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Choplifter


Stevaside

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Forgive me if I posted about this before years ago, my memory is horrible & I'm not for sure, but was making a newer version of this & adding in the extra levels & enemies from the arcade version anything that was discussed on here before or a reasonable project for someone to take on one day? I am aware of the graphical upgrade, but I mean reworking this in the same way Donkey Kong was done to add the missing levels

 

There's few homebrews that could make me more happier than seeing this done. Since I was a kid I'd imagine how much cooler it'd be like that. I know it was based on the Apple II game & the arcade was a reimagination of it, but still...my mall had it & I always felt robbed with the 1 level & all. Regardless it's one of my top 7800 games of all time, and somehow despite it's simplicity , I never get sick of playing a few games & going through the challenge of rescuing as many hostages as I can. (Be awesome to have the "THANKYOU!" arcade speech added to the rescues too haha)

 

And one more thing speaking of the arcade, I never actually played it much until recently on MAME. To those that have am I the only one that finds it BRUTALLY HARD? I mean jeez I could barely make it to pick up 2 hostages without getting blown to smithereens by 50 things shooting at me on the screen from all directions...and this is on EASY MODE! lol The features of the arcade with a toned down difficulty would be more ideal

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...I mean reworking this in the same way Donkey Kong was done to add the missing levels...

 

So, using ~2% of the game code and writing 98% from scratch, then. :P

 

What started as a 'simple' POKEY sound add-on, evolved into - for all intents and purposes - a game written from scratch. That is what was accomplished to achieve the Donkey Kong PK/XM end results.

 

Even if the source code for Choplifter was available, the additions and enhancements would require a significant amount of retooling, restructuring, and rewriting of the game code; without source code - which is the case here - someone would have to disassemble much of the game (code) first.

 

It would be easier and likely much more efficient to start from scratch with a brand new game. ;)

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So, using ~2% of the game code and writing 98% from scratch, then. :P

 

What started as a 'simple' POKEY sound add-on, evolved into - for all intents and purposes - a game written from scratch. That is what was accomplished to achieve the Donkey Kong PK/XM end results.

 

Even if the source code for Choplifter was available, the additions and enhancements would require a significant amount of retooling, restructuring, and rewriting of the game code; without source code - which is the case here - someone would have to disassemble much of the game (code) first.

 

It would be easier and likely much more efficient to start from scratch with a brand new game. ;)

OK, no knowledge of the technical stuff or progamming, which is why I asked how hard of a task that might be lol

 

That all makes sense now tho. It'd be cool to have the 1st level look & feel the same aside from maybe a couple more of the enemies added from the arcade, and then move on to other levels...in my Choplifter I Wish We Got Fantasy Edition anyway haha

 

Kinda seems not alot of ppl r as fond as the game as I am tho, so don't rly expect this to happen, just wondered if it was ever discussed before or anyone had similar idea

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Kinda seems not alot of ppl r as fond as the game as I am tho, so don't rly expect this to happen, just wondered if it was ever discussed before or anyone had similar idea

 

Don't hate it...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1-x93Gx1Q0

 

...But don't love it either. I definitely wouldn't mind an upgrade, but enjoy more original content for the system as well as seeing new ports not done previously on the 7800. Then again, Donkey Kong is my favorite classic arcade game of all time and still thrilled to have DK PK/XM. The Pac-Man series I hold fondly of and Pac-Man Collection is awesome.

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Don't hate it...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1-x93Gx1Q0

 

...But don't love it either. I definitely wouldn't mind an upgrade, but enjoy more original content for the system as well as seeing new ports not done previously on the 7800. Then again, Donkey Kong is my favorite classic arcade game of all time and still thrilled to have DK PK/XM. The Pac-Man series I hold fondly of and Pac-Man Collection is awesome.

I can totally understand why this wouldn't be a top game for alot of ppl, I think my personal nostalgia for it plays a big part too. I'm usually with you on that regarding original titles, I'd much rather see stuff like that being done, but this is just a case where I always dreamt of how a multi-level Choplifter port might have been for the 7800. I love Donkey Kong as well, Looking forward to playing it again at a barcade I'm going too next week. The website also says they currently have a Crossbow machine & I am stoked for that as well! Never seen or played the arcade cabinet before, but like the 7800 version. And yea, Pac-Man games are just timeless. Super Pac-Man was one I was very excited for us to get, another I wished I coulda had on my 7800 as a kid & finally got to in my 30s lol Pac-Mania is another I wished real bad to get & would love to see

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I first played the arcade version of Choplifter in the UGA student center game room and LOVED it. Many quarters dropped into that glorious machine when I should have been studying. I wasn't aware of any of the pre-arcade versions until I got my first 7800 in the adult/collecting era and boy, what a let down. No infectious theme music, no multiple scenarios/levels, and the actual chopper sprite seems much larger on the screen, so much easier to be knocked out by jets and the like. I would be delighted if someone homebrewed up an arcade version!

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Don't hate it...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1-x93Gx1Q0

 

...But don't love it either. I definitely wouldn't mind an upgrade, but enjoy more original content for the system as well as seeing new ports not done previously on the 7800. Then again, Donkey Kong is my favorite classic arcade game of all time and still thrilled to have DK PK/XM. The Pac-Man series I hold fondly of and Pac-Man Collection is awesome.

 

I LOVED this game on the Apple ][e back in the day. I was all excited and bought it for the Atari 7800, and the cartridge didn't work. Still have it, still doesn't work. :(

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Choplifter suffers from the same issues that some Activision games on the 2600 (like Sky Jinks, Dragster, Grand Prix etc) did: There's only the one level, and that's it.

I'd say I really like the gameplay, but not the game. There's no replay value. Why they didn't add multiple/harder waves on any of the 8 bit versions, I don't know. But it hasn't aged all that well.

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I first played the arcade version of Choplifter in the UGA student center game room and LOVED it. Many quarters dropped into that glorious machine when I should have been studying. I wasn't aware of any of the pre-arcade versions until I got my first 7800 in the adult/collecting era and boy, what a let down. No infectious theme music, no multiple scenarios/levels, and the actual chopper sprite seems much larger on the screen, so much easier to be knocked out by jets and the like. I would be delighted if someone homebrewed up an arcade version!

It was the reverse for me, someone got me Choplifter the same Christmas I got my 7800..I thought it was cool, but then a little later my Mom takes me to the arcade in our mall & I was shocked to see an arcade version of it...but after I saw the difference I was so pissed & just thought it sucked our version was so stripped down compared to it. They def coulda done better, but I still enjoy the 7800 one to this day. Same, I would absolutely LOVE someone redoing it based on the arcade

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Choplifter suffers from the same issues that some Activision games on the 2600 (like Sky Jinks, Dragster, Grand Prix etc) did: There's only the one level, and that's it.

 

I'd say I really like the gameplay, but not the game. There's no replay value. Why they didn't add multiple/harder waves on any of the 8 bit versions, I don't know. But it hasn't aged all that well.

Yea I mean honestly, it is a half assed version. Considering the era it came out in there's no excuse to have just one level.

 

Guess I'm in the minority tho, but it's still one of my fav 7800 games. I played it ALOT when I was a kid, and still have lots of memories of it..I appreciate the challenge, you just never know when those damn jet fighters or the air mine (a.k.a. the sky jellyfish lol) will appear out of nowhere & test your reflexes..It's still fun to me to try my best to rescue all the hostages (think the closest I ever got was 62 or 63), And due to it's laziness of it having only 1 level, it actually makes it an ideal game to play when I'm in the mood for something real quick

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Part of the issue with Choplifter, and perhaps understanding the game's history, is the Atari ports are based on the original Apple II computer game. Choplifter for the 7800 is a respectable (graphics) update version of that original which contains one level:

 

post-18-0-65806900-1525817578.pngpost-18-0-01463300-1525817530.png

 

This is one of those rare instances where a home system game existed prior to the Arcade version.

 

 

The Arcade game was released 3 years after the Apple II original and is what the Famicom and SMS ports are based upon with multiple levels:

 

post-18-0-82306900-1525817477.pngpost-18-0-33840000-1525817491.pngpost-18-0-03726900-1525817499.png

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Part of the issue with Choplifter, and perhaps understanding the game's history, is the Atari ports are based on the original Apple II computer game. Choplifter for the 7800 is a respectable (graphics) update version of that original which contains one level:

Yea I mentioned I knew it was based on the original Apple II game with 1 level, but IMO there was still no excuse to keep it that basic in 1987. The arcade version came out in 1985, the Sega Master System & even a Famicom port came out in 1986, and all of those have the multiple levels. Personally I think they should have followed suit for the 7800 given the time it came out , but regardless I still love the game

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I always found Choplifter very hard. I've only made it as far as the third set of hostages. Once I made it up to the fourth set, but was shot down by enemy jets and drones.

You have to CONSTANTLY try to be watching the left & right sides of the screen at ALL times, that jet will always come out of nowhere lol It is a challenging game tho I'd say, guess I've played it so much over the years I've got better over time. The arcade version on the other hand, I've tried it on MAME a few times recently & I'm absolutely hopeless at it. Can't even pick up 3 of the 1st group of hostages without getting blown up by the ton of enemies scattered all over the screen

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Yea I mentioned I knew it was based on the original Apple II game with 1 level, but IMO there was still no excuse to keep it that basic in 1987. The arcade version came out in 1985, the Sega Master System & even a Famicom port came out in 1986, and all of those have the multiple levels. Personally I think they should have followed suit for the 7800 given the time it came out , but regardless I still love the game

Ah, but the Arcade version is Sega's game:

 

post-18-0-39508800-1525988785.png

 

Released of course under Sega's Master System here in the US, but allowing the Arcade release under competing systems in the US may not have been logistically possible. While it would have been great to have seen a much 'deeper' Choplifter game under the 7800, outside of obtaining a license for the computer port in the US, there may have been no other option.

 

How, and the details of, Jaleco obtained a license for the Famicom port is another matter altogether.

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I enjoy this game, and I do like to play the 7800 version, though I wish it were a little closer to the arcade version like the Master System version. I always wondered if the 7800 could pull it off.

 

The SMS version doesn't seem anything outstanding from a 'pushing the envelope' perspective. I don't see why a reasonable 7800 port wouldn't have been possible

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