Bristles graphic corruption..

[Mclaneinc]

Did a search but saw nothing..

 

While doing my game checks for the gamepack I play tested Bristles and every version including the roms produce graphic corruption after finishing the first round, tried it on Altirra and Win Plus....Same..

 

Tried the 3 possible OS's and variations in memory..

 

 

[Rybags]

I think my disk version from the 80s worked without problem... haven't played that game in decades.

Can't remember either if there were any XL OS issues, don't think there was.

[Mclaneinc]

I sat the day before yesterday testing about 15 versions and I know I have a duff OS rom somewhere in my sets so I tried Winplus which only uses the 3 plus bas original Atari approved dumps and got the same deal. What was off for me was the rom version also did the same, I can understand that there's loads of versions of pretty much the same disc or cas based crack which could have miss handled protection for loading checks but the rom would not have these and perhaps just over write checks and possibly omnimon checks but I'm sure Bristles is pre Omnimon by ages.

 

Shame my hardware in back in the cupboard or I'd check it against that...

 

All I know is that after the first round you get rubbish where I think text should be and the words "in time" are displayed for a second before going to the next level.

 

Emulation or bad dumps?

 

Would be nice to hear if it does the same via real hardware..

Edited April 7, 2015 by Mclaneinc

[Rybags]

My guess is bad copy. Especially if the same cracker message is on all of them.

 

I suppose you've tried Fandals and the Vietnam game archive as well? http://atari.vjetnam.cz/index.php?frame=lett&dir=b&page=7

 

I'd guess the FTP and other less prominent sites would have the game too, don't have any links handy though.

 

I'd have checked for myself in my collection, but none of my Atari stuff is setup ATM.

[Rybags]

I just got to level 2 in the one from Vietnam archive and the graphics seem fine.

 

I also worked out why I'd not played the game in years - what an annoying clusterfuck. Climb a ladder and get screwed over by an elevator. Don't get screwed by the elevator and the other crap gets you.

[Keatah]

There's graphic corruption in the first level. the :00 and paint brushes..

[Mclaneinc]

Just tried the pointed to version and I still get the corruption as soon as you paint the first level, I get a load of crap characters and then "IF MORE" on the screen..(Not In Time as I previously said.

 

Just tried Altirra 2.6 just in case, the same..

[Mclaneinc]

And can now confirm it corrupts on real hardware (800XL)

[Rybags]

The random stuff on the titles and messages, I thought it was supposed to be like that.

[Keatah]

Try the C64 version (I have not yet). I bet there's text there.

 

It is interesting that the disk versions exhibit the same failure as the cart version, unless the disk version is the cart version..?

 

2 different sources and 2 different dump methods?

Edited April 7, 2015 by Keatah

[Rybags]

Disk version ends around $AE00, so if there was an authentic cart version it would have needed to be a reassembly which makes it worth checking out for differences.

[tschak909]

I was almost going to suggest ripping the Max-A-Flex version from the MAME ROM set, but I forgot that it has changes to work with the Max-A-Flex coin-timer hardware...

 

-Thom

[Kr0tki]

Actually the Max-A-Flex ROM is identical to the normal cartridge.

[Keatah]

2 different sources and 2 different dump methods?

 

Both versions (disk & cart) fail the same way with the same corruption..

[Rybags]

I suppose if a resolution can't be had, I'll have to get my file version off the floppy.

 

I can't recall it having problems ever, though it did have the randomness in the message text graphics, I was fairly sure it was intended to be like that.

[Mclaneinc]

Try the C64 version (I have not yet). I bet there's text there.

 

It is interesting that the disk versions exhibit the same failure as the cart version, unless the disk version is the cart version..?

 

2 different sources and 2 different dump methods?

 

Doh, it was the obvious thing to do, as Keatah says, try a different machine version..

 

And the answer is............Its the same on the C64, so this means its a message that must reveal itself the more you play..(I presume), as the C64 version is a rough port its unlikely the same gibberish is by accident. on 2 machines.

[Keatah]

The C-64 version has the same scrambled text. When done, it displays "IF".

[Keatah]

http://www.atarimagazines.com/v3n1/productreviews.html

 

BRISTLES

First Star Software
22 East 41st St.
New York, NY 10017
(212) 532-4666
$29.95, 32K -- cassette & disk

Reviewed by George Adamson

If you've got a burning desire to paint your walls, but don't want to clean up messy rollers or spilled paint, Bristles might be the game for you.

 

In Bristles, you control a painter whose task is to paint eight different houses in each of six skill levels -- a total of 48 structures. You start with 10 brushes, and must race a clock to finish painting each house. To move between the different levels, you can either climb a ladder or ride an elevator. But be careful not to get caught in an open elevator shaft, or you'll be sent to the bottom of the shaft to start over. If you successfully finish a painting job, you receive two extra brushes.

 

Don't stand back to admire your work, or you'll be knocked down by "flying half pints" and "dumb buckets," among other dangerous objects that hinder your task and steal your brushes. You also have to contend with "Brenda the Brat," who delights in planting handprints all over your freshly-painted walls. Fortunately, she can be pacified with a candy cane and distracted just long enough for you to repair the damage. But your arch enemy is the Bucket Chucker. He never stops chasing you, but you can trap him temporarily in - believe it or not -- a paint mixer.

 

After each house is painted, a word or two appear. Complete an entire level, and the words form a message. The messages from all six levels combine to form a challenge that can only be met by the most persistent of gamers.

 

This game's action is fast and furious. It doesn't get faster in higher levels, though. Instead, Bristles offers more novel challenges, such as painting with varnish (it's invisible!), painting in the dark with only sound to guide you, and having to refill brushes when they run dry. Musical selections from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker create an appropriate, if somewhat frantic atmosphere for this unique game.

[Keatah]

Here is the manual.

http://atariage.com/software_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=2717

Is interesting to note each game (at least the 5200) was serialized to match the number printed on the box.

 

I had enough of this game. It's annoying, with sticky and too-exact controls. Reminds me of Mario. And has ear grating music. And I am not going to piss off my emulators by making them run it any longer.

Edited April 8, 2015 by Keatah

[Mclaneinc]

LOL

 

Thanks for the manual Keatah..

 

Personally I think it was an ill thought out idea of the scrambled word thing as most of the people I knew used the manual to put their snacks on while playing so upon booting up and playing the first time you saw that you might think there was something wrong with the game and try and return it. At leat put a box up saying 'Play longer to see all the message' or something similar...

 

Reading the manual was like admitting you were a rubbish arcade gamer

 

Anyway, thank you all for helping to sort this out and apologies for making a non useful thread...

Edited April 8, 2015 by Mclaneinc

[Keatah]

There's graphic corruption in the first level. the :00 and paint brushes..

 

Not corruption, but brush counters for all 4 players, 1-4. It would be proper to not display counters 2, 3, and 4 for while in a 1-player game; especially if they are in the playfield. That lends too much importance to them. Off to the side perhaps. What a tedious and ill-thought-out game.

 

 

Anyway, thank you all for helping to sort this out and apologies for making a non useful thread...

 

Not entirely useless. It could be the start of what is a worst-of-all-time list for the 8-bitters. It also serves as reminder that as younger gamers we'd have thought differently and treated it as the secret message it is. Teach you to keep an open mind and not assume something is broken because it isn't working like you expect.

[Rybags]

So, 5200 is modern-day release.

Probably worth a look, it might inherit any glitches of a bad dump going around or might have been based on an unadulterated copy.

[devwebcl]

All the messages http://www.digitpress.com/eastereggs/52bristles.htm

[Keatah]

So, 5200 is modern-day release.

Probably worth a look, it might inherit any glitches of a bad dump going around or might have been based on an unadulterated copy.

 

What about the C64 iteration. It shows the same thing.

[Keatah]

"After each house is painted, a word or two appear. Complete an entire level, and the words form a message. The messages from all six levels combine to form a challenge that can only be met by the most persistent of gamers."

 

The message appears to be a load philosophical nonsense. There is no challenge here. Or it's so high it's right over my head. There's more but I stop here.