Thursday 21 September 2017

Death in the family...

Last Sunday (September 17, 2017) my father passed away at the age of 75 of leukemia. He was
diagnosed with this cancer only in April and after 5 months, he his now in a better world.
As i would say, it's not a farewell but only a "next time" as we all must go one day.

So to my father, see you next time and until then, i'll miss you so much! :(

--- Sly "in mourning" DC ---

Wednesday 19 July 2017

Bad and good news

Hi folks,

I have bad & good news. Since i've moved (a month ago), my main hard disk (a 3 TB Seagate) has a (or more) bad sector(s) on it and some of my data are affected by this %?&%$?%& problem like my 1st generation game console database/Projects/etc...BUT! At least the problem didn't affected the OdySim folders and now these are already back-up on another hard disk (that's the good news!).

Now the bad news is that since the past month, i've been trying to save all the data on the 3 TB HD in my spare time and it's moving at a very slow (Turtle) paste and the worst is that even with 3 other hard disks, i'm beginning to have no more space and trying to back-up 2.75 TB (yup, it's almost full) on DVD-R's is completely insane as i would need more than 600 DVD-R's!! And no, i don't trust those "clouds" transfer service and all related as those sites are easely hacked.

So for the rest of July, there will be no new releases for the OdySim as i'm on vacation with my kids and if i'm lucky, work on the OdySim will resume in August "IF" i have saved all the data from my damn %?&?&$?! 3 TB Seagate HD and that's my priority for now as i don't want to loose a few years of accumulated data/other projects/information.

Like the Terminator says: "I'll be back!" (LOL!)

--- Sly DC ---

Saturday 1 July 2017

New Odyssey homebrew game announced: Six2

Hi again folks!

atari2600land (aka Chris Read) has announced on April 10th 2017 on AtariAge forum (http://atariage.com/forums/topic/240344-magnavox-odyssey-homebrews/#entry3738533) a new game called Six2
which should be released this summer.

His new game involves square owning (little like Monopoly only simpler). The game will also have a one-player version. Can hardly wait to see the final product! 

This will be Chris third Odyssey homebrew game, continue the great work Chris! =)

Wednesday 28 June 2017

Working, snoozing and unpacking...

Hi folks,

I've finally moved into a new home a couple of days ago and still i haven't finished settling in as
i have a ton of boxes to unpack and with work & kids, it's going vvveerrryyy slow...(sigh).

I have to apologies to anyone that i still haven't replied or contacted since March like Zack Horton,
Adam Burkholder, Nathan Laws, Brian (aka CN10) and Ridwan Nurhaq Lamuda, etc.. but be sure
that i will reply back or contact you ASAP as we just begin summer, this will be the time as i'll have some spare time this summer and two weeks of vacation (oh yeah!!).

Quick reply to Trenicion: First, thanks very much for the offer to scan what is missing to simulate the game "Invasion". I am missing these so i can simulate the game properly: all 40 "Treasure Loot" Cards (all 40 "white side + one scan of brownish/gold side) and all x4 Ship tokens (each both sides if differs). So thanks very much in advanced for the scans!!

In any case, i did mention what was missing for "Invasion" and "Baseball" to simulate them in this post: http://odysim.blogspot.ca/2016/10/odysim-2016-2017.html

So until the next post, take care folks! =)






Wednesday 7 June 2017

OdySim in Paris!

Hi folks!

Not long after i've released Basketball, Percepts and Dodgeball, "Philou" of MO5.com contacted me and asked me if i would want to make a few tweaks for the Tennis game of OdySim for an upcoming exposition in Paris, France and since Philou is a heck of a swell guy, i couldn't resist!

The exposition is called: "Game: Le jeu vidéo à travers le temps" (in english: Game: Video games across time") In Paris, France from March 1st to August 27th, 2017 at the EDF Fondation (address: 6 rue Récamier, 75007, Paris) which resume video games through time from the latest to the first ones (2017 to 1958). You can vist the expositon for free between Tuesday to Sunday from 12h (noon) to 19H.



And here's some screenshots of "OdySim Tennis" from two different videos:




And on a page of MO5 (http://mag.mo5.com/l-asso/110358/rappel-exposition-game-a-la-fondation-edf-des-mercredi/), it states this (in original French format): " ... pour l’occasion, Sylvain De Chantal pour les même raisons avec l’émulateur OdySim dédié à l’Odyssey (1972), première console de jeux vidéo de l’Histoire, et enfin ... ". (in English: ... for the occasion, Sylvain De Chantal (that's my real name btw) for the same reason with the emulator (oups! it's a simulator!) OdySim dedicated to the Odyssey (1972), first game console in history, and finally ...). So i'm very proud and touched to see the work of OdySim be used to demonstrate how video games were like back in the beginning of the 70's and for historical purpose (i've bottled this news for about four months).

Here's an illustration of Ralph Baer from Erwann Terrier which is part of the 18 most influencial video game creators:



And here's two links (of many videos) of the expostition (Sorry! they are only in French!):



So if you pass in Paris (before August 27), be sure to make a stop to see the exposition and the best thing...welll actually two things...it's free and you can play/learn about video games!

--- Sylvain De Chantal (aka Sly DC) ---


Tuesday 6 June 2017

News and updates

Hi folks!

As i lost one of my 2 jobs, i have now some free time so i'm getting back on the "dev" bench to continue the OdySim as i left it aside for wwwaaayyy too long. So to complate all the released Odyssey games, here's the list of the missing games: Wipeout/Brainwave/Interplanetary Voyage/W.I.N. and Soccer. There is also Baseball and Invasion but i can't finalised those two games as i'm missing some scans for both games, so these will have to wait until someone can send me the missing scans.

Afterwhich, i'll do some homebrew games (Odball/Menthis Cohorst/Red vs. Blue) and as for "Captain Bruce and his Cosmic Boomerang", i need the authorization from the man himself (aka Chris Read) that i can make the simulation of his game.

As for Odball, Menthis Cohorst and Red vs. Blue, it's been a year exactly (really! see this post here: https://odysim.blogspot.fr/2016/06/revrob-and-odysim-news.html) that i posted about those games and in December 2016, M.Vinciguerra finally reached me but "still" waiting for his authorization. Well after 6 months, i'm tired of waiting so i'll do his games without his authorization in the coming weeks.

Oh and i have other news like a new homebrew game by Chris Read and news about "Hadeaus War!". So stay "tuned" (now...that's retro!)

--- Sly DC ---

Saturday 20 May 2017

Still alive (and not even lost in the Multiverse...)

Hi Folks!

Just a small post to say that i'm still alive and well since it's been more than 3 months now i haven't posted or done anything. With 2 jobs , have my kids each week-ends and packing and looking for a new place to live takes all the spare time i have so please know that i am very sorry if anything hasn't been done and that i also haven't replied to anyone (yet).

That will change in the coming month as my primary job is beginning the "dead" season so my hours will be reduced for at least between a month or two so i'll have spare time to continue the OdySim project (finally!).

And i have plenty of news to post so this summer won't be boring. So until next time, take care and enjoy life!

--- Sly DC ---

Friday 3 February 2017

Basketball, Percepts and Dodgeball released!

Hi folks!

I wanted to release those three games for quite a time but was waiting for Chris Read if he like the simulated version of his Dodgeball game and just got his answer about three hours ago, so now i can officially release Dodgeball (and also Basketball and Percepts).

Here's a screenshot of Basketball:


And here's a screenshot of the only "Free Game" offer back then: Percepts!


And kept the best for last...Dodgeball!




As you can see, Dodgeball is a homebrew made by Chris Read (aka atari2600land) and it's the first game that i have incorporated the manual as now on, all homebrews will have their manual incorporated with the game.

Percepts has all the "green" and "purple" card simulated and Basketball has the "newer Scoreboard (1973) edition" incorporated (with also the mini-scoreboard). So please read all the manuals of each games to properly play them.

Enjoy! =)

--- Sly DC ---

P.S.: I have made a smal error and thanks to "Anonymous" to point out the error:

In the Percepts read-me text: i have put F/G and Z/X for the cards, but it is in fact 1&2 for the "Green" cards and 3&4 for the "Purple" cards, thanks! =)

Thursday 2 February 2017

Review of Captain Bruce and his Cosmic Boomerang

Yesturday, i've received the second homebrew game by Chris Read (aka atari2600land) called: Captain Bruce and his Cosmic Boomerang after 5 days (pretty fast for shipping from the U.S. to Canada!) and like promised, here's my little review of the game:

If some of you didn't know, Chris first homebrew game for the Magnavox Odyssey was "Dodgeball" which was released in 2011 (now sold out) was a great addition to anyone Odyssey collection and now his second homebrew: "Captain Bruce and his Cosmic Boomerang" which was announced in 2012 but finally was released on April 1st, 2016 (and no...it wasn't an April's fool joke) which is again another great addition to the Magnavox Odyssey game library!

Here's some pictures of the whole game package:




Sorry about the quality of the pictures, the lighning in my appartment is very lousy!

So you get a game manual sheet, an overlay (about 8.5" x 11"), a comic book (reminds me of the good old days of the Atari 2600 when some games included a comic book) and a Score Log flyer which features a cover and seven pages which you can write down the Date/Length/Score of each game you've played.

The only thing missing was the "proof of purchase paper" which i don't mind at all not getting it. And the "Surprise" announced on the pre-preorder thread is the "Score Log" in question. And the best thing is that you get all this for a mere $10! Yup, that's right... $10! That's a price anyone can afford!

To play the game, you will need "Cartridge #5" of your original Odyssey kit (which IS NOT INCLUDED with the game BTW) but i won't describe everything since all is written down on the manual sheet. And same thing as for the comic book, you see the cover and that's it! I won't spoil the story here. Simple to say that Captain Bruce is a shooter game and fun to play!

I'm still waiting for Chris what he thinks of the simulatied version of Dodgeball that i've sent him a few days ago and already in less than 24 hours upon receiving his Captain Bruce game, i've made the simulated version for the OdySim:

And as you can see in this screenshot, we see stars which is hard to see even on the original overlay as the stars are very tiny. And don't ask the OdySim version as i won't release it until Chris gives me his approval.

So if anyone wants a copy of Captain Bruce and his Cosmic Boomerang, you can still order one on this thread: Another Captain Bruce pre-preorder thread (Odyssey 1), while there's still copies left and for only $10, these will go very fast!


Friday 20 January 2017

Fun Zoo, Handball and Volleyball now available!

Hi folks!

Today i'm releasing 3 games from  the "Extra Games of 1972 series" which are: Fun Zoo, Handball and Volleyball. Here's some screenshots:






I even added a new Volleyball overlay which features women silhouettes playing on a beach. I know that the overlay is dark but it's easier to see the net, ball and the two bats (aka spots).That overlay was inspired by the last Olympics as any of these ladies could beat my sorry ass with a hand tied (i know, i suck at Volleyball...lol!).

And please folks, read the "Read Me" text to know which buttons does what for each games. I was also going to release the homebrew game "Dodgeball" but i want to be sure that the author (Chris Read) will like the last version i've made so i'm waiting for him if it's OK or not.

The next batch of games will be Basketball and Percepts as these are already finished but want eventually to release both these games with Dodgeball and if Dodgeball isn't still approved by then, i'll release only those two.

So until the next release, enjoy these 3 games released today! =)

EOL

P.S: Since archive.org doesn't like many updates, here's the links of all 3 games:

* Fun Zoo: OdySim-FunZoo(0-10-1).zip

* Handball: OdySim-Handball(0-10-1).zip

* Volleyball: OdySim-Volleyball(0-10-1).zip

These (and future releases) will be available on my server of my personnal web site until i will upload them to Archive.org.

Thursday 19 January 2017

Finally, posted comments works!

Hi again folks,

After a couple of months, i can finally post comments in the comment section. Seems there were a bug as my Google account was never showing in the add comments section, so now if you post a comment, i can reply in that same section...booya!

So Brian, check my reply! =)

EOL

Captain Bruce and his Cosmic Boomerang: only few copies left for sale!

Hiya folks!

As i was catching up on the AA forum (Atari Age), Chris Read (aka atari2600land) was taking pre-order of his second Magnavox Odyssey hombrew "Captain Bruce and his Cosmic Boomerang" since October 2014 and finally released (miss that!) his homebrew in March 2016.

Since he's only making 15 copies in the initial run (more if many requests) and already a few are sold, so that's leaves only a handfull of copies left. So if you wanna "spice up" or simply collect for your Magnavox Odyssey, then this is your chance to get this lastest Odyssey homebrew before it's all gone.

Chis only ask $10 for his homebrew game...Yes! you're reading it right...Just $10 and you get:

* Instructions
* overlay
* small Captain Bruce comic book
* proof of purchase paper
* and a surprise.

This is so cheap it's a steal! As for shipping and to order a copy, PM Chris on Atari Age and read the thread here: Another Captain Bruce pre-preorder thread (Odyssey 1).

I'll make a review once i get my copy, and in the meanwhile i'll post tonight or tomorrow some new releases. (PS: read the thread to know which games...heh..heh...heh...)

EOL 

Friday 13 January 2017

Odyssey in Scratch

Hi again folks!

Today, i don't have any new simulated games to download BUT... there is some Odyssey games that you can play ONLINE...yep online, which were coded by FanAngryBirds and done in "Scratch". You can visit and play all his Magnavox Odyssey games as well as Odyssey 100, 200, 300 and 400 by checking this URL: Magnavox Odyssey revisited

Those simulated games are quite good to play but the only thing is that apart of overlays, all games doesn't simulate any other accessories. So if you wanna play some of the Odyssey games online then this is the next best thing.

FanAngrBirds divided the games by cartridges, which you can access them individually:

To play Table Tennis: Cartridge #1

To play Ski and Simon Says: Cartridge #2

To play Analogic, Tennis or Hockey: Cartridge #3

To play Cat and Mouse & Haunted House: Cartridge #4

To play Submarine: Cartridge #5

To play Roulette and States: Cartridge #6

As you can see, it's only missing the Football game which takes Cartridge #3 and #4 to play. So enjoy these "online" games and two thumbs up for FanAngryBirds for coding these games!

EOL (need to "scratch" my back...LOL!!!)

Tuesday 3 January 2017

Roulette & all x4 Rifle Gun Games released!

Hiya folks!

Seems that i'm again on a rampage to release OdySim games! Yesturday, i've released the game "Football" and a few days ago: "Simon Says" and "States" and today, the final game of the original Pack-in... "Roulette"!



But that's not all, i've also finished all four "Rifle Gun" games (aka the Shooting Gallery pack):





I've included a "shotgun" sound so that it would be more accurate (and fun too) than just hearing a "click" sound when pulling the trigger of the Rifle Gun. You can activate the sound with F12 and the crosshair (aka the Rifle) is controlled with the mouse or the keypad.

All four games (Dogfight, Prehistoric afari, Shooting Gallery and Shootout) are zipped into one file, which like usual, you can download in the menu on the right of this blog.

I will also put all 12 original games in one zip later this month for easier downloading, so not too shabby releasing 8 games in about a week (LOL!!). So now what is left are all "Extra" games and "Homebrews" to code and i'll be releasing the easiest one first and the harder to simulate (meaning simulating many accessories like Football...) this winter.

Here's the list of "Extra" games: Baseball, Fun Zoo, Handball, Invasion, Volleyball, Wipeout, Basketball, Brainwave, Interplanetary Voyage and W.I.N. Also, there is a Giveaway game (Percepts) and an European exclusive "Football or Fusbal" (aka Soccer) which uses two cartridges (cart #3 and #5).

And for the "Homebrews" games: Odball, Mentis Cohorts, Dodgeball, Odyssey Evil and Red vs Blue. Only "Dodgeball" has been approved so far and i'm waiting for M. Vinciguerra  (aka Zodac) to see if he's giving me permission (or not) to preseve his games and i need to contact ManCaveArcade for his "Odyssey Evil" game.

And i have a bunch of brew games i've done myself, some are crappy and some are nice. I have x13 brew gams and i only released the last one (Santa's Gifts Hunt - model SBRW13) as an individual game.

So have fun playing all these games for now and don't hesitate to write or comment! =)

EOL (for today...)



Monday 2 January 2017

Football now available!

Hi folks!

Hope you all had a great time during the holidays. OK now we begin a new year (2017) and to start it, the game "Football" is now available. This one was a damn pain in the @$$ to code as it uses not 15 or 20 but 40 buttons to be able to play it...YUP...40 buttons!! So i strongly suggest to read the "OdySim-Football-ReadMe.txt" file inside the zip file.

Player 1 and Player uses the same buttons layout as all other games so that leaves 26 buttons to know, which are:


'ESC' = Quit/Exit 
'P' = Pause
'F1' = To switch from windowed screen or Fullscreen (fullscreen now default)
'F5' = Toggles OSD Message (resolution) 
'F7' = Changes resolution (size decreases)
'F8' = Changes resolution (size increases)
'F9' = Displays overlay or not 
'F11' = Toggle between no scoreboard/small/big scoreboard (press to rotate displays)
'F12' = Toggles Sound! (and displays a small yellow icon in upper-left corner)

'1' = Display a "PASS" card randomly
'2' = Display a "RUN" card randomly
'3' = Display a "KICK OFF" card randomly
'4' = Display a "PUNT" card randomly
'5' = Display a "PLAY" card randomly
'6' = To cancel displaying ANY card(s)


'9' = To display both dice and to stop/run randomly
'0' = To cancel displaying both dice


'Z' = To rotate numbers for "DOWNS" on big scoreboard
'X' = To rotate numbers for "QUARTER" on big scoreboard
'C' = To rotate numbers for "PLAYS" on big scoreboard


'F10' = To switch between game and Football Board
'G' = To position the FOOTBALL TOKEN (to the Right)
'H' = To position the FOOTBALL TOKEN (to the Left)
'J' = To position the YARDAGE TOKEN (to the Right)
'K' = To position the YARDAGE TOKEN (to the Left)


and finally: 'F3' = To switch between cart #3 and cart #4


By default, it is cart #3 when starting a game. You need to press "F3" to change between cart #3 and #4 as this game uses both cartridges. It will display "CART 4" in red in the upper-right corner to know which cart you're playing.

Finally finished this game....BUT...there is many others to do and especially "Roulette" to finish the original pack-in games which will be released during this month. In the meantime, enjoy this release! =)