Boulder Dash - Loaner Cart; Reviews and Reservations

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Yea, and then our lawyers sorted it out.

[SIO2]

 

Not much for landmarks around here so I took Boulder Dash where everyone likes to hang out and party - the math and science building at the local college.

 

When we got thrown out of there we went to the Mari Sandoz Center. Mari wrote a book about her dad called Old Jules. Nearest thing to a local celebrity we have.

 

 

I thought I heard a snake rattling around the native grass at Sandoz Center so we moved over to the art gallery. Now where did I leave that cart?

 

Edited November 12, 2016 by SIO2

[King_Salamon]

Oh boy... just got the pm for my address. Time to prepare the Moose. And yes, I have made arrangements for some Moose to be involved with the game. Don't worry, no harm will come to the cart and or other parts of the packaging.

 

In all my years of gaming... I don't recall ever playing Boulder Dash. I did pick up the 3DS version to get a taste so I suppose I could spend a bit of time with it to get an idea of what I'll be playing.

[+Andrew Davie]

Cart goes out in the mail tomorrow and I'll get a review up this weekend.

 

 

Ping!

[SIO2]

I put Boulder Dash in the mail to King_Salamon today. Enjoyed participating in this very much. Thanks.

 

Looking forward to seeing the moose.

[SIO2]

 

I put this in with the other pins before I mailed the cart.

[Wickeycolumbus]

Please disregard previous post. I figured it out.

 

IMG_20161109_190913.jpg

 

I also tied all floating pins to ground (not shown in diagram).

 

Sorry for the late reply, I was out of town. Glad you were able to figure it out Mine also has the pullup resistors under the glue, I believe I used 3.3K. Maybe your EEPROM has internal pullups..

[+Andrew Davie]

 

Ping!

 

I was hoping this would prompt Zwackery to post a review...

[King_Salamon]

Update... the game arrived today. It's late here so I won't be able to try it out until tomorrow but I'm looking forward to it!

 

How long do I get to enjoy this? A week? Guess I will have to take it to see the Moose too. lol

 

Ok I couldn't wait to open it and see all the cool goodies inside. I started to read the manual but forced myself to stop. I need to go to work in the morning.

 

Ok good night. More news on the game tomorrow.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Two weeks at least. Especially since you are the last in line.

 

Anyone else interested? Else I suppose BD will have to travel back to Tasmania soon.

[+Andrew Davie]

Two weeks at least. Especially since you are the last in line.

 

Anyone else interested? Else I suppose BD will have to travel back to Tasmania soon.

 

I think we'll leave it with the last person in the "chain" for a month or two before deciding to return it to Tassie.

And even then, I'm thinking about auctioning it/selling it on eBay for charity.

[+Andrew Davie]

 

Ok good night. More news on the game tomorrow.

 

The suspense is killing me

[King_Salamon]

Okay... here we go...

 

So after saying goodnight last week I was planning on going to bed but then I thought I'd take a look at what was in the parcel. I really couldn't wait to open the box and check out the game and the contents. The game box is nice and looks like a commercial release. I like the inclusion of the 'feelies' in the box as well... the diamonds are fitting and the buttons are pretty cool as well! It's the Atari Patch that really caught my eye though! (Hmmm... where can I get on of these for myself?)

 

Anyway I looked at the manual and started reading but I limited myself to the opening letter at the beginning of the manual. I really did have to get to bed!

 

The following day I was able to put some time into the game. I was going to read the manual but decided to 'kick it old school' and not read the manual. As a kid I wouldn't open a new game until I got home for two reasons. One, the lighting in the back seat of the car would be poor at best as it would usually be dark (it would be an evening so there was little/no dayllight). And two, I was (and still am to a degree) a bit OCD about taking care of my toys/games etc. But by the time I would get home I would have pretty much memorized the front and back of the box. Excited to play, I would start to play as there was no time to read... the video games need me!!!

 

So upon powering up the VCS I was greeted by a title screen... wait a title screen? Not many of them... sure there was ET and Swordquest but this was a nice 'animated' screen (that uses the Cosmic Ark effect as I understand) and a truly rocking title track! What witchcraft is this? As I sat back a simply stared at the screen I thought to myself... "We're off to a really good start!" ... and then a demo/attract screen!?! Dang!! This is very nice indeed!

 

Ok... first game - 120 points and couldn't pass the first stage (even though the demo shows you how! lol)

 

Second game - 540 points and made it to stage two.

 

There's a nice progression in the difficulty ramping up... a gentle curve. I haven't been able to determine why boulders would fall to the left or the right (and down) sometimes but not other times. I think learning this could help me get further in the game! Of course, I understand the gravity of the boulders that fall straight down but what causes them to fall diagonally down only sometimes is a mystery.

 

The caverns look great and Rockford looks like Activision had a hand in it! Detailed and colourful! The idle animation is great! Blinking was good but it was the Mega Man foot tap that made me laugh! What's in the cart? A RAM EXPANSION? There are things here that you simply don't see on the VCS!

 

After further playing I was able to make it to the third stage... Cave C. At this point I am beginning to wonder if I will have the patience (and more importantly smarts) to make it to the first intermission. I did manage to crack 1,000 points so I'll consider that an accomplishment! Cave C had me a bit confused but I did manage to make it to Cave D. I know I need to smash the butterflies but I didn't make it through. I should be able to get to the intermission after all!

 

This is where one of my gripes comes in... why can't I start on Cave D? I know I should be thankful that I can start on Caves E, I and M when I get that far so even though I complain I can't start on Cave D, it's a minor thing. I have to keep in mind that this is an Atari VCS game... but when you start playing Boulder Dash 2600 you tend to forget that. As a result, I find myself making it to Cave D and then, game over. As I play over again, Caves A to C become a bit of a chore but they don't take long.

 

That was as far as I have been able to get in the game. Overall... this is a quality title! Everything runs smooth and the search function (which I haven't mentioned until now) is really impressive! It helps you setup you plan of attack by allowing you to search the play area while in a pause mode of sorts. I don't know how it works but after releasing the search mode, the map moves back to your character. That's not the mystery... what baffles me is how you can start moving once you release the search mode... even if you aren't on screen. This can really help you save precious time but it can also get you crushed by a boulder. Use with caution!

 

I haven't mentioned the sound effects... they are well done as well. I especially like the 'tink' sounds of the diamonds as they fall.

 

Question for Andrew and Thomas... when you get an extra life at 500 points... the screen will 'sparkle'. This isn't the flash that you receive when you find the required number of diamonds correct? Is the sparkle the look of some kind of RF interference? I don't know how you did that but I noticed it and thought I had a problem with my system!! (My 2600 is modded for composite so seeing that 'interference' definitely caught my attention! How do you get the 'sparkle' effect on the entire screen? Even the border had the effect!?!

 

So to sum everything up... here's the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

The Good

 

-Tight controls

-Solid gameplay with a variety of things to see and discover (too bad I didn't get to see it all)

-This is on a 2600 and that's a good thing!

-Professional overall product from game program to the packaging

 

The Bad

 

-I'd like to start on Cave D.

-The graphics are so blocky they're bouldery! (Ok that was just a joke)

-Why do diamonds that fall on me kill me? I only want to collect them.. maybe the point of the diamond landing on Rockford is fatal?

-There is some difficulty here... not sure that's a bad thing. This could be explained in the ugly below...

 

The Ugly

 

-My Boulder Dash skills

-The fact that I didn't order a copy of this when it was available

 

I'd like to thank Andrew and Thomas for the years (and I do mean years) of work they put into this title! In addition, I'd like to thank them for the opportunity to enjoy this title.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Thanks for the review. Some interesting new thoughts in it, probably because you are not biased from knowing the original.

 

Let me address some points:

• the sparkle effect, when you get an extra life is done by using the star field trick first used in Cosmic Ark. So it is the same trick as on the title screen.
• Not being able to starting on level D: That's exactly how the original game works too. I like that kind of limitation, because it forces you to level up your skills to be able to see all content of the game.
• Why diamonds kill you? Because they do in the original too! (and if a diamond of that size would hit me, I would die for sure too. )
• Rocks falling diagonal? That shouldn't happen, they only roll of on top of other rocks and diamonds if there is space left or right. Maybe your eye got fooled by simultaneous scrolling?
• RAM Expansion? Yes, there is quite a lot of extra RAM in the cart. But that's the only hardware difference to other bankswitching Atari 2600 games.

BTW: Did you save your high scores on the SaveKey?

[+Andrew Davie]

I'd like to thank Andrew and Thomas for the years (and I do mean years) of work they put into this title! In addition, I'd like to thank them for the opportunity to enjoy this title.

 

Thank you for the review!

You did eventually read the manual, I hope!

Cheers

A

 

Edit: There's a series of videos showing gameplay for all levels for 2600 Boulder Dash on YouTube.

Well, I mean.. um... all levels that ... uh... yeah... all the original levels. So those ones are on YouTube.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZcECPO9FLw&list=PLfCzdP4ONTr2RPRfNRovUs3nuk_9if5dU

[King_Salamon]

Thanks for the review. Some interesting new thoughts in it, probably because you are not biased from knowing the original.

 

Let me address some points:

• the sparkle effect, when you get an extra life is done by using the star field trick first used in Cosmic Ark. So it is the same trick as on the title screen.
• Not being able to starting on level D: That's exactly how the original game works too. I like that kind of limitation, because it forces you to level up your skills to be able to see all content of the game.
• Why diamonds kill you? Because they do in the original too! (and if a diamond of that size would hit me, I would die for sure too. )
• Rocks falling diagonal? That shouldn't happen, they only roll of on top of other rocks and diamonds if there is space left or right. Maybe your eye got fooled by simultaneous scrolling?
• RAM Expansion? Yes, there is quite a lot of extra RAM in the cart. But that's the only hardware difference to other bankswitching Atari 2600 games.

BTW: Did you save your high scores on the SaveKey?

 

Ok.. that sparkle effect... I'm going to give it another try (getting 500 points isn't hard) and see the effect. I know on the title screen it shows on the blue area of the screen but not on the outside of the borders if I recall correct. But while playing, it seems to sparkle everywhere.

 

As for the level D thing... it's a whine of mine. lol I never played this on previous systems. I did play the 3DS version briefly and it's quite a bit different.

 

The diamonds.. another thing I wasn't aware of in the original game but I can live with it.

 

When I say the rocks fall diagonal... I'm referring to them rolling as you term it. I can't figure out how its triggered though. I can make a vertical path on the side of 2 boulders and the top one doesn't always roll... I make another vertical path and the top boulder does roll. I can't figure out 'the physics'. That's what I was saying.

 

RAM expansion on cart? Makes sense... how many homebrews have used this type of technology that you're aware of? Thrust+ perhaps? Regardless, it's impressive to see such things occur on a VCS!

 

As for the SaveKey... to be honest, I was/am a bit intimidated by it. Not because of the score but because it looks so fragile. I'll give it a try next play through though. Perhaps it'll encourage me to buy one from the AtariAge store.

[King_Salamon]

 

Thank you for the review!

You did eventually read the manual, I hope!

Cheers

A

 

Edit: There's a series of videos showing gameplay for all levels for 2600 Boulder Dash on YouTube.

Well, I mean.. um... all levels that ... uh... yeah... all the original levels. So those ones are on YouTube.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZcECPO9FLw&list=PLfCzdP4ONTr2RPRfNRovUs3nuk_9if5dU

 

I did read the manual... I didn't realize there was a history of the game's development in the manual so when I was finished with the game instructions I was pleasantly surprised to see all the pages left and enjoyed that part quite a bit! Just goes to show... never give up!

 

As for the videos... I'll hold off until I no longer have the opportunity to play before viewing. I did try the other Cave options from the start screen but it seems you really need to play the games previous levels to understand what is going on. lol

[+Andrew Davie]

 

When I say the rocks fall diagonal... I'm referring to them rolling as you term it. I can't figure out how its triggered though. I can make a vertical path on the side of 2 boulders and the top one doesn't always roll... I make another vertical path and the top boulder does roll. I can't figure out 'the physics'. That's what I was saying.

 

 

That doesn't sound right. If two boulders are vertically stacked, and there is space beside both on either the left side, or the right side, then the boulder on top should roll off and then fall down. First movement is sideways into the gap, then down into the gap below. I don't think boulders should EVER sit on top of each other if there are gaps beside each. Could be a bug, but I'd be surprised. Boulders try to roll to the left first.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Thrust doesn't use any extra RAM, just the normal 128 bytes (and 16K ROM). From my head I don't know any "normal" (6507 code only) homebrews which use that much RAM, but the ARM based homebrews like Stay Frosty 2, Space Rocks and Scramble do.

 

Note: The boulders do not roll on top of a wall, only "round" objects like other boulders or diamonds make it roll left or right (if there is space there and the field below)

Edited December 2, 2016 by Thomas Jentzsch

[+Andrew Davie]

Bump. Update? Where's the cart, who does it go to next?

[King_Salamon]

As soon as someone speaks up and wants to try this out, I'll get it shipped off. I've had my time with it... we need a new review of it from another AtariAger!!

 

I may need to give it another game or two before shipping it off though... lol.

 

I read through the thread and don't see anyone who has expressed interest.. perhaps I missed someone. Let me know and I'll get it shipped out!

[+Andrew Davie]

Found this online - the complete manual as a PDF - so thought I'd attach to this thread for anyone wondering what it looks like...

http://www.2600connection.com/library/manuals/boulder_dash.pdf

[+davidcalgary29]

Yep, thanks for the excellent review, Wickey! Don't be afraid to say what's BAD about it, too... Thomas and I do really want feedback on what didn't work for you. Good or bad, I can't tell you how fantastic it is for us to be seeing honest feedback. As you have only managed to get to cave D - if you want to have another week with it, I'm fine with that. Would be great if you could get through all of the levels... how many, Thomas.... 16 wasn't it? Approximately? As to where next, who's next in line? I'm too lazy to read back through the thread to find out.

 

Hmm...are you thinking, perhaps, about 'Boulderdash 2'?

[+Andrew Davie]

Hmm...are you thinking, perhaps, about 'Boulderdash 2'?

 

Nope.

[King_Salamon]

After reading the backstory (in the manual) I am certain there will never be a Boulder Dash 2 for the VCS. It took so long for this one to be completed (including 2 or possibly more instances where the project was dropped).

 

Regardless, I am thankful to have been able to give it a go. It's an impressive achievement for the old 2600.

 

Say... David in Calgary... any chance you wanted in on this road show? Seems there's nobody on the 'next' list. My turn is complete... someone should chime in.