2024-02-27 17:44:55

I was wondering if anyone on this list might be interested in making a PC simulation of Telesensory's 1977/1978 Game Center. One of the earliest audio-games to use speech synthesis and stereo sound. Perhaps the first.

More here: https://www.oneswitch.org.uk/art.php?id=366

I can help with sound samples of the unit if helpful.

Anyone interested, please ping me here, or e-mail me at [email protected]

2024-02-27 20:18:39

That would honestly be epic, as this is a topic which Ian Hamilton touched upon recently.

2024-02-27 21:20:57 (edited by defender 2024-02-27 21:21:38)

That would be an excellent thing to do for preserving audio gaming history!

2024-02-27 22:49:27

I've just seen Ian was here mentioning it. Great find, quite well buried. Less buried now.

We were chatting about early blind accessible computer games. To replicate the very earliest games that could be played independently (from 1970 onwards) need a working TSI Optacon and suitable camera lens (for print or a CRT monitor). Then, you just need to learn how to read the tactile feedback. Not easy!

Following that would likely have been Calculator Games from the books popular at the time, by a skilled Optacon user (or if the books were transcribed to Braille/audio-cassette) with the TSI Speech+ talking calculator around 1975 on. That's already possible, with any talking calculator.

Replicating the TSI "Game Center" from 1977/78 would be magic, as I don't think there are many left in the world anymore. There's at least one still in existence here: https://aphmuseum.org/record/the-game-c … odel-e1a/. Not sure if it still works. I am hoping to get a TSI Speech+ calculator next month, which has the same speech chip.

Slightly more recent, I've managed to get a batch BBC Micro audio games preserved, although most require a speech synthesiser. Hoping to get an update to BeebEm to make this possible in the old style (output screen text to the printer port, and have that connected to an external speech synth like a Votrax / Dolphin / Braid / Triangle etc. device). Some more info here: https://stardot.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?p=405552. The 1983 Pinball game from Yakety Yak software (David Calderwood) is great.

And for anyone wanting to dive down a rabbit hole of audio game history (and I realise tons will be missing) this link may be interesting: https://www.oneswitch.org.uk/art.php?id=352

Fingers crossed someone out there likes the idea of replicating The Game Center as accurately as possible.

2024-02-27 23:47:30

That would be awesome! Maybe aprone or one of the other talented developers could give this a shot?

Guitarman.
What has been created in the laws of nature holds true in the laws of magic as well. Where there is light, there is darkness,  and where there is life, there is also death.
Aerodyne: first of the wizard order

2024-02-28 00:15:25

I'd be curious what games were available for this early  console. I've played with an optacon once but was very confused.

2024-02-28 11:16:22

"The Game Center" had 8 games you could select from.

0. Paddleball.
1. Craps.
2. Skeet-shoot.
3. Tic-Tac-Toe.
4. The Chain Game.
5. Blackjack.
6. Tug O' War
7. Number Run

Only Paddleball used stereo sound. You can listen to an explanation of the games here: https://www.oneswitch.org.uk/OS-REPOSIT … Side_B.mp3

2024-02-28 21:11:15 (edited by defender 2024-02-28 21:12:02)

I really hope that someone picks this up, but if you want more devs to see this topic, I'd put one in the dev room and give it a name that more clearly indicates that you're looking for help to emulate a historical audiogames console.
For instance:
Interested in building an emulator for an old audiogame console?
or
Need help emulating a audiogame console from the 70s.
or
Want to help preserve some audiogaming history?
ETC.
Consider also posting on r/blind and the r/blind discord server, can't hurt!

2024-03-01 00:00:32

defender wrote:

I really hope that someone picks this up, but if you want more devs to see this topic, I'd put one in the dev room and give it a name that more clearly indicates that you're looking for help to emulate a historical audiogames console.

I've given it a go here: https://forum.audiogames.net/topic/5272 … from-1977/

Here's hoping...