Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

On 8/10/2020 at 9:33 AM, squirrelgotdead said:

Telestrations looks like it could be an absolutely hysterical game to play. Also to add to the point on pricing. . .again, these games will be mostly between $5-10. Buying a physical board game can easily set you back $20-50, depending on the game and retailer. If you buy a video game version for another system, it will still likely set you back $20-30 (for physical, although you can probably get some indies for $10 or less in online stores and clearance-priced physical for ~$15.

 

But essentially, they will be able to offer the best-priced and complete board games, new.

 

The trick for some of the more popular "name" games like Monopoly, Life, Sorry, Trivial Pursuit, is making a version that is unique and exclusive.

Exactly!  The value proposition is pretty incredible.  And again... these are the types of things our advertising and marketing will be about when the time comes.

Yeah, there are TONS of versions of all the Hasbro games.  Doing yet another new/exclusive version doesn't move the needle too much (although eventually they will all be there I'm sure).

I purposely picked well known award winning great and popular games (within the gaming community) that a lot of mainstream folks may not be aware of AND that have NEVER been on any video game system ever AND translate AMAZING to Amico and the unique ability of what our controllers do.

Looking forward to folks playing these!  Blank Slate & Telestrations should be available on launch although we may hold one of the back to release a month or two later.  Incan Gold we may wait on as well.

4 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

They weren’t super popular in the US but they definitely represented. I had a couple of them over the years and yes they were really advanced for the time with custom graphics & sound chips (plus I loved that clean 68000 instruction set). TJ here even has a modern X5000 unit!

 

It was also the platform of the NewTek VideoToaster card which as the first semi consumer TV production system brought cheesy graphics to many a video in the 90s.

The only bad thing about being an Amiga owner is typing Amico correctly now  

Yeh, for retro I prefer Atari 8/16/32bit but for modern, I did find the Amiga OS 4.1 a nice OS.  Lacking in real modern needs for most I presume but has potential if the in-fighting and lawsuit shenanigans could end.  Been following it for 10+ years but to date those shenanigans never go away so sad in a way.

That is OK... I have other fun things I can enjoy.  Like Amico and Sinclair.  haha

TJ

On 8/10/2020 at 9:53 AM, wolfy62 said:

The fact that a new Tron movie is coming out will most likely make it more difficult and/or expensive for Tommy to secure the rights. 

If it were a forgotten property for Disney that they were not still utilizing,I imagine they would be more willing to capitalize on whatever money they could still acquire from it.

They wont. have that issue if the new movie is a success or if they have their own plans for the game licensing. 

Just my thoughts. Anyone else want to chime in?

The opposite in fact!

Good news for everyone!

5 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

The opposite in fact!

Good news for everyone!

 

Thank you,I happily stand corrected on my Tron theory!👍😃

On 8/10/2020 at 11:45 PM, CurlyQ said:

Nice!!
 

I have brought the subject of the sometimes pushed to the back, but never forgotten, soundtracks that we will be getting when the Amico's come our way. While listening to two different OST's yesterday, it got me to thinking about the Amico's sound hardware.  Can anything be said about what the capabilities are? Anything cool features that can be reveled?

To to put it out of your mind, I was listening to Guacamele and Braid.  and No, not at the same time.   

PS Two good games that would be excellent to add to the Amico library.

PSS - For the included OSTs Any chance of physical copy's? OR are you doing something special? Not unlike the Physical Media for the Amico?

8 hours ago, nightmonkeyii said:

I dont think the commodore amiga really caught on in the states. Shame, you guys missed out!

I didn't miss out. The best computer I ever owned in its time by far! Also had one at work and used it for spreadsheets, databases, word processing and CAD/CAM. It was way ahead of its time. People at work made fun of my mouse - called it a toy. Boy were they wrong! Sorta like like the people dissing the Amico.

1 hour ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

On of my best friends and Business partners was CFO for Commodore. Oh the stories he can tell.

Then create a new thread and spill the beans. I'd love to hear the stories.

3 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

That is quite a strong statement and I can understand if you feel that way.  Our graphic capabilities and art styles aren't for everyone.

 

I'm curious to know... would you agree and recognize that art is subjective and many people actually love the more simple style graphics (especially our family/non or casual gamer audience). 

The overwhelming majority of people actually love the look and style of Astrosmash.  But don't take my word for it, you can check out the hundreds of positive comments on the first look Astrosmash video we released earlier this year (which shows the game at about 50% graphically complete).  And those comments aren't even from our target market.

 

Around 26,000 views and only 53 down votes (54 after you watch it maybe).  

 

That translates to about .2% of people who watched it and disliked it enough to down vote it.  2 tenths of 1%.  I'd say that's pretty good odds and would support a claim that you may be in the minority.  Which again... is totally fine.

Can you give me an example of game graphics that you would prefer to see in Astrosmash?  Again, I'm curious to understand what and why you despise the graphics so much.

 

It's an interesting conversation to have.

 

p.s.  I appreciate that you are hoping that Amico succeeds so I hope my response doesn't come across as negative or being a smart ass... I am genuinely interested in understanding your thoughts.

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Let me preface this by saying I'm taking the time to respond because I am very much a fan, I just think constructive criticism is more valuable than rampant positivity. I make no claims on being any sort of market expert either, but I can say this: being involved with the convention scene (I used to be one of the original organizers for PRGE), I have watched the rise and fall of a LOT of projects like this, whose fans were rabbidly enthusiastic, and whose creators were just as passionate about their product. They all failed. So take this for what it is: friendly advice from someone who is every bit the fan that others here are, but who does have real concerns. 

I think the main gripe I have, stated generally (and this has been echoed by many I've spoken with) is that a lot of the games look like mobile apps, in other words, visually bland/generic, and not something that would convince someone to buy an Amico instead of spending $50 (or whatever) more for a Switch, which also has tons of easy to play couch co op games, as well as Zelda and Mario.

Take Astrosmash, since you mentioned that specifically. I can jump on the google play store and find any number of similar looking games like, say: Space Inversion 2. Which is fine and all, but hardly something that's going to suggest to the average consumer stumbling on the Amico in a Gamestop to drop $250 or so on one, when they could have something very similar for free on the phone in their pocket, or on Switch for $10. 

Now, of course, it's the multiplayer/couch co-op focus that makes the Amico really a cool idea, I get that. It's why I'm planning on getting one. But I'm concerned that the look of many of the games is visually indistinguishable from the mobile marketplace, and that sort of impression has most definitely affected game/console sales in the past. It's not that the game PLAYS badly, it's that it looks terribly generic. You have a great idea in a tough market, particularly with the switch having really expanded it's couch co op offerings since your launch announcement. Generic isn't going to sell that idea. 

Of course, I'm only talking about SOME of your game demos. Compare Astrosmash with your Cloudy Mountain demo, which looks great. That demo uses a retro pixel art style combined with neon colored 'intellivision man' character graphics. It nails having a visually distinct style that also advertises your brand. If I'd had no idea what this was, I would immediately have pegged this as an Amico game based on looks alone, as it's appearance and gameplay look fun, advertise that it's an Intellivision product, and a new take on a classic game. It looks exactly like what you've been promising to deliver.  It's visually attractive and visually distinct, and the graphics and UI are not generic in the sense that it looks like any number of similar games on my phone. It stands out. 

I'm saying stuff like Astrosmash should strive to have a 'look' (graphics, style, UI) that sets it apart from the glut like the Cloudy Mountain demo does. 

I'm not saying all of this to be negative. I was at the launch event, and the Amico remains my most anticipated indie console, well, ever. But browsing this thread and youtube, I'm getting the sense that you might be a little to inclined to see the positives of what you're doing and gloss over constructive criticism, which is what this is trying to be. I may totally be wrong, which is fine, in fact, I hope I am. But I've seen a lot of consoles like this fail due to passion by the creators and hype from fans drowning out legitimate concerns. Take is as you will. 
 

12 hours ago, nightmonkeyii said:

I dont think the commodore amiga really caught on in the states. Shame, you guys missed out!

I wouldn't say that.  The Amiga wasn't as popular here because it came out just before the 386/486 hit the scene.  Where I lived in Daytona Beach we had Electronics Boutique, which was dedicated to the Amiga, and a few other stores that sold mostly Amiga and new PCs.  

I had both a 500 and 1000.  Loved that system.  The games were unreal for it's time and you could do a ton of fun stuff with it as well.  First system with stereo output and everything ran well on it.   

Sadly I eventually bagged it for a new 486DX that ran my favorite game at the time Red Baron.  Plus being in college, everything was about PC software.  Amiga boxed itself out by being a high end graphics/game PC.  It offered nothing for computer classes.  Everything was Lotus 123 and Word back then.

17 minutes ago, IMBerzerk said:

I wouldn't say that.  The Amiga wasn't as popular here because it came out just before the 386/486 hit the scene.  Where I lived in Daytona Beach we had Electronics Boutique, which was dedicated to the Amiga, and a few other stores that sold mostly Amiga and new PCs.  

 

I had both a 500 and 1000.  Loved that system.  The games were unreal for it's time and you could do a ton of fun stuff with it as well.  First system with stereo output and everything ran well on it.   

 

Sadly I eventually bagged it for a new 486DX that ran my favorite game at the time Red Baron.  Plus being in college, everything was about PC software.  Amiga boxed itself out by being a high end graphics/game PC.  It offered nothing for computer classes.  Everything was Lotus 123 and Word back then.

Dude, I loved Red Baron!!

2 minutes ago, RxScram said:

Dude, I loved Red Baron!!

I had it on both the Amiga and PC.  It was actually better on Amiga.  It ran smoother on PC, but sounded awesome on Amiga.

I was thinking that a tee taken from the company logo would be cool:  Intellivision aqua, featuring only the Intellivision Running Man with no wording (totally subtle, yet eye-catching).  This would make a fantastic addition to the Intellivision store...(hint! hint!).

I'd buy one...any takers?

6 hours ago, NTV said:

I didn't miss out. The best computer I ever owned in its time by far! Also had one at work and used it for spreadsheets, databases, word processing and CAD/CAM. It was way ahead of its time. People at work made fun of my mouse - called it a toy. Boy were they wrong! Sorta like like the people dissing the Amico.

 

Awesome. Im happy thats the case, and everyone here has fond memories of the amiga.

Nice tribute to Keith Robinson (made from Rubik cubes) at the National Videogame Museum (Frisco Texas)

Intellivision (Facebook)

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6 hours ago, The_Analog_Kid said:

I was thinking that a tee taken from the company logo would be cool:  Intellivision aqua, featuring only the Intellivision Running Man with no wording (totally subtle, yet eye-catching).  This would make a fantastic addition to the Intellivision store...(hint! hint!).

 

I'd buy one...any takers?

One of my favorite pieces of video game art, when it is my turn to put the kids to bed, I tell a pirate story that the kids act out and they can't get enough.  They love the Secret of Monkey Island.  I wonder if there would be a way to make a Monkey Island type game that would be multiplayer and have something like that on the Amico?

2 hours ago, Bloodfire said:

One of my favorite pieces of video game art, when it is my turn to put the kids to bed, I tell a pirate story that the kids act out and they can't get enough.  They love the Secret of Monkey Island.  I wonder if there would be a way to make a Monkey Island type game that would be multiplayer and have something like that on the Amico?

 

 

I mentioned a couple weeks ago I think Bill Tiller looks to be available and would be a great get for IE

13 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

It is really best just ignore these two.

They keep setting things up and they keep getting knocked down:

 

However they aren’t going to stop until they are so obviously proven wrong that they switch to minimizing it and then just refusing to talk about it at all.

In fact, we all should feel bad for them considering they will definitely have back problems in their later years from all of the baggage they carry around and the endlessly moving of goal posts. The strain has to be taking a toll on those lower lumbars.

Sorry, do not feel sorry for them (or their backs) at this point.  I totally can understand and respect not believing in something and stating as such and expressing your opinions, but its obvious to anyone capable of even minuscule critical thinking that this goes way beyond this and they do so with a total lack of general respect and then add in the fact they've repeatedly refused to accept the offer to see for themselves what they spend so much time discussing. When they fall (and I believe they will fall hard) l’ll enjoy seeing their numbers dwindle and them sink into greater irrelevancy.  I’m a firm believer in you reap what you sow, from both ends of things, and don't feel sorry for those that go out of their way to tear down others. 

On 8/16/2020 at 7:18 PM, mr_me said:

One of the problems with this thread is that unless you follow it everyday it can be hard to participate, because it often moves so fast.  I doubt anyone will would go through it and extract the actual questions and answers.  Ideally, each question should be it's own thread, in a q&a sub section, under an amico section.  Also, it looks like most of the amico fans here don't participate in the intellivision threads and, to a lesser extent, many intellivision fans don't participate in the amico thread. 

I agree. I will get so busy for 3 days and it takes forever to barrel through the main thread to catch up. Perhaps breaking up into 3 to 4 threads different though streams could be organized? One main benefit is that sometimes we original IE fans will get to reminisce for a couple pages and that creates a lull for the newer fans that perhaps never played or had interest in the original (the projected target audience per say).

16 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

I have good news and bad news about Pat & Ian.

 

The good news is that they just discovered that there are 3 billion gamers out there (they previously described that as a "niche").

 

The bad news is that, according to a nonexistent research they just pulled out of their asses, "they're not going to pay hundreds of dollars to play".

 

In each of their videos, they have to repeat that there is no market for "some new console for casual gamers".

 

It looks like someone is salty.

Yet they praise the Playdate. Nothing against the consaole, it could be very cool, I just find it odd that they're ok with an obscure B&W handheld but not a new home console designed to tap into a massive market, especially when the handheld is almost the same price.

15 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

It is really best just ignore these two.

They keep setting things up and they keep getting knocked down:

 

However they aren’t going to stop until they are so obviously proven wrong that they switch to minimizing it and then just refusing to talk about it at all.

In fact, we all should feel bad for them considering they will definitely have back problems in their later years from all of the baggage they carry around and the endlessly moving of goal posts. The strain has to be taking a toll on those lower lumbars.

I saw that! John Riggs is a solid dude. Everyone knows how honest he is so that helps extinguish the candle fire PU podcast tried to light. Their constant little attacks remind me of Fox news against Obama ("OMG he didn't wear his us flag pin today. His shirt is blue! How un-patriotic!"😆). Their basis is 'when you don't have content to report you have to create crap'. Watch their clicks go way down after Amico's end up in tons of households. 🤘😎🤘

14 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

The opposite in fact!

Good news for everyone!

 

F yeah! Any Tron possiblity is gonna be a smash. This reminds me. I caught part of a retro games documentary on Netflix the other day. They covered the designer of the original E.T. game and how he had 5 games to design and present to Spielberg. Hopefully you get the rights to it and the opportunity to right that wrong... And of course put a smile on Atari Creep's face 😁

4 hours ago, Bloodfire said:

One of my favorite pieces of video game art, when it is my turn to put the kids to bed, I tell a pirate story that the kids act out and they can't get enough.  They love the Secret of Monkey Island.  I wonder if there would be a way to make a Monkey Island type game that would be multiplayer and have something like that on the Amico?

 

Yes! I used to love playing all the Lucas Arts point and click games! I can only imagine how great these would play on amico. The touch screen could emulate a mouse cursor control.  How about Maniac Mansion?

Another idea... @Tommy TallaricoTallaricoTTallTallarTallaricoTallaricoTTallTa

Any chance you'll add a sensor bar like the Wii and include the tracing pointer control like the Wii mote? I was sad to see the Wii U pull away from it.

21 minutes ago, martianman2012 said:

Yes! I used to love playing all the Lucas Arts point and click games! I can only imagine how great these would play on amico. The touch screen could emulate a mouse cursor control.  How about Maniac Mansion?

 

Another idea... @Tommy TallaricoTallaricoTTallTallarTallaricoTallaricoTTallTa

 

Any chance you'll add a sensor bar like the Wii and include the tracing pointer control like the Wii mote? I was sad to see the Wii U pull away from it.

Perhaps still a point of contention, but I don’t think the motion plus controller needed the sensor bar anymore from a discussion in the Wii sub forum once it got both accelerometer and gyroscope. TPS and FPS were always a cursor affair since how would it be able to tell a 72 inch screen from a 17 inch. The Wii U still used it to be compatible with the original Wiimote games with just the gyroscope.