307 replies to this topic

[Bruce Tomlin]

Kepone said:

What I also think the CV needs is better controllers. The controllers just don't make it fun for me to play it.

I'm probably going to make a Wico conversion this weekend. Last weekend I realized a cool way to replace the cable without cutting up one of my 9-pin extension cables or a Genesis controller. I'm going to put a D-9 female into the housing of the joystick itself, then the extension cable can hook right up to that.

I know it's possible to rig up the two buttons to either Coleco or 7800 mode, and wire the switch to swap them, but I don't think it's possible to do both Coleco and 7800 mode without adding another switch.

Then of course the remaining problem is the keypad. I have a pair of Champ keyboard controllers, but I traced the circuit a couple of years back and the pass-thru port is wired to not pass the second fire button. Maybe I'll put make a Y adapter box or put a pass-through port on a Coleco version of the Wico conversion. I have a couple of Y cables somewhere, but they're 7-wire Y cables, so those won't work.

[christianscott27]

any estimate of how much it will cost? ballpark price?

[opcode]

christianscott27 said:

any estimate of how much it will cost? ballpark price?

As you can imagine, the biggest problem is the module case. We are still doing some research about it. I would love to have a custom made case, but I still need to check how much a mold would cost, which means, how much money I am going to loose...
If Pac-Man Collection sells as much as I hope, and I find a few investors, I would say like $50 for the base unit (including a custom case). If we end using an off-the-shelf case, well, then it would cost even less...
The A/V unit is probably going to be in the same range, since both the video and FM ICs cost me like $15 a piece.... In fact we have started to stock them (we have 20 video ICs coming from Japan just to start this project).

[opcode]

But wait, today is April 1st!

Ok, just kidding, it is all true, I swear!
Really! Don't you remember Beef Drop last year?

I keep you informed. As soon as I have more concrete things to show, I will post them here...
BTW, just to close this topic for now, are you familiar with the name Dracula's Satanic Castle?

Eduardo

[Lost Monkey]

opcode said:

BTW, just to close this topic for now, are you familiar with the name Dracula's Satanic Castle?

Eduardo

An MSX port?

As far as the case goes.. why not try and model it after a truncated original CV case..? (ie without the controller bay...)

[Lost Monkey]

Case...

Attached Images

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[opcode]

Lost Monkey said:

opcode said:

BTW, just to close this topic for now, are you familiar with the name Dracula's Satanic Castle?

Eduardo

An MSX port?

Before someone get worried, the answer is no. The SEM can do things which an MSX2 can't....

Quote

As far as the case goes.. why not try and model it after a truncated original CV case..? (ie without the controller bay...)

The problem isn't the case layout, but the injection mold itself, which is pretty expensive. But I would love to have the SEM shapped like the ill-fated Super Game Module... Lets see...

[Lord Helmet]

OK...really excited about this...owning a Colecovision is going to get alot cooler!

[Brad2600]

Maybe I can finally get the most out of my CV.

I actually want to get A/V modded versions of several consoles so I can enjoy them more often. The CV is just one of those consoles.

[Ferris]

I really want to believe in this but I just cant yet. Is there any way you can get more than a few screen shots up? Maybe some photography of your work? Something to take this beyond April Fools?

If this is for real count be in. I'll buy 5 of these things!

[Bruce Tomlin]

The problem with anything like this is the old chicken and egg problem. It's real cool, but what games are there which use the cool stuff? And it would be nice to write a game for it, but almost nobody has one of these things. It's even worse that this is an independent project, and not based on what Coleco would have done next. These days, there would also need to be an emulator for it. Just look at how many 7800 Pokey games there are. Just two until a few months ago, and even then a main driving force for Pokey support in Beef Drop was the existing CC2 and emulator user base.

And that's even if the expansion port proves to be 100% reliable, which an old TRS-80 Model I guy like me knows better than to expect. That's why I suggested re-implementing the Colecovision entirely if you're going to the trouble of (presumably) building it around an FPGA. Then you would have something with a real video and S-video out, which it is a pain to do currently on a Colecovision. (I've done it, but with a $4 op-amp IC and seven motherboard tap points, one of which is inside the RF modulator box.) The need for a cartridge slot and joystick ports is offset by the lack of needing the expansion connector.

[Zeus]

Opcode is from Brazil. April Fools day is not celebrated in Brazil. There is an equivalent, translated roughly as "The day of innocents". It occurs somewhere between October and December I think.

I tend to believe him.

[5-11under]

I found this :!:
5-11under

Attached Files

•  cv_win01.zip   2.56K   122 downloads

[birdie3]

Yo 5-11 under. What is that?

[joeybastard]

birdie3 said:

Yo 5-11 under. What is that?

It looks like an onscreen menu system that might be how you access the disk in this SGM.

[opcode]

First screenshot...
BTW, nice menu system 5-11 under!

Attached Thumbnails

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[Inky]

I call BS too...


Remember the joke that KLove pulled a while back about a totally new CV system?

[opcode]

Inky said:

I call BS too...


Remember the joke that KLove pulled a while back about a totally new CV system?

This intro sequence took me about two weeks to create (it is more than just this title screen), and you call it BS?!
I surely can spend my free time in better things than just creating fake screenshots....
What do want, a video? Ok.... I can post a video as soon as I have something more playable....

Eduardo

[jetset]

Inky said:

I call BS too...


Remember the joke that KLove pulled a while back about a totally new CV system?

Agreed. I dont think the CV could possibly produce those graphics (though, the DK screens...other than the color being different, it still looks like the same Donkey Kong to me...unless the flicker and stutter are gone..its the same look of a cross between the 2600 and 800 versions..better than one, not as good as the other)
A nice thought though!

[opcode]

jetset said:

Inky said:

I call BS too...


Remember the joke that KLove pulled a while back about a totally new CV system?

Agreed. I dont think the CV could possibly produce those graphics (though, the DK screens...other than the color being different, it still looks like the same Donkey Kong to me...unless the flicker and stutter are gone..its the same look of a cross between the 2600 and 800 versions..better than one, not as good as the other)
A nice thought though!

Those graphics are from a CV "with" SEM. And you are right about the DK screens, they are from the old CV version. The idea was to demonstrate you can reconfigure the color palette for any existing CV game using the SEM.

Eduardo

[Inky]

No offense, Eduardo, but after dealing with Nigerian Advance Fee-Fraud scammers, plus the fact that this is too close to April 1st for comfort, I tend to be a bit skeptical...


Altholugh if this is real, I'd like to test a unit out for you. I'm nothing if cheap.

[Ikrananka]

Eduardo is not talking about producing these graphics on a plain vanilla ColecoVision but by the inclusion of additional hardware which provides better graphical features as he detailed earlier in this thread.

Why the doubt to Eduardo's sincerity - OpCode Games has so far produced incredible games for the CV. He has always advertised that he would be aiming to producing hardware including new joysticks.

Close to April Fools or not - why is it so hard to believe that Eduardo cannot produce such an item. He has already proved his capabilities beyond doubt with an arcade perfect port of Space Invaders and the wonderfully smooth scrolling game Sky Jaguar. I'm sure the doubters on this thread would have dismissed early screen shots of Sky Jaguar as well beyond the CVs capability particularly with producing a smooth scrolling shoot 'em up on the Coleco.

Remember all those years when no one believed the world was round........

I for one have faith in Eduardo and offer him my support in any way that I can in this superb venture.

[Allan]

Ikrananka said:

I for one have faith in Eduardo and offer him my support in any way that I can in this superb venture.

Ditto!

Keep up the great work. I'm really looking forward to this.

Allan

[5-11under]

opcode said:

First screenshot...
BTW, nice menu system 5-11 under!

Thanks (...apologizing for adding any fuel to the fire).
I'm looking forward to being able to buy a new joystick or two, and running games from a floppy drive would be pretty convenient.
5-11under

[mojofltr]

5-11under said:

being able to buy a new joystick or two, and running games from a floppy drive would be pretty convenient.

For sure! :-) I'd gladly be second (after Inky) on the list of testers!

I am completely satisfied with the games I have purchased from Opcode and he has my full confidence that (as with Atariage) any product that he conjures up with will be of the highest quality.

@Eduardo: Don't let the skepticism in here discourage or dissuade you from continuing and following through with this project. Admittedly, it sounds "too good to be true" - that's a GOOD thing, especially if/when you pull it off!