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2600 games with an actual save feature?


shadow460

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WHat 2600 games were designed so that you could shut down the console and return later with the same amount of life, food, water, etc?

 

The only one I know of is Survival Island. Like that game, I think any others that allowed you to return later would use a code system.

 

Were there any others?

Edited by shadow460
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Secret quest has a password feature. Good game too, it plays rather like the dungeon segments of the original Zelda. It's the only password system that I know of that uses weird alien symbols rather than letters and numbers.

Edited by Lord Thag
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In Adventure, if you leave the console on, when you're eaten by a dragon, you can resurrect yourself with all of the items where you left them. But, I guess that's more of a continue feature than a true save feature.

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A bunch of early NES titles used "weird symbols" of various kinds. I seem to think Castlevania had clergical symbols?

 

As for 2600, those are the only two I'd heard of (and I hadn't heard of Survival Island before!)

 

Survival Island is the last finished Starpath title. It spits out a code when you clear aeach stage except for the last one. Entering this code lets you start at the beginning of the stage you were on with the same stats you had when you reached that stage the first time.

 

I don't recall Castlevania I saving at all, but you could continue as much as you wanted.

Edited by shadow460
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I think he was remembering CV III which used symbols like hearts, holy water, etc in it's password system.

 

Yep. Forgot about the password system on that one. It was a grid, as I recall, and you placed the symbols in it. Made it easy to remember. Beat the heck out of remembering those horribly long codes from games like Metroid and Legacy of the Wizard.

 

Dark chambers doesn't so much save as let you select the level. Secret quest is the only password game other than Survival Island that I know of.

 

Speaking of SI, has anyone around here ever beathen the game? I always die on the island before the temple.

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I've finished Survival Island several times.

You need the amulet (warn of traps in the temple), a key to get in the temple, the lantern, and the compass. Well, technically all you need is the key.

You also should refill your life to max with food/water before entering the temple, as the food wand water cannot be carried inside.

The temple stage is much like Tunnel Runner, except nothing's chasing you. It takes a lot of patience to win, but anyone who's beaten the island stage should have little difficulty with it.

 

Really, though, the tricks to getting through the island are a map and picking up the max amount of water during the ocean stage. Food is a good thing, too, but water is what keeps you alive the longest.

 

BTW, there are more than one of each of the required items for the temple.

 

It gives you a ranking based on how long you took to finish the game, too.

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I've finished Survival Island several times.

You need the amulet (warn of traps in the temple), a key to get in the temple, the lantern, and the compass. Well, technically all you need is the key.

You also should refill your life to max with food/water before entering the temple, as the food wand water cannot be carried inside.

The temple stage is much like Tunnel Runner, except nothing's chasing you. It takes a lot of patience to win, but anyone who's beaten the island stage should have little difficulty with it.

 

Really, though, the tricks to getting through the island are a map and picking up the max amount of water during the ocean stage. Food is a good thing, too, but water is what keeps you alive the longest.

 

BTW, there are more than one of each of the required items for the temple.

 

It gives you a ranking based on how long you took to finish the game, too.

Did you ever make a map of the temple?

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Fatal Run also uses a code to access the higher levels. ;)

 

I would argue that's not really the same thing. The idea of the codes in Secret Quest (and presumably Survival Run) is to allow you to "continue" a previous game, not "start" a game at a later level. It becomes a debate of semantics, I know, but if you count Fatal Run then you also have to count Defender, Missile Command, and all the other games that you can start at a level besides #1.

Edited by skunkworx
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Fatal Run also uses a code to access the higher levels. ;)

 

I would argue that's not really the same thing. The idea of the codes in Secret Quest (and presumably Survival Run) is to allow you to "continue" a previous game, not "start" a game at a later level. It becomes a debate of semantics, I know, but if you count Fatal Run then you also have to count Defender, Missile Command, and all the other games that you can start at a level besides #1.

I agree that entering a code to continue a game or access higher levels is not quite the same as a game saving your place, but IMHO it's very different than just picking a higher level with the game select switch and about as close as the 2600 gets to saving a game.

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WHat 2600 games were designed so that you could shut down the console and return later with the same amount of life, food, water, etc?

 

A few games used "codes" to handle that, but the amount of data entry required to handle even a small amount of state information is rather annoying.

 

The 4A50 cart has an EEPROM to allow automatic game saving.

 

Adding an EEPROM to the AA bankswitch board would probably be pretty simple, requiring a different PLD program, the EEPROM itself, four wires, and a resistor. Programming it would be "interesting", but possible.

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Did you ever make a map of the temple?

 

I Googled for an island map when I replayed the game.

Up til then, I kept my handmade map in the briefcase our Supercharger was kept in.

My handmade map had several mistakes, and it led me on a little of a wild goose chase, but I was able to find the items I needed.

 

I made an almost perfect map for the temple. Really it isn't very complex at all. The original map I made was lost, so I played through by trial and error the last time. I still made it through the temple with ease.

 

Couple more notes about it...

Press left or right as you enter the screen the temple resides on. You'll die in the lava if you go the wrong way.

The amulet flashes to warn you of a trap. It flashes when the trap is one step in front of you.

Glowing walls are doors to the next level. You gotta find an item in the current level (generally easy to do) before you can travel through the glowing area.

There is only one pair of transporters per level. Entering one produces the double click sound.

You can't go back to a level you've finished.

Hitting a wall or trying to traverse a glowing area without the item will cost you one life point. Falling into a trap costs you ten life points.

Since nothing's chasing you, you can take as long as you need to exit the temple.

I think there are either six or eight levels in the temple.

 

If you can get to the temple, you have the skill to get through it. You just need to make it in the door with the lantern and more than 30 life points or so. Try to get an amulet and compass, too.

You can't take anything else with you, so don't even bother. Use all your food, water and healing items before you go inside.

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Did you ever make a map of the temple?

 

I Googled for an island map when I replayed the game.

Up til then, I kept my handmade map in the briefcase our Supercharger was kept in.

My handmade map had several mistakes, and it led me on a little of a wild goose chase, but I was able to find the items I needed.

 

I made an almost perfect map for the temple. Really it isn't very complex at all. The original map I made was lost, so I played through by trial and error the last time. I still made it through the temple with ease.

 

Couple more notes about it...

Press left or right as you enter the screen the temple resides on. You'll die in the lava if you go the wrong way.

The amulet flashes to warn you of a trap. It flashes when the trap is one step in front of you.

Glowing walls are doors to the next level. You gotta find an item in the current level (generally easy to do) before you can travel through the glowing area.

There is only one pair of transporters per level. Entering one produces the double click sound.

You can't go back to a level you've finished.

Hitting a wall or trying to traverse a glowing area without the item will cost you one life point. Falling into a trap costs you ten life points.

Since nothing's chasing you, you can take as long as you need to exit the temple.

I think there are either six or eight levels in the temple.

 

If you can get to the temple, you have the skill to get through it. You just need to make it in the door with the lantern and more than 30 life points or so. Try to get an amulet and compass, too.

You can't take anything else with you, so don't even bother. Use all your food, water and healing items before you go inside.

Thanks for all the tips. You make it sound so easy. ;-)

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