Emerson Arcadia 2001 multicart game listing?

[ozyr]

Ok, I've searched around for this, even on the DP site, and could not find this...

I would like to get a game listing for the Emerson Arcadia 2001 multicart? I have found the listing for version 1.1 of this cart, but not the listing for version ROM 1.25a of this multicart.

I got the 1.25a version from Ward Shrake a few years ago at a CGE (I think it may have been the last update too), and never got the game listing for it.

Here is the list for the 1.1 ROM:
0000 0000 - 3D Soccer
0000 0100 - 3D Bowling
0000 1000 - Alien Invaders
0011 1100 - American Football
0000 1100 - Astro Invader
0001 0000 - Auto Race
0001 1000 - Baseball
0001 1000 - Basketball
0001 1100 - Brain Quiz
0010 0000 - Breakaway
0010 0100 - Capture
0010 1000 - Cat Trax
0010 1100 - Combat
0011 0000 - Crazy Climber
0011 0100 - Crazy Gobbler
0011 1000 - Escape
0100 0000 - Funky Fish
0100 0100 - Fubball
0100 1000 - Golf
0100 1100 - Grand Slam Tennis
0101 0000 - Hobo
0101 0100 - Horse Racing
0101 1000 - Jumpbug
0101 1100 - Jungler
0110 0000 - Missile Wars
0110 0100 - Monaco Giand Prix
0110 1000 - Ocean Battle
1010 0000 - Panzerspiel
0110 1100 - Pleiades
0111 0000 - R2DTank
0111 0100 - Red Clash
0111 1000 - Robot Killer
0111 1100 - Route 16
1000 0000 - Soccer
1000 0100 - Space Attack
1000 1000 - Space Mision
1000 1100 - Space Raiders
1001 0000 - Space Squadron
1011 0000 - Space Vultures
1001 0100 - Spider
1001 1000 - Star Chess
1001 1100 - Super Gobbler
1010 0100 - Tanks A Lot
1010 1000 - The End
1010 1100 - Turtles

So, does anyone have the updated listing of this multicart? I would really like to get a listing that matches the ROM I currently have. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[rbudrick]

Was it commerically released? What did it come with? Got any pics? :)

-ROb

[fishsandwich]

No, it was never officially released. It was a labor of love by a talented guy (I forgot his name... Will something? Ward Shakes maybe) who put together Multicarts for the Arcadia and the Bally Astrocade. I would have LOVED to have gotten both of them, but he sold out before I could and he's not making any more.

Dagnabbit!

:(

[ClubNinja]

The next time I get a free moment at home (could be a while), I'll pull mine out and try to list it for you.

An aside: for gobs of money, I'll sell mine away - it's hand-numbered 23 of 30 or so. So if anyone's seriously interested, let me know.

[ozyr]

The next time I get a free moment at home (could be a while), I'll pull mine out and try to list it for you.

An aside: for gobs of money, I'll sell mine away - it's hand-numbered 23 of 30 or so. So if anyone's seriously interested, let me know.

For the above folks - Ward Shrake was the name (not sure on the spelling.

As for ClubNinja (or anyone), it would be great if I could get that updated game listing for this Multi-cart. If at worst, does anyone know if Ward is even reachable by email. I used to have his email address, but lost it somehow. He has an ID on the DP Forum, but he hasn't been here in years (as far as I can tell). I know Mr DigitalPress (Joe) mentioned a years or two ago that Ward had completely dropped out of video games. I'd hate to pester him, but the list would be nice. Only other option would be to play with the switches and see what I get - but I'd hate to do that (not much fun)....

[digitalpress]

I still have Ward's entire site on my server. He was with us when he officially left the hobby.

That said, here's the list (v1.1)

* 3-D Bowling
* 3-D Soccer
* Alien Invaders
* American Football
* Astro Invader
* Auto Race
* Baseball
* Basketball
* Brain Quiz
* Breakaway
* Capture
* Cat Trax
* Combat
* Crazy Climber
* Crazy Gobbler
* Escape
* Funky Fish
* Golf
* Grand Prix de Monaco
* Grand Slam Tennis
* Hobo
* Horse Racing
* Jump Bug
* Jungler
* Missile War
* Ocean Battle
* Panzerspiel
* Pleiades
* R2D Tank
* Red Clash
* Robot Killer
* Route 16
* Soccer
* Space Attack
* Space Mission
* Space Raiders
* Space Squadron
* Space Vultures
* Spiders
* Star Chess
* Super Gobbler
* Tanks A Lot
* The End
* Turtles

Notes:

* There are nineteen "empty 8k holes" left at this point, for any new programs we find.
* If those fill up, I can retro-fit in the fancier memory organization scheme of the Bally cart to use space that is being wasted now.
* Many of the games above have never been officially released for the "Emerson" system. This collection is actually far more complete than any "real" collection of carts could be, as it includes various MPT-03 or Palladium games that will play just fine when used on an Emerson system. To have a playable collection of this size without this multicart, you would have to own three different game systems. (See the Emerson Arcadia 2001 FAQ on Ward's web site for an explanation of these cartridge or system families.)
* To see more info on these carts, see either my Emerson section in the "Digital Press Collectors Guide" version six, or my online cart software lists on my Emerson web site.
* "Golf" does not work. It came from an MPT-03 cart unlike any we have ever seen. (I am sure that the cartridge ROM image dump was good as I desoldered the two 4k chips from the PC board and read them in directly, instead of using an adapter device.) This unique cart had two bank-select lines that no other MPT-03 cart has ever had. To top it off, we've never seen the actual system it runs on to trace where they go. Long story short, this game does not work properly now, and it will never do so until someone actually rewrites the code of the program to make it work. That isn't likely? I would not hold my breath waiting for it.

[ClubNinja]

He has an ID on the DP Forum, but he hasn't been here in years (as far as I can tell). I know Mr DigitalPress (Joe) mentioned a years or two ago that Ward had completely dropped out of video games. I'd hate to pester him

I used to talk to Ward regularly around the time he sold his last multi-carts and took off for good. He had spent an unusually large amount of time on researching and studying the history of these obscure consoles and it burnt him out. He took off to do just about anything that didn't involve old video games and the internet. Smart man!

[ozyr]

I still have Ward's entire site on my server. He was with us when he officially left the hobby.

That said, here's the list (v1.1)

<snip>

Notes:

* There are nineteen "empty 8k holes" left at this point, for any new programs we find.
* To see more info on these carts, see either my Emerson section in the "Digital Press Collectors Guide" version six, or my online cart software lists on my Emerson web site.


Well, I've already got the 1.1 list. I need the 1.25a list! Oh well, at least from this I can tell that there are possibly nineteen more games on the updated ROM. Guess I'll have to start taking a stab at flipping the switches and seeing if anything comes up. It will be a while, but I find out what else is on there, I will post it here!

THanks anyway folks - I get the impression that there is no 'official' 1.25a list.... :(

[digitalpress]

THanks anyway folks - I get the impression that there is no 'official' 1.25a list.... :(

I don't think there is. I remember asking Ward about it a few years back and it was on his list. That guy REALLY burned out. Too bad, too - because beyond his researching skills and wit, he was a fun guy to hang out with.

[ClubNinja]

I will finally get the chance to confirm this sometime this evening. Stay tuned ;)

[fishsandwich]

THanks anyway folks - I get the impression that there is no 'official' 1.25a list.... :(

I don't think there is. I remember asking Ward about it a few years back and it was on his list. That guy REALLY burned out. Too bad, too - because beyond his researching skills and wit, he was a fun guy to hang out with.

I exchanged a few e-mails with him, too, years ago. I remember him being a REALLY nice guy with what seemed to be a VERY high IQ. It's a shame that he put so much time, love, and obsessive devotion into his hobby that it just killed it for him. I wonder if a lot of people experience this? From what I understand, most of the info on the Emerson Arcadia that we find on the net today is derived from his exhaustive research. Wasn't he a big fan of the Astrocade, too? I would have loved to get those two multicarts! That's some damn skill on display.

I was big into gaming around the time these two consoles came out, and I never heard of either one of them until a couple of years ago. It's great that someone took the time to research and document so much info on this obscure consoles; it's a shame that the undertaking blew his interest in the hobby all to shite.

I hope he comes back!

:(

[dojosky]

Hi myself I have a multicart for the bally astrocade so for those who are looking for bally astrocade and/or arcadia 2001 multi cart *PART of this has been EDITED* to prevent any misunderstanding or problems ... Thank You !

[ClubNinja]

Hi myself I have a multicart for the bally astrocade so for those who are looking for bally astrocade and/or arcadia 2001 multi cart I know who can make them and sell them ... and i want a coleco visio multicart so badly for myself but cannot find one GRRR :( :angry: hope someone can help me with the CV one and I can help someone else about the bally/arcadia one thanks !!! :D

Maybe I'm wrong here, but that sounds a little sketchy. Are you offering to make copies of Ward's Astrocade and Arcadia carts? I'm not sure if there's really any legal issue there, but I suspect there are certainly some ethical issues with doing that...

[ClubNinja]

As promised, here's my listing. Version 1.3:

0000 0000 3D Soccer
0000 0100 3D Bowling
0000 1000 Alien Invaders
0011 1100 American Football
0000 1100 Astro Invader
0001 0000 Auto Race
0001 0100 Baseball
0001 1000 Basketball
1100 0000 Blackjack and Poker
1011 0100 Boxing
0001 1100 Brain Quiz
0010 0000 Breakaway
0010 0100 Capture
0010 1000 Cat Trax
1100 0100 Circus
0010 1100 Combat
0011 0000 Crazy Climber
0011 0100 Crazy Gobbler
1100 1000 Doraemon
1100 1100 Dr. Slump
0011 1000 Escape
0100 0000 Funky Fish
0100 1000 Golf
0100 1100 Grand Slam Tennis
0101 0000 Hobo
0101 0100 Horse Racing
0101 1000 Jumpbug
0101 1100 Jungler
0110 0000 Missile Wars
0110 0100 Monaco Grand Prix
1011 1000 Nibblemen
0110 1000 Ocean Battle
1010 0000 Panzerspiel
1011 1100 Parashooter
0110 1100 Pleiades
0111 0000 R 2 D Tank
0111 0100 Red Clash
0111 1000 Robot Killer
0111 1100 Route 16
1000 0000 Soccer
1000 0100 Space Attack
1000 1000 Space Mission
1000 1100 Space Raiders
1001 0000 Space Squadron
1011 0000 Space Vultures
1001 0100 Spiders
1001 1000 Star Chess
1001 1100 Super Gobbler
1010 0100 Tanks A Lot
1010 1000 The End
1010 1100 Turtles

Homebrew demonstration programs
1111 1000 Character Test
1110 1100 Counter
1111 0000 Message
1111 0100 Mothership (from Phoenix)


Assorted notes:
You may want to try changing the DIP switches with the game plugged in and the power still on. Just change the switch positions, and then press "reset". If you accidentally jiggle the cart in the slot as you are doing this -- because it is natural to hold onto the cart with one hand -- you may have to power off to clear any crash that results. (It does not happen often.) If it locks up, power off and reinsert the cart to be sure it is sitting in the slot correctly.

A short tube or straw, such as the stem of a "Chupa-Chup" lollipop, makes changing the DIP switches much faster and easier.

The 2 DIP switches on the far right side can always be set at zero. They are there for future expansion purposes as needed.

The homebrew programs work better on the MESS emulator than the real thing. To use them start any other game first, flip the DIPs to the homebrew, hit reset.

"Golf" does not work. Someone may or may not write a patch for the ROM later.

Some of Ward's favorites: Astro Invaders, Doraemon, Red Clash, and Parashooter. Jump Bug is popular with many folks who have played this system's games.

[dojosky]

To clearify no I'm not offering them at all and no it wasn't made by ward shrake but it was made by someone else (handmade) and has more games than the ones that ward shrake made on it .....





Hi myself I have a multicart for the bally astrocade so for those who are looking for bally astrocade and/or arcadia 2001 multi cart I know who can make them and sell them ... and i want a coleco visio multicart so badly for myself but cannot find one GRRR :( :angry: hope someone can help me with the CV one and I can help someone else about the bally/arcadia one thanks !!! :D

[ozyr]

As promised, here's my listing. Version 1.3:

<snip>

Homebrew demonstration programs
1111 1000 Character Test
1110 1100 Counter
1111 0000 Message
1111 0100 Mothership (from Phoenix)



Some of Ward's favorites: Astro Invaders, Doraemon, Red Clash, and Parashooter. Jump Bug is popular with many folks who have played this system's games.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! The updated list is VERY much appreciated. Thanks for looking it up and putting it on the board.

Joe - maybe this could be put in the 2001 section of the DP website! :D

[ClubNinja]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! The updated list is VERY much appreciated. Thanks for looking it up and putting it on the board.


No problem - you're welcome :)

[radar]

Ward Shrake resurfaced briefly in Jan 2005 on the yahoogroup "Arcadia2001consoles" (which he started and where much of the interesting discussion on this system happened) to upload a few files in a parting gesture.

These included:

emdip130.doc (the one ClubNinja just posted)
Uploaded by : ward_shrake <ward_shrake@...>
Description : The instruction sheet for Ward Shrake's Arcadia 2001 multicart, version 1.30. (The version that most people have ... except a few that turned down an upgrade, when they had the chance, around CGE 2002.)

2001-130.bin
Uploaded by : ward_shrake <ward_shrake@...>
Description : This is a very important binary file, if you have one of Ward Shrake's Arcadia multicarts, but you do not have version 1.30 of the EPROM (data) chip that came with it. This is the latest public version of the software: the one that some people turned down, during CGE 2002. (Which turned out to be Ward's last involvement in the Classic Gaming scene.) Burn this into a 27c040 EPROM, and you will have an "upgraded" multicart.

multi135.bat
Uploaded by : ward_shrake <ward_shrake@...>
Description : The latest DOS "batch" program, which Ward Shrake once used to create the 512k binary file that was burned into a 27c040 EPROM, for use in Ward's homebrewed Arcadia 2001 multicart. (Fewer than 50 were ever made.) Techies can likely decipher what is where inside the EPROM, by studying this batch file, which has a lot of helpful comments coded into it. It can be read as a normal text file.)

Cart-num.htm
Uploaded by : ward_shrake <ward_shrake@...>
Description : The final listing of all the original owners of Ward Shrake's multicarts, for both the Bally Astrocade and Arcadia 2001 game machines. Includes cart numbers; (original) owner's names; dates when made; various other
notes from Ward himself.

These files are currently only accessible to members of the Arcadia2001consoles group but probably should be archived somewhere else as well.

I really miss Ward's contributions to this hobby!

[ozyr]

Ward Shrake resurfaced briefly in Jan 2005 on the yahoogroup "Arcadia2001consoles" (which he started and where much of the interesting discussion on this system happened) to upload a few files in a parting gesture.

These files are currently only accessible to members of the Arcadia2001consoles group but probably should be archived somewhere else as well.

I really miss Ward's contributions to this hobby!

Thanks for the post. It is strange though. I was at the 2002 show, and I got a 1.25a ROM chip for the Arcadia2001?! Go figure. :eek 2: Unfortunately I don't know how to burn an eprom, or even have the material to do so. I wonder if the 1.25a version is very close to the 1.3 (it looks like it). Ah well, I got what I got, and I'm happy with it. I'll have to check out the yahoo group too! Thanks for pointing that out too. :D

[Wardmeister]

Hi all. Yes, it's me -- Ward Shrake -- recently back, after "hibernating" for several years.

Thanks much for all of the kind comments, above, folks! :-) Much appreciated, all around!

As Joe (I presume that's him?) said, above ... yes, I was VERY burnt out! Not only on gaming, though ... my entire life basically stunk, back then. I have since re-invented it ... and am a happy camper again. (Moving out of ugly/hectic California and into beautiful/serene New Mexico was a very wise choice for me!)


On the multi-carts I once made:

I'm pretty good at keeping things like old hard drive backups intact and semi-organizee, so very little if anything was "lost" during my hiatus. In fact, I still have full, detailed lists of owners of the 43 Bally Astrocade multi's I once made and sold; and the 34 I made for the Arcadia 2001 (Emerson and clones).



As far as EPROM upgrades go:



Emerson Arcadia 2001 situation:

Yes, version 1.3 was the last "public" release of an upgrade EPROM for the Emerson Arcadia 2001 multi-cart. I kept lists of who had what (as far as original owners goes, anyway -- no telling who sold what to whom when, since I first made and sold these things ages ago!?) There were only 34 Emerson multi's ever made. Here's the list (I hope it re-formats okay?!) of original owners ... sorted by their EPROM version.


Arcadia 2001 multicart list
Cart numbers and original owners


Cart # Owner's Software
& batch # Name version Status of cartridge
================================================== =========================

3 2 Jeff Rothkopf 1.1 Shipped 2001-12-19.
5 2 Mike Markowski 1.1 Shipped 2002-01-03.
8 3 Lee Romanow 1.1a Shipped 2002-01-22.
9 4 Dennis Spreen 1.1a Shipped 2002-01-25.
15 7? Sly DC 1.25 Shipped 2002-05-28.
16 7? Mark Bowling 1.25 Shipped 2002-05-28.
1 1 Bryan Gruszka 1.25a Shipped 2001-11-26.
17 2 Charles Dysert 1.25a Shipped 2001-12-19.
4 2 Dan Blitz 1.25a Shipped 2001-12-19.
"69" 3 Kai Darius Kohl 1.25a Shipped 2001-12-21.
"43" 3 Ian Baronofsky 1.25a Shipped 2001-12-27.
11 3 David Flemming 1.25a Shipped 2001-12-27.
7 2 Chris Neiman 1.25a Shipped 2002-01-08.
6 2 Matt Reichert 1.25a Shipped 2002-01-08.
10 4 Aaron Schlieve 1.25a Shipped 2002-01-25.
12 5 Jerry Greiner 1.25a Shipped 2002-02-21.
14 5 Gerilynn Schott 1.25a Shipped 2002-02-22.
20 7? Sean McGrail 1.25a Shipped 2002-08-23.
19 7? Joe Cody 1.25a Sold on 2002-08-xx. Auctioned @ CGE 2002.
18 7? Al Backiel 1.25a Sold on 2002-08-xx. Sold during CGE 2002.
26 3 Russ Perry Jr. 1.3 Shipped 2002-01-19.
21 8? Hans Reutter 1.3 Shipped 2002-12-27.
24 8? Lucas Barnes 1.3 Shipped 2002-12-30.
27 8? Drew Dockery 1.3 Shipped 2003-01-03.
25 8? Jeff Rothkopf 1.3 Shipped 2003-01-03.
22 8? Ian Baronofsky 1.3 Shipped 2003-01-06.
28 8? Larry Anderson 1.3 Shipped 2003-01-06.
23 8? Scott Bertulli 1.3 Shipped 2003-01-09.
29 8? Matthew Archambeau 1.3 Shipped 2003-01-17.
30 8? Matthew Archambeau 1.3 Shipped 2003-01-17.
13 3 Ward Shrake 1.35 Finished 2001-12-20.
"34" 8? Ward Shrake 1.35 Finished Jan 2005.
2 1 Stefan Piasecki 1.35 Shipped 2001-11-26.
"2001" 7? Adam Trionfo 1.35 Shipped 2002-05-03.

Here's the "what you might be missing" breakdown:

Version 1.0, if I recall correctly now, is what I called my first 8-in-1 hand-wired prototype. So, basically no one ever had version 1.0 -- except for Olivier B. in France, who got that proto mailed to him in 2005-ish. (I turned it into an MPT-03 prototype multi-cart ... but I have no idea if he did anything much with it, since.)

Version 1.1 was pretty much what everyone started with. Only four carts are still in that form. 45 games total in that revision, if I'm counting correctly. (Which is about ten more than most folks had any idea ever existed, once upon a time / way back in the late 1990's. I think DPCG #5 listed around three dozen?)

Version 1.2 did exist, briefly ... but pretty much everyone skipped it. (I pushed upgrades to 1.25 heavily around CGE '02 -- both in person, and before / after the show, by mail.) This upgrade added three newly-discovered / dumped games from the Ormatu family of clones -- Boxing, Nibblemen, and Parashooter.

Version 1.25 is in the hands of about half the owners: 16 out of the 34 who bought a multi. If you have that version, you're in pretty good shape. The step upwards was another two games: Blackjack and Circus.

Version 1.3 added two Japanese games: Doraemon and Dr. Slump. I dumped those two myself, so I know they're good dumps. About a third of all 34 owners currently have this version of the upgrade chip.

Version 1.35 was an "after I retired" thing that nearly no one actually saw, besides myself and two guys.

There were several reasons for this -- my long hibernation among them. Questionable dumps of the two remaining Japanese games. (I'd re-dump them, if I was loaned the carts.) And also this: the state of emulation at the time. What I mean by that is: home-brew types who coded games on an emulator only, were surprised to find that the real thing worked differently. So, all in all, version 1.35 was a not-really-ready-for-prime-time thing, which stayed out of the public's eye.

Bottomline: even though I once said I was retired forever, blah-blah ... I'm sort-of kind-of halfway back, now.

I am not against upgrading these carts ... but! ... I would like some cooperation from owners. Mainly, I'd like them to install their own chips; if I burn them and send them out in the mails. (I'd like to avoid folks putting their multi's in the mail, and have me do it.) All of these chips had quality sockets, and every label always had screw holes punched in the back: making them all easily upgrade-able. It's not that hard to gently pry one EPROM chip out, and put another one in. (And if done that way, you'd have a backup chip.) I have the ability to take step-by-step color photos of the process; which I couldn't do, before. That should help?

So, if folks are willing to pay for new EPROM chips and postage -- or send me a spare: some folks still have some, I believe? -- I'm willing to send them upgraded EPROMs. My new email addy is ward_shrake at yahoo dot com ... and I'm also active again over at the "arcadia2001consoles" message boards on Yahoo:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/arcadia2001consoles/

Oh, and if my old notes are correct, I still owe a few printed labels to some guys, too.


Bally Astrocade upgrade situation:

There won't be any additional upgrades, for the Bally multi's. It's simply not needed. Mike White and Adam Trionfo both did such a wonderful job of research and archiving, that even Jamie (formerly Jay) Fenton was surprised at how much stuff they'd come up with, over the years. My lists of who has what shows that each original owner had at least version 1.3 ... and only two super-minor-tiny "upgrades" beyond that happened. (And those may have just been something like me putting a game in the "all one's" position, for testing; or swapping out what game that was, over time. The "serious stuff" that was listed, in terms of what DIP switch settings do what, should all be alike. My "X.XXa" or "X.XXb" revisions were always very trivial.)

The other thing is: I no longer even have a Bally Astrocade machine. My only one heat-stroked out, and I have not replaced it. So, upgrades for the Bally carts are pretty much a "don't need" and "can't do" deal.

I haven't kept up with what's been happening over on Bally Alley (or anywhere else!) and can only say that if there were any newly-coded home-brew games or whatever, while I was away, that Mike White has done a service for decades now, of soldering up homebrew carts for a nomimal fee. See Bally Alley's message group on Yahoo! to contact Mike White, and see if there's anything new; and if he still does that service.

-- Ward Shrake --