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New DK for VCS?


sqoon

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With the excellent recent releases for all the classic consoles, I got to thinking about the various DK arcade releases for INTV, CV, and 7800, but no one has attempted it for the VCS. Looking at games like Pac Man 4K makes me think a 4K or even 8K DK could be achieved. All four arcade levels (maybe more ala INTV D2K?), Intro screen, intermissions. The sky might be the limit.

 

Is anyone working on this or even planning to do DK justice on the good old VCS?

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Good idea. Here is my start in batari basic. .BIN files below.

post-29575-0-86244700-1350951423_thumb.jpgpost-29575-0-44181100-1350951037_thumb.jpg

Once again bit off more than I could chew at my experience level.

If someone wants to collaborate with me, I'm game.

Of course without learning assembly, and loving flicker, this would flicker.

To get the red girders and blue ladders it flickers 30hz

And the extra sprites 1 thru 9 will flicker when they get horizontally close.

 

Problems: Mario is too tall.

The bin was my last attempt before shelving it.

JumpmanRED12262011.bas.bin

TitleHowhigh_Title.bas.bin

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Couldn't the girders be made with playfield graphics? One problem with the screen shot is there's no sprite tables left over for the barrels. I'm all for a new VCS Donkey Kong. The existing game is playable, especially the barrel stage, but the brown graphics look like roach poop. DK Jr is even worse. It will take more than a few gameplay tweaks though. A massive overhaul is necessary, and it will require expanding to 4 or possibly even 8k.

 

I know it's not Atari, but currently, this NES repro of "Donkey Kong: Complete Edition" is the best home console version of Donkey Kong out there:

http://www.retrousb....products_id=103

dkGame2.png

 

Obviously, the VCS can't handle true tile-based sprites like the original arcade and NES, but couldn't the mechanics at least be improved? Multicolor red/blue/cream Mario sprite? The cement buckets (aka "pies") on the second level could definitely utilize the hardware sprite multipliers. Barrels would be trickier since they have to roll down a slope. A nice stack of 4 DKs like in the arcade original's "how high can you go" screen would also be cool. That could probably be pulled off with double-wide sprites for Donkey Kong.

Edited by stardust4ever
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Run the .BIN files attached to post 2.

They are playfield.

I like the colored ladders. 2 playfields red/blue mean flickering.

The girders would not flicker if the ladders were the same color as the girders detailed or not. 1 playfield.

That is the playfield you can get with batari basic DPC+ and the look of batari basic games to come with 10 sprites!

The monkey How High Can You Try? test is also a title screen flicker.

This was 2 days mockup at Christmas 2011.

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This type of thread often appears and then quickly disappears. I think the reason is because people get delusions of grandeur right off the bat, only to come to the realization that the elevator board and cement factory may be too complex to fit into 8K. I, personally, would rather see the first two levels recreated in a fashion truer to the original than for someone to try and cram all four levels into 8K and get discouraged and give up...

 

Just my two cents.

 

-B

 

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It would be really cool to see a new DK for the 2600. But, i am pretty fond of the old 2600 Coleco Dk. The graphics may not be so hot, Kong could look better, but still fun to play. Part of the reason is also, it brings back fond memories of the time when i was playing it back in the early 80's. :thumbsup:

Edited by Rik
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One of the big problems with DK is the screen is very tall. Here was my attempt before a long while back before I lost interest. It is just a static mock-up without hammers, Mario, barrels, or fireballs. Use ALT-P in Stella to stop the flickering.

 

 

post-7074-0-47774500-1351056872_thumb.png

 

 

DonkeyKong(Omega).bin

 

 

The top part where DK stands is very busy. I think my next step was going to be switch over to drawing one half of DK with a GRPx register, and the other half with missiles. Then I would flicker the other GRPx register between a possible Mario or barrel on that girder. For the barrels standing up I was going to try and construct them with the playfield while masking parts of it with the other missile register. That would mean doing color changes between the barrels and the ladder as well.

 

 

I haven't thought too much about it in a long time though. I think I stopped because I didn't like the looks of the barrels with PF gfx or had lack of time.

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This is a really great idea.

The 7800 XM Kong will be fabulous I'm sure,

but I doubt I'll ever play it since it's not likely I'll get an XM.

Back in the day, we never really expected arcade ports to be perfect.

That was an impossible dream. Graphics and features always had to be sacrificed somewhat.

But something akin to the recent Intellivision versions of DK

done for 2600 would be nice.

Not all the special features, just a better version.

Nuff said...

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