Albert Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 I have closed the original Lord of the Rings thread as it appears to be corrupted. We can continue discussion here in this thread. For reference, here is the old thread: Lord of the Rings Discovered! ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchman2000 Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 Did you know? Lord of the Rings was planned for the 2600, but it was never completed. Guys, I think this needs to be updated.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Dutchman2000: Did you know? Lord of the Rings was planned for the 2600, but it was never completed. Guys, I think this needs to be updated.... HUH? did you read the link he had posted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze_ro Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 I think he's referring to the quick facts that appear in the top-right panel of the front page. There's also one in there about the 5200 being made to compete against the ColecoVision, but I'm pretty sure it was meant to compete against the Intellivision --Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchman2000 Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 I guess this needs more explaining, that phrase is from the main AtariAge web page. The DID YOU KNOW option in the right hand corner. I think it needs to be updated now that we know the game exists... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stilphen Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 Did the last 5 or so posts get wiped completely? Hope not To pick up where we left off.. I saw the movie yesterday.....and I still don't know who all the characters in the game are! But it did motivate me to put up a temporary web page listing all the info that was discovered in the last thread. Thomas is still working on finding out how the scoring system works (great work so far, btw). The only real mysteries are who each character is supposed to represent, how the ring works (if at all), and what effect the difficulty switches might have. Also, I found another character in the game! At the start, go right 2 screens, and up. When you reach the 3rd forest, you will find him. Whoever he is, he allows you to go at full speed on the forest and town screens. This character and the 'archer' (who allows you to go full speed in open areas) are interchangeable - you can only have one or the other, not both. The red and white characters seem to be holding a staff next to them, so one of these must be Galdalf. In the movie, Bilbo gives Frodo a protective suit ("mithri"?). As long as you have the red character, the Nazgul can't wound you. The blue character - could this be Mr. Butterbur ("the owner of the Prancing Pony, in Bree. He assists Frodo and the group when they cause a commotion in his establishment. He also gives them a letter sent by Gandalf" - from this site)? Does the letter say where to meet Galdalf? I was wrong about the "traps". If you spend too much time in the forest (about the time it takes to cross 5 screens), you will be wounded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 I posted this earlier, but it appears to have been wiped out so here it is again. I think the red guy you start out with is Sam since he was with Frodo from the beginning of the journey (and he appears to be small like a hobbit). The guy you pick up in Bree is Strider (Aragorn) since that's where the party met him at the inn of the Prancing Pony. I think the archer from the forest near the river is Arwen since that’s about the spot they caught up with her. It would make sense she gives Frodo super speed in open areas since she took him on a horse to Rivendell after he got stabbed by the Nazgul. The second archer character could be either Mary or Pippen since they joined up with Frodo right by the Shire and they were pretty quick through the forests. I have no idea who the white guy that Strider points you towards is. I suppose it could be Gandalf but he doesn't join up with the party until Rivendell. Actually I think I've accounted for all the characters that Frodo meets before Rivendell so it must either be Mary or Pippen (which ever one you didn't find earlier). Anyone figure out what the Ravens do? And has anyone tried the ring out around the Nazgul to see if it really fools him? Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted December 20, 2001 Author Share Posted December 20, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Scott Stilphen: Did the last 5 or so posts get wiped completely? Hope not To pick up where we left off.. I saw the movie yesterday.....and I still don't know who all the characters in the game are! But it did motivate me to put up a temporary web page listing all the info that was discovered in the last thread. Thomas is still working on finding out how the scoring system works (great work so far, btw). The only real mysteries are who each character is supposed to represent, how the ring works (if at all), and what effect the difficulty switches might have. Unfortunately it looks like the last few messages posted (those on page 5) were lost. I'm going to try to recover them when I get home tonight, and if I can I'll post them here. The page you're working on looks pretty cool, lots of great info and screenshots there. Do you mind if we add that to our 2600 Archives section here? I'll then link it from our Lord of the Rings page so others can find it (I'll probably also link to it from this page as well). ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 quoteI think the archer from the forest near the river is Arwen since that’s about the spot they caught up with her. It would make sense she gives Frodo super speed in open areas since she took him on a horse to Rivendell after he got stabbed by the Nazgul. More likely is that it is Glorfindel the Elf. Since he was the one who met them in the book not Arwen. I assume that you just watched the new movie and it was changed there. Mitch http://atari7800.atari.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 Here is how the scoring exactly works (2nd try ): You start with 10,400 points: Added to these points are: 3,000 points for the red guy 4,000 points for the pink guy 5,000 points for the green or blue guy 9,900 points for the white guy If you reach Rivendell, you get an extra bonus of 50,000 points plus 60,000 / 160,000 (amateur / pro mode) points if you are together with the red, pink and white guy Subtracted are: 200 points for each distance unit to Rivendell (distance at start point 67 units) 100 points for each wound 200 points for each time unit (1 day = 16 time units) So the theoretical maximum is 242,300 points, possible should be something about 230,000 points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze_ro Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Scott Stilphen: The only real mysteries are who each character is supposed to represent, how the ring works (if at all), and what effect the difficulty switches might have. The general feeling is that the birds are Sauron's spies, and that if they "see" you (when they fly across and touch your character), that this triggers one of the horsemen (are these the ring wraiths? I have no idea... never read the book or seen the movie) to come after you. If you turn invisible before the bird hits you, I think it prevents a horsemen from attacking you. However, I've had limited success with this, so this might be wrong. Anyone manage to figure out how the traps work? Like, is there any way to see them coming before you take the hit? --Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stilphen Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 Ok Thomas, I got questions If you start a game, and go 1 screen left and STOP, you will be dead within 11 units (whole game will last 12 units - less than 1 day), and you'll have a score of 0. Shouldn't my score be 10,100 (10,400, minus 300 for 3 wounds)? If you go 2 screens over and stop - 100 points. 3 - 300 4 - 500 5 - 700 6 - 900 There's a pattern after the 3rd screen, but I don't understand how this scoring is possible. Character colors- can you clarify which characters you are referring to? I have: Red - start game with Blue (or purple) - found at Bree White - found with Blue's arrow Green - found in forest across from Bree Light Blue - found near Elrond river Also, do you know what the difficulty switch affects in the game, besides the scoring? And what the ring affects? [Zero] If you start the game and hold the fire button down, the Nazgul still find you. As for the traps, there aren't any (read my earlier post). If you spend approximately 4 time units (or more) in a forest, you will be wounded. [ 12-20-2001: Message edited by: Scott Stilphen ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 If you recall the nazgul can sense you when you wear the ring, though they can't see you with their eyes, they have an idea where to look. The old thread's final post had info on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Scott Stilphen: [QB]Ok Thomas, I got questions If you start a game, and go 1 screen left and STOP, you will be dead within 11 units (whole game will last 12 units - less than 1 day), and you'll have a score of 0. Shouldn't my score be 10,100 (10,400, minus 300 for 3 wounds)? You forgot the distance to Rivendell which is subtracted. quote: Character colors- can you clarify which characters you are referring to? I have: Red - start game with Blue (or purple) - found at Bree White - found with Blue's arrow Green - found in forest across from Bree Light Blue - found near Elrond river The colors match, the one at Bree is the purple guy. And you can only travel with either the green or the (light) blue guy. quote: Also, do you know what the difficulty switch affects in the game, besides the scoring? The ring wraiths are more aggressive in pro mode. You have to set the difficulty switch before you RESET. quoteAnd what the ring affects? Whistling changes the behaviour of the ring wraiths a very little bit (don't know exactly the result yet) More news from the disassembly: If you spend longer than about 13.8 seconds in the forest you will be wounded. Collisions with the birds seem to have no effects at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 quoteMore likely is that it is Glorfindel the Elf. Since he was the one who met them in the book not Arwen. I assume that you just watched the new movie and it was changed there. Your right. When I was watching the movie last night I thought something was strange there but I couldn't figure out what. Thanks for reminding me. Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stilphen Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 [Thomas] Ah, ok. (doh). I still don't understand the scoring, though. I made a fixed version (no Nazgul). The highest score I got was 220,500 (got green, blue, white 3x, lt. blue, and white again - in that order). Entered Rivendell with all (but green) in 3 days (no wounds). Shouldn't my score have been 238,700? screen units I tried counting the number of screens vertically, and got over 100. You mentioned Rivendell is 67 "units" away (I'm assuming by units you mean screens). Since you can go above Rivendell w/o entering it, that would mean there's over 67 units, from top-to-bottom. The programmer claimed there were 2,000 screens, so I'm curious as to how a unit is defined. There are 42 screens across, so by using those #'s, there's close to 3,000 screens (and if I use my vertical number - 100+ - there's over 4,000!). But in reality, there's only 5 distinct screens [ 12-20-2001: Message edited by: Scott Stilphen ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nukey Shay Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 Since the game is only a proto, it's possible that the scoring doesn't add up like it should. At least it's not as inaccurate as Porky's. The archer could be Glorfindel or Legolas (the latter being the character met in the Bakshai movie...which was made just prior to this game). I really don't think that the red character is anything but Sam, since he was with Frodo from the start. The newly-discovered character could be Pippin or Merry (since they had to go to Bucklebury to meet them), but I think that only the red character is supposed to be a Hobbitt (since it looks smaller). It definately can't be Frodo (which would end the game when killed) or Bilbo (since in LOTR he's too easily influenced by the ring...starting to turn into a slave to it like Gollum). Mithryl is silver with magical properties. The mail that Bilbo gives Frodo protects him from regular weapons (like an orc's spear). Time spent in the forests (especially when not moving) affects your health because of insects, I think. Using the ring is supposed to affect the way that the Nazgul track you (fast & less accurate vs. slow & deliberate)...but I don't know if it makes a difference in this proto. And now for something completely different...here's a zipped mp3 of Spock singing about Bilbo... http://www.tolkientrail.com/rivendell/nimoy.zip Almost as bad as Shatner's "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" [ 12-20-2001: Message edited by: Nukey Shay ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 Wow Scott! Awesome web-page! Man you guys are really tearing this game apart. Any chance that someone will create an instruction book? Also did anyone find out if there was a way to get the game in a cartridge format? I thought I read somewhere that it wasnt possible..Is this true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze_ro Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 It's not impossible to make a cartridge... it just requires a different bankswitching scheme than usual. It should be possible to simple transplant some EPROMS into another E0 cartridge, and away you go. What other E0 cartridges are there though? Well, my guess would be that any other Parker Bros 8K games would do: Frogger II Gyruss James Bond Montezuma's Revenge Mr. Do!'s Castle Popeye Q*Bert's Qubes Star Wars: Death Star Battle Star Wars: The Arcade Game Super Cobra Tutankham Unfortunately, these games are obviously a lot more rare than the Combat and Pac-Man cartridges that Hozer uses... I just hope people don't start destroying all the Tutankham and Popeye cartridges just to get Lord Of The Rings --Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted December 21, 2001 Author Share Posted December 21, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Dutchman2000: Did you know? Lord of the Rings was planned for the 2600, but it was never completed. Guys, I think this needs to be updated.... D'oh! Good catch, I completely forgot that was in there. Thanks! ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 ahh ok i see now, i dont go to the front page much so i had no clue what he was talking about my link to Atariage brings me here to the message boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Scott Stilphen: [QB][Thomas] Ah, ok. (doh). I still don't understand the scoring, though. I made a fixed version (no Nazgul). The highest score I got was 220,500 (got green, blue, white 3x, lt. blue, and white again - in that order). Entered Rivendell with all (but green) in 3 days (no wounds). Shouldn't my score have been 238,700? Three days would cost you at least 9,600 points, and if you are into the 4th day, this could rise up to 12,600 ((3*16+15)*200) points. And you will hardly exactly reach the center of Rivendell (s.b.) when you enter the town. This can cost some extra points (maybe up to 2,000?). Still that doesn't explain your score exactly. Hmm...? BTW: It doesn't matter how often you pick up the guys, it only counts when you enter Rivendell. quote: screen units I tried counting the number of screens vertically, and got over 100. You mentioned Rivendell is 67 "units" away (I'm assuming by units you mean screens). Since you can go above Rivendell w/o entering it, that would mean there's over 67 units, from top-to-bottom. The programmer claimed there were 2,000 screens, so I'm curious as to how a unit is defined. There are 42 screens across, so by using those #'s, there's close to 3,000 screens (and if I use my vertical number - 100+ - there's over 4,000!). More info about screen units: The screen is 43 units wide (each unit = one screen, ranging from 3 to 45) and 63 units high (each unit = ~two screens, ranging from 0(?)..62) The start position is at 28/62 (x/y). For scoring, Rivendell is at 20/3 (but the town isn't only at one point, so when you enter it, you might still loose some points) The bridges are at 10 and 35/11(?) The light-blue guy is at 19/12, the green guy at 30/49. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 I forgot: The distance to Rivendell is calculated as vertical distance plus horizontal distance (no diagonals). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stilphen Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 [Nukey Shay] I think you're right about the red character. Like Tempest, I think the new movie is influencing me It's definitely a Hobbitt, and it's unlikely it's Bilbo, so Sam it is! Here's what I have now for the names: red - Sam blue - Strider / Aragorn white - Gandalf green - Gimli (?) Looks too "big" to be an elf lt. blue - Legolas. (Glorfindel doesn't seem to be a major character, as much as Legolas, and Legolas is known for his use of the bow.) [Thomas] That simple math is trippin me up (esp. late at night) It took me about 3.5 days, so, using the right numbers this time, there's still a difference of approx. 7,600, correct? Rivendell - I don't remember what section of town I entered, but if 20/3 is the "center", then you have to enter at the left-most section (it's between 20/3 and 23/3). How "high" (Y) are the towns? Using the town graphics (3 rows of houses = 1 screen), Hobbiton is only 2.5 screens high, whereas Bree is nearly 8! If 20/3 isn't the lower-left corner of town, then it might be very tricky to enter at the right spot. I still don't know where they got 2,000 screens from, since the unit numbers calculate 2,709! They should have said more than 2,500 I wonder why you can't keep both Legolas and Gimli? It would have been neat to have all 5 in your party. Btw, where is the graphics for Legolas coded? It's not with the other characters.... [ 12-21-2001: Message edited by: Scott Stilphen ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Scott Stilphen: That simple math is trippin me up (esp. late at night) It took me about 3.5 days, so, using the right numbers this time, there's still a difference of approx. 7,600, correct? Ok, here is one scoring correction: Each time unit costs 400 points (not 200). In a patched game, where I set the startpoint at Rivendell, I scored 241,900 points (theoretical maximum - one time unit * 400 points) So for your example you should get: 241.300 - (3*16*400)..((3*16+15)*400) = 222,100..186,900 points. Now your 220,500 point make sense. quoteRivendell - I don't remember what section of town I entered, but if 20/3 is the "center", then you have to enter at the left-most section (it's between 20/3 and 23/3). How "high" (Y) are the towns? Using the town graphics (3 rows of houses = 1 screen), Hobbiton is only 2.5 screens high, whereas Bree is nearly 8! If 20/3 isn't the lower-left corner of town, then it might be very tricky to enter at the right spot. Hobbiton and Rivendell have the same size (4 screens), Bree is twice as high (8 screens). Hobbiton looks smaller, because the game doesn't allow you to go at the very bottom of the map. The coordinates of Rivendell are for the left lower corner. If somebody is interested (I know you are Scott ) I can create a map extracted from the disassembly. quoteI wonder why you can't keep both Legolas and Gimli? It would have been neat to have all 5 in your party. Btw, where is the graphics for Legolas coded? It's not with the other characters.... I think it's a compromise due to the limitations of the 2600. You simply can't keep them both because it's hard (impossible?) to program a display kernel with 5 different shapes and colors in one row. The Legolas graphics are at 0729..0732. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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