Atari A8 Donkey Kong Hack

[+MrFish]

Here's the 7800 XM version added for comparison:

 

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2016 by MrFish

[+MrFish]

I will add, that I think you've done the barrel ends better than on the 7800 XM though.

[+darryl1970]

Here's the 7800 XM version added for comparison:

 

barrel.png

 

 

 

Sorry, I have been a little confused about what exactly you were pointing out. At first, I thought you were referring to the rolling barrels, and then you clarified you meant the falling barrels. When I realized that, I still didn't SEE what the pixel was doing, because I kind of thought the original A8 falling barrels were a little out of proportion.

 

Now I see that I made them a little long and flat. I didn't JUST add a pixel. I also removed a pixel from the bottom, so they wouldn't run together when stacked. I think that exacerbated the issue. So, I went back to the arcade sprites (not the NES nor 7800XM), and I did a quick tweak. I added the 1-pixel height back to the falling barrel, because the falling barrel should be the same height as the rolling barrel. Then, I removed the extra length pixel. They are back to the original proportions (screen clip on right side of image) I think, and they do look better to me.

 

Here's what I have. I was using Photoshop to kind of compare proportions side-by-side... I will look at this later, but it looked better at a glance. I put the alternate colored barrels by the new falling barrels as a ruler of sorts.

 

The top barrels are actually the arcade barrels.

[tjlazer]

Have you guys seen the "Ocean" Donkey Kong port for the Commodore 64? Much better than the regular one. And Mario has a peach face

[+darryl1970]

Have you guys seen the "Ocean" Donkey Kong port for the Commodore 64? Much better than the regular one. And Mario has a peach face

 

Yes. It's a pretty impressive version. It's almost identical to Ocean's version for the Amstrad.

It doesn't appear to run on NTSC machines, at least in emulation -- has to be 50hz PAL.

It's so good in some ways, but Mario's jump timing is way off. He has no hang time.

It also bothered me that Mario doesn't have the "dip" in his step. Makes him look stiff.

 

For those reasons, the Atarisoft original still has some advantages over the Ocean version.

However, using one sprite for Mario definitely makes the collision less confusing.

I don't understand why Atarisoft used two sprites. Here is Mario in one, C-64 sprite:

 

(All of the games I hack, I like to make a C-64 version of the sprite, just for fun).

Note that they probably wouldn't look AS scrunched on the actual screen. Although I did go for as close to arcade pixel pattern as possible. The lower res probably would create a little scrunch.

Where Mario had the advantage of being one sprite, taller sprites, like Popeye, require two for the height.

 

Regardless of a few flaws, I envy that version. It has all the levels on the RAMPS screen, placing Kong on the correct side.

Commodore has wider (and more) sprites, and they are multi-colored out of the box. Thus the C-64 needs less trickery to make things look decent.

To get multi-colored sprites on the A8, you have to sacrifice 2 of the 4. C-64 only has to use 1 of the 8 native sprites.

 

Also, The C-64 deals with screen color mapping differently, so they can use their 16 colors all over the screen.

This, the rivets have two shades of blue, without having to give Donkey Kong a blue face.

Edited April 15, 2016 by darryl1970

[tep392]

I think the graphics and game play of the Ocean version are very good for the era and hardware. But the sound drives me nuts. The music could have been dead on with the SID chip but they did a poor job of recreating it. It makes me think the music and sound effects were an afterthought.

[+darryl1970]

I think the graphics and game play of the Ocean version are very good for the era and hardware. But the sound drives me nuts. The music could have been dead on with the SID chip but they did a poor job of recreating it. It makes me think the music and sound effects were an afterthought.

The sound effects are almost identical to the Amstrad version. So, I believe they simply ported/hacked the sound routines (as everything else) from the Amstrad version.

 

I always hated the SID chip for video game sound, because even the fasted attack envelope seemed like a soft ramp to me.

Popeye was the worst, and I wasn't happy with Atarisoft's DK.

 

However, the more recent Donkey Kong Jr for the C-64 has shown me that it CAN be done. I guess there was just a 30-year learning curve.. lol.

[biobern]

Found that lightening the girder colors slightly allow for a brighter Mario (less blue bleeding with brighter red).

Also, Kong looks less red and yellow.

 

Created some screenshots of other ports last night. Decided to make a collage on my lunch.

Kind of like the old Parker Bros ads.

 

I am going to try it on REAL hardware before I get too excited, but came up with the lighter colors on lunch.

CompareDKPort_Final.png

 

 

 

Just tried V7.2 on a real Atari 400 NTSC and I just LOVE it. Donkey Kong is one of my all time favorites, but I never liked the Atari 400/800 version of the game. Now, we Atarians have best looking home version of them all IMHO. Maybe on par with the Famicom. Just great!

For a later version, I would appreciate an arcade stile attract mode with the beautiful game demonstration. Any plans to do this? Is this easy to do?

[+lawdawg710]

Is this possibly going to be something that can be put into cartridge form and offered for the atari 5200 and 8 bit computers?????

[+darryl1970]

 

 

 

Just tried V7.2 on a real Atari 400 NTSC and I just LOVE it. Donkey Kong is one of my all time favorites, but I never liked the Atari 400/800 version of the game. Now, we Atarians have best looking home version of them all IMHO. Maybe on par with the Famicom. Just great!

For a later version, I would appreciate an arcade stile attract mode with the beautiful game demonstration. Any plans to do this? Is this easy to do?

I am glad you like it, but this is mostly a graphics hack. That would be great.

[+darryl1970]

Is this possibly going to be something that can be put into cartridge form and offered for the atari 5200 and 8 bit computers?????

I suppose anything is possible. I've never looked into that, but I am sure it's possible.

[+darryl1970]

Donkey Kong Arcade XL, RMT, and 5200 -- Version 7.4

 

I have not had much time at all to work on this, and I would really like to get to a final version. This took a lot of time. I created a Mario sprite on my actual 800XL, and I set his colors from there. The brighter colors idea, mentioned in a previous post, didn't pan out. If you follow the history, you'll notice that Mario looked great in emulation -- he had Red, Blue and fleshy color. Actual hardware varied from white to whitish-blue.

 

Constructive input is appreciated. Please limit the sarcasm (such as "Papa Smurf" when Mario looked blue on some televisions). I appreciate sarcasm normally, but I have been pretty busy in my personal life, and the color variance from emulation to hardware has been especially frustrating for me on this.

 

* PLEASE NOTE: Mario may look a little ugly on the emulators. On my NTSC television, my Atari 800XL and 5200 both looked good. Mario has more of a green blue than a pure blue, but this makes his face a little more fleshy, instead of white. The Altirra emulator over exaggerated the brightness of green. I went into the color saturation setting and turned it down to match an actual TV.

 

Updates:

1. Updated colors, better suited for the actual Atari hardware.
2. Minor graphic updates in Mario, rivets, extra lives.
3. New Girders for the girder level and elevators.

Screenshots of emulation. * Mario's colors appear to be exaggerated, compared to actual hardware.

 

 

Screenshots of actual hardware, with the saturation turned up on my TV!

I actually created a Mario on my old 8-bit player maker program, and I experimented with the colors on actual hardware.

 

Ramps, before the final girder design.

 

Rivets closeup

 

Colors as shown above, which give a blue-ish color on actual hardware.

DonkeyKongArcade_XL_v7.4.xex

DonkeyKongArcade_RMT_v7.4.xex

DonkeyKongArcade_5200_v7.4.bin

 

Alternate Mario colors, which are closer to the NES SMB Mario colors. I don't recall what these are like on actual hardware, but these may be preferred for emulation.

DKXL_v7.4_AltColor.xex

DKRMT_v7.4_AltColor.xex

DK5200_v7.4_AltColor.bin

Edited April 23, 2016 by darryl1970

[biobern]

Thank you for the new version.

First impression: The Mario colors look VERY strange now if emulated with Atari800MacX.

 

On a real Atari 400 NTSC with a very good and rather new CRT-TV (saturation turned up), it looks a bit better, but Mario is still too green and the contrasts of Mario's colors are MUCH too low! The latter is also for the AltColor-version. Maybe your television does some funny things if saturation is high?

 

Mario was MUCH more Arcade-like in V7.2: His colors red and blue are primary colors.

To be true: Experimenting with the colors on antique(?) televisions seems the wrong way to me.

[R.Cade]

I liked the blue/red Mario in 7.2 (this was authentic to arcade) but I also like the newer ladder colors in 7.4.

 

The new versions (IMO) either Mario is flesh or green, neither of which look right to me... Sorry.

 

Could they be mixed?

 

Great work on the hack in general, though.

Edited April 23, 2016 by R.Cade

[Kyle22]

Is it just me, or are most of the barrels in 7.4 RMT bouncing off the double ladders and rolling off the right side?

 

Also, on my real 800 with LCD monitor, Mario looks too green.

[+darryl1970]

Thank you for the new version.

First impression: The Mario colors look VERY strange now if emulated with Atari800MacX.

 

On a real Atari 400 NTSC with a very good and rather new CRT-TV (saturation turned up), it looks a bit better, but Mario is still too green and the contrasts of Mario's colors are MUCH too low! The latter is also for the AltColor-version. Maybe your television does some funny things if saturation is high?

 

Mario was MUCH more Arcade-like in V7.2: His colors red and blue are primary colors.

To be true: Experimenting with the colors on antique(?) televisions seems the wrong way to me.

Thanks.

 

I may have my brightness turned up. I got so much negative feedback about the TRUE blue Mario, because people said the blue bled into his face. People were calling him Papa Smurf.

I am using a pretty good Sony Vega TV. Sure 14-15 years a a decent age, but I barely used the TV.

 

I have the brightness and saturation where they look good on the games I am familiar with. I will try resetting it all to center.

 

As for connections, I am using RCA connections for the 800XL, and I am using the RF for the 5200. Both systems colors vary, so I figure I am getting a decent average.

Apparently the few people who have tried this see too much green (which is how it looks in emulation).

 

I will play with this some more, but I may just default back to an earlier True-Blue version if nothing works.

[+darryl1970]

I liked the blue/red Mario in 7.2 (this was authentic to arcade) but I also like the newer ladder colors in 7.4.

 

The new versions (IMO) either Mario is flesh or green, neither of which look right to me... Sorry.

 

Could they be mixed?

 

Great work on the hack in general, though.

Thanks. I will check back at the 7.2 version. Are you using emulation or real hardware? There seems to be a difference.

When I use the true-blue, Mario's face is white. The blue bleeds into the white on some machines.

I will check to see what combo I used in the 7.2 Mario.

[+darryl1970]

Is it just me, or are most of the barrels in 7.4 RMT bouncing off the double ladders and rolling off the right side?

 

Also, on my real 800 with LCD monitor, Mario looks too green.

Well... I have no idea what "bouncing off the double ladders and rolling off the right side" means. I haven't seen anything like that.

The only changes in this version were colors and graphics.

 

Maybe I'll have to adjust my CRT to see if I can get Mario to look green, as he does in emulation. Maybe my 800XL colors are off....

Are you using an original 800? I have one. Maybe I should try that.

[+darryl1970]

Version 7.4

 

Updates:

1. I switched Mario back to the colors from 7.2, and I tweaked the brightness of some of the colors.
2. Retains graphic tweaks -- New Ramp Girders and other minor tweaks.
3. 5200 Alternate is an option, as my 5200 seems to display similar to the PAL palette, even though all are NTSC. When hacking DK Jr, Playsoft notices his 5200 colors varied too.

I made the 5200 alternate, as I have only tested these versions on Altirra, version 2.71.

 

 

 

DKArcade_XL_v7.4.xex

DKArcade_RMT_v7.4.xex

DKArcade_5200_v7.4.bin

DkArcade_5200_v7.4alt.bin

Edited April 24, 2016 by darryl1970

[R.Cade]

Looks great!

[+darryl1970]

Looks great!

Thanks. I am going to bed now, but I hope to make time to check in on actual hardware tomorrow.

Hopefully people have good experiences on actual hardware.

[TheNameOfTheGame]

Thanks Darryl for the new update! That was a nice surprise! :thumbsup:

[biobern]

Thanks Darryl for the new update! That was a nice surprise! :thumbsup:

 

 

Yes, big thank you! That was a faaast update! :-)

Looks muuuch better now.

I use no RCA-Video, but S-Video on both my Atari 800 XL PAL and my Atari 400 NTSC. That's why i have no bleeding of the blue color IMHO.

If somebody calls Mario "Papa Smurf", tell him to buy a new TV.

Thank you, thank you!

[biobern]

 

If somebody calls Mario "Papa Smurf", tell him to buy a new TV.

 

Seriously: You can buy the best of the best CRT-TVs (Bang&Olufsen, Loewe, Sony...) for around 20 bucks nowadays. Just got a new giant Loewe Calida from the early 00s today. Maybe some people really should change their CRT-TVs.

[+Philsan]

Darryl, working with real Atari is funnier but you could use online Atari Player Editor to edit multicolor animated sprites.