When's the MTX going to get ZAXXON & Donkey Kong

[Dave]

Looks fantastic.

It does! The really neat thing is that, if it works as expected, all of the “smarts” are in the loader, with that completed, the hope is that other ColecoVision ROMs should run without modification - or at least, the ones that use standard ColecoVision ROM calls

[1024MAK]

Well done Martin

Mark

[Loccy]

Any chance this might be ready and available for August?

I've finally got an MTX up and running some five months later after I first introduced myself on here (I ended up just buying another one). It looks like I've re-engaged at the right time!

My day job is a university lecturer but as a sideline for my uni I run retro computing exhibitions at our open days and also for outreach with schools. We're planning a big event at the end of August that will be open to the public featuring 60 running machines (and I'll post details nearer the time).

I'd love the MTX to put its best foot forward. I do have a retro programming area at these things but by and large on the main floor I like to have the machines up and running with a game that will draw people in and attract them to engage with the machine. Having worked through the games library for the MTX (especially what will run via an MFX) it's all a bit, well, Spectrum circa 1982 really.

It'd be great if I could put it out there with Zaxxon or something else from the Coleco catalogue (not Donkey Kong, as that will be on the actual Colecovision we have!).

[Martin A]

Well, the MTX's best by far is Andy Key's HexTrain.

To produce a game with 200 meg of z80 code is extrodinary by any measure, as is 3D solid graphics on 4MHz CPU.

However, the ColecoVision rom player is progressing nicely. Release candidate 1 is with the beta testers at the moment.

[Dave]

Well, the MTX's best by far is Andy Key's HexTrain.

To produce a game with 200 meg of z80 code is extrodinary by any measure, as is 3D solid graphics on 4MHz CPU.

However, the ColecoVision rom player is progressing nicely. Release candidate 1 is with the beta testers at the moment.

Good shout!

(HEXTRAIN is on the MFX SD Card)

it is fully described on Andy's site here

http://www.nyangau.org/hextrain/hextrain.htm

[Martin A]

However, the ColecoVision rom player is progressing nicely. Release candidate 1 is with the beta testers at the moment.

Thgings are still moving along, release candidate 2 has gone to the testers with a couple of feature changes.

[Dave]

It's available for download here for anyone that wants to try it . . . . .

http://primrosebank.net/computers/mtx/t ... loader.htm

[stephen_usher]

Having read the page mentioned it got me wondering if there's a hardware assisted way of adding extra compatibility both for Colecovision and MSX.

A module which plugs into the external expansion port and listens for access to the ports used by MSX and Colecovision systems. When software does an IN or OUT to that port it /WAITs the Z80 and does the operation on the MTX hardware and then releases the /WAIT line.

Of course, if you want to be fancy you could add other hardware, such as gamepad ports or sound chip emulation, but I'm thinking cheap and cheerful.

[Dave]

“Cheap and cheerful” is a free software solution that allows 20-30% of ColecoVision ROMs to play on MTX

Of course, a hardware solution is possible, but I expect that interest would be very limited, particularly given the fact that there has been next to no interest in CVPlay and it’s FREE!

[acsi]

I will give it a go soon. Desk is cluttered with a disassembled Atari Stacy at the moment and unfortunately a lot of procrastination is happening when it comes to spray painting the case and putting it all back together