Donkey Kong 3 Arcade

[arcade124]

You should really get one of these . http://atariage.com/forums/topic/248111-edladdin-colecovision-controller-kickstarter-now-live/page-1?hl=+edladdin%20+colecovision%20+controller

Way too expensive. Besides, I think it's mostly over now.

[VectorGamer]

Way too expensive. Besides, I think it's mostly over now.

 

As I understand it you can buy them from his www. For whatever reason he doesn't have his www in his signature. I've been putting off buying one because of the price but someday I think I will commit to buying one. Just not the right time for me.

[AtariBrian]

They cost about the same as the old arcade ones after shipping. And I think you can order them from him. Probably have to wait until he finishes the pre ordered ones.

[GraziGamer]

As a hint, we will be covering classic arcade games from 1980-1981 before we move to newer stuff.

[TPR]

As a hint, we will be covering classic arcade games from 1980-1981 before we move to newer stuff.

I'm totally fine with that. Thanks for you guys do!

[arcade124]

Do you have any plans to do Radar Scope or Rally X?

[NIAD]

DK3 on the CV is gonna suck using the stock controller.

It's been a LONG time since I played DK3 via MAME, so fogive my ignorance on this but, wouldn't using the Roller Controller in "Joystick" mode be a good alternative over the stock controller?

[NIAD]

Do you have any plans to do Radar Scope or Rally X?

Rally-X was already ported and released by Team Pixelboy... albeit not the arcade code.

 

What is missing from the CollectorVision release of Mario Bros.? Or do you mean one of the other MB games? Either way, CollectorVision can't touch these games anymore being a licensed developer of games the Big N.

[VectorGamer]

It's been a LONG time since I played DK3 via MAME, so fogive my ignorance on this but, wouldn't using the Roller Controller in "Joystick" mode be a good alternative over the stock controller?

 

Well as you know DK3 is a button masher but I don't know that using the roller controller would be a good fit for the game (buttons yes but trackball might be odd). Definitely not the stock controller by itself. I have a Super Action Controller which should work better but I think ultimately Edladdin's controller would be best. At some time I'd like to get that dual joystick that he makes.

 

I never tried this: can you plug your joystick into the roller controller and use the stick for control and the buttons on the roller controller at the same time?

[arcade124]

 

What is missing from the CollectorVision release of Mario Bros.? Or do you mean one of the other MB games? Either way, CollectorVision can't touch these games anymore being a licensed developer of games the Big N.

I mean someone should make Mario Bros. Arcade, which would probably end up being a very long-term release from Opcode, unless anyone else is considering doing this type of thing.

[jblenkle]

Must do it properly...

 

Grazi...Goddess of Games...

 

I am pretty sure that if we summon her, she will come and answer our existential questions. Come on guys, Grazziiiiii!

[Bill Loguidice]

I mean someone should make Mario Bros. Arcade, which would probably end up being a very long-term release from Opcode, unless anyone else is considering doing this type of thing.

 

I'd say the existing version is rather spot-on.

[VectorGamer]

 

I'd say the existing version is rather spot-on.

 

I like it and I think it's fun to play however I heard others comment that it's too easy.

[Bill Loguidice]

 

I like it and I think it's fun to play however I heard others comment that it's too easy.

 

For better or worse in deference to my skills, I must say that's rarely an issue for me with games, but yes, I've heard that as well.

[arcade124]

 

I'd say the existing version is rather spot-on.

The gameplay is, but I'd like a graphically improved version with high score saving and correct palettes.

 

By the way, is Collectorvision even still producing their version?

[Bill Loguidice]

The gameplay is, but I'd like a graphically improved version with high score saving and correct palettes.

 

By the way, is Collectorvision even still producing their version?

 

I don't know. Unless it were a relatively simple hack for features like that (and difficulty), I'd rather see efforts put towards new creations when we already have a good existing version. If perfection is needed, I certainly wouldn't play anything other than an emulation of the arcade original.

[arcade124]

All that would be needed would be those features and, if possible, better sounds. Maybe Collectorvision could do this as a rerelease of the game, since I'm sure there are plenty of people who weren't able to get it anyway.

 

 

Well as you know DK3 is a button masher but I don't know that using the roller controller would be a good fit for the game (buttons yes but trackball might be odd).

I think it could work well for the game, possibly for similar reasons that Centipede had it on every version.

[Tursi]

Correct palette? You're aware that the color palette on the ColecoVision is fixed, right?

[Inky]

I might be the odd man out here, but I prefer DK3 to DK or DKJr.

[arcade124]

Correct palette? You're aware that the color palette on the ColecoVision is fixed, right?

I just mean give things arcade colors that previously didn't have them.

 

If you mean that this is unchangeable, I apologize. I don't really know anything about the CV's hardware. Either way, it could still be graphically improved and given SGM support for things like high score saving, as I mentioned before.

 

I created a poll and thread here, so discussions like this can go in a single area. There was one like this, but it was pretty old.

[Pixelboy]

If you mean that this is unchangeable, I apologize. I don't really know anything about the CV's hardware. Either way, it could still be graphically improved and given SGM support for things like high score saving, as I mentioned before.

And how would the SGM allow you to save high scores? All it offers is extra RAM and an MSX sound chip.

 

Also, I don't see how CollectorVision's Mario Bros could possibly be made better graphically, given the limitations of the ColecoVision hardware.

[+lawdawg710]

I think the version of Mario Bros. that Collectorvision did is pretty spot on, both sound and visually given the hardware limitations!!!

[arcade124]

And how would the SGM allow you to save high scores? All it offers is extra RAM and an MSX sound chip.

Opcode's website says it allows for it.

 

 

 

Also, I don't see how CollectorVision's Mario Bros could possibly be made better graphically, given the limitations of the ColecoVision hardware.

Couldn't it be like DK Arcade, using the SGM? Or does it come down to what MB requires?

[Tursi]

Nah, I see what you're going for, but as was noted, the SGM doesn't offer anything that would improve the display of Mario Bros. We didn't have any memory limitations in the cartridge that was released. Since Mario and Luigi are pretty much spot-on, I have to assume the criticism is aimed at the single color enemies.

 

It's true that we could have enforced multi-color enemy sprites, too, they'd need at least two colors each, three to be perfect. Let's say two since black is a freebie most of the time in Mario Bros. Also note that Mario and Luigi are three colors each (their hats don't count since those sprites are positioned higher up).

 

When you code for an older system, it's always a game of determining which trade-offs you are going to do. In the case of the ColecoVision, it has a limitation of no more than 4 single color sprites on a single horizontal line. We used single color enemies because this allows Mario and one enemy to be side by side without flicker. If we went two colors on the enemies, then every time you were on the same line as any other character it would flicker. It would also increase the CPU cost of updating the sprites (which was getting pretty close to the limit as it was - I had to do some fun little cheats in the bonus round to support the spinning coins ).

 

There are always ways around it, true, and given more time we could have used soft sprites (which cost performance and/or color clash when close together) or just accepted the flicker, which would have made for great looking box screen shots. But time is always a factor. In software development we like to say "quick, efficient, correct -- choose two". In real life you balance those compromises across the different parts of the software.

 

SGM does have a different sound chip, but beyond the fireballs I'm not sure which sounds you want to be changed, they are pretty close, aren't they?

 

In the guise of complete disclosure, I'd note that I do know of one thing I missed, and that's the icicles on the later levels. We probably could have paid more attention to the difficulty curve as well (lots of talk of 'too easy'), but at the time we were still being killed off ourselves and thought it was fine! (The Rev A version has a higher cap on the enemy speed to compensate a bit).

 

But I'm satisfied with how it came out.

 

Anyway, kind of derailing the thread, sorry about that!

[arcade124]

I've never minded flicker, so that wouldn't be a problem. Other than that, for the other palettes I mean giving Mario and Luigi their arcade colors, and making everything a bit darker. For the sounds, I just mean making the sounds sound more like the arcade in terms of pitch and tone and things like that, not rhythm.