Hack'em! / Hangly Man combined :)

[awace]

Auto-start was removed a long time ago (I can't remember the last version that had it) because there were a couple of unresolved problems when using it. The B&W switch just pauses the game in later versions. Since the game waits for a trigger press at the start of each level or life anyway, it was just something extra to assign to the switch.

 

Game reset cycles though the game modes, as you noticed. When I was hacking Jr. for speed, I noticed how easy it was to add it's method of easier games - by eliminating some of the monsters using the low bits of the game variation and using that as the upper limit to the monster's routines. I was already using a variable to track the variation, so that is another "why not?" option...it didn't "cost" anything to implement. Game select allows you to start on any level up to the 9th key. However, if you hold up on both controllers when starting a game, you will begin at level 254 (just a little split-screen development thing I left in...level 255 features a simulated rollover bug).

 

 

Difficulty switches:

Left difficulty controls how well the monsters track the player. In B difficulty, only the red monster will seek out the player, all others move randomly. In A difficulty, each of those random monsters are given a variable amount of time to seek the player as well. The arcade's method of tracking the player is not implemented in either mode, so this game is considerably "dumber" than it.

 

The right difficulty controls how fast the player moves. In B, the player can outrun all of the monsters on any level.

 

The score's color will indicate what position the switches are in, as a reminder. White = both B. Red = left A, right B. Blue = left B, right A. Green = both A.

 

Changing any console switch (other than color/B&W) will restart the game on the level selected. At the end of a game, the player is given the option of continuing at the last level reached (while the X sprite is displayed). Press the trigger on the stick while this icon is displayed to continue.

 

Regardless of the mode chosen, the monster's movements are possible to replicate from game to game...so it's possible to create solid patterns so long as you keep track of your own movements.

 

 

BTW the Ms. Hack version was pretty much abandoned, because I could never figure out why it doesn't work on real hardware...what's the point of a 2600 game that doesn't work on a 2600?

I like that You used the b/w switch as I needed it to change from built in and cart mode on flashback II rev D anyway I used the ch3/4 switch for b/w since

I used composite video OUT!!! witch is cool becuase I put my flashback into a old 2600 case and it looks cool .. I like that you need to push fire on every

level to start game in case you need to take a ''rest break'' or the phone rings right when pokey is on youre tail.

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UPDATE 5:05AM JUNE 3 FRIDAY 2011

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I would never expect arcade movements since noone can reproduce real memmory chips in an emulator the bus on a real arcade machine lets you FEEL every chip in unison we all know playing old school arcade pacman is not the same as new pacman!..

ps I snipped the 7.5v power pack back off and left the 5v to the c29 cause wire got hot! /\ on arcade pacman SO WHAT if it takes 1 minnute to warm up.. at least it wont burst into flames ..

i ALWAYS TURN OFF OR UNPLUG AT NIGHT IT HAS A real SLOT TUBE...

SWITCH ON FB IS ONE THROW BUT DUAL POLE 3 ON ONE SIDE AND 3 ON OTHER W COMMON IN MIDDLES

ONE JUMPER GETS GNDED WILE OTHER GETS OPEN BUT THERE IS OPENS WHEN WIGGLING SWITCH SEEMS NOT TO DO DAMAGE CAUSE ITS NOT POWER I THINK IT SIWTCHES A10 OR 12 CANT REMEMBER ANYWAY CART STAYS POWERED ON CAUSE YOU CAN see INTERFERANCE WHEN YOU LOOK CLOSE i WILL WHEN GET SETTLED MOVING WILL TRY MSHACK ON BURN TO SEE IF IT WORKS.

 

 

PPS THANKS FOR THE intracate gui DESCRIPTIONS..

Nukey.

 

also I Just FIGURED OUT MY PS3 USB JOYSTICK WORKS W stella!!!!!! on both machines ps3 and xp ON REGULAR COMPUTER AND JUST REALIZED VOLUME ROM LOADER AND MENU OPTIONS CAN BE USED SO I CAN SCROLL ROMS AND SELECT THEM AND PLAY EVEN TURN VOL DOWN FOR SLEEPING I love that the buttons swap on ps3 to regular usb now if i just could understand programming

hmm letS SEE .

DOES THE 255 LEVEL CLEAR TO 256 OR DOES IT LOCK UP?..

ILL TRY IT.

Edited June 3, 2011 by awace

[Nukey Shay]

You can start a new game in test mode to find out for yourself Hold UP on both sticks when starting a new game...and you only need to clear 1 board to see it.

 

 

There aren't enough dots on the right half of the screen...so the game continues to play without any way of beating the board (in effect, "simulating" what the arcade machine does - though not very faithfully). The maze gfx is also prevented from being displayed in reversed mode...which was a cheap way of "simulating" the garbled screen gfx. The only thing I left out was the garbled screen map directions - because there was already a bunch of exceptions put there (i.e. if the sprite is in an S-channel, if the player is hidden, etc)...and I was worried about cycle time.

[Tin_Lunchbox]

Well, this is very interesting and very cool. This hacks "Pesco," eh? I guess that was an homebrew? I tried it on an oldish version of Stella and it ran a bit slow, but I haven't tried adjusting the novice/expert settings or anything. I read where someone else said it played too fast. The way it's playing slow for me at the moment means it's pretty easy. I think the slowness probably also worsens the flicker. I don't know about buying the cart for this, beacuse Ms. Pac-Man is just TOO good, however I'll have a look in the shop.

 

I played the 10/04/06 version.

[cloudmann]

Tin, go ahead and get the newest Stella. It supports some newer homebrew (like Star Castle) and probably runs better than what you've got. Also 32 and 64 bit binaries are available for Windows. As far as the speed in the game, yep it's the difficulty switches. Read through this thread for a breakdown. For the flicker, in Stella, go to the game properties and enable phosphor (simulates the phosphor lag on an old CRT television). This reduces flicker GREATLY in this game and in other hacks/homebrew like Galaxian Arcade.

[Nukey Shay]

This is not a hack of Pesco. It's a hack of Ebivision's unreleased Pac-Man game (which later became Pesco).

[Tangentg]

Just played this through the Atariage hacks page. Pacman Plus on the 2600? This is excellent. Only complaint is that I know Plus is supposed to be faster but it seems too fast still and the ghosts don't go to their corners from tight after they go out of the den.

 

Edit: downloaded from the OP here. Speed seems better, but the ghosts not going to their corners and moving right after they exit the den is still a thing. Also the ghosts in the den should ideally turn blue when a power pill is eaten.

Edited May 12, 2017 by Tangentg

[Andromeda Stardust]

Nice necro. still an amazing hack though...

[Skwrl63]

On 8/9/2004 at 12:30 AM, Nukey Shay said:

Now Hangly Man has a seperate dot pattern for the open maze. It's still 150 dots + 4 energizers.

hack_em_hanglyman.zip 4.82 kB · 631 downloads

Didn't you originally start with 180 Dots? I'm trying to find the old discussion form

[zoltan.dulac]

I am late to the party and just *love* this game, especially the HanglyMan2 variation (reminds me so much of the bootlegs i played as a kid). Is there a manual for this to know all the variations? I remember seeing the maze becoming invisible once, but I can't reproduce it now ... this game is one of the funnest games on the 2600 (and I play mine a *lot*).