9 replies to this topic

[Jeopardy! for Atari 2600]

Hello. I am wanting to make this game, but I need some help with this project. I need some programmers and developers to help me. I will make the questions and answers, and the cover art of the game. Here are the contents that would go with the game:
Question and Answer sheet
Jeopardy! 2600 cartridge
Score card

The game would be multiple choice with 3 answers to choose from on each question. The Category layout should look like this:
A B C FJ
1 1 1
2 2 2
3 3 3
4 4 4

Answer layout should look like:
A
B
C

If you are right, a "C ding" should play
If you are wrong, a "Buzzing sound" should play

I'm looking for programmers and developers to help me with this project! Thanks!

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[Cebus Capucinis]

Wouldn't the text for the questions/answers be absolutely impossible on the 2600? That text would take up a ton of available space. If it could be programmed, I'd think only one set of questions would fit, meaning there's absolutely zero randomness & replayability (insert link to RT's site here) in the game. You'd essentially have no room for graphics at all, and I'm assuming you want a title screen and graphic of the "game board" as you're playing, right?

Or are you implying that all questions and answers would be on the 'sheet' itself, and the image would merely tell you what page to turn to and what question to ask? Sort of like the Swordquest series? If that's that case, would that work better?

I'm not a veteran 2600 programmer so I can't really provide a ton of feedback, perhaps some of our programming greats can help you a little more!

[Jeopardy! for Atari 2600]

Cebus Capucinis, on Mon May 16, 2011 12:52 PM, said:

Wouldn't the text for the questions/answers be absolutely impossible on the 2600? That text would take up a ton of available space. If it could be programmed, I'd think only one set of questions would fit, meaning there's absolutely zero randomness & replayability (insert link to RT's site here) in the game. You'd essentially have no room for graphics at all, and I'm assuming you want a title screen and graphic of the "game board" as you're playing, right?

Or are you implying that all questions and answers would be on the 'sheet' itself, and the image would merely tell you what page to turn to and what question to ask? Sort of like the Swordquest series? If that's that case, would that work better?

I'm not a veteran 2600 programmer so I can't really provide a ton of feedback, perhaps some of our programming greats can help you a little more!

There would be a book of answers and questions. 35 sets of questions and answers in the one book. After you get done with the first game, turn to the second game.

[Random Terrain]

Have you tried batari Basic? You could do the programming yourself if you have any experience with BASIC.

[Jeopardy! for Atari 2600]

Random Terrain, on Mon May 16, 2011 1:15 PM, said:

Have you tried batari Basic? You could do the programming yourself if you have any experience with BASIC.

I have very little experience, and I do not know how to program the game like it's supposed to be programmed.

[Nukey Shay]

Cebus Capucinis, on Mon May 16, 2011 12:52 PM, said:

Wouldn't the text for the questions/answers be absolutely impossible on the 2600?

No. In these modern times, romspace and system resources are virtually inexhaustable. Which means that the "lookup method" of consulting a book for each puzzle is not needed (which would be a no-fun nightmare anyway). Hell...if the questions and answers are relatively short, they could be drawn onscreen using playfield gfx. 40 pixels across translates to a maximum of 10 characters for each row using a 3x5 font.

However...

The game wouldn't be much fun without a HUGE data library to make the game replayable. Who's gonna spend all that time entering reams of data when something like "Wheel Of Fortune" is so much simpler (and without Jeopardy's goofy "the question IS the answer" theme)?

[raindog]

Nukey Shay, on Tue May 17, 2011 3:24 AM, said:

The game wouldn't be much fun without a HUGE data library to make the game replayable. Who's gonna spend all that time entering reams of data when something like "Wheel Of Fortune" is so much simpler (and without Jeopardy's goofy "the question IS the answer" theme)?

While the project itself is dead (as is the site), the OpenTrivia data files are still out there. They don't have the wrong answers necessary for multiple choice, but they're a start. (They do have some pretty low-quality user-submitted questions toward the end, but there are 2000 questions -- the latest You Don't Know Jack has only about 700, so even if you threw out half of them it should be way more than you could use in an Atari game.)

http://replay.web.ar...?category=movie (and 10 other categories)

I really don't think the 2600 is a very appropriate platform for a trivia game, myself, and what the OP is proposing seems like Jeopardy only in name. But we did play a pretty ancient coin-op trivia game at the American Classic Arcade Museum last fall. It was sort of fun once we moved our brains back to 1980 or whenever the thing came out. Still, even the disk-based trivia game I had on the C64 had a thick question and answer book.

Edited by raindog, Tue May 17, 2011 10:29 PM.

[yuppicide]

The 5200 would be much better suited.. there's a BASIC language that includes a simple PRINT command. The documentation isn't the greatest and the person who was making the program stopped working on it a long time ago. Don't think we have contact for him either.

[Jeopardy! for Atari 2600]

Nukey Shay, on Tue May 17, 2011 3:24 AM, said:

Cebus Capucinis, on Mon May 16, 2011 12:52 PM, said:

Wouldn't the text for the questions/answers be absolutely impossible on the 2600?

No. In these modern times, romspace and system resources are virtually inexhaustable. Which means that the "lookup method" of consulting a book for each puzzle is not needed (which would be a no-fun nightmare anyway). Hell...if the questions and answers are relatively short, they could be drawn onscreen using playfield gfx. 40 pixels across translates to a maximum of 10 characters for each row using a 3x5 font.

However...

The game wouldn't be much fun without a HUGE data library to make the game replayable. Who's gonna spend all that time entering reams of data when something like "Wheel Of Fortune" is so much simpler (and without Jeopardy's goofy "the question IS the answer" theme)?

Actually, I am open to forming a team for other game show games such as Press Your Luck, The Price Is Right, Wheel Of Fortune, etc.

[atari2600land]

Hmm, booklet with questions and answers... sounds like something for the original Odyssey if you ask me.