My Thoughts on the FB2

[Velvis]

Finally decided to pick one up (partly to support such a great job, partly to vote for a 3.0 version, partly because it was on sale). I passed on the original based on its look and not true emulation.

 

First thoughts: Great packaging (inside and out), great price $30 (However, I got it onsale for $24)

 

Second thoughts: The unit looks great. One nit pick: I would have rather the units buttons to be more semetrical like the original (3 on one side 3 on the other).

 

Thoughts while playing:

Great that they included the Activision titles. I'd love to see Demon Attack though.

Homebrew Stuff: To be honest I have very little interest in the Homebrew stuff. I think a very small percentage of people really care about them (other than some of the people here) I would rather the development money go towards either more original Atari games or licensing other titles or perhaps my favorite include paddles and paddle games. See my next point.

 

 

To me Atari is about nostalgia (again why I'm not interested in homebrews), remembering those times playing with friends and family. Personally Im not going to bring out the FB2 to play by myself but rather if I have friends over or visiting people. (In a few weeks my family is having an early Christmas get together and the FB2 is coming with me). So to me it's a get together type of thing. Some of the best multiplayer games are paddle games.

 

I do understand the decisions to not include the paddle games, but I would rather paddles than homebrews. (I don't pretend to know what would cost more to implement) but if I could get a Flashback2 without homebrews and two sets of paddles for say $40, I'd be all over it. I guess I'd like a mini-2600 with all the best games and real controllers, the FB2 is probably 95% of the way there. I appreciate the fact that the FB2 can be cart hacked, but it would be nice not to have to lug around carts. (and my track record with moding electronics isn't great....)

 

Another reason why I think full paddle support is important is, since 1997 I have been playing Atari 2600 games on PCs, Pocket PCs, and my Xbox via emulation. The xbox does an excellent job of emulating the experience. The original joystick isnt even missed to much. So the nostalgia of playing joystick games isn't quite that same as being able to play paddle games. However there are no paddles in emulation! So games like Warlords, Kaboom, and pong types can't be reasonably played. Other than the Jakk's paddles (I'd be all over the Jakk's paddles if they had a four player version), I don't think any system has used a paddle since the 2600. I think a great plug-n-play paddle system is missing from the market.

 

I understand the FB3 has begun development, thoughts here are saying its going to be a 5200 or 400/800. I don't think those units had the original appeal to justify a dedicated console today. I'd like to see a revamped FB2 (2600) with full paddle support. That would get my money in a heartbeat.

 

I'd love to hear others thoughts on this.

[Kokovec]

I do understand the decisions to not include the paddle games, but I would rather paddles than homebrews.

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The FB2 does support paddles. Plug in your paddles and play Pong.

There are also a couple of "Easter Egg" paddle games.

Edited November 12, 2005 by Kokovec

[Thomas Jentzsch]

IIRC there is only one single homebrew (Atari Climber aka Climber 5) on FB2. All other "new" games are either hacks or written on purpose for FB2 (by hired people who didn't knew how to do it right).

[NE146]

The Final Burn 2 does have Paddle Games. It has Super Breakout and Warlords (lets just stop all this pussyfooting around already). To unlock them you input a joystick combination. See this thread for directions http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=76553

[Velvis]

Ok I guess I should clarify:

 

I am aware that the FB2 does support paddles, but in a round-about way. Additionally it is only 3 games. You also have to provide paddles. If it came with paddles as good as the new joysticks, it would be great.

 

By "homebrew" I was refering to the newly created games, perhaps incorrectly.

 

 

My point was rather than pay a programmer to write new 2600 games, or a homebrew author to include his game, I would rather the development resources for the unit be put into including paddles in the box. For me, I dont have any interest in new games on an ancient console. I'd rather a unit with more games that I remember from being a kid. (specifically paddle games)

 

Please dont take my complaints the wrong way, I just think the FB2 could be made perfect if it was truely a mini-2600 with built in games (covering paddle games) and the original controllers.

 

When ever there is poll on favorite games, enivitably Kaboom comes up. I'd rather play Kaboom than a new game. (I realize Kaboom is an Atari game, but it could be licensed and tacked on to the final price.)

 

Perhaps the finance of "my dream" FB isnt possible, I am not pretending to know whats involved. But if you drop the new games (and thus paying the programmers and rasie the price a bit and include paddles maybe it can be done.

 

Perhaps follow the xbox 360 model: one with paddles one with out and charge a premium for the complete kit.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

My point was rather than pay a programmer to write new 2600 games, or a homebrew author to include his game, I would rather the development resources for the unit be put into including paddles in the box.

And I would have prefered that FB2 would have included much more "real" homebrews. I guess, the current selection is a quite good compromise.

 

BTW: The delevopment costs for the new games can't be really that high, based on the offers we homebrew authors got from "Atari".

[jlh2600]

Sounds like they threw peanuts, thinking you would just be jumping at the opportunity for recognition.

 

Respect for preserving integrity. I'm sure that was hard to pass up at any price.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Sounds like they threw peanuts, thinking you would just be jumping at the opportunity for recognition.

 

Respect for preserving integrity.  I'm sure that was hard to pass up at any price.

Thanks.

 

But too little money was not my major problem. After all, we homebrewers are not making games for profit.

 

The problem was, that "Atari" wasn't willing or (more likely) able to make a deal, where I still had some control what is going to happen with my game besides FB2. They wanted completely unlimited rights and that was unacceptable for me.

Edited November 13, 2005 by Thomas Jentzsch

[Room 34]

I understand the FB3 has begun development, thoughts here are saying its going to be a 5200 or 400/800. I don't think those units had the original appeal to justify a dedicated console today. I'd like to see a revamped FB2 (2600) with full paddle support. That would get my money in a heartbeat.

I agree COMPLETELY on this.

 

On the other hand, I LIKE the homebrews and the (idea of) new games. I just wish they'd been able to license more of the great homebrews in the community, rather than having to rush out some poorly-coded new games. But since I own a few 2600s and all of the games I had as a kid, the FB2 would've been kind of pointless for me if it didn't have anything new. It was the new games -- especially Adventure II -- that made the FB2 a "must-have" for me.

 

But back to the first point -- I really do NOT think the FB3 should be based on the 5200 or the computer line. Atari fanatics may be familiar with them but to the general public, Atari IS the 2600. And since there's still so much room for improvement/expansion on the FB2 idea, I really think Atari should be heading in that direction. I think it would save a lot on R&D as well. Give us an updated FB2 with a cart slot (even if it's not compatible with old 2600 carts -- but they could sell new 20-game packs, for instance), and new paddles (even as a separate add-on) that take advantage of modern mouse technologies to be permanently jitter-free.

 

I know some of this (mainly the cart thing) has been talked about as part of the FB3 already... I just think it should still be 2600 based and not anything else. (Well... it COULD be based on the Atari arcade games, but that's another story.)

[birdie3]

Sounds like they threw peanuts, thinking you would just be jumping at the opportunity for recognition.

 

Respect for preserving integrity.  I'm sure that was hard to pass up at any price.

Thanks.

 

But too little money was not my major problem. After all, we homebrewers are not making games for profit.

 

The problem was, that "Atari" wasn't willing or (more likely) able to make a deal, where I still had some control what is going to happen with my game besides FB2. They wanted completely unlimited rights and that was unacceptable for me.

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Does this mean that you would be signing over ownership for your game to them and you would no longer decide what happens with it for any reason?

[birdie3]

I just wish they'd been able to license more of the great homebrews in the community, rather than having to rush out some poorly-coded new games. 

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You can say that again. A few of those games (especially the ones I was totally looking forward to) are bordering on utter garbage. I understand that there are possibly some minor hardware issues even in rev.2 as well that may be causing a few of the problems.

 

Mind you, games like Atari Climber, Adventure II, Haunted House II, and Asteroids Deluxe are great. Unfortunately I am disappointed with the quality of some of these games. It's too bad that there is not a better way to have done this so that it was a win-win situation for the coders and the company.