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A Plea to ROM Hackers Out There Regarding ET


PFL

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This is a public plea to all you talented guys and gals on this wonderful forum.

 

This December will be the 30th anniversary of ET: The Extra Terrestrial video game. Everyone knows that the game is flawed and frustrating due to the short development time given to HSW.

 

I believe that under the rough exterior there lies the potential for a polished diamond and I would love to see it shine one day... Therefore, my plea is this:

 

Would someone (anyone!) be willing to take this 30 year old embarrassment and finally make good on the potential that this game has?

 

I know it's a little cheeky to ask (and I certainly don't have the skill to make it myself) but wouldn't a GOOD game based on ET make a great Christmas present??

 

Come on guys, this is your chance to help all those children damaged some 30 years ago by corporate hubris and greed.

 

Please, make the children smile again...

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Indeed I do! I just didn't want to come across any more presumptuous than I already did in the OP... :)

 

Two things that need tweaked right away would be making the pits smaller and also making ET climb out quicker. Also, not having pits attached to the screen border causing insta-falls would help massively! On top of that tweaking ET's teleport so that he doesn't land on top of the holes would be good.

 

If it's at all possible changing the agent and doctor behaviour would help too. Why can they fly over the holes?! Surely, they should have to avoid them?

 

There's many more tweaks and changes but these would make a great difference. :)

 

EDIT: Nice, Revolutionika, nice. :P

Edited by PFL
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Something like this:

 

bv2k8.jpg

 

Oh, mah goodness. I love it!

 

Personally, I've always liked ET on the 2600. I believe it was in the first batch of games I got for Christmas with my Atari and I don't ever remember a time when I, my brother, even my parents, or friends had anything bad to say about it. I remember mom used to like watching us play Jungle Hunt and she also liked watching us find phone pieces and especially the flower in ET.

 

I liked the game so much that I designed what I called "Super ET" as a sequel. It was just a bunch of drawings, mapping out screens and objectives. They probably still exist in a folder somewhere at my parents house. I have a goal to eventually learn to program for the 2600 (and hopefully the 7800), and when I do, I will try to put those old designs to use. That goal is years away though.

 

A more immediate project could be someone programming a the A-8bit version of ET for the 2600 or 7800.

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I think a lot of it comes down to, do you want a ET Adventure or a Action game? HSW has said in interviews that when he showed the game to Steven Spielburg that the latter commented that he had in mind a action game. That's probaly what the public expected also, and it would have been easier to program in the six weeks he was given.

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@ PFL

 

Now that's what I'm talking about. I mean you call on hackers to make ET better without suggestions on how to do it. Some might think that some random yahoo like Hardwork suggested such an idea.

 

Now, on the topic on hand, I recall that ET shares some of the same coding as Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now, I'm not sure if that's true but some gameplay of Raiders put into ET might make the game more interesting. Like using the second joystick to select and use ET's power.

 

I did have a hack idea some years ago, it was a color/graphics hack of ET called Escape from Neverland. The scientist would be Michael Jackson, the FBI agent would be security, and Elliott would be Bubbles.

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The E.T. anniversary might be why the Mayans said we're all going to die in December.

 

 

Here are a couple of useful links for the original game:

 

E.T. Map

 

E.T. Tips and Reminders

 

 

 

 

Here are few related videos:

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcAoIThBDyA

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

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh4U3BwlTcY

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8bR4xsNgIA

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I don't think the pits need to be smaller. I would prefer vertical and horizontal scrolling. It would feel more like moving around a globe. You would be able to see a pit before you fall in it. I would also prefer the sides of the pits to be steps so that hovering and crawling out would be options.

 

I would like more screens to find more things. Maybe 4 screens for each side of the cube.

 

I would like to find E.T.'s Halloween ghost suit to give the ability to be disguised for a limited time.

 

I would like to not just find phone pieces but also Elliot's bike pieces. You give him the bike and he flies you to the phone home zone.

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Oh, mah goodness. I love it!

 

Personally, I've always liked ET on the 2600. I believe it was in the first batch of games I got for Christmas with my Atari and I don't ever remember a time when I, my brother, even my parents, or friends had anything bad to say about it. I remember mom used to like watching us play Jungle Hunt and she also liked watching us find phone pieces and especially the flower in ET.

 

I liked the game so much that I designed what I called "Super ET" as a sequel. It was just a bunch of drawings, mapping out screens and objectives. They probably still exist in a folder somewhere at my parents house. I have a goal to eventually learn to program for the 2600 (and hopefully the 7800), and when I do, I will try to put those old designs to use. That goal is years away though.

 

A more immediate project could be someone programming a the A-8bit version of ET for the 2600 or 7800.

 

Oh, mah goodness. I love it!

 

Personally, I've always liked ET on the 2600. I believe it was in the first batch of games I got for Christmas with my Atari and I don't ever remember a time when I, my brother, even my parents, or friends had anything bad to say about it. I remember mom used to like watching us play Jungle Hunt and she also liked watching us find phone pieces and especially the flower in ET.

 

I liked the game so much that I designed what I called "Super ET" as a sequel. It was just a bunch of drawings, mapping out screens and objectives. They probably still exist in a folder somewhere at my parents house. I have a goal to eventually learn to program for the 2600 (and hopefully the 7800), and when I do, I will try to put those old designs to use. That goal is years away though.

 

A more immediate project could be someone programming a the A-8bit version of ET for the 2600 or 7800.

 

This is a great idea. I would totally buy this

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What game is that?

 

I had the same idea as you a few years ago and i tried (and failed) to port the old C64 PD game Down the Chimney to the 2600. This is just an old concept-demo i made and i never got anywhere with it. But i think someone who actually can program could make a nice 2600 game out of it.

 

Anyway, here's the ROM - have a good laugh! :lol:

 

chimney006.bas.bin

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I had the same idea as you a few years ago and i tried (and failed) to port the old C64 PD game Down the Chimney to the 2600. This is just an old concept-demo i made and i never got anywhere with it. But i think someone who actually can program could make a nice 2600 game out of it.

 

Anyway, here's the ROM - have a good laugh! :lol:

 

chimney006.bas.bin

Judging by the one screenshot, what do you do, dodge the walls? I'll put this in my Harmony later... ;-) Edited by stardust4ever
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