KAZ Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 One other question (completely newbie). Is it possible to have like a 32k atari 2600 game? Or is 8k the limit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 There are bankswitching schemes that support 512K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 There are bankswitching schemes that support 512K. But we all know that anything over 4k is cheating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 512k - Maybe 2k for the kernel and the other 2k each swapped out to provide 255 unique pac boards, complete with fantastical "kill" screen on the final page... A kill screen would make for a nice Easter Egg... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+darryl1970 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 512k - Maybe 2k for the kernel and the other 2k each swapped out to provide 255 unique pac boards, complete with fantastical "kill" screen on the final page... A kill screen would make for a nice Easter Egg.. Going back to the early entries, 4K and 8K were chosen, because they were common cart sizes during the Pac-Man release date. Atari's (Frye's) Pac-Man was allotted 4K. Dintari chose 8K as the "what could have been, as 8K was not unrealistic. I can't even imagine a 512K Atari game. Due to the simplistic nature of the Atari Player/Missile system and graphics, they do not take up as much space as more advanced systems. I think, "gluttony!" lol. In reference to the "no pattern" mode, I am not a mind reader, but I would think the Monster logic would remain the same. My guess is that mode would just have some random generator that caused the monsters to change direction. I supposed it is possible to change the entire logic, but that seems as if it would eat up a lot more RAM. Besides, Pac-Man is not very much fun when the monsters are simply honing in on Pac-Man. Anybody who has played Baby Pac-Man (not Jr) should know what I am talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) I always found it interesting that the Ghosts target the point four dots up and to the left of Pacman whenever he faces up, instead of due north. Was this a deliberate attempt to confutigate the patterns, or a programming oversight? Regardless, the diagonal targeting on vertical orientation stuck in subsequent Pacman releases. Perhaps you could randomly place the targeting towards the upper right instead and make it a 50/50 chance the behavior will be mirrored. At least it would make patterns much more difficult but not impossible to pull off. "A" pattern and "B" pattern would start out similar, yet require the player to quickly diverge into an alternate route based on the mirrored ghost logic. Edited June 2, 2015 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZ Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) The pink one targets a square that is 4 squares in front of where pac-man is facing (kinda makes it seem to 'ambush'. IF pac-man faces north, it will target a square 4 squares up and 4 squares to the left of you! (this is an overflow bug I read). It should not have that logic, since the other three are 'accurate'. The red one tries to target the square you are standing in now. The blue one sometimes follows the pink logic and sometimes does an interesting targeting based on the placement of your pac-man and blinky (tries to target a square in between those two points). The orange one targets just like the red one, but when it gets within about 8 squares of your pac-man, it returns to its 'home territory'. Which is why it is tough to finish a level if you have the lower left corner dots left, because that's where the orange one will be 'patrolling'...because it will try to 'get to your square', but you are already in his territory, so he will just go in circles in his own zone. I got all this from that monster dossier site. http://home.comcast.net/~jpittman2/pacman/pacmandossier.html It explains it way more precisely. I think this programming was on purpose (all except for the north-facing pac-man overflow bug). Of course there is also the 'scatter modes' and the 'attract modes'...that occur at set times during a stage. I did a whole power point about this stuff for my wife, just for fun. Edited June 3, 2015 by KAZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZ Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) Here's the bug to the north facing pac-man, and the fix to pinky and inky: http://donhodges.com/pacman_pinky_explanation.htm Edited June 2, 2015 by KAZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZ Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 And rofl, there should be a 'baby-pac-man' death mode, where the ghosts can switch directions, and just be brutal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) I think it's funny how much thought is going into including bugs from the original game. I also think it would be funny if DINTAR816 turned out to be Tod Frye proving a 30+ year old point. Edited June 2, 2015 by BigO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I also think it would be funny if DINTAR816 turned out to be Tod Frye proving a 30+ year old point. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt_Woloch Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Since you're still working on the sound code, I have a small suggestion to make... If you reach the point where you've eaten all four ghosts after eating a power pill, it seems to me that after all eyes have returned to home, the "blue" sound is still audible. As far as I know, this doesn't happen in the arcade where the sound reverts to the siren sound if you eat all four ghosts before the power time runs out (of course only after all eyes have disappeared, which have their own sound). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breakpack Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 (edited) Hey I'm loving this game! I have a little suggestion! When a ghost is blue and it's next to a fruit, if you eat the fruit and then eat the ghost before the 'eat fruit' sound finishes, after the 'eat ghost' sound ends, the 'eat fruit' sound happens again in the arcade version. Can you recreate it in this port? I don't think I've seen a home port (barring emulation) do this correctly. It's as if the 'eat ghost' sound effect cancels out the 'eat fruit' S.E. before it finishes. Edited June 7, 2015 by Breakpack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Most home ports I've seen, the eat fruit and eat ghost sounds were the same. I think BigO has a point: I think it's funny how much thought is going into including bugs from the original game. I also think it would be funny if DINTAR816 turned out to be Tod Frye proving a 30+ year old point. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breakpack Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 All the home ports that I have played have definitely had different sound effects for eating ghost and eating fruit. From Atari to NES to XBox and all systems in between. They all tried to simulate the arcade. This version is the most awesome! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 (edited) This is amazingly great. I'm loving it! @DINTAR816: I'd love to put your sound driver/data in my TIA version of Pac-Man Collection, if it's ok. I recently updated the Monster sprite data, and I'd like to make a *final* version with good sounds. I know you've got a lot going on, so if not of course that's ok... But It would be great if you could I wonder how Ms. Pac-Man would look/play with your treatement Bob Edited June 7, 2015 by PacManPlus 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breakpack Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 This is amazingly great. I'm loving it! @DINTAR816: I'd love to put your sound driver/data in my TIA version of Pac-Man Collection, if it's ok. I recently updated the Monster sprite data, and I'd like to make a *final* version with good sounds. I know you've got a lot going on, so if not of course that's ok... But It would be great if you could I wonder how Ms. Pac-Man would look/play with your treatement Bob Or maybe even seeing what a collection of Pacman games would be like on the 2600... Could this be a possible compilation? Maybe perhaps the realization of a dream for a Baby Pacman game to come to a home console. And the 2600 at that! We can all hope for that great dream, joy and anticipation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 (edited) Baby Pac is on my list after I finish Defender and an original game that I've been thinking of... (7800) ... thread derailment over Edited June 7, 2015 by PacManPlus 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 All the home ports that I have played have definitely had different sound effects for eating ghost and eating fruit. From Atari to NES to XBox and all systems in between. They all tried to simulate the arcade. This version is the most awesome! Not to nitpick but I think in 2600 Ms. Pac the sounds of fruit & ghost eating are pretty much the same. But yeah of course they're supposed to be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breakpack Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 (edited) Not to nitpick but I think in 2600 Ms. Pac the sounds of fruit & ghost eating are pretty much the same. But yeah of course they're supposed to be different.Well I didn't mention which Atari system version of Ms.Pac-Man I've played..... Is the 2600 version good? Edited June 7, 2015 by Breakpack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 lol.. probably goes without saying, but it's definitely one of the top 10 games of the entire VCS catalog. To say otherwise is fighting words! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZ Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 (edited) In Ms. Pac-Man arcade, if you eat a fruit, then eat a ghost really quickly after, the sound of the ghost is heard briefly, then the fruit swallowing is heard after. It is a cool sound 'glitch'. In ms. pac-man, you can also eat an energizer, and wait for a bit, and eat another one, and eventually if you keep the energizing sound on long enough-it starts glitching out also And I agree NI146, this pac-man version is so great, **it is my top pick for Atari 2600 games past or present.** I just LOVE it. The other home console port that was perfect for code emulation is colecovision's pac-man collection (opcode). Namco 50th anniversary games also have it correct. Namco without the 50th are terrible. I wish Atari 5200 would get some love for pac-man, although I do like the default version Edited June 8, 2015 by KAZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 (edited) Well I was talking about the original Atari MS. Pacman in response to the question posed.. But hey it's all good. Edited June 8, 2015 by NE146 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breakpack Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Well I was talking about the original Atari MS. Pacman in response to the question posed.. But hey it's all good. I know man I was just playin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZ Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 (edited) I like ms. pac-man also, it is one of the best original games. Dintar's, however, blows it away (not a 'fair comparison', but bleh). I'd love to slip in Dintar's pac-man into everyone's atari 2600 pac-man in the past. Anyone have a time machine for sale? I know it is possible, I saw it in The Flash Also, comparing apples with oranges is what I do Edited June 8, 2015 by KAZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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