What's new Pussycat too?

I hear Richie is going in to hospital to have an operation to remove the soldering iron from his hand

Now I can see the pics from Alex, I can see some nice bits...Good on yer Richie, and thank you for the same kind offer, but I'd make no use of them so better that folk who can, get them.

And for those on AA, you can grab the game I've been secretly beta testing, Bruce Lee ROF. It's still in a beta state but FULLY playable and it will be finished but Ute decided to release it to the public. Sadly I'd not been able to beta test it much as life here is as mad as ever. Great game as well, I managed to persuade the original C64 coder to release the source code and the coder (DMX) even helped with the Atari dev'ing of the game thanks to some coaxing from me

The joy of living in multiple machine camps.

Do enjoy it, it's the original Bruce Lee code but repurposed for new game mechanics. Be warned, it's hard

 

Nice one Paul. I had read about it. The original was known for being a bugger to beat as well if I remember.
Won't get a chance to play it anytime soon, but those winter nights will soon be drawing in on us....

 

Trust me, the original is a piece of cake compared, the Atari version of Return of Fury is even harder than the C64 version of the game, the coder had to use a cheat mode to finish the Atari version of his game

But saying that, it's a great fun update of Bruce Lee, there's a lot more use of the environment and certain things need to be jumped as you find out quickly

Had the game for some months..

 

I have the C64 version and it is a big improvement on the original so I’ll have to check this Atari version out… all we need now is a Lynx version

 

The original was a piece of cake. It's one of the few games I completed back in the day, which is saying something as I completed very few back then. And I've completed it two or three more times in the past 20 years, the latest some time since I returned to the scene in 2016. I've completed a handful of other games I always meant too, but never did BITD too. I still have many more to finish. Like Infiltrator. It seems like such a cool game, but only once in my life did I actually survive the jet combat part and safely land to start the action and espionage part which looked really cool with 3/4 overhead perspective but I didn't live too long to see much. Infiltrator and I still have a date with destiny...

 

Bruce Lee was indeed very easy for the most part, with only the running lights jumps a bit hard to time. Also, if you started it as 2 player and move joy 2 with your foot (it checked to see if a real person was playing it) you got 9 lives.

Bruce Lee II and Return of Fury are considerably harder, but both are just superb extra material for a Bruce Lee / platformer fan.

I totally recommend a bash on a real C64 or emulator with Bruce Lee II.

I didn't complete many games playing normally, I always found playing with the code more fun, but I did finish Bruce Lee and Jumpman and a few others. Likewise, I had to recently watch a walkthrough to see how to play infiltrator, I had no idea what I was doing

Gave up on it when I got to the base and had to do all the searching..

Sigh, my patience / concentration levels are less than they used to be. Mind you, it does not help when playing a game that your neck feels like there's a knife in it, sort of ruins the experience Thank goodness for Tramadol... (As much as I hate having to take it)

 

So, I acquired some new toys and nick-knacks over the past week. As soon as I'm done posting here, I'll load up some more pictures of my XL Command Center and the opposite corner of my room where my entertainment center and show case are at as well.

First on the list of new-to-me goods is an absolutely brilliant pair of power theatre recliner seats. I have one in my room and the other in my brother's room until we build a den/man-cave to put both and set up my projector and screen. These like-new chairs where given to me by a customer who was given a new pair by their son.



They have power recline and headrest adjustments and also give a vibrating back massage if you wish. I was considering getting rid of my bed this chair is so comfortable. The armrests open with hydraulic arms to store items. I quickly filled one side with remotes and the other with game controllers.

But the chair is large and my room is small, so I had to do some re-arranging and down-sizing and consolidation in other areas to make room for it. I changed out my full-size bed for a single (never needed more than that anyway) and I moved my glass case and entertainment center and I was forced to get rid of my electronics work table and consolidate my XL Command Center even further (after adding the 23" TV) to allow room to work on my electronics.





Though I have decided I hate my 1200XL system set-up currently and I will be moving the CRT TV to a stand about a foot high that will sit directly under my projection screen, and use it there for my vintage consoles that I want to use with a CRT screen, and return my 1200XL system to the set-up I had and continue to use an LED screen until I get my perfectly sized 14" CBM 1084S repaired. I also had to move my 3D printer over on top of my glass case.

The next thing to share is I finally finished re-building my JVC stereo system's pair of speaker cabinets (12 inch woofers, 100 watts each) that had been water damaged. I still need to repair the cabinet face covers with new material though (mouse eaten). The other two identical pair were lost in my storage robbery. So then I also got a pair of new 50 watt front shelf speakers and mounted them to the walls so I finally had Quadraphonic stereo sound output! (the same as surround 4.1 today, but no need for a sub-woofer with 12" woofers) I still have to put up paneling and trim in my room, sorry for the naked walls!



I enjoyed my quadraphonic sound for about 20 minutes until my JVC amplifier went out on me! The culprit is the component I have a close-up shot of below.



Next on my "What's new pussycat" agenda, one of the two PAL/NTSC converters arrived, the other should be here tomorrow then my S-video via two composite video converters experiment begins!



The last new addition to my set-up is a decoration, a Steampunk hat I found in a specialty shop for $30. I won't ever actually where it around, private or public, but I do have a clay, life-size head of myself I made back in college that I'll dig out, finally paint and don with this Steampunk top-hat and put on display.


That's all that's new here for me, for now.

 

Ruddy hell, Matt.

Some incredible additions, reshufflings and brand new retro-revelations in this post.

Far too much for me to do it justice in a 1min reply before I fly out the house for work as I munch my cornflakes!

Exciting times once more with all the rejigging going on - ACE!!

Will comment more later - excellent additionals acquired!

 

Looks like Captain Kirk's chair, love the steampunk hat but I don't have the balls to wear one

The room with the chair in is looking 'busy' to me but because of my balance issues I like rooms to be fairly clear of things I can trip up on, love the double cup holder on the chair

 

Yes, it is a bit "busy" for me too, it would be open except for the chair.
I only have a couple feet of room to get around it. But the chair is worth it.

I couldn't wear the steampunk hat either, but I had to have it for my decor "ambiance." I was looking at it closer this morning and the glasses/goggles are real, I could actually wear them.

 

By the way @Paul "Mclaneinc" Irvine , I sent you a package that I wanted to be a surprise to you on Aug. 6th. My tracking keeps saying it is going in and out of the Chicago distribution center over and over, so I don't know if it is still heading your way, lost, or coming back to me atm. But I had to tell you at this point. I got your address from Andy, so hopefully it is current.I would give you the tracking number, but it's USPS only and would just show you what I get notices about which is in limbo.

 

Oh, thank you very much Matt, I'll keep a look-out and let you know when it arrives..

That's cheered me up, thank you..

The Address should be the same as Andy has as I've had cards from him..

Quite the kid at Xmas feeling now

Paul..

 

LOL. If we're talking busy, I say stuff your shelves with stuff - the more, the merrier, lads.

Matt, you are merging and maintaining marvellous micro machinery to the max and I'm all for that.

My shelving units have just respawned another bleeder and so more devices have been removed from their hiding places and are now heading down to the exhibition "front".

I can't see myself showing all this stuff forever and a day - who can - there has to be a day of reckoning in the future when I say enough's enough but right now, I'm getting the lot out and demo-ing it to its maximum potential.

I really like your "extras" such as the steampunk headgear too as it reveals something of the user's eccentricity and let's be frank, guys, there's no-one on this forum whom I would term "normal"!

Brilliant bits n bobs, Matt - keep experimenting and showing what you've got off, mate.

It's a great collection and it's cool for cats, dude.

 

PS. Hope that package makes it through to Paul. You didn't send it on the end of some knicker elastic did you, Matt mate, and it's now twanging in/out of customs?!

 

I can't wait to see more pictures of your "exhibition room" as it continues to grow. I much prefer seeing my and other peoples hobbies grow rather than be shrinking, even if the shrinking of other's collections may lead to super deals for me to acquire. I still have to put up more pictures on my blog.

I had another brilliant day today doing some bartering with the same customer I got my riding mower trailer from for doing work for him. This was a big deal I made today of bartering a full mowing season of work from me for some machinery, another riding mower and a small tractor with a hydraulic system and a job-site portable office trailer. More details and pictures later as I go back this evening to get the trailer to start with, and I'll take some pictures.

The mower and tractor will both have to be restored like I did with my Craftsman mower, but they will grow the business which will lead to bigger jobs like land clearing. And the office trailer will be used for both my new electronics and mechanical workshops, and maybe a proper small office corner with a desk too. So my over crowded bedroom will get some much needed real estate back as I permanently move my work bench and electronic tools taking up command center desk space and 3D printer to the new trailer. Which by the way, is already fully wired for electrical and brand-new paneling and flooring ready to be added too and finished. It even has a working air conditioner too!

 

Keep aiming ever higher, Matt.

Excellent progress - tell us how we buy shares in Matt's Agricultural and Farming services (before the big guys move in!)

Well done, fella - onwards and upwards with your great displays and more, mate.

It's never been a more exciting time for us retronauts as we explore ever more the possibilities of our caves and plans.

 

I forgot to take pictures, but I have to go back tomorrow evening anyway as I had the wrong size ball on my trailer hitch. I have to borrow a heavier duty trailer with a wench from a friend to move the tractor.

 

I'm actually going to get a two-for-one deal out of the office trailer, we looked under it and the super structure has a separate floor frame that is bolted to the trailer frame, which is larger and heavier duty than my current trailer.

So we are going to remove the "building" from the trailer and put it on a cinder block foundation and then weld sheet metal onto the trailer frame for a floor and weld 2x4" wood plank holders to the sides(my brother is a welder so he will handle that) and then I will build removable trailer "walls" of wood planks and slats (like I did with my current trailer, except they aren't removable-live and learn). that can be set in and lifted out of the holders for easy-access loading.

So I'll get a forth riding mower, a multi-purpose tractor with hydraulics for multiple hydraulic attachments, a small electronics and mechanics shop/office building (which will eventually be just the office when we build a larger shop with garage bay(s)) to put next to my two equipment storage sheds. And another hauling trailer, but larger and heavier-duty for the business, which I will need anyway to be able to haul the tractor around or multiple zero turn & riding mowers.

All for one mowing season which equals about $200 per month for 6-7 months, so $1200-$1400. Further investment of probably $500-1000 to restore both the mower and tractor, and about the same for the sheet metal floor for the trailer. But even if it's a full $2000 more investment, if I were to buy all this stuff separately, used but ready to go, or new, I'd have to invest probably $1000 used, $2500 new for the mower, probably $2500 used, $5000 new for the small tractor, $2000 used, $3000 new for the trailer and $1000 to build the small building myself to the state of this one. So $3400 or less with this deal and me fixing them up vs. $6500 used or $11,500 new for all of it.

This was planned anyway, as we grow we want to split into two crews with each of us supervising one, until we can afford to hire foremen and we sit in the office all day dealing with customers and paperwork, I'm just getting the equipment sooner than needed.

 

Of course not only will the shop/office building contain my new electronics work bench with all the room I need for it, and the 3D printer, but I will be moving my 800 Incognito computer system out to the office desk I'll have in there too, as I already use it with Syncalc and Synfile and Your Personal Net Worth programs for all the business accounts and paperwork. This will then give me more space in my "XL Command Center" for adding another brand of vintage micro to it alongside the 1200XL. I would say a C64 system, but prices for them right now are ridiculous, so I may get something else instead, first, like a TRS-80 Coco 2 as they are selling for much less right now. But I'll look into a BBC micro and Spectrum +2 and Amstradt prices too, as I'm also interested in them. But there can be only one...I may yet come across a reasonably priced C64 system, we'll see.

 

Hi Matt, package arrived..

Excellent choices there, you know I love a shoot em up and who can't like pong

Very kind words on the box, and as for the 1200, I'm just chuffed that you offered one to me, that in itself is such a kind and friendly thing and we all know just how much idea's can change because of unexpected variables getting in the mix. It's not anyone's fault, it's just life throwing curve balls. I just want to hear that YOUR machines are up and running and if life suddenly forms a perfect path that maybe the 1200 can happen. As said, just knowing that you had it in your heart to offer me one is a GIANT gift..

The gift of a great friend....Beats all hardware hands down Except maybe a working 1450XLD

Thank you..

Paul..

Here's what Matt sent...excuse the meds box...He didn't send those

 

@Paul "Mclaneinc" Irvine I'm glad it arrived safely, I was starting to get worried it was lost or was heading back to me for some reason when more than a month had passed, and the first time I checked tracking a couple weeks after I sent it, it said basically that it was in a distribution center in NYC, I think specifically for international mail, IIRC, then another 2 weeks pass and I started getting updates one after another, about a half dozen in one day, telling me it arrived and left a Chicago regional facility 3 times each!

You will get the 1200XL too, of course I never expected years to pass and still not have it repaired, but as you know, while trying to trouble shoot it and my 800XL which will be a gift to another friend (who I promised it too a couple years before you!) That my own machines would break down or stupid issues* while installing upgrades after repairs that I also had to trouble shoot. And of course work and a lot of other responsibilities besides just work, dealing with my mom, vehicles, home maintenance, etc. way-laying me from my hobbies too. With my brother here now, there will be less of those responsibilities falling on my shoulders alone, too.


My work season is slowing down again though, and I'm starting to find time to get back to getting my machines running. But I'll just get my 800 running again, which has no current issues really, it's just still not put back together because I bricked the Pokeymax Quad I have, so replaced it with my new V3 intended for the 1200XL (I'll get another for it) and it has one or two extra wires I have to run to the CPU board, then hopefully it's just a matter of re-assembly, as long as no other stupid "Murphy's Law" issues pop up while putting it back together.

After that your 1200XL is next, even before mine or the 800XL, since I don't have to worry about burning you some OS eproms anymore for a 4-in-1 OS, since I picked up another 32-in-1 while trouble-shooting my 1200XL, which didn't change anything, except I now have an extra that your 1200XL will get.

I really do hope to get the 1200XL to you by Christmas, or at least before my spring work season starts up again next year. Of course I also know I have said that before in previous years only to not be able to stick to it. I'll be working hard to make sure this year it happens. I'm a man of my word though, and always keep it eventually, if I can't always be timely with keeping my word. Even though 1200XL's are worth a small fortune now, since I offered you one, I'm not greedy enough to change my mind, and in fact know it means that much more to you, and also because I know you will keep it for life and not sell it off either (unless a life & death emergency cash requirements forces it, then I'll be glad you have it to sell in that case, and have my blessings to do so).



*Like the 800 keyboard that I spent months trouble shooting, finally basically rebuilt the entire PCB, which made no change, only to finally discover quite by accident that the space bar was sticking down (I never bothered to press the space bar while testing, just a bunch of other keys) and was only revealed to me one time when I plugged the keyboard in after turning on the 800 which finally revealed the cursor moving across the screen!

 

To be honest, I thought it was either lost or going to end up back with you because of the length of time it had been out, but while I was washing up I saw the post van pull up and my door buzzer went..

I'd forgotten the game was a cart for these versions and thought, oh god, I can't play it without digging out my drives (a huge job), so was very happy when I saw the cart as it would have been hell with this blasted long covid, makes even the most simple thing seem so tiring.

Will be dropping my daughter back to Uni later (managed to get her to stay a few days longer) so will have a bash afterwards (if I have the strength after shifting half her stuff)

 

Great. great to hear, fellas.

We all lurve stories with a happy ending and this one has such a feel good result -

EXCELLENT - enjoy Paul and do let us know how you get on, score-wise!

Great gesture, Matt.

PS. I got a goodybag / parcel from Richie today so will show the contents a little later AFTER Bev is taken out for her birthday bash meal - moussaka on toast - down the local Greek restaurant - wish me luck with the ouzo, smashed plates/Orics and the bill afterwards, guys!

 

@Paul "Mclaneinc" Irvine If you are too tired, Sunday morning is a great time for some arcade shooter action. I haven't played mine yet either, had it for about two months, as with several other games and Atari goodies I've had for months and have yet to try since my 800 is disassembled.

I might have had time for a game or two otherwise, but have been busy with work, chores and errands to attempt much electronic work since last spring. I've taken a couple of things apart to study for possible adaptation (TRS-80 Coco mouse, 7800 console) but no actual solder-to-the-circuit on any of it and most is still disassembled and in boxes or bags awaiting time for me to get back to them.

I haven't actually played any 8-bit system since winter's end, except one evening with the 7800 after I got it from @nysavant and then promptly took it apart to upgrade the video from composite video to S-video/Chroma-Luma and haven't had time to actually do more than pick out needed components for the job, otherwise it's also been sitting still disassembled and I haven't even tried my new 7800 Dragonfly hardware upgrade & SD card drive since I got it! I am planning on working on the 7800 this evening, and if I finish it, then over the weekend I'm going to finish up and assemble my 800.Unless I decide to side-track myself working on the trailer and getting ready to move work benches, furniture and equipment in...

I've just been playing 90's and post game consoles a little here and there for the past 6 months! Otherwise for my vintage systems and electronics all I've done is some re-arranging and re-re-arranging as I've gotten new items and furniture, and that is going to be happening again very soon as I'm finally going to get my new office/shop trailer this evening after a couple of false starts.