Gurner Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 The prototype is pretty cool.Why wasn't it finished? Looks like it was mostly done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highinfidelity Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 (edited) I agree that the prototype shows a lot of potential. I think it only came a bit too late, in the mid of the videogame crash, and being a port of a sort of "niche" arcade game, probably not a superseller, was cancelled or delayed and then scrapped. It's a pity as Elevator Action is a little great game, if you ask me. Edited September 17, 2014 by highinfidelity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imstarryeyed Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Elevator action is one of those 'you gotta play it..then you will love it.' games for me. I would love to see this game rebooted for 2600 or 7800 or even an SGM close version for Coleco. The port that was from the msx was nice but I am sure the SGM & one of those talented programmers can make an even better one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 There might be a later version out there, but this is the only one that has surfaced. Someone should ask Dan if he got any further than this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Elevator action is one of those 'you gotta play it..then you will love it.' games for me. I would love to see this game rebooted for 2600 or 7800 or even an SGM close version for Coleco. The port that was from the msx was nice but I am sure the SGM & one of those talented programmers can make an even better one. The port from the MSX is horrible. I'm hoping someone releases an "Elevator Action Arcade" for the ColecoVision - as the title suggests, more closer to the arcade game. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 I played the hell out of the NES port as a kid, and thought it was pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 A spit polish and a few sound effects and 2600 Elevator Action would be pretty much done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highinfidelity Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Yes indeed. I sometimes wonder how is it that none of the many good "homebrewers" we have on board ever managed to complete it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Without source, you have to disassemble it in order to complete it. That's not a trivial task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kripto Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 What I find really surprising is an arcade sequel was made to Elevator Action and it is SUPER-violent, including the heroes killing dogs and setting groups of people on fire, with them running around ablaze, etc. I have nothing against violence in games but it was a very sharp difference from the cartoony deaths which befall the characters in the original, such as the accordion-style end of anyone unfortunate enough to get stuck under an elevator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aL9XpxICgk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurner Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 It's a shame about the source code – it would be awesome to even have the prototype version with sound. Maybe it could be a collaborative thing? - Like a group on here does a task each, making the overall job easier for each? Release it as the finished ROM – by Atari Age, sell carts with boxes etc. I'm not much help though, my coding skills are zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highinfidelity Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 What I find really surprising is an arcade sequel was made to Elevator Action and it is SUPER-violent, including the heroes killing dogs and setting groups of people on fire, with them running around ablaze, etc. I have nothing against violence in games but it was a very sharp difference from the cartoony deaths which befall the characters in the original, such as the accordion-style end of anyone unfortunate enough to get stuck under an elevator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aL9XpxICgk Unfortunately that doesn't suprise me, as the whole videogame industry (but also the music industry, and also the movie industry, and also...) took an unbelievably hyper-violent turn after the mid eighties. And I actually have many things against violence in videogames (and in music, and in movies, and in...). And quite obviously the problem is not violence per se (if we stretch, also Outlaw is violent...) but it's the way in which violence is shown that is spine-chilling. I can't really find anything amusing in people burned alive. Actually, it recalls me of my grandad who happened to be recruited in the flame-thrower corps during WWII and had nightmares for the rest of his short life. Nothing to have fun with, really. And basically the reason why I have progressively completely lost my interest in videogames, except for the few rare smart gems that surface occasionally (Puzzle Bubble, Sega Rally and amusing things like these). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Yes indeed. I sometimes wonder how is it that none of the many good "homebrewers" we have on board ever managed to complete it.We are all busy with our own projects. My to-do list is already much longer than my remaining life time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre81 Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 My to-do list is already much longer than my remaining life time. First dibs on your collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schuwalker Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 I agree that the prototype shows a lot of potential. I think it only came a bit too late, in the mid of the videogame crash, and being a port of a sort of "niche" arcade game, probably not a superseller, was cancelled or delayed and then scrapped. It's a pity as Elevator Action is a little great game, if you ask me. As a collector of arcade games and fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Taito stuff, I can tell you Elevator Action was huge in the arcades in the state. It did come dedicated and in kit form. And in '83 it was their #1 selling game for that year... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Dennis Debro and I spent some time about 8 years ago looking into finishing Elevator Action. Dennis spent a lot of time disassembling the 8K game and had about 60% of it labeled. I tried to fix a few things but didn't get far. The game itself does show lots of promise, but is more like 70% done instead of the advertised 'about 95%': - no sound - only one level layout, no difficulty ramping - your man can't fall or get crushed by the elevator, many glitches in moving - enemies are restricted to one floor - they don't ride the escalators or the elevators - it would be nice if the end of the building had multiple elevators to ride similar to the arcade - escape car at the end would be cool - intro sequence when the guy climbs a rope on the roof would be cool I've only gotten through a few levels in the arcade so I'm not sure if there are other obstacles that come along as the game progresses. Overall I see at least a few months of work to get it playable; more with bells & whistles. Who knows - maybe someday.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 I know what you are talking about. Debugging and polishing a game is constantly underestimated by non-developers. And the closer you get to 100%, the longer each % takes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Let's not forget that 5200 and 7800 Elevator Action still haven't been recovered... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Man, I played the ever loving crap out of this on the NES. I rememberr reading there was a 2600 version and set out to find (other games I collected after finding out they existed were Ghost Busters and Rampage, both hard to find here, or were back then, I just assumed this was another rarity) No wonder I never could turn up a copy LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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