Atari 2600 - Console - Media and Project Status

[Avar]

This thread represents all media that exists for the Atari 2600 console. Please link to any new content or projects relevant to the Atari 2600 in here to help us keep track.

Note: Pause media yet to be audited.

Atari 2600

Backgrounds: 

Boxes:

• Default (2D) * Lazzeri **Passable scans but blemishes/damage included. ***513/802 (See "Atari 2600 Homebrew and Proto Media" attached for CiB releases)
• Default (3D) *Wally Wonka **481/802 (See "Atari 2600 Homebrew and Proto Media" attached for CiB releases) ***Many cases of fake sides

Boxes - Backs:

Carts:

• Cart Top (2D) *645/843 (See "Atari 2600 Homebrew and Proto Media" attached for cart releases) **This set contains a large quantity of fake art
• Lazzeri 2D (4:3) *poorly cut scans. Hi-res. Excluded from server but available to artists/creators.
• Wally Wonka (2D) *Requires downsample to ~73% original size for 4:3 ** 584/843

Genre Backgrounds:

Genre Text:

Genre Wheels:

Letters:

• Default
• Dunk3000
• Dunk3000 - Shaded

Marquee:

Marquee (Default):

Pointer:

• Default THK, blondin
• Rainbow
• Woody

RL:

Sound - Background Music:

Sounds - Background Music (Default):

Sounds - System Exit:

Sounds - System Start:

• Default

Sounds - Wheel Click:

Sound - Wheel Sounds:

• Default *dougan78

Sound - Wheel Sounds (Default):

SpecialA1: 

SpecialA2:

SpecialB1:

SpecialB2:

SpecialC1:

SpecialC2:

Themes:

• Default (4:3) *roadrunner
• Default (HD)(16:9) *roadrunner
• Krakerman (SD)(16:9) *Asteroids (USA), Demon Attack (USA), Dragonfire (USA), Pac-Man (Atari) (USA), Solar Fox (USA), Space Invaders (USA) 
• srfran (4:3) *Boxing (USA), Fishing Derby (USA), River Raid (USA)
• Mature (SD)(16:9) *ghostlost **X-Man (USA)

Themes (Default):

• Aorin (SD)(16:9) *Requires use of Atari 2600.ini included in server folder, to be handled by HyperAI **Needs its own artwork sizes, not yet addressed.
• Azurica (HD)(16:9) *Requires very specific text settings (as per below). Redesigned to work with boxes in Artwork4.

  [Game Text]
  game_text_active=true
  show_year=true
  show_manf=false
  show_description=true
  text_color1=0xe91f26
  text_color2=0xe91f26
  stroke_color=0x000000
  text_font=Style2
  text1_textsize=14
  text1_strokesize=1
  text1_x=70
  text1_y=703
  text2_textsize=14
  text2_strokesize=1
  text2_x=70
  text2_y=734

   

• DamnedRegistrations (SD)(16:9) *Carts or boxes in Artwork4, only room for one or the other
• Default (4:3)  *Boxes = Artwork 2, Carts = Artwork4
• Default (SD)(16:9) *Boxes = Artwork 3, Carts = Artwork4
• Default (HD)(16:9) *Boxes = Artwork 3, Carts = Artwork4
• Styphelus (4:3) *Boxes = Artwork 3, Carts = Artwork4 

Themes (Main Menu):

• Aorin - Arcade (4:3) *Requires Wheel Image Sizes -> Large = 265, Small = 210, Alpha = 1
• Aorin - Arcade (SD)(16:9) *Requires Wheel Image Sizes -> Large = 265, Small = 210, Alpha = 1
• Aorin - PSX (4:3) *Requires Wheel Image Sizes -> Large = 265, Small = 210, Alpha = 1
• Aorin - PSX (SD)(16:9) *Requires Wheel Image Sizes -> Large = 265, Small = 210, Alpha = 1
• Aorin - Xbox (4:3) *Requires Wheel Image Sizes -> Large = 265, Small = 210, Alpha = 1
• Aorin - Xbox (SD)(16:9) *Requires Wheel Image Sizes -> Large = 265, Small = 210, Alpha = 1
• Azurica (HD)(16:9)
• DamnedRegistrations (SD)(16:9)
• Default (4:3)
• Carts (4:3) *Ace or Griffin08
• Collage (4:3) RoadRunner
• Controller (4:3)
• Game Wall (4:3)
• Invaders (4:3) 32assassin
• Krakerman (SD)(16:9) *Removed (R) and (TM) from art
• Krakerman (HD)(16:9) *Removed (R) and (TM) from art
• Layer (4:3)
• Pac-Man (4:3)
• Q-Bert (16:9)
• Q-Bert (HD)(16:9)

Transitions:

Transitions - Override:

Wheels: *667/921

• Avar - Darkwood *Some wheels hard to read against chosen background
• Avar - Deadwood *Best overall quality and readability
• Avar - Lightwood *Some wheels hard to read against chosen background
• Cart Top

• Default
• maxcade - Red (16x9) *648/667
• maxcade - Wood (16x9) *648/667 **This set has an additional 53 wheels using the EU names for various titles that have been stored locally for now. Will be uploaded once support hits for this sort of thing.

 

•  

 

Missing Boxes - Default (2D).txt

[Avar]

Tons of relevant protos and homebrews found missing from xml. System downgraded to red. I'll have UHD source material with which to fill the gaps soon.

[Avar]

Ok after extensive research and with some feedback at AtariAge I've given the database a major overhaul and we now have what'll be effectively close to the final list. An important point though is that this system is going to see new additions basically forever, so I'll be monitoring the scene and keeping an eye on the development community to make additions to it in a timely manner.

There were some major issues with the existing art for this system. Namely, about 25% of it was completely fake. This has become a bit of a trend so I'll make a separate post in the Graphic Creation forum with more detail .  I know this system can be a bit confusing to work with, especially when it comes to homebrews and protos, so I have compiled a massive 50+ page list of source images (attached)  for every single one of them, in addition to doing my best to identify the level of release given to each.

I went through one by one and manually removed the fake homebrew/proto art. Unfortunately there are still a lot of cases of fake side-art in the 3D set such that we can't trust much of it and will prolly wanna eventually overhaul it in general.

A quick note on the media status numbers in the OP. The reason there's a different total for boxes, wheels, and carts is because not every game has a CiB release yet or a cart release yet but every game still gets a wheel. Now, despite not having a cardboard box, cart only releases might still come in standardized packaging but I'll let y'all know when some of my orders show up. For now, the attached list is good guidance on which games need which types of art.

 

If any Content Creators are interested in tackling this baby just lemme know and I'll fire you the cleaned up set with the fakes removed (minus the non-homebrew/proto fake sides that I haven't investigated). If I remember correctly @dougan78 you wanted me to let you know when this list was ready. Trying to think of any other creators who do a lot of 1st/2nd gen system work. @Kondorito @zbboc is this anything that interests you guys? Lemme know if I'm forgetting any of the artists with a passion for these older systems :3

I wanted to support homebrew developers so I do still have a lot of source material in the mail right now. However, since there ended up being waaaaay more ommisions in the database than I realized when I made that initial announcement, I can't come close to affording everything right now. That being said, this is a pretty comprehensive set of all the images I could find so it should go a long way and imo there's enough there to complete a really gorgeous 1080p set right now: Atari 2600 Homebrew and Proto Media.docx

 

 

[Dilated18]

On 6/30/2017 at 4:17 AM, Avar said:

 

• Default (3D) *Wally Wonka **481/802 (See "Atari 2600 Homebrew and Proto Media" attached for CiB releases) ***Many cases of fake sides

 

•  

 

Missing Boxes - Default (2D).txt

Is the 481 based off of accurate boxes? The set I got of Wally's has almost 700 I think

[Avar]

Yeah that's the accurate ones. Wally's box set was about 25% complete fakes and of that 481 there seem to still be a lot of fake sides.

As mentioned, gonna make a general post on it today but the gist of it is that we can't forge artwork just for the sake of filling gaps and, if we do, we've gotta make it extremely clear and include a readme or something that's unmissable to indicates what's fake and how.  That said, there are regular contests for homebrew art or sometimes the creators are happy to take submissions so in cases where something doesn't have a cart or a CiB yet the healthiest thing is to support them by offering art or pushing for a CiB/cart release. Fake art is passable if I can clearly identify it as fake. I just can't put forged art on display though and tell the world "This is what this box/cart looks like" when it's not, especially if we want to be taken seriously

[Dilated18]

Sry, just noticed u posted while I was typing. Just wondering how yur judging the fake boxes? Do u think it would be a good idea to keep them in for the time being? I ask cause I think of the n64 boxes. I cant help but think they need a lot of work, template at least but there would pretty much be none if we dont include the current set. Guess I jus figure better a fake then a blank spot

[Kondorito]

Hey Avar, thanks for the heads-up! I am always interested in any projects for older consoles

I cannot commit to be the lead on this one for the moment as I want to finish the SNES boxes and Fami wheels. And my idea for the next project is to update the Fami 3D boxes pack with real spines (not the placeholders I made some months ago).

[Avar]

The fake sides I can generally have an inkling at a glance if they're real or not, but I'd have to go game by game and see a picture of the actual box to know for sure. As such, I don't think the 3D set is terribly reliable in general, unfortunately. The real big offenders in the set were the Homebrew/Proto "boxes" that were 100% fake, cuz they don't exist... or exist but look totally different. Those I separated and audited visually, one by one, against all of the source material I spent the last several days compiling non-stop. So basically what's included in that 481 is everything with front-facing artwork I could visually verify (the homebrews/protos) or that shouldn't have any reason to be inaccurate, but might be (the original releases). As mentioned, the original releases might still have fake sides in some cases. Usually that's easy to identify because it's just a generic bland side batched on but Wally did his best to try to make things look real, which would be admirable if I had any way of knowing which were actually real and which were fake haha

No, I don't believe it's a good idea to leave fakes in, especially in instances where they're actually completely wrong.  They're basically dumpster fodder from a QC perspective and they cast the entire set they're a part of into doubt. Take protos for example. There's usually images of the real proto cart/disc/cassette/etc the game was discovered on and dumped from. They may not be pretty... but they're usually worth thousands and thousands of dollars and they're extremely relevant culturally and historically, especially since metadata is going to be including write-ups that will often discuss the proto and its appearance, etc.

For homebrews, whether or not a game gets a cart or a box is very relevant. If people can't handle gaps, there are other options but we can't go forging physical media in any official set. Not only is it a lie but it makes it so hard to work with later. It cost me hundreds of hours over the last few weeks getting this sorted out, for example, because it's easy to make convincing fakes and the only way to tell what's fake is to go one by one, compare it to the real thing, and consult experts on the subject. While we can share fake art in cases where the set and art is clearly annotated as "fanart" it would be disrespectful and dishonest for me to let fake art into any official set, especially if we want to have any credibility as a digital museum. Also, just because a fake is convincing doesn't mean it lives up to the real thing. For example, here's Wally's fake Qb box, which is essentially the cart label blown up:

And here's the real box:

And here's Venture II's real CiB:

Before doing all this homebrew research I had similar feelings about gap filling but I've since come to have a tremendous amount of respect for the history and culture of what's essentially a living, breathing industry of quality development. The only reason I learned about it was because I'm doing the audit. I honestly felt misled by fake art such that I simply had no idea how vibrant and involved the levels of publishing and release were, or how rare/important they can be. Not to mention, making fake art does nothing to help the developer especially if the fake art is shit compared to their vision for the real art.

The best way to fill gaps is to support the developers. If people want to leave fake stuff in their own personal sets that's up to them but HyperSpin shouldn't mislead people. Like.. if I'm looking at an ugly cart at a yard sale that could be a $2000 proto... I wanna know about it lol I don't wanna be like "hmmm.. the only image I've seen of this is a fake clean label on a rendered cart." Same with homebrews. This stuff can be collectible and developers often have to deal with forgers and resellers already, so it kinda makes matters worse if we're promulgating unofficial physical media. All of that can be observed in the previously attached source list.

I understand people don't like gaps. I'll touch on this more later today in the art forum but basically, making fake art to fill gaps is just wasted effort when real art exists. Sometimes gaps exist for a reason. I'm in the military and understand the value of standards very well but not everything always follows the same standard and its often for good reason.

[Avar]

4 minutes ago, Kondorito said:

Hey Avar, thanks for the heads-up! I am always interested in any projects for older consoles

I cannot commit to be the lead on this one for the moment as I want to finish the SNES boxes and Fami wheels. And my idea for the next project is to update the Fami 3D boxes pack with real spines (not the placeholders I made some months ago).

Ok cool thanks for the heads up. Just tossin' names til something sticks XD Do you know of anyone else interested in older gen stuff?

[Kondorito]

Ok; those wooden box and treasure chest look AMAZING!
I love the dedication put into older games; be it the box, the art in them, or the way they were conceived. Now is just a soulless industrial chain of plastic processes.

Don't have somebody in mind, but I will surf the forums later and check for potential buyers

 

 

[Accorsi]

Hey, @Avar i can help you with the cards and boxes.

[Accorsi]

@Avar I think this is the most close for

Atom Smasher (USA) (Proto)

(Original)

(Template)

1-

2-

3-

[Dilated18]

3 hours ago, Avar said:

They're basically dumpster fodder from a QC perspective and they cast the entire set they're a part of into doubt. 

Good point, I actually treat sets the same way when i notice incorrect art also. didnt think of that. Wasnt trying to criticize  what yur doing here, so hope u dont think that. Yur a beast when it comes to this stuff and I dont no how u find the time or patients to do it. I feel like I barely got enough time in the day to take a decent dump so I try to help if I can.

[Dilated18]

Oh and tx for your service buddy. I had my moment and as a civilian now I still work directly with the military.  That leaves u even less time tho, or i would guess looking back on my experience. Damn, how do u do it?

[Avar]

2 hours ago, Accorsi said:

Hey, @Avar i can help you with the cards and boxes.

Thanks Accorsi! Sent you a PM.

Also, a quick not on Hozer Video Games. A decade ago, maybe a lil longer, from what I could learn Hozer was a reputable homebrew publisher but after apparently skimming profits from developers and being a general sleazeball, they kinda fell off the map for a while. The site is back but I don't think they can be considered a reputable source. As such, I've annotated anything that was Hozer exclusive as "*Hozer cart" followed by a link to an image of that cart. If Hozer sells (read: "bootlegs") things that are officially distributed by other homebrew sites like AtariAge or Good Deal Games, I've simply annotated "*Hozer cart exists* without linking to it so as to indicate it's there, but not the official source material for that game by any means. Essentially all of the links provided lead to official source material.

Long story short, only use Hozer art in instances where we identified it as being the one and only distributor of that game (eg. Yahtzee, Z-Blocks). You can usually identify Hozer stuff in that it's ugly as piss and has this douchey lil white face with its tongue sticking out sideways.

1 hour ago, Bain408 said:

Good point, I actually treat sets the same way when i notice incorrect art also. didnt think of that. Wasnt trying to criticize  what yur doing here, so hope u dont think that. Yur a beast when it comes to this stuff and I dont no how u find the time or patients to do it. I feel like I barely got enough time in the day to take a decent dump so I try to help if I can.

Oh yeah don't worry I figured that's where you were coming from! Just wanted to give a really detailed answer because before doing all this research I didn't really know what to make of homebrews or protos myself, so I wanna convey their relevance to anyone who reads the conversation.

My last job I was flying around constantly so I had very little time but my current position is shift work so I've got a lot more, thankfully. Not sure where I get the patience from to study homebrew culture or stare at lists for so long but there are definitely times where my brains like "AAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" and I have to take a deep breath haha I think other systems will go a bit smoother though. Atari 2600 was a triple whammy of suck because it's the most active homebrew community, has the highest number of relevant protos due to its  being front and center of the gaming crash, and the vast majority of its original releases were given different names in NTSC and PAL. That being said I asked a Bally Astrocade expert and enthusiast site curator to have a glance at our Astrocade boxes and he pointed out a number of fakes to me there as well so we'll see XD I'm feeling confident that most fake art will be isolated to 1st/2nd gen systems, thank god.