Help! I'm Addicted To My TI-99/4a

[Tempest]

The way my entertaiment display is set up I have eight permenent systems (5200, 130XE, 7800, PS2, Neo Geo, Saturn, Gamecube, and DC), and one rotating systems. I like to bring out one of my less used systems and give it the top spot for a month.

Well this month it's my TI-99/4a (TurboDuo goes back in the closet for a bit), and I'm hooked on this thing. Lots of cool (and VERY cheap games) and the graphics are awesome. Once I got a joystick adapter (a must because those TI sticks suck!), I was blown away by games like Burgertime (actually better than the Intellivision version), Munchman (yeah yeah it's a Pac-Man clone), and Alpiner (gotta love that voice!). Something about this thing says "Program Me!", so I've been fooling around with Assembler and Extended Basic (just for fun).

Now I've got to get me one of those cool PEB's. Nothing like having a huge freaking aluminum box full of cards on my desk to make me forget about Atari not releasing the 1090.

Tempest

[digitalpress]

That system is like CRACK to me too, Matt. When it comes out, it stays out far longer than I'd anticipated.

The last time I took out my TI-99 to check out a few games I ended up playing ZERO ZAP for 2 hours. And don't even get me started on QUEST FOR THE KING (Tunnels of Doom)! That was the first RPG I played religiously.

Enjoy!

[CrazyImpmon]

It had been ages sinvce I've played Zero Zap but I had fun building a custom level and trying to set in a way to see how long the game could play without having the arrow reach the bottom of the screen.

Don't forget Hunt the Wumpus. I have yet to master the hard level, thos warped tunnel is confusing.

[Tempest]

Is there a way to get rid of that huge ugly switch box? Is there some way to hack a regular RCA type plug onto it? I can't believe that the later models still had this huge switch box...

Tempest

[CrazyImpmon]

I've used Commodore AV cable to hook it up... I didn't check the sound but video came through beautifully. I think the only reason TI needs that big ass switch box because it doesn't have built in RF modulator and requires external model to use with TV.

[ManekiNeko]

I played a buttload of those games on MESS recently... nothing sticks out in my mind as fantastic, but most of them were at the very least solidly designed. Munchman is fun... it's fast moving and the ever-changing monsters give you a strong incentive to win rounds. I couldn't quite figure it out, but from the looks of things, Microsurgeon on the TI99/4A is even better than its Intellivision counterpart.
I appreciated that many of these games used the voice synthesis add-on, including the aforementioned Microsurgeon as well as Parsec and most appropriately Star Trek.
I'll have to go home and play some of these games later tonight, to refresh my memory about them.

JR

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I'm kinda like Joe - if I hear that Tunnels of Doom music start up, I'm a goner. (Now there's something Tony Fox could remix.)

I've never owned a TI 99/4A. I've never owned a copy of Tunnels Of Doom. I have, however, been evicted from a friend's house for hoggng that particular game.

It's also the only machine in the US that had a home version of Fantasy. What more needs to be said?

[Tempest]

Fantasy was made for the TI but it was never officially released. The rom image is out there though.

Tempest

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Fantasy was made for the TI but it was never officially released.

Well, that's the final proof - I am the only person who liked that game!

[o2william]

Please be careful, or you guys will convince me to clutter up my already disastrously overstocked game room with yet another console. :) I already have a handful of TI carts I'm saving in case I find a cheap machine in a thrift. Somehow I haven't come across one yet.

Strangely, the main reason I want a TI is to check out an "edutainment" game -- Meteor Multiplication. I used to play it in third grade at school and remember it being very fun (by third grade standards, anyway). I'd like to play it again to see what I think of it now. There's always emulation, but I'm holding out for the "real thing."

[Zaxxon]

I recently saw that Fantasy was on this system and downloaded the Fantasy rom and the most recent ver. of MESS but I can't get any of the games to work. I didn't know if MESS's emulation of the TI-99 was really bad or if I was doing something wrong. It runs and goes to the BASIC screen and sometimes the games or BASIC select screen but when I try to start any game it never works. Please tell me how you are getting it to work? I've gotten MESS to run other systems games and I know how to set up MAME, just haven't been able to get the TI99 working. It'd also be interesting to see how close the TI and CV versions of the same games are as they are nearly identical hardware-wise.

[Buyatari]

TI is the system I grew up with.

Not only did it have voice but it had the ability for voice recognition (with the BMX expansion system sold seperately)

I didn't own an Atari until I was old enough to drink and drive.
Well not at the same time but you know what I mean.

I shoveled driveways and mowed lawns so I could run out and buy the next TI game.

I played many of these for hours and hours.

Scott Adams Adventures - Ghost Town rocks
Alpiner- You can HATE rest listed and still love this one.
Munchman - Packman on crack. Call him Crackman for short.
Microsergeon - "VIRUS" "VIRUS"
Ti Invaders - The little bonus round between rounds ROCKS
Miner 2049er - cart actually sticks out of the side of the TI
Donkey Kong - can you say.......Pie Factory !
Slymoids - The ever popular matchup of cowboys against slime and stalagmites
MBX addon -Championship Baseball (with voice recognition) !

There are many more I enjoy which may not appeal to the masses but I loved them because I grew up with them.

Adam

[digitalpress]

I didn't know if MESS's emulation of the TI-99 was really bad or if I was doing something wrong. It runs and goes to the BASIC screen and sometimes the games or BASIC select screen but when I try to start any game it never works. Please tell me how you are getting it to work?

TI is TRICKY on MESS, It took me a little while to figure out how to get 'em to work. Just follow these simple rules:

-If you have the binaries in a ZIP file, UNZIP them.
-In the games list, highlight each file that you unzipped, or each "part" of the game.
-With all of them highlighted, run the game.

Should work now. Have fun!