Spike's
Big Page is MOVING...
After nearly a decade of being hosted by Classicgaming/Gamespy,
Spike's Big Page will be moving soon to a new host, AtariHQ.
For various reasons, Gamespy has decided to discontinue it's hosting
service. We are eternally grateful for having a secure, stable home for as
long as it lasted, but we are equally excited to be joining the AtariHQ
family. At this time, it looks as though our new address will be http://vectrex.atarihq.com.
Stay tuned for updates, and look for us soon at AtariHQ
with brand new updates...
Pitcher's
Duel Prototype Found! To Be Sold at CGE...
From the CGE2007
Site:
The long-rumored
Pitcher’s Duel for the Vectrex has been found and will make its debut
at Classic Gaming Expo 2007! Not only will it be shown, it will be
available for purchase in limited quantities! There will be
100 copies available complete with a box, manual, and special edition
transparent green cartridge shell! There will also be 100 loose
cartridges in standard grey cartridge cases available at a discounted
price. The pricing will be announced at the show. The loose
cartridges will be made available after CGE, but once the special
editions are gone, they’re gone forever.
For more great CGE
Vectrex releases from GoodDealGames,
check out this thread
at Digital Press.
The Classic Gaming Expo will
be held July 28 and July 29 at the Rivera
Hotel
New,
Improved Dark Tower Overlay for MESS
We have received a new Dark
Tower overlay for MESS. Made from the large printable scan,
it's an overlay that looks better, has
more legible text, and a smaller file size. The new PNG
file is here.
Vectrexians
is READY!!!
Years in the making, Kristof Tuts' port of Galaxians
to the Vectrex has been completed and he is
now taking pre-orders for it. Check out Kristof's
Vectrex Page for details about the game, contact info, and information
about the other games that he is working on. Great
stuff :)...
New
Sector-X from Fury Unlimited by End of 2007...
Sector-X is the new Vectrex game planned at Fury Unlimited
(George Pelonis).
After an interlude related to the development of the first 3D homebrew game
on Vectrex (Lord of the Robots, tested in ReVival #34 ), it's the return of
the good ole' 2D shoot'em ups on this machine, specialist of the genre.
George clearly lays cards on the table: he wants this game to be the best he
has ever developed. For the moment, no screenshot leaked, only preview
box
artwork is visible.
While you're at Fury
Unlimited, be sure to check out they're previous release, Vector
21 / Star Fury 3D...
CGE
2K7, Coming Back to Vegas!...
The Classic Gaming Expo will
be held July 28 and July 29 at the Rivera
Hotel, right on the Las Vegas Strip. No word yet on which Vectrex
luminaries will be attending yet, but we will keep you posted :)... To
view discussion on this year's expo, check out this Digital
Press Forum. There will be shuttle service between the expo and the Pinball
Hall of Fame Museum...
Short
blurb about getting started with the MESS Emulator...
After installing the newest version of Windows MESS on your computer, here
are some directions for where to put everything:
- In the "bios" folder, you need to make a
"vectrex" folder and put
system.img in it...
- In the "software" folder, you need to make a
"vectrex" folder, and
inside of that you need to make a "cart" folder. Put all your ROMs
(.bin or .gam files) in the "cart" folder...
- Optionally, in the "artwork" folder, you can create a
"vectrex" folder
and put whatever .art/.png files (overlay files) you have in there. For
an overlay to work, the ROM has to have the same filename as the .art
file...
Stay tuned for a full-fledged "getting
started" guide, complete with all of the downloads that you
need ready to simply unZIP and start playing. As of right now, I don't
think there are any COMPLETE rom and overlay archives properly named for
use in MESS...
New Games-A-Rama!
Here's our roundup of all recent Vectrex game releases:
Demos:
All the above ROMs: gamesarama.zip
(289k)
Spike and Molly Starring
in "Love Conquers All"
Thanks to Sascha and Alexandra of New Mass Productions, there
is now a video testament to Spike and Molly's love. Although
it's basically just a .wmv
video clip of the game Spike in action, between the music
and other artistic flourishes it's easily the most charming clip to have passed through
this site. Thanks to MB for posting this to our messageboard late last year...
Experimental Vectrex Photo
Courtesy Danny Geurtsen, this photograph
is the product of dim lighting, lava lamp backlighting, the flicker of the display, and an
accidentally jarred camera. The result is a seemingly holographic
Vectrex game that leaps off the display. This is what Cube Quest could have been
:). Pretty cool...
Vectrex Logic Board
Illustration
Courtesy of Ron from RGV,
we now have a beautifully rendered illustration of the Vectrex Logic
Board, suitable for framing. The picture file is here.
The RGV thread is here.
Protector/Y*A*S*I
Carts Available
Those who ordered during the limited run of Protector
were very lucky, because of the exceptional presentation, but now those who order
Protector from Mark's site get the benefit of Y*A*S*I (Yet Another Space Invaders?) a rasterized Space Invaders
on th Vectrex, a very unique experience. Ordering info is here.
VecFlash
Richard Hutchinson's latest project is VecFlash, a kind of VecRAM multicart
hybrid. With 512k of flash RAM in it, there's a lot of potential. Update:
According to a RGV post, the last one has shipped already...
Vectrex on the GP-32
I'm not totally sure what a GP-32 is, but it runs a number of emulators including
Vectrex according to the following pics from Manu:
gp32_box.jpg, gp32_front.jpg, gp32_vec.jpg, and gp32_vsb.jpg
German
Telematch Magazine Review
Vectrex Guy has received some scans of a German article reviewing the Vectrex. Check them out here.
The
Vectrex Spectrum Stress Tester
At Manu's Vectrex Game Database, there there are now pictures of one of the Vectrex's
arcade incarnations, the Spectrum Stress Tester. Also at that
site, there are pictures of Cube Quest in action here...
Mr.
Boston Vodka Bottle
Found by Rob Mitchell and displayed by Chris Romero at CGE2003, is an
original bottle of Mr. Boston liquor along side the only
known complete Mr. Boston Cart at this site.
Playstation
to Vectrex Controller Adapter
Clay Cowgill has completed his Playstation
to Vectrex controller adapter. Check out the details here...
Vectrex TV Commercial
Thanks to Orion105 and Chris
Romero, we now have a clip of one of the original Vectrex commercials. For the
download, head on over to Vectrex.com (nice domain,
huh?). It's at least a 95MB download and requires the newest version of Quicktime running
on a fast computer. For those requiring a quick fix then here is our audio-only version
(60k): VectrexCommercial.rm and here is a 5MB video/audio MPEG version (link fixed). And thanks to Digital Press
for finding it in the first place...
PlayVectrex.com is
Back
The main site is back. Also, you can
check out the first mirror of the site here and the other
mirror of the site is here...
First
Stage of Vectrex Game Database Completed
Manu has added a lot of game information to his game database. The goal is to have a
devoted page for each and every Vectrex game. If you'd like to comment or help out with
the database, then email him....
VecVoice Speech Generator
Even if you don't own VecVoice, Richard Hutchinson has released this
Windows program that lets you phonetically construct almost any phrase and hear an
approximation of how VecVoice would sound speaking it. Be
sure to extract the ZIP file directly to your C drive to
create a folder called WordMaker, to insure soundcard compatibility. For fun, start by
trying this phonetic phrase: 'gg2 er2 iy tt2 ih ng hh ss pp rr1 ow ff eh ss
ao er1 ff aa ll kk1 eh nn1' by Milan :)... Update: Milan has posted a tutorial
on how to use that program. This program might just be the most fun that anyone has had
without a Vectrex or emulator :)...
Zektor Adds Vectrex Monitor
Compatibility...
According to legendary vector emulator programmer Zonn Moore
(Cinemu, Retrocade, etc.), Zektor (a project to enable
emulated arcade vector games to be played on real vector monitors) is now compatible with
Vectrex units. With a little unplugging and replugging classic arcade games like Tempest,
Asteroids, and the Sega vector games can be played on a Vectrex monitor. Kudos to Frank Palazzolo for his work on the drivers. Check out some pix here...
War of the Robots
In RGV, Geofury has announced his cool new game, War
of the Robots. At his site there is a
video preview and ordering info.
Vectrex Magazine Articles...
Courtesy Richard Hutchinson (VecRAM, VecVoice,
etc.), there are 2 recent article scans from the modern Brittish Gaming Magazine, Edge. One article covers new games for classic systems and the
other spotlights the Vectrex (and used this site as a reference):
"What Goes Around, Comes Around": 1 2
3 4 5
6
"Vectrex: Designer Lines": 1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10
Updated 7-4-03: Richard's
Japanese Vectrex Magazine: front 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 back
New Vectrex Site Updated
Jeroen's Vectrex site
has been updated. It includes pictures from his collection, manuals, various galleries,
and new graphics to use as desktop tiles... When visiting there, make sure that you have
javascript turned on...
Protector Review
Courtesy Daniel Foot, we have added a review of the
new game Protector to Passport Online.
It's knowledgable of the original version and enthusiastic, with good reason, and includes
the preview pix and link to Alex's official site... Check out
more Protector talk in RGV...
New Narrow Escape Overlays
Thanks to TPB, there are now DVE overlays here for Fred Taft's Narrow Escape 2D
(a hack of Narrow Escape 3D that will work as a regular game without the 3D goggles). Even
with the limited palette of DVE, the 3D logo still looks cool. A preview
is here. Get the ROM for Narrow Escape 2D here... More overlays to come from TBP...
Vectrex Protector
Released!
Vectrex programmer Alex Herbert has released Protector, his port of Defender.
Compared to the original, it's very lively and detailed. He is only making 100 carts, and
there are some previews of the cool packaging here: one two
three four five, and the cart can retain old high scores.
The eye-popping MPEG preview
is still at his site. Contact him for ordering
info Also, drop by RGV
for more. Update: Protector may have a future beyond those
first 100 carts. Stay tuned...
VeCaves/Spike's
Spree Video
Mark De Smet's 2 debuted games at CGE 2002 and video previews are available. Check out his projects site for the
Quicktime videos and if you want a cart then email mdesmet@earthlink.net
or here, so he'll know how
many more to make...
Strange New Vectrex Stand
Discovered
This
Jetsons-like stand is apparently a display stand from certain
stores in the Netherlands. The Digital Press thread with info about it is here...
New Emulator Ported to Mac
With lightning speed, Valavan's new (to us) Windows
emulator has already been ported to Macintosh by Chris Roccati.
As of this writing, the port is 80% complete, but is making rapid progress, and may end up
being more refined. The download is currently here, and his posts
about it are in rec.games.vectrex...
Nice Collection Added to
Archive
Just added a pic of Shawn La Douceur's Vectrex
Collection. Let the drooling begin...
New
Teaser for B.E.T.H.
For all who have followed Manu's
programming projects, there is now promise that the B.E.T.H. demo
may be a fully developed project and may be nearing a final release. A preview of the box cover can be seen here. It's even VecVoice Enhanced... Update: B.E.T.H.
is a new game different from the B.E.T.H. demo that's already out there, and as his RGV
post shows, it's still an organic project that could turn in different directions. All
we know is that the end result will be fun...
3rd
Vectrex Emulator!
Thanks to Manu, we
now know of a third Vectrex emulator by Valavan Manohararajah. The
website hasn't been updated in almost a year so it's most likely a dead project, but the
program weighs in amazingly under 40K and it runs Alex's YASI demo
(does that stand for "Yet Another Space Invaders"? :), see below), which the
current 2 emulators don't. Val's site includes a stand alone 6809
emulator and source codes for everything so that all can learn from what Valavan
came up with... Check out rec.games.vectrex to
see what others have to say about this emulator...
VecRAM GUI Software
Richard has just released the GUI version of the VecRAM
software that will work with any version of windows and any VecRAM hardware that's
out there. The Palm/Pocket PC frontend
will be similar to the windows version...
VecRAM III
Richard Hutchinson is now at work on VecRAM III, which will include extra RAM for the art programs which
previously didn't work in multicarts. In fact, it's going to have a multicart
feature complete with upgradable menu system. There's also new software for VecRAM II that will work in any version of windows,
and there's also new DOS software from Mark. For those who don't know, VecRAM
allows you to play all those binaries you download on a real Vectrex...
Vec Sports Boxing Overlays
These are versions of Manu's Vec Sports Boxing overlay
compatible with the DVE emulator. The download is here, and a preview screenshot is here.
Also, Manu has his minigolf demo here,
and his bowling demo is here.
VecSports
Boxing Now Available for Download
Manu has released the binary for VecSports
Boxing. Dowload it here. The charaters are colorful and
the animation is cool, and it joins the list of games you can enjoy head to head with a
second player...
New Space Invaders-Based
Game in Development
Alex Herbert, programmer of the soon-to-be-released
game Protector, has begun another game, Y*A*S*I. The binary
is available at his site. It doesn't function with
the emulators, but you can try it on a real Vectrex using VecRAM or an EPROM burner... Update: Alex has added a screenshot to his site that looks like the real Space Invaders arcade
game. While most text on the Vectrex is rasterized, he has made an entire rasterized
game...
5" Vectrex
Monitor?
Playvectrex.com just added Fred Konopaska's pix and construction details for a 5" vector
monitor. The screenshots are from an arcade board for Space Duel
(which still needs a Vectrex translation), but can be adapted to the Vectrex...
Color Passport Magazine
Scans + More
Thanks to the Handheld Game Museum's Rik, new color scans of the
only issue of the official Vectrex magazine Passport have
been added to the Preserves
section of playvectrex.com... Also, check out the
other unique items there. Brett has quietly built up one of
the largest Vectrex sites...
Cube Quest Still
Available
The Cube Quest cart by original Vectrex programmer Paul Allen Newell is still available for purchase. Update: No longer available.
VecVoice Sounds
Off
Richard Hutchinson has just posted a small .WAV file of the VecVoice in action in the
game Verserk. Check it out. It sounds cool and brings arcade
flavor to Vectrex Berzerk. The official site is here.
Gravitrex's
Hidden Game
John Dondzila, who has shown sympathy for us
hidden-game-challenged gamers in the past, has released the binary for his hidden game in
Gravitrex, Paratroopers. It's a simple game, but unforgiving.
If you have to ask how to get the guys that have already reached the ground, then you're
already sunk, man... Post your high scores to RGV... If you have the
actual cart, then the spoiler is here. Update: The download for the Gravitrex ROM
is here.
VecRAM under Other OS's
Mark Robson has come up with software allowing use of
other operating systems with VecRAM...
Chris
Tumber in the News
No, not in our news, in the real news :). The Ottawa
Citizen, Canada's 9th largest paper, has chosen to spotlight
Vec programmer Chris Tumber and his various projects...
CGE2002 Photo Gallery
Courtesy Chris Romero, we've added a large gallery of photos (13MB), mostly from the game museum. Highlights: The
Minicade coin-op, Tom Sloper
wearing his Game Time watch, 2 different original store displays, The '82 prototype from
CES (complete with apple juice can for shielding), Vectorcade controller, VecRAM, rare
games, etc...
Catching Up...
Please send news to vectrexnow@yahoo.com.
Here's some news we've missed in the last month:
- According to Rob Mitchell's
RGV
thread, he will be showing many Vectrex projects at Cinciclassic (Oct 4-5, 2002) including a Mystery Game...
- If not previously mentioned, Manu's VecSports Boxing is available for
sale at Good Deal Games...
and he's uploaded some new game binaries to his site...
- Thanks to Alex Herbert, Chris T's UTG game will be able to use a cable to connect 2 Vectrexes for head to head combat. Here's the RGV
thread...
- Kristof Tuts is making
progress with Vectrex Time Pilot, making improvements on Vectrexians, and an intro screen for
switching between the two...
- It looks like Clay Cowgill
might be doing a Vectrex version of his Playstation controller interface.
Check the RGV
thread for more info...
- Richard Hutchinson
is working on VecVoice, a module that adds speech to certain
games like Verzerk (Berzerk modified for speech). Those items
may be sold at CinciClassic... Info about that and VecRAM at his site...
CyberRoach
CGE Coverage
CyberRoach Magazine has ongoing coverage of CGE2002. Check out
parts IV and VII for his Vectrex
coverage and his magazine page
for past CGE coverage... It includes pictures of Zector,
a vector display adapter for the PC. It already has Retrocade support. Could MESS
(Vectrex) support be in the works?...
Romero CGE
2002 Photo Collection
Courtesy of Brett's Vectrex Preserve all
can now view Chris Romero's large photo collection from CGE2002.... Is there an apple juice can in the '82 proto? Check the
pix... Update: Since there are 127MB of pictures, we've
shrunk them to 13MB and added them here.
3 New Vectrex Games at CGE
2002 + More
Aside from the previously-mention game Cube
Quest by Paul
Newell, CGE2002,
will also debut the long-awaited and well-animated VecSports Boxing by Manu (more info at Good Deal Games), as well
as Mark De Smet's VeCaves (check RGV for the
description). Also, currently scheduled to speak are Jay Smith and Tom Sloper. And the
museum should have some pretty interesting items, many from Chris
Romero...
Tsunami/VIX Available for Download
and More
The Tempest-inspired Tsumani binary is here and the QIX-inspired VIX
binary is here. Right now, the VIX binary doesn't work with
MESS. Check out Chris' post in rec.games.vectrex. Email him for cartridge ordering info... Also, his early Battlezone demo has updated a little and the new
binary is here.
Tsunami, VIX, and
Spinnerama Are Here...
Christopher Tumber has released Tsunami
(Tempest clone), VIX (QIX-inspired), and Spinnerama (several Vectrex games converted for use with the 2600
driving controller) in cart form. Email him for
ordering info... And check out his site
for info about his amazing Omega Chase and other projects...
Bowling Demo
+ More
In less than 2 hours, Manu programmed this bowling
demo. Also posted are coding for adding sound or score to a game... and VecSports Boxing is ready! Get ready to rumble! Stay tuned...
Vectrex Game
Reviews
The Video Game Critic site has added numerous Vectrex game reviews. The reviews are very frank
(one game that I enjoy got an "F"), but all the reviews are good-spirited... URL updated 10/24/02...
Replacement
Controllers Are Back...
John Dondzila is once again producing replacement
controllers. Besides the usual Genesis conversions, he is now
also converting some nice-looking 8-button Playstation arcade stick
controllers. Details of that and other classic game offerings are in the latest Classic
Game Creations press release and the site.
Pythagorian Theorem Demo
Controller guru Rob Mitchell's first demo binary release for the Vectrex is a proof
for the Pythagorian theorem. It's like a simple
Powerpoint-type presentation. The theorem was first proven thousands of years ago, but
just in case you needed a second opinion :)...
Battlezone Demo...
At PhillyClassic this year, Christopher Tumber debuted an early Battlezone demo binary, complete with a
neat PhillyClassic logo for a title screen...
Vectrexbox
and Vect-Rex
Manu has dreamed up this cross between a
Vectrex and an X-Box as well as this conception of a
cross between a Vectrex and a T-Rex... I'm still trying to
decide which is scarier :)...
PhillyClassic
Coverage
John Dondzila has added pictures of the recent PhillyClassic gathering to his site. Click the link on the lower left of
his menu bar. If you can still locate it, he posted a 52MB MPEG of the event to alt.binaries.multimedia...
Vectrex Jumble Puzzle
At Good Deal Games there is now a
Vectrex Jumble puzzle to compliment the other Vectrex items
there in the Puzzles section. The word search is still here, the Vectrex
crossword is still here,
and the site still contains interviews with most a lot of recent Vectrex programmers...
New Minestorm
Overlay
RGV's Waynetrex has designed an alternate
Minstorm overlay, fit for printing. An overlay set for DVE will follow shortly. If you design an overlay, send it to vectrexnow@yahoo.com
Vectrex TV: Call Your Cable Company...
A while ago, there was talk of a guy named Aaron who converted a TV to play Vectrex games, utilizing the innards of a Vectrex and an arcade
board from a Tempest arcade unit. Now, you can see this
"Frankentrex" in action at Cyberroach's
coverage of the annual NWCGE meeting.
Vectrex SoundSet for
MS Entourage
Courtesy Rob Gentile, here is a Vectrex-themed Microsoft
Entourage Soundset for Mac users. It plays Vectrex sounds for things like new mail,
no new mail, etc.
Overlays-A-Rama
Lionel Cordier has put together an impressive
collection of overlays for both emulators.
Click on the links below to download. What's included:
DVE:
- Starship overlay.
- Starship rom by renaming title starTREK to starSHIP.
- Webwars overlay.
- Webwars rom by renaming title webwarP to WebwarS.
- New colors for Vpong (from pole position).
- New colors for Starwars (from star castle).
MESS:
- All Good Things -> true colors
- Dark Tower -> new version
- Moon Lander -> with only one color
- Moon Lander -> green version
- Mr Boston -> colors like Cleansweep
- Spike Goes Skiing
- Spike Hoppin' -> with only one color
- Spike's wedding
- Starwars a New Hope
- Starship
- Vector Vaders
- Vpong
- Webwars
- Wormhole
Vectrex on Oregon TV
In a rare TV appearance, the Vectrex showed up in an Oregon
morning show. You can see a quicktime version of the coverage here (check out the
"Good Day Oregon" segment at the bottom). The
segment was covering Tom's classic computer/videogame collection,
and the reporter demonstrated the goggles and continually referred to the unit as a
Vootrex, maybe in an attempt at humor...
Preliminary
Alpha Version of Vectrex Reactor
RGV's unclefreddy has set up a WIP page for his Vectrex programming
projects that includes a screenshot and preliminary binary for his Reactor
clone. If you have any trouble picturing Spike and Spud
starring in Reactor then check out his site and download the ROM (be careful
running this version on a real Vec due to excessive brightness in the center of the
screen). Another 75-80% complete project is also mentioned...
Dark Tower
Source Available
Longtime Vectrex contributor Fred Taft has posted a
partially reverse-engineered (but compilable) source code for Dark
Tower, as well as Armor Attack and Minestorm. Grab those and his 2D version of Narrow
Escape and variation of Minestorm at his site.
Gravitrex
Released!
John Dondzila has released the Gravitar-inspired game Gravitrex,
which includes Patriots III. The cart version also has extra
features. For ordering info or emulator downloads visit his site, and to join us in RGV for more.
Meanwhile, the MPEG preview (7MB) is here. View screenshots and read the description at the Gravitrex
section of Classic Game Creations.
New Vectrex Magazine Scans
Thanks to Rich "MrRetroGamer" Gallo of Retrogames-R Us, we now have scans of the Radio Electronics Vectrex article from June 1983, from their buyers
guide section. It gives the Vectrex high marks for it's "images of extraordinary high
quality": Scan 1 Scan 2
Vectrex
Wallpaper
Manu of The Arctic
Computer & Console Museum has added a cool 1024x768 Vectrex
wallpaper here. I've added other sizes here: 800x600 640x480
Test Cart Overlay Scans
To help adjust your Vectrex, Chris Romero has
released a 150dpi scan of the Test Cart Overlay. A 97k JPG version is here and a
cleaned printable GIF version is here. If you previously had header errors with the
original JPGs, give these a try.
Make Your Own 3D
Goggles
According to PlayVectrex.com, Ted Mason has built his own pair of 3D
Goggles, from Zack Etheridge's circuit. At that site, you view design and PCB schematics. Also
included are are Eddie K's designs for a 3D Imager similiar
to the original housing. Check rec.games.vectrex
for more...
New Vectorcade
Controller
Brett Walach of PlayVectrex.com,
has designed the Corvette of Vectrex controllers. Using arcade parts
and fiberglass cases with metalflake clear coat finishes,
these controllers may be some of the coolest console controllers ever made. Check out the
pics and ordering info at PlayVectrex.com. Update: project currently on hold...
Finnish Vectrex Advertisement
At a Finnish auction site, there's a scan done by Jukka from Mikrobitti Magazine circa
'84. Thanks to Manu for locating this
auction scan that says that calls Scramble "Game of the
Year" according to Katso Magazine (like Finnish TV
Guide)...
The Color Vectrex Lives!
Apparently, at CGE2001, Jay
Smith entrusted the Handheld Game Museum's
Rik with the Color Vectrex Proto
to see if he could revive the unit. Well, he did revive the unit and posted the results to
this page. Way to
go, Rik! Watch for future exhibits of the unit...
CGE
2001 - Inside the Color Vec & Romero Collection
The Handheld Game Museum has added
pics from this year's CGE. Included is a picture and description of the inside of Jay Smith's Color Vectrex, as
well as pictures and descriptions of Chris Romero's
impressive Vectrex collection.
We are still looking for Vectrex info from CGE2001. If you have news, please email
us.
Windows
Port of Shadow of the Lost Citadel
Programmer Stacey Davidson
has completed the windows port of Shadow of the Lost Citadel,
a modern 3D remake/enhancement of the classic Vectrex game Dark
Tower. At his site, Salsagames, you can
view the press release, links to coverage, screenshots, and order the game (for immediate
download). The smoothly rendered 3D environment and the spooky/digitized sound are all
well executed.
Vectrex
Minicade Page
Nico has come through again with an english language webpage for his Minicade acquisition. Minicade was an
arcade game made by putting a Vectrex in an arcade cabinet.
Tumber Updates: Battle, Scroll
There is an early Battle binary,
and while it's not a continuing project (only a scrolling background), it's interesting to
see a Battlezone-type background on the Vec. Another binary, Scroll, is another scrolling background that is the beginning of a 3D engine...
Previously: The early SDI binary (from CR's game idea) was
updated...
LaserMAME: Vector
Emulation on a Laser Projector
While not a new project (it started October 2000), we've garnered enough hits from LaserMAME announcements to consider it on-topic. And
why not? When LaserMAME is perfected then a laser
version of MESS (the Vectrex emulator) can't be far behind
:)...
Handheld Vectrex?
Nah. But if you're wondering what playing Vectrex on a Palm
Pilot might be like (can you say 'net play?), then Richard Hutchinson has provided these mock
pictures: one two three four
Mr. Boston Clean Sweep Released
Chris Romero, who had already
authorized his dump of the very rare Mr. Boston Clean Sweep
on the Kelly Multicart, has now openly released the ROM, which
can be downloaded here. The liquor company Mr. Boston distributed arranged and distributed a customized
promotional version of Clean Sweep. It surfaced a couple of years ago in a very expensive Ebay auction, with Chris as the winner. Check out some scans of the
box and overlay here. Thanks to Chris for his generosity.
New 3D Rotating Tank Demo
According to Christopher
Tumber, Ronen Habot and Tom Verbure
have been working on a 3D Tank Demo, not unlike the old 3D demo by Clay Cowgill, but more
advanced. The tank rotates smoothly and the perspective is accurate throughout (if the
perspective looks messed up then just give your eyes a minute to adjust). The file for
emulators is here and you can read more in RGV. Could this demo develope into
a game? Stay tuned...
New Wormhole Overlays for DVE
Emulator
Soren is back doing overlays, this time for the
recently-released neoclassic game Wormhole. Visit the emulation page for the download or click here.
A preview is here. The game can be downloaded here. The Vectopia cartridge (with Wormhole) can be bought here.
Vectrex
Arcade Machines Surface...
On Ebay and at a flea market,
Vectrexes in arcade cabinets (from '82?) have surfaced. The
closed auction with pictures is here.
More info soon.
Vectopia!!!!!
John Dondzila has just released the world's second 64k Vectrex ROM for his
latest multigame, Vectopia (find it in his File Archives
section). He's ready for cartridge orders at his site. The ROM binaries for the emulators
are locally stored here (updated
3/13 with bugfix for DVE). A preview MPEG is here. Here's what's
included:
- Wormhole
- Trakkers
- Vectropolis 500 (4 player, 9 track demo)
- Spike's Water Balloons (analog control version)
- Controller Test
- Drafts from the drawing board: Mad Planetoids, Star
Fire Level I+II, Star Fury
Incidentally, Vectopia's
completion date of March 8th was John's birthday and the 5 year anniversary of his Vector Vaders (the first homebrew Vectrex game)...
Vectrex Easter Egg Page at DP
At Digital Press,
there is now a very good page
dedicated to Vectrex easter eggs, tips,
and rumored easter eggs. If you have any additions for the
page, you can submit them to Scott.
Rounders
Now Supports Atari Driving Controller
For the first time, a Vectrex game adds support for an unmodified
controller from another system. Rounders is Ronen Habot's Pong-in-the-round game. Plug the driving controller
into port #1 and a regular controller into port #2. The binary ROM
is here, and the source code is at Ronen's site.
Funny Vectrex Product Parody
Travelfish,
has come up with a mock up of an unusual Vectrex product that
somehow aids DJs. The 2 scans are very detailed with little touches like re-written game
descriptions (kinda hard to read, so a zoomed version is here).
The 2 scans are here and here.
Congrats to Christopher Tumber
Digital Press has
awarded Omega Chase the Best Homebrew
of the Year award for 2000 as part of their Classic Video
Game Achievement Awards. Tour De France, which had a
quiet debut (outside of the Vectrex community), was runner up for Classic
Game of the Year.
Magic 8-Ball Demo
Christopher L Tumber, who
had a little free time, came up with a version of Magic 8-Ball
for Vectrex. The binary for emulators is here. Hold down button 4
to start shaking the 8-ball, ask your question, and then release.
Battlezone
on the Vectrex!
Well, sort of. Andy, from the rec.games.video.classic
newsgroup, has figured out a way to get his Battlezone arcade board
to display on his Vectrex. Initially, he had some fun with the group by posting
screenshots, claiming that he had found an unmarked Vectrex cart somewhere and that he was
looking for info on this previously unheard of prototype :) Here are the pictures: one two three four
five
For those who remember, James G
Watt proposed running Battlezone on a Vectrex monitor as part of a Mini Arcade Machine
project...
Vec-Amp Screenshot
While Vec-Amp 2.0 is ancient news, I've only just now
found a screenshot made by one of the MP3 Winamp Skin sites. Get
the skin for your Winamp here.
Kelly
Vectrex Multicart 2.0
Sean Kelly's multicart has been a long mainstay for
people first discovering vectrex or people without a complete collection of games. His
multicart is now being updated to version 2.0 and includes
the games released since version 1.0. And for those who already have a Kelly Multicart,
he'll upgrade your 1.0 cart to 2.0 for only $12. Visit his site for ordering details Update: cart orders and site are currently on hold...
Credit for the Mr Boston binary goes to Chris Romero, who obtained it at some expense, exhibited it at
CGE2000, and offered it for use on future Kelly multicarts...
If you still need to the Ronen Multicart (VectRace and
Vaboom!, not on the Kelly Multicart) please visit Mark's Video Game Manufacturing.
If you need instructions for those games, the largest instructions archive is here. We'll add the Vecmania
instructions soon.
Vectrex
Store Display MIB
The Handheld Game Museum has added pics
of a mint-in-box Vectrex retail store display. It's
now the ultimate way for a lucky few to show off their Veccy. Elsewhere in the Vectrex section are some
other interesting items...
Correction:
Sports Time Watch Video
We recently mentioned Steve Bender's MPEG of GCE's Sports Time
game watch and identified it with Tom Sloper. Well, while Tom
has done some classic watches, it appears that Patrick King
actually designed Sports Time...oops :) Thanks to Tom for the correction. To browse
the game instructions see Steve's RGV
post. Tom's site can be found here and in our links.
HyperDrive Steering
Controller
Steve Bender turned a a
controller with a broken off joystick into an analog steering
controller. Check out pix of the resulting controller here.
"Tour de France" Finally
Available To All
To all who have waited 16 years for Mark Indictor's Tour de
France to surface, it now has. The binary is available here
(courtesy Nicholas Sapin). For those true
Vectrex fans, you'll want to order your cart through Mark Shaker to experience it on a real
Vectrex. While the game was never finalized, it is a prototype that is a lot of fun to
play...
CGE Coverage/Pics
While my CGE article struggles along, you can visit Classicgaming and Digital Press for CGE
coverage that includes pics, descriptions, and, at Classicgaming, the content of
the Vectrex lecture. Also, now CyberRoach has put up his
predictably thorough CGE review, like he did last year, which
includes Vectrex-related pictures...
Tom Sloper, Bill Hawkins,
'Tour de France' at CGE 2K...
At Classic Gaming Expo 2000 (in Las Vegas this
weekend), game designer Tom Sloper
and Vectrex programmer Bill Hawkins represented the Vectrex
with lots of insights (more later). Also, CGE 2K had the debut of the never-released Tour de France prototype, courtesy Mark Shaker, who was selling carts of
TDF for $10! To purchase it, I suspect you'll want to visit his site after he returns home ...Realaudio clips from last year's 'Vectrex Guys' lecture can be
heard here. Also, Chris Romero's Mr. Boston Clean Sweep was on display...not actually playing but
the box, cart, instructions, and overlay were behind glass...also
on display were sections from prototype 3D goggle glasses
courtesy Mr Hawkins...
Labyrinth Demo Adds Two Patrolling
Monsters
Chris Salomon has added to his first-person
maze demo two monsters that walk the halls of the maze to [greet?] you. If that
isn't foreboding enough, you already get to explore around to the Moonlight Sonata as a
spooky voice speaks to you, keeping you oriented as you turn.
Get the ROM file for emulators here
(laby4.zip). The ZIP file includes the source code, for those interested in seeing how
it's done. And development on it continues...
Omega
Chase Carts Are Shipping...
Christopher L Tumber's long appreciated game Omega Chase is finally a cartridge, and is paired with 'Omega Chase Deluxe' and a mystery bonus game.
The Regular Edition is $20 and the 'Collector's Edition' ($50) includes a signed and
numbered cart as well as a version of OCD with infinite lives. His RGV announcement and ordering info are here
and his new site location is here.
Alternate Berzerk, Star Trek, Polar
Rescue
From GCE, these dumps of prototype carts include a
bugfixed Berzerk, a prototype Polar
Rescue, and an alternate Star Trek. Download them using the
links above.
VectRace
and Vaboom! as a Multigame
Ronen Habot has finalised and released these two games
in a single binary file for the emulators, soon to be in cartridge form. Both games are able to function with the converted
Atari paddle controller. You can locally download the binary
for emulators here.
Presenting: The Woodgrain
Vectrex
Well, a conceptual picture
of one anyhow...this image comes from manu of the The Arctic Computer & Console Museum... Also, you can
see his White Vectrex here and his Chrome Vectrex here.
Some Overlays You Probably Don't Have
Soren Krogh recently printed out some of the newer overlays onto transparency and added a paper backing to the
opaque areas. It's interesting to see these overlays that no one else has. See them here.
Printable Dark Tower Overlay
If you want to recreate this rare overlay that doesn't
exist in the wild, here is an
actual-size/300dpi/cleaned-up version. We have a scan of the
original overlay thanks to Sean Kelly of Digital Press. Also, I've converted the scan into a
set of overlays for the DVE
emulator.
Sound Demos: Madonna, Dr. Who, Jaws,
Prokofiev...
I had some free time so, using VecSound, I made 5 new sound demos for Vectrex emulator users or Vectrex cartridge
makers...These 5 pieces are far different than anything you've yet heard from your Vectrex
:) The zip file with the binaries is here.
VECMANIA!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's the world's first 64k Vectrex cartridge! It has 8 new games packed into two 32k banks. To play Vecmania on one of
the emulators, here are the two binaries, or download the
individual games or order the cartridge itself at John Dondzila's site. If you're playing on the
MESS emulator then you may want to go to the options menu and remap the buttons/joystick
to suit your tastes. When your cartridge arrives in the mail you can also play some of the
games by plugging in an Atari joystick. Here are the games:
- Star Fire Spirits
- Repulse
- Birds of Prey
- Vector Vaders Remix
- Patriots Remix
- Rockaroids Remix
- Disc Duel Demo
- Abyss Demo
New Moon Lander Overlays
- [preview]
Not only do these new overlays add graphics to the
game but actually turn it into a full color vector game (when
used with DVE 2.0 b7+). The game can be found in newgames.zip
and the overlays are on the emulation page.
Moon Lander Final Released
The binary of Clay Cowgill's excellent final version of Moon
Lander has been publically released. Including some coding by Chris Salomon, the
gameplay, the animation, the music (even music for the pause mode), and the excellent
speech synthesis (which DVE can't emulate?...others seem to have had better luck than I)
are not to be missed. The file is here. If you'd like to purchase
the cartridge, try here.
Sample: a realaudio clip of the voice counting down
Vectrex C Compiler Beta
I'm re-announcing it because of emails I've received from people unable to download
it. If you're familiar with programming in C and are interested in writing Vectrex games,
then this should help. Although a beta, it works well. |
List Sites
![[preview]](moon.gif){kind=link}