macdlsa

Hi people. [ premise: of course it's not the first mod I do... but haven't seen something like that before ] A friend sent me 3 PAL VCS/2600 (2 "Vader" and 1 "Jr., long r.") to check, fix and modify with CVBS video output. I'm on the Jr. console at the moment (the two Vaders seems to have some psu issues) and I noticed it's a "Rev.E" mainboard: Power switch seemed almost dead, so I changed it (easy fix...), re-soldered every power-section point, done some fine-tuning on the on-board (rusty !) trimmer and the 2600 turned alive with a nice RF picture ! Then, following what we use to call "the 3€uro-mod scheme" ( ), I was going on the safe side and waited to connect the audio to first watch how the CVBS output would be, but the new-modded Jr. showed me this : ... distorted view ("see thru baby blue..." ) and nothing else. I repeated the little circuitry on a small bare board and then, again, "in air", just to see if I was in mistake... but I wasn't. This mod was presented years ago on this german site: http://www.console-corner.de/videomod.html and me and many other "€uro-fellows" always followed it to modify all our PAL juniors (although our "typical" Rev.A &/or B, etc. have a little different circuitry disposal, like this one *already modded*: ), but nothing else... we just have to check where the resistors "involved" are and solder on them the mod-circuit (no cut and no original component removed from the original board ! ... it's a "reversible modding", so you can turn your console back in "RF mode" when you want !). I checked, re-checked and re-re-checked... soldered gnd in different position (of course avoiding a "ground-loop") and/or also de-connected it... NOTHING ! SAME DISTORTED PICS ! Well, maybe I'm missing out on a glass of water and the solution is in my own hand, but seems that I'm at a "critical point"... in the sense I don't know what to do . ... does someone have any suggestion or discovered where I could be wrong ? ( MANY thanks, anticipately )

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/254699-in-the-lair-of-the-dragon/

Playing Dragon's Lair listening the audio only (and watchin' the screen at the beginning of every scene to see which scene is and which side Dirk's sword is ***necessary for mirrored scenes***) ? Here I am [ clip ] ! We used to do this way since the '84, when the game had no more secrets for us [European Dragon's Lair, board Atari rev.D1] ... and we did the same also with Space Ace [Euro, board Atari &/or Sidam] , but NOT with the 1991 Elettronolo - Italy (not Leland - US) "Dragon's Lair II - Time Warp"... too much difficult to "catch" the correct move timings in certain levels, from the "Beethoven" scene to the "Mordroc's lair".

Zylonbane : No, as I said before I HAVE an idea for the game, and it's since the 2006 (or even the 1984...) . Simply, there still isn't a person who could be actually both a huge fan of the game and good assembler programmer to realize it. jhd : Yep, I (better say "we", since Mr.Foster knows the question) considered the idea to "port it down" from the various Coleco/C=64 version... and also the others, allow me to say, INFAMOUS releases for NES, SNES and GameBoy... No, seriously... WHY we've to further outrage a game that deserves much more than this ? So, I think we have all the necessary "ingredient" for a good layout for the game... then, if it has to be a "deep hack of Pitfall 2" or a completely re-written game, well... the programmer could decide it. I repeat, I say Pitfall II because in the way it was conceived and planned by the great Mr.Crane it already responds almost fully perfect to the gameplay for a Dragon's Lair platformer, obviously with game situations and appropriately modified and adapted characteristics... Well, you can download those 5 png files down here and "confront" them... >The 1st image is the complete map of Pitfall II for the C=64 (VCS version only differs in graphics, the layout is the same). >The 2nd is a "mixed" map of C=64 Pitfall II and Pitfall II - ARCADE EDITION for the VCS (...). >The 3rd is the map of VCS' Pitfall II - ARCADE EDITION, a mockup I made years ago (took from the map of the original SEGA coin-operated game) to give someone an "input" for another possible game for the VCS which could probably be one of the greatest hits for our beloved console: SEGA's arcade game was never "fully" ported to any home system... even the ColecoVision &/or MSX versions are (VERY !) crappy and almost different from the coin-op ! >The 4th is the "mixed" map of Pitfall II - ARCADE and Dragon's Lair >The 5th is VCS' Dragon's Lair full map, without sprites (characters, weapons, enemies, holes, etc) and secondary walls... it's just to show you !

Some sprites... Dirk, Daphne Goon, Snake

... something like that (not so slow... )

Let's try again... Is there any daring programmer (Assembler) around here who could bring himself to face the challenge? As I said some time (years) ago, through the Daphne Team (in which I am inside since years...), I had a conversation with A.Foster, chief of LLC Partners (the holders of the Copyrights of the game) that gave me "carte blanche", recommending me in any case to send him any kind of "demo". I've already shown him some drawings, sprites, map and a gameplay hint, but he said to do not absolutely disclose nothing before I find someone who can realize the game! Yeah ... it's needless to say that the game in question is a "goose that lays golden eggs" and that any attempt to use the name and characters is under control anywhere on the net (they already "stopped" several rights violations... in one way or another they come to know almost everything...). And... nothing, I repeat the point: absolutely excluding an FMV, it remains that it would be a great platformer, very similar to Pitfall II, or at least it was my (our) basic idea since the beginning !

Hi John ! As I did in Scramble, also in Ladybug I noticed it immediately after the counter-roll, but I only reached it with the "massive-using" of the easter-egg found by the 2-years-old Marco Miccoli's daughter ! (as reported in the LB thread). LABEL CONTEST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah ! ... already did my box+cart artworks, ready to compete !

... mine (NTSC cart, PAL setup)

Awesome job ! A game of reflexes and concentration as I have not seen in a long time... and in only 4Kbytes !!! It reminds to me Asterix and Gremlins... if only in both could be implemented the use of the paddle instead of the CX-40... ) Bravo ! My 1st game (NTSC version) : My 2nd game (PAL version) : [ both done on Stella emulator, with mouse used as the paddle controller... still have to grab an Harmony (Encore) for my H,L & Jrs... ] I promise I'll try to do some artworks for an eventual (and likely !) label contest...

Probably the Japanese version, quite similar to the "Sears Video Arcade II" but much less common [ pictures 2-3-4 taken from the Atari 2800 of a friend of mine (Marco Miccoli) ]

I Forgot (reprise) : that picture was taken by pausing the game (using the "Color-B / W" switch) to approximately 999 thousand points... but then I didn't stopped to play, uh ?

He mean "the dot inside the zero", and it was something that I had forgotten to report because I was focused on the two EXTRA / SPECIAL easter-egg...

Marco here :-)

Yep, it also does it with the original "Standard" cartridge. That "dot inside the zero" when the counter rolls reminds me of another Johnny game, much more "recent"... But that time I "made the roll" without easter-eggs or bugs ...

Of course, John (pvtmsg already sent). But I don't want to take credits for this discover, 'cause it was ocram's little daughter who first found it out ! Hey Ale (sprazzi) ! Hehe... you could know it soon K.S. : I bought mine in XMas 2009 together with Juno First and Pac-Man Arcade. And, yes, you're affeceted . No clip, though... those things are too much modern for a "Methuselah" like me... pictures are pretty enough. As I already said, I would like to first hear the opinion of John.

Ok, Marco, who owns both versions of Lady Bug, discovered that in the "Collector's Edition" there still is that "Bug", but he said it could be "activated" only once ! Then, again, could it be a "real" Bug or an "easy" Easter-Egg ?

Yep, that "about 2 years old" was my fault...she's only 10 months "old" !!! But she's really GREAT !

... and I could not avoid to take full advantage of it ! SPECIAL points and EXTRA lives as if they "rained"... [ Lady Bug "1st press" NTSC cartridge, PAL setup ] I have to thank the little daughter (who is about only 2 years old) of a good friend of mine, Marco Miccoli (Ocram here in AA... who also is the best italian collector of VCS/2600 related things !!!), and her "innocent" way to play Lady Bug on daddy's modded NTSC Heavy Sixer ! Maybe someone already knows of this "bug", which firstly appears as a kind of "Easter-Egg". I would not say how it could be activated, yet... I could not tag John (johnnywc) , but if anyone could, then we would all know if he wanted this from the start or it is really a bug...

Eek ! maybe I really "ruined" the discussion ?

Me ? Nooooooooo, Duane ! ... did just some beta-testing...

Saturday morning's spare time = watch the score counter if it rolls after 999990pts. Then, yes it does Zeros in all digits and the first one on the right now has the center filled: don't know if it's a "1" or simply a thing put there to identify a >1.000k score.

Here in Italy we mostly had three different versions of Scramble, some officially licensed and others reproductions/copies... >Zaccaria built a wonderful cabinet for "his" Scramble (which is based on Konami's set), with gorgeous artwork : >Sidam's "Explorer" is an UNOFFICIAL (pirate) COPY of Scramble. It has pirated Konami's boardset : Got a working board in the "RetroCampus" association : As you could see, both Zac and Sidam built their cabinets following their own style. There also was a "Model Racing" 's Scramble, but I haven't any clue about its board : I remember I played the game (which was named "Scramble"... then, not "Explorer" or others...) on a "generic" cabinet, probably with pirate board, so I can't tell which version it was based on (Konami or Stern). My best was around the 600k points, but as it happened to me several times, I played until I could not stay in the cafe anymore (dinner calling...) so I had to give up with a good amount of remaining lives...

John, to me it's perfect ! I played once the latest rev. and I got to stop myself because I made 200k with the first life (now that the 2nd passage on the horseshoe is wider... ) and I have to go bed right now... Concerning the autofire, it's a real "nostrum" for my poor finger ! And I'm playing it on Stella with a PSX joypad USB-adapted... I'm thinkin'bout when I'll catch the original cartridge and have to play with the CX-40... so please keep it absolutely !!! It's almost 20 years I got a project of a control panel with 2 arcade sticks and buttons to connect to the VCS, and only with this I think I'll keep the autofire disabled. Yup, I built several CPs, arcade cabinets... but I still have to build that VCS' CP ! I didn't try the "new" Expert skill level, but I'll do it soon ! Bye 4 now,