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Monday Monday Monday (Cyber that is). – Save 50% on ALL O’Reilly Ebooks & Videos
By Jeff Fulton Monday Monday Monday (Cyber that is). – Save 50% on ALL O’Reilly Ebooks & Videos Today only, all O’Reilly E-Books and Videos are 50% off. This includes our HTML5 Canvas 2nd Edition.
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Outpost 2 is quite simply the best free web game ever created!
By Jeff Fulton (8bitjeff) A couple old buddies of mine from the UK and Germany have created what I consider to be quite simply the best free Web game ever created. It’s a retro-style top-down shooter / adventure game. Think Half Life if viewed from above. And you have an…
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Atari 8-bit Computer Demon Attack (1982) – Full Boxed Edition (all the old crap in my attic)
By Jeff Fulton Today we are going to take a look at one of a small handful of Atari 8-bit computer game cartridges that I have stowed in my attic. This time the game is Demon Attack, one of the most popular Atari 2600 games, but this version is for…
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Minor Threat Salad Days 45 single with poster sleeve (all the stuff in my attic)
Minor Threat “Salad Days” 45 RPM single with poster sleeve (all the stuff in my attic) This is a three song masterpiece of mid-80’s DC punk! Here is the next item I found in my attic. This is the 1985 release of the Minor Threat (one of their final releases…
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Resetting what appears to be a dead Garmin Forerunner 210
Resetting what appears to be a dead Garmin Forerunner 210 (works for 110 also) The Garmin Forerunner 210 is a great little device that allows for both Satellite GPS distance tracking and heart rate monitoring at he same time. As well as a host of other features this is one…
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The Dead Milkmen – Big Lizard in My Backyard Cassette (old crap from my attic)
The Dead Milkmen – Big Lizard in My Backyard Cassette (old crap from my attic) By Jeff Fulton In 1988 – 1989 I worked at one of the worst record / tape / CD and video stores in the South Bay. The Wherehouse on Sepulveda was across the street from…
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1978 Close Encounters Trading Cards Sealed Wax Pack (old stuff from my attic)
By Jeff D. Fulton The old stuff from my attic is a new blog here on 8bitrocket.com where I rummage through all of the various boxes of crap I have in the garage, attic, closets, etc and find things I never knew I had. Today I found a sealed wax…
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RETRO: The Multi-Format, Throw-Back Video Game Magazine : Kickstarter
[iframe frameborder=”0″ height=”380″ scrolling=”no” src=”http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/socalmike/retro-the-multi-format-throw-back-video-game-magaz/widget/card.html” width=”220″][/iframe] We here at 8bitrocket.com are huge fans of the UK based Retro-Gamer Magazine. It is the one bright spot on the physical magazine landscape that is otherwise a dried-up and dust bowl of screaming previews and AAA me-too shouting. We need more…
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Atari 8-bit Computer Games Played with The Syzygy Company’s new Classic 2 USB Stick
I received a review version the the new Syzygy Company’s Classic Atari 2600 stick a couple months ago. It was right as my mom was going in and out of the hospital, so I didn’t get a chance to review it them, but now I have a little extra time, so…
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Gone Home : Is The Fullbright Company The New Infocom?
I just finished ”Gone Home”, a new, indie, PC game developed by the Fullbright Company. At $19.99 (through Steam) it’s the most expensive PC game I have bought in a long time, and clocking in at just about 3 hours, the shortest. In “Gone Home” you play a young adult…
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HTML5 Canvas (2nd Edition) Is Out, Goes Chinese!
Our new edition of HTML5 Canvas is out, and it’s getting some good reviews. We poured a lot of effort into this one to make sure it was updated for 2013. We just heard from O’Reilly that they there will be a Chinese translation of this one too (there…
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My “Lost Age Of The The Pizza Parlour” Gets An Honorable Mention in 43rd Annual Easy Reader Essay Contest
A re-written version of my old 8bitrocket.com Eassy “The Lost Age Of The Pizza Parlour” was chosen as one of several “Honorbale Mentions” in the 43rd Annual Easy Reader Essay contest. Now titled “Pleasures Of The Pizza Parlour“, you can read the new version here : http://www.easyreadernews.com/73558/pleasures-of-the-pizza-parlor-el-porto/ -8bitsteve
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Video: Chris Crawford On the “Good Old Days Of Games” From GDC 2011.
We are finally back with something interesting. Here is a link to a video Gamasutra just posted of a talk by Chris Crawford from GDC 2011 entitled “The Good Old Days Of Games” We will have more updates here soon.
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Happy Mother’s Day
I entered (and won) a local writing contest for Mother’s Day with the following story about my mom. When she saw it today, she had no idea I even remembered what happened in 1975, much less would write about it. I think I blew her mind. -8bitsteve
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Coding By Google – AS3 to PHP with Simple MYSQL DB Query and Data Return Tutorial (Free Code)
By Jeff Fulton (@8bitrocket on twitter) Coding By Google – AS3 to PHP with Simple MYSQL DB Query and Data Return Tutorial (Free Code) Here at Producto Studios, I use Google to look up code all day long. Yes, I have written books on Javascript, Flash, Actionscript, and HTML5, but…
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HTML5 Canvas Book Example Files
HTML5 Canvas Book Example Files Just in case these are not just available yet on the O’Reilly Site http://www.8bitrocket.com/html5canvas/2nd_edition_examples_2_4_8_9_10.zip http://www.8bitrocket.com/html5canvas/2nd_edition_examples_1_3_5_6_7_11.zip
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Random Game Idea : A Twitter Feed To Spark Your Imagination
Over the weekend we were playing with Twitter Bots (why? Because.) and we created a Twitter account named @randomgameidea with a Twitter bot that tweets a randomized game idea every hour. These ideas are completely random. The bot uses an updated set of data that was once housed in our…
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ATASCII Tile Sheets
ATASCII Tile Sheets So, I have been knocking around the idea of making some games that mimic the old Atari computer aesthetic in both graphics and sounds. These games will just be for fun and they will probably be just game starters – single level game to demonstrate or duplicate a game…
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In Celebration of Day Against DRM (Fri, May 3, 2013) 5000+ titles 1/2 off including HTML5 Canvas 2nd Edition
In Celebration of *Day *Against DRM Save 50% on 5000+ Ebooks & Videos (Save 60% on orders over $100) Having the ability to download files at your convenience, store them on all your devices, or share them with a friend or colleague as…
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The HTML5 Canvas Second Edition Has Been Released (Deal of the Day, 50% off)
The Second Edition (so the 3rd book) I have written with my brother Steve, The HTML5 Canvas was released today by O’Reilly. If you are interested in this wildly popular subject (for tech heads), you can get the E-Book edition for 1/2 off by using the code DEAL on…
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The Run Cycle – Boston Thoughts
I was thinking about this while driving in this morning (I just saw that Colbert said something similar last night, but not exactly, so I’ll say it now). I am a runner, and I am constantly injuring myself just because I love the joy and freedom of sport. But, no…
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Micro Tank Maze (From HTML5 Canvas 2nd Edition)
A game designed to teach basic A.I. from HTML5 Canvas 2nd EditionClick image below to try the game.
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Comprehensive List of Lucas Arts Titles Released for Classic Atari Machines
By Jeff Fulton (@8bitrocket on twitter) To the majority of the public, Atari died in 1983 and is relegated to hipster t-shirts and trucker hats with ironic joysticks on them. While 90% of the USA and 70% of the UK gamers were playing with their C-64’s, Nintendo’s, Spectrums, Amigas, and…
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Corona: Updating Mobile Game Content in Runtime
The Corona Labs Site has put up a tutorial I wrote on the basics of updating mobile content at run-time: Updating Mobile Game Content in Runtime Here is a brief summary: We take the green tank tile sheet. And use it to place and animation on the screen: Next we use ad…
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HTML5 Canvas + Web Cam + Chrome = HTML5 Video Puzzle Of You! (Demo)
We are finishing up an update to our HTML5 Canvas book, and I wanted to share one of new examples. This one takes the Video Puzzle app from the first edition of the book, and adds web cam support. It only works in Chrome right now. You also…
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Enthusiasts Plan Kickstarter Campaign To Buy Atari Assets And Run It Like It’s 1977 All Over Again
The current company that holds the Atari brand and assets is filing for bankruptcy and planning to sell everything to the highest bidder That fact is not as much news as an update to the “when will Atari go bankrupt again” section of the Atari entry on Wikipedia. What…
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Vectrex Regeneration + iCade: Proof That “Retro” Gaming Is Alive And Well In The Mobile Era
I believe technology has reached the point where “retro” game collections can move beyond mere curious nostalgia, and truly return players to a specific time and place in their past. I recently experienced something akin to this while playing Vectrex Regenerations on the iCade. Back in the summer of…
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Book Review: Atari Inc. : Business Is Fun
My review of the new book, Atari Inc. Business Is Fun, by Curt Vendel and Marty Goldberg is up over at Gamasutra.com Here is an excerpt: Atari Inc: Business Is Fun is an exciting, messy, sprawling tour-de-force that fills in a lot missing gaps for Atari fans worldwide. The book reads…
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Don’t be afraid of Windows 8 Desktop
This (Windows 8 has problems, but it doesn’t deserve the dreaded Vista comparison)says that Windows 8 is only good for touch screens. He is wrong. Windows 8 is just Windows 7 with new “window” dressing and a few new good features. The backup and app search are 10X better…
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The Run Cycle – Running Sick After Christmas
The Literal Run Cycle – Running Sick After Christmas The Day After Christmas Run is never an easy one. This year it was especially difficult because I have been battling a nasty sinus infection over the last week or so and I have not run for 10 days (and only 2 times…
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The Literal Run Cycle #1
Jeff Fulton (8bitjeff) This is a blog that usually deals with game design / programming, retro-gaming and other nostalgia. It is not a fitness blog by any means, but since running and overall fitness is a big part of what keeps me going on a daily basis, I wanted…
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Friday was a Tough Day for a Deadline, but HTML5 Canvas 2nd Edition Is Nearly Complete
By Jeff Fulton (8bitjeff) Tough Day for a Deadline, but HTML5 Canvas 2nd Edition Is Nearly Complete There will be no Atari video game retrospectives this weekend on 8bitrocket. Far too many little ones will not get to experience their own version of the same thing, never have a chance…
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Back on the re-hab trail…literally.
By Jeff D. Fulton Back on the re-hab trail…literally. From June through July of 2012 I was cooking through a training plan that would have had me doing a personal record time for a 1/2 Marathon. The race was the Rock N Roll LA 1/2 and I was really looking…
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A young Chris Crawford teaches the Magic of Atari 8-bit computer graphics (3 videos)
By Jeff Fulton (8bitjeff) Way back when Atari was trying to capture home computer market share from the Apples and Commodores of the world, they created the first ever Evangelist Position in consumer software development. Chris Crawford was tasked with informing the world about the magical capabilities of the Atari…
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Atari 400/800 8bit computer games released by Atari in 1981
By Jeff Fulton (8bitjeff) Atari 400/800 8bit computer games released by Atari in 1981. Atari was still not on board with the 400/800 as entertainment machines (mostly because of cost), so only 4 titles were released, 3 arcade conversions and an Atari Program Exchange edu-tainment title. Games in this video…
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Retro Atari 8-Bit Computer Gaming – Commando for the XE Game System
By Jeff Fulton (8bitjeff) Retro Atari 8-Bit Computer Gaming – Commando for the XE Game System Commando for the Atari XE Game system was supposed to be released in 1989 by Atari for the limited re-birth of the Atari 8-bit computer systems. Sculptured Software developed this game, Crossbow, Dark Chambers…
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Atari 400/800 8-bit Games From 1980
[iframe width=”480″ height=”360″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/h2dM3wjEqF0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen][/iframe] Most of these games were hold over releases from the 8-bit computer launch in 1979. Some might have been finished in 1979 but were not available until 1980. Includes the unreleased demo of “Saucer”. Check out the links to the AtariMania.com pages for these…
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Retro Atari Lynx Gaming: Zarlor Mercenary
By 8bitjeff (Jeff D. Fulton) One of the first games we had for the Atari Lynx was Zarlor Mercenary. I remember purchasing it at the Manhattan Village mall in the B-Dalton Software Etc when they still sold Atari products (they even had a shelf of Atari ST and Jaguar games!). Zarlor Mercenary is…
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Video: Atari 8-bit Computer Games From 1979
[iframe width=”480″ height=”360″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/cwbwM-J31Pk” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen][/iframe] When Atari released the 400 and 800 computers in 1979, they were afraid they would not be taken seriously, so they did not emphasized the game playing ability of their machines. These first five games (Basketball, 3D Tic Tac Toe Video Easel,…
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