The Multi Q*bert Kit

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 10:53 pm

Here is the latest update on that:

We are done with the PCB layout and it’s at the fabricator, set to arrive on Friday the 21st. I will be working all weekend to ship on Monday the 24th. Since we are on a quick turn-around and all the parts are in process, you can send in the balance of $165 via Paypal to: (deleted).

I’ll record the payments and ship kits & shirts in the order payments are received.

I’m pleased to announce the bonus game that is included: Tylz

It’s a Mylstar game that never made it out of prototype in 1984 that just happens to use a diagonal joystick like Q*bert. The code was recovered from a set of boards that a pinball collector purchased at auction, unfortunately the sound ROM was erased before it could be copied so Q*bert sounds have been coded for it by Dave. More info and a screenshot is at: http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=tylz&p ... il&id=3430

I was #2 on the list, so I will let everyone know how it goes when it is installed!

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 3:34 pm

Wow a free prototype game never before seen by human hands! That's awesome. Makes a body wonder if Polybius is out there on some dusty old green circuit board. Stacked away in a government warehouse, next to the Ark of the Covenant or something.

THE
VIDEO ARCHEOLOGIST
AARDVARK

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 5:07 pm

I hope so. The thought of finding it is really all that keeps me going in this world. (Meaning, the though of ME finding it. If someone else finds it, well, anybody living with me at the time better stock up on bleach for the walls, is all I am saying.)

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:33 pm

yeah, but it'd hit the download section on KLOV and you could stuff it in your cabinet and start erasing BRRRRRRRAINS!

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:37 am

I can't remember which was the Multi Q*bert thread. This one? It has brains in it, so it gets elected.

Anyway, I installed the kit. It was as easy as this sort of thing is gonna get. There was one point where I needed three hands (there is now a wire going from the sound board to the main PCB, and trying to hang them all on the back door got tricky) but with some balancing it was all right.

It nuked my high scores in regular Q*bert, which sort of sucks, but that's fine - I had only hit 49,000. One thing threw me for a loop, and that's how you have to hit the Player One and Player Two Start buttons at the same time to go back to the main menu when you are done playing a game: that tells the kit to write the scores to NVRAM. (Or the battery, if you've one of those.)

I got a chance to play it a bit tonight when Dayna and Greg were over, and they put a frigging BASEBALL GAME as one of the bonus games on the thing. I think it is called Curveball, but I'll double check. I'll make this whole lengthy blog post on the thing, but it is absolutely a steal at the $185 Mike Doyle was asking for it.