Games that use the B&W/Color Switch

[Ransom]

Which games use the Color/B&W switch for game functionality? I don't recall running across any aside from Starmaster. And maybe Space Shuttle?

 

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Here's a list of the games mentioned in the thread, for future reference:

 

Beany Bopper (pause function)

Bump 'n' Jump (background music on/off)

Cosmic Ark [later version] (disables 'background stars' effect)

Fast Eddie (pause function)

Ghost Manor (selects protagonist's gender)

Journey Escape (turn star field effect on/off)

Off the Wall (pause function)

Phasor Patrol (turn shields on/off)

Quest for Quintana Roo (pause function)

Riddle of the Sphinx (various functions)

Seawolf (??)

Secret Quest (turn status screen on/off)

Snoopy (pause function)

Space Shuttle (primary thrusters, but difficulty switch performs same functionality)

Starmaster (Galactic Chart on/off, but either difficulty switch will perform the same functionality)

Super Cobra (pause function)

Turmoil (pause function)

[phuzzed]

Let's see, off of the top of my head, Beany Bopper uses it as a pause function. I think in Journey Escape, it will turn on/off the star field effect. I'm sure there are others...

[toiletunes]

Secret Quest,

[TheGameCollector]

For some reason I always thought the switch was useless for most games because if you plugged a color game into a black and white TV, it would show up as black and white anyway. So really the only reason for it would be for someone who has a color TV wanting to play just that game in black and white.

 

Its good to see that a few games actually used it for something else.

[toiletunes]

If you play Breakout on a b/w tv in color mode, the bricks will all be the same color. Other early games may have similar results. I don't know why.

 

Also, Off The Wall uses the color-b/w switch as a pause button.

[StanJr]

Riddle of the Sphinx, Quest for Quintana Roo (I think)

 

A surprising number of the more complex games use many of the console switches.

[high voltage]

Snoopy pause button

[A.J. Franzman]

For some reason I always thought the switch was useless for most games because if you plugged a color game into a black and white TV, it would show up as black and white anyway. So really the only reason for it would be for someone who has a color TV wanting to play just that game in black and white.

If you play Breakout on a b/w tv in color mode, the bricks will all be the same color. Other early games may have similar results. I don't know why.

Many games use several different colors that have contrasting hues but the same or similar luminance values. On a B&W set, these colors will all look like very similar shades of gray. The B&W position of the TV Type switch was used by programmers of the early games to change the colors to high-contrast shades of gray so that players could tell one another (or enemies, etc.) apart more easily on a B&W set. Some games would be nearly unplayable on a B&W set without this feature.

[Pioneer4x4]

Phasor patrol uses it for the shields. (and difficulty switch for map view)

[Ransom]

Thanks for all the great info!

 

I updated the first post with the games mentioned so far. I'll make further updates if anyone comes up with any other games that use the TV Type switch for something besides changing between color and black and white output.

[Rex Dart]

Is the B/W switch mapped to Pause on a 7800, or does it just not exist there?

[bohoki]

only one i know is ghost manor changes the character from boy to girl

 

for some strange reason i got a feeling this has been covered before

Edited January 25, 2011 by bohoki

[Pioneer4x4]

Is the B/W switch mapped to Pause on a 7800, or does it just not exist there?

Correct it is the pause button, if held, acts like a b/w switch.

[littleman jack]

Star Master uses the B&W switch to call up the Galactic Chart.

And Bump n' Jump uses it to turn off the music.

[Syntaxerror999]

I didnt see anyone post this, but Space Shuttle from activision used it for the primary thrusters...course the left dif. switch did the same thing too in case you had an atari consol without the color switch (like a SECAM consol?)

[Ransom]

The first post has been updated with latest additions. Thanks everyone!

[A.J. Franzman]

I didnt see anyone post this, but Space Shuttle from activision used it for the primary thrusters...course the left dif. switch did the same thing too in case you had an atari consol without the color switch (like a SECAM consol?)

On a 7800, you'd need to use the Backup engine controls, since the 7800 has its "Pause" control as a momentary pushbutton wired the same as the TV Type switch.

[Deteacher]

Fast Eddie and Turmoil use the color/b&w switch as a pause button as well.

Edited January 28, 2011 by Deteacher

[Krytol]

Super Cobra uses it as pause.

[Nukey Shay]

Correction for Starmaster:

Besides the B/W switch, either of the difficulty switches would also toggle the "galactic chart". This is not mentioned in the manual (in fact, it states to leave the difficulty switches alone!), but using either of them has the same effect.

 

 

Is the B/W switch mapped to Pause on a 7800, or does it just not exist there?

The switch was "repurposed" (considering that the majority of households would be using color televisions anyway, there was not much need for an ingame B/W palette). The 7800's switch also springs back to it's original position just as Game Select and Game Reset do.

 

Whether moving the switch to either position actually has any effect at all is entirely up to the program. It will only act as a "pause" switch if the game was written to treat it that way...and even then, there is the issue of the switch automatically returning to it's original state when unpressed to consider.

[Nukey Shay]

BTW add the later version of Cosmic Ark. B/W disables the "background stars" effect.

 

Also, many homebrews and hacks use the switch for something other than a palette color change.

[littleman jack]

BTW add the later version of Cosmic Ark. B/W disables the "background stars" effect.

 

Also, many homebrews and hacks use the switch for something other than a palette color change.

 

Yes, a lot of homebrews use it. I forgot about that. Seawolf is one that uses it.

Edited January 29, 2011 by littleman jack