22 replies to this topic

[Curt Vendel]

Have fun - lets see some new 2600 games, the kernel is great for creating some great new stuff --- maybe its time for 2600 Major Havoc




Curt

Attached Files

•  2600_darkchambers.zip   190.92KB   307 downloads

[Gorf]

Curt Rules.

[Mitch]

It appears to be a late PAL version of Dark Chambers as well as a seperate file of an alternate title screen. Though I can't figure out what the ker7 is supposed be connected with.

Mitch

Attached Files

•  Dark_Chamber_PAL2.zip   9.08KB   184 downloads
•  Dungeon_Title.zip   628bytes   183 downloads

[Curt Vendel]

Ask Thomas J...


Curt

It appears to be a late PAL version of Dark Chambers as well as a seperate file of an alternate title screen. Though I can't figure out what the ker7 is supposed be connected with.

Mitch

[Shannon]

Wow Curt... You sure are busy today!!

[Tempest]

Is the Dungeon title screen PAL or NTSC? I assume Dungeon was the work in progress name.

Tempest

[supercat]

Oooh, I just realized that all these source files that keep appearing are REAL source code. Way cool.

Is there some nice list of them? Perhaps it would be useful to create a blog or a special forum?

[Mitch]

Is the Dungeon title screen PAL or NTSC? I assume Dungeon was the work in progress name.

Tempest

Z26 says 285 lines. So I guess that's probably NTSC.
I think Dandy Dungeon was the original title on the 8bit version. Maybe it was shortened to just Dungeon before they decided on Dark Chambers.

Mitch

[Tempest]

Is the Dungeon title screen PAL or NTSC? I assume Dungeon was the work in progress name.

Tempest

Z26 says 285 lines. So I guess that's probably NTSC.
I think Dandy Dungeon was the original title on the 8bit version. Maybe it was shortened to just Dungeon before they decided on Dark Chambers.

Mitch

Neat. So the other files are for the final PAL version, but there was a prototype NTSC title screen included? Odd... Also odd how it's just literally the title, and nothing else from the title screen.

Tempest

[batari]

Interesting - the game's code suggests it was developed on a 7800 (as I see a reference to putting the console in 2600 mode.) In a certain forum, we were wondering why Atari didn't just fix the game if it didn't work on 7800s, but if it was developed on a 7800, it probably didn't occur to anyone that the actual Superchip hardware wouldn't work, and they had countless mask ROMs produced before this was discovered, leading Atari to modify future 7800s with a timing hack (much to our chagrin, as we found when testing a certain cart, which is now working on these flaky consoles.)

But still unanswered is why Atari cared about this game so much, especially when there is a 7800 version as well?

[doctorclu]

Coded on a 7800 but won't work on a 7800? Wild.

Thanks Curt and for the Pal version Mitch.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Ask Thomas J...

It appears to be a late PAL version of Dark Chambers as well as a seperate file of an alternate title screen. Though I can't figure out what the ker7 is supposed be connected with.

Found the threat today. Will have a look this evening.

[Tempest]

What's the date on the Dungeon Title Screen "prototype"?

Tempest

[Mitch]

What's the date on the Dungeon Title Screen "prototype"?

Tempest

I didn't see a date in the source code.

Mitch

[Thomas Jentzsch]

The source code file is from 11/12/85.

[TunnelRunner]

Have fun - lets see some new 2600 games, the kernel is great for creating some great new stuff --- maybe its time for 2600 Major Havoc




Curt

"Keep playing...the Home World is near!" (actually it never was!)
Cool idea, Curt.

[Rom Hunter]

Let me get this straight:

Is the Dark Chambers PAL ROM a prototype or not?

BTW: the title screen is also in the PAL scanline range.

[Mitch]

Let me get this straight:

Is the Dark Chambers PAL ROM a prototype or not?

BTW: the title screen is also in the PAL scanline range.

Yes.

It has an odd number of lines so it's more likely to be NTSC.

Mitch

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Let me get this straight:

Is the Dark Chambers PAL ROM a prototype or not?

BTW: the title screen is also in the PAL scanline range.

The PAL ROM has to be a prototype. But only very few bytes differ and those are used for colors. Notice the different background color inside the game.

The title screen displays 285 lines (pretty much exactly in the middle between PAL and NTSC) which seems to be typical for many early prototype developments.

[Rom Hunter]

Yes, I noticed that.

Thanks.

[Mitch]

Thomas, Any luck with the ker7 file?

Mitch

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Thomas, Any luck with the ker7 file?

No much, expect that is seems to be written for a RAM based development machine. So this will never run on a normal 2600 and is probably a pretty early development stage.

[Mitch]

Thomas, Any luck with the ker7 file?

No much, expect that is seems to be written for a RAM based development machine. So this will never run on a normal 2600 and is probably a pretty early development stage.

Hmm, probably the 7800 dev card. I'll have to try it on that and see if it's any different. Thanks.

Mitch