Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

On 5/8/2020 at 7:26 PM, mr_me said:

I play asteroids through mame with an old four button game pad.  It works great.  With Amico, you have the disc for left/right rotate, touchscreen for fire, and the two shoulder buttons for thrust and hyperspace.  I'd put thrust on the touchscreen shoulder button, but I have a feeling they'll put it on the disc shoulder button.

I was messing around and came up with this setup:

Where (rotate ship) actually points the ships "nose" to whatever direction you press on the disc.

I'm excited to see what Tommy and friends come up with! 

BTW  Tommy we better see you name on the High score lists!!! 

40 minutes ago, Zeptari1 said:

I'm very late to the party. I still don't see a color combo I really like. That woodgrain vip one was super sweet, too bad I missed out on it. But those are long gone I'm sure. 

I'd love to see one themed after some of the old Atari,Imagic,Intellivision,Activision games. I'm totally sold on the Amico, I'm just waiting for that special one for me.😉

You can preorder it here

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/amico/pledge

2 hours ago, Blarneo said:

My first 2 movies? Fargo and Birdcage!😁🤣

Okay... if you never mentioned the fact that you were gay... THIS would have sealed the deal for me knowing!!

🤣

🌈♥️

1 hour ago, LePionnier said:

Like I already said, I was not playing a lot in Arcades ! ( No money for this ...  😪 )

I watched others play !

But when I had to use 3 letters, I wrote "M.M" (initials) or "MAJ" (first 3 letters of my last name).

Now, I will probably use "PIO".

I don't remember for Amico High scores if we will have to write 3 letters or if it will be a complete name ?

Could someone remind me?

Thank you.

 

You'll be able to do more than 3 letters.

49 minutes ago, vongruetz said:

So many great questions and topics are being discussed here.  I'm going to sum up all my comments in one post (hopefully)

 

What initials did I use for high scores?  As boring as it is, I've always used my actual initials and never felt the need to be a smartass.  Funny, as it's probably the only time I don't feel like being a smartass.

 

Is the generational leap for consoles now so little it can cause a crash?  I started noticing this decline with the introduction of the current gaming systems.  I really couldn't see a big leap between the PS3/PS4  It seemed like nothing new was introduced that made it groundbreaking.

 

- Genesis/SNES is the era when video games matured. Graphics were finally on par with what was seen in the arcades. SNES introduced the four face buttons and shoulder buttons that would become standard in the years going forward.

- N64/PS1 introduced 3D graphics, and games moved on from arcade style (high scores) to a more cinematic approach.

- PS2/XBOX standardized the controller setup we now think of today. Dual analog sticks, D-pad, 4 shoulder buttons, 4 face buttons. It allowed for 3D worlds to be easily navigated and really popularized open worlds and First Person Shooters. It also made the console a multi-media box in that it wasn't just a console, it was also a DVD player.  That was huge.

- PS3/XBOX 360 was probably the biggest leap in my opinion.  It made online connectivity standard. PS3 had wireless internet built in. Hard drives became standard. Graphics leaped to high definition, and it really made for a big change in the way games look.  Thanks to the Wii, motion control gaming also became popular, which Sony quickly tried to copy.  Perhaps the biggest change though was the introduction of digital distribution of games. This opened the door to entirely new games and new genres that made no sense with the old model. Smaller games could be created and this led to the "indie" scene. 

- PS4/XB1.... games got prettier, I guess?  Performance improved and graphics got better.  They tried to promote sharing but it wasn't anything revolutionary.  Online gaming became the standard more and more.  

- PS5/XSX will make games even prettier and perform even better. I actually think that biggest winner in this battle is going to be the PS4. I think it will drop in price and people will continue to buy it for years, much as the PS2 kept selling long after the PS3 was introduced.

 

Why are Millenials/GenY so depressed?  I'm going to sound like a grumpy old man on this, but it's the truth. It's because they've had it too easy.  I know not everyone falls into that category, but as a society we've made the basic function of surviving really easy. They don't have to fight for it. They aren't kicked out of the nest and told to swim or sink. Being independent and taking care of yourself is psychologically very important to being mentally healthy. People in their mid-20's still living at home are essentially refusing to grow up because they have been accustomed to being taken care of and moving out is a scary proposition. But we as people need that. We need to face this world in order to grow. To give ourselves a sense of accomplishment. To prove to ourselves that we can do it. When you don't take that leap, you feel like you have no self worth. That's when people turn inward and have their lives consumed with gaming. The need to find that satisfaction still drives within them, and if they can't do it in the real world, they'll attempt to find it in a virtual one. The problem is that it's not the same and the brain doesn't interpret as the same. 

Tommy talks about moving out of his parents house and sleeping under a bridge... now that is scary as all can be. But he did it. He made the effort. He went for it. I moved out after I graduated college and haven't looked back since. It's important.

 

Rant over.  (and Tommy is either misleading us with his clues, or something doesn't add up. Guess I'll have to wait until the end of the week to find out)

 

Such a GREAT post!  Thanks for contributing.

(especially your last line).

5 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

I think it's obviously J. Allard, but Tommy was forced to say "it's not him" for legal reasons. 😅

exactly... now wheres my free Amico t-shirt signed by Tommy and J?

I'm hoping Tommy has a funny Oh Shit story when he realized he let the cat out of the bag too early...

Just now, Tommy Tallarico said:

Such a GREAT post!  Thanks for contributing.

(especially your last line).

 

 

 

I can tell you’re enjoying this and will probably enjoy the announcement even more 😂

28 minutes ago, Zeptari1 said:

 

I was messing around and came up with this setup:

Where (rotate ship) actually points the ships "nose" to whatever direction you press on the disc.

I'm excited to see what Tommy and friends come up with! 

 

BTW  Tommy we better see you name on the High score lists!!! 

I'd actually make one small change and put the FIRE on the entire screen and move the THRUST to the right shoulder (Hyperspace on the left).  

3 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

exactly... now wheres my free Amico t-shirt signed by Tommy and J?

 

I'm hoping Tommy has a funny Oh Shit story when he realized he let the cat out of the bag too early...

I'm just surprised no one has continued down the path of Robbie Bach, Ed Fries or Seamus Blackley.  All good friends of mine.

Oh... and Bill Gates (never met him though).

BTW... maybe I did mean FINANCE and not fiance!  I guess I could have said accountant or business manager... either way... it came out wrong.

1 minute ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

BTW... maybe I did mean FINANCE and not fiance!  I guess I could have said accountant or business manager... either way... it came out wrong.

That's okay Tommy.  We forgive you.

1 minute ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I'm just surprised no one has continued down the path of Robbie Bach, Ed Fries or Seamus Blackley.  All good friends of mine.

 

Oh... and Bill Gates (never met him though).

BTW... maybe I did mean FINANCE and not fiance!  I guess I could have said accountant or business manager... either way... it came out wrong.

 

 

I guessed Ed, but no response lol. I hope it’s Ed...good choice if it is.

Tommy,

Any update on Snafoo?  When is the new merchandise going to be in the IE shop?  The 25% off coupon expired 4/30.  But you said you would extend that if the new stuff wasn't ready by 4/30.

9 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Okay... if you never mentioned the fact that you were gay... THIS would have sealed the deal for me knowing!!

🤣

🌈♥️

Yes, cuz Steve Buscemi and William Macy are such gorgeous hunk bods. 🤣 

My 3rd was The Fugitive. 

Gimme a break! There were only about 25 movies available in the first 2 months. LOL

Just now, Blarneo said:

Yes, cuz Steve Buscemi and William Macy are such gorgeous hunk bods. 🤣 

My 3rd was The Fugitive. 

Gimme a break! There were only about 25 movies available in the first 2 months. LOL

Yes I’ve been going thru my DVD collection to see which one was my first purchase, bothers me I can’t remember...getting old 😆

My hi score initials... TSD based on my real name.

I'm not sure I'd like to use BLA now. Afraid with the connotation, nobody'd play with me. 😇

41 minutes ago, Zeptari1 said:

 

I was messing around and came up with this setup:

Where (rotate ship) actually points the ships "nose" to whatever direction you press on the disc.

I'm excited to see what Tommy and friends come up with! 

 

BTW  Tommy we better see you name on the High score lists!!! 

Shield from Deluxe? 

17 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Such a GREAT post!  Thanks for contributing.

(especially your last line).

 

 

 

Hey, if you are deliberately misleading us to protect an announcement, I am totally cool with that. You didn't have to be dropping hints ahead of time at all, so just getting to feel like we're 'on the inside' and having fun analyzing who it is, has been a complete delight these last few days! 

Also, if it is really J Allard as @bigdaddygamestudio guessed, that is such a delightful, perfect addition and a complete slam dunk/wake up call on the elitists and haters. So I'll just keep enjoying the sliver of hope that's true, and be happy whoever it is because of how excited you are. 🙂

7 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I'm just surprised no one has continued down the path of Robbie Bach, Ed Fries or Seamus Blackley.  All good friends of mine.

 

Oh... and Bill Gates (never met him though).

BTW... maybe I did mean FINANCE and not fiance!  I guess I could have said accountant or business manager... either way... it came out wrong.

 

 

Because you said he was in the COMPANY OFFICERS section of that list. I thought it was Seamus, but he's not in that category. 

Robbie and Ed are too old. (though now I'm suspecting all the clues are attempts to mislead)

4 minutes ago, Blarneo said:

My hi score initials.

It would be so much easier today with all the WTF type slang. We had to work for it back in the day.  ASS only got you so many laughs.

13 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

BTW... maybe I did mean FINANCE and not fiance!  I guess I could have said accountant or business manager... either way... it came out wrong.

 

 

I'm delighted by the addition of 'maybe' in there. You are evil and I love it. Well played, sir! 🙂

3 minutes ago, vongruetz said:

Because you said he was in the COMPANY OFFICERS section of that list. I thought it was Seamus, but he's not in that category. 

 

Robbie and Ed are too old. (though now I'm suspecting all the clues are attempts to mislead)

Yeah! We know what he's doing!

Tommy here's a question.  If the Amico becomes a big as we all think it will he. Do you think its possible there will be a AmicoCon every year?  Lol. Like Blizzcon

Id be down with that.

speaking of arcades and so forth.  He is a good thread with lots of arcade pictures from the 80s.  Its takes you back to that great bygone era.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pictures-of-arcades

17 minutes ago, MarioMan88 said:

Yes I’ve been going thru my DVD collection to see which one was my first purchase, bothers me I can’t remember...getting old 😆

By the time I traded up to Blu Ray in... what 2006 maybe?, I amassed over 600 DVDs. Can't remember the last one I bought... but that AWFUL Kurt Russell 'Poseidon' was close to it.

On 5/8/2020 at 10:24 PM, OEB_Pete said:

That is awesome, I need my own box art now  

Sounds like a job for @CurlyQ !!! His work is top notch!