Q-Bert - Fixed Feet/legs

[FifthPlayer]

 

Please excuse my ignorance, but what are "14xx" models and what is the "SC-01 V:" device?

 

 

The "14xx" models refer to the Atari 1400XL and 1450XLD. Among other things, these two models included a built-in Votrax SC-01 speech chip. They were never officially released by Atari, but machines do exist in prototype form. As I understand it, the Votrax chip in these machines is the same, or substantially similar to, the chip included in the Q*Bert arcade cabinet and used to give Q*Bert his voice. The "V:" device refers to how it would have been addressed by the A8 operating system.

Edited July 13, 2016 by FifthPlayer

[sanny]

Ahh, thanks. I guessed that 14xx might refer to 1400XL, but I didn't know they had this speech chip.

[+MrFish]

Still waiting for the XEX

 

As noted in post #46, I decided to copy changes made to the ROM over to an XEX (and a 5200 version) after all the hacking is done.

 

Planned changes yet to be made are:

1. finish matching the few remaining level colors with the arcade

2. edit enemy sprites that haven't been edited yet (ugg, wrong way)

3. edit "Q*bert" logo

 

I've lost interest in the hack at the moment though, so I can't really say when it'll happen.

 

 

Btw, is there a possibility to make Q*Bert not as "ghost like" ?

 

Possible, but making Q*bert a multi-color sprite is really beyond the scope of this hack as intended.

Edited July 14, 2016 by MrFish

[José Pereira]

It works but can't be:

-> Missiles are in 5th Player Mode then they will take PF3 colour and that is one of the floor's colour that change across the game;

OR

-> Missiles for the eyes take two of the guys that have different colours and usually are darker luminances that woudn't still look right. And using Missiles from others beeing Qbert now using P3 less priority will mess when they overlap;

That is why they didn't use them and that is also the same reason in other Qbert type games that are using charmode.

Hi.

Some more notations because there's still people wanting him to have colored eyes and me also but it doesn't really seem possible in any way even without Missiles beeing used on all the game levels.

If we go into Missiles in 5th Player mode that would make possible use of Missiles but:

-> PF3 change from level to level so eyes will be different;

-> When we take the lift we go to the top and here PF3 is lighest gray (almost white that are the arrows and score) so when entering these lines the eyes will change colour;

 

 

To solve this PF3 should be always same (0C) almost white in top socores and in all pyramid levels.

Will these look good? Probably not...

And in the pyramid lines what is PF3 (1st floor, colored floor or the 3rd color in some later levels as the wall not seems possible because it will clash with the floor whenit's color is PF2);

 

But lets say that have different eyes for each level or even PF3 always (0C) then Missiles in double width and 5th Player mode makes it possible because Q*Bert always is PM3 so use M3 for him in double with and then the 3 possible enemys can also have colored eyes using other Missiles:

-> P0_M0;

-> P1_M1;

-> P2_M2;

 

 

Other solutions like taking enemys colour Missiles is impossible because they are different colours<->Players numbers, usually darker ones that doesn't seem good to look for the Q*Berts eyes.

Possible solution is having two enemys always same/equal colour (and lighter luminance) in all the game to get his two eyes...

 

 

A last note, on Atari800WinPlus Monitor and in Altirra Break/Console .gtia it displays GTIA registers but top from the top of the screen and that is why I know that in scores PF3 is the almost white but I can't get PF3 in the middle/down on the pyramid scanlines.

How can I got this or is it too much for a 'non-coder' like me?

Thanks.

[FifthPlayer]

You could set PF3 color to always be a white, then use it in the dither pattern for the pyramid so it would always be used to shade one of the other PF colors a half-step up. This would be instead of the current scheme that dithers the pyramid face with the black background.

 

This would enable the missiles to be used in fifth player mode as "eyes", and may also have the benefit of eliminating the show-through when Q*Bert falls off the board. The downside is that it wouldn't be possible to match the pyramid colors shade for shade with the arcade.

 

I know this is all way outside the scope of the hack, but it's a fun problem to think about. What's neat about the A8 graphics system is that it has all these oddball features, so it's an interesting problem-solving exercise to see how they can be put together to produce various effects.

Edited July 15, 2016 by FifthPlayer

[_The Doctor__]

 

As noted in post #46, I decided to copy changes made to the ROM over to an XEX (and a 5200 version) after all the hacking is done.

 

Planned changes yet to be made are:

1. finish matching the few remaining level colors with the arcade

2. edit enemy sprites that haven't been edited yet (ugg, wrong way)

3. edit "Q*bert" logo

 

I've lost interest in the hack at the moment though, so I can't really say when it'll happen.

 

 

 

Possible, but making Q*bert a multi-color sprite is really beyond the scope of this hack as intended.

another one of those iron in the fire, that Que is definitely long.

[+MrFish]

another one of those iron in the fire, that Que is definitely long.

 

You don't know the half of it.

[_The Doctor__]

My queue became so long that it broke me and all those irons came off the fire and landed squarely upon me....so perhaps someone could direct me as to where I am, I think I had a name... what are all these Chiclets before me? They have letters and squiggles on them... I've been pressing them and I don't know why... oh yeah the queue ....

 

It'll be okay. In time.

[tjlazer]

Excellent job! Has a XEX been released yet?

[tjlazer]

Here is a quick ROM to EXE dump.  Seems to work but on first level the tile color changes to black when you start.  On next levels they seem ok.

QBERT (improv).XEX

[tjlazer]

Oh no it seems there are no enemies!  Bad dump.

[+MrFish]

On 2/6/2018 at 1:02 PM, tjlazer said:

Excellent job! Has a XEX been released yet?

XEX release was planned for after the ROM hack was completed. The ROM hack hasn't been completed yet...

 

[+MrFish]

13 minutes ago, tjlazer said:

Oh no it seems there are no enemies!  Bad dump.

Haha... good for practicing...

 

[tjlazer]

10 minutes ago, MrFish said:

XEX release was planned for after the ROM hack was completed. The ROM hack hasn't been completed yet...

 

ok will just have to wait then. 

[Kyle22]

Since you guys are working on Q-Bert: How difficult would it be to add samples of the SC-01 sounds (for expanded RAM systems)?

 

[_The Doctor__]

bump jump q bert

[+MrFish]

4 hours ago, _The Doctor__ said:

bump jump q bert

Q-bert's kicking back and having a couple of beers right now...

 

[+DjayBee]

1 hour ago, MrFish said:

Q-bert's kicking back and having a couple of beers right now...

 

... and adds a burp in SC-01 sound.

[rdefabri]

Another one of those games (a la Wizard of Wor) where I was disappointed in the implementation.  I'm glad this project was undertaken, even if not finished. 

[twh/f2]

13 hours ago, rdefabri said:

Another one of those games (a la Wizard of Wor) where I was disappointed in the implementation.  I'm glad this project was undertaken, even if not finished. 

Same here. Although playability is fully given - the graphics of Q*bert are disappointing / under average on the Atari 400/800.

(I.e. the c64 version looks almost arcade perfect...  oh my .. I didn't say this...)

[rdefabri]

3 hours ago, twh/f2 said:

Same here. Although playability is fully given - the graphics of Q*bert are disappointing / under average on the Atari 400/800.

(I.e. the c64 version looks almost arcade perfect...  oh my .. I didn't say this...)

 

I almost said the same thing about the C64 version!

[+MrFish]

The C64 version is pretty nice. Interestingly -- yet not surprisingly -- they've screwed up his legs when he's ascending in that version too.

 

The Atari 8-bit version looks to be a somewhat lazy port, and was only on an 8 KB cart -- in 1983. Can't say we haven't seen this kind of disparity before. The Atari 8-bits are capable of much better of course (8 KB cart aside), but maybe only feasible with a rewrite, as is commonly the case with such ports.

 

[_The Doctor__]

wow Q-Bert's been kicked back and drinking quite a long time now