8 replies to this topic

[ComputerSpaceFan]

I found this nice list detailing various Vectrex games in varying states of "in progress" and I was just wondering if anyone here knows if they ever got released or what the status is? Some of them look pretty cool.
I know some of the Vectrex community checks AtariAge forums as well so I'm asking in the hopes one of them spots this.

Battlezone Demo


Star Fire Early Work


Tron


and I like the details of Da 0ld 5k00l Demo (no pic)

[TMOSteel]

Well, I can't comment on those demos unfortunately, but I gotta say I've always wondered by nobody every did Battlezone for the Vectrex. It seems like a no-brainer to me, being a vector based game and all.

That, and the fact I think it would be a blast to play!

[Desfeek]

Battlezone was being done by Christopher Tumber (author of V-Frogger, Tsunami, etc.), who is currently MIA from Vectrex development.

Star Fire early work is a released, unfinished demo by John Dondzila. Because he made it freely available, I do not believe he has any plans to finish it. (like Vectropolis 500)

Tron is rumored to be a joke, a startscreen produced by somebody (like Pole Position 3D) to stir up controversy around the time the (new) movie was being released. I remember reading somewhere the game would be impossible to create (licensing).

Da 0ld 5k00l Demo is finished and awesome, but there is no gameplay.

[gliptitude]

I'm new to the Vectrex scene and atariage.com has been my main source of vectrex conversation. There's definitely still people doing stuff but I haven't managed to find anything like an active community to chat in, outside of this website. Several people who still develop and produce new vectrex games/hardware have been active in atariage forums. This might be the best source for Vectrex talk.

... I respond here in this thread because I had some ideas for a Battlezone Vectrex game. I have no inside info on the release, but I did see that it was Christopher Tumbler who had produced a demo, that all the "news" was quite dated and never described as anything more than a demo.

I'm imagining a custom control panel with two direction sticks. Also imagining a screen overlay that has opaque areas that divide up the screen, frame the meters the way some of the Battlezone arcade cabinets do. I've never seen this done on the Vectrex, and I think it would be a great novelty, dividing the screen into a play area, then smaller "windows", possibly a map window also.

It seems like a dual stick controller would be doable since the regular Vectrex control panel already has 4 buttons. I guess for something custom for a Battlezone game, the 2nd stick could just replace 2 buttons, for forward and reverse, and then have 2 available buttons remaining for firing.

... I think it would be better though to make the 2nd stick complete replacement of the 4 buttons, so that it could be used for other games. With "button 1" at the bottom, going around clockwise from there, and each diagonal position equaling both buttons that it is in between. This would make a nice controller for I, Cyborg, which has an otherwise difficult control scheme in my opinion. Would make a nice controller for future games with a directional shooting control, like Black Widow.

... Is this pretty much how a digital signal for a stick or D-pad is laid out? Would this work? Would it be incredibly difficult to work out the diagonal positions so that it works reliably (successfully pressing 2+3 at the same time, 3+4 at the same time, etc.)?

... Next, if you made a controller of this design for the purpose of playing Battlezone on the Vectrex, you would be out of buttons for firing. Is it feasible to program a game that used a second controller to provide additional button inputs? Perhaps the single dual stick controller could have 4 buttons, or 1 assignable button, and then two leads to plug into the Vectrex controller ports.

Sorry, but I'm an idea peddler. I'm sure my lack of technical knowledge is apparent. But I have fun with it.

[gliptitude]

"Star Fire Spirits" is available on John Dondzilla's website in cartridge form for $20 (part of Vecmania compilation). Vecmania is available for free download on that site. His website is current and he ships fast. I don't know when this compilation was released, but Star Fire Spirits is not described as a "demo" on the Vecmania page.

http://www.classicga...m/vecmania.html

I think it says on his site that all of his software is available for free download, so I don't know that ROM availability is any indication of the project's status or level of completion.

Edited by gliptitude, Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:00 PM.

[TrekMD]

Wow, it would be awesome to see these made for the Vectrex!

[Desfeek]

http://vectorgaming....i?board=vectrex

please come join us for good Vectrex discussion! (Note: Vectrex news is uncommon, sometimes we have months of nothing new, but this forum has been pretty informed the last few months at least)

[gliptitude]

Desfeek, on Tue Feb 14, 2012 9:31 PM, said:

http://vectorgaming....i?board=vectrex

please come join us for good Vectrex discussion! (Note: Vectrex news is uncommon, sometimes we have months of nothing new, but this forum has been pretty informed the last few months at least)

Thanks Desfeek. I'm checking it out now.

[Megaman Legends]

Man, Tron is PERFECT for the Vectrex!