Should someone take upon them to make a completed version of Missing in Action?

[Giles N]

It could be sort of cool to have it as a complete game, playable from start to finish with no bugs.

 

It would increase the 7800 library with one more game (instead of 85% of a game).

 

And it has a lot of cool elements.

 

So what would be needed?

 

What in the game itself needed fixing?

 

Who and how could it be done?

[Jinks]

Probably source code with comments. 

Also a programmer who cares would be needed. 

I agree. No other game like it on the 7800. 

[Jinks]

Btw I like your drive for the 7800. We need more like you to keep things going. It is great to talk games.

 

I always wished for motor psycho to be fixed up for a 3 speed transmission and more variety to the graphics. More tracks etc. To me the best Atari racing game on any of the home systems. Dont know why people beat their pud to night driver etc. 

[Giles N]

29 minutes ago, Jinks said:

Btw I like your drive for the 7800. We need more like you to keep things going. It is great to talk games.

 

I always wished for motor psycho to be fixed up for a 3 speed transmission and more variety to the graphics. More tracks etc. To me the best Atari racing game on any of the home systems. Dont know why people beat their pud to night driver etc. 

Thanks,

 

I also hope to be a little into the 5200!

[Linndrum]

I liked Motor Psycho too, I wish it had more variety because it's really close to being a super cool game. MIA is something I've been hoping a complete version would pop out of nowhere and surprise us one day.

Edited September 15, 2019 by Linndrum

[PacManPlus]

Off topic (please forgive me) - but your username reminds me that I am *dying* to find an original Linn LM-1 (that I can afford to buy)

 

Ok, thread derailment over.

[Linndrum]

Yeah, that's what I'm named after I'd love to have one too!

[Atarifever]

On 9/14/2019 at 1:01 AM, Jinks said:

Btw I like your drive for the 7800. We need more like you to keep things going. It is great to talk games.

 

Agree 500%.  I used to be like this first when I got into the 7800 back in 2004.  I've always liked more new people coming on here to talk about the games from new perspectives.  Please keep it up. :)

[Giles N]

Missing in Action:

 

1.

- someone who can read and analyse coding must look into it, and

- a) secure crash detection for end-of-level bosses that as it is now (85% complete), can’t be taken out to proceed to next level

-> implement at least basic crash detection on boss sprites (perhaps it can be reused from common enemies).

- b) secure that all completed levels take you to next level

 

2. A 7800 musician adding more music, like Delta Force theme rip-off (change some notes), and have it play when cpu-power allows it (preferably a cool theme with variations playing in the background all the time)

 

3. Fix pick-ups and their having effects on Chuck Norris in-game.

For example: more energy, machine gun, etc

 

4.At certain places, have enemies pop/run into the playfield the instant one is downed, intensifying action

- tell program that for example when enemy number 11 is killed, immediatly send in another, and when he is killed immediatly have a third run in. 

 

5. (Optional) Have prisoner-releases to count.

- open doors by kicking

- bonus for all prisoners escaped

 

6. (Optional-to-extremely optional)Add Chuck Norris text gags (floating as memes on the net and FB), when you do well (death had a near-Chuck experience etc).

Edited October 21, 2019 by Giles N

[Gazimaluke]

I have scans of the concept art for Missing in Action. I have also talked to four people that was involved in making the game.

[+save2600]

MIA really deserves to be completed and given a proper release. Wish it would happen.  

[Gazimaluke]

Missing in Action started out as a Sunsoft game by the way.

Edited April 24, 2020 by Gazimaluke

[Giles N]

On 4/23/2020 at 3:19 PM, Gazimaluke said:

I have scans of the concept art for Missing in Action. I have also talked to four people that was involved in making the game.

Please, re-involve them...

 

... perhaps they miss the mission completed...

 

?

[Gazimaluke]

I have never played the prototype. About how compete does it seem?

[KevinMos3]

On 4/29/2020 at 1:47 PM, Gazimaluke said:

I have never played the prototype. About how compete does it seem?

It was very far along in development. The atariprotos.com website has a good write up. The first several levels can be played through without issue, (other than pickup items that have no effect). Eventually you get to the sewer level where the collision detection is out of whack and you can’t complete the stage due to falling through the floor. You can use the level skip cheat to move to the next level.  This one has a boss without hit detection or attacks, so you have to skip him as well. The final boss does not fight back, but he does have hit detection so you can defeat him, after which you see the end game and credits.

[Gazimaluke]

I played it on the Stella emulator on RetroArch and the game broke just a short bit into the first stage ^^

[KevinMos3]

On 5/2/2020 at 1:48 PM, Gazimaluke said:

I played it on the Stella emulator on RetroArch and the game broke just a short bit into the first stage ^^

Stella?  That's for the 2600.  Maybe you were using ProSystem?  Anyway, most emulators don't handle this game correctly.  It has extra RAM that most of them don't recognize and they will crash shortly after starting the game.  I think there was an updated ProSystem emulator that worked and I think some versions of MAME, but it's been ages since I messed with it in emulation so I can't give much advice there.

[Gazimaluke]

On 5/5/2020 at 7:12 AM, KevinMos3 said:

Maybe you were using ProSystem?

Yes you are right I used ProSystem. I'll just try to find a stand-alone version that can handle the RAM. I really don't like RetroArch that much, but it's kind of convenient to just have it all in one place.

[Giles N]

On 4/29/2020 at 9:47 PM, Gazimaluke said:

I have never played the prototype. About how compete does it seem?

1) The bosses of many stages cannot be beaten (thus one have to ‘proceed’ by using the hardware-switches besides the joystick-ports) to select level to start on; crash-detection on bosses could make you proceed to next level if you defeated them  (i.e., if they were deafeatable, crash-detection on these sprites must be activated, energy on bosses must be activated... can anyone do it?)

 

2) pick-ups are not detected...

Edited May 7, 2020 by Giles N

[Gazimaluke]

23 hours ago, Giles N said:

can anyone do it?)

I have no idea if there is an active Atari 7800 homebrew community. I bet it's hard to dive into other people's code and finish stuff if you're not really good at it.

[Jinks]

1 hour ago, Gazimaluke said:

I have no idea if there is an active Atari 7800 homebrew community. I bet it's hard to dive into other people's code and finish stuff if you're not really good at it.

Welcome to Atariage. Spend some time and read about the games that were made and then you can answer your question. 

[Gazimaluke]

29 minutes ago, Jinks said:

Welcome to Atariage. Spend some time and read about the games that were made and then you can answer your question. 

I thought that might be the case. I really should learn more about Atari games and not just the company history ?

[Jinks]

There is no company it is history. 

[Gazimaluke]

3 minutes ago, Jinks said:

There is no company it is history. 

Indeed. I can't say I like that Infogrames just changed their name to Atari. Using the brand was one thing.

[Lynxpro]

On 5/8/2020 at 1:42 PM, Gazimaluke said:

I thought that might be the case. I really should learn more about Atari games and not just the company history ?

 

We all start somewhere...