Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

I’m patiently waiting for more reviews , pics , videos from the Amico event from today ........😬

10 minutes ago, Cranker said:

I’m patiently waiting for more reviews , pics , videos from the Amico event from today ........😬

That makes 2 of us.  

2 hours ago, Cranker said:

here is something !

He said the controller was like an NES  pad, but reversible and the the spinning of the disk gave it more flexibility. 

2 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

Well I just got back from the Amico event and I will type up a longer post with some pictures but here are the highlights:

 

1) The controller feels great in the hand, the buttons have a really nice click, the screen is smooth and responsive & overall it feels solid - no creaks or bends

2) There is no appreciable lag in the games I played (Asteroids, Skiing, Colossal Crash & BiPlanes)

3) The music is awesome, I especially liked in Astrosmash and the way the music hits a crescendo when the volcano erupts - pretty epic

4) I saw Tommy walk over, press the reset button on the Amico and watched it boot

5) Sticking with my prediction that Skiing is going to be way more popular than most people think

6) In the 1980s I sucked at Biplanes, in 2021 I still suck at Biplanes

7) The numerous game modes make these games have way more play value than you might initially think. For example you can play Biplanes pretty much like the original game, however there is a team mode and you can pit two groups of players against each other (it can even be 3 against 1 if you want) catching all sorts of falling power ups, including bombs, and then use the bombs to hit the opposing team's strike zone for points

 

Overall I had a great time, got to see the Amico running, met several great people including YouTubers like Cyrus Martin and Brett Weiss, had a chance to play the games, watched others play even more of the games (I think 11 were loaded on the machine) and I can't wait until I have one in my living room

I am personally pleased that you gave glowing reviews for 2 of my most anticipated games-Skiing and Biplanes. Now I am super excited for the system all over again.

Thanks,GrudgeQ!!!👍😀

I have a question. If I bring my controller to my friends place and tap it on his system, will my high scores be there so we can compete on my leaderboards ? 

22 minutes ago, wolfy62 said:

I am personally pleased that you gave glowing reviews for 2 of my most anticipated games-Skiing and Biplanes. Now I am super excited for the system all over again.

Thanks,GrudgeQ!!!👍😀

Something that impressed me is that both Skiing and Biplanes they managed to keep the essence of the original games (something you always worry about in a remake). Skiing is still about keeping a tight line & about risk/reward, while biplanes still gives you the same dread of stalling out and thrill of guessing where you opponent is going and placing a shot where they will be.

One pro tip for Skiing - keep your finger resting on the bottom of the disc and just move your finger side to side to steer. Going ham on the disc like a steering wheel is a one way trip to trees-ville (you can guess how I know ).

Something that impressed me is that both Skiing and Biplanes they managed to keep the essence of the original games (something you always worry about in a remake). Skiing is still about keeping a tight line & about risk/reward, while biplanes still gives you the same dread of stalling out and thrill of guessing where you opponent is going and placing a shot where they will be.
 
One pro tip for Skiing - keep your finger resting on the bottom of the disc and just move your finger side to side to steer. Going ham on the disc like a steering wheel is a one way trip to trees-ville (you can guess how I know ).

All this talk on Skiing and I got nostalgic to play the original, only to find out its not a title on the intv flashback; which is weird because I remember playing it not that long ago. Must have been when I fired up my old DS a while back. 
 

Hope IE doesn't make us wait too long to offer up the originals, but the new Skiing is definitely one of the games I am looking forward to most. 
 

Wish I could be at the show tonight 😫, but will need to wait until it comes back closer to So Cal. 

5 minutes ago, Starpaddler said:

All this talk on Skiing and I got nostalgic to play the original, only to find out its not a title on the intv flashback; which is weird because I remember playing it not that long ago. Must have been when I fired up my old DS a while back. 
 

Hope IE doesn't make us wait too long to offer up the originals, but the new Skiing is definitely one of the games I am looking forward to most. 
 

Wish I could be at the show tonight 😫, but will need to wait until it comes back closer to So Cal. 

I would love if the original skiing was included with the reimagined version ! It would be cool if all of the reimagined versions had the original game included ! 

1 minute ago, Intellivision Master said:

 

Looks super fun !! I want it now 😀😀😀

10 hours ago, Starpaddler said:

Or, it was never an issue period, but presented as one from those digging hard to present/invent ones

Haha, totally agree, let’s not bring those “flat earth” type theories in here as well.

5 hours ago, Cranker said:

Looks super fun !! I want it now 😀😀😀

Yes, looks amazing, and seeing other family’s play make it easier to imagine your own family playing it 😀

Great to see these first impressions and vids arriving from folk who were able to join the Amico event at the National Videogame Museum in Texas. Cyrus Martin has also posted a short vid showcasing his experience of the day. These reports really are making me more excited for the October launch!

Great to see these first impressions and vids arriving from folk who were able to join the Amico event at the National Videogame Museum in Texas. Cyrus Martin has also posted a short vid showcasing his experience of the day. These reports really are making me more excited for the October launch!
 
 

22 minutes ago, Zee said:

Someone is analyzing this video saying there's lag in the game. The last game he shows before it cuts to his final thoughts. To be honest I don't understand what is going on in that game or who he's actually controlling on screen.

The one thing that Tommy did make clear to everyone is that some of these games are in beta, along with the whole console software itself. I didn’t experienced any noticeable lag personally in the games I played.

If Dynablaster is still a little rough around the edges today, call me when it is a shipping game. Optimization is usually one of the last steps in the development process before final testing. People who want to peddle an agenda against beta software are grasping at straws. 

The one thing that Tommy did make clear to everyone is that some of these games are in beta, along with the whole console software itself. I didn’t experienced any noticeable lag personally in the games I played.
 
If Dynablaster is still a little rough around the edges today, call me when it is a shipping game. Optimization is usually one of the last steps in the development process before final testing. People who want to peddle an agenda against beta software are grasping at straws. 

1 hour ago, Zee said:

Someone is analyzing this video saying there's lag in the game. The last game he shows before it cuts to his final thoughts. To be honest I don't understand what is going on in that game or who he's actually controlling on screen.

Every modern television has lag and the amount of lag varies model to model and also depends on settings in the TV.  Until the TV lag is accounted for in the analysis, it's pointless talking about it.

40 minutes ago, Zee said:

Yeah I figured and I go by the comments of people who are saying there was no lag in the games they were playing. I just couldn't understand what was going on in that last game showed so it's understandable why he thinks there is lag.

I am not even going to say there isn’t any lag in Dynablasters because I didn’t play it. I will have to let Cryus speak to that. However dogging a game in beta is total crap to start with.

I am not 100% sure I know what is going on in that clip too but one thing to realize is the way the disc works isn’t like what people are used to thinking about say a D-pad. Although it is digital it is multi directional and pressure sensitive. That means in a 90 degree maze game if you place your thumb down but out of position you may not move, so you instinctively slide your thumb closer to and maybe press harder down on say, “pure left” to go left. So I can easily see you pressing the disc and not going anywhere in a Pac-Man like maze game because you didn’t put your weight enough on “pure left”. That might be a game where direction tapping might be better than “steering wheel” technique. Of course, they can also tune the game to be more forgiving too, again probably something you do near end testing.
 

You got remember we are all newbs at the Amico and it does take a bit of a learning curve to get used to the disc in each game. I never found it unresponsive, just you got to see *how* it responds - like my tip on subtle disc movements in Skiing - took several crashes before I toned down my disc input.

Lag...No Lag... Some people here have played it now, and have said there is No Lag.....Lets put a pin in it now and Move On! Let’s just look forward to seeing more videos from the folks who were lucky enough to have a go on it. Hope someone filmed some Skiing footage!! 👍😀

12 minutes ago, mr_me said:

Every modern television has lag and the amount of lag varies model to model and also depends on settings in the TV.  Until the TV lag is accounted for in the analysis, it's pointless talking about it.

Yep and just to clarify - every controller has lag, wireless usually a bit more. So to be perfectly clear (because *some people* - not here but elsewhere - will take everything out of context) I mean no noticeable lag to the normal, casual player.

11 hours ago, Starpaddler said:

All this talk on Skiing and I got nostalgic to play the original, only to find out its not a title on the intv flashback; which is weird because I remember playing it not that long ago. Must have been when I fired up my old DS a while back. 
 

Hope IE doesn't make us wait too long to offer up the originals, but the new Skiing is definitely one of the games I am looking forward to most. 
 

Wish I could be at the show tonight 😫, but will need to wait until it comes back closer to So Cal. 

Skiing is on my Intellivision Flashback. That is weird it's not on yours.

49 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

I am not even going to say there isn’t any lag in Dynablasters because I didn’t play it. I will have to let Cryus speak to that. However dogging a game in beta is total crap to start with.

 

I am not 100% sure I know what is going on in that clip too but one thing to realize is the way the disc works isn’t like what people are used to thinking about say a D-pad. Although it is digital it is multi directional and pressure sensitive. That means in a 90 degree maze game if you place your thumb down but out of position you may not move, so you instinctively slide your thumb closer to and maybe press harder down on say, “pure left” to go left. So I can easily see you pressing the disc and not going anywhere in a Pac-Man like maze game because you didn’t put your weight enough on “pure left”. That might be a game where direction tapping might be better than “steering wheel” technique. Of course, they can also tune the game to be more forgiving too, again probably something you do near end testing.
 

You got remember we are all newbs at the Amico and it does take a bit of a learning curve to get used to the disc in each game. I never found it unresponsive, just you got to see *how* it responds - like my tip on subtle disc movements in Skiing - took several crashes before I toned down my disc input.

I’m wondering if the control pad can be mapped to move only in 4 directions for a game like pac man. So for example, any of the 16 outputs for left would give you a “pure left”

4 minutes ago, Cranker said:

I’m wondering if the control pad can be mapped to move only in 4 directions for a game like pac man. 

Hopefully that is an option.