DK Arcade 2600 - Playable Demo!

[RevEng]

I'll make a comment, and then let the thread resume with the main topic, the most excellent DK Arcade 2600 game.

 

I'll agree that DPC+ games aren't "VCS 2600 games", but only in the same way that Supercharger games aren't "VCS 2600 games".

 

When referring to the homebrew games, one should use qualifiers for enhancements beyond 4k. e.g. my game is "a VCS 2600 games with 32k bankswitching". These enhancements (bank-switching, cart-ram, DPC, DPC+) make for different "platforms", and programs using them shouldn't be directly compared to ones that stuff themselves into 4k and use the built-in resources.

 

Having a coprocessor on-cart shouldn't be some line in the sand. In the 2600's lifetime Atari had plans to bus-stuff the 2600 address bus for the Graduate add-on, bypassing the 6502 and TIA limitations. To me this is much more in the "not VCS" category than only running a coprocessor in a cart.

 

Also, there's this notion that having an ARM on the cart gives you limitless power. The ARM has to output through TIA, and input from the 6502, and it's hands are very tied; while the ARM is faster than a 6502, most of the time it's very busy handling the cart address lines. We're also presently limited in DPC+ ROM size compared to EPROM formats, and ARM code is waaaaay more expansive than 6502 assembly, and so is the graphics data to support those fancy multi-color single-line sprites and playfield.

 

Like other VCS programming, with DPC+ you have to deal with trade-offs. They're just different trade-offs.

 

Anyway, personally I find 4k stock-hardware-only programming very boring. Been there, done that. I'm glad for little forays into more exotic gear.

 

tl;dr? Yes, you're right, it is a controversial topic.

[maiki]

I have a feeling there are systems that have been maxed out over the years and we will hardly see any new programming tricks, there are systems that have not. Stock Atari 2600 with 4k ROM limit falls into the first group. Sega Genesis sits in the second one. IMO

[Byte Knight]

To me, it's still an Atari 2600 game if you can play it on real hardware. The graphics for DK Arcade 2600 are on par with some of the later Activision games, so I don't think that there's a huge jump in game design technology here. This game would have been very doable towards the end of the 2600's life cycle had the market remained financially viable for developers. I agree with RevEng that the 2600 will always have its limitations - after all, look how much flicker is in our game!

[godzillajoe]

Just an FYI, I can still reproduce the floating mario bug on the elevator screen. Not sure if the rom I have is the latest, I downloaded it again a few days ago from where I thought you had posted it.

[Byte Knight]

Just an FYI, I can still reproduce the floating mario bug on the elevator screen. Not sure if the rom I have is the latest, I downloaded it again a few days ago from where I thought you had posted it.

 

You've got the latest - we're waiting to post a more substantial update.

[iesposta]

Looks good! A "falling" sound on the girder screen when Kong takes the dive would be a nice touch. It gets oddly silent. But other than that, I love it.

Added! It does add a lot, godzillajoe.

The arcade has three same notes, then 6 high/low pairs, then the fall sound.

I dropped the three same notes.

When you get the last rivet, everything freezes, the Center clears and the 6 high/low sounds play.

Then kong is flipped and a step down from high to low plays as kong falls.

(It is a bit choppy, but I used the changing Y position variable (because it is changing at that time anyway) and tweaked it so it ends low without rolling back to the high notes.)

The couple is united at the top with the solid heart, and the win tune plays.

 

Byte Knight cleared the fireballs and hammers, and added an animation!

 

I don't have enough space left to put in the cool beginning with stomping the horizontal girders to slanted that is in the earlier builds, even after rewrites to make it smaller.

Trying to come up with some type of Start Screen with the opening music.

Maybe spelled out in PF pixels like DK VCS (without the cool Center dots - that is assembly magic ) and The Lady saying, "Help" and then kong stomping across the bottom then growling? This will only play at game start. The "How High" screens in-game ARE the Titlescreen Kernel (with added code to make 1-4 "stupid monkeys.")

[Godzilla]

Nice to see all this new 2600 kong love I knew stella had it in her

 

old thread with people mocking my dream. (Later thread has intact images, for some reason AA lost some of the attached pics.)

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/22578-my-new-2600-donkey-kong-conceptual-gfx-now-4-boards-n-bin/

[macdlsa]

@ iesposta & Byte Knight

 

I remember some years ago I spoke in a thread here on AA about an "ideal" Donkey Kong - ARCADE version, with all its four stages and in full-screen...

Well, seems my thought became true.

Really awesome job !

There are, indeed, some things that could be fixed, but I read all the posts and I don't think I would have to add anything that has not already been said.

Sorry if I don't speak English so well as I should ( Italy here )...

It's almost 3 or 4 years (or more... don't remember ) that I made box and cartrtidge artworks for suuch a game, as I already did for all the "ARCADE series" hack / enhancement games !

If you'd like it... I'm here .

 

Marco

 

[ Donkey Kong ARCADE_lowres_x_upload ]
[ NOTE: screenshots drawn following VCS' ( and,of course, TIA's) hardware limits... ]

 

 

 

[Byte Knight]

I remember some years ago I spoke in a thread here on AA about an "ideal" Donkey Kong - ARCADE version, with all its four stages and in full-screen...

Well, seems my thought became true.

Really awesome job !

There are, indeed, some things that could be fixed, but I read all the posts and I don't think I would have to add anything that has not already been said.

Sorry if I don't speak English so well as I should ( Italy here )...

It's almost 3 or 4 years (or more... don't remember ) that I made box and cartrtidge artworks for suuch a game, as I already did for all the "ARCADE series" hack / enhancement games !

If you'd like it... I'm here .

 

Thanks, and great job on the box art! I love the mockups of the Elevator and Conveyor Belt levels. It would be really cool to see our screenshots on the back. It looks like I've only posted video so far, so here are some screen shots:

 

[iesposta]

Kong is missing from the elevator Level!

[macdlsa]

He's blinked out

 

I will add him on the pic

[macdlsa]

Here it is

 

[ note : 1987 is indicative... ]

 

[+bfstats]

NIIIIIIICE!

 

How'd you do it?

[iesposta]

NIIIIIIICE!

 

How'd you do it?

Our game, or the box?

For the game I learned how the Atari 2600 does things.

batari had just released batari Basic with DPC+ support, which allowed up to 10 sprites with single line color, so I started the artwork and sounds.

A few years later, Princess Rescue getting pulled due to a C&D made me continue onward. I had walking around Level 4 started.

Having never finished a game before, Byte Knight stepped up to do the game logic that would have taken me years to achieve what he has done in the last six months.

 

As for the box, I'll leave that to its creator.

[SpaceDice2010]

Wow. This is one project that is just truly amazing. I can't wait for the final version.

[Byte Knight]

Here it is

 

[ note : 1987 is indicative... ]

 

 

Wow - quick turnaround! Looks great!

[+bfstats]

Programming of the game AND design of the box are both very well done. Congrats, and thanks for an excellent contribution. I'll definitely be a buyer when it's ready!

 

And specifically, will the "creator" reveal how the box was printed?

[macdlsa]

@ bsfats :

 

Like I said, years ago I made artworks for boxes for some of the "ARCADE SERIES" hacks, all with a kind of "White Label"

I used an OOOOOLD version of "Ulead Photo Express", and it is since the 2004...

Nothing more than simply "cit/copy/mockups with a "basic" layout which has all the correct measures of the "regular" Atari boxes .

 

You could watch them in their "dedicated" thread... but I couldn't find it, too , so I re-post some of them here, noe :

 

 

 

 

 

When I bought the cartridge of "Pac-Man ARCADE" I "call" a local photolab to print the box on a 300gr.A3 carton, and the result is pretty good, though not too much "professional" (of course, Mark O. boxes are much better !!!) :

 

 

 

[+bfstats]

Thanks for the comprehensive response.

 

PM sent.

[retrogoober]

PLEASE dont let this die, especially a cart release!

[iesposta]

It's not dead, it is just not finished. We have 1200+ bytes to add polish, difficulty increases, surprises.

I just added a "hammer hit an enemy" sound, different from the jump over sound like the arcade.

Also there are many finished games waiting for Melody hardware cartridges.

[retrogoober]

any updates on this awesome project?

[iesposta]

any updates on this awesome project?

Nope, nothing after the Level 4 end animation and falling sound, and the start screen and the hammer hit sound change.

 

I think in my optimization I broke the fix on Pie Level. At least for me, jumping under the hammer sometimes results in death. The hammer was moved or shortened by a pixel and when I went through making all the hammers the same size I think the bug came back. Also if the hammer is at a certain scan lines, it causes the pies below to have a "ghost glitch" pixels. It is distracting and not pretty.

 

A bug that can't be fixed, that I've seen in old Heavy Sixers TIA chip and certain 7800 TIA chip, is that playfield pixels will blink.

 

I've mostly stalled because the AtariAge store hasn't been able to get new games out. I even wrote a 4K simple no-box game "Flappy" just to offer something new in the store along with the 4K "Three.s," but SIMPLE still means printing labels and manuals (or in Flappy's case an instruction card), having donor shells, cleaning them, burning chips and soldering them into boards, and assembly, etc.!

 

Also wanting to release this in the Store, and having the Store decide to sell it needs discussed.

[Byte Knight]

Finally an update of DK Arcade 2600!

 

• You can now play as Pauline (created for the 2 women on AtariAge!).

• Japanese and US level order selection for release version.

• Titlescreen to select player / level order.

• By popular demand, Mario moves quicker up and down ladders.

• Fireballs descend ladders quicker.

• Difficulty level increases.

• Numerous sound updates and bug fixes.

 

Remember to turn Phosphor Effect (Ctrl-p) on in Stella!

 

Easy version:

DK20141011BcDemoE.bin

 

Once you've beat the easy version, try the harder version:

DK20141011BcDemoH.bin

 

[TrekMD]

Cool! Thanks for the update!