Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

48 minutes ago, styluskramer said:

We know that the kind of games they plan to make run perfectly in one of those $25 Chinese android boxes. But no, they had to go the custom way, that is, the expensive way. They could have started with a blank page. From zero. But no, for some reason 1980's Intellivision shapes the Amico's design.

 

Where in sam hill do you get your info and assumptions?  Nothing written previously suggests what you wrote as fact.

It's official folks, we have another "under the bridge" dweller here...  4 total posts.  Anyone want to do an IP Check?

edit: as was stated previously, this isn't the thread to debate the technical merits of Amico... especially when we have seen ZERO PICS OF GAMES YET nor have we seen ANY HARDWARE specs.  Jeezus… 

1 hour ago, Loafer said:

Where in sam hill do you get your info and assumptions?  Nothing written previously suggests what you wrote as fact.

 

It's official folks, we have another "under the bridge" dweller here...  4 total posts.  Anyone want to do an IP Check?

 

edit: as was stated previously, this isn't the thread to debate the technical merits of Amico... especially when we have seen ZERO PICS OF GAMES YET nor have we seen ANY HARDWARE specs.  Jeezus… 

Yeah... I'm guessing it's that same moron from last month.  I think it's interesting how he said "I'll check in next month"... hmm...  interesting considering the other guy was here last month.  Whined and begged me on PM to please talk to the mods to let him back into this thread.

But whatever the case... it's clear after his last post and round of complete bullshit and made up lies that this styluskramer is nothing but a negative troll.  He's clearly not interested in getting information or maturely debating a different point of view.  I was willing to engage nicely... but instead he is only interested in attacking.

And just for the record...

1.  The Amico controllers were working at E3... just not the entire thing (i.e. force feedback, lighting, speaker/microphone, wireless charging). Also... the phone app versions were working 100%.

2.  Amico is more powerful than any RPi.  Including the latest RPi4.  fyi.. RPi4 is 4 cores... and although cores aren't the end all be all for development... Amico has 8 cores which means a lot for the way games are made.

3.  He makes fun of the controllers being able to go back into the base of the machine and says I just did it because the old one was like that.  What he forgets to see is that it also enables us to do WIRELESS CHARGING!  

Done with that dude.  But always fun to see how badly the naysayers get everything so wrong and stoop to lying to try and get people to believe their point of view.

Apologies for the interruption.  We're looking into the guy; in the meantime, he won't be intruding on this thread any more.

1 hour ago, styluskramer said:

 

Withdrew my post, did not want to feed a troll.

1 minute ago, imstarryeyed said:

 

Withdrew my post, did not want to feed a troll.

Damn... I was looking forward to a good laugh at his expense. 

4 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Damn... I was looking forward to a good laugh at his expense. 

I was tempted to ask him to share his sources for his data, but I suspect that he pulled it from his ass, and sharing that here would be against our community guidelines. 

11 minutes ago, jaybird3rd said:

I was tempted to ask him to share his sources for his data, but I suspect that he pulled it from his ass, and sharing that here would be against our community guidelines. 

Awwww, Jay did you shut down that thread? I was looking forward to it. 😂

Much of my post was just that,asking for sources that can never exist.   I think what might be a great idea here, or any thread on AA, is for the first person who spots strange posts, that seem to be way more encompassing than normal, to ask politely of anyone making those statements to cite sources immediately. (Articles, quotes, members who are considered respected in their fields, etc)

Anyone who cannot,ignores or refuses to modify their post to reflect its their opinion and not really fact, can be reported to the moderators as a possible troll.  Honestly its sad that some people just feel the need to try to inject baseless negativity on something that the creator is asking for honest factual feedback and support.  

Latest interview posted.  This is a nationally syndicated podcast.  Amico talk in there...

Great interview Tommy, I really enjoyed hearing about your Sega Genesis wizardry in audio.  I need to go back and try those titles out again and listen for all of the differences.  I don't want to derail your thread but, can you name any game(s) from that era that you worked on that you feel are , "required reading" for those of us that like hearing 8,16 and 32 bit gaming music.

I think the hosts were pretty good and gave you your room to talk about your ideas without trying to inject something every couple of moments.

38 minutes ago, imstarryeyed said:

Great interview Tommy, I really enjoyed hearing about your Sega Genesis wizardry in audio.  I need to go back and try those titles out again and listen for all of the differences.  I don't want to derail your thread but, can you name any game(s) from that era that you worked on that you feel are , "required reading" for those of us that like hearing 8,16 and 32 bit gaming music.

 

I think the hosts were pretty good and gave you your room to talk about your ideas without trying to inject something every couple of moments.

 

 

Thanks!

Here's an interesting YouTube video about the sound driver I used on the Genesis.  Mentions my work:
 

Here's a cool video of an Oscilloscope View of a tune I did for the game Cool Spot back in 1992.  Interesting to see!
 

If you're into Rock 'n Roll then I would suggest checking out The Terminator on Sega-CD.  I think this guy has uploaded most of it (it's also all on my first album on Capitol Records).  This was the first time a real guitar was ever recorded for a video game.    I actually played every instrument on the entire soundtrack.  Drums, bass, guitar, piano & synths.  Didn't have a budget to hire others... so I had to do it all myself.    The good 'ole days!! 

The recording at the end is my dad putting me to sleep in 1970 when I was 2 years old.

This track has one of my more favorite guitar solos I recorded
 

This song from Earthworm Jim 2 is my favorite guitar solo I recorded from that period.  I've been playing this live the past few years with Video Games Live and the orchestras.  Sounds amazing with a live orchestra & choir!  The German talking in the middle say's "Fate Knocking On Your Door" which was the answer to the question they asked Beethoven about what his 5th Symphony was.  Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany which is why I had it said in German. 
 

Tommy those are great videos, I honestly cannot believe you used programs like GEMS to make music, that note bending in software to get what you wanted is insane!  I noticed you were a Cakewalk fan, great software..  Game devs today have so much more of an easier road then you guys cutting the iron back then.  I am happy that game dev is easier but I, like many here are retro fans, as we appreciate the artistry in creating games and in this case your music.

Composers like you are fascinating, I have to ask, do you think of the whole or just chunks of each part of the song? In the Oscilloscope video, I can see all of the instruments and channels, how does your brain think of all of these, at once, or is there some piecemeal way you  compose?  I am not an artist or musician so making a melody with one channel is agony and would sound awful, much less all of those other channels you use. I don't think my brain functions that way, I was/am an Amiga fan and the 4 voices it had were amazing and composers seem to do the same.  My big question is, if you do compose that way or did, was it just trial and error to get it to sound right?  I am also not forgetting the Michelangelo saying.. the statue was always in the stone, I just had to break off the pieces that did not belong.. is that your process too?

Hearing the Terminator on Sega CD sounded amazing, I have to believe not enough people got to experience your industry first, so I am glad we can listen to the album, but I say to those retro fans, go find a Sega CD copy of the game and experience it the way it was always intended.

Videos like these and the storytellers who share them allow us fans to appreciate our retro games and collections on so much more of a deeper level now that we know how much effort and care was put into it.  Amazing.

Thank you for sharing, what has to be an amazing life journey with us, we appreciate it very much!

6 hours ago, jaybird3rd said:

I was tempted to ask him to share his sources for his data, but I suspect that he pulled it from his ass, and sharing that here would be against our community guidelines. 

Uh oh......I think you guys just ruined your chances at getting nominated for this year's Biffy ™® awards.

7 hours ago, imstarryeyed said:

Anyone who cannot,ignores or refuses to modify their post to reflect its their opinion and not really fact, can be reported to the moderators as a possible troll.  Honestly its sad that some people just feel the need to try to inject baseless negativity on something that the creator is asking for honest factual feedback and support.  

For people like that I think it boils down to this 😁

On the subject of controller storage - I love it! Atari 5200 aside (that thing is jut plain oversized), think about it... you need to put your controllers *somewhere*. Why not on or in the system? Where they belong. Adding to the overall aesthetics and neatness of the package, the ability to charge in the system (wirelessly or not) is more than just convenient. It's common sense.  

9 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

 Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany which is why I had it said in German. 
 

 

About 50 km from my hometown. Beethovens mother comes from my hometown.  

3 hours ago, save2600 said:

On the subject of controller storage - I love it! Atari 5200 aside (that thing is jut plain oversized), think about it... you need to put your controllers *somewhere*. Why not on or in the system? Where they belong. Adding to the overall aesthetics and neatness of the package, the ability to charge in the system (wirelessly or not) is more than just convenient. It's common sense.  

Yep wireless controllers which charge on the base station - convenient, easy and a big value add to the consumer. Here are some other things about the Amico which are not only synergistic but quite frankly a bit genius when you look at the total package:

Paid development/porting solves lack of platform support by developers AND gives Intellivision 100% quality control. Plus developers getting a cut of sales downstream means they want to make good games - just not do contract work.

Intellivision might end up with the best publisher reputation in the industry: "After Barfight Brawlers didn't meet numbers on mobile I thought I was going to have to let half of my team go but Intellivision came in with cash for a remake of our cash cow Galatic Smashers if we did some a few new levels & a boss for them - so I got to keep my team together for the next project on our boards".

Choice of easy to use controls means the console can't support Red Dead but also means it can be targeted to 2D, 2.5 and light 3D making it cheaper to build and sell at a lower price point. Cheaper price point means it attracts more causal consumers, can have more sales and can offer better margins to retailers.

Lack of Red Dead support also means the games are cheaper to make/re-imagine. Fits the Intellivision paid development scheme, lower costs to the consumers but can still provide awesome games.

Lack of boob size sliders and x-ray cranial head shots may disappoint some (including me - I am no prude - so the Amico would probably never by *my* only gaming source) but the ERSB 10+ or lower restriction will THRILL parents and be fine for casual gamers (including me a lot of the time). Most importantly if I still had young ones it might very likely be *their* only gaming source.

Most retro games are family friendly and you already know which ones are great so with licensing and some 'spiff and polish' the Amico can have a lot of quality games at a low price (to them and the consumer). Where are all of the great games going to come from - well a lot just from hindsight.

Bundling two controllers both is convenient for the purchaser but also sends a strong, silent message that this is a 'side by side' gaming experience.

To support retro Intellivision games you need to support the number pad. By replacing the classic Intellivision overlays with a screen not only does it handle that but allows you to do all sort of unique things. Suddenly strategy games can have fairly complex inputs without 'mousing around' in menus. Even better 'hidden information' inputs for games. How you do you select your baseball pitch in 2 player couch co-op without the other player knowing? No problem with the Amico, just poke the 'fast ball' icon on the screen.

Lots of LEDs on the controllers and even the console make it easy to know what needs to happen and when. Combined with the mini display screen you can use a lot of iconography so translation to all those languages world wide - not so much of a problem. World Market > US Market.

Details are sketchy but Amico physical games are going to be more than just a disk, SD card or barcode. It sounds like they are going to have shelf appeal over just the game itself. If true Amico once again is leaning into the consumer/collector gamer market. A smart move when you are doing big box retailer sales. Makes the big box happy, makes gift wrapper happy, makes Intellivision happy.

Basically Tommy had to have leaned back when all of this got white boarded and said:

On 7/31/2019 at 10:04 PM, styluskramer said:

But I don't see how this proves that the Amico has a guaranteed market.

No market is "guaranteed", but the Amico does have a potentially huge market.

There are many reasons why we play games (not only video games, but all sorts of games). One of them is because we have a need to socialize. This is particularly true for boys and men since we tend to socialize either by competing with each other or by accomplishing tasks together (unlike women who tend to socialize by sharing their emotions).

Modern consoles are centered on playing online. This is convenient, but it doesn't offer the same socializing abilities as playing together in the same room. More importantly, it doesn't allow us to socialize with the people whom we share our lives with.

This is what I miss the most with the arcades and the consoles of my childhood : a way to socialize with the people who are near me.

In my case, I bought an X-Box 360 and a Kinect for one game : Dance Central. This was a fantastic way to socialize with all sorts of people, no matter the age, the sex, or whether or not they were used to playing video games.

I obviously don't know if Intellivision will be able to deliver on its promise, but the market for a console specialized in games that everyone can play together is not only huge, but mostly untapped.

8 hours ago, Papy said:

No market is "guaranteed", but the Amico does have a potentially huge market.

 

There are many reasons why we play games (not only video games, but all sorts of games). One of them is because we have a need to socialize. This is particularly true for boys and men since we tend to socialize either by competing with each other or by accomplishing tasks together (unlike women who tend to socialize by sharing their emotions).

 

Modern consoles are centered on playing online. This is convenient, but it doesn't offer the same socializing abilities as playing together in the same room. More importantly, it doesn't allow us to socialize with the people whom we share our lives with.

 

This is what I miss the most with the arcades and the consoles of my childhood : a way to socialize with the people who are near me.

 

In my case, I bought an X-Box 360 and a Kinect for one game : Dance Central. This was a fantastic way to socialize with all sorts of people, no matter the age, the sex, or whether or not they were used to playing video games. 

 

I obviously don't know if Intellivision will be able to deliver on its promise, but the market for a console specialized in games that everyone can play together is not only huge, but mostly untapped. 

This is an absolutely FANTASTIC post!  And one thing I can guarantee is that I will deliver on my promise!  

Thanks for great insight and addition to this thread.  Love it. 

On 8/2/2019 at 8:47 AM, GrudgeQ said:

Yep wireless controllers which charge on the base station - convenient, easy and a big value add to the consumer. Here are some other things about the Amico which are not only synergistic but quite frankly a bit genius when you look at the total package:

 

Paid development/porting solves lack of platform support by developers AND gives Intellivision 100% quality control. Plus developers getting a cut of sales downstream means they want to make good games - just not do contract work.

 

Intellivision might end up with the best publisher reputation in the industry: "After Barfight Brawlers didn't meet numbers on mobile I thought I was going to have to let half of my team go but Intellivision came in with cash for a remake of our cash cow Galatic Smashers if we did some a few new levels & a boss for them - so I got to keep my team together for the next project on our boards".

 

Choice of easy to use controls means the console can't support Red Dead but also means it can be targeted to 2D, 2.5 and light 3D making it cheaper to build and sell at a lower price point. Cheaper price point means it attracts more causal consumers, can have more sales and can offer better margins to retailers.

 

Lack of Red Dead support also means the games are cheaper to make/re-imagine. Fits the Intellivision paid development scheme, lower costs to the consumers but can still provide awesome games.

 

Lack of boob size sliders and x-ray cranial head shots may disappoint some (including me - I am no prude - so the Amico would probably never by *my* only gaming source) but the ERSB 10+ or lower restriction will THRILL parents and be fine for casual gamers (including me a lot of the time). Most importantly if I still had young ones it might very likely be *their* only gaming source.

 

Most retro games are family friendly and you already know which ones are great so with licensing and some 'spiff and polish' the Amico can have a lot of quality games at a low price (to them and the consumer). Where are all of the great games going to come from - well a lot just from hindsight.

 

Bundling two controllers both is convenient for the purchaser but also sends a strong, silent message that this is a 'side by side' gaming experience.

 

To support retro Intellivision games you need to support the number pad. By replacing the classic Intellivision overlays with a screen not only does it handle that but allows you to do all sort of unique things. Suddenly strategy games can have fairly complex inputs without 'mousing around' in menus. Even better 'hidden information' inputs for games. How you do you select your baseball pitch in 2 player couch co-op without the other player knowing? No problem with the Amico, just poke the 'fast ball' icon on the screen.

 

Lots of LEDs on the controllers and even the console make it easy to know what needs to happen and when. Combined with the mini display screen you can use a lot of iconography so translation to all those languages world wide - not so much of a problem. World Market > US Market.

 

Details are sketchy but Amico physical games are going to be more than just a disk, SD card or barcode. It sounds like they are going to have shelf appeal over just the game itself. If true Amico once again is leaning into the consumer/collector gamer market. A smart move when you are doing big box retailer sales. Makes the big box happy, makes gift wrapper happy, makes Intellivision happy.

 

Basically Tommy had to have leaned back when all of this got white boarded and said:

Yet another incredible and fantastic post!!  I agree with everything 100% and you nailed it all!

I love you guys!!!!!!   Gives me hope for humanity on internet message boards.  Hahahhaa!   ;)

 

On 8/2/2019 at 5:30 AM, save2600 said:

On the subject of controller storage - I love it! Atari 5200 aside (that thing is jut plain oversized), think about it... you need to put your controllers *somewhere*. Why not on or in the system? Where they belong. Adding to the overall aesthetics and neatness of the package, the ability to charge in the system (wirelessly or not) is more than just convenient. It's common sense.  

Agreed!

And unfortunately "common sense" it's high up on the scale of internet message boards for some folks.  Luckily this place for the most part is very different.  Probably because we're all a little older and more mature. 

On 8/1/2019 at 11:52 PM, imstarryeyed said:

Tommy those are great videos, I honestly cannot believe you used programs like GEMS to make music, that note bending in software to get what you wanted is insane!  I noticed you were a Cakewalk fan, great software..  Game devs today have so much more of an easier road then you guys cutting the iron back then.  I am happy that game dev is easier but I, like many here are retro fans, as we appreciate the artistry in creating games and in this case your music.

 

Composers like you are fascinating, I have to ask, do you think of the whole or just chunks of each part of the song? In the Oscilloscope video, I can see all of the instruments and channels, how does your brain think of all of these, at once, or is there some piecemeal way you  compose?  I am not an artist or musician so making a melody with one channel is agony and would sound awful, much less all of those other channels you use. I don't think my brain functions that way, I was/am an Amiga fan and the 4 voices it had were amazing and composers seem to do the same.  My big question is, if you do compose that way or did, was it just trial and error to get it to sound right?  I am also not forgetting the Michelangelo saying.. the statue was always in the stone, I just had to break off the pieces that did not belong.. is that your process too?

 

Hearing the Terminator on Sega CD sounded amazing, I have to believe not enough people got to experience your industry first, so I am glad we can listen to the album, but I say to those retro fans, go find a Sega CD copy of the game and experience it the way it was always intended.

 

Videos like these and the storytellers who share them allow us fans to appreciate our retro games and collections on so much more of a deeper level now that we know how much effort and care was put into it.  Amazing.

 

Thank you for sharing, what has to be an amazing life journey with us, we appreciate it very much!

 

I typically just play the game without audio and wait for things to come into my head.  Typically it's just a main phrase.  Then I run like hell over to my piano and try to figure out what I'm hearing in my head.  Then I'll go upstairs in my studio and start "fleshing it out".  If you have a really good main part... the other parts come out of that.  So I always try to start with the main part first and then build the bridges around it.

Thanks for the interest!

On 7/29/2019 at 4:01 PM, IMBerzerk said:

I agree with what the one article says about the harassment and discrimination of the MMP and online world.  I dropped out of all online gaming because of it.  Hated being called a noob, or trying to learn games that were complex in single player mode, let alone multiple.

 

I'm looking forward to playing against people I know and have fun with regularly and in person. 

Exactly! I spent $50 on Titanfall when it came out. Wanted to learn it, but it's online only (no practice mode) and I get killed 10 seconds into the game, with so much teenager taunts I turned the sound down. I stopped playing that game after trying for a week & gave up.

What do we have here? Saw this image on Facebook Intellivision Invasion, but nothing concrete yet. 

The amico controller app for ios/android I presume.  I imagine there are different themes.  The lower right image was posted on their facebook page in january.

https://www.facebook.com/Intellivision/photos/a.416523095313/10161571522950314/?type=3&theater