HSC02, Round 5: 280 Zzzap / Dodgem and Super Slope

[ballyalley]

Season 2, Round 5 of the Astrocade High Score Club will last about two weeks. This round ends on Sunday, May 21'th 28'th at 8pm MST. The main game is 280 Zzzap! / Dodgem. The bonus game is Super Slope. These are both racing games: in the main game you're racing on a paved road, and in the other game you're racing your way down a snow-covered mountain.

280 Zzzap! / Dodgem

If you've played Atari's Night Driver, then you're familiar with this racing game for the Astrocade.

280 Zzzap! / Dodgem (cartridge #2001) is a 2K cartridge released by Bally Mfg. Corp. in 1978. It was re-released three years later by Astrovision Inc. in 1981. It is part of Action/Skills Series and was programmed for the Astrocade by Jay Fenton. The first game on the cartridge is a port of the B&W 1976 arcade game 280 Zzzap by Midway Manufacturing Co.







This is the description of the games from the manual's cover:

"Two different high-speed car races demand quick response and raw courage. Enter your racing time into the computer-- floor the accelerator-- and go for speed and distance. 280 Zzzap challenges you to hold a road filled with dangerous hairpin turns! Dodgem puts you up against other cars driven by the computer. The sharper your driving skills, the more mileage you'll get!"

280 Zzzap! / Dodgem is a relatively easy to find cartridge for the Astrocade. It probably will play best on real hardware, as it uses the knob to move your car left and right. The game can be played under MAME emulation using a mouse, but I'm not sure how well that will work.

For those that are interested, on October 12, 2016, I spent about one day disassembling 280 Zzzap / Dodgem. If Z80 programming interests you, then maybe you'll enjoying browsing the disassembly:

http://www.ballyalley.com/ml/ml_source/280%20Zzzap,%20Dodgem%20(1978)(Bally%20Mfg%20Corp)(Disassembly).zip

The Astrocade version of the manual is here:

http://www.ballyalley.com/cart_manuals/pdf_manuals/280_ZZZap-Dodgem_(instructions)(bally)(color)(300%20dpi).pdf

The original Bally release of the manual is here:

http://www.ballyalley.com/cart_manuals/pdf_manuals/280%20zzzap%20-%20dodgem%20(instructions)(bally)(a1)(color)(300%20dpi).pdf

Here are the Astrocade version of the instructions for 280 Zzzap! / Dodgem:

280 Zzzap (1 player)

Feeling the pressure of speed and time, you're off-- along the course of a cross country road race. Negotiate the curves as carefully and quickly as possible to score the most points.

Starting the Game

Choose 280 Zzzap by pressing 1 on the keypad or by using remote game selection (pull the trigger on hand control #1, turn the knob until 1 appears on the screen, then pull the trigger again).

Enter the game time-- up to ten minutes in length.

Enter 9 Play 9 seconds.
Enter 9 9 Play 99 seconds.
Enter 9 9 9 Play 9 minutes and 99 seconds.

If the race time being entered on the keypad is 99 seconds or less, you must press the = sign to start the game.

Playing the Game

Since this is a one-player game, you will need to use hand control #1. The hand control functions for 280 Zzzap are:

Trigger Controls the speed of the car-- accelerator.
Knob Steers the car-- steering wheel.
Joystick Has no function.

The object of the game is to accumulate as much mileage as possible by traveling as far and as fast as you can without crashing into the white road poles. Every time the car crashes into the poles, you lose valuable speed and distance.

The numbers in the lower center of the screen represent the speedometer. As the car accelerates, the speed is indicated by the bar underneath the numbers.

The numbers on the right side of the speedometer record the miles traveled. On the left side of the speedometer is the race time remaining.

Scoring

To compete against two or more players, enter the same race time for each player. The winner is the one with the highest mileage when the race has ended.

Playing Again

To play 280 Zzzap again, press the RESET button and follow the instructions for starting the game.

Dodgem (1 player)

Test your skill as a race car driver. Although this game is similar to 280 Zzzap, you have an additional hazard of crashing into the other cars in the race!

Starting the Game

Choose Dodgem by pressing 2 on the keypad or by using remote game selection (pull the trigger on hand control #1, turn the knob until 2 appears on the screen, then pull the trigger again). Enter the game time--up to ten minutes in length.

Enter 9 Play 9 seconds.
Enter 9 9 Play 99 seconds.
Enter 9 9 9 Play 9 minutes and 99 seconds.

If you enter a race time that is 99 seconds or less, press the = sign to start the game.

Playing the Game

The hand control functions for Dodgem are:

Trigger Controls the speed of the car-- accelerator.
Knob Steers the car-- steering wheel.
Joystick Has no function.

The object of Dodgem is to go as far as possible without crashing into the race track walls, other cars in the race, or having them crash into you.

The light colored car is the only one that you can control. The other cars are controlled by the Arcade.

The numbers in the lower center of the screen represent the speedometer. As the car accelerates, the speed is indicated by the bar underneath the numbers.

The numbers on the right side of the speedometer are the miles traveled. The left side shows the race time remaining.

Scoring

A player's score is determined by the miles driven in the specified racing time. If two or more players are competing against each other, the same race time must be entered for each player.

Playing Again

To play Dodgem again, press the RESET button and follow the instructions for starting the game.


The 280 Zzzap! / Dodgem cartridge ROM image (called "280zzap.bin") is part of this archive:

http://www.ballyalley.com/emulation/cart_images/cart_images.html#AstrocadeROMCollection


280 Zzzap! / Dodgem (High Score Club Options):

This is a timed game. Once you get used to the controls, you will probably never crash, so we're probably all going to score about the same. For this reason, we'll play a rather short game of 99 seconds. If anyone wants to play longer, than maybe we'll extend it... but I surely wouldn't want to play for a time of 999.

280 Zzzap! / Dodgem (Scoring):

Up to ten points are awarded for playing 280 Zzzap! / Dodgem: five points will be awarded for each game. For available bonus points, see "Bonus Points" section below.

I can't remember ever coming across a contemporary review of this game. If you've seen one, then please point it out to me.


Super Slope

The BASIC bonus game is Super Slope, by Esoterica Ltd (Dan J. Drescher and James P. Curran). This machine language game was released on tape in 1982.

In an Esoterica advertisement on page G7 of the spring 1983 Source Book, the game is called Ski Slope. The game's description from that ad says "'They called him SUPER SKIER, though he never had a lesson.' And now you take up where he left off. Super Slope is a super skiing program from Esoterica Ltd. No experience necessary."

The game's description from the December 1982 Arcadian is very similar. It says the game thing, but adds this: "Great fun! (In Smooth Action Machine Language Graphics)"







Michael White notes that the "AstroBASIC" cartridge is only needed to load the Super Slope program; the game will run with the "AstroBASIC" cartridge removed.

Here are the game's instructions, which seem to talk about some features not available in the game:

Load the game with :INPUT; RUN. In less than one minute the program will run automatically. Stop the recorder and follow the play instructions. In multiple player games, you will be asked to input the number of players. The tape is now in position for Game 2.

They called him "Super Skier" and even though they had to carry him off the hill, he was back on top in minutes ready to try again. Under the skillful guidance of your joystick he will dodge rocks and brush trees in a mad downhill race against time as arm waving fans pack the sidelines urging him on. Warning: Do not pull the trigger unless you are Olympic material. Which end will you experience? The thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.

Your Score:

Greater than 50 - Go directly to the hospital. Do not pass the finish line. Do not collect the prize money.

39 to 49 - Beginner slopes are more suited to your ability.

29 to 38 - You can now fall down on national TV and still look good.

Less than 29 - You have achieved the thrill of VICTORY!

Super Slope is a 100% machine language program. During the entering routine, a sign will appear at the bottom of the screen. One-half of the sign will then disappear. As the screen scrolls down the program will load and then run automatically. To replay press GO on the keypad.

 

 

Note, that the game doesn't actually seem to follow these scoring directions, as your score is four digits, not two. Perhaps the last two of the four digits represents hundredths of a second?

 

 

Michael Prosise wrote a review of Super Slope in The Game Player #9, which was printed in Arcadian 5, no. 9 (Jul. 22, 1983): 140. Here is the complete review:

It is no longer necessary to go to your neighborhood Video Arcade and drop a quarter in Atari's ALPINE SKI, for SUPER SLOPE is just as good. As the one and only skiing game for the Astrocade system, this Esoterica ski adventure is extremely good and well thought out.

In this one-player game, the player directs his skier downhill, avoiding pine trees and large rocks by using the joystick to ski left or right across the slope. A quick tap on the joystick increases the skiers' direction from straight to slightly angled: another tap increases the angle further; and another tap will have the skier doing a traverse. The same holds true for either direction. Squeezing the trigger will increase the skiers speed. As one who enjoys downhill skiing, I am impressed at how well Esoterica has simulated the actual movement of a real skier.

The graphics in SUPER SLOPE are well done, and the sound of skis on snow is well simulated. SUPER SLOPE is a good example of what machine language can do for a game.

There were only a few problems with SUPER SLOPE. The skier often leaves an arm or leg behind when he skims a tree, and we have not been able to determine how the scoring is accomplished. The instructions, which could use some improvement, indicate a score of 50 as not so good but less than 29 as a victory. However, the screen will show a four digit number at the end of play, such as 5471. We deliberately crashed our skier constantly and achieved a score of 2428. What do these numbers mean? (GAME PLAYER will publish an explanation if it receives one from Esoterica.)

The other problem we found is that there is a loud continuous raspy noise during initial play until the skier hits an object. Then the noise will disappear. Perhaps this is a problem with our particular cassette, or it may be a program problem.

Overall, SUPER SLOPE is an excellent game, and will probably be enjoyed even by non-skiers. Those who played it liked it, and it held their attention. It's a good game, folks.
Herb Matthews wrote to the Mail Bag in The Game Player, #17 (Vol. 6, pg. 43, March 30, 1984). Herb said, "Thanks for the consistent high quality and informative nature of your monthly reviews. They have definitely influenced my software purchases." Michael Prosise says, "Herb loves SUPER SLOPE and feels that it would be terrific as a cartridge."

You can download the "AstroBASIC" version of Super Slope here:

 

http://www.ballyalley.com/program_downloads/2000_baud_programs/esoterica_ltd/esoterica_ltd.html#SuperSlopeEsotericaAB

 

Remember, in Super Slope we're playing for the lowest score.

Bonus Points

Up to four bonus points are available this round for both games:

• 280 Zzzap / Dodgem (1 Point) - Video Review - There is no quality video of Super Slope on YouTube. Anyone who makes a video review of this game will get a bonus point.
• Super Slope (1 Point) - Playing the bonus game.
• Super Slope (1 Point) - Lowest Score.
• Super Slope (1 Point) - Video Review - Anyone who makes a video review of Super Slope will get a bonus point.

Summary

I don't care much for 280 Zzzap or Dodgem; these two games are much too easy, plus isn't enough variety to the gameplay-- honestly, there is no diversity to either game at all. I suppose the different crash noises are interesting, including the notable inclusion of "ZORK!" If the Astrocade's game library wasn't so small, then I'd probably skip this double-game cartridge.

There are some defenders of this round's main games. On May 1, 2006, I compiled a list called the Top Ten Astrocade Games. Various people listed their favorite games for the system. Ben Bauer chose 280 Zzzap/ Dodgem and commented, "This was as good or better than the arcade versions!" Lance Squire also liked this game; he picked it too, adding, "280 Zzzap - AKA Night Driver. Again loved to play the arcade and Bally did this well. Back in the day Compucentre (HudsonsBay center Toronto) had a Bally Pro Arcade system and a Vic 20 set-up side by side and both playing this game. The Bally was way better!!!"

On the bonus game front, Super Slope is interesting. It seems really close to being a good game, but doesn't seem to have the polish or follow-through, plus there are some graphical glitches. I have a soft spot for it though, as it does some pretty impressive technical tricks on an unexpanded Astrocade for a game that is not a cartridge.

 

Have fun playing this round's games.

Adam

Edited May 17, 2017 by ballyalley

[ballyalley]

I gave each game this round a few tries today.

 

280 Zzzap is far too easy. I was able to play an entire game without crashing the very first time I played it today. That's this score:

 

280 Zzzap - 5.92 miles in 99 seconds (No crashes)

 

 

I actually had fun playing Dodgem today-- I didn't expect that to happen. The game is much better when you're actually playing to beat your previous score. I tried to have a run without crashing, but about the best I did was either two or three crashes.

 

Dodgem - 5.59 miles in 99 seconds (two or three crashes)

 

 

After a few games of Super Slope, I decided to play it without ever taking my finger off the trigger. The game moves pretty fast, but there is so much graphic garbage on the screen after you crash. If you crash, it's as though you're losing limbs as you move down the slope. This game really could have used some polishing up!

 

I tried timing Super Slope with a stopwatch to see what the correlation between game time and real time is when a game is over. On my one test, I completed a game in 58 70. The stopwatch's time was 1:36 when my game ended. Oh, and to play the game again, press GO.

 

Super Slope - 35 04

 

 

Super Slope kept crashing on me. I had to reload Super Slope twice after I played a few rounds of it. Once, the graphics went corrupt first, and then the system acted like I reset it. The second time, it was just as if I hit Reset. Is anyone else having this issue with Super Slope?

 

Round Extended: I will be leaving town unexpectedly this weekend and I won't be back until the middle of the week. For this reason, the round is being extended to Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 8PM.

 

Adam

[roadrunner]

280 Zzzap



5.50 miles

[ranger_lennier]

There are definitely some graphical glitches in Super Slope, though they didn't bother me too much. I was about ready to say that I'd never seen it crash, but when I played it some more today, it crashed a few times, which was definitely frustrating. There was also one stretch where I kept running into invisible objects. But when it works, it's a fun game. I think it would be really hard to not crash at all, because you start gaining on the bottom of the screen as you go, then reset to the top once you crash. I did get 29 24 with I believe just one crash. I think it makes sense to think of that as a time, though it's certainly not an accurate one.

 

[ranger_lennier]

Dodgem is definitely challenging, though I did find it pretty frustrating. There's just not a lot of time to react. Occasionally I'd manage to get in the zone and not crash for a little while, but mostly I was cursing at myself for steering straight into the other cars. I did find that MAME worked OK using an analog stick for the steering. My best score is 4.95.

 

 

[P.S. I just realized that last Super Slope post might sound a little weird since sometimes I'm talking about crashing in the sense of the game failing and sometimes I'm talking about the skier hitting a rock or tree, haha.]

[ranger_lennier]

280 Zzzap kind of bored me. Maybe with other cars or a more complicated course it would be cool, but as it is there's not a lot to it. It does seems like you can improve your score a little beyond just not crashing by steering well, because I got up to 6.17.

 

 

 

This is the only game billnewsome ended up getting time to play. He got 5.95.

 

[ballyalley]

Thanks to the few people who played this round-- sorry the main game was a dud, but I guess that's bound to happen sometimes. I create game review videos of these two games, but I haven't had time to edit them yet. I'll still post them, but I won't give myself any bonus points for making them.

 

Since it's Memorial Day, I'm going to wrap-up this round tomorrow. However, the round has ended, so late scores won't be accepted. If anyone is interested in playing their Bally system on today's holiday, then I have already picked the new game.

 

In Season 1, Round 6, we played Candy Man as the bonus game. That's actually been one of my favorite bonus games we've played so far in the HSC. The next round's main game is Ms. Candyman, the cartridge sequel to the only-released-on-tape game, Candy Man. I'm not yet sure yet which game I'll choose as the bonus game. I think it will be a tape game by L&M. If anyone has any suggestions for the BASIC bonus game (it doesn't have to be by L&M), then please make your suggestions by tomorrow.

 

Adam

[ballyalley]

Round 5 of the HSC ended Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 8pm MST. Four people played 280 Zzzap!, while only two people played the alternate game on the cartridge, Dodgem. Two people played the bonus game, Super Slope.

Final Tables

Note: These scores for the two driving games represent the number of miles driven in each game.

280 Zzzap!
ranger_lennier 6.17 5 pts
billnewsome 5.95 4 pts
BallyAlley 5.92 3 pts
roadrunner 5.50 2 pts

Dodgem
BallyAlley 5.59 5 pts
ranger_lennier 4.95 4 pts

Two people each earn an extra point for playing the bonus game on the Astrocade. Ranger_lennier gets the bonus point for scoring lowest on Super Slope. I think there's something weird going on with the scoring for this game... I can't quite figure it out.

Super Slope
ranger_lennier 29 24
BallyAlley 35 04

Total points awarded this round:

1st ranger_lennier 5 + 4 + 1 + 1 = 11 pts @#
2nd BallyAlley 3 + 5 + 1 + 0 = 9 pts @

3rd billnewsome 4 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 4 pts
4th roadrunner 2 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 2 pts

Bonus Points Key:

! - 280 Zzzap / Dodgem - Video review
@ - Super Slope - Playing the bonus game
# - Super Slope - Lowest score
$ - Super Slope - Video review

I did make video reviews for both 280 Zzzap/Dodgem and Super Slope. However, I have not had a chance to edit them and upload them to YouTube yet. When I do, I'll post them here, but I won't get any bonus points for them.

Please, check your scores.

Season 2, Round 5's winner is ranger_lennier.

Weirdly, despite Sneaky Snake having so many issues/glitches/bugs, I think I liked the bonus game better than the two main games, both of which are really too simple for my tastes. In 280 Zzzap!, you just need something more to do.

Next Round Games

The main game for Round 6 of the Astrocade HSC is L&M Software's Ms. Candyman. The BASIC bonus game is one that I have not played before called The Mummy's Treasure. From what I recall about the bonus game, I don't think you get awarded points. I'm not sure if The Mummy's Treasure is a dud or not; I guess we'll find out together.

I'll post the full rules and links for Round 6 of the Astrocade HSC in the next few days.

Thanks to everyone who played in Round 5 of the Astrocade High Score Club. Ms. Candyman is one of my favorite games for the Astrocade, so I'm looking forward to putting this game through its paces.

Adam

[ballyalley]

I have posted Round 6 of the Astrocade HSC:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/266203-hsc02-round-6-ms-candyman-the-mummys-treasure/

 

Come on over and have a go at these two games.

 

Adam

 

 

[ballyalley]

Oops! I accidentally placed the final scores for Round 6 of the high score club here. The original post (before I edited it) here began, "Round 6 of the Astrocade High Score Club ended (after a two day extension) on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 at 10pm MST. "

 

If you're interested, I've fixed Paul's final round 6 standing and moved the post here:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/266203-hsc02-round-6-ms-candyman-the-mummys-treasure/?do=findComment&comment=3789338

 

I trust that this didn't confuse anyone too much. Thanks for pointing out my error, Paul.

Adam

Edited June 21, 2017 by ballyalley

[ranger_lennier]

I should have 14 points total. You got the bonus points correct, just not the final total.

 

Also, this is the 280 Zzzap topic.

 

 

[ballyalley]

I should have 14 points total. You got the bonus points correct, just not the final total.

 

Also, this is the 280 Zzzap topic.

 

What a dumb mistake I made. I've edited my original thread and fixed Paul score in the proper place.

 

Adam

[ballyalley]

About a month ago, I made a video review of Super Slope. I made the video to earn an bonus point in Round 5 of the Astrocade HSC, but I didn't finished editing the video before the round ended. Then, after the round finished, the editing fell on the back burner. I've now edited the video and am placing links to it in this thread.

You can view the Super Slope video here:



I have also uploaded a video review of 280 Zzzap / Dodgem to YouTube today. I recorded this on the same day as the one I made for Super Slope video, but I didn't edit it together until today.

You can view the 280 Zzzap / Dodgem video review here:



Now that I'm learning how to use Adobe Premiere Elements a little better, these videos are getting easier to create. They're rough, but they do show the Astrocade in action doing what it does best-- playing games!

Adam