showing 29 games

namepublisher(developer)year arrow_downwarddescription
Enclosure Femo Duo Entertainment? labelminimizeminimize
The Black Sanctum Mark Data Products1981 labelimageminimize
Killer Mansion T&D Software1982 labelminimizeminimize
Circle World Aardvark1982 labelminimizeminimize
Sea Quest  Mark Data Products1983 labelimageminimize
The Count  Adventure International1983 labelimageminimize
Dragon Slayer Tom Mix Software1984 labelminimizeminimize
Dragonfire Tandy1984Imagic wanted to to used the Coco 1's 128x192 graphics mode, which was limited to 4 colors. But they also wanted to use 8 colors, which required using 32x16 graphics mode. Their solution was to implement their experience of "racing the beam". On the Atari VCS, "racing the beam" was a reference to the VCS having no video frame buffer so programmers had to create machine code that calculated game logic in-between the machine code that that set colors on a pixel and executed according to the immutable timing of the TV's electron beam. And advantage to this difficulty is the ability to use as many colors as the programmer is willing to sacrifice from CPU cycles (There is a 56 color per scanline hardware limit but 2 colors are a practical limit and a 128 color palette hardware limit, but even these are surmountable). The Coco 1 had frame buffering to 'save' the programmer from such difficulties (tell the CPU what color a pixel is and the hardware automatically figures out when send it to the TV), but it also limited them. Such as having a fixed pallet for each video mode. Imagic overcame this limit by switching video modes up to 5 times per scanline. When a certain color was needed at a certain pixel, the mode that could provide it was used. And game logic once again was done in-between immutable timing of mode switching. So, 128x192x8, a mode that doesn't actually exist but that's no reason not to enjoy it in this game :) Later, clever programmers figured out how to extend this technique to get 320x200x256 with those 256 colors selected from a 24-bit pallet!

The Coco 3 altered the graphics hardware for the platform and broke this game. However, Imagic provided a patch so that Dragonfire could be played on a Coco 3.
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Major Istar: Under the Doomed Sea  Computerware;Microdeal (Computerware)1984 labelimageminimize
Sam Diamond, P. I.: Case of The Switch Blade Slasher Moreton Bay Software1984 labelminimizeminimize
Scepter of Ursea Prickly-Pear Software1984 labelminimizeminimize
Syzygy Spectral Associates1984 labelminimizeminimize
The Dallas Quest Tandy;Datasoft (Datasoft)1984[media=youtube]-Yd_Pe183lU[/media]***
[48]***Based on the series of TV miniserieses collectively know under the title, [i]Dallas[/i]. You play a private investigator hired by Sue Ellen. She wants to collect some oil fields of her own to get rich and leave J.R.
[Zerothis]
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To Preserve Quandic Prickly-Pear Software (Suspense Software)1984 labelimageminimize
Skid Row Adventure T & D Subscription Software1984 labelminimizeminimize
Pyramid 3000  T & D Subscription Software (Sector Software)1985 labelminimizeminimize
Cave Walker Tandy (Spectral Associates)1986 labelminimizeminimize
Omniverse Computerware1986 labelminimizeminimize
The Wild West Novasoft;Tom Mix Software (Novasoft)1986 labelminimizeminimize
Caladuril: Flame of Light Diecom Products;Oblique Triad (Oblique Triad)1987 labelminimizeminimize
King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne Sierra On-Line1987 labelimageminimize
Caladuril II: Weatherstone's End. Diecom;Oblique Triad (Oblique Triad)1988 labelminimizeminimize
King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Sierra On-Line1988Released in the USA and Canada.
[Zerothis]
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Revenge of the Germs The Software System1989 labelminimizeminimize
The Quest for Thelda: A Journey into Adventure Sundog Systems1989[media=youtube]uVs3DIWo6ik[/media] labelminimizeminimize
Labyrinth Master T & D Subscription Software1989 labelminimizeminimize
UMoria  author1993 labelminimizeminimize
Star Wars  author1993 labelminimizeminimize
Time Quest author1998 labelminimizeminimize
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