17 replies to this topic

[Curious Sofa]

Greetings one and all!
I'm fairly new around these parts, so forgive me if this has been discussed / answered elsewhere and I didn't see it.

But is there more information about the 2600 version of Space Duel, Atari Climber and Yar's Return? I don't see a listing on AtariAge even under homebrews, or as a prototype and thought that was weird....
I just got a Flashback 2 today, and alas, it only plays in black and white (hopefully the Amazon seller I got it from will swap it for a fully functioning version, I _love_ it, the protos particularly...). So if I can't get a working FB2, how would I go about checking out those three particular games?

Also, the manual says something about how the version of Millipede is reworked, any short summary of what was done to that?

Thanks in advance for any help - and thank you thank you thank you Curt for all the hard work!!! I'm a crossin' my fingers for the FB3 (cartridge slot! cartridge slot!)

[Wickeycolumbus]

Welcome! The exclusive games are hacks and homebrews made specially for the FB2.

[Curious Sofa]

Wickeycolumbus, on Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:55 PM, said:

Welcome! The exclusive games are hacks and homebrews made specially for the FB2.

Well I guess when they say "exclusive" they mean exclusive! Maybe sometime they'll get carts made of those...even in black and white Yar's Return is completely and utterly awesome.

[awace]

Whell it seems like there is a open(disconnected wire on the bw/color switch ) you should see if there is a loose connection on the switch inside cause sometimes a wire can come off the switch then it would only play in b/w but the good news is in Adventure II you can see in the mazes cause it inverts the colors.. Space Dual is just like space war but it used to be a HUGE arcade game look it up on google you had a almost real looking YOKE and it was two player it was kind of fun It was a long time ago last time I played it it was 1980 something.
ALso check here there might be some info on FB II games
http://www.digitpres...pflashback2.htm

[awace]

Whell I do know that hackem works on the flashback II but pitfall II dont the indy 500x hack does work!! as does Gorf space invaders asteroids and frogger although the sound in frogger is weak.. ..
ALSO A weird thing I found out one day on a normal 2600 I was trying to use a weak power pack w only like 200Ma and it got hot so i added a nother one in parralel to the one i had and the music in pitfall II went faster!!!!!!!!!! ..

combat rock works too..on the flashshback II SO i would assume normal Combat would work 2
circus atari works a lot of 2 to 8k games work on the flashback but bank switch games like PITFALL II wont work .. I did get snoopy to work though.. also ALWAYS START the flashback II in the flashback built in games mode with the cart plugged in then switch to cart mode w the power on after you started a flashback II game then switch to cart mode !! this is realy cool when you switch from a normal fb II game to a hacked homebrew game it switches only the graphics in the rock game I made where i hacked asteroids to look like aw's its cool.. now I know why they call it the flashback YOu can FLASH back to the original game ..A cool thing to do is get an original missile command 2600 game cart and put it in then put fb in fb built in mode then start missile command then flip to cart mode but keep flashing between built in mode and missile command cart it once and a while will chunk and you will get smart bombs comming UP constantly and the score will sometimes just roll over over and over again But the smart bombs comming up constantly is cool and yet scary at the same time cause it was just sitting there doing nothing once and then they just came going up I immedatly grabbed the joystick and started playing I was napping at the time when they came thats why i got scared It was still cool...

[BrianC]

Wickeycolumbus, on Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:55 PM, said:

Welcome! The exclusive games are hacks and homebrews made specially for the FB2.

Atari Climber wasn't specific to FB2. A version with different graphics is available at the Atari Age store as Climber 5. Return to Haunted house has an updated version on the Haunted Adventure Trilogy cart. While the Flashback 2 Caverns of Mars isn't on homebrew cart, a much better version of Caverns of Mars, Conquest of Mars, is.

The early Flashback 2s had a prototype Millipede that was completely different from the released cart, but didn't work right on most TVs. This was later replaced with the version that was released for the 2600 (good call since it rocks).

There's a color/b&w switch on the back of the console. That may be why it displays in b&w.

The versions of Space Duel and Yar's Return on the original FB2 are glitchy, though I heard FB2+ fixes the latter.

Edited by BrianC, Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:52 PM.

[Curious Sofa]

Eh, been awhile since I posted that. The switch on the back was broken. I sent it back to the seller wanting a replacement, got a refund instead. In the meantime the price on FB2s has skyrocketed, so I'm not going to bother. At least for now, if the price of a good new one goes back to under $50, I might reconsider, but as is now they're generally in the $100 range.

Still hoping for a FB3 to come out...

[KevinMos3]

Keep your eyes open at the flea markets. I got my FB2 for $1 and some change. It didn't come with a joystick, but for less than $2, I didn't care. I've got plenty of joysticks anyway.

[tep392]

Curious Sofa, on Mon May 30, 2011 6:54 PM, said:

In the meantime the price on FB2s has skyrocketed, so I'm not going to bother. At least for now, if the price of a good new one goes back to under $50, I might reconsider, but as is now they're generally in the $100 range.

Still hoping for a FB3 to come out...

Really? I can't find one completed listing on Ebay that's over $50. Most are $20 - $30. The big problem with buying one now are the counterfit's that are being sold. You have to confirm that it's an original FB2 before purchasing.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

BrianC, on Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:36 PM, said:

The versions of Space Duel and Yar's Return on the original FB2 are glitchy, though I heard FB2+ fixes the latter.

I can vouch for that. I have a FB2 as well as a FB2+ (so I have extra backup joysticks in storage) and Yar's Return is very flickery on my original FB2 but rock solid awesomeness on FB2+

[DEBRO]

ComputerSpaceFan, on Tue May 31, 2011 6:26 PM, said:

I can vouch for that. I have a FB2 as well as a FB2+ (so I have extra backup joysticks in storage) and Yar's Return is very flickery on my original FB2 but rock solid awesomeness on FB2+

There is still something no one has reported yet (which could be good I guess).

[Asaki]

Curious Sofa, on Mon May 30, 2011 6:54 PM, said:

Eh, been awhile since I posted that. The switch on the back was broken.

Are you sure?

Apparently the FB2 has a problem where it won't work in color on certain TVs. I have one and it worked fine on every TV I'd tried it on, until I brought it over to my friend's house one day. Plugged it into his TV and it came in B&W, no matter what I did to the switch. Tried it out when I got back home, and it was working fine.

There's a thread about it somewhere here.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Asaki, on Wed Jun 1, 2011 6:44 AM, said:

Apparently the FB2 has a problem where it won't work in color on certain TVs. I have one and it worked fine on every TV I'd tried it on, until I brought it over to my friend's house one day. Plugged it into his TV and it came in B&W, no matter what I did to the switch. Tried it out when I got back home, and it was working fine.

And I can also vouch for that being true too. I got my FB2 modded by Ben Heckendorn to be able to play cartridges and when I plugged it into my TV it would only show B&W so I figured he had done something wrong to it. But then I tried it in my girlfriend's TV and it displayed in perfect color. That girlfriend is now my wife and she totally claims I only married her for her Atari-compliant-TV set!

[Curious Sofa]

Asaki, on Wed Jun 1, 2011 6:44 AM, said:

Curious Sofa, on Mon May 30, 2011 6:54 PM, said:

Eh, been awhile since I posted that. The switch on the back was broken.

Are you sure?

Apparently the FB2 has a problem where it won't work in color on certain TVs. I have one and it worked fine on every TV I'd tried it on, until I brought it over to my friend's house one day. Plugged it into his TV and it came in B&W, no matter what I did to the switch. Tried it out when I got back home, and it was working fine.

There's a thread about it somewhere here.

After all this time I finally got another FB2. I'm super excited to report that 1) though I didn't know about the problem where FB2s won't play in color on certain TVs... this one plays in color no problem, so the one I returned must've had an issue. and 2) that this one I got off Ebay for $16 Used but MIB is NOT a pirated one (per the text label comparison in the other thread on here), which I'm thinking the one I returned previously likely was. At the time back when, I didn't know there were pirated ones out there / didn't know what to look for; I'm betting based on when I got it / where I got it from / that it wouldn't play in color on any of my 4 Tvs that it was a pirated hosejob. Good thing I sent it back & got a refund. And 3) That the FB2 is, just simply, completely and utterly awesome. Even slightly used, the controllers are stylish and control perfectly, I love the game selection, the homebrews & hacks on here. Yar's Return and Space Duel are indeed a bit flicky (might have to sometime get a 2+), but everything is just somehow amazingly great in this compact little box.

I recently also got a NIB Flashback 1. It's entertaining, and a quirky little machine, but obviously the FB2 is a much better product all around. I like the FB1's little controllers and its size. But little oddities... why does your ship in Asteroids come to a halt when you let off the thrust? Strange... Why is Battlezone so utterly difficult? I'm amused with the NES style sound effects though, and with the way everything is packaged. But clearly Curt and the gang had more time and love to put into the FB2. It's just incredible.

[Legend]

DEBRO, on Wed Jun 1, 2011 5:10 AM, said:

ComputerSpaceFan, on Tue May 31, 2011 6:26 PM, said:

I can vouch for that. I have a FB2 as well as a FB2+ (so I have extra backup joysticks in storage) and Yar's Return is very flickery on my original FB2 but rock solid awesomeness on FB2+

There is still something no one has reported yet (which could be good I guess).

Curious as to what that means exactly. I have an fb2 and was disappointed in how buggy space duel and yar's return was. I really wanted to try the fb2+ versions but things have been real skint the past year and I've never seen fb2+ in the wild.

Edited by Legend, Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:18 PM.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Legend, on Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:18 PM, said:

DEBRO, on Wed Jun 1, 2011 5:10 AM, said:

ComputerSpaceFan, on Tue May 31, 2011 6:26 PM, said:

I can vouch for that. I have a FB2 as well as a FB2+ (so I have extra backup joysticks in storage) and Yar's Return is very flickery on my original FB2 but rock solid awesomeness on FB2+

There is still something no one has reported yet (which could be good I guess).

Curious as to what that means exactly. I have an fb2 and was disappointed in how buggy space duel and yar's return was. I really wanted to try the fb2+ versions but things have been real skint the past year and I've never seen fb2+ in the wild.

Well on my FB2 if I play Yar's Return, it jumps and jitters on screen quite a lot. It's not unplayable, but it's a little like the vertical hold on my TV is not set right. However, if I play Yar's Return on my FB2+ it holds a perfect image throughout the game.

[Legend]

ComputerSpaceFan, on Fri Aug 26, 2011 7:16 AM, said:

Legend, on Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:18 PM, said:

DEBRO, on Wed Jun 1, 2011 5:10 AM, said:

ComputerSpaceFan, on Tue May 31, 2011 6:26 PM, said:

I can vouch for that. I have a FB2 as well as a FB2+ (so I have extra backup joysticks in storage) and Yar's Return is very flickery on my original FB2 but rock solid awesomeness on FB2+

There is still something no one has reported yet (which could be good I guess).

Curious as to what that means exactly. I have an fb2 and was disappointed in how buggy space duel and yar's return was. I really wanted to try the fb2+ versions but things have been real skint the past year and I've never seen fb2+ in the wild.

Well on my FB2 if I play Yar's Return, it jumps and jitters on screen quite a lot. It's not unplayable, but it's a little like the vertical hold on my TV is not set right. However, if I play Yar's Return on my FB2+ it holds a perfect image throughout the game.

When I play yar's return on my fb2, it jitters and jumps, but my yar also has a bad habit of getting stuck on the sides or top of the screen when I get too close Happens quite often actually and jut puts me off from playing it all together.

[DEBRO]

Hi there,

Legend, on Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:18 PM, said:

Curious as to what that means exactly. I have an fb2 and was disappointed in how buggy space duel and yar's return was. I really wanted to try the fb2+ versions but things have been real skint the past year and I've never seen fb2+ in the wild.

I guess you can read it on my blog. Maybe one day I'll do a write up on the work I did on this project.