Color Clash is fun

Chris Romero schreef:
> Martijn did well with the production of his Color Clash game.
>
> Vectrex enthusiasts of all bents should support his current and future
> efforts to bring new titles to the Vectrex scene. It is certain Martijn's
> efforts have reached as high as any other in his quest to produce the best
> Vectrex item around.
>
> If you have not purchased a copy yet then do so. The game is fun and Color
> Clash as a complete product is very well executed..
>
I collected my CC today from Martijn (and Debris EE with the final rom).
That's an advantage if you live in the same town.

I was lucky that my copy didn't ship from germany with the others (which
was the intention), so my copy is perfect (sorry guys, don't want to rub
it in).

The box, manual and overlay are very well made. The box is perfect and
very colorful and if it is possible, other developers should ask Martijn
if they can use his procedure of making the box (although i understand
it's also a expensive box).

I had a quick go, and it is a fun puzzle game. The overlay is very
special, but you probably have seen the pictures before.

With the shipping sorted out (i saw a pile of boxes ready to ship Debris
EE) you should order a copy while you can. This is already a classic!!

Jeroen
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

I actually find Color Clash to be very boring and predictable. I can't
seem to get past the 3 wave without either getting distracted or bored
and then just switching it off. Unless there is something in later waves
that I'm missing, this game strives for the ultimate epitome of tedium.

Another aspect of the game that I really dislike is this perverted '1987'
retro feel about it. It just doesn't work for me on the VECTREX. The
music is boring TR909 wannabee scenester euro beat that the VECTREX
was never a part of to begin with. Its quite anticlimatic too, as it
starts out with the lame ANSi DEm0 5C3N3 music and goes directly into PONG
sounds when you play the game. Blits are technically cool, but its not
suited for the VECTREX. I find that the best games are minimal with subtle
but stylistically cool graphics with the focus on game play. There aren't
even any cool explosions, just boring '1987 retro' fades. How lame.

I think the author is showing his age. He must be too young to have
experienced real video games and apparently cut his teeth on SEGA's ZEROWING.
Now we're all expected to go to his website for the self proclaimed
ministry of vectrex news and propaganda.

Adding the mushed, crushed and smushed box on top of it, I found color mash
a real dud. Oddly I ordered the Debris Elusive Edition prior to ordering
and subsequently receiving this. I think I'm going to be disappointed
with that as well. I did opt for the 5 euro refund, but as a half-serious
collector the box is worth about as much as the game cart.

The new games aren't all bad! I am looking forward to 3D STAR FURY.
Why pretend to be retro when you can progress?
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

Ow. Harsh.

I can see the point that it's not pure Vec retro, but does it have to
be? We can take the Vec in all sorts of new directions.
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

Sounds like you only want things that please you specifically. If you
don't like it, don't keep it. I'm sure you could find a willing buyer
on Ebay.
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

Richard Hutchinson wrote:
> I agree about raster games on the Vec, my console seems to struggle with
> them quite a bit.
>
> I have been badgering Martijn to use vectors, and his next will be a vector
> remake of a classic game which I think people will enjoy (there's a lot of
> speech too).


Sure, it is not the Vec's strength. What annoyed me was his regal tone
of declaration that "it has no place on the Vectrex". I mean damn, so
he doesn't like it, who is this dude to decide what is and is not
developed? No one forced him to plunk his cash down nor is anyone
forcing him to hold on to his copy.
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

Chad Tower wrote:
> Richard Hutchinson wrote:
> > I agree about raster games on the Vec, my console seems to struggle with
> > them quite a bit.
> >
> > I have been badgering Martijn to use vectors, and his next will be a vector
> > remake of a classic game which I think people will enjoy (there's a lot of
> > speech too).
>
>
> Sure, it is not the Vec's strength. What annoyed me was his regal tone
> of declaration that "it has no place on the Vectrex". I mean damn, so
> he doesn't like it, who is this dude to decide what is and is not
> developed? No one forced him to plunk his cash down nor is anyone
> forcing him to hold on to his copy.

Agreed. Seeing as the Vectrex generates text by the same technique
that generates these rasterized images it's a bit odd to be saying that
this sort of this has no place on the Vectrex. Stippling on the other
hand *can* be used in greyscale to do shading -- while the majority of
stippling is done to create faux colours (eg in a 4 colour newsprint
process) it does have monochrome applications.

What I'd like to see in the future are new games that combine both
techniques. We seem to be in a bit of a raster craze at the moment but
I don't think it'll last.

With emulation (both commerical and otherwise) of original vector games
I'm finding that I'm less interested in playing ports of existing
classic coin-ops but more interested in updating some of those classic
concepts or completely original games. Star Sling in particular stands
out as something we should be seeing more of -- using a classic game as
the basis (in this case Quantum or Doubleback, it's home port) and
giving people a reson to be playing it on the Vectrex. If I wanted to
play Quantum, I'd find a way to play to play the real Quantum!

This isn't a knock on the efforts of John Dondzilla or anyone else.
Back when their homebrews came out the emulation scene was pretty much
in it's infancy and it was a blast to play these games on the Vec.
It's now a decade later and emulation has matured to the point where we
don't need to rely on the Vectrex as our only way to play these games.

People keep clamoring for things like a Battlezone port, which without
some very slick programming and optimisation is probably beyond what
the Vectrex is capable of. Other than for Y?BIC! (Why? Because I Can!)
purposes, these sort of ports really don't do much to advance the art
and science of programming on a system that is technically limited --
and that's the whole point of homebrewing! Like an artist who limits
themselves to only one size of canvas or only charcoal, a Vectrex
hombrewer chooses to program in a limited evironment.
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

Chad Tower wrote:
> Richard Hutchinson wrote:
> > I agree about raster games on the Vec, my console seems to struggle with
> > them quite a bit.
> >
> > I have been badgering Martijn to use vectors, and his next will be a vector
> > remake of a classic game which I think people will enjoy (there's a lot of
> > speech too).
>
>
> Sure, it is not the Vec's strength. What annoyed me was his regal tone
> of declaration that "it has no place on the Vectrex". I mean damn, so
> he doesn't like it, who is this dude to decide what is and is not
> developed? No one forced him to plunk his cash down nor is anyone
> forcing him to hold on to his copy.

Agreed. Seeing as the Vectrex generates text by the same technique
that generates these rasterized images it's a bit odd to be saying that
this sort of this has no place on the Vectrex. Stippling on the other
hand *can* be used in greyscale to do shading -- while the majority of
stippling is done to create faux colours (eg in a 4 colour newsprint
process) it does have monochrome applications.

What I'd like to see in the future are new games that combine both
techniques. We seem to be in a bit of a raster craze at the moment but
I don't think it'll last.

With emulation (both commerical and otherwise) of original vector games
I'm finding that I'm less interested in playing ports of existing
classic coin-ops but more interested in updating some of those classic
concepts or completely original games. Star Sling in particular stands
out as something we should be seeing more of -- using a classic game as
the basis (in this case Quantum or Doubleback, it's home port) and
giving people a reson to be playing it on the Vectrex. If I wanted to
play Quantum, I'd find a way to play to play the real Quantum!

This isn't a knock on the efforts of John Dondzilla or anyone else.
Back when their homebrews came out the emulation scene was pretty much
in it's infancy and it was a blast to play these games on the Vec.
It's now a decade later and emulation has matured to the point where we
don't need to rely on the Vectrex as our only way to play these games.

People keep clamoring for things like a Battlezone port, which without
some very slick programming and optimisation is probably beyond what
the Vectrex is capable of. Other than for Y?BIC! (Why? Because I Can!)
purposes, these sort of ports really don't do much to advance the art
and science of programming on a system that is technically limited --
and that's the whole point of homebrewing! Like an artist who limits
themselves to only one size of canvas or only charcoal, a Vectrex
hombrewer chooses to program in a limited evironment.
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

I completely disagree. Stipples are nothing more than a technical
excercise and really have no place on the VECTREX. Again, I appreciate
the technical aspect, but the result is aesethically unpleasant. Infact,
its lame. The only way it would work is if the VECTREX could display
color, because that is how these sort of graphics work. They work on
tricking the eye into seeing what isn't there and this is done by shade
and color. Vector graphics sort of operate on the same principle, but
are much more beautiful in their minimalist simplicity.

I think the development of 3D color games is far more interesting than
any slow wannabe 1987 relic. Like I've said before, the vectrex has no
history in that past. I was there and I didn't really enjoy those types
of games and even now I don't consider them retro. And honestly, its not
about what is retro, its about what is technically interesting and
aesethically pleasing. I like the vectrex because I like vector graphics.
I don't consider myself to be a retro-gamer because of it, but others might
see it that way. But I do believe the future of vectrex games is not going
to be boring, tedious games like this .. but rather games that take advantage
of a minimal approach and the player's imagination. 3D color games are
technically far more interesting than any slow blit. I really look forward
to those.
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

I agree about raster games on the Vec, my console seems to struggle with
them quite a bit.

I have been badgering Martijn to use vectors, and his next will be a vector
remake of a classic game which I think people will enjoy (there's a lot of
speech too).





Richard H.
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

Richard Hutchinson wrote:
> I agree about raster games on the Vec, my console seems to struggle with
> them quite a bit.
>
> I have been badgering Martijn to use vectors, and his next will be a vector
> remake of a classic game which I think people will enjoy (there's a lot of
> speech too).
>

Gorf?

Roberto/.
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun 

I think you're right Stephen.
Good thing you didn't expect 'unsuited blits' on Debris then.
With Debris EE on its way, maybe you can make somebody else happy with
your Debris copy then who does appreciate the effort.

Oops, I think i left zerowing on ... back to play another round.

// m4r7yn //

On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 22:55:24 +0000 (UTC),
martians.DeleteThis@sdf.lNoOnSePsAtMar.org (Stephen Jones) wrote:

>I actually find Color Clash to be very boring and predictable. I can't
>seem to get past the 3 wave without either getting distracted or bored
>and then just switching it off. Unless there is something in later waves
>that I'm missing, this game strives for the ultimate epitome of tedium.
>
>Another aspect of the game that I really dislike is this perverted '1987'
>retro feel about it. It just doesn't work for me on the VECTREX. The
>music is boring TR909 wannabee scenester euro beat that the VECTREX
>was never a part of to begin with. Its quite anticlimatic too, as it
>starts out with the lame ANSi DEm0 5C3N3 music and goes directly into PONG
>sounds when you play the game. Blits are technically cool, but its not
>suited for the VECTREX. I find that the best games are minimal with subtle
>but stylistically cool graphics with the focus on game play. There aren't
>even any cool explosions, just boring '1987 retro' fades. How lame.
>
>I think the author is showing his age. He must be too young to have
>experienced real video games and apparently cut his teeth on SEGA's ZEROWING.
>Now we're all expected to go to his website for the self proclaimed
>ministry of vectrex news and propaganda.
>
>Adding the mushed, crushed and smushed box on top of it, I found color mash
>a real dud. Oddly I ordered the Debris Elusive Edition prior to ordering
>and subsequently receiving this. I think I'm going to be disappointed
>with that as well. I did opt for the 5 euro refund, but as a half-serious
>collector the box is worth about as much as the game cart.
>
>The new games aren't all bad! I am looking forward to 3D STAR FURY.
>Why pretend to be retro when you can progress?
 >> Stay informed about: Color Clash is fun