Chimera

[devwebcl]

Hi All,

 

As you know, In Chimera there is a hidden game that is activated after pressing bar space (pause) and then start+select+option.

However never I've been able to play it, always crash it (in different emulators and real hardware).

 

Only with an old emulator a helicopter appears.

 

Is there a dump which can play correctly that hidden game ?

 

Regards,

 

Devwebcl

[fox]

Cool! Looks like the game code is corrupted, at least in Chimera (v1).atr from atarionline.pl. Quick fix in Atari800 (Win PLus): enter monitor, type:

c 5005 8d
f 5080 509f ea
cont

Now run the hidden game.

[Mclaneinc]

Is there any special time you edit the memory or press these keys, I just keep going in and out of the normal game (using same atr from PL)

Edited August 29, 2011 by Mclaneinc

[José Pereira]

That works with AtariOnline vers.1 '.atr'.

Thanks.

 

Nothing special, but dificult and always the same:

[devwebcl]

Great!!! thanks for that.

[fox]

Is there any special time you edit the memory or press these keys, I just keep going in and out of the normal game (using same atr from PL)

1. Load Chimera.

2. Apply my fix.

3. Start the hidden game as described in the first post.

[miker]

Hmm... someone can rip the game to make it work standalone.

 

no?

[+rdemming]

Cool! Looks like the game code is corrupted, at least in Chimera (v1).atr from atarionline.pl.

 

My dump of the original tape (budget release) and the tape file available on AtariMania have the same problem. So I believe the "corruption" is in the original tape version as well.

I should still try it out on real hardware if it behaves any different. Till I read this thread I didn't know there was an hidden game.

 

Robert

[Tezz]

$5080 - $509f appears to be corrupted as Fox mentions. I'll take a closer look at it and come back...

 

EDIT: Yes, all the dumps appear to be bad. I'm pretty sure the hidden game worked on the real machine. Maybe someone can do a new dump... I'll go and check my old disks now.

Edited August 29, 2011 by Tezz

[+orpheuswaking]

Makes me want to go and play Hijack by English Software

[Kr0tki]

Maybe someone can do a new dump...

Redumping won't help. Even the original tape (see Atarimania) has it broken. Those 32 bytes are actually part of a VTOC directory:

5080: 43 00 00 00 00 57 52 49 54 45 42 49 4E 4D 41 43  C....WRITEBINMAC
5090: 43 00 00 00 00 42 4F 4F 54 57 52 49 54 4D 41 43  C....BOOTWRITMAC

[devwebcl]

Maybe someone can do a new dump...

Redumping won't help. Even the original tape (see Atarimania) has it broken. Those 32 bytes are actually part of a VTOC directory:

5080: 43 00 00 00 00 57 52 49 54 45 42 49 4E 4D 41 43  C....WRITEBINMAC
5090: 43 00 00 00 00 42 4F 4F 54 57 52 49 54 4D 41 43  C....BOOTWRITMAC

 

Already tested, It crash in real hardware too.

[Tezz]

Redumping won't help. Even the original tape (see Atarimania) has it broken. Those 32 bytes are actually part of a VTOC directory:

5080: 43 00 00 00 00 57 52 49 54 45 42 49 4E 4D 41 43  C....WRITEBINMAC
5090: 43 00 00 00 00 42 4F 4F 54 57 52 49 54 4D 41 43  C....BOOTWRITMAC

Indeed, this is the case. I've checked every version I could find including the Atarimania tape image. I didn't find a tape>disk conversion in my original disks unfortunately but I went through some other old disks and found the Rob C one which I've just imaged and checked too which is the same also. So I guess this confirms that it was released broken.

[+rdemming]

The author of the game "Shahid Amhad" has its own website. He is planning to do a Chimera remake.

I've left a comment at the "Extreme Atari Nostalgia" blog posting, inviting him to this thread (comment still under moderation). Maybe he will visit AtariAge and comment on this

 

Robert

[Tezz]

The author of the game "Shahid Amhad" has its own website. He is planning to do a Chimera remake.

I've left a comment at the "Extreme Atari Nostalgia" blog posting, inviting him to this thread (comment still under moderation). Maybe he will visit AtariAge and comment on this

 

Robert

Ah cool, Shahid has returned and posted a new message on the site. I thought he had possibly abandoned the remake after so long. I sent Shahid a brief email around the time he wrote his last entry back in December whilst I was working on revamping Chimera with the missing c64 features.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6pV_NJDEwA

Edited August 30, 2011 by Tezz

[Heaven/TQA]

is there a video of the hidden game?

[Tezz]

is there a video of the hidden game?

I don't think there has been as it crashed immediately after it's title. Here's a quickly patched executable attached where you can at least see the hidden game partially running.. corrupted with that missing small section of code. Hopefully Shahid can fill in the gap.

chimera.zip

[Heaven/TQA]

ok... and now tell me how can I press 3 keys in Atari800Mac with the mouse...

[shahid]

Thanks for inviting me here.

 

I should first say that the amount of nostalgia I feel for Atari hardware is probably unhealthy. I still have my original copy of De Re Atari and not a day goes by when I don't miss the early days of computing. My career started on the Atari 400 in 1983.

 

As for "A Different Kettle of Fish", you're really not missing much. From memory, your goal is to drop a kettle tied to a string to the bottom of a body of water, taking care to avoid fish with both the kettle and the line. That's it.

 

As for the missing code, here's what I just posted on my blog:

 

I agree that it’s a shame. Some points in my defence, if I may:

 

1) I keep archives going back all the way to the beginning – see the pristine copy of the letter from Chris Turner at Arctic for an example of that.

2) Any archives of my code would have been on 5.25″ floppies, notwithstanding several media changes since then, and the unavailability of drives that can read any code I may or may not have, the media is unlikely to have lasted a quarter of a century.

3) I actually wrote “A Different Kettle of Fish” on paper, and I had kept the paper, but…

4) In 1989, all of my materials were stolen. It was a devastating blow. I lost pretty much everything I ever worked on from an office I shared with the PDS guys – and I’m not sure I ever quite recovered from that loss. Only now, in 2011, am I finally in a position where I can consider going back to my pre 1990s life.

 

Having said all that, I will have another rummage through what’s left to see what I can find. The game definitely worked when I shipped it to Firebird.

 

I will have a look, but I don't hold out much hope. I'm pretty sure the version I sent to Firebird for mastering was OK, but it is 26 years ago.

 

As for the remake, it's back on. More news on that front soon!

 

Thanks very much for your interest in Chimera!

[emkay]

ok... and now tell me how can I press 3 keys in Atari800Mac with the mouse...

 

 

Simple solution: Kick the Mac where it belongs to and use a fully working PC

[Tezz]

Welcome to AA Shahid, great to see you here !

[shahid]

Thanks for inviting me!

[Tezz]

One of the things that I wondered when I was looking into the c64 version, was it yourself that voiced the "Chimera" sample? and the famous arrrrgh! It was quite an unusual method that you used for the sample playback on the 64.

[shahid]

Yes it was me. From memory, I did the sample on the Spectrum version first. I redid the C64 version using the Covox Voice Master. I varied the pitch every so often.

 

My family thought I'd lost it when I was recording the samples.

[Wrathchild]

Welcome Shahid, for me your game was great example of something 'polished' meaning the developer took the care over little touches like use of colour changes in DLIs, plus that pause mode was just zany. I never did manage to complete the game, just came close on one occasion IIRC. I also recall reading around that time in C&VG the 'diary' which was entertaining.

 

Regards,

Mark