Fast Eddie and possible other versions?

[doctorclu]

My thoughts on Fast Eddie, and a request for a non-glitchy version of the game

 

INTRODUCTION

 

So first off, I love Fast Eddie as a game. Played it for hours on the Atari VCS and I think at some point in my Atari computer days I downloaded Fast Eddie on the computer off some BBS. Played if off an on as one of my old go to games though on the Atari computer there were many better games so things like Minter 2049er was my new platformer by then.

 

SIMILAR CODE ACROSS PLATFORMS

(speaking ironically as this IS a "Platformer).

 

So fun introduction. I've been working with Hack-O-Matic and it's true, Fast Eddie was a LAAAAZZZZYYYY port of the VCS/2600 version when brought over to the computer. I was able to take the sprites I made in this post for a fan hack...

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/271192-bubsy-for-the-atari-vcs2600/

 

And apply them within a hour to this version for the 400/800

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/271763-bubsy-for-the-atari-400800xlxe/?p=3884560

 

So all that went well. The character sprites were line by line the same. The coding for the ladders and background was laid out different. Currently working on the Vic 20 version. The Commodore 64 version is VERRRYY different, at least to Hack-O-Matic.

 

A Non-Glitchy Version?

 

So there the character to the left in the score rides up a little higher than the rest. Anyone have a better version where this glitch doesn't happen? Was this really how Fast Eddie was released and sold? I mean not that game testers or quality control was a thing so much back then but ... wow... even the title is off!

 

If there is not a version, any hacker interested in fixing that and letting us know how that was fixed?

 

Fast Eddie 400/800 page

Fast Eddie VCS/2600 page

 

 

 

 

[BassGuitari]

...Fast Eddie was a LAAAAZZZZYYYY port of the VCS/2600 version when brought over to the computer.

 

I always thought it was on the 400/800 and VIC-20 before it came out on the 2600, or at least maybe they were all developed and released concurrently. Although this would explain why they were so similar!

Edited November 6, 2017 by BassGuitari

[phaeron]

The glitch on the first character or first couple of characters is an emulator issue, not a problem in the game. It happens if the emulator you are using doesn't emulate playfield DMA timing precisely enough. Ironically, the Sirius 400/800 games are among the hardest to emulate correctly despite their primitive graphics because of their 2600-like coding -- they use a tiny playfield buffer in page zero and repeatedly overwrite it.

[doctorclu]

That is good information, thanks! And yeh the Sirius code being so 2600 like is quite bizarre.

[Rybags]

It can be an easy quick and dirty way to port the game in some cases.

I remember having this game and probably loading it once ever - wasn't very impressed.

 

Some 2600 ports where little extra effort were put in turned out fairly well. I used to play River Raid and Keystone Kapers, for what the games are, the sound/graphics are pretty much adequate.

[phaeron]

There's nothing wrong with doing it this way, though nowadays you might be limiting your audience unnecessarily or simply just wasting CPU time that could be used elsewhere.

 

Turmoil is one of the better Sirius games written this way. It's relatively simple but polished.

[doctorclu]

Some Fast Eddie background art...