Hi everyone!
Now the foundation for Magnavody is in place after the last few updates, we're finally getting to the good stuff!
This version includes a big piece of what makes the Odyssey such an interesting puzzle -- overlays!
Odyssey can only draw four spots on screen -- two player blobs, a wall and a ball-type object. It can't render different sprites or colours like later consoles -- BUT did you know that Odyssey can achieve higher fidelity graphics and colours than any console from the next 20 years?!?
How did they do it? By the simple but genius idea of including plastic overlays with the console that players stuck to their TV screens. With these overlays Odyssey is able to deliver finely grained and colourful graphics at a high resolution. Of course it is extremely limited technically and the frame rate (how quickly you can peel and replace the overlay) is terrible! Arguably though, depending on the printing process used, the resolution is still superior to the latest 8k screens.
Today Magnavody adds support for digital overlays. In the game selection menu a player can now choose an overlay. An overlay comes in three version -- standard, widescreen and crumpled. If you look at real world examples of Odyssey the plastic overlays are usually bent or damaged and so I don't want you to miss out on that authentic experience! If you select a game and press "quick start" it will auto select the appropriate overlay for you.
Now we have the overlay functionally, it becomes practical to see more games on Magnavody! Today we add "Magnavody Tennis" which is a homage to the original 1972 Tennis game. Wait! Didn't we already ship with Tennis? No, we shipped with Table Tennis. An utterly completely different not-at-all-the-same game. Well, not that different. The main difference other than the cool overlay are the rules. Tennis uses a different scoring system (eg LOVE, 15, 30, 40).
These two games really highlight to me one of the really interesting things about Odyssey. Today we often conceptualise games as a self-contained artefact of graphics and rules and inputs in a bundle. And yet with Odyssey we get two completely different games even though they share identical circuitry. This is achieved simply by writing different rules for the players to follow. It's SO STRANGE to me as a game developer but I love it so much.
To get Tennis running this update also enables Card 2 emulation. Card 2 is similar to Card 1 except that it does not activate the wall spot.
There's so much I want to do with this open source "simemulator" and your support makes it happen!
Regards,
Luke
Add
- Add Card 2 support
- Add Tennis game
- Add support for overlays
- Add widescreen overlay support
- Add crumpled overlay support
- Add toggle for crumpled overlays
Change
- Update documentation
- Game quick start now selects an overlay if appropriate
- Quick selecting a game without an overlay clears overlay
Magnavody
Classyk Games
Classyk Games
2023-12-05
Action Indie Strategy Casual RPG Adventure Simulation F2P Sports MMO Racing Singleplayer Multiplayer Coop EA
Game News Posts 3
🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
🕹️ Partial Controller Support
🎮 Full Controller Support
1 user reviews
(1 reviews)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2695020 
[0 B]
Not only was it the first console but the Odyssey is also a unique piece of hardware. There is no CPU or memory to emulate. Instead the Odyssey is a collection of circuit boards, each controlling a key element of the system such as the ball, the wall and each player's dot. It is a very misunderstood system!
Now you can experience the wonder and strangeness of the Odyssey with Magnavody!
Magnavody is an open source simulator of the Magnavox Odyssey with a focus on accuracy, historical authenticity and fun. Magnavody is a homage to the games on the system in a modern package designed to be played on modern hardware. Your Steam purchase supports future development.
Magnavody has the following features:
- Emulates the system design of the Magnavox Odyssey (1972) - the unit controllers, cards, spot generators, gate matrix and flip-flops
- Magnavody Table Tennis - A homage to the original 1972 table tennis game
- Controller support designed to best simulate the strange and awkward dial controllers of the original
- Authentic 4:3 mode (see the games as they were originally presented)
- Optional enhanced widescreen (16:9) mode (see the games fill the screen as they were originally designed to do)
- Optional CRT overlays (add static, waves and other retro effects)
- Toggle on screen elements to choose your own level of immersion
- Two player support
- Some quality of life improvements such as "quick load" and "reset controllers" to make it easier to use.
Take a trip back in time and live the experience of the very first home video games. Our team includes an historian and great effort has been taken to not just recreate the design but also how it must have felt to be there. Here is just one example; In 1972 a full screen TV was in the aspect 4:3. Technical accuracy requires Magnavody to supply games in 4:3 aspect however we also have crafted a 16:9 aspect mode so modern players can recreate the "full screen" feel of playing the Odyssey. It's these thoughtful design decisions we hope we really transport people back in time to gain a genuine feel for this fascinating console.
With your support the intention is to progressively add more games to Magnavody (however your purchase is for Magnavody as is, there is no guarantee of future releases).
Magnvody is part game/part historical research project. Games for the Odyssey show a glimpse of a different type of console gaming experience, a world where video games mix with table top games, where the action is not just on the screen but in the room with the players. If you are a serious gamer or a game historian or a game developer, this project has a lot to offer.
- OS: Ubuntu 20.04 (or similar dist)
- Processor: A recent processor from the last 8 yearsMemory: 4 GB RAM
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: A decent GPU from the last 8 years
[ 5951 ]
[ 3198 ]