Wizard of Wor 2: The Arena

[Nukey Shay]

Added the altered Wizard gfx...although it looks a bit squashed when moving vertically IMO

 

Stars can be disabled when the game is paused (via up/down)...I don't know if this can be done with the port VOX occupies without causing some other glitch, so I just assigned it to the left stick.

 

The illegal LAX instruction is also removed, and the number of lives in reserve are displayed for both players. It'll still get garbled if you manage to stock up more than 9.

WoW16k(unfinished).bin

[CDS Games]

Yeah, I went with a different approach. It boils down to what is more visually annoying: squashing the body, or shrinking the head/hood?

 

I went with the former because the hood is the most visually recognizable part of the wizard and it wasn't sitting right with me having it flip back and forth between small and large. Whereas I thought the body squashing was less noticeable. Well, less noticeable to me, anyway.

 

But point taken, and let's see if anyone else chimes in on it.

[+iesposta]

Al,

If these CBS labels are the same as the Activision labels : http://atariage.com/forums/topic/216784-interest-check-reproduction-activision-cart-labels/?p=2853240

you should order the paper labels and start selling the Activision replacement labels.

(Personally, I would like the Activision labels to show the games’ screenshot, not what Activision released. Freeway _does not_ look like that label! But that's just me.)

Then you will have stock when this hack is complete and can offer gray CBS carts.

[Nukey Shay]

Re: game difficulty

 

This hack (as well as the CBS original) appear to make it much too easy to get double-score dungeons when compared to the coin op. Do you guys think that I should use a Worluk which moves twice as fast for the right difficulty option and make bonus Worrior 1UPs automatic after every pit? It's a more-challenging variation...and the regular speed Worluk is still available as the (B) option.

[CDS Games]

The more variations the better as far as I'm concerned, provided it's not too difficult to implement. Though I think the game is still crazy hard as is, so I doubt I'd use it .

 

According to Wikipedia, you get a bonus worrior before the Arena and the pit. I take it that means you don't get one at preassigned point values? I guess this one should mirror the arcade as close as we can...although man, maybe I just stink but I have to keep "topping up" my lives in Stella to get anywhere near the Pit.

 

Here's something interesting: in the 5200 version you have the option of starting with 3, 5, or 7 worriors.

 

http://www.atarihq.com/5200/manuals/wow.html

[Nukey Shay]

That's why I added those game selections here, too (press select until you have the #lives & player config you want). Most (all?) other ports allow you to like in the coin op, so the 2600 version should have been made the same. It looks as though the programmer didn't consider the 200k rollover glitch by using the upper nybble to keep track of this status, tho The lower display will get totally screwed over when you score enough lives in the cart...and will end the game immediately if you pass 255 lives. Though it's true that it would take quite some time to get to that point.

 

The change to use a score amount to award bonus Worriors appears to be unique to the CBS cart, as well. I suppose with only 2 mazes, there wasn't many options. Thanks for reminding me about the arena awarding one in addition to the pit screens.

[CDS Games]

Oh sweet! Apologies I completely missed that feature.

[+iesposta]

My new years resolution is I am going to work on phrases every day!

I have already gone over and shaped all phrases, and added a few new ones.

[Nukey Shay]

Right difficulty changed for fast Worluk...but it may still need a little adjustment to give the player a chance sometimes Reserve lives are always added before the arena and pit. Left difficulty still handles how much the Wizard teleports.

 

Level # is shown onscreen in the center of the radar when starting each one. Like in the arcade, it rolls at 99. I didn't replicate the arcade's glitched upper digit when it does, tho.

 

When reserve lives are above 9, this will be shown as "9+".

 

 

WoW16k(unfinished).bin

[+iesposta]

Here are the completed first twenty-eight Wizard of Wor sentences for AtariVox+.

The Wizard of Wor Vox Data.txt

[Nukey Shay]

Added.

 

I wonder if anybody noticed that the Pit screen was garbled for the past month or so (lol!)

 

Game level select added to the pause routine. When the "Dragnet" theme is playing and you pause the game, moving the stick to the right or left and then pressing the trigger will alter restart the game at the higher or lower level shown. That combination of variables ought to prevent accidental game-killing

 

Should up/down (stars) be swapped for left/right (level select)?

WoW16k(unfinished).bin

[CDS Games]

I wonder if anybody noticed that the Pit screen was garbled for the past month or so (lol!)

 

Ha! I haven't seen the Pit for months.

 

Every time I think you're wrapping up, out comes another truckload of awesome. Love the dungeon counter especially.

 

IMHO stars up/down and level select l/r is pretty natural.

[CDS Games]

Here are the completed first twenty-eight Wizard of Wor sentences for AtariVox+.

The Wizard of Wor Vox Data.txt

 

Nice!!! Can't wait to hear them.

[+iesposta]

10 new AtariVox+ available on eBay:

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 151205117417

Can't wait to try Wizard of Wor Arcade with AtariVox+ speech tonight!

[+iesposta]

"It needs more sentences," says the guy making the sentences. Ha ha ha ha!

[+Atarius Maximus]

Not much to add to the conversation, but I just wanted to say that I LOVE this hack.

[+FujiSkunk]

Question about the AtariVox+. I'm just now getting to play with mine, even though I bought it a couple of months back. Right now I can get either AtariVox+ audio or TIA audio, but not both at the same time. If I plug a cable into the AtariVox+ audio port, TIA audio cuts out, even though I have separate cables and audio jacks for each source.

 

I'm using an A/V modded 2600. I saw one web page that seemed to imply modded consoles have to be further modded in order to hear both audio sources, but I haven't yet found anything definitive. Is this expected behavior?

[+iesposta]

Question about the AtariVox+. I'm just now getting to play with mine, even though I bought it a couple of months back. Right now I can get either AtariVox+ audio or TIA audio, but not both at the same time. If I plug a cable into the AtariVox+ audio port, TIA audio cuts out, even though I have separate cables and audio jacks for each source.

 

I'm using an A/V modded 2600. I saw one web page that seemed to imply modded consoles have to be further modded in order to hear both audio sources, but I haven't yet found anything definitive. Is this expected behavior?

Are you combining both audio to one device?

The AtariVox+ headphone jack should go to its own powered speaker, unless you build or use a sound mixing device.

[+FujiSkunk]

I guess this is the first time I've had two audio sources I couldn't just mix together with Y cables. When I separated each to its own speaker, I was able to hear both. Thanks for the help!

 

This hack now looks and sounds awesome!

[tremoloman2006]

I wish I could purchase an AtariVox to hear the audio. I love the hack nontheless - great job!

[Centurion]

Hoping this makes it to the AA store eventually along with an Atarivox I could purchase. This would be reason enough for me to buy one of those.

[Albert]

AtariVox+ will be available again soon. This looks like a damn cool hack! It would be nice to make it available in the store.

 

..Al

[Nukey Shay]

When it's complete? As I posted, I cannot make vox strings. Anyone is free to contribute (please).

[+iesposta]

I don't know why I keep putting off making speech strings.

Maybe because there are so many, and I am only 1/3 done?

Maybe it is because I have a Mac and I have to fight with VMware Windows to hear AtariVox speak ?

 

It IS getting easier because the more I do, the more words I can reuse because they are already done.

I am thinking this will be a "must have" for AtariVox+ owners!

[+SpiceWare]

Maybe it is because I have a Mac and I have to fight with VMware Windows to hear AtariVox speak ?

 

One of these days I will be making a Mac app for the AtariVox.

 

I thought I'd have done it already for Frantic, but I could resist the siren call from Space Rocks. Then I was sidetracked by the Think Geek project Timmy! (which sadly fell thru, but will be turned into something). Stay Frosty 2 took years longer than planned, and of course Draconian happened.

 

I do plan to support the AtariVox in both Draconian and Frantic, so I foresee having the Mac app done by the end of the year. If you're up for it, perhaps you can help me with the speech strings for those two games?