norbert_kehrer Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Hi, I made a port of the old and very simple game Radar Rat Race to the Atari 800XL. It was originally written by the company Commodore back in 1982 for the Commodore 64. The game is based on Namco's arcade classic "Rally X", and, even if the game is so primitive, I liked to play it quite often on my C64 back in those days. Similar to my former conversions, the original Commodore program is just running 1:1 on the Atari 800XL computer, which has the same CPU as the C64. The Commodore's graphics and sound effects were replaced by more or less equivalent Atari 800 XL routines. This port was really very easy. Contrary to the C64, the nerve-racking in-game music can be switched on and off in my Atari version by the "Option" key. The program can be downloaded from my homepage at http://members.aon.at/nkehrer/ The xex and atr files can also be found in the attachment to this post. Here are two screenshots of the game on the Atari: Have fun. Norbert rrr.atr rrr.xex 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Aaah famed. Was on my VIC20 list... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Very cool ! This was the first game I ever played on a computer, it was a VIC-20 at Firato, something like a small CES in The Netherlands back in the 80's.....I had never seen Rally-X before, so I only realized that this was a "port" of it many decades later Thanks !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 OK, yep really gives that old-stool feeling but uhhmmmm, was it impossible to add the colors of the mice, cheese and cast ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Very cool ! This was the first game I ever played on a computer, it was a VIC-20 at Firato, something like a small CES in The Netherlands back in the 80's..... I had never seen Rally-X before, so I only realized that this was a "port" of it many decades later Thanks !!! D'oh! That's why it looks familiar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 OK, yep really gives that old-stool feeling but uhhmmmm, was it impossible to add the colors of the mice, cheese and cast ? In hi-res, the only way would be with PM/G overlay/underlays. Then you get that nice ZX Spectrum looking colour clash 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Really cool! I remember this being written by HAL laboratories and not commodore... but hey I could be wrong. Maybe Commodore published it then? True, he could give some color without too much trouble. But I don't have time for all these words right now, I have to play test this! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 In hi-res, the only way would be with PM/G overlay/underlays. Then you get that nice ZX Spectrum looking colour clash Could the Vic-20 version also be ported ? It covers a bigger area of the screen with the play"ground" and is naturally lower res....so maybe easier to add some color ? The Vic-20 is also 6502 powered so..... ...oh damn I sound like a spoilt kid.....it's amazing how much fun this simple game is....then again....many simple, but clever games are lots of fun... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 I await his emulation of Phoenix and the the teletext decoder for Atari.... Nice work man, nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Teletext yeahhhh..... I hear this is still in service in my country.....I have no clue who still uses Teletext in the era of internet.... The weirdest thing is that there also still is an internet version of the teletext system..... https://nos.nl/teletekst 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 Could the Vic-20 version also be ported ? It covers a bigger area of the screen with the play"ground" and is naturally lower res....so maybe easier to add some color ? The Vic-20 is also 6502 powered so..... ...oh damn I sound like a spoilt kid.....it's amazing how much fun this simple game is....then again....many simple, but clever games are lots of fun... that was on my list.... at some point.... maybe I should look again into it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 Nice work. I had no idea this game was also done on C64. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 (edited) Loved this on the Vic20, huge cart, little game Didn't have many for the 20 but I enjoyed this and the Jupiter lander game..(in the port queue???) Please Edit: Oops, forgot to thank you...Looking forward to a play Edit 2: Just played it, another gem Norbert...Plays as it should, sounds like it should, solid port... Thank you! Paul.. Edited September 6, 2018 by Mclaneinc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 (edited) yeah. got Radar Rat Race and Jupiter Lander on cart, too. and yes, both are in my "short" to do list... I really like JL... it was so "smooth"... and I always preferred the "big" version of RRR than the c64 one. btw. I dont know a lot of ppl who you can ring up late in the night and they sing the RRR song... Edited September 6, 2018 by Heaven/TQA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 (edited) Yes, HAL Laboratories developed the first batch of VIC-20 games for Commodore, of which some later were converted for the C64.Actually Radar Rat Race was sold in Japan as Rally-X, due to the fact Commodore obtained the rights for a computer version on the Japanese market, but not elsewhere. It caused them to rework the graphics, change the music and rename it Radar Rat Race for the international market. Both versions have been dumped. The same thing happened with Galaxian (Star Battle) and Pac-Man (Jelly Monsters), though in those cases Commodore got to hear from either Atari which owned the rights for computer conversions internationally, or the actual copyright holders for breaching the contract to have released the games outside of Japan. At least Jelly Monsters eventually got withdrawed and replaced with the similar game Cosmic Cruncher, though not as obvious Pac-Man clone. Edit: By the way in case anyone seeks suggestions of playable VIC-20 games that could be worth porting, here is a small list of mine. Money Wars (obscure arcade game for which there exists at least 3 different versions on the VIC-20, not sure if it has been ported elsewhere) Fourth Encounter (classic Thorn EMI shoot 'em up that would make sense for them to have on the Atari as well) Cosmic Jailbreak (kind of a sequel to Space Invaders, perhaps already exists on the Atari under a different name) A World at War (mostly unknown Swedish strategy game, perhaps the Atari has enough of those & better implementations) Arcadia (quite similar to Threshold which we're currently playing in the Atari 8-bit HSC, so perhaps the needs already are covered on this) Mobile Attack (yes, this is a port of Targ/Crossfire which already exists on the Atari, but perhaps a bit more random?) Sword of Fargoal (goes without saying, surprised if it already hasn't been ported) Edited September 6, 2018 by carlsson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 yeah. got Radar Rat Race and Jupiter Lander on cart, too. and yes, both are in my "short" to do list... I really like JL... it was so "smooth"... and I always preferred the "big" version of RRR than the c64 one. btw. I dont know a lot of ppl who you can ring up late in the night and they sing the RRR song... Its probably good you don't know a lot of people who could do that Emaky might, probably rewrote it in a 1min dream he had the other week I'm more of the Jupiter Lander theme myself, my wife HATED it when I got the game, as I was rubbish she got to hear too much of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 When it comes to Jupiter Lander, I just learned that the jingle for successful landing was reused (nicer word than stolen) from the 1980 arcade game Moon Cresta by Nichibutsu, though that is a completely different game. Perhaps the jingle is even older than so and a coincidence that HAL Labs (?) would use the same jingle in their game. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 Its probably good you don't know a lot of people who could do that Emaky might, probably rewrote it in a 1min dream he had the other week I'm more of the Jupiter Lander theme myself, my wife HATED it when I got the game, as I was rubbish she got to hear too much of it aargh... typo... I ment i knew a lot of ppl who actually can sing the RRR song... now that's make it not better and I knew ppl who can sing the Donkey Kong start song ("how high can you get?") and Pac Man eat sound plus power pill and death sound... ok.ok.... I guess my wife will think i am mad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 re: VIC game #1 on my list is Thorn Emi Submarine Commander as imho the VIC-20 version is by far better than the A8 version... and I played it to death... it was so intense...crashing on the ground... hearing sonar ping... and waiting for water bombs... then there is Typo Atack? (learning keyboard writing plus space invaders). Not to mention Black Hole, Predator by Tom Griner and maybe (ok... another sacrifice) Choplifter... again I find the VIC-20 version better... as most Jeff Minter games... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 (edited) then we have Super Amok... Edited September 6, 2018 by Heaven/TQA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 (edited) ok.ok.... I guess my wife will think i am mad The truth is we are all mad, as I sit here in my tee shirt emblazoned "Mentally Unstable, and not medicated" which my daughter got me (had people ask me where to get one as well) I can confirm we are all mad, just how much we show it is the difference... So singing the various themes from games is pretty low on the "I'm mad" list Moon Cresta's start tune will send you insane tho As for the Vic games, may they be converted and played, very playable stuff, COD WWII may handle the sinking of a U-Boat in a prettier way but I got a good buzz in the old Vic doing the same.. Edited September 6, 2018 by Mclaneinc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrbrevin Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 many thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 Super Amok looks like a poor Berzerk clone. Why would we need that since we already have the best home port of Berzerk ? There is only one thing wrong about A8 Berzerk and that is the maze generation. Everything else is spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaven/TQA Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 I always preferred super amok compared to 2600 berserk. It was just on my list as VIC classic. Nothing more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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