ADAM Computer Game of the Moment #02

[NIAD]

ADAM Bomb 2 - The Rescue

Steve Pitman Software - 1996

requires at least a 64K Memory Expander

 

I was going to save this and post it on down the road, but this game represents the height of 3rd Party game production on the ADAM and really should have been the first one highlighted... even though MicroChip is right up there with AB 2, just different types of games.

 

AB 2 is the sequel to ADAM Bomb which will be highlighted as well. In AB 2, you aee abducted by aliens and taken to their home planet. Your mission is to rescue 400 other abductees which you must find, and collect 1800 power crystals to get home. Along the way you will meet people who will give you clues or trade valuable items to help you complete your mission.

 

The AB 2 world is made up of 180 screens to explore and you use the hand controller for all gameplay. It will work in all ADAM emulators as well, but due to incomplete emulation in M.E.S.S., you can't save your game progress.

 

Included in the two archives are: the AB 2 disk image, a LARGE full color map in BMP format, a hints and docs file by Meeka S., and AB 2 Editor disk image with docs that was just created this year by Steve Pitman as part of his effort to make the map.

ADAM Bomb 2 - The Rescue with Docs & Map.zip

ADAM Bomb 2 - The Rescue Editor with Docs.zip

Edited December 31, 2010 by NIAD

[Pixelboy]

A lot of people were playing that game at AdamCon 22 last summer. I tried it myself and really got sucked in. Really a fun game.

[+evg2000]

Thanks again for doing this. Would be nice if we could have a subtopic for these to keep them all together and easy to find

[newcoleco]

Well, Steve Pitman was certainly a fan of the TV-series X-Files... This game use an alien abduction theme, Mulder and Sculy are both in this game too, and also in the MicroChip game there is a nonogram picture "X-Files" to discover.

 

I still have difficulties to present AdamBomb 2 in video format; I was thinking of doing one during months but I'm not ready for it. I need advice from an expert in order to give clues and tips because I know that we can get stuck in many places and dealing with a bunch of items we can't bring all at once is tricky, limit annoying. But first, to get the attention of gamers and induce the desire to give this game a try, we need more than showing the map and the basic movements, we need a game footage that means something and a bunch of important informations like clues and tips (save there, need this item, go get this first, etc.)

 

It looks like the first useful item we can get is a shield by first getting the red rose F5 and bring it to Stanley Summers B7... which is not easy at first because this map is a giant maze and I am afraid that gamers will simply avoid the game because it's a maze and we can get stuck. so, I need your help.

 

There are many people in the game, only a few are mentionned in the documentation. These people are also, for the most part, real persons; like Rich Clee who was involved in the organisation of many ADAMCON meetings including the one in 2010 (ADAMCON 22) in Montreal-Laval, and of course Jim N. aka NIAD here... and these people are BIG NAMES for long time ADAMCOM members... which is something I can't use to connect anonymous gamers to the game; only the fictional characters Fox Mulder and Dana Sculy can get their attention.

 

An ideal game footage to introduce this game should include : find and use bombs (that's pretty easy), find a key and use it (I've never done that), find an item that a person is looking for (the red rose to get a shield), read an envelopp (welcome to adambomb2), talk to some people (very easy), getting stuck, use instant death button, find treasure chest(s), do inventory management (dropping items to get them back later) and give a few important hints (to access impossible to access zones, to progress in the game)... and all this in about 10-15 minutes with the first minutes reserved to show the first steps into the game including the basic movements and obstacles. The usage of transitions will help to cut some not interesting parts (walking around in order to reach a certain place) and reduce the footage duration. If I can't get the gamers attention within the first 2 minutes, they will not play... and because it's not an easy game footage to make with all that in mind, I didn't make a video about ADAMBOMB 2 yet.

 

SIDE NOTE : COLECOVISION HOMEBREW STARTED REALLY IN 1996. AND GUYS LIKE STEVE PITMAN DID COLECO ADAM GAMES DURING YEARS UP TO 1996 (maybe more later too, I don't know). SO COLECO PROGRAMMING NEVER STOPPED... AND A NEW GENERATION OF PROGRAMMERS AND FANS CONTINUE THE TRADITION AND TRY TO GO FURTHER. MANY FANS KEEP THE COLECO SCENE ALIVE AND I AM VERY HAPPY.

Edited December 31, 2010 by newcoleco

[NIAD]

Well, Steve Pitman was certainly a fan of the TV-series X-Files... This game use an alien abduction theme, Mulder and Sculy are both in this game too, and also in the MicroChip game there is a nonogram picture "X-Files" to discover.

 

I still have difficulties to present AdamBomb 2 in video format; I was thinking of doing one during months but I'm not ready for it. I need advice from an expert in order to give clues and tips because I know that we can get stuck in many places and dealing with a bunch of items we can't bring all at once is tricky, limit annoying. But first, to get the attention of gamers and induce the desire to give this game a try, we need more than showing the map and the basic movements, we need a game footage that means something and a bunch of important informations like clues and tips (save there, need this item, go get this first, etc.)

 

It looks like the first useful item we can get is a shield by first getting the red rose F5 and bring it to Stanley Summers B7... which is not easy at first because this map is a giant maze and I am afraid that gamers will simply avoid the game because it's a maze and we can get stuck. so, I need your help.

 

There are many people in the game, only a few are mentionned in the documentation. These people are also, for the most part, real persons; like Rich Clee who was involved in the organisation of many ADAMCON meetings including the one in 2010 (ADAMCON 22) in Montreal-Laval, and of course Jim N. aka NIAD here... and these people are BIG NAMES for long time ADAMCOM members... which is something I can't use to connect anonymous gamers to the game; only the fictional characters Fox Mulder and Dana Sculy can get their attention.

 

An ideal game footage to introduce this game should include : find and use bombs (that's pretty easy), find a key and use it (I've never done that), find an item that a person is looking for (the red rose to get a shield), read an envelopp (welcome to adambomb2), talk to some people (very easy), getting stuck, use instant death button, find treasure chest(s), do inventory management (dropping items to get them back later) and give a few important hints (to access impossible to access zones, to progress in the game)... and all this in about 10-15 minutes with the first minutes reserved to show the first steps into the game including the basic movements and obstacles. The usage of transitions will help to cut some not interesting parts (walking around in order to reach a certain place) and reduce the footage duration. If I can't get the gamers attention within the first 2 minutes, they will not play... and because it's not an easy game footage to make with all that in mind, I didn't make a video about ADAMBOMB 2 yet.

 

SIDE NOTE : COLECOVISION HOMEBREW STARTED REALLY IN 1996. AND GUYS LIKE STEVE PITMAN DID COLECO ADAM GAMES DURING YEARS UP TO 1996 (maybe more later too, I don't know). SO COLECO PROGRAMMING NEVER STOPPED... AND A NEW GENERATION OF PROGRAMMERS AND FANS CONTINUE THE TRADITION AND TRY TO GO FURTHER. MANY FANS KEEP THE COLECO SCENE ALIVE AND I AM VERY HAPPY.

Very good points... all of them, Daniel! I was trying to think of a good way to do a gameplay video as well, but this game is so huge and involved that it will be extremely hard to present something that will be beneficial to all forms of game players. I think the best method would be to just start from the beginning of the game and show some basics like you brought up and then leave the rest up to the gamer. In the words of our favorite game company, Coleco:

 

The Fun of Discovery

 

And without a doubt, this is one game where there will be a lot of discovery, even for myself, as I only made it thru 2/3rds of the game when I was avidely playing it years ago and will more than likely have to start from beginning again due to all the play elements you mentioned.

 

I would have loved to have seen the sales figures for this game and MicroChip if they had been released at the height of the ADAM Users Groups instead of at the end when most groups had folded up and only one or two major mail-order vendors were still in business. Just basing my figures off of "Temple of the Snow Dragon", which was released mid-1988, I would say that these two games by Steve Pitman would have easily sold 1,000 copies.

[newcoleco]

HELP NEEDED

 

I've played 2 days and I'm really bad at it. This is the only part I can do.

 

QUICK PATH TO GET 2 KEYS AND 1 SHIELD

 

I start at A6, I go down and get the yellow key at A7, then I move to reach A6, B6, B5, C5, C4, C3, B3, A3 to get the gold coin. Then I move back to C5, to go down to C6, then follow the path to reach Jim N. (NIAD) at E6 but I don't talk to him yet. I continue the path by moving to E5, then I carefully put a bomb before the skull&bone, then pass it, use the bomb, and then I have enough space to use more bombs to finaly reach the red rose. I can move back or use the yellow door to follow another path but finaly reach back the starting point A6, and I need to pass the arrow at A5 to do that. I talk to John L. to get the blue key and use the bomb to save a few people. Then I give the red rose to Stanley S. by following the path A7, B7 (down arrow), B8, A8 and then use a bunch of bombs to reach A7 and finaly B7 to get the shield from Stanley.

 

At this point, I have a Yellow Key, a Blue Key, and a Shield.

 

SO, WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?

 

Then, what I was able to do next is to use a bomb at C6 to go to C7, D7, E7, F7, F8, G8, H8, H9, I9 (pass the skull&bone), J8, K8, L8, L7. At this point, I know that there is a path to THAW on my right and a bunch of frozen guys if I move up instead. Note that at H9, I can instead move down in the maze path and reach first the yellow door at I9, and follow the path H9, H10, H11, H12, I12, I11, J11. And I'm stuck there because I can't reach the doors in J11 which, by using only yellow doors and follow the path, will lead me to the baby I should get at M12 to give it back to Cyndi G. at E4 (I can talk to her by using the path up from L7, beside the THAW) and get from her the skull necklace for Rich C. (J3), to get the diamond ring for Jim (NIAD) at E6 to get finaly the Skelton Key to open treasure chest and (I presume) also the grey doors like the one in F7 to reach what I think is the ship key (I4) to give to McGuyver (M4) to finaly get the arrow pin to be able to pass the giant maze of arrows in B9 to reach the glasses (B10) for Louise (A8) to get the red key which is needed to get the green key (F3) and also to get the eye balls (D10) for Jesse W. (C6) to get boots. The green key is needed to reach the floppy disk at B2 to be able to get the hammer from Sol S (H10).

 

SO, I DON'T KNOW...

 

I'm stuck with only 2 keys and a shield, moving around infront of doors I can't open and paths I can go into in order to reach more people and items.

Edited January 7, 2011 by newcoleco

[newcoleco]

Ok, I've made mistakes... and I think I get it now.

 

First, The white doors open with the white key, not the skelton key which open only the treasure chests.

 

Second, I don't need the arrow pin to solve the giant maze made with arrows only in B9, so I can collect the glasses for Louise to get the red key.

 

So, logically, I need to get the red key after where I've left off (blue key, yellow key and a shield) by giving the glasses (after solving the maze made of arrows) to Louise (A8). After that, I can use the red key to get the eye balls to give them to Jesse in order to give me boots. But, there is a problem of item management. So, to get the eye balls, I need to drop the shield somewhere first to travel only with the 3 keys (yellow, blue and red). So, I use the red door at B10 to make my way to the eye balls without the shield, C10, C9, D9, E9-E10, F9, G9 (red door), G10, G11, G12, F12 (take 2e path from the bottom), F11 (red door), E11-E12, D11 (go down right away), D12 (red door), D11 and move up right away, D10 for the eye balls. At that point, I presume I can press the "respond" button to get back to the starting point (A6) to reach more quickly Louise (A8).

 

So, with boots and a yellow key, I presume I can get a baby at M12 in order to eventually get the skelton key which open treasure chests; and I presume I can also get another baby at L9 in order to eventually get the white key and finaly the arrow pin which help to pass arrows who block some parts including the one to the exit.

 

After all the parts solved, it's time to go back into each screen in order to make sure we rescue every one and get all the power crystals we need to complete the game... which is time consuming.

Edited January 7, 2011 by newcoleco