RaGeNyC Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 The horizontal physics are completely different from the NES due to the fact the playfield has to scroll in chunks equal to 1/40th the screen size rather than 1/256th like on NES. Compromises had to be made and as a result the horizontal movement is not as fluid a motion, with Mario red plumber starting/stopping instantly rather than accelerating and sliding to a stop. However, Sprybug seems to have totally rewritten his engine and perfected the horizontal acceleration in his upcoming game Sonic Zippy the Porcupine. Thanks for the explanation. "Red Plumber" and "Zippy" on the 2600..Very cool. I have to come here more often so I'm up on things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadZiontist Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Hey Chris, thank yoi so much for releasing these ROMs for free, and I tip my hat to you for this very special, wondeful technical acheivemnt, as well as a peice of art in my book. I regret missing out on a boxed copy. Hopefully there are future pressings though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprybug Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Hey Chris, thank yoi so much for releasing these ROMs for free, and I tip my hat to you for this very special, wondeful technical acheivemnt, as well as a peice of art in my book. I regret missing out on a boxed copy. Hopefully there are future pressings though. Thanks and BTW, catch the original forum post on PR. There will be another box run soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprybug Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 just as long as his third game isnt "red plumber and zippy at the special olympics..." Don't worry. I have the "Mario and Sonic" at the 2012 Olympic Games in London for my 3DS and well...some of the mini games are fun. Story mode is ridiculous tho. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickeycolumbus Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Awesome game! Great gameplay, graphics, and unbeatable sound. Thanks for releasing the ROM! Anyone else have trouble loading it onto a harmony in development mode? Works fine in multicart mode, but the harmony cart software (computer side) crashed when I tried to download the game onto the cartridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 just as long as his third game isnt "red plumber and zippy at the special olympics..." I hope you like PONG then: You get a whopping 50-something variations, minus the Red Plumber and Blue Hedgehog, of course!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amstari Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Thanks for making this available. I own the cart, but I like my Harmony Cart as complete as can be Great game btw. When I first played it, the "feel" of Mario was tricky. I was not landing my jumps, thus falling to my death. But within an hour, it wasn't even an issue anymore. Just had to get used to the feel. Great job! I've played this with a joystick and a Megadrive (Genesis) controller. I find it easier to land my jumps when I'm using a joystick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Anyone else have trouble loading it onto a harmony in development mode? Works fine in multicart mode, but the harmony cart software (computer side) crashed when I tried to download the game onto the cartridge. There's been an updated release of the Harmony Programming Tool, mentioned here (it seems the main page hasn't been updated to mention it). The software itself is available here (again, the main page hasn't been updated to point to it). This release has a fix specifically for F4/F4SC ROMs causing a crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickeycolumbus Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 There's been an updated release of the Harmony Programming Tool, mentioned here (it seems the main page hasn't been updated to mention it). The software itself is available here (again, the main page hasn't been updated to point to it). This release has a fix specifically for F4/F4SC ROMs causing a crash. Cool, didn't catch that. Thanks for pointing it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadZiontist Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Thanks and BTW, catch the original forum post on PR. There will be another box run soon. Awesome man. Gonna try to make sure I get in on it! This is easily one of my favorite 2600 games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 This release has a fix specifically for F4/F4SC ROMs causing a crash. I'd be more interested to see if there is a way to flash a 64kb ROM like Zippy somehow, since real hardware is my preferred method for playing ROMs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 I'd be more interested to see if there is a way to flash a 64kb ROM like Zippy somehow, since real hardware is my preferred method for playing ROMs. Sorry, that one's outside my control. I don't work on the hardware side of things, but if there is some way for the hardware to do it, I will modify the software as required. But I don't think it can be done with the current iteration of Harmony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 The Harmony cart was designed with high priority for low costs. Therefore a special ARM chips was chosen, which only allowed 32K ROM and IIRC 2K RAM. For Boulder Dash, a slightly different chip with more RAM was used which only required minor modifications for the other hardware. I don't know how the current situation is, but maybe there are more powerful chips available, which are (mostly) compatible with the existing Harmony design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 There's been an updated release of the Harmony Programming Tool, mentioned here (it seems the main page hasn't been updated to mention it). The software itself is available here (again, the main page hasn't been updated to point to it). This release has a fix specifically for F4/F4SC ROMs causing a crash. You're talking about the Harmony Programming Tool, right? I just updated step #1 here: randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-harmony-cartridge.html#firmware_upgrading Scroll down a little to step #1 to see what I added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynicaster Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Just gave this game a boot. Wow, very impressive. It actually transcends "novelty status" and succeeds in channeling the spirit of SMB. I would have burned hours on this back in 1983, if I had it then. Looking forward to the next one.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaGeNyC Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 I've played this with a joystick and a Megadrive (Genesis) controller. I find it easier to land my jumps when I'm using a joystick. The first few games I played, I used a joystick. I did like the feel better, but didn't like the method to run/fire, so I switched to controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 The first few games I played, I used a joystick. I did like the feel better, but didn't like the method to run/fire, so I switched to controller. Genny controller plays the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 This game can also be played with a Genesis Controller. Left, Right and Down are the same actions Button B = Jump Button C = Run / Fire I'm trying the Genesis pad on a real 2600 and not getting anything different. C does nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omegamatrix Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I'm trying the Genesis pad on a real 2600 and not getting anything different. C does nothing. If you have a harmony cart, then you can first test to see if your Genesis buttons are working. I made this test rom a long time ago: Genesis Button Tester.zip Truthfully, I've never tested this on real hardware either... just by selecting Genesis joysticks through Stella. But it should work. Anyhow, give it a try. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 You need to have the Genesis controller in before turning on the VCS. 3 & 6 buttons should work. Not every Genesis controller will work. Some just do not work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 If I reset the game it works. Harmony doesn't seem to work well either with that controller, until I reset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 If I reset the game it works. Harmony doesn't seem to work well either with that controller, until I reset. Hold the B down when turning on VCS with Harmony. I forget why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpmaul69 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Hold the B down when turning on VCS with Harmony. I forget why. wasnt it so it recognized it as a genesis controller and not a paddle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 wasnt it so it recognized it as a genesis controller and not a paddle? Yes that's why. The Harmony software can work with a joystick or a paddle. Because the Genesis controller has one button wired through the paddle connection the software will detect it as a paddle instead of a joystick, unless the B button is held down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprybug Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I'm trying the Genesis pad on a real 2600 and not getting anything different. C does nothing. It detects it on power up, so it needs to be plugged in. I believe it will also detect when you hit reset, but I can't 100% remember. If it's not detecting it right on power up maybe it's taking the controller longer to init than the program is allowing for it. I think if you use the same method that the Haromony uses for Genesis detection it will work too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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