90 replies to this topic

[therealbountybob]

roadrunner, on Wed May 2, 2012 4:39 PM, said:

Check out the beer belly on this guy.

Beer Belly Burt in person

[therealbountybob]

I think I finished 'Control' on Beer Belly Burt's 1,600 I'm assuming that you can only get back to the first screen by completing each part... he fell off but was still alive! then I moved him but he fell through the screen OUCH! I like the use of multiple linked screens. Hint: sometimes the exits are not marked!


Tapper (ARCADE) Level 10 with 3 cans opened safely... those Aliens are tough customers

[jblenkle]

Tapper - 45,950 (Level 6, 1 can opened)

[Caco]

My first game:

25975

round 6, 2 cans opened.

Edited by Caco, Fri May 4, 2012 4:31 AM.

[therealbountybob]

OK Guys I need your help in Pondering About Max's - After two gaming sessions I've only manage to complete the 1st screen on The Dream - anyone else managed to get anywhere???

Does anyone have the original disk with the artwork ? (see reviews)

[Caco]

round 7, 2 cans opened, 48000

[roadrunner]

Tapper Arcade skill

23,825 round 8

two cans opened

Attached Thumbnails

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[Goochman]

Beer Belly 200

[Goochman]

Tapper - Round 10 3/3 59750

[Champions_2002]

XL/XE Review

Pondering About Max's

Ed Hall checks out a quirky, somewhat different and brand new game from the USA

Just before the demise of ANTIC magazine. I noticed a couple of ads for a new game. They were small, black-and-white jobs from some hitherto unknown company inviting me to send them $22.95 Yawn.
But wait a minute ... there was something odd about these ads. There were no boxes filled with squinty text, and no crazed stew of idiotic fonts. Obviously this was not the work of some goofball high on DTP. By go, the conclusion was unmistakable. these ads had originality.
Thus began my aquaintance with one of the quirkiest pieces of software I have ever encountered. Even the names are loopy "Change In Heat" is the company, and "Pondering About Max's" is the game. Except it's not one game but three - plus a demo - all crowed onto a single disk. The games are entitled The Dream, P.A.M., and Bar Room Brawl. Can you guess what P.A.M. stands for?

FIGURING OUT MAX

The game comes in a small folder resembling a record album. The similarity is not coioncidental; inside you'll find a photo of a record, and musical credits to pop star Howard Jones, whose tunes are featured in the game. Open the folder and you'll discover a booklet of 'liner notes." They include instructions, and a mock article about a sporting contest which sets the game's premise. The prose is so inflated and satirical that you won't make much sense of it at first, but embedded in it are clues and references to the three games taht make up Pondering About Max's.

Now. just peeking out from behind the booklet is a tab. Give it a pull and out pops an envelope from a hidden pocket. Inside the envelope is a disk which is not your standard square of black plastic. It sports a custom jacket made of cardboard with graphics on one side and game credits on the other. The overused word "unique" comes to mind but for once it is entirely appropriate; there is no other disk for Atari computers like this one.
I was so intriqued by this elaborate packagining that i just had to write to the company. From them. I learned that the entire package was assembled by hand at a university typography lab, According to game designer Mark Peters, this infatuation with details arose from "desire to create a package that together with the game, would become a work of art with lasting appeal ..."
Consequently, no surface has been left untouched. The pull-tab, the envelope, the disk jacket, everything has been enlisted to reflect some aspect of the game. After a while it becomes clear that the package itself is part of the game.

BOOTING AN ART OBJECT

On side one we have The Dream and P.A.M., two similar platform games with excellent graphics. The screens are bright, attractive, and embellished with many humorous touches. You can get a peak at them by waiting until the demo routines kick in. Altogether, 12 are shown; there may be more.
On side two the graphics and gameplay are completely different, and we're back to quirky. Bar Room Brawl offers you a chance to be a Burt Reynolds clone. Tangle with "bearded stuntman" in a number of bars. Throw bottles, break chairs, smash TV sets, Whoopee!
In Finis, the most original part of Pondering About Max's, you'll choose a song on the jukebox and look for a dance partner. Wait a minute! Isn't that the gorgeous Barb Vidal waiting to congratulate the winner of these contests?
Barb Vidal?
Yes. Pondering About Max's does have a story line of sorts and Finis, s short routine which employs an amusing cinematic technique, is an attempt to wrap things up.

I KNOW IT'S ART, BUT...

Despite my obvious liking for it. Pondering About Max's is not perfect. The gameplay is very tough - perhaps too tough especially in The Dream and P.A.M. The graphics are good but not state-of-the-art. The sparse sound effects and snippets of music are adequate, but not exceptional. On the other hand, there are many fine artistic and humorous touches you'll not find in other 8-bit games.
The real beauty of Pondering About Max's (argues Mark Peters) is "in the tiny details that can only be discovered after months of play - I mean this literally. From personal experience i have found that it's possible to come back to the game months later and find completely new ways of advancing, and uncover animated routines never seen before (or in my case routines I had forgotten having programmed.) The symbols and themes behind the trilogy also reveal themselves with time clues are woven into protagonists' dreams and the packaging itself. The lyrics to the Howard Jones songs chosen also she light ... "
Pondering About Max's doesn't come from a big company. It's the sort of offbeat product that could only come from a small operation, one that could take time to allow it's artistic vision to include not just the programs themselves, but also the packaging and the advertising. Yet it's not amateurish product; it's a professionally executed piece of software right down to the loading screens. It's the sort of game that could achieve a cult status.

GET QUIRKY

The unexpected demand for Pondering About Max's has outstripped the production capacity of Change in Heat. They are now offering a plain vanilla version (unlabelled disk plus instruction booklet) for $12.95. They still have a limited number with the original packaging, priced at $22.95. A $10 refund will be sent to those who order the fancy version after they've run out. There are no additional charges for postage and handling, even for overseas orders.


This is from Page 6 Issue 56 pages 34-35

Edited by Champions_2002, Fri May 4, 2012 1:01 PM.

[therealbountybob]

Thanks for that '2002 I put a couple of links to PAM reviews on the 1st post - trouble is without the original packaging I'm stuck!!! C'mon folks someone must be able to beat a screen or two - it's more of a case of working out what to do than it being difficult

Bet you guys are looking forward to tomorrow's matches (I have to support Newcastle for a day EUCH!)

Not sure how to score this round so we'll go for this for now

[Scalak]

[atarianna]

Tapper, level 7, score 26300 and two drinks opened

[Sikor]

Tapper: 32700, round 8, 2/2 opened

[Scalak]

Beer Belly Burt's Brew Biz

most points it's not good idea. You can camp over door and kill man - each killed 20p...

Edited by Scalak, Sun May 6, 2012 12:26 PM.

[therealbountybob]

atarianna, on Sun May 6, 2012 5:48 AM, said:

Tapper, level 7, score 26300 and two drinks opened

Hey little sister what have you done.... she finished on level 10 with 3 drinks opened safely   (without using her fingers to follow the cans on screen this time   ) went home with an RSI after a zillion goes

Scalak, on Sun May 6, 2012 12:24 PM, said:

Beer Belly Burt's Brew Biz
most points it's not good idea. You can camp over door and kill man - each killed 20p...

I'll trust you guys "no camping" I've got further on production and shipping but not completed them... yet!  Shipping seems the hardest section Did you complete any of the sections?

Beer Shot +  Level 6 6,734

Can anyone think of any other beer/bar related Atari games?

[Scalak]

therealbountybob, on Sun May 6, 2012 2:49 PM, said:

Scalak, on Sun May 6, 2012 12:24 PM, said:

Beer Belly Burt's Brew Biz
most points it's not good idea. You can camp over door and kill man - each killed 20p...

I'll trust you guys "no camping" I've got further on production and shipping but not completed them... yet!  Shipping seems the hardest section Did you complete any of the sections?

aaaa ok 2080 is with camping... my score: 1,5 lev - 980 points

[Champions_2002]

another go better score on BBBBB

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by Champions_2002, Mon May 7, 2012 2:25 AM.

[twh/f2]

Here are our Scores for this round:

https://sites.google...ns2012/session5

Beer Belly Burt in Brew Biz

twh 640
EinQuadrat 640
MLP 590
Mr.Vcs 340

Mhmm.. we found something which we call the "Tapper trap"... that means, that we could place the guy close to a door, and shot as many guards as we want but never die. That we generated a "score of honor" of 640 pts.

Beer Shot +

twh 5198 (Round 5)
EinQuadrat 3350 (Round 3)
MLP 2554 (Round 2)
Mr.Vcs 220 (Round1 )

What a funny game that was! Unfortunately it had a bug and so we had to BREAK the game and type in "RUN" to restart.. The game itself is very minimalistic... and only truly playable with a beer and friends

[therealbountybob]

Beershot+ Level 8 (9,314)

Tapper (55,925) still round 10 with 3 (on arcade) but not able to beat round 10 even with 5 men
Brew Biz - completed "Shipping" but the "Production" screen with the key top left and handrails is getting me every time. Control is easiest.  I'll make it a bonus HSC point for anyone completing a section on this game

[Scalak]

completed all three (game not end - I have save state because I don't know what at this moment doing... camping ?)


P.A.M - end first screen

Edited by Scalak, Mon May 7, 2012 3:03 PM.

[therealbountybob]

Scalak, on Mon May 7, 2012 3:01 PM, said:

completed all three (game not end - I have save state because I don't know what at this moment doing... camping ?)
Well done Can you get back in anywhere? Perhaps it just ends like that???

P.A.M - end first screen

P.A.M. P.A.M??? I beat 1st screen on "The Dream" if you tell how I'll tell how

[Scalak]

me too the Dream - I'll record it if You want?

BBBB: Yes I can enter each door again...

Edited by Scalak, Mon May 7, 2012 3:29 PM.

[therealbountybob]

Scalak, on Mon May 7, 2012 3:25 PM, said:

me too the Dream - I'll record it if You want?

BBBB: Yes I can enter each door again...

That's ok - we both beat the same screen!
On PAM I've managed to get the giant root beer on and the 2nd switch seems to shake it but the baddie doesn't give you enough time to shake it much - the needle/gauge seems to move a bit so I'm thinking you must get it to the top? I've tried jumping on the beer, dropping onto the gauge... on the 2nd screen on The Dream I've only been able to get up the right hand side but no idea what to do (you can press Option (then fire) to start on this screen once you have beaten screen 1).

You can put that down as beating BBB but you might want to play on to see if it's any different the 2nd time

[therealbountybob]

Beer Shot+  Level 9  (10,476)


p.s. rr I had a look at Rent Wars looks like it's 2 player head to head - you can harpoon items for cash - not sure if there's much skill to it - next time I have a mate over will give it a bash (If the game demo starts seems only reset takes it back to the menu!)