ADAM Computer Game of the Week #20

[NIAD]

The Best of Electronic Arts

Pinball Construction Set & Hard Hat Mack

(1984) Coleco

 

The Best of Electronic Arts is the second ADAM software title in the planned "The Best of" series... the first being the commercially released The Best of Broderbund (Choplifter and A.E.). However, The Best of E.A. was never officially released, so full instructions detailing different play elements are not available and you will have test what different keypresses will do although it is a lot more straight forward than others. Other planned titles in the "The Best of" series that were never released/produced include The Best of Sierra On-Line (Troll's Tale and Jawbreaker II), The Best of Sirius (Grud's in Space, Type Attack and Capture the Flag) and The Best of Synapse (Necromancer and Rainbow Walker).

 

The Best of E.A. 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. Even after this announcement by Coleco, they still had plans to release software that was finished or close to it during the 1985 calendar year, but later decided against it. They instead made it available to ADAM Users Groups circa 1985/1986 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 The Best of E.A. available for download that have been hacked to change the title screens.

 

As was mentioned, instructions are not available for either game but H.H.M. is pretty self-explanatory and we used to supply a copy of the P.C.S. manual from the Apple or C=64 version since the versions were nearly identical with the exception of the inclusion of SmartKEY choices. Note that in order to make a self-booting P.C.S. compilation, you have to format/initialize the Data Pack or Disk in P.C.S. with the "Logic" option.

 

I have experienced some issues in running The Best of E.A. in Virtual ADAM, but it does work properly when using M.E.S.S. ADAM emulation... I didn't have time to re-test thru vanilla ADAMem.

 

I have also included a 2-disk self-booting set of pinball games named Wizard's Pinball Arcade that was made by my programming partner back in the day, Greg McDaniel, and released under our label... Wizard's Lair Software. There are a large number of ready made pinball tables to play that will demonstrate the capabilities of P.C.S. Note that each disk image is self-booting.

 

Hard Hat Mack Easter Egg

 

As soon as you are able to move your man, press the " # " on controller #1. You will have an endless supply of men. On Level 3, after dropping the last block do not follow it through the hole as you will get stuck on the level and have to reset the system.

 

Enjoy.

Best of Electronic Arts, The (1985) (Coleco) (Prototype).zip

Wizard\'s Pinball Arcade (1987) (Wizard\'s Lair Software).zip

[NIAD]

And here is the YouTube video that "ed1475" has posted on his site (http://www.youtube.com/user/ed1269?feature=mhum#g/u)

 

[newcoleco]

Already #20? Wow, I still have to play more of ADAMBomb 2... I want to see the end of it.

 

Dale Wick partialy used "Hard Hat Mack" for his nickname on Youtube : hardhatpsp

[ozma wars]

hi

some hope to see this as rom image to be played on standard Colecovision console ?

[ed1475]

Thanks for linking my gameplay video/channel. +1

[Tempest]

Is it just me or is the ADAM version of HHM a lot tougher than the version for the Apple II (the one I'm more familiar with). It seems like the jumping is more difficult, especially on the second level. I think it runs slightly faster too.

 

Tempest

[ed1475]

Is it just me or is the ADAM version of HHM a lot tougher than the version for the Apple II (the one I'm more familiar with). It seems like the jumping is more difficult, especially on the second level. I think it runs slightly faster too.

 

Tempest

 

I've never played the Apple II version but the ADAM version is extremely difficult. I've never been able to complete all 3 screens and I was playing on the easiest of 4 skill levels.

[retroillucid]

Is it just me or is the ADAM version of HHM a lot tougher than the version for the Apple II (the one I'm more familiar with). It seems like the jumping is more difficult, especially on the second level. I think it runs slightly faster too.

 

Tempest

 

I've never played the Apple II version but the ADAM version is extremely difficult. I've never been able to complete all 3 screens and I was playing on the easiest of 4 skill levels.

 

Hard Hat Mack only have 3 screens?

 

Humm,... I would make it for CV from scratch if so

[Tempest]

Hard Hat Mack only have 3 screens?

 

Humm,... I would make it for CV from scratch if so

Yes, only 3 screens.

 

Tempest

[retroillucid]

Hard Hat Mack only have 3 screens?

 

Humm,... I would make it for CV from scratch if so

Yes, only 3 screens.

 

Tempest

 

Great! , would be nice to trow some new level as well

[NIAD]

Is it just me or is the ADAM version of HHM a lot tougher than the version for the Apple II (the one I'm more familiar with). It seems like the jumping is more difficult, especially on the second level. I think it runs slightly faster too.

 

Tempest

 

I've never played the Apple II version but the ADAM version is extremely difficult. I've never been able to complete all 3 screens and I was playing on the easiest of 4 skill levels.

That's where the Easter Egg comes in handy! I've had a helluva time as well clearing all the screens without the unlimited lives cheat.

[ChuckH]

Jim,

I got it to work in VirtualADAM but as you say there are some issues. The first screen in Hard Hat Mack comes up garbled but after you die once everything seems fine. Thanks for the Easter egg as that helps a lot to be able to finish the game. I couldn't get it to work in MESS though. It hangs at an option screen. Maybe the version of MESS that you're using works better.

Chuck

[Bartsfam]

Hey; I'm kind of new at the Virtual Adam, and enjoy all of these games, but...I think I would do better with some type of game pad, instead of the keyboard. What does everybody use, a standard USB game pad of some kind? Any recomendations?

[NIAD]

Jim,

I got it to work in VirtualADAM but as you say there are some issues. The first screen in Hard Hat Mack comes up garbled but after you die once everything seems fine. Thanks for the Easter egg as that helps a lot to be able to finish the game. I couldn't get it to work in MESS though. It hangs at an option screen. Maybe the version of MESS that you're using works better.

Chuck

Yeah, this is the one Coleco made title that seems to give the available ADAM emulators fits. I have been able to play it using Virtual ADAM and then the next time I tried it, it wouldn't work... missing graphics, etc.

 

As far as MESS, from version to version emulation compatibility seems to change... sometimes for the better and then sometimes for the worse. So it is best to keep all the different versions, not necessarily installed on one's system but at least backed-up on an external drive or disc. What makes it impossible to keep up are the sheer number of software titles that one would have to test after each new release.

[NIAD]

Hey; I'm kind of new at the Virtual Adam, and enjoy all of these games, but...I think I would do better with some type of game pad, instead of the keyboard. What does everybody use, a standard USB game pad of some kind? Any recomendations?

Definetly need to go with a GamePort or USB gamepad as Virtual ADAM can be a little sluggish in accepting multiple keypresses such as when you press one of the arrow keys at the same time as a firebutton. Using a USB gamepad with Virtual ADAM can have it's drawbacks as well since you will experience some ghost movements which is a problem caused by running an emulator (ADAMem) from another emulator (DOSbox). Best case scenario is to use ADAMem with ADAMem Manager on an older version of Windows.

 

I personally like the USB Saitek gamepads, both wired and wireless. The XBox PC gamepad is a good one as well.

 

Anyhow, hopefully one day a new ADAM emulator will be released specifically developed in the Windows environment or Geoff Oltmans will finish up ADAMem SDL.