moderntimes99

Like this? Greetings, Manuel 874128[/snapback] Cool, but a bit out of tune I think... especially when the two channels should go together as in the original. Why not try to make a single channel version of the melody (like the one from the ZX Spectrum - see attachment below)? Then maybe the second channel could be used for percussion (or other rythmic elements)... boulderdash_zx_spectrum.mp3 Regards, Moderntimes99

I made a new discovery while playing Boulder Dash today! The "reach for a diamond" functionality (i.e. to move in a direction while having fire pressed) can also be used for pushing boulders! I have always pushed boulders by just moving in the direction of the boulder with fire unpressed, not knowing that there was another way. Funny, I didn't think that I would discover new things in this game! Was everyone else aware of this feature? Regards, Moderntimes99

It was not my intention to complain in any way, rather the opposite - I was just coming from the perspective where I highly admire your rendition of the Thrust theme and thought that if someone could do a good rendition of the Boulder Dash theme (that does not sound out of tune on the VCS!) it must be you... But as you say, it might not even be possible and a new composition is definitely better than a rendition that is out of tune... Regards, Moderntimes99

I'm enjoying this tune. I'm enjoying it on looped play. 8 times in a row. That's a good sign. :-) Great work Paul. And with only two voices. You make it seem routine. Guess you're the Rob Hubbard of the 2600! 873271[/snapback] Hmm... while the soundtrack is both catchy and technically impressive (it definitely sounds like a lot more than only two voices!) I still think that a rendition of the classical Boulder Dash tune from "Boulder Dash I" would suit this project better. Everything else is so close to the original that I find it strange to have anything else in it... Regards, Moderntimes99

Could we possibly have a sample of the title music as an mp3 file? (for us poor souls who can't attend the show...) As for all remaining fine tuning (snapping a diamond? pushing boulders?) title screen etc etc I suggest a long break first! The effort that has been put into this project is really impressive - you definitely deserve some rest! Regards, Moderntimes99

Hooray! Moderntimes99

I know there are some cartridge platforms that add really huge amounts of memory to the Atari, but somehow that seems a little anachronistic. Yeah, it would be possible to design a game to use 128K of flash and 32K of RAM, but that wouldn't really seem like an "Atari" game. 866890[/snapback] Hmm... I can't really see why having 32K of RAM in the cartridge would disqualify it from being an Atari game... Regards, Moderntimes99

My 6507 is smoking, as it is. Any hotter and it would melt. Here is the same level, but with a few tweaks and using the alternate scroll system. As you can see, the shearing effect is dramatically reduced (4MB). So, deciding the scrolling method to use is not a simple one. On a level like this, the original scroll has clear advantages. Cheers A 866381[/snapback] When you say "the alternate scroll system" do you mean the old or the new system? I do agree that the "notbd3jun2005pushlimit2.mpg" looks better than "notbd2jun2005pushedtolimit.mpg" in this case. Even if the latter is not a catastrophe as a worst case... remember that the original had delayed scrolling built-in as a feature! Do you have an example of when the two engines perform the other way around? Which is the most common situation? Regards, Moderntimes99

In my personal opinion I would definitely prefer to see the original "snap a diamond" functionality on the fire button. It might even be neccessary to have this in there in order to solve some of the caves! In Boulder Dash EX on the Gameboy Advance, however, there is the possibility to pause the game and look around while the game is paused - why not have something like that in the 2600 version? (If lookaround is at all neccessary? I think the new scrolling looks awesome and seems to catch up with the movements very well!) Another idea, for the diamonds counter - why not have it start on the number of diamonds required and then have it counting downwards for every diamond collected. What really concerns the player should be the number of diamonds left before the exit is available (and then maybe showing +1, +2, +3 etc for every "bonus" diamond collected after that). Regards, Moderntimes99

A physics test would be to go to Cave I1 (from BD1) open up the cave and make sure to not grab any diamond... does the pattern in the 2600 version look identical to the one below? (Just for curiousity I checked the Atari 800, C64, ZX Spectrum, GB and GBA version and they all give the same pattern!) Regards, Moderntimes99

Judging from the mpeg it seems as if the physics for diamonds and boulders are in all place! Congratulations! I also like that the score has moved above the playfield, this makes it even closer to the original. Maybe the boulders are looking a slight bit too bright in the mpeg, but they look really good in the screenshots (when there are not so many of them) so it might not be a big problem. If the original title screen can't be implemented one idea could be to use the raster lines from American Action's Boulder Dash III (the C64 version), as these should be doable on the VCS, and combine them with the logo from the first Boulder Dash (the Atari 800 version)... Regards, Moderntimes99 PS. And sure, this project has *dignity*, anyone knowing their computer game history watching these mpegs can see that... :-)

Hmm... noticed the mirrored diamonds, but thought they were a feature :-) Couldn't download the mpg for the latest kernel, but judging from the screen-shots it looks even better than before. Funny, even though the graphics are fairly blocky the feeling of the original is captured in a very good way! I couldn't resist to replay the C64 version and loaded it up in the VICE emulator yesterday. One thing that I noticed then was what important role sound effects play in creating atmospere in the game. Considering the dignity of this project - wouldn't it be a good idea to ask Paul Slocum himself if he possibly would like to try to recreate the original sound on the 2600? Regards, Moderntimes99

This is looking more and more impressive for every day. And is certainly *the* most important homebrew for the 2600 since Thrust. Shockwaves should be rippling through the whole retro gaming world... Regards, Moderntimes99

Do take care of yourself and put yourself in the first room! The "beta" of Man Goes Down (which I've been playing on my 2600, PAL version, using the Krokodile Cart) is really so good that it makes waiting much easier... Regards, Moderntimes99

Just continue posting these mpeg files to keep us warm at heart :-) The latest one (with the "real" Rockford) looks spot on! If the levels of "Boulder Dash I" are possible to implement then I would personally vote for using just those levels - I guess that there are a lot of people like me out there remembering them... Regards, Moderntimes99

This should answer your question 850667[/snapback] Great news indeed! Using the right difficulty switch for NTSC/PAL is the best solution. Just let me know if you're starting to take pre-orders! I've spent hundreds of hours in front of Boulder Dash on the C64... I think the unanimated diamonds are fine... I miss the original Rockford look though... Regards, Moderntimes99

Cool! Is there any chance that there will be a PAL version also? Regards, Moderntimes99

Jet Pac is one of my all time favourites (and was one of my very first games I got for the ZX Spectrum... hm... twenty years ago!?). I would really encourage developing this into a faithful Jet Pac clone... here's a suggestion for a design for the Jet Pac sprite... Regards, Moderntimes99

I am very happy with z26 + the x26 front-end. Regards, Moderntimes99

Maybe not the best thread as it concerns video rather than bankswitch conversion - but (speaking about Decathlon) has Track and Field been converted to PAL? Regards, Moderntimes99

Hi Thomas! And thanks for sharing your "hack" for the NTSC version. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to Atari 2600 programming... *but* I have once programmed both the Vic20 and C64 in 6502 and later also done Turbo Pascal under MS-DOS, so at least theoretically I should have all the tools I need to dig into the bankswitch conversion. At least it could serve as a suitable introduction to the 2600 world behind the scenes... if I'm successful I'll post my results here! (And maybe also if I get stuck altogether :-) Regards, Moderntimes99

Yes, the formula is indeed perfect. Simple and addictive, just as a 2600 game should be. In my opinion it has every chance making it to the "All time Top 10" of Atari 2600 games. Regards, Moderntimes99

Thomas Jentzsch, I know that there are a lot of people hunting you for bankswitch conversions, but there is no chance that you could reuse your work on Gyruss for NTSC on Gyruss for PAL? Regards, Moderntimes99

That was quick! As for testing it on real hardware I'm actually a bit ahead of time as my Krokodile cart was shipped out from the US yesterday(!). I will post my experience on real hardware to this thread as soon as I have the cart in my hands! Regards, Moderntimes99

It is not my intention to pester the programmers of homebrew games (!), but just because the "beta" we have seen of Man Goes Down was so good (good enough to be a release candidate, actually!) it would be interesting to hear if there are any other plans for it and when it's scheduled for release. I guess I'm far from the only one waiting and wondering.... Regards, Moderntimess99