ADAM Computer Game of the Week #18

[NIAD]

SubRoc SuperGame

by Coleco Electronics

Prototype

 

SubRoc is a game that should be very familiar to all ColecoVision enthusiasts being that it was first released on a cartridge by Coleco in 1983. The cartridge version was, of course, limited in size by the 32K barrier (in fact, the cart is only 20K) and therefore only offers the above water sequence.

 

The SuperGame version for the ADAM Computer is in fact a finshed product which was copyrighted 1984, but for whatever reason (probably completed just prior to Coleco's announcement in Jan. '85 that they were abandoning the ColecoVision and ADAM), Coleco decided not to release it commercially. They instead made it available to ADAM Users Groups circa 1985 to share with the ADAM Community with the requirement that all copyright information would be removed from the program. Because of this requirement by Coleco, you will see multiple versions of SubRoc available for download that have been hacked to change two titles screems as well as to patch the program code so that it will work from disk as well as the originally supplied data pack.

 

The SuperGame offers underwater sequences unlike the cartridge version, numerous other enhancements and a Hall of Fame, which can be cleared of high scores like other SuperGames by pressing the following keypad buttons on the controller while at the Hall of Fame screen: 9 8 9

 

Enjoy!

Super SubRoc (1984) (Coleco) (Prototype).zip

[ed1475]

The underwater parts also include a really cool octopus. As with most of the "Super Games", I've got a gameplay video on my youtube channel. Octopus battle starts at about 3:30.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxmV8a0X4X4

[Inky]

I remember writing up a hints article for NIAD on this game. Absolutely loved this one.

[NIAD]

I remember writing up a hints article for NIAD on this game. Absolutely loved this one.

Hey Inky, got lucky and found your article in the second issue I opened up! If you are interested in seeing all the issues of the NIAD Newsletter in PDF form, use the link to Joe Blenkle's SacNews site in the footer of my posts.

N.I.A.D. Newsletter with Inky\'s Game Column.pdf

[ozma wars]

is there hope to see all these games ported (re-ported) in cartridge form for the console ?

an "ADAM Collection" for the new supermemorycarts would be great ..

Luc ? Eduardo ? J-F ? any volunteer ?

[Pixelboy]

is there hope to see all these games ported (re-ported) in cartridge form for the console ?

an "ADAM Collection" for the new supermemorycarts would be great ..

Luc ? Eduardo ? J-F ? any volunteer ?

Having some of the more popular ADAM games on regular CV cartridges would indeed be great. But speaking for myself, as the guy behind Team Pixelboy, if I were to do these cartridge conversions (and that's a BIG "if") I would start with Dragon's Lair, and then Zaxxon Super Game. I have to admit, though, that SubRoc Super Game would probably be third. Looking at that YouTube footage, it looks pretty awesome to me.

 

Even without being a CV/ADAM programming expert, I strongly believe cartridge conversions of ADAM DDP games are possible. Trouble is, there are too many hurdles to overcome to make it happen, regardless of what ADAM game we're talking about:

 

1) We need a 256K MegaCart, which exists today, but Opcode owns it, and Eduardo Mello wouldn't be interested in a project such as this.

 

2) We need a RAM expansion pack. Opcode's Super Game Module will do the job, but no one knows when it will be released. On the plus side, Opcode's SGM can be set to override the ColecoVision BIOS and turn the BIOS's address range (0000h to 1FFF) into regular RAM, so the BIOS could possibly be rewritten to "emulate" any ADAM BIOS routines that the Super Games may use, and that would perhaps make the cartridge conversions easier.

 

3) We need a devoted ADAM homebrewer who is willing to disassemble and study the original code (from the ADAM data-pack/disk versions) in its entirety, and rework the source code to work with the MegaCart. That's by far the biggest hurdle. It's probably a huge amount of work, and even if I were to put a lot of money on the table to get it done (and believe me when I say that I would) I don't know anyone in the ADAM community who would be willing to do the job.

 

 

By the way... "supermemorycarts"?

[Inky]

I remember writing up a hints article for NIAD on this game. Absolutely loved this one.

Hey Inky, got lucky and found your article in the second issue I opened up! If you are interested in seeing all the issues of the NIAD Newsletter in PDF form, use the link to Joe Blenkle's SacNews site in the footer of my posts.

 

Awesomeness!

 

I hope nobody sends any mail to that address. I havent lived there in 20 years. lol

[ozma wars]

is there hope to see all these games ported (re-ported) in cartridge form for the console ?

an "ADAM Collection" for the new supermemorycarts would be great ..

Luc ? Eduardo ? J-F ? any volunteer ?

Having some of the more popular ADAM games on regular CV cartridges would indeed be great. But speaking for myself, as the guy behind Team Pixelboy, if I were to do these cartridge conversions (and that's a BIG "if") I would start with Dragon's Lair, and then Zaxxon Super Game. I have to admit, though, that SubRoc Super Game would probably be third. Looking at that YouTube footage, it looks pretty awesome to me.

 

Even without being a CV/ADAM programming expert, I strongly believe cartridge conversions of ADAM DDP games are possible. Trouble is, there are too many hurdles to overcome to make it happen, regardless of what ADAM game we're talking about:

 

1) We need a 256K MegaCart, which exists today, but Opcode owns it, and Eduardo Mello wouldn't be interested in a project such as this.

 

2) We need a RAM expansion pack. Opcode's Super Game Module will do the job, but no one knows when it will be released. On the plus side, Opcode's SGM can be set to override the ColecoVision BIOS and turn the BIOS's address range (0000h to 1FFF) into regular RAM, so the BIOS could possibly be rewritten to "emulate" any ADAM BIOS routines that the Super Games may use, and that would perhaps make the cartridge conversions easier.

 

3) We need a devoted ADAM homebrewer who is willing to disassemble and study the original code (from the ADAM data-pack/disk versions) in its entirety, and rework the source code to work with the MegaCart. That's by far the biggest hurdle. It's probably a huge amount of work, and even if I were to put a lot of money on the table to get it done (and believe me when I say that I would) I don't know anyone in the ADAM community who would be willing to do the job.

 

 

By the way... "supermemorycarts"?

I am only 43, I can wait

[Inky]

I keep wondering why Coleco decided to do a supergame based on Sub Roc. It certainly didn't set the arcade on fire. It was in 3-D in the arcade. I wonder if Coleco was thinking of going that route with the game.

[NIAD]

I keep wondering why Coleco decided to do a supergame based on Sub Roc. It certainly didn't set the arcade on fire. It was in 3-D in the arcade. I wonder if Coleco was thinking of going that route with the game.

I think it boiled down to how much they could add to the game, as far as the underwater sequences and other additions, that was already available on cartridge. I would think that it would be a helluva lot faster to add all this new stuff than to program a new game from scratch. Another factor would be that Coleco had already paid to license the game from Sega so why not get the most bang for their buck a create a SuperGame version for the ADAM. It's also quite possible that the license from Sega was only for a console release of the game and things got held up in trying to negotiate release rights on a computer and then time ran out.

 

Last bit of thought on this would be to get another title out as quickly as possible because people and magazines were hammering them for more ADAM specific releases. It's really too bad things played out the way they did re. the ADAM and then Coleco subsequently dropping the CV & ADAM in January 1985 because they truly had some outstanding people working for and/or contracted by them that could have done some serious damage in the industry if given the proper time.

[JEFF31]

Holy Crap Batman! Week 18? I've seen several of these and find them very interesting... but 18! probably have missed half of them... can you post links (yes I'm to lazy to do a search)? to the other games?

[NIAD]

Holy Crap Batman! Week 18? I've seen several of these and find them very interesting... but 18! probably have missed half of them... can you post links (yes I'm to lazy to do a search)? to the other games?

Just do a search of "Game of the Week" in this CV/ADAM Forum and you should have all the threads listed out for you without having to backtrack to the first one... which I started on 12/26/10.

 

Yeah, I didn't think I would still be at this either after over 4 months.

[Yurkie]

Holy Crap Batman! Week 18? I've seen several of these and find them very interesting... but 18! probably have missed half of them... can you post links (yes I'm to lazy to do a search)? to the other games?

 

When looking at the forum list, look over at the search box. The search will be "This Forum" by default. Type a key word or words and topics with those words will come up. Niad's suggestion works great! +1

Edited May 4, 2011 by Yurkie

[NIAD]

Holy Crap Batman! Week 18? I've seen several of these and find them very interesting... but 18! probably have missed half of them... can you post links (yes I'm to lazy to do a search)? to the other games?

 

When looking at the forum list, look over at the search box. The search will be "This Forum" by default. Type a key word or words and topics with those words will come up. Niad's suggestion works great! +1

Yeah, it took me a little while to learn all the in and outs of the AtariAge Forums and then try some of the features out... I wish I would have spent a little time learning it all back when I first joined as it would have saved me a lot of time. Gotta tip my hat to Albert as the AtaiAge Forums are the best I've used and I'm glad they returned to the current SKIN after changing it during the upgrade a couple months ago.

 

I should have said Albert and everyone who helps maintain the Forums as well as all the great retrogamer enthusiasts that are on here.

Edited May 4, 2011 by NIAD