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Fred 30th Anniversary - Mini Contest


ccwrc

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30 years have passed since the first international release of Fred, in my opinion it's time for a competition :)

 

The rules are very simple. Long story short:

1. Play the game Fred and take a PHOTO of your record. Yes, it's about a point record. No cheats or improvements. The result will not have any impact on a possible win, it serves only the possibility of comparing yourself to others.

 

2. The photo must include: a screen with the result, the original edition of the game on a cassette / floppy or an interesting unofficial (pirates?) edition on a cartridge and the equipment you played with, i.e. the so-called joystick (emulators are not taking part).

 

3. Final? 28.08.2021, which is almost on the name day of Mr. Fred :) Anyway, it's Saturday and every Saturday is OK.

 

Sample photo (with my record):

 

953e68d483e30714.jpg

 

And here the more impatient persons can start playing and the more patient ones can (but do not have to) read on.

 

4. In addition to inserting a photo on the forum, you can send me an email with the name of the forum and nick to the address ccwrcltd [at] gmail.com

Communication in the forum can be unreliable at times, I would rather be able to have some contact with a possible winner.

 

5. Awards? They will be cheap and there will be two. One for the person who puts the coolest photo (according to my subjective feelings), the other will be randomly selected among the other record holders. What will the rewards be? I do not know yet, possible sponsors of additional prizes are welcome;) The prizes will also be revealed on 28.08.2021

 

6. I guess that's it. I wish you a lot of fun :) Below are some of my loose comments and screenshots.

 

 

Basic differences in the starting boards of subsequent levels.

 

Part I, level 1

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Part II, level 1

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Part I, level 2

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Part II, level 2

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Part I, level 3

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Part II, level 3

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Part I, level 4

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Part II, level 4

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Part I, level 5

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Part II, level 5

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Part I, level 6

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Part II, level 6

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Part I, level 7

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Part II, level 7

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Part I, level 8

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Part II, level 8

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Part I, level 9

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Part II, level 9

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Part I, level 10

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Part II, level 10

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Why is this production so phenomenal? It's for everyone. In the early 90's, even a person who hadn't seen games (computers games) before could walk around in a caveman and see the ending after a while. Walking (yes, walking) in 10 lands is a pleasure. Each level is different, the system of bonuses (breaking a jug with a stone) is fantastic, we know at any moment how much we have left to the end of the game. To this day, it is surprising to me that in a modest 64kB (without having to loading levels!) it was possible to fit such a diverse and pleasant entertainment.

 

The first part was released in 1990 with the game Mission (on one tape). Some time later a facelift was carried out and in 1991 the platformer Fred was released in foreign (for me) countries completely independently. For example, in the UK, from an overgrown prehistoric tough guy, Fred took the form of a slouch/ninny (which partly explains the low sales in this country and I am not surprised - political correctness can kill anything that is genuine or exceptional).

 

Fred in the UK version with a beer belly and tits inside:

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If you have photos of the first editions (or any other) - show them in the thread.

 

In Poland, the facelift version was officially released under the title Fred II and it is even included on the cover:

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By the way, it is explained what I mean by a good, unofficial (pirated ?!) release on a cartridge.

 

Both parts can be very different, an example from one of the levels, a twin board:

 

Fred I

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Fred II

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Explosion look, part 1:

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Explosion look, part 2: is pixel-perfect:

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One of the end boards, part I:

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One of the end boards, part II:

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Extra Life in Part II:

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And here is my problem. I did not find an extra life in part I. I associate from the past that the extra life in 1 looks the same as in Robbo, but it could also be a symptom of mental illness. I need any confirmation in the form of a screenshot.

 

 

Loose remarks promised earlier;

 

- on a 14" CRT the game seems to be in 2 or 3 times higher resolution. It looks amazing,

 

- the first part is definitely more difficult. Jumping requires greater precision and the margin of error when hitting prehistoric reptiles is smaller. The very styling of the levels in the second part suggests rather laymen as the target group. It can be seen in the video as one of the beginners goes through part two:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzRXNVfLYYY

The gentleman with the nickname GrooBY can be persuaded to record the English version from part I. You have to add some comments under his film on his channel :)

 

- the game has 3 different endings depending on the version. Maybe more, but I saw three with my own eyes,

 

- in part I the stones are 4 pixels, part II already has its real graphic gems. The same goes for explosion looks,

 

- only in the second part you can smash the jug with a stone at close range. In Part I, this is only possible with a spray,

 

- in part I the character does not flash, it was introduced in part II with an active shield or in case your fur/hair is are at risk,

 

- there are 8 items slots. In part II (the one for sclerotics unable to count), for ease of use, empty spaces are marked with dots,

 

- one pile of stones is exactly 10,

 

- in part I the default weapon is spray (at least in the version I played, but generally it depends on the version: original / broken or pirate copy),

 

- Fred's seemingly slow walk (on 14 "TV, on 20" runs pretty fast) is a deliberate procedure, not hardware limitations. as can be seen in later levels, the environment turns on turbo mode: lazy crabs can be faster than your stones,

 

- frogs (they croak, for real!). The worst nightmare. They are too low to spray kill properly, they are too small to accurately target the stone. And they have absolutely brilliant animation. In no other little Atari game does the frog look so real (and terrifying) or be as deadly endearing as this one,

 

- the maximum number of lives displayed is 7, but there may be more. Every 8,000 points in Part II or 4,000 in Part One is an additional caveman,

 

- depending on what we collect from the jug, the sound is extremely different (it is worth turning off the music in part II with the "option" button), e.g. collecting a shoe / magic sock is a scraping sound and the lack of a magic sock in the water is a gurgling sound and additional bubble animation,

 

- levels in part I are numbered from 0, in part II from 1,

 

- Mario Bros (any) is just a poor and cheap fake. He can't even climb lianas, not to mention throwing advanced medium-range weapons,

 

- milestones. Part II on the bar has additional pixels: they mark the place where we will start after using our last life or pressing the Esc key.

 

 

For persons who have reached this part of the text, examples of tape loaders:

Part II published by Zeppelin Games:

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Part II released in Poland (version from Retronics has an identical loader):

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Part I (Yes, Part II from Zeppelin also has this loader):

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For the curious: Part I loader has "Fred....". What were the 4 dots for? Everyone who load the Mission on the other side of the cassette knows this. The loader then displayed "Mission..." - that is 3 dots. It turns out that the number of characters had to be constant and the dots are just a fill.

 

 

And finally, the first edition of Fred. The insert / cover was done the same as the first issue of Robbo, i.e. on photographic paper (yes, this is a regular photo used as an insert for the original issue).

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P.S. by posting a photo in this thread you consent to its publication on other Atari forums.

 

P.S.2 Missing the original of the game? No problem, Retronics sells them to this day (both regular and collector's versions):

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P.S.3 Link to the forum where the competition was first published:

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Edited by ccwrc
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So I have managed to finish the game (again), it is this time first release of the game (I believe it is the one if not ccwrc will correct me)...

I have recorded gameplay and my aim is to put this on YT next Friday (21/05/21) but at the moment i don't have time to edit it so will see...
Let's just say in the near future gameplay will be uploaded in English.... :)

 

Anyways, my score is

Fred - 28180

 

On the photo I included Retronics release of the game which is second release of the game - not the one that I played (you can see full gameplay of the second release of the game in Polish on my channel - ccwrc did put link to it in the main thread). I have only put this box there as rules required me to do so hehe :) Anyways good luck everyone :)

PXL_20210514_212010692~2.jpg

PXL_20210514_212032216~2.jpg

PXL_20210514_212214947~2.jpg

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Czech translation is now available (thanks to Solaris104 & PG). In Attachment. Also in the attachment is a corrected English translation (thanks to GRooBY).

 

The Czech version has been published on the Czech forum, I invite everyone who speaks this language:

Česká verze byla zveřejněna na českém fóru, zvou všechny, kteří mluví tímto jazykem:

click – oldcomp.cz

 

Mr. GRooBY has recorded a game longplay with comments in English. Perfect for 3-4 beers. I invite everyone :)

Click to YT if you have beer and snacks

 

 

 

eng_cz.odt

Edited by ccwrc
typo
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  • 2 weeks later...

Small update.

 

There is already a translation into Russian. In the attachment and on the Russian-speaking forum. Thanks for the translation MaxOK (Maksim Sych):
Уже есть перевод на русский язык. Во вложении и на русскоязычном форуме. Спасибо за перевод MaxOK (Maksim Sych):
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And two new photos.

 

Barnaba ( atarionline.pl forum) 27120 - Fred I

Barnaba.thumb.jpg.19580ff217dc85ef934219192da23c17.jpg

 

solaris104 ( OldComp.cz forum) 1810 - Fred II

solaris104.thumb.jpg.47c7a6bfa056afc84ed65ca31bc35d67.jpg

eng_ru.odt

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/22/2021 at 8:06 AM, ccwrc said:

Czech translation is now available (thanks to Solaris104 & PG). In Attachment. Also in the attachment is a corrected English translation (thanks to GRooBY).

 

The Czech version has been published on the Czech forum, I invite everyone who speaks this language:

Česká verze byla zveřejněna na českém fóru, zvou všechny, kteří mluví tímto jazykem:

click – oldcomp.cz

 

Mr. GRooBY has recorded a game longplay with comments in English. Perfect for 3-4 beers. I invite everyone :)

Click to YT if you have beer and snacks

 

 

 

eng_cz.odt 29.09 kB · 12 downloads

Is it possible to have this english version as a XEX or ATR file?

 

- Y -

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Final.

 

At the beginning, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the only official sponsor, A.S. Bytom. IMHO, choosing the 8-bit Atari community as their target group was a perfect choice, I could even say that they hit a “bull's eye” with it :) I will come back to the sponsor at the end of this text but now I would like to start a mini summary of the ‘Fred’ competition.

 

The winner of the gadgets in the “best photo” category is going to: Mr.Bacardi (atariage.com)

- white cartridge,

- dark cartridge (pic by Piesiu),

- black and green mouse pad,

- a mouse pad from the sponsor (you can choose one – please see below)

fce4dfc740bee447.jpg


 

The winner of the gadgets in the “best photo that have nothing to do with the competition rules" category are going to: devwebcl (atariage.com)

- white cartridge,

- dark cartridge,

- few stickers on the refrigerator,

- black and green mouse pad,

- a mouse pad from the sponsor (you can choose one – please see below)

11c55c15ef6c1c24.jpg


 

From amongst the rest of the contestants, one person was randomly selected, and the WINNER is: solaris104 (oldcomp.cz)

THE WINNER will receive:

- green cartridge (v2021 / 06/19 min.128Kb),

- white cartridge (v0.90),

- black and green mouse pad,

- CD Synergy (atari music),

- a mouse pad from the sponsor (you can choose one – please see below)

986e8ee69b90d33c.jpg


 

The draw was supervised and witnessed by the Committee, which included:

- Kaz (atarionline.pl),

- Mq (gentleman who creates the Dude Story game),

- Sikor (atari.org.pl).

The Committee may not know about it as yet, however they will receive an email after the draw is done. They are not aware about this is happening or it has happened...


 

Winners in the each category will be contacted via the selected forum that they have chosen and participated in. I will contact them myself or alternatively, if there is going to be delay in reply from you please send me an email on:

ccwrcltd [at] gmail.com


 

A simple code was responsible for the draw itself:

link to code

 

 

An interesting fact came in to my attention during the competition. On the forum: atari.org.pl, user: QTZ inserted version of “Fred” in a release of the game that was not known to me before (please see the link below):

link to Fred I xex

Post # 3, the file titled FRED.XEX

I haven't played it before and the differences that I've noticed so far are as follows:

- after the explosion of the dynamite, not all opponents are eliminated, e.g. three pterodactyls are visible on the screen, following the dynamite collection/explosion - surprisingly one of pterodactyls survives,

- straight forward jumps on a flat surface are sometimes 'weird', as if there were problems with the timings, i.e. Fred, instead of falling in an arc, in the final stage of the jump/arc he seem to stop mid air and falls/descends completely vertically, bizarre.


 

Anyways, let’s move on.


 

As promised at the start of this text, I left ‘the best’ until the end, that is: the mega promotion of the main sponsor of this competition: A.S. Bytom – funeral home.

EVERYONE who decides to use A.S. Bytom’s services within next 7 days will receive a massive 70% discount, as long as you provide a promo code: "ccwrc sent me here”


 

For obvious reasons, promo code CAN BE REDEEMED EARLIER (please familiarize yourself with the company’s services and you will understand). You can use the promo code on the company's FB profile (please see below):

link to fb


 

1098e21fdcbf7ca1.jpg


 

Gentleman’s with nicknames: Mr.Bacardi, devwebcl, solaris104 can choose from the advertising gadgets, that were sponsored by the company itself (THANK YOU AGAIN A.S. BYTOM!) – please refer to the links/pictures below:


 

"Zapewnimy Ci garnitur, na który nigdy nie będziesz narzekał"

"We guarantee you a suit that you will never complain about."

fc59f18d5992eaa4.jpg


 

"Jest weekend. Odpręż się, wyciagnij z nami nogi."

"Relax, stretch your legs with us, it's weekend."

19ce713aff8f38b0.jpg


 

"Na upały. Zawsze u nas znajdziesz coś zimnego."

"You will always find something cold with us for a scalding hot weather."

a530b91234db678a.jpg


 

"Zaplanuj przyszłość z nami - zapraszamy serdecznie"

"We Sincerely invite you to plan your future with us "

dbf94c0748664adb.jpg


 


 

That would be all folks.


 

Thank you very much for your attention :)


 

c919a0fc3cff1a53.jpg

 

Edited by ccwrc
typos
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Quote

An interesting fact came in to my attention during the competition. On the forum: atari.org.pl, user: QTZ inserted version of “Fred” in a release of the game that was not known to me before (please see the link below):

link to Fred I xex

Post # 3, the file titled FRED.XEX

I haven't played it before and the differences that I've noticed so far are as follows:

- after the explosion of the dynamite, not all opponents are eliminated, e.g. three pterodactyls are visible on the screen, following the dynamite collection/explosion - surprisingly one of pterodactyls survives,

- straight forward jumps on a flat surface are sometimes 'weird', as if there were problems with the timings, i.e. Fred, instead of falling in an arc, in the final stage of the jump/arc he seem to stop mid air and falls/descends completely vertically, bizarre.

 

can't download from there, maybe they require registration etc for that sort of thing

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  • 1 month later...

http://manillismo.blogspot.com/2021/10/fred-premios.html

 

After a long journey through several places, the prize has arrived, For FRED: Mejor foto con nada que ver con las reglas. where my sons draw the designs.

 

Again, thanks for creating this incredible contest and chance to participate:

 

 

 

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1634517466523.jpg

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