7800 Super Pac-Man - I found the bug!

[Breakpack]

Pac-Mania for NES has a 'feature'. When you are on your very last life,and about to eat the last dot on a board,time a jump so you will land on a ghost and the dot at the same time.You will then have a bunch of extra lives (although life icons dont appear at the bottom unless you get killed a TON of times).So I have no problem with your 'feature',PMP!

Edited November 9, 2008 by Breakpack

[PacManPlus]

@Dauber, Gorf, Trebor, Almost Rice, Gambler172 and Breakpack

 

Thanks, guys. The only problem here is if the monster happens to be moving vertically, you get screen degeneration once he moves off-screen. If it was just a left/right thing where he moves off one side and comes in the other, I can understand what you guys are saying because it doesn't hinder the game itself. But because of the reaction to the Display List with vertical movement, I *have* to figure it out.

 

Almost Rice: I really am trying to reproduce this. I've been playing it every morning while exercising (stationary bike). It just doesn't happen for me. Being that you've been able to replicate it twice, is there any way you can record the output just so I can see what exactly is happeneing at the time the bug occurs?

I really am sorry to ask you of this, but this is the proverbial 'needle-in-a-haystack' here.

 

Thanks guys!

Bob

[gambler172]

@Dauber, Gorf, Trebor, Almost Rice, Gambler172 and Breakpack

 

Thanks, guys. The only problem here is if the monster happens to be moving vertically, you get screen degeneration once he moves off-screen. If it was just a left/right thing where he moves off one side and comes in the other, I can understand what you guys are saying because it doesn't hinder the game itself. But because of the reaction to the Display List with vertical movement, I *have* to figure it out.

 

Almost Rice: I really am trying to reproduce this. I've been playing it every morning while exercising (stationary bike). It just doesn't happen for me. Being that you've been able to replicate it twice, is there any way you can record the output just so I can see what exactly is happeneing at the time the bug occurs?

I really am sorry to ask you of this, but this is the proverbial 'needle-in-a-haystack' here.

 

Thanks guys!

Bob

 

Hi my friend

I think the game is good as it is.I played itseveral times and can say,that it is great.

greetings Walter

[Almost Rice]

Almost Rice: I really am trying to reproduce this. I've been playing it every morning while exercising (stationary bike). It just doesn't happen for me. Being that you've been able to replicate it twice, is there any way you can record the output just so I can see what exactly is happeneing at the time the bug occurs?

I really am sorry to ask you of this, but this is the proverbial 'needle-in-a-haystack' here.

 

OK,

 

I will move the computer with a video capture card and record every game I play.

 

In order to help you reproduce the problem yourself, I only found the bug when I changed the way I was playing SPM. I first try to clear most of the board prior to eating the 1st energizer. I wait until the 4 ghosts are close to me and I go after them. I may eat a Super pill during energizer time. I then go to another quadrant and eat another energizer before Super time expires. I then chase after the ghosts wherever they are and wait for all ghost to rematerialize. I eat the 3rd energizer and then is when one of the ghosts starts going through walls after they change colors and bounce directions.

[PacManPlus]

That's actually the way I normally play

 

It almost sounds like you are getting a little annoyed; I hope that is not the case. I do apologize if it is - like I said I really am trying to reproduce it to the point of I'm almost sick of playing it now.

 

I will keep trying.

[PacManPlus]

I GOT IT

 

I was driving home tonight and I was thinking about the post above where Almost Rice describes how he plays. He mentioned two words that made it finally click: "bounce directions".

 

Then it hit me - if you eat an energizer while the monsters are doing their spasm attack, they stop in the middle and move normal again. If one monster happens to be in the pen at this time, there's a 50/50 chance he will be moving in the opposite direction (which the program doesn't check for; the pen movement is *very* particular to work). If he's moving in the opposite direction, the pen handling code gets confused, and he starts moving through walls. I tested this as soon as I got home, and lo and behold, I got it to fail:

 

(look at the bottom row of apples)

 

To fix this, I had a choice: either a) don't make the monster do the 'shake' if he's in the pen, or b) don't *stop* the shake if he's in the pen, and an energizer is eaten. I went with option 'b'. Once you get to the later boards, it won't matter any more because they all come out fairly quickly.

 

Thank you all of you, especially Almost Rice for helping me find this bug.

First post updated.

 

Bob

[+Mitch]

Excellent!

 

By the way, do you think that is the same thing as the one I mentioned in post 93 of this thread? I never was able to recreate it.

 

Mitch

[PacManPlus]

Excellent!

 

By the way, do you think that is the same thing as the one I mentioned in post 93 of this thread? I never was able to recreate it.

 

Mitch

 

I think that one had more to do with a previous bug that I fixed - where the monsters would have issues with the outer perimeter of the maze - especially the doors.

 

Thanks!

Bob

[Albert]

Glad to hear you were able to nail that bug in a moment of inspiration.

 

..Al

[+Cafeman]

I GOT IT

 

Your elation was so strong that I felt it myself! Congrats, I also am familiar with finding hard-to-find bugs. Wow, what a great feeling when you nail it. Congrats, and kudos too on your near-infatuation with all things Pac-Man.

[Dauber]

Seriously, Bob, where do I send the PayPal?!?

 

Excellent work!

 

Oh...and going back to a previous post, I remember another power-up in the Vierizon Wireless Super Pac-Man "enhanced" mode...there's a hyperspace power-up! Usually the power-ups appear when the maze is almost cleared, though, so I've yet to find this power-up to be useful...

[Breakpack]

Seriously, Bob, where do I send the PayPal?!?

 

Yeah,yeah,me too!What he said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Trebor]

Incredible job, Bob!

 

You never cease to amaze me.

 

-Trebor

[Almost Rice]

It almost sounds like you are getting a little annoyed; I hope that is not the case. I do apologize if it is - like I said I really am trying to reproduce it to the point of I'm almost sick of playing it now.

 

I was not annoyed. I just did not play my 7800 next to a computer with a TV card and had to set up the systems. I just set it up last night and was playing a few games,but the video recording was not working. I have to find the drivers and reinstall everything. I guess it is not needed for this bug, but will be useful for other 7800 games. I have been needing to clean up my play area. So this was a good excuse. Sorry I did not notice that the ghosts were in spasm mode when I was eating the energizer.

 

Also, SPM is growing on me. I never did like it when it was in the arcade, but the style of play is different and I like it. Making myself play just to reproduce the bug, made me see the differences in the game compared to PM or MsPM. I started to see nuances like energizers extending super time.

[gambler172]

Hi Bob

This bug was never a problem for me.

greetings Walter

[Shawn]

Hi Bob

This bug was never a problem for me.

greetings Walter

 

 

Nope, not for me either.

[DEBRO]

Hi Bob,

I was driving home tonight and I was thinking about the post above where Almost Rice describes how he plays. He mentioned two words that made it finally click: "bounce directions".

 

Then it hit me - if you eat an energizer while the monsters are doing their spasm attack, they stop in the middle and move normal again. If one monster happens to be in the pen at this time, there's a 50/50 chance he will be moving in the opposite direction (which the program doesn't check for; the pen movement is *very* particular to work). If he's moving in the opposite direction, the pen handling code gets confused, and he starts moving through walls. I tested this as soon as I got home, and lo and behold, I got it to fail:

I ran into a similar situation with my pen code for Pacman4K too. Arrghhh...those little pen boogers

[PacManPlus]

Thanks, Everyone

 

I'm just happy to finally put this to bed.

 

I think it's too late for me to start something for Christmas but we'll see.

[Mayhem]

Great going there

 

I assume the first post has the bug fixed version?

[mimo]

Thanks, Everyone

 

I'm just happy to finally put this to bed.

 

I think it's too late for me to start something for Christmas but we'll see.

 

pleeeeees Santa Pacman Plus, you don't need sleep do you?

How about a quick port of Bounty Bob Strikes back, or Preppie! from the Atari 8bit

[Almost Rice]

I went back to using the rom from 10/12 and noticed that ghosts in the box did not spasm except for pinky at the beginning.

[PacManPlus]

Great going there

 

I assume the first post has the bug fixed version?

Yes.

 

I went back to using the rom from 10/12 and noticed that ghosts in the box did not spasm except for pinky at the beginning.

That is correct - I made that change afterwards. I don't remember exactly when the change was made (fairly recent), but it had bugged me that the monsters in the pen did not shake like the arcade when the others outside the box did. I think that version may be the one where the monsters have issues with the outside perimeter, especially the outside doors, though... That was fixed on the 14th.

 

 

Thanks!

Bob

[DracIsBack]

A bit late to the party. Where is the final ROM?

[HammR25]

It's in the first post

[[d2f]Iggy*SJB]

Holy Spit! Super Pac Man on the 7800!! I must have this! For the love of all that's Holy and several things that aren't, PLEASE get this on a cart!

 

I have the 5200 version, and it's pretty decent, but the controller just doesn't work very well with it. I also have the Jaxx SPM stick, and it needs to be worked on.... (more sub-standard joystick parts)

 

If there is a list, I want to be on it.