New pacman for atari 2600

[MacrosCode]

 

This is a "new" version of pacman for atari 2600 I've been programming since about 2007, but had left in 2008, then in 2013 I resume again to try to finish.

I've been trying to make it as close to the original looking at various sites on the "AI" Ghosts, game logic, etc.

This version has nothing to do with the other version called pacman4k, this is a completely new version, do not use any undocumented opcode.

Currently the rom is about 120 bytes free, so I'm trying to add other things.

 

I stumbled on this today.

 

Really the best pac-man on the 2600 I have ever seen!

 

Its real fun to play!

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

I stumbled on this today.

 

Really the best pac-man on the 2600 I have ever seen!

 

Its real fun to play!

Fun doesn't cut it. It's A-maz-ing!!!

[SIO2]

 

Still waiting to play. Everytime I go to the barcade, someone has a bunch of quarters on the machine.

[DEBRO]

Hi there,

 

Thank you @SpiceWare! Now here is the picture recreated in Stella. Couldn't capture the thing, but it is there. Also, the score is an arbitrary number (maybe a random region in memory?), but at least I can show off the Pac-Man skills I (don't) have to my parents... This is the NTSC rom, fyi.

 

Been meaning to reply to this for sometime now...

 

I vaguely remember Pesco having this issue on my 7800 as well. It's been a while but I thought it had to do with how they were drawing the playfield and the timing.

 

Great to see this moving along! I can't wait for the finished project.

[Tangentg]

Great version of Pacman! I was really surprised to hear the opening theme and the "scared" sounds as they sound pretty much just like the arcade version! And the blind alleys and the personalities are all there.

 

One little thing that kinda bugged me is that, when the game shows "game over", your fruits immediately switch back to the cherries. Could it be changed such that it only changes when the next game starts, or at least after the "game over" screen is over (and the demo screen shows up again)?

 

The accompaniment for the intermission music seems a bit weird, but that's a minor thing, I suppose.

 

(By the way, I stumbled upon this when I was looking for a good version of Pacman with all the arcade gameplay features [so the intermissions don't count] and the NES version didn't appeal to me, and I was wondering which Pacman for the 2600 I should get, as I know there are a bunch of Ms Pacman hacks and from-scratch homebrews. I'm happy I found this one, though its name is pretty much the same as another hack which combines the 2600 and arcade versions of Pacman)

Edited September 8, 2016 by Tangentg

[Andromeda Stardust]

Great version of Pacman! I was really surprised to hear the opening theme and the "scared" sounds as they sound pretty much just like the arcade version! And the blind alleys and the personalities are all there.

 

One little thing that kinda bugged me is that, when the game shows "game over", your fruits immediately switch back to the cherries. Could it be changed such that it only changes when the next game starts, or at least after the "game over" screen is over (and the demo screen shows up again)?

The fruit displays as whatever starting stage was chosen by the Select switches during the attract screen. This serves two purposes. One, it lets the user know what fruit is selected to begin, and two, for record keeping purposes, if the user takes a photo or screengrab of their high score, it will indicate the start fruit setting.

 

So if say AtariAge held a high score contest and someone scored 30,000 points but started on the key level, it would show this. If the rules stated you had to start with cherry, the score would be disqualified based on screenshot alone. Any tampering with the Select or Reset toggle switches clears the 1UP score display, and presumably there isn't enough RAM left over to retain high scores.

 

The accompaniment for the intermission music seems a bit weird, but that's a minor thing, I suppose.

 

(By the way, I stumbled upon this when I was looking for a good version of Pacman with all the arcade gameplay features [so the intermissions don't count] and the NES version didn't appeal to me, and I was wondering which Pacman for the 2600 I should get, as I know there are a bunch of Ms Pacman hacks and from-scratch homebrews. I'm happy I found this one, though its name is pretty much the same as another hack which combines the 2600 and arcade versions of Pacman)

The intermission has polish, just not quite the perfection of the in game audio. If you download the earlier betas you can see the intermission audio was the last to be worked on and is vastly improved from the original 4k ROM release.

 

Not to nitpick, but the fact anything remotely resembles the arcade sound on TIA and not "bleeps and farts," is nothing short of amazing and a testament to Dintar's skill. You'd swear there's a Pokey or at least DCP chip in there. There isn't!

 

As for the NES version, there is no urgency or speed boost (ie "Cruise Elroy") as the last of the remaining pellets are consumed. As a result the NES game feels neutered a bit.

[+sramirez2008]

This version is great. Great I tell you! I'm just waiting for the CIB to become available. Hopefully the one below

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/229152-new-pacman-for-atari-2600/?p=3542144

[Tangentg]

I'm not complaining about the quality of the music, but rather, how the accompaniment doesn't really match the melody well enough.

 

As for the fruits, I just thought it would be good to look back on what round you ended up on after you got a game over, though you have a point. But wouldn't those who enter the competition need to show a video of them playing anyway? That way everyone would know if they started from the cherry stage.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I'm not complaining about the quality of the music, but rather, how the accompaniment doesn't really match the melody well enough.

 

As for the fruits, I just thought it would be good to look back on what round you ended up on after you got a game over, though you have a point. But wouldn't those who enter the competition need to show a video of them playing anyway? That way everyone would know if they started from the cherry stage.

For friendly competition video proof isn't required and generally there's an honor code. Just a screenshot of the score with your username will suffice.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I just stumbled on this game last week and wow is it ever amazing! It's definitely in contention for the best version of Pac-Man on the Atari 2600, and if the little speed boost that you get when going around corners in most other versions of Pac-Man was added then it would be absolutely no contest for this being not only the best Pac-Man game on the system but also one of the best homebrews period.

 

The graphics and maze layout are great, title screen and the cut scenes between levels are jaw droppingly well done, the sound quality and lack of flicker are both fantastic, the ghost AI seems spot on to the arcade version, it controls beautifully, and the only thing it's missing is the speed boost from going around corners that is generally needed to out-manuver the ghosts from the second apple stage onward. It plays wonderfully up to that point, but it's pretty hard to make it much further than that due to the lack of corner speed boosting. If that gets added in then I'd definitely buy a cartridge copy of New Pac-Man!

Edited September 18, 2016 by Jin

[Andromeda Stardust]

I just stumbled on this game last week and wow is it ever amazing! It's definitely in contention for the best version of Pac-Man on the Atari 2600, and if the little speed boost that you get when going around corners in most other versions of Pac-Man was added then it would be absolutely no contest for this being not only the best Pac-Man game on the system but also one of the best homebrews period.

 

The graphics and maze layout are great, title screen and the cut scenes between levels are jaw droppingly well done, the sound quality and lack of flicker are both fantastic, the ghost AI seems spot on to the arcade version, it controls beautifully, and the only thing it's missing is the speed boost from going around corners that is generally needed to out-manuver the ghosts from the second apple stage onward. It plays wonderfully up to that point, but it's pretty hard to make it much further than that due to the lack of corner speed boosting. If that gets added in then I'd definitely buy a cartridge copy of New Pac-Man!

 

Even without corner cutting, it's still a great port. I get the impression that the corner cutting effect may be difficult or impossible to program depending on the engine. Funny thing, Pacman frustrated me as a kid because I would attempt to turn as Pacman hit the intersection. It didn't dawn on my little brain at the time that you had to tilt slightly before the intersection where you wanted to make the turn. It may have to do with the "corner cutting" algorithm. Also I believe most home console ports didn't cut corners correctly until Namco started using emulation to run the arcade ROMs in their compilations. Pacman NES and Namco Museum N64 are both a bit off. Neither hits the frantic "Cruise Elroy" mode when the dots are mostly eaten, losing the sense of urgency when nearing completion of the maze. Ms Pacman (Tengen) feels spot on by comparison as well as the SNES and Genesis versions which use the same engine, if you can overlook the mild vertical scrolling on the console ports.

[iesposta]

I just stumbled on this game last week and wow is it ever amazing! It's definitely in contention for the best version of Pac-Man on the Atari 2600, and if the little speed boost that you get when going around corners in most other versions of Pac-Man was added then it would be absolutely no contest for this being not only the best Pac-Man game on the system but also one of the best homebrews period.

 

The graphics and maze layout are great, title screen and the cut scenes between levels are jaw droppingly well done, the sound quality and lack of flicker are both fantastic, the ghost AI seems spot on to the arcade version, it controls beautifully, and the only thing it's missing is the speed boost from going around corners that is generally needed to out-manuver the ghosts from the second apple stage onward. It plays wonderfully up to that point, but it's pretty hard to make it much further than that due to the lack of corner speed boosting. If that gets added in then I'd definitely buy a cartridge copy of New Pac-Man!

 

I know "corner speed boost" is planned. (I've suggested it plenty of times, and it is in DINTAR's ToDo reply back in this thread.)

I also know a more Arcade-like score font is coming.

 

I really hope my suggestion of separated eyes gets implemented, because in my hack it looks great!

The eyes to me currently look like an infinity symbol or a dog bone - but they match the spacing of the ghost/monster sprite.

Separated they appear more like the arcade "eyes".

Which looks better, wide or close?

[+save2600]

Natural blur of a CRT is going to make them appear close enough as it is, so I much prefer the wide spacing.

[SIO2]

Oh, they are eyes. I always thought they were bubbles farted out by Pac-man when he ate a ghost.

 

Just kidding.

Edited September 18, 2016 by SIO2

[BuyAllTheCarts]

Wow, I thought this thread was dead.

[SIO2]

So, with fast cornering - does Pac-man actually corner faster or do the ghosts have a little pause when changing directions? I can see it being the latter because the program has to make the decision as to what direction the ghosts will go then move them but the human player decides which way Pac-man will go so the program just has to read the direction and make the move (possibly a faster process).

 

Also, it seems fast mode is something people want. Is that just that Pac-man starts out running at his fastest possible speed while ghosts gradually speed up as the levels progress?

 

At any rate a fast mode option would be nice. Often those first few mazes seem to drag.

[+DZ-Jay]

So, with fast cornering - does Pac-man actually corner faster or do the ghosts have a little pause when changing directions? I can see it being the latter because the program has to make the decision as to what direction the ghosts will go then move them but the human player decides which way Pac-man will go so the program just has to read the direction and make the move (possibly a faster process).

 

Also, it seems fast mode is something people want. Is that just that Pac-man starts out running at his fastest possible speed while ghosts gradually speed up as the levels progress?

 

At any rate a fast mode option would be nice. Often those first few mazes seem to drag.

In the original arcade, Pac-Man cuts the corner diagonally, which gives him an edge against the Ghosts, which have to reach the center of the intersection before turning. Here's a good resource.

 

-dZ.

[Andromeda Stardust]

In the original arcade, Pac-Man cuts the corner diagonally, which gives him an edge against the Ghosts, which have to reach the center of the intersection before turning. Here's a good resource.

 

-dZ.

Pretty neat. Learned some stuff I didn't know before...

[NE146]

I probably had this earlier in the thread, but kind of an offshoot of the cornering thing is the old trick where you tap in a perpendicular direction before a stop, then pac-man will stop and face that direction

 

To date no ports (that I know of) have this behavior, and it only works on a real Pac-Man or Ms. Pacman arcade game (or emulated of course). So it's always been kind of the litmus test to me of accuracy in a Pac-man game for some reason even though it pretty much serves zero purpose.

Edited September 19, 2016 by NE146

[+darryl1970]

I probably had this earlier in the thread, but kind of an offshoot of the cornering thing is the old trick where you tap in a perpendicular direction before a stop, then pac-man will stop and face that direction

 

 

To date no ports (that I know of) have this behavior, and it only works on a real Pac-Man or Ms. Pacman arcade game (or emulated of course). So it's always been kind of the litmus test to me of accuracy in a Pac-man game for some reason even though it pretty much serves zero purpose.

I THINK the Neo Geo pocket version does this, and it's not emulation. I COULD be wrong, but I seem to remember being impressed by something like this.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I probably had this earlier in the thread, but kind of an offshoot of the cornering thing is the old trick where you tap in a perpendicular direction before a stop, then pac-man will stop and face that direction

 

 

To date no ports (that I know of) have this behavior, and it only works on a real Pac-Man or Ms. Pacman arcade game (or emulated of course). So it's always been kind of the litmus test to me of accuracy in a Pac-man game for some reason even though it pretty much serves zero purpose.

Yeah I remember when you posted. Does this trick also work on the Namco 35th anniversary Plug-n-Play (Pacman shaped joystick)? I think they're using real arcade emulation because this device also supports Pac-255 kill screen as a bonus stage.

 

Also while funny, I don't think it's really necessary for Dintar to try and incorporate this artifact into his port since it has no effect on gameplay. If he can get corner cutting working that would be the bees knees though...

[iesposta]

That Namco BAN DAI 35th anniversary boasts the glitch level 256 and it was mentioned all games use actual arcade rom code, so I'd be surprised if it was missing.

I haven't hooked mine up since I got it when it came out around the holidays.

 

Yeah I remember when you posted. Does this trick also work on the Namco 35th anniversary Plug-n-Play (Pacman shaped joystick)? I think they're using real arcade emulation because this device also supports Pac-255 kill screen as a bonus stage.

 

Also while funny, I don't think it's really necessary for Dintar to try and incorporate this artifact into his port since it has no effect on gameplay. If he can get corner cutting working that would be the bees knees though...

[Andromeda Stardust]

That Namco BAN DAI 35th anniversary boasts the glitch level 256 and it was mentioned all games use actual arcade rom code, so I'd be surprised if it was missing.

I haven't hooked mine up since I got it when it came out around the holidays.

 

Ironically I bought one on Amazon and then a week later one showed up used for $10 at Game-X-Change. Oh well. At least I won't be getting a stick that's beat to hell. If the controls are too stiff or janky, I might gut it and stuff the PCB in a cigar box with real arcade parts...

 

I won't be able to play mine until Christmas because I gave it to my mom as a stocking stuffer.

[iesposta]

Ironically I bought one on Amazon and then a week later one showed up used for $10 at Game-X-Change. Oh well. At least I won't be getting a stick that's beat to hell. If the controls are too stiff or janky, I might gut it and stuff the PCB in a cigar box with real arcade parts...

 

I won't be able to play mine until Christmas because I gave it to my mom as a stocking stuffer.

The joystick is horrible, even worse with the awkward Pixel pac man shaped base.

[Andromeda Stardust]

The joystick is horrible, even worse with the awkward Pixel pac man shaped base.

Good to know. Is it humanly possible to mod the thing to replace the stock stick with a replacement joystick?

 

Also do any of the included games use diagonals? I'm mostly interested in Pacman so if I could cram one in a box with a dedicated 4-way, that would be great!