02:41:52 GMT
Organization: Super Dimension Fortress - Public Access Unix - Dallas, Tx..

Scott adams aventure games:

	Pirates Cove
	Adventure land

others:

	OMEGA race!
	HES-aggressor (like defender)
	Raid on fort knox

this games are in very good shape (cartridges) sorry, no docs!


-- 
Stephen M. Jones (214)436-4622  
smj@sdf.lonestar.org <Cs&E> 
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: hshubs@cis.umassd.edu (Howard S Shubs)
Subject: Used games
Summary: should I even bother?
Keywords: old used cheap
Organization: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 04:49:20 GMT

I just saw a new listing in the new Want ADvertiser that I can't believe.
Berserk or Venture, both in "fair" condition: $50.

Whatcha think?

Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: sgolson@trilobyte.com (Steve Golson)
Subject: Re: History of Home Video Games
Organization: Trilobyte Systems
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 02:58:48 GMT

In article <BzH08M.6wL@javelin.sim.es.com> pashdown@javelin.sim.es.com (Pete Ashdown) writes:
>petitc@vccsouth23.its.rpi.edu (Christopher Jon Petit) writes:
>
>> tapes tapes tapes tapes tapes tapes tapes tapes tapes
>
>This is something that has always bothered me.  Game cartridges are not
>"tapes."   There is nothing magnetic or tape-like about them besides their
>size.  You might as well call them cigarette packs or remote controls.
>Cartridges are cartridges.

Well, back when Atari was first marketing the 2600, they called them
"tapes". The reasoning went: consumers understood tapes (the musical
variety). You put in a different one, and you get different music. Ergo, you
put in a different game "tape", and you get a different game. That's also
one reason why the early 2600 carts had the little door covering the edge
connector on the cart.

-seg

Steve Golson -- Trilobyte Systems -- Carlisle MA -- sgolson@trilobyte.com
"As the people here grow colder, I turn to my computer..." -- Kate Bush
From: abdab@dartmouth.edu (Adam Milligan)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: test
Date: 2 Jan 93 23:21:07 GMT
Organization: Dartmouth College
X-Xxdate: Sat, 2 Jan 93 18:19:54 GMT
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d7

testing...
        _ _     _ _           __      _ _           _      _          
        / /  \   /  \ \        /\ \    /  \ \        / /\   /\ \  
       / / /\ | / /\ |_|      /  \_\  | /\ \ \      / /  \  \ \ \    
      / /  \/ / \ \/  \ \    / /\ | | \ \/  \ \    / / /\ |  \ \ \
     /_/ /\  /   \  /\ \ \  / / /||_|  \  /\ \_\  / /  \/_/   \ \_\    
     \_\/ / /     \ \/ | | / /_// / /   \ \ \/_/ /_/ /\  |     \/_/_ 
       /_/ /       \  / /  \ \_/ / /     \ \_\   \ \ \/ /        /\ \  
       \_\/         \/_/    \___/_/       \/_/    \_\_ /         \/_/

                              @dartmouth.edu
 _________________________________________________________________________
(                                                                        
)
(   You can't win.  You can't break even.  You can't even quit the game. 
)
(______________________________________________________________________
__)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold)
Subject: Re: RipOff: Heh Heh Heh Nyaah
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 01:19:57 GMT

chase@electron.rutgers.edu (Kevin Chase) writes:
>Actually, those of us who had Atari computers probably
>remember ANALOG magazine M/L games.  If I remember rightly,
>Bacterion was a clone of Rip Off, and was great fun.  I remember
>typing the damn thing in.  ANALOG produced many great games for those
>of us who had no money for games, but had time to type in the
>games in hexadecimal.  I got quite good at it actually.

Yeah, one hour to type it in, two hours to find all your typos...  If
the magazine didn't print it wrong!
-- 
What on earth would a man do with himself if something didn't stand in his way?
From: muoto@aludra.usc.edu ("Olivetti")
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: ** WANTED: Mattel POWERGLOVE **
Date: 28 Dec 1992 20:41:57 -0800
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu




I am looking for a Power Glove in good condition for a good price.

Oliver Muoto
muoto@usc.edu

Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: bscott@nyx.cs.du.edu (Ben Scott)
Subject: Re: BallBlazer
Summary: Nintendo desecrations! 
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 92 02:39:36 GMT

In article <92350.120810SML108@psuvm.psu.edu> SML108@psuvm.psu.edu writes:
>the Moon Patrol theme!  Loved those two artifacts in Koronis Rift that played
>the BallBlazer and Fractalus themes...  Speaking of which, did anyone ever

Geez, wish I'd'a seen them... never did get very far in Koronis Rift, though
as I've said it's among the most intriguing games I've come across.  I spent
much more of my time on M.U.L.E. and Raid on Bungling Bay... 
 
>There is a supposedly really lame BallBlazer port on the SNES...  I was
>in a store once and I saw this middle aged salesdude playing it and I
>sort of blurted out "Hey that's a Ballblazer ripoff, don't these guys have
>any creativity?" and this dweeb starts this tirade about how much better
>it was than the original because of the amazing graphics in the SNES and he

Yeah, big joke.  But what's worse is the desecration of M.U.L.E. - there's
an alleged version of it on the Nintendo now.  Gad.  No Amiga version (oh,
rumors, yes, but no code...), but a Nintendo version.  As if that generation
could appreciate truly creative game design...

.                            <<<<Infinite K>>>>

--
|Ben Scott, professional goof-off and consultant at The Raster Image, Denver|
|Internet bscott@nyx.cs.du.edu, or call the Arvada 68K BBS at (303)424-6208.| 
|"Don't tug on that - you never know what ][The Raster Image IS responsible |
|it might be attached to." Buckaroo Banzai][for everything I say! | *Amiga* |
From: unknown@Apple.COM (Matt Ackeret)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Re: Cloak and Dagger
Date: 31 Dec 92 09:54:23 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA

In article <1992Dec17.013109.17324@coe.montana.edu> ender@cs.montana.edu (Jacob Cormier) writes:
>Yes, the game was also called 'Cloak and Dagger', it really existed, and it
>was pretty cool.  I don't know if there was a home game of it, but I played
>it at an arcade.

The game was before the movie actually, under a different name..
"<something> X".. "Mission X"???

Then the movie came out and it was reissued as "Cloak and Dagger".. I remember
seeing the game both ways.. it was virtually (if not identically) the same
both ways..
-- 
unknown@apple.com		Apple II Forever
unknown@ucscb.ucsc.edu  These opinions are mine, not Apple's.
From: tzs@stein.u.washington.edu (Tim Smith)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Re: Lynx review! JOUST
Date: 2 Jan 93 01:26:45 GMT
Organization: University of Washington School of Law, Class of '95
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu

About a week before Christman, an Atari brochure appeared in the Sunday
paper, offering a toll-free number to order a Lynx for $79.99 with free
Federal Express delivery.

Screen shots from about 40 games are shown.  It was almost tempting, except
that all the games that looked possibly interesting also looked like things
I can get for my SNES, so why get another system?  I'd rather spend the money
on a new SNES game.

If they had shown Joust, and it looked good, I might have went for it.
Is this the legendary Atari marketing at work?

--Tim Smith
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: steedly@dosequis.eng.ohio-state.edu (William M. Steedly)
Subject: RE: VIC-20 Games forsale
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Electrical Engineering
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 21:38:23 GMT

I saw the above subject heading for a news posting to this group.
Unfortunately I didn't get the article itself.  Could the poster (or
someone who read the article and could give me the poster's e-mail
address) please send me e-mail to: wmsteedly@tasc.com

I have an old Vic-20 that I still use.  I have several games for it
and would be interested in any sources of obtaining (i.e.
buying/selling/renting/etc.) other games for it.  

Thanks,
Bill Steedly
From: abuhr@owlnet.rice.edu (Aaron M. Buhr)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Re: Hacking 2600 cartridges
Date: 28 Dec 92 19:16:12 GMT
Organization: Rice University

In article <BzuHKI.2Bq@sdf.lonestar.org> smj@sdf.lonestar.org (Stephen M. Jones) writes:
>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


>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!

     I should mention for those of you that want to try it :) , it sometimes
took quite a few tries to have the machine come up in a usable state by
jamming the cartridge in.  A mess of wavy lines was common, and sometimes
you'd get a screwed-up game screen but none of the 2600 controls would
work.  I'm going to have to go back and see if I can get my unit working
so I can try this out again.


Aaron Buhr
abuhr@owlnet.rice.edu
From: kpb@yacht.cis.ufl.edu (Kevin Barrett)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Ghostbusters!
Date: 21 Dec 92 07:46:08 GMT
Organization: Univ. of Florida CIS Dept.

Ghostbusters for the C-64...Ahh, my first!  Anyone remember that one?

Some more favorites for the 64 (some of which I doubt anyone has heard of)...

Impossible Mission

Beyond Castle Wolfenstein

Forbidden Forest

Bruce Lee

Anything made by Infocom

Master of the Lamps:  the game was silly, it was that fast magic carpet ride
through space that was the best part...

Ballblazer (!)

Spelunker


I know there's more but I can't remember it all...Darn good old games though.

  -Kevin
   kpb@springs.cis.ufl.edu



Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: bscott@nyx.cs.du.edu (Ben Scott)
Subject: Name the game
Summary: Can't remember it myself 
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 92 19:44:59 GMT

There was a game 'round about '85 or so I think; it was a nifty combination
of roller derby, lacrosse and hockey.  I can't remember the name -
(something) 2002.  It had the GREATEST sound effects for grunts and other
such noises.  You and another player on a smallish oval ice rink fought (you
had buttons to punch each other with) over a ball which you were supposed to
shoot into your goal.  Good movement system, too, considering you just had
the normal joystick and you were supposed to be ice skating.

Another game I remember liking was "Sarge", where you could switch back and
forth between a helicopter and a tank (I think), provided they weren't too
damaged, by hitting a button.  A little guy would come out of your vehicle
and run across to the other.

.                            <<<<Infinite K>>>>

--
|Ben Scott, professional goof-off and consultant at The Raster Image, Denver|
|Internet bscott@nyx.cs.du.edu, or call the Arvada 68K BBS at (303)424-6208.| 
|"Don't tug on that - you never know what ][The Raster Image IS responsible |
|it might be attached to." Buckaroo Banzai][for everything I say! | *Amiga* |
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: greg@Quotron.COM (Greg "Maddog" Knauss)
Subject: ANALOG games (was Re: RipOff: Heh Heh Heh Nyaah)
Organization: Quotron System, Inc.
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 23:41:13 GMT

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.)
	And wasn't the music awful?
--
Greg Knauss (greg@quotron.com)                       "Llamas, dammit!  Llamas!"
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic,rec.games.video.arcade,rec.games.programmer
From: sgolson@trilobyte.com (Steve Golson)
Subject: Re: [Ms.] Pac-Man music (Was: Pac Man)
Organization: Trilobyte Systems
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 01:48:42 GMT

In article <toddl.231.724085519@county.lmt.mn.org> toddl@county.lmt.mn.org (Todd Lehman) writes:
>Does anyone know whether there is sheet music for the Pac-Man intro theme 
>and cartoon, and the Ms. Pac-Man theme and its 3 cartoons?

I've got the source code for Ms. Pac-Man. One of these days I'll extract the
music, but don't hold your breath. I may even have the original score
somewhere.

>Finally, does anyone know if all of this is public-domain yet, or does that
>take more than 10 years?

This isn't public domain yet (if ever). I doubt if anyone cares, though...

Who owns what is left of Midway, anyway?

-seg

Steve Golson -- Trilobyte Systems -- Carlisle MA -- sgolson@trilobyte.com
"As the people here grow colder, I turn to my computer..." -- Kate Bush
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic,comp.sys.atari.8-bit
From: greg@Quotron.COM (Greg "Maddog" Knauss)
Subject: Re: ANALOG games (was Re: RipOff: Heh Heh Heh Nyaah)
Organization: Quotron System, Inc.
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 16:20:13 GMT

petitc@vccnw06.its.rpi.edu (Christopher Jon Petit) writes:

[Note new cross-post.  "Upward" and other ANALOG games being fondly
remembered.]

>  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.

That's the second level.  I figured anybody who made it through the first
set (with the really tricky jump at the end -- I can't make it anymore),
deserved to have something really tough.  

>                                                      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).

Great ideas.  I stopped working on it 'cause it had been eight months and
I was sick to death of the damned thing.  The one thing I really wish I
would have changed is the joystick control.  I didn't really know what I was
doing at the time (heh), and I always thought that the control was kind of
sluggish.  Also, the one life was weak.
	And as long as we're talking about ANALOG games, my favorite was
Livewire!, the Tom Hudson version of Tempest.  If you played with the
hex listing enough (I didn't have an assembler), you could change the
way the sets were laid out.  Woo!
--
Greg Knauss (greg@quotron.com)                       "Llamas, dammit!  Llamas!"
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: grover@emunix.emich.edu (Grover Thomas)
Subject: Re: SwordQuest
Organization: Eastern Michigan University
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 05:52:04 GMT

In article <1haqveINNd1i@iskut.ucs.ubc.ca> hnelson@unixg.ubc.ca (Harley W Nelson) writes:
>Does anyone rember the game swordquest Earthworld for the 2600. There was
>suposed to be a contest for the solution to that or the next game Fireworld?
>I could never get through Earthworld does anyone rember what you were
>supossed to do to finish it. Any background on the game would be
>apreciated too.

    I still have Earthworld, Fireworld, and Waterworld. Each came with a
comic book drawn by DC Comics.  By leaving the correct objects in the
correct rooms, a code number would be triggered and displayed on screen.
Using this code number, you had to search the comic book for 'hidden'
words, and then submit them to Atari for verification.  I recieved
certificates of achievement for finding several of the "correct" words
and a nice form letter.
    As far as I recall, the last of the series was Airworld, and was
only played by the few adventurers who had managed to find ALL the
correct words in the previous games.  I think there were 5 finalists,
who were flown to Atari Corp. to play the Airworld game.  The fellow
who finished Airworld first won a replica of a sword cast in silver,
but I forget his name.

I never could find more than a couple clues in Earthworld or Fireworld.
But, there were a few objects that helped you bypass certain "arcade"
scenes.  A few months ago I pulled out the Waterworld game (definately
the easiest of the three) and found all the code numbers, but they still
didn't make much sense in relation to the comic book.
-- 
 __                                                                        __
(__)  Grover Thomas                   InterNet:  grover@emunix.emich.edu  (__
(__)      "I am the terror that flaps in the night!  I am the"            (__) 
(__)              "chill that runs down your spine."       -Darkwing Duck (__)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: acgoldis@athena.mit.edu (Andrew C Goldish)
Subject: Old "binoculars" Tempest clone
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 13:49:24 GMT

  Whatever happened to those games where you picked up something shaped
like binoculars and looked into them to play the game?  I remember trying
some kind of Tempest clone out.  You put the "binoculars" to your eyes
and you see a three-dimensional (or close) Tempest-like screen with 
spaceships climbing up closer and closer to you.  The case had buttons on
it for firing and moving.  I only saw this once, at a "new" video game
exhibit at the Boston Museum of Science many years ago.

						A. Goldish

Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
From: rsrodger@wam.umd.edu (Yamanari)
Subject: sigh--> galaga for the PC?
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 03:12:44 GMT

Anyone know where I could get a version of Galaga for the PC?
I reallymiss that game, and a thread in alt.stupidity ("Why you
should be a christin in 30 words or less") reminded me of 
the joyous days in an arcade popping quarters into a standup
machine.


-- 
	Blaming society for your problems is like blaming clouds for rain.

	Do I even need to point out that my views do not represent
	those ofmy employer, institution or relations?
From: byers@cl2.cl.uh.edu (Unbeliever)
Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic
Subject: Atari 2600: Spiderman
Date: 21 Dec 1992 11:48 CST
Organization: The Land
Distribution: world
Reply-To: byers@cl.uh.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: uhcl2.cl.uh.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  

Does anyone know where (preferable in the Houston, TX area) a person might
find the Spiderman cartridge for the Atari 2600?  It's a Crazy Climber Clone,
where Spidey uses his webs to climb to the top...  It's cheesy, but I want
one.  Thanks in advance...


                                             Be True...
                                        -=*> Unbeliever <*=-

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Quote of the Day:
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Newsgroups: alt.games.video.classic