Demon Attack - difficulty settings

[metoo3]

Hi all, 

 

since I just got my first ever 2600, I discovered my love for Demon Attack. 

 

Though I'm not sure the a - b switch on the light sixer is working properly. 

I just have Demon Attack at the moment but I couldn't spot any change in difficulty once I move the switch. 

 

Though I tried an Android Emu with Demon Attack and same story here I couldn't see any difference. 

 

You guys have any idea about the effect of.the difficulty settings in Demon Attack? Or any other way to check if the a b switch is working properly? 

 

Many thanks, 

 

Regards

Nils

[+SpiceWare]

On the front page of the site you'll find a title search at the bottom of the menu on the left.  You used to be able to type a game name there, but it looks like something broke with the recent forum update, it still takes you to the search results but shows all games.  Just enter the game name there and you should be able to find the manual. For Demon Attack there's a text copy of the manual, which states:

Quote

RIGHT AND LEFT DIFFICULTY LEVERS determine how aggresively the demons attack:

A=Aggressive Action
B=Basic Bombardment

 

You can also look for manuals at AtariMania.com. Click 2600, then Games. They track all variations of a game, so it might take a bit to look through the results to find a version, like this one, with a scanned copy of the manual.

 

What other games do you have?  Space Invaders makes it really easy to see as the player's base will change size. If you use Game 33 you can test both switches at the same time:

 

Both B = Beginner

 

 

Both A = Advanced

[metoo3]

Thanks for your reply. 

 

Actually I'm aware of the manual search and the details for Demon Attack. 

My question is how I can spot the difference between aggressive and basic...?

Tried both module and emu and I can't really see any difference at all.... 

 

So far only other module is Moonsweeper which doesn't use this function. 

So I may purchase Space Invaders then... 

Edited July 24, 2019 by metoo3

[+DrVenkman]

Just FYI, Space Invaders is my go-to cart for ensuring that the difficulty switches on my systems are working, especially when I buy a new console. If you find the player base isn’t changing with the switch, either of two things is possible. First, the switch is dirty. It’s not uncommon for them to get some internal crud and corrosion. A squirt of electrical contact cleaner and cycling the switch a few times fixes that right up. But it’s also possible that the 6532 RIOT chip inside the system is bad. I’ve bought two 4-switch systems that had the same issue and replacing the chip fixed it.