Here are some interesting Atari 2600 websites:
The first chart on this page has the 128 colors from the Atari 2600 color palette. Put your cursor over any color to see the RGB values:
http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/200109/msg00285.html
Here's a message board for people who write their own Atari 2600 programs, which they offer for free as downloads to use on the various shareware Atari 2600 emulators (such as PCAE and Stella):
http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/
Here's an even better message board with more of the same kinds of discussions:
http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?sid=e312c08dcf95462f7671705390bff9f4
Here's a long list of links that are useful for anyone who's interested in writing Atari 2600 programs:
http://www.atariage.com/2600/programming/index.html
Here's a map of the kingdom in Adventure:
http://www.warrenrobinett.com/adventure/adv-map1.gif
Adventure was ranked #1 on Atari Times's list of the 20 greatest Atari games of all time. This is also where the above article comes from:
http://www.ataritimes.com/features/ataritop20_6.html
Here's the machine code for Adventure, along with some comments:
http://www.toadstool.net/games/adventure/source.htm
Here's where you can get some Atari 2600 emulators and all the games. The emulators are free shareware. It's perfectly legal to download any games that you already own the cartridges for:
http://www.atariage.com/2600/emulation/index.php?SystemID=2600
Cool article, I remember that game fondly. I saw an interview with the creator of The Legend of Zelda the other day on TV and he was saying how the areas in the game we're inspiried by areas around his house in the mountains of Japan.
2600ping
*sigh* to be so carefree again.
I dug "Adventure". Never saw the secret room though.
I absolutely adored that game. The text version was my introduction to computers and it was instant addiction.
So who here also played an even earlier game, Rogue (on a VAX 11/780, no less), and loved it? ;)
Wow, flashback!
I remember paying $200 for an Atari 2600 and $45 at Sears for the Asteroids game. That must have been the Christmas of '81 or so.
Funny thing is, new consoles and games cost about the same money now.
How did I know that it was you who posted this.
Heh, yes, it was a great game!
My other favorite game for the 2600 was an Activision product... the one where you were in the jungle, jumping on crocodile heads and swinging over vines. I'm not saying it had the long list of qualities that Adventure had, but it had great graphics (for the 2600) and was just great fun for me.
Qwinn
Big BUMP for my favorite Atari game!
I love Adventure! IIRC, it only took 4K to program the game, an amazing feat for a game of it's complexity. There is a DOS/PC game called "Indenture" out on the net that emulates the original game as well as the author added many, many levels to the game. May you find the Golden Chalice and keep an eye out for that @@#&$ bat!
Oh, and to add a game that I think was so great that it should be honored in it's own thread... it wasn't for the 2600, but it was old enough to come on 5 1/4" floppies.
Anyone remember Starflight? And it's sequel, Starflight 2?
GOD, were those games awesome. What I wouldn't give for another sequel... I wouldn't even care if they didn't update the graphics one whit, as long as the plot and storyline were of the same quality as in the originals.
Qwinn
My favorite Atari game of all time!
BTW, one of the neatest thing about the bat is when you get eaten by a dragon and the bat picks up the dragon, you can go for a ride while it its stomach and you can even have (some) control to where you can go.
One more thing, "It's Hip To Be Square" applies to this game. B-)
I saw this screen many times as the game, to me, was not fully won until you a.)did everything you had to do to see the easter egg and b.)slayed all the dragons and c.)brought the chalice back to the castle.
I loved playing Adventure. I would work to get all the objects in the main castle before carrying the chalice in. If I remember correctly, you could even get the dragons stuck in the castle.
I can't believe how many times I played that game.
I still have an Intellevision with about 50 games, including Intellivoice and B-17 bomber.
big snip…
…
YOU’RE IN NUGGET OF GOLD ROOM.
A THREE FOOT BLACK ROD WITH A RUSTY STAR ON AN END LIES NEARBY.
TAKE
OK
N
YOU ARE AT ONE END OF A VAST HALL STRETCHING FORWARD OUT OF SIGHT TO THE WEST. THERE ARE OPENINGS TO EITHER SIDE. NEARBY, A WIDE STONE STAIRCASE LEADS DOWNWARD. THE HALL IS FILLED WITH WISPS OF WHITE MIST SWAYING TO AND FRO ALMOST AS IF ALIVE. A COLD WIND BLOWS UP THE STAIRCASE THERE IS A PASSAGE AT THE TOP OF THE DOME BEHIND YOU.
ROUGH STONE STEPS LEAD UP THE DOME.
W
YOU’RE ON ‘EAST’ BANK OF FISSURE.
THROW ROD
OK
E
YOUR LAMP IS GETTING DIM. YOU’D BEST START WRAPPING THIS UP, UNLESS YOU CAN FIND SOME FRESH BATTERIES. I SEEM TO RECALL THERE’S A VENDING MACHINE IN THE MAZE. BRING SOME COINS WITH YOU.
YOU’RE IN THE HALL OF MISTS.
ROUGH STONE STEPS LEAD UP THE DOME.
D
YOU’RE IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING WITH PASSAGES OFF IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
N
YOU ARE IN A LOW N/S PASSAGE AT A HOLE IN THE FLOOR. THE HOLE GOES DOWN TO AN E/W PASSAGE.
D
YOU ARE IN DIRTY PASSAGE.
W
YOU’RE IN DUSTY ROCK ROOM.
D
THE SEPULCHRAL VOICE INTONES, ‘THE CAVE IS NOW CLOSED!’ AS THE ECHOES FADE, THERE IS A BLINDING FLASH OF LIGHT (AND A SMALL PUFF OF ORANGE SMOKE) . . . . AS YOUR EYES REFOCUS, YOU LOOK AROUND AND FIND…
YOU ARE AT THE NORTHEAST END OF AN IMMENSE ROOM, EVEN LARGER THAN THE GIANT ROOM. IT APPEARS TO BE A REPOSITORY FOR THE ‘ADVENTURE’ PROGRAM. MASSIVE TORCHES FAR OVERHEAD BATHE THE ROOM WITH SMOKY YELLOW LIGHT. SCATTERED ABOUT YOU CAN BE SEEN A PILE OF BOTTLES (ALL OF THEM EMPTY), A NURSERY OF YOUNG BEANSTALKS MURMERING QUIETLY, A BED OF OYSTERS, A BUNDLE OF BLACK RODS WITH RUSTY STARS ON THEIR ENDS, AND A COLLECTION OF BRASS LANTERNS. OFF TO ONE SIDE A GREAT MANY DWARVES ARE SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR, SNORING LOUDLY. A SIGN NEARBY READS – ‘DO NOT DISTURB THE DWARVES!’ AN IMMENSE MIRROR IS HANGING AGAINST ONE WALL, AND STRETCHES TO THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM, WHERE VARIOUS OTHER SUNDRY OBJECTS CAN BE GLIMPSED DIMLY IN THE DISTANCE
SW
YOU ARE AT THE SOUTHWEST END OF THE REPOSITORY. TO ONE SIDE IS A PIT FULL OF FIERCE GREEN SNAKES. ON THE OTHER SIDE IS A ROW OF SMALL WICKER CAGES, EACH OF WHICH CONTAINS A LITTLE SULKING BIRD. IN ONE CORNER IS A BUNDLE OF BLACK RODS WITH RUSTY MARKS ON THEIR ENDS. A LARGE NUMBER OF VELVET PILLOWS ARE SCATTERED ABOUT ON THE FLOOR. A VAST MIRROR STRETCHES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST. AT YOUR FEET IS A LARGE STEEL GRATE NEXT TO WHICH IS A SIGN WHICH READS – ‘TREASURE VAULT. KEYS IN THE MAIN OFFICE.’
THE GRATE IS LOCKED.
TAKE ROD
OK
NE
YOU’RE AT NE END.
DROP ROD
SW
YOU’RE AT SW END.
THE GRATE IS LOCKED.
BLAST
THERE IS A LOUD EXPLOSION, AND A 20 – FOOT HOLE APPEARS IN THE FAR WALL, BURYING THE DWARVES IN THE RUBBLE. YOU MARCH THROUGH THE HOLE AND FIND YOURSELF IN THE MAIN OFFICE, WHERE A CHEERING BAND OF FRIENDLY ELVES CARRY THE CONQUERING ADVENTURER OFF INTO THE ORANGE SUNSET.
YOU SCORED 350 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 350 USING 365 TURNS.
ALL OF ADVENTUREDOM GIVES TRIBUTE TO YOU, ADVENTURE GRANDMASTER!
TO ACHIEVE THE NEXT HIGHER RATING WOULD BE A NEAT TRICK! CONGRATULATIONS!!
DO YOU WANT TO PLAY AGAIN?
N
--------
And that is all.
I've moved on to World of Warcraft. It rocks.