First impressions and Gameplay on the Dual Action Controller

[Oscar G.]

Well, finally it’s here, courtesy of Nurmix (and the Intellivisionaries) a dream has come true for many Intellivision players: The Dual Action Controller has been released! Thanks to Nurmix’s kindness, I have been lucky enough to be the first one to receive a copy of this device and I would happily share my first impressions with the rest of the community.

 

In this thread, I will concentrate on gameplay (more information on the controller can be found here). In a nutshell, the Dual Action Controller allows the player of certain Intellivision games (like AD&D Cloudy Mountain, Tron Deadly Discs, Night Stalker and the recently released Ms Night Stalker) to move AND shoot at the same time (due to technical constrains a normal controller requires the player to first stop, then shoot and finally continue moving). Even better, Dual Action functionality allows the player to shoot in a different direction to the one where the player is moving!

Moving to one direction while shooting in a different one (as seen in the arcade classic Robotron 2084) radically changes the gameplay of a shooting game. This functionality was achieved in the arcades with dual joysticks and was almost impossible to implement on home systems until the appearance of the Playstation Dual Analog controller in the late 90’s.

So, having these features in some of the best and most popular Intellivision games in my perspective is a big, big deal! I have decided to start this thread to not only attract other gamers’ attention but also programmers’ in the hope that new games with the Dual Action feature could be created for our beloved console. So please feel free to share your Dual Action gameplay impressions and ideas below. I am also adding a couple of high scores so we do not forget about the really important things .

By the way, I am playing using a RGB modded Intellivison II with a Dual Controller connected via a pair of Nurmix’s Intellivision Flashback Controller Adapters (see photo). Please note that the Dual Action controller needs to be connected to BOTH controller ports.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Oscar G.

[Oscar G.]

1) Tron Deadly Discs

 

This is perhaps the first obvious use of the Dual Action feature; earlier attempts of achieving Dual Action functionality by manipulating one normal controller in each hand is stuff of legends (the classic Blue Sky Rangers' anecdote can be found here). I personally tried to do this balancing act when I was first drawn to this topic many years ago. Well, I am happy to inform that the Dual Acton Controller works like a breeze and holds like a normal Intellivision controller; so no more juggling skills on top of Intellivision skills are needed to shoot those blue enemies while running away from them. Actually, while playing I noticed that the game’s enemies have already Dual Action capabilities as they shoot as they are running away from the player. Gameplay is really improved and the action of the game is more fluid; during the boss fight there are more chances to shoot the Recogniser while running away from the nasty web.

Tron Deadly Discs

Highest difficulty (disc setting)

98,950 points

Edited November 15, 2015 by Oscar G.

[Oscar G.]

2) AD&D Cloudy Mountain

 

This is my favourite Intellivision game and it is also one of the most difficult games to beat in the hardest level setting. The Dual Action functionality greatly improves your chance of survival in the difficult dungeons, as the game is unforgiving in the high levels of difficulty as even smaller enemies like rats or spiders can inflict great damage or steal your arrows in the blink of an eye.

In fact, Dual Action is a blessing when fighting spiders and rats, as it gives you enough time to run away from them while finishing them off. Nice! The same applies to monsters although I have to point out that I found what probably is a programming glitch while fighting the snake. The second arrow went through the monster without inflicting damage while shooting and fleeing. This happened on three different occasions and probably is a glitch originated due to the large amount of characters moving at the same time on the screen.

I still did not manage to finish the game in the most difficult setting, but I definitely advanced way more in the map than what I would have with a normal controller. I managed to collect more arrows and completed more dungeons (eventually, I died next to the final dungeon).

AD&D Cloudy Mountain

Highest difficulty (disc setting)

Close to finish the game but not there yet!

Edited November 15, 2015 by Oscar G.

[Oscar G.]

3) Night Stalker

 

This is a classic scenario, you are in a long corridor running away from a robot and suddenly have to face the following dilemma: shall I shoot the robot or shall I try to run towards the next corner in order to escape a robot’s bullet? Unfortunately, with a normal controller you cannot shoot and escape, it is an either-or situation. You cannot have both, as shooting may require you to stop, taking away the invaluable second that you need to turn the corner and escape the robot’s bullet.

Well, you do not have to face this dilemma anymore as you now get away with both: shooting and escaping. I always thought that Night Stalker was a slow game and the action of stopping to be able to shoot broke down the pace of an already slow game. Now, thanks to the Dual Action function the game is more playable and fun.

Night Stalker

Highest difficulty (disc setting)

16,600 points

Edited November 15, 2015 by Oscar G.

[Oscar G.]

4) Ms Night Stalker

 

This recent addition to the Intellivision catalogue is a revamp of Night Stalker that addresses many of the issues of the original game improving it greatly. It not only adds new dungeons, obstacles and enemies to the mix but also, central for the topic of this thread, it improves on the speed and responsiveness of the main lady character.

Indeed, Ms Night Stalker is a great game that is made even better with the addition of the Dual Action functionality. In fact, I am led to argue that Ms Night Stalker is the first game programmed for the Dual Action controller despite the fact that the game was released before the controller. INTV Dave (the game’s developer) has to be commended for his attempts to include Dual Action functionality into a normal controller. He did so by mapping some of the shooting buttons to the side action buttons of the normal Intellivision controller. Although this is a welcome and original addition, in practice it is a tad bit cumbersome and counterintuitive (for instance, there are only 3 action buttons to cater for 4 different shooting directions). Fortunately, these issues all get addressed with the use of the Dual Action Controller and the end result is that an already impressive and fun game gets even better. All hail Ms Night Stalker, the first game of the Dual Action Series!

Ms Night Stalker

Shoot and Scoot Level

19,300 points

Edited November 15, 2015 by Oscar G.

[Oscar G.]

CONCLUSION

 

In conclusion, the Dual Action Controllers delivers flawlessly the promise of moving and shooting (in any direction) simultaneously. It greatly improves the playability of three of the most important and beloved Intellivision exclusive games. By doing so, it cements the Intellivision’s reputation as one of the most important retro consoles in terms of originality and innovation. As Ms Night Stalker proves, new games could benefit from the added functionality. I only hope that this functionality encourages programmers to include Dual Action features in their new releases. Dual Action is not only technically impressive on an almost four-decades old console, but is also a fresh idea for original and fun gameplay in future games. I thank Nurmix, the Blue Sky Rangers, INTVDave, Dr Clu and all the people that had the vision to make the Dual Controller dream a tangible and fun to play reality.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Oscar G.

[+Rick Reynolds]

Can't wait to get mine. Once a few of these have been finished and delivered to the community, we'll cover one of these games on the podcast!

[+nurmix]

Wow, thanks for the thorough and detailed write ups, Oscar.

 

It definitely changes the play mechanics of these classic games. In a sense you have to re-train your brain to NOT lift up on the disc while shooting. But once you do, I feel like it does enhance the playability of the games.

 

I did notice a glitch in Cloudy Mountain.. not so much the arrow going through an object, but that sometimes while running (one of the side buttons held down) you might fire off an arrow. Seems like it only happens when using a lower side button, not the upper ones.

 

I do recall seeing this when playing with a normal controller too, although it seemed to happen a bit more with the Dual Action. Not sure if this is because the Intellivision is getting simultaneous input from both controller ports, and isn't 'expecting' that, or what. But if you load the test cartridge, and watch what is being sent from the controllers while moving and running, it does send a lot of signals down the wires, so it's probably just 'confusing' the Intellivision from time to time.

 

I didn't notice any issues like this on the other games though.

Edited November 15, 2015 by nurmix

[Oscar G.]

Wow, thanks for the thorough and detailed write ups, Oscar.

 

It definitely changes the play mechanics of these classic games. In a sense you have to re-train your brain to NOT lift up on the disc while shooting. But once you do, I feel like it does enhance the playability of the games.

 

I did notice a glitch in Cloudy Mountain.. not so much the arrow going through an object, but that sometimes while running (one of the side buttons held down) you might fire off an arrow. Seems like it only happens when using a lower side button, not the upper ones.

 

I do recall seeing this when playing with a normal controller too, although it seemed to happen a bit more with the Dual Action. Not sure if this is because the Intellivision is getting simultaneous input from both controller ports, and isn't 'expecting' that, or what. But if you load the test cartridge, and watch what is being sent from the controllers while moving and running, it does send a lot of signals down the wires, so it's probably just 'confusing' the Intellivision from time to time.

 

I didn't notice any issues like this on the other games though.

 

I am happy to know that you also found the glitches and that it was not my mind playing tricks on me

 

Same with me, I did not notice any other similar issues / glitches in the other games. Perhaps this has to do with the way AD&D is programmed (the random dungeon, the appearing paths, the multiple inputs including the side buttons, etc). The Mattel programmers were breaking new ground here.

 

I am happy that these kind of issues / glitches are documented here for any potential programmer of Dual-Action games to take notice

 

Cheers.

[mr_me]

...

I did notice a glitch in Cloudy Mountain.. not so much the arrow going through an object, but that sometimes while running (one of the side buttons held down) you might fire off an arrow. Seems like it only happens when using a lower side button, not the upper ones.

 

I do recall seeing this when playing with a normal controller too, although it seemed to happen a bit more with the Dual Action. Not sure if this is because the Intellivision is getting simultaneous input from both controller ports, and isn't 'expecting' that, or what. But if you load the test cartridge, and watch what is being sent from the controllers while moving and running, it does send a lot of signals down the wires, so it's probably just 'confusing' the Intellivision from time to time.

 

I didn't notice any issues like this on the other games though.

 

This was a known hardware issue with the Intellivision controllers and should have nothing to do with the dual action modification. It happens because each side button is suppose to activate two pins/circuits but occasionally only one pin/circuit is activated. When this happens with no disc movement then nothing happens. But when it is combined with a disc direction, the combination of pins/circuits will equal a keypad press. I suppose the modification could make this side button issue happen more frequently but I doubt it.

 

It's only an issue when side buttons and keypad buttons are both programmed for game play. So it won't be a problem for Night Stalker or Tron Deadly Discs or most sports games. It seems that this issue became known to Mattel during the testing of Space Hawk. The instructions talks about a strange "black hole" that occasionally throws you into hyperspace (keypad #9). The Intellivision Lives website explains this. As a kid I noticed it in B17 Bomber. At the time I thought my controller was flaky. It wasn't until I saw the Intellivision Lives web site that I realised it's a known hardware problem.

 

 

edit:

You may notice it more with the dual action controller because you're testing it and looking for problems. The reality might be that it happens no more frequently,

Edited November 15, 2015 by mr_me

[mr_me]

I think there might be a simple fix to the random keypad press problem. If you modify the Dual Action Controller so that the disc is on one matrix/cable and the keypad and side buttons are on the other matrix/cable then it would eliminate this problem. Please advise if this is technically possible. I believe that the plastic matrix for the side buttons were not cut but just masked, so it might be a simple fix.

 

If this works, than the Dual Action Controller not only gives you the run and shoot benefit, but also solves the old hardware controller problem of random keypad presses for all other games that would have suffered from it. No more black holes in Space Hawk (does anyone play Space Hawk?)

[+nurmix]

I think there might be a simple fix to the random keypad press problem. If you modify the Dual Action Controller so that the disc is on one matrix/cable and the keypad and side buttons are on the other matrix/cable then it would eliminate this problem. Please advise if this is technically possible. I believe that the plastic matrix for the side buttons were not cut but just masked, so it might be a simple fix.

 

If this works, than the Dual Action Controller not only gives you the run and shoot benefit, but also solves the old hardware controller problem of random keypad presses for all other games that would have suffered from it. No more black holes in Space Hawk (does anyone play Space Hawk?)

Interesting. Unless the hardware registers the random keypad presses regardless of which controller port they come from?

 

In any case, you are correct. The side button traces & contact points are masked off, I do not cut them out of either matrix.

 

With my current design, the bottom matrix (which is 100% intact) is for the disc and side buttons, while the top matrix is for the keypad (this matrix has the disc portion removed). But it would be a simple fix to mask off the side buttons on the bottom matrix instead.

 

I'll test that out and report back.

[Oscar G.]

Extremely interesting read. Thanks mr_me for sharing this knowledge!

 

It is very interesting to know that the glitches are originated by simultaneously pressing the side buttons and the keypad. Indeed this may explain the strange behaviour while running and shooting in AD&D.

 

On a different note, I have not played Space Hawk in many years so I will give it a try.

 

I am eager to know what Nurmix tests will result in. Thanks again and cheers to all!

[mr_me]

,,,I found what probably is a programming glitch while fighting the snake. The second arrow went through the monster without inflicting damage while shooting and fleeing. This happened on three different occasions and probably is a glitch originated due to the large amount of characters moving at the same time on the screen.

...

 

Yes, this is a software problem. And its the software in the Intellivision console and not the cartridge game software. The collision detection seems to have a problem with speed. Night Stalker bullets move slow. Astrosmash missiles get longer as the game speeds up to ensure collision is detected. And the ADD snake is only a couple of pixels thin. I don't know if having the third object on screen moving or stationary makes a difference. Maybe a fourth object like a bat makes a difference. Someone with intimate knowledge of the EXEC and STIC software might know. Later once more cartridge memory was available to the programmers they started using less of the old Intellivision console software and sometimes calculating their own collision detection.

[+Rick Reynolds]

 

Yes, this is a software problem. And its the software in the Intellivision console and not the cartridge game software. The collision detection seems to have a problem with speed. Night Stalker bullets move slow. Astrosmash missiles get longer as the game speeds up to ensure collision is detected. And the ADD snake is only a couple of pixels thin. I don't know if having the third object on screen moving or stationary makes a difference. Maybe a fourth object like a bat makes a difference. Someone with intimate knowledge of the EXEC and STIC software might know. Later once more cartridge memory was available to the programmers they started using less of the old Intellivision console software and sometimes calculating their own collision detection.

 

Yep, Keith talked about this issue a bit in one of the interviews Paul did with him on the show. Sorry, not sure which one...

[+nurmix]

OK, so I tested the Dual Action Controller with the bottom matrix side button traces masked off, instead of those on the top matrix...

 

Not quite the result I was expecting (it's definitely not an improvement!)... it breaks the RUN functionality of Cloudy Mountain - pressing a side button while moving with the disc does not increase your speed, since the disc input and side button input are both coming from different controller ports with this arrangement.

 

In my current design, the disc and side buttons are on the same matrix, so everything works as expected.

 

And yes, the arrows going through enemies sometimes is due to slow hardware collision detection (that which is built into the Exec). That's way later games like Burger Time used table / algorithm driven collision detection routines. Much more accurate. This may seem more frequent an occurrence while using the Dual Action since you're far more likely to be running/moving and shooting.

 

So, bottom line... my current design is the way to go (despite the occasional random keypad press problem), unless you don't care about running in AD&D.

 

 

 

 

[First Spear]

 

 

It would be cool to have a YouTube showing the controller first with the real Test Cart, then Tron Discs, all with the big production value and Intellivsionaries polish.

 

Wow, thanks for the thorough and detailed write ups, Oscar.

It definitely changes the play mechanics of these classic games. In a sense you have to re-train your brain to NOT lift up on the disc while shooting. But o-snip-.

[+Rick Reynolds]

I've been wanting to add a video element to the show, maybe this is the perfect opportunity...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[+nurmix]

There is already something in the works along those lines - although it's more of a broad overview kind of thing (with the help of Keith Robinson).

 

I may do an additional instructional' video detailing the process as well - like I did with the Flashback adapter cables (the video production on that was by William Culver of The ColecoVisions Podcast)...

 

http://youtu.be/a8uumOVkiNY

[+nurmix]

I made a couple more Dual Action Controllers over the weekend. Got a great TRON Deadly Discs score while testing one out.

(the spots on the picture are from my crappy iPhone 5 camera, ugh...)

Edited December 8, 2015 by nurmix

[+nurmix]

I put together a video showing the whole process of making a Dual Action Controller, should any of you want to give it a try. Of course I'm still making these for those who don't want to attempt this themselves. PM if interested.

 

https://youtu.be/dW7KFpAyCAA