"How-To Projects"
--- MULTICARTS ---
Multi-Player Cart
(MPC)

by Brett Walach
Below you can see the working details, and download files as they become available to keep up with the latest developments.

 

Purpose

The purpose of the Multi-Player Cart (MPC) is to facilitate a need amongst the Vectrex population by providing programmers and users with the ability to develop and play multi-player games that are linkable from one Vec to another. This link can be a direct cable, or a connection over the Internet provided by a PC. The MPC also provides users with the ability to program any game they desire onto the cart with ease, and no extra hardware other than a PC.

Release Date

Expected preliminary working date.....[ It's been about 5 years now since I thought this one up, so whenever ]. The idea is to get some prototypes working as soon as possible, and then pass them out to programmers who wish to help create the first multi-player games. One that I'm sure many would want to work on is Battlezone.

Requirements

1) Shall fit inside a standard Vectrex cartridge case (thanks Sean!).
2) Shall accommodate every know game and demo up to 32KB with a 64KB option for those who wish to implement bank switching in their games.
3) The cart WILL have the ability to play Animaction utilizing the on-board RAM. This means that the user can program Animaction onto the cart and it WILL run. Animaction's BIN file will have to most likely have to be modified to re-map the RAM to a location outside of the addressable 32KB of cart ROM. Special BIN, but playable Animaction.
4) Shall be programmable by the user through a PC serial port or USB port.
5) Shall provide linkability to other Multi-Player Cart (MPC) users via hard link-up or Internet.
- Tx/Rx 256 bytes/second of data through RS232 or USB connection to PC or second Vectrex console.
- PC Constantly sending/receiving (256 bytes/second times # of players) using TCP/IP protocol via Internet.
6) Shall come with a fully documented manual describing its operation and how to program multi-player games using it.
7) Shall be cost effective.
8) Shall utilize SMT technology.

If you have comments or suggestions for the MPC, please e-mail me at playvectrex@gmail.com

 

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