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PhillyClassic 2002 Update -- (3/12/2002) I will be attending the PhillyClassic 2002 show on April 26th and 27th, and for the show, I will have a couple of new versions of Vault Assault for those of you who were not fortunate enough to pick one up at CGE 2001 in Las Vegas, along with some other 2600 goodies.

  • Vault Assault Tournament Edition -- In the original version of Vault Assault, it is possible to play forever, even with the difficulty switch set to expert. So, in addition to cleaning up a few graphic improvements that I wanted to do but couldn't because the ROM space ran out, I am going to adjust the timings of the events within the game so that it is not possible to play forever. With the permission and help of the folks that run the PhillyClassic show, I would like to have an informal tournament to see who can amass the biggest score with this Tournament Edition of Vault Assault, the prize being the cartridge. This cartridge will have a PhillyClassic 2002 label that is different from the Vault Assault sold at CGE 2001 in Las Vegas. I will bring at least 20 of these cartridges to the show for sale, with the price being $20.

  • Vault Assault with Customized Splash Screen -- I have written a special program that allows me to (relatively quickly) take a standard Windows .BMP file and create a version of Vault Assault with a splash screen of that bitmap. This version of Vault Assault will be the original version, as the Tournament Edition will have the splash screen (easter egg) screen removed. For attendees of PhillyClassic 2002 who would like an Atari 2600 cart personalized with their own text or bitmap, I will take pre-orders until April 15th, 2002, for delivery of games at the show. The cost of the customized version of Vault Assault is $30. Please contact me at my e-mail address of bprescot@tampabay.rr.com if you would like information about this offer. Basically, if you are interested, you provide me a PayPal or money order for $30 and a monochrome bitmap of 48 pixels wide by 50 pixels tall, and when you see me at the show, I provide you a 2600 cartridge with your name or bitmap image in lights. (Please note that I am not an artist, so don't ask me for help in designing a logo. And also, please do not ask me to create a cart with a bitmap that may be objectionable or in bad taste.)

  • Other goodies -- Of course, I will be bringing some Crazy Valet carts for trade or sale, some of my not-so-famous Kaboom! Practice Cartridge, and I may even show the two 2600 games that I am currently working on. I will also have my laptop computer, so if you have any questions about developing 2600 games, I would be happy to talk with you.

    If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to bprescot@tampabay.rr.com and I will try to address your question.

    Update -- (8/21/2001) The source code and binary are available below. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

    Update -- (8/14/2001) Vault Assault was introduced for the first time at the Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas on August 11 and 12. From all accounts, it seemed to be a success. I traded or sold all of the games that I took with me, but of course I kept a few in reserve for future trades.

    Back in the early 1980s, my brother and I were the only two people in Erie, Pennsylvania to like the arcade game Space Zap. I have always wished that they did a translation to that game for the Atari 2600, but when only two people out of a population of 100,000 would buy a game, that's not exactly a good business decision. (Let's just forget about E.T. for a moment, shall we?)

    So I did my own "sucky Space Zap redux". Here is a screenshot. And before you ask, no, there is no little ship that comes out and runs around in between waves of attackers. Maybe I can work that into Vault Assault 2 at CGE 2002. :D

    Download Vault Assault source code and binary

    Here you can download Vault Assault in both binary and source code form. The binary can be used in just about any emulator, and in addition, should work just fine with an unmodified Supercharger.

    The source code is meant to be compiled with DASM by using the following line at the command prompt:

    dasm sz_redux.asm -f3 -osz_redux.bin

    Vault Assault source code (54K)

    Vault Assault binary (4K)

    Vault Assault manual (inside of the manual only) (8K PDF)

    Updated 3/12/2002
    bprescot@columbus.rr.com