Pitfall! on Intellivision vs. Atari 2600

[Room 34]

I was just playing Pitfall! on my Intellivision, noticing that the map is (or at least appears to be, based on the pathetic amount of it I managed to explore) identical to that of the Atari 2600 version, the "original" version of the game.

 

I know, based on our previous discussions here, that the map in the Atari 2600 version was not "planned" but in fact happened naturally as a consequence of the pseudo-random number generator David Crane used in the game.

 

My question is this: Does the Intellivision version use the same logarithm and seed to "dynamically" produce the same map as the 2600 version does, or is the map actually "designed" in the Intellivision version, so that it will match the 2600 version?

 

I guess inherent in this question is the corrollary question, do Intellivision games (unlike Atari 2600 games) have the storage capacity to contain a "designed" map of this complexity?

[Voch]

There is a definite map in Pitfall for the 2600. I'm not sure about Pitfall for the Inty (but I'll find out soon when the one I bought on eBay gets here). Here's a link to the map for the 2600.

 

Voch

[Room 34]

You must've missed the earlier discussions. Yes, you get a consistent map in the 2600 version, but it was not specifically "designed." It is generated on-the-fly by a logarithmic formula, but since that formula always has the same seed, you always get the same map. River Raid works this way too.

 

This was done because the cartridge couldn't actually store data for the placement of all objects on 255 separate screens (or the several thousand levels possible in River Raid). The seed value for the level generator was just tweaked until the developer got a satisfactory layout, and that was kept as the permanent "map" of the game.

[Osbo]

I was looking for the pitfall rom to try it out, and I didn't find it, instead, I've got something called Intellivision Pack something, with like 4 games, one of them it's the Beauty and the Beast... man, it was love at first sight, I've played for 2 hours and then I went to eat dinner and now I'm back for more

 

Osbo

[Room 34]

Beauty and the Beast

That was Imagic doing Mattel a favor and proving to the world that the Intellivision was, in fact, capable of much better games than Coleco's ultra-crappy version of Donkey Kong for the system.

 

But now we're getting off topic...

[Osbo]

oh well... I didn't know that I wouldn't expent anything more from Imagic, great games... Well my last comment, i've been playing q-bert (couldn't figure out the controls yet) and River Raid.... both pretty impressive games

 

Osbo

[ubersaurus]

Yeah, the intellision can put out some great games...I'd think that since it has somewhat more memory then the 2600 that maybe they just copied the whole map and stuck it in the games memory?

[SS]

Death to the evil machine from Mattel!

[Voch]

You must've missed the earlier discussions.  Yes, you get a consistent map in the 2600 version, but it was not specifically "designed."  It is generated on-the-fly by a logarithmic formula, but since that formula always has the same seed, you always get the same map.  River Raid works this way too.

 

That's actually kinda nifty to know. Thanks.

 

Voch

[Goochman]

All the variations of Pitfall have the same map (and hence the same seeding) - The Atari 800 version is the same map.

[Room 34]

All the variations of Pitfall have the same map (and hence the same seeding) - The Atari 800 version is the same map.

I still am not getting at the answer I seek... I want to know if the ported versions, which all share the 2600 version's map, are also attaining that map through a logarithm the way the 2600 does, or whether these more "powerful" systems actually have the map explicitly defined in the ROM. Anyone know?

[NE146]

Anyone know?

 

Well I sure don't .. (just wanted you to have at least one straight up reply there Room34) Interesting question though. But who here would really know besides the programmers themselves? ..unless Thomas has taken to dissasembling Intelly proggies.

[Room 34]

But who here would really know besides the programmers themselves? ..unless Thomas has taken to dissasembling Intelly proggies.

Well, I think it's clear what must be done.

 

Thomas, you need to start disassembling Intellivision games.