Jump to content
IGNORED

Need a Better Battlezone Arcade!


Atariboy2600

Recommended Posts

Im getting suck of playing this so call bettlezone for the 2600, yes I know they try to show off the 2600 colors grafixs but really this game was already good on the arcade vector grafixs and it should had been the same or trying to be on the 2600. If anyone has the skills to hack this game into a arcade grafix first off get rid of the therd person view of the tank player and just use the arcade's first person look. Then color over all the grass, mountins and sky all black with the montin's online in vector green and yes the enamy tanks and UFOs all green if anyone knows how to holew them out to be more arcade look.

 

Heres the side by side of the game before and mockup after screenshot.

post-5587-1156187198_thumb.png

post-5587-1156187205_thumb.png

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But anyway yea you cant stop some ones dream jsut becuase no one had try it yet :cool:

 

Anything that entails displaying anything on a scan line that wasn't there in an existing game, or that turns playfield-resolution object into high-resolution ones, will almost always require a total rewrite of the game's display code. There are some exceptions, and experienced programmer-hackers can often figure them out. Such exceptions have almost nothing to do with what you or anybody else would like to have be workable.

 

Changing the colors in Battlezone so everything was done in shades of green, and the mountains were silhouetted against a dark green sky, would probably be feasible and not too difficult (if, indeed, it hasn't already been done). Offering up mock screen shots without offering any suggestion as to how they might be achieved, however, is not useful. At minimum, you should offer any insights you have as to why you would expect your proposals to work.

 

I think someone needs to make a $1000 car that could get 100mpg yet have a 0-60 time of under 5 seconds. Such a car would be a tremendous boost to the ecomony, since the reduced demand for gasoline would result in a reduction in price and an even bigger reduction of the total amount people spent on it. It's obviously a good idea--why don't you go make it?

Edited by supercat
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Well, you can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets filled first. "
I think someone needs to make a $1000 car that could get 100mpg yet have a 0-60 time of under 5 seconds. Such a car would be a tremendous boost to the ecomony, since the reduced demand for gasoline would result in a reduction in price and an even bigger reduction of the total amount people spent on it. It's obviously a good idea--why don't you go make it?

I think I know which hand will get filled first there!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's some more mockups screenshots this time with the Terget Gun Site ti macth the arcade game and also add more on the mountin and the next pic is the tank is also wird fream vector like. Dont think it came out right with thwe tank but hey.

 

Robot Tank is closer to your mock up than Battle Zone, so I think Robot Tank could be hacked into a better Battle Zone more arcade like graphics than Battle Zone.

 

Robot take has the sight for aiming already there it has no first person tank to get rid of either.

All that would need be done is to change the colors and hollow out the tanks.

 

Maybe I'll try this.

 

Wade

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Offering up mock screen shots without offering any suggestion as to how they might be achieved, however, is not useful. At minimum, you should offer any insights you have as to why you would expect your proposals to work.

 

That's exactly what I thought. Of course I wasn't so eloquent. :D

 

Back in the day when I use to run "Jerky's Arcade Hacks", I'd get e-mails like this all the time. "You should put South Park characters in PacMan!" - stuff like that. And I'm like, "Dude, you do it!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Offering up mock screen shots without offering any suggestion as to how they might be achieved, however, is not useful. At minimum, you should offer any insights you have as to why you would expect your proposals to work.

 

That's exactly what I thought. Of course I wasn't so eloquent. :D

 

Back in the day when I use to run "Jerky's Arcade Hacks", I'd get e-mails like this all the time. "You should put South Park characters in PacMan!" - stuff like that. And I'm like, "Dude, you do it!"

 

The thing is Im not a programer or know a first thing on hacking any games, Cuase when it comes to programing anything Im what they call "A Homer" so making a mockup are all I can do...

 

Mmmmm Mockup Screenshots...

ho_smile.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I attached a zip file showing the different parts of battlezone individually. A few thoughts about your mock-up:

 

- The background (which is a solid color all the way across the screen) is used to create the bottom part of the mountains. This is why the tanks in the foreground can move over the mountains. Changing the mounains to be vector-hollow would probably require large changes to the game.

 

- A large part of the tank [EDIT: tank that you drive] appears to have also been drawn with the background. It would be difficult to hollow out for the same reasons.

 

- Changing the [EDIT: enemy tank] tank graphics would very easy.

 

- Changing just the colors (sky:black, ground: black, mountains:green, tank: green) of the background would be pretty easy with a commented disassembly.

battlezone.zip

Edited by R. Jones
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seeing attempts to make 2600 Battlezone arcade-like make it pretty apparent why they chose not to emulate the vector graphic look in the first place. (especially if objects start getting close.

 

I enjoy 2600 Battlezone as-is, but I think an "arcade" Battlezone would need a more extensive hack than a graphical one, such as changing the gameplay to the 'one thing at a time among the stationary obstacles' style. That's a toughy though, as it means more to keep track of and display. bright vectorish graphics would make flicker more tolerable though. Possibly too much kernel modification needed for simple hacking though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I attached a zip file showing the different parts of battlezone individually. A few thoughts about your mock-up:

 

- The background (which is a solid color all the way across the screen) is used to create the bottom part of the mountains. This is why the tanks in the foreground can move over the mountains. Changing the mounains to be vector-hollow would probably require large changes to the game.

 

- A large part of the tank appears to have also been drawn with the background. It would be difficult to hollow out for the same reasons.

 

- Changing the tank graphics would very easy.

 

- Changing just the colors (sky:black, ground: black, mountains:green, tank: green) of the background would be pretty easy with a commented disassembly.

 

 

More mockup with objects on the ground again this maybe a huge pipe dream but hey. :D

post-5587-1156304657_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going along with R. Jones, a more feasible arcade hack would be something like:

 

Black sky and ground, solid mountains (medium to dark green)

hacked graphics for enemy objects. (brighter/lighter green to stand out from bkg)

 

I'm not sure how difficult it would be to modify the crosshair. What's there already serves it purpose well.

 

Removing the player tank is probably easiest to accomplish by revoming data and/or changing the colors to match the background.

 

Stationary objects would be the toughest task, as it would require changes to the game logic (to block your movement) and the display kernel. probably easiest to stick with box objects (maybe solid) as those may be doable with ball or missile objects.

 

Just all speculatory right now. Ever tried messing with the bit-hackers, Atariboy?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going along with R. Jones, a more feasible arcade hack would be something like:

 

Black sky and ground, solid mountains (medium to dark green)

hacked graphics for enemy objects. (brighter/lighter green to stand out from bkg)

 

I'm not sure how difficult it would be to modify the crosshair. What's there already serves it purpose well.

 

Removing the player tank is probably easiest to accomplish by revoming data and/or changing the colors to match the background.

 

Stationary objects would be the toughest task, as it would require changes to the game logic (to block your movement) and the display kernel. probably easiest to stick with box objects (maybe solid) as those may be doable with ball or missile objects.

 

Just all speculatory right now. Ever tried messing with the bit-hackers, Atariboy?

 

bit-hackers? if its window base program then I cant cuase Im on linux and I dont know the first thing on linux just browsing is the oly thing I can do, cant even play any emulators for years :sad:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are emulators for linux...

 

Yes but for some resion my roomate try to put any emulator and this linuxs Im using just dont work right and he know EVERYTHING on linux I seen it he has three linux run computers and right now he building me a Window only PC with all the roms and emulators I can use. But again he cant see mt have any from Mame not even the 2600 run right or at all on my computer and its a Sony VAIO with 150gig of hard drive space. :ponder:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's some more mockups screenshots this time with the Terget Gun Site ti macth the arcade game and also add more on the mountin and the next pic is the tank is also wird fream vector like. Dont think it came out right with thwe tank but hey.

 

Robot Tank is closer to your mock up than Battle Zone, so I think Robot Tank could be hacked into a better Battle Zone more arcade like graphics than Battle Zone.

 

Robot take has the sight for aiming already there it has no first person tank to get rid of either.

All that would need be done is to change the colors and hollow out the tanks.

 

Maybe I'll try this.

 

Wade

 

I concur...though it would still be missing the barriers that make BZ challenging to begin with. And the result wouldn't be possible to burn to a cart anyway due to the bankswitching used.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's some more mockups screenshots this time with the Terget Gun Site ti macth the arcade game and also add more on the mountin and the next pic is the tank is also wird fream vector like. Dont think it came out right with thwe tank but hey.

 

Robot Tank is closer to your mock up than Battle Zone, so I think Robot Tank could be hacked into a better Battle Zone more arcade like graphics than Battle Zone.

 

Robot take has the sight for aiming already there it has no first person tank to get rid of either.

All that would need be done is to change the colors and hollow out the tanks.

 

Maybe I'll try this.

 

Wade

 

I concur...though it would still be missing the barriers that make BZ challenging to begin with. And the result wouldn't be possible to burn to a cart anyway due to the bankswitching used.

 

So you think its posable in hacking Battlezone into a arcade like game?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's some more mockups screenshots this time with the Terget Gun Site ti macth the arcade game and also add more on the mountin and the next pic is the tank is also wird fream vector like. Dont think it came out right with thwe tank but hey.

 

Robot Tank is closer to your mock up than Battle Zone, so I think Robot Tank could be hacked into a better Battle Zone more arcade like graphics than Battle Zone.

 

Robot take has the sight for aiming already there it has no first person tank to get rid of either.

All that would need be done is to change the colors and hollow out the tanks.

 

Maybe I'll try this.

 

Wade

 

I concur...though it would still be missing the barriers that make BZ challenging to begin with. And the result wouldn't be possible to burn to a cart anyway due to the bankswitching used.

 

So you think its posable in hacking Battlezone into a arcade like game?

 

 

How do you like this for a start?

 

Wade

 

I need to find the colors now that will take me a while longer.

ROBOTANK_hack.BIN

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...