Idea Peddler Alert! Microvision Ports?

[toymailman]

Here is what seems to be a fairly simple idea for some Atari 2600 games. This is to port the Milton Bradley Microvision games over to Atari. I think most are already done (in some fashion or another), but a couple have no existing title that might be worthy to do. Maybe in a 2008 mini-game challenge? See below.

 

Games that are more-or-less ported already.

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Block Buster = Breakout

Phaser Strike = similar enough to Atlantis?

Connect Four = Four Play

Bowling = Bowling

Baseball = Home Run (or any other baseball game)

Vegas Slots = Slot Machine

Super Block Buster = Super Breakout?

 

Games with no current port (that I know of)

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Alien Raiders = none

Sea Duel = none

Cosmic Hunter = none

Mind Buster = none

 

Alien Raiders is not a bad little side shooter on the Microvision system. It could be done with a paddle controller (just like it is on the MV). The button shoots and the paddle extends or retracts the beam length so that it only destroys enemies that are the same distance away as the beam length.

 

Sea Duel is a fairly fun little strategy game. The Joystick could be used to input directions of movement and firing. Select and difficulty switches to perform all the options.

 

Cosmic Hunter is hard to control on the Microvision system, but would have better gameplay by using a joystick on the Atari.

 

Mind Buster could be implemented via a Keyboard controller to toggle the locations on the grid.

 

Anyway, just some thoughts. This is not something I am really pushing anyone to take on, but something to think about as a couple of these are already fun on the MV and could probably be made even more so on the 2600 with its vastly superior graphics.

[BigO]

How funny. I have, sitting here at my left elbow, graph paper with the layout of Microvision Bowling screens penciled in. I was thinking of recreating it as an Atari 2600 game to get myself back into learning the 2600 programming.

 

My intent was not to improve on the graphics, but try to use the playfield object to duplicate the look and feel. Of course, it would be slightly scaled up in size.

 

What are the ports of Microvision games that you referred to? I'm fairly certain that nobody has dumped the code from those games, so I assume they're scratch built simulations of the original.

[toymailman]

Ha! That is funny.

 

I guess you could port the Microvision games over EXACTLY by duplicating the 16x16 grid on the Atari (also use black squares on a grey background). That might be a good first step, but it would be nice to also have a follow-up version. This next version would retain the same gameplay, but could improve graphics and/or offer more game variations, etc.

 

Also, I am not aware of any dumps of the Microvision games. I am pretty sure the already existing "ports" I mentioned earlier were not modeled after the Microvision games. I think a few of the Atari titles may even pre-date the Microvision versions.

 

A dump of the original Microvision games might be a good way to start as well.

[Pixelboy]

It would be nice to reproduce Microvision games on the Atari 2600, but somehow, I more easely envision a Microvision multicart on the ColecoVision. Reproducing those "block pixels" is straightforward with 8x8 background tiles on the CV, and with a bit of effort, the overlays can even be reproduced on-screen, in addition to a border that would show the Microvision casing, like it's done on the Super Game Boy. Colored versions of the games (with colored blocks on a black background) would be a nice bonus. If I had time, I would do a mockup to illustrate.

 

The only small downside is that most people would play the games with regular CV joysticks, even if the Roller Controller and Driving Module were supported. Still, it would make a very cool little multicart. The real challenge here would be to reproduce the game logic faithfully.

 

Can Microvision games actually be dumped BTW? Aren't the games based on logic circuitry instead of a ROM?

[Prodos8]

Can Microvision games actually be dumped BTW? Aren't the games based on logic circuitry instead of a ROM?

The games are on roms, but the carts also include a cpu for the unit. I can't imagine why this was done as it must have added tremendously to the cost of making carts.

[BigO]

Can Microvision games actually be dumped BTW? Aren't the games based on logic circuitry instead of a ROM?

They are a ROM/CPU design not discrete logic, but the ROM is located within the CPU chip. There has been some evidence found that the program may be able to be extracted, but I don't find where anyone has proven that it can (or can't). I read the specifications about reading the ROM from the CPU. It's some information listed in a patent for not the exact CPU but a close relative/predecessor. It made my head spin a little, but somebody who works extensively in the digital world would have been able to set up the conditions and do the procedure.

 

Best I can figure, the prevailing thought is that since it hasn't been done, it can't be done.

 

I found the reference to the patent on Dan Boris' Microvision technical pages: http://www.atarihq.com/danb/MicrovisionCarts.shtml

Edited January 24, 2008 by BigO

[BigO]

It would be nice to reproduce Microvision games on the Atari 2600, but somehow, I more easely envision a Microvision multicart on the ColecoVision. Reproducing those "block pixels" is straightforward with 8x8 background tiles on the CV, and with a bit of effort, the overlays can even be reproduced on-screen, in addition to a border that would show the Microvision casing, like it's done on the Super Game Boy. Colored versions of the games (with colored blocks on a black background) would be a nice bonus. If I had time, I would do a mockup to illustrate.

Yes, as I understand it, actual square elements on the playfield of the 2600 probably isn't practical if they're small. But, if the game takes up the entire screen, maybe I could get close to square with the "pixels"?

 

If I remember correctly from "the day", the RCA Studio II bowling game would be a very similar experience to what I imagine for this Microvision to 2600 conversion of bowling, but rotated 90 degrees.