Jump to content
IGNORED

Atari A8 Donkey Kong Hack


Recommended Posts

Man so awesome! Those item's of Pauline's look so great!

 

This is the update I've been waiting for since you mentioned it. ;)

 

Edit:

Played a few rounds, looks and feels great! Definitely my favorite yet. :D

Edited by Jinroh
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey thanks for a new update!

 

Since you asked for our thoughts I went back and compared this test release with the previous v6.3 release and with the arcade and Landon's original:

(these are just constructive observations...nothing can detract from the improvements you have made)

 

Yes, Mario does look more washed out compared to the last v6.3 release. Definitely if you compare with the arcade and Landon's to this latest.

 

The firefox on level 2 is different from v6.3 which had the arcade version. For some reason they are back to Landon's version.

 

I think I prefer something closer to Landon's take on the girders on the 2nd level since his blue matches the arcade more closely. He doesn't have the

top and bottom lines like yours but the blue seems closer to the arcade and the holes in the girders are larger and closer to the arcade size. What do you think?

 

His yellow ladders were a closer match to the arcade also, but I understand you have only a few colors to work with and have to compromise to get Kong

and the barrels balanced.

 

The multicolor prizes are awesome! Thanks for putting those in...It's looking good!

 

Wow, now that I see yours next to the arcade I can see just how close you have come to that version! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

level1.png

 

level2.png

Edited by TheNameOfTheGame
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking good! Two questions:

 

1. How hard would it be to put the little 'covering' over DK on the girder screen?

 

2. Is there a reason that this version (and most home ports) removed one of the girders from the first level? I'm going to guess it's because there wasn't enough room since the arcade used a vertical monitor, but could it be squeezed in somehow (that would require a major game rewrite I imagine).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey thanks for a new update!

You're welcome. :-D

 

Since you asked for our thoughts I went back and compared this test release with the previous v6.3 release and with the arcade and Landon's original:

(these are just constructive observations...nothing can detract from the improvements you have made)

 

Yes, Mario does look more washed out compared to the last v6.3 release. Definitely if you compare with the arcade and Landon's to this latest.

Yes. Playsoft and I both wanted to see how noticed it was. There is a price to the multi-colored prizes. Mario is now made up of two players. The red and blue overlap to make the skin color. Since Mario is a main focus point, I do not want to sacrifice him too much, but I am determined to find the right color combination. I have done a little poking around, and came up with something with a little more contrast. I have to be careful, else Mario's face takes on the blue.

post-13491-0-34654800-1458050568_thumb.png --- JUST A COLOR CHANGE post-13491-0-59513300-1458052590_thumb.png post-13491-0-94002700-1458052584_thumb.png

NOTE: I could make the color less violet and more blue, but it's the same color as the ramp ladders. I was looking for the best overall. I will continue to play with this.

 

The firefox on level 2 is different from v6.3 which had the arcade version. For some reason they are back to Landon's version.

That's a tough call. The arcade technically has fireballs on all levels, except the ramps. The firefoxes are only on the rivets. A couple people liked Landon's fireball/firefox hybrids, and I appreciate them for being that hybrid. The only thing I didn't like about them was the black "mouth", which I found to be the equivalent of Pac-Man having an eye. Now that Playsoft opened up the lighter color on the ramps, I added some lighter color to them. I also contained the blue more around the "eyes", like in the arcade versions. I like the hybrid. However, if Playsoft comes up with a solution to have the fireballs and firefoxes, I would definitely go with arcade mirroring.

 

I think I prefer something closer to Landon's take on the girders on the 2nd level since his blue matches the arcade more closely. He doesn't have the

top and bottom lines like yours but the blue seems closer to the arcade and the holes in the girders are larger and closer to the arcade size. What do you think?

I am torn on this. If you see the image above, I think the girders look okay with the hole size. I do not care for the single color, but I am torn as to whether the yellow is a tad extreme.

The arcade, close-up, uses two shades of blue. The center hole is bigger, because the girders are actually taller.

post-13491-0-55207200-1458051108.png

 

Here is an alternate. I removed the top blue line, in order to make the hole bigger. Or, do you think the darker blue already did the trick?

post-13491-0-93791000-1458051226_thumb.png --- COLOR CHANGE AND BIGGER HOLES. post-13491-0-59513300-1458052590_thumb.png post-13491-0-94002700-1458052584_thumb.png

Now that the blue is darker, this one or the previous? I think it's tough, so I tend to side with the previous, since it's more arcade-true..

 

His yellow ladders were a closer match to the arcade also, but I understand you have only a few colors to work with and have to compromise to get Kong

and the barrels balanced.

Yes. The yellow is the same color in DK's face. To make the ladders yellow makes Kong look jaundice, as well as Pauline.

 

The multicolor prizes are awesome! Thanks for putting those in...It's looking good!

Thanks. I really like them. There was no real way to get detail with a single color. It just feels more "arcade", and it kicks ColecoVision in the no-nos. (I do like my Coleco, but I am a 5200 guy!)

 

Wow, now that I see yours next to the arcade I can see just how close you have come to that version! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Thanks for taking the time to compare. It's a challenge to squeeze some of the frames down to 8-bits wide AND work with the lower resolution. I am constantly wanting to tweak things, but they don't always translate perfectly on screen. I can't imagine what Landon had to go through, as things on Photoshop, let alone grid paper, don't always translate on screen. I am guessing he would have to wait for the game to compile before he could see a small pixel change.

 

It's his own fault for not pulling out his i7 rig and Photoshop. :grin:

 

level1.png

 

level2.png

 

 

Looking good! Two questions:

 

1. How hard would it be to put the little 'covering' over DK on the girder screen?

I do not know. That would be nice, but I bet it could be complicated, since DK is a software sprite.

That would be more of a Playsoft hack than me. Maybe he'll see this and chime in. He has already done so much.

 

If I had a choice I would prefer the ladders to be fixed. The rivet ladders are not positioned like the arcade, and that affects gameplay more.

That one bugs me.. :)

 

2. Is there a reason that this version (and most home ports) removed one of the girders from the first level? I'm going to guess it's because there wasn't enough room since the arcade used a vertical monitor, but could it be squeezed in somehow (that would require a major game rewrite I imagine).

My GUESS is that it was just one take on how to make it work, due to the vertical to horizontal orientation. I always thought that less inclined girders would work. The NES put Pauline on a lower platform, between Kong's ladders. (The 7800 was modeled after the NES) I think it just took some thinking outside the box in that respect. It was new, and the first wave of DK at home was probably focused on keeping the ramps more inclined and far apart. I think the C64 had one extra row on screen. They managed it. AtariSoft went with pencil-thin girders. I think Ocean went with adjusting the jump and collision detection overhead. I would think that placing the levels closer together would be an option for Atari. It would require overhead collision to be more forgiving, as Mario might jump above more often. That seems to me like a total re-write too!

 

The NES and 7800 had the bottom row scrunched on the Rivets screen. That always drove me crazy!! Why not just make ALL the levels closer like the bottom one. Why make ONE row stand out as scrunched??

 

I am honestly not sure if it could be done in this version. It would require SO MANY changes. Kong's barrel patters are adjusted for him being on the right. It would be an awesome thing, but I think it would require so many band-aids, if not a re-write, that I would imagine a lot breaking.

Updated colors

post-13491-0-11432500-1458052415_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a fantastic achievement. Kong's redraw alone (with white teeth and eyes) significantly improved the overall look. I could probably quickly get used to the lighter Mario which is used to get multicolored items like umbrella and phone. But then again, the 1-color items were par for the A8 course and didn't look bad to me either.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Yes, Mario does look more washed out compared to the last v6.3 release. Definitely if you compare with the arcade and Landon's to this latest.

Yes. Playsoft and I both wanted to see how noticed it was. There is a price to the multi-colored prizes. Mario is now made up of two players. The red and blue overlap to make the skin color. Since Mario is a main focus point, I do not want to sacrifice him too much, but I am determined to find the right color combination. I have done a little poking around, and came up with something with a little more contrast. I have to be careful, else Mario's face takes on the blue.

 

Ah ok, you guys are wizards! I should've known some programming was going on to get the multicolored prizes else they probably would've been there from the start. :)

 

 

The firefox on level 2 is different from v6.3 which had the arcade version. For some reason they are back to Landon's version.

That's a tough call. The arcade technically has fireballs on all levels, except the ramps. The firefoxes are only on the rivets. A couple people liked Landon's fireball/firefox hybrids, and I appreciate them for being that hybrid. The only thing I didn't like about them was the black "mouth", which I found to be the equivalent of Pac-Man having an eye. Now that Playsoft opened up the lighter color on the ramps, I added some lighter color to them. I also contained the blue more around the "eyes", like in the arcade versions. I like the hybrid. However, if Playsoft comes up with a solution to have the fireballs and firefoxes, I would definitely go with arcade mirroring.

 

Well if you only get one enemy to work with, I guess the hybrid is a reasonable call.

 

 

I think I prefer something closer to Landon's take on the girders on the 2nd level since his blue matches the arcade more closely. He doesn't have the

top and bottom lines like yours but the blue seems closer to the arcade and the holes in the girders are larger and closer to the arcade size. What do you think?

I am torn on this. If you see the image above, I think the girders look okay with the hole size. I do not care for the single color, but I am torn as to whether the yellow is a tad extreme.

The arcade, close-up, uses two shades of blue. The center hole is bigger, because the girders are actually taller.

 

 

Here is an alternate. I removed the top blue line, in order to make the hole bigger. Or, do you think the darker blue already did the trick?

post-13491-0-93791000-1458051226_thumb.p --- COLOR CHANGE AND BIGGER HOLES. post-13491-0-59513300-1458052590_thumb.p post-13491-0-94002700-1458052584_thumb.p

Now that the blue is darker, this one or the previous? I think it's tough, so I tend to side with the previous, since it's more arcade-true..

 

Well to my eyeballs it still looks pretty purplish combared to the Landon's and the arcade. What about a DLI on each rivet tier that changes the colors to blues so you can pick different blues and have the lines above and below the holes blue also?

 

 

If I had a choice I would prefer the ladders to be fixed. The rivet ladders are not positioned like the arcade, and that affects gameplay more.

That one bugs me.. :)

 

I know, that is jolting when you see it...probably would be hard to change.

 

 

 

Updated colors

attachicon.gifElevator.PNG

 

Super!

 

 

 

My current favorite color combo average.

 

 

Mine too. That's a good all around one!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still prefer the original blue girders, the yellow lines just throw me off.

 

Any option for the fireballs turning blue when you have the hammer?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The "average favorite" a couple threads above is less violet. I am trying a couple things to try to get it more arcade accurate.

The fireballs share the color with the floors, ladders and Donkey Kong. It wouldn't be as simple as changing a color register.

We would need to draw additional fireballs with the colors inverted. I honestly don't know how difficult or how much space we have left at this time.

 

If we go with independent fireball/firefoxes, there may be room for that. So, I guess it may be possible, but I am not sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Colors Per Level

Playsoft set the game so I can choose different colors for each screen.

There are 3 colors, and Donkey Kong uses two of them. I do NOT want to change DK from level to level.

That leaves the blue, which is more of a green-blue on the ramps and blue-blue on the rivets.

The conveyor belts have white ladders and blue pies, so I tried very light blue.

Here are some comparisons.

 

My Favorite Single Color Arcade Per-Level Colors.

post-13491-0-88160000-1458136751_thumb.png post-13491-0-00086100-1458136729_thumb.png post-13491-0-85540100-1458136729_thumb.png

 

post-13491-0-31124100-1458136753_thumb.png post-13491-0-27900000-1458136725_thumb.png post-13491-0-78181400-1458136726_thumb.png

 

post-13491-0-07640000-1458136754_thumb.png post-13491-0-26476500-1458136727_thumb.png post-13491-0-60964100-1458138091_thumb.png

 

post-13491-0-60695900-1458136752_thumb.png post-13491-0-48658300-1458136730_thumb.png post-13491-0-27606200-1458138092_thumb.png

 

 

Edited by darryl1970
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Something I noticed is that it seems the white of Kong's eyes seem to disappear a bit earlier than the rest of the screen, which gives an erie effect IMHO (like on the "How high can you get ?" screen.). It's even completely gone when Kong falls to his death but I'm sure this has to do with the player trick. (But players are easy to move, right ?....Oh....not vertically....)

 

Kong is tracked both horizontally and vertically when he stomps the girders. I didn't do it here because I liked the idea of his eyes going out when he falls. Also there are the DLIs which are repositioning that player (which is also used for Pauline's items) so they would have to be disabled.

 

 

Well to my eyeballs it still looks pretty purplish combared to the Landon's and the arcade. What about a DLI on each rivet tier that changes the colors to blues so you can pick different blues and have the lines above and below the holes blue also?

 

I added one extra DLI just under Kong's head on each level to restore the player used for his eyes/teeth. Adding a different run of DLIs on this level is possible, but a bit fiddly. There's also the change to the playfield to consider, with the 4 lines of girders which appear.

 

Looking good! Two questions:

 

1. How hard would it be to put the little 'covering' over DK on the girder screen?

 

There seems to be room for a girder above his head to the right of the score. However the supports would end up encroaching on Pauline which would mess her up as she is xor drawn like everything else. If someone does take up the challenge of replacing the xor code that may be the time to consider it.

 

I still prefer the original blue girders, the yellow lines just throw me off.

 

Any option for the fireballs turning blue when you have the hammer?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Alternate images can be added, it's a question of understanding the code enough to use them.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ran this on real hardware, and I'm getting a red shadow beside Mario. The original DK looks normal (nothing wrong with my hardware).

 

I hope this bug report helps to find the problem. Everything else looks great.

post-13040-0-48677800-1458172484_thumb.jpg

 

Edit: Sorry about the poor quality. My phone camera sucks.

Edited by Kyle22
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ran this on real hardware, and I'm getting a red shadow beside Mario. The original DK looks normal (nothing wrong with my hardware).

 

I hope this bug report helps to find the problem. Everything else looks great.

attachicon.gifMario_shadow.jpg

 

Edit: Sorry about the poor quality. My phone camera sucks.

Is that on a VBXE? I'm getting that on my VBXE machine with a U1M installed. It looks like the red P/M is set for double width instead of single.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...