Armscar Coder

@Rogerpoco and @Jason_Atari, awesome job! Not sure how many attempts led up to these scores, but they are great feats considering you have been only playing for a week or so. What warms my heart more is @Lauren Tyler posting a good score after her initial reaction. Thanks for giving it another try. @Jason_Atari, as far as the button issue goes, when starting a new level by pressing the fire button, a stored power-up should not be activated until the button is released and depressed again. I am pretty sure I tested that many times, but just to make sure I verified it again on my 2600 system this morning. I haven't gotten any similar feedback, so not sure what would be going on there. Maybe try to replicate it and let me know? Regardless, thanks for the feedback. - Armscar Coder

@Rogerpoco, need I remind you that the appropriate response is "doggone it!"? Amazing results from everyone. I'm genuinely impressed by everyone's scores in the short amount of time that you have had access to the game. As I mentioned before, my best is just over 53,000 and I have been play testing Doggone It! for months, not to mention I know a thing or two about the code behind it. Keep it up! Someone is going to break 50,000!

From the posted requests in this forum thread and AtariAge PM inquiries, as well as extending the offer to a few individuals that have helped me in my Atari journey, I have counted nineteen potential recipients for a free copy of Doggone It!. I couldn’t bring myself to limit the free copies to just ten people, so I decided to pull an Oprah. Everybody gets a car(tridge)! As mentioned in an earlier post, the cartridges will come from AtariAge. I will be sourcing the boxes and manuals myself. I don’t have any experience here, so I hope I can live up to the quality you are used to from AtariAge (at least the cartridges will be top of the line). If you don’t like it, I’ll refund your money and you can keep the game! (That’s my attempt at humor.) Below is the list of everyone that will be guaranteed a copy of Doggone It! with a box and manual. I broke it out into two different lists based on the versions available (NTSC and PAL60). If you didn’t specify, you are getting NTSC. If I missed someone that made the request, please let me know. The only thing I ask is PLEASE BE PATIENT. We are still working on the manual and box design. Even when they are done, I don’t expect it to be released until mid-December as that it is when I hope to reveal the game to those that it was made for. For those on the lists, please provide me an address through AtariAge PM for where the game should be sent (though I am not in a hurry based on the expected release date). NTSC @adamh9700 @Arenafoot @AtariTexas @bfstats @jwelsh @Karl G @KevinMos3 @KevKelley @NostAlgae37 @Prizrak @Rogerpoco @Skwrl63 @socrates63 @splendidnut @sramirez2008 @TrekMD @ZeroPage Homebrew PAL60 @Al_Nafuur @Philsan This will be limited release and I will be giving away all of the copies (some to friends and family in addition to the lists above). I have no plans to ask for it to be in the AtariAge store. It’s Al’s store, not mine. But more importantly, for this project I feel a great need for finality. I want this game, just like my cancer, to be a chapter in my life that I can close and not be part of any legacy.

I apologize for not dropping in sooner, but I usually only login to AtariAge a couple of times a week and usually just on the weekends. If you haven’t downloaded the quick start guide in post #6, I would recommend it. It isn’t a requirement for playing the game, but it does provide a sufficient background to the game and all of the essentials for playing. For @Atarian7, the gist of the game is to grab packages from the truck by directing the delivery person Hank to touch the back of the truck (a package will appear in his hands) and then delivering them to the individuals at the bottom of the screen. Between you and the potential recipients are obstacles and dogs (different for each level). The dogs take the package away from Hank when they touch him. The number on the truck depicts how many packages are left to deliver. You need to deliver all of the packages before the truck gets to the end of the street or the game is over. The quick start guide should help further, but it is probably easier just to watch one of the posted videos in this forum to get the idea (that will be better than me going on and on, as I do so below). The scores that are being posted are impressive. Anything above 30,000 points is a really good effort. If there were a patch to be earned, I would think it would be in the 30,000 to 35,000 range. My personal best is just over 53,000, but I admit you need to be a little lucky to get the right power-ups to make this happen. I really don’t have any more tips, but I will share some of my strategies for getting a high score. This is a little wordy and not well organized, but just how it came out of my head this early in the morning. 1. First and foremost, carry over a pocketed power-up to the next level to get the 1,000 point bonus. You want to do this for as many levels as possible, only using the stored power-up for survival to the next level. Even making two deliveries with the double-power package active won’t make up for the loss of the 1,000 point bonus. Delivering four packages without using the double-package power-up will yield 800 points (4 x 200 points). Delivering the same number of packages with the double package power-up active will yield 1,000 points (2 deliveries x 500 points). So, you are only netting 200 additional points for the same number of packages delivered. Sure, there are more truck bonus points at the end of the level for delivering all of the necessary packages quicker, but it still isn’t enough to make-up for the loss of the 1,000 point pocket power-up carry-over bonus. 2. When to use the double package power-up? I usually use it at the beginning of level 1 (excluding route 1) or level 2. The trick is to use it right before delivering a package so that you maximize the time to go back to the top of the screen and return to the bottom for the second delivery. Starting with route 4, this becomes more challenging due to the increased dog speed, but it is still doable. But just don’t try it on level 3. Also, be forewarned that starting with route 6, the power-up time reduces from 15 seconds to 10 seconds, so this method really isn’t possible at that point. This strategy is best done on the first package of the level. After making the first delivery (worth two packages) you can catch Crazy Culvert Kitty just as she comes out when returning to the truck, and have enough time to make a second delivery while the double package power-up is still active. Then, just save the power-up you just pocketed. You’ll get the net 200 points mentioned above in bullet point #1, the additional truck time bonus points for finishing the level quicker, as well the pocketed power-up 1,000 bonus points. I usually avoid this strategy for level 3 (except possibly for route 1) because there is more distance to travel due to the obstacles and with Dwight moving around (in case you haven’t read the quick start guide, that’s the guy at the bottom). There is a chance that when he moves you can collide with him unintentionally before activating the power-up or just miss him after activating the power-up, which requires more time to chase after Dwight before going back to the top of the screen. 3. If you don’t know what power-up you have stored in the power pocket, see the icon to the left of the score at the bottom of the screen. The quick start guide includes descriptions of the power-up icons. If you have a power-up stored and you pet Crazy Culvert Kitty, you get another power-up active immediately, but since it is chosen at random, you won’t know what it is until it becomes active. 4. If I get the truck pause power-up I will use it at the beginning of the next level, regardless of level or route #. Crazy Culvert Kitty comes out of the culvert based on the truck position. So, you want to activate it after you see her. Otherwise, you will need to wait until the truck pause power is done before Crazy Culvert Kitty comes and that can throw the timing off. I prefer to dump the truck pause power and always try to store a desired power-up for level 3 starting with route 3 or 4, either dog invincibility or fast feet. If I do get the double package power-up I will try to use the strategy mentioned in bullet point #2, but I start planning for level 3 for routes 4 and above, due to its increased difficulty. 5. You have to use the gong on level 2 in the later routes (that is the gold disc looking thing in the middle of the room). For the earlier routes it isn’t absolutely necessary and by not using it you might be able to shave a few seconds off of the total time to finish the level and therefore increase your truck time bonus slightly. When I have the fast feet power-up active, I usually can move fast enough to not worry about having to strike the gong, except in the later routes. 6. When striking the gong, it is best to do it on the side where you have to deliver the package. You should be able to make it to the respective doctor’s office before the gong sound ends. And remember that not only do the dogs (these are therapy dogs) pause while the gong sound is active, you can walk through them without being stunned or losing a package. But, you can only use the gong once every time you enter the waiting room. To use the gong again, you have to go back toward the road until Hank’s feet are in the grass. Then the gong can be struck again when you reenter the room. 7. For later routes when I know it will take most of the truck time, I sometimes use the stored power-up before Crazy Culvert Kitty comes out the second time (except when I am saving a good power-up for level 3). This is more of a mental game so that I can more easily deliver a few packages in the middle of the level and not need to be too frantic toward the end, as well as hopefully being in a better position to carry over the second Crazy Culvert Kitty power-up for the 1,000 point bonus. 8. As far as my general route, for level 1 I stay to the outside when delivering the package and return up the middle when returning to the truck. For level 2, I usually don’t worry about the gong for route 1 and sometimes route 2, but I go straight for the gong starting on route 3 (unless the fast feet power-up is active). I will usually strike the top of the gong unless the timing is tight and then I will strike the side of the gong (see bullet point #6). For level 3, to be successful, you have to be efficient going between the two middle fork trucks. You can get away with staying to the outside all of the time for early routes, but you can’t do this in the later routes (not to mention you are giving up some potential truck bonus points in the earlier routes). You have to use the power-ups wisely. I like to have the dog invincibility or fast feed power-up stored for this level. Most of the time, I go straight in and activate the power-up just before a dog will touch me. Sometimes the dog will turn away at the last second and I can get away with saving the power-up for later. I will stay to the outside when I need to deliver a package for sure, such as when it is the last one for the level and time allows. Also, when the double package power-up is available, I will stay to the outside on the harder level 3 versions. It is still quicker to deliver two packages for one longer path than two deliveries on a shorter path. And then sometimes, you have to take a chance. For level 3, I will take my chances if the dogs are on opposite sides of the screen, as I can usually dodge one of them, but this is not always guaranteed. I wish you all continued good luck (and hopefully fun) with Doggone It!. - Armscar Coder

I am truly honored that Doggone It! was chosen for the 2600 HSC Homebrew week. For background on the game, see the attached one page quick start guide. Also, for anyone interested in how the difficulty ramps up, I included a difficulty chart. Scoring Summary: - 200 points for each package delivered. - 500 points for each package delivered while the double power package is active. - 1000 points for a carrying a power-up in Hank's power pocket to the next level. - Bonus points rewarded at the end of each level, for the amount of time remaining (how far the truck is from the end of the street). Tips for getting a high score for Doggone It!: - Finish each level as quickly as possible, to maximize the end of level bonus points. - The best tip I can give is to carry a stored power-up to the next level for the 1,000 point bonus (plus you get to keep the power-up). - If using the double package power-up, wait until you are about to deliver a package before activating it. Then you may be able to deliver two packages while the power-up is active (1000 points for two packages). - In my opinion, the dog invincibility and fast feet power-ups are the best power-ups for the later rounds, especially level three. If you have a power-up stored you don't like (they are awarded at random), use it before Crazy Culvert Kitty comes out so that you can store another power-up that you might want to use later (power-up still chosen at random). - Pay attention to the music while a power-up is active. When its pace quickens, you have three seconds of power-up remaining. - Dog movements left to right are random, but vertically they move in one direction until they reach the top or bottom, then switch their vertical direction. The dogs move a little differently vertically for each level, but they all follow this behavior, making them a little more predictable. - At the beginning of each level, the dogs will go to the far left before starting their random horizontal movement. On level three, one dog goes to the far left and the other the far right. - On level two, striking the gong in the middle of the room will force the therapy dogs to pause momentarily. During this short time, Hank also has dog invincibility and can walk through the dogs. The gong can be used as many times as desired, but Hank must leave the waiting room area and reenter (feet must be in the grass area) before being able to use the gong again. - Going around to the outside is the safest, but takes more time. There is no score penalty for coming into contact with a dog, so when returning to the truck, it is usually quicker to go the shortest path, even if you are momentarily stunned once or twice. - Starting with route five, Crazy Culvert Kitty will move faster. Be careful not to be stuck near the bottom when she comes out, or you may miss her. If you have any further tips, I would love to hear them! Hope everyone enjoys playing Doggone It! and I am looking forward to following the high scores achieved. - Armscar Coder Doggone It! quick start guide.pdf

@Karl G and @jwelsh, no worries so far as buying a copy. It will be free. But, just so that I can retire someday, I will only guarantee ten copies. And just so this doesn't go on forever, let's set a request deadline for midnight September 1st. If there is interest beyond ten copies, I will have my kids draw names out of a hat after September 1st. @Prizrak and @KevKelley are guaranteed copies since they requested copies in earlier posts (these won't count against the guaranteed ten copies). Once I figure out how many I need for friends, family, and intended recipients, I may have some extra. @Albert is getting me a pretty sweet deal on the cartridges, so there may be a few more to give away. Unless you tell me otherwise, I will assume you want s NTSC version. If you want a PAL60 version, please indicate as such. For those that haven't followed this thread before or are wondering why I am giving copies away for free (or in a mood for little bit of a sob story), checkout post #14 in this thread which gives more details on the background of the game. I didn't make this game for fame, and certainly didn't make it for money. Working on this game has helped me get through the past year and a half. My next doctor's appointment is next month. If that visit goes well, I am statistically much more in the clear in regards to a potential recurrence. I am sharing my game with others as a celebration of life and to give just a little bit back.

First off, thanks to everyone for their positive comments on Doggone It!. The feedback has been much appreciated. Being my first game and new to AtariAge, I have been overwhelmed by the community’s reaction. I will be ordering cartridges soon from AtariAge. I have not modified the game design since the initial post, but I think I will bump up the volume just a little for the cartridges. I have attached images of the cartridge labels. My graphic designer is moving on to the box and manual designs, so it still may be a little while before the project is complete. For those of you that requested a free game, I will contact you via personal messenger once the entire game package is ready.

I'm not a big forum comment person, but I felt compelled to comment on this one. Since getting back into Atari, I had considered getting a 7800 purely for Xevious. I have fond memories of playing the arcade game in my youth at the pool during lifeguard breaks. I caught glimpses of Zeviouz (2600) on ZPH at work today when my boss wasn't around. As soon as I got home, I downloaded and played it with my Sega Genesis controller. Bravo, both to @cd-w and @Nathan Strum. And looks like I'm still good with just my Light Sixer!

Hey @Karl G, I enjoyed watching your Sumo Bots game last night on ZPH. I aspire to be able to "whip" up a game like this.

Added binary for PAL60 version in the very first post. Thanks to @Al_Nafuur and @Karl G for pointing me in the right direction for the conversion.

Thanks to ZeroPage Homebrew for playing Doggone It! on the show. It was surreal to see my game being played by others online. Even though it was a late night, my family and I had a blast watching James and Tanya playing it. The show is great because it gives all developers a chance to show their work, whether it be a small game or the next mega-hit. My next steps are to make a PAL version for Al_Nafuur (and our other overseas friends) and to keep working with my graphic designer on the artwork, manual, and box design. I am planning on a limited run of cartridges with manuals and boxes to distribute to family and friends. I will probably end up ordering a nice round number of cartridges, so I anticipate having a few extras. If anyone would be interested in having a copy of the game for free, let me know, and when they become available (I don’t anticipate that being until the fall or later) I will send them to you. If there is more interest than I have spare copies of the game, I will have to do a drawing out of a hat or something. Just to clarify a few things from the show: - On level 2, the gong can be hit as many times as you want, but you have to leave the hospital waiting room before hitting it again (essentially, Hank’s feet have to be in the green grass). - The game does a play a little long and easy in the earlier levels, but it does ramp up. I have attached a chart that shows the difficulty progression. I didn’t want the early levels too hard for my kids. For the record, I have yet to get through all of the difficulty levels myself, but I have come close. - The use of power-ups is such that there are a lot of possibilities and strategies, some of which I am sure I haven’t yet considered. James and Tanya were using the double package power-up very effectively by activating it just before delivering a package, giving Hank enough time to go get another package and delivering it before the power-up ended. There is a balance for using a power-up and holding on to it for maximizing points. Getting the 1000 points at the start of the next level is a lot, but it is your reward for not using the power-up. Trust me, when you get to the later levels, you will need to use the power-up. - The one power-up that was not seen randomly chosen during the show was the dog invincibility. In my opinion, this is the best one for level 3 (although the fast feet is my favorite). My least favorite is the truck pause. I usually go ahead and use it as soon as Crazy Culvert Kitty comes out in hopes of storing a better power-up for later. - Per one of the chat comments, yes, two packages at 200 points each does not equal 500 points, but it is an added bonus for delivering a package with the double package power. Also, you still get the 500 points for two packages even if you only have one package left to deliver and do so when the double package power is active. Another chat comment from the show was something in regards to art imitates life. This is very true for Doggone It! The story behind my game is that it is a dedication and thanks to some of those that have helped me with my cancer journey. In July of 2018 (almost exactly two years ago), I had my second surgery to remove a cancerous tumor on my tongue along with the right half of my tongue, only to be replaced by fatty tissue from my left arm (the twelve inch scar that resulted is the inspiration for my AtariAge profile name and logo). After seven weeks of radiation and chemotherapy following surgery, I was considered to be in remission. During my treatments and recovery I was very uncomfortable and used all of my time watching something, anything to take my mind off of the discomfort. At some point, I stumbled upon a YouTube video showing fifteen seconds of every original Atari 2600 game ever made. After watching it three times, I decided to get my own original Atari and soon became re-hooked to this vintage system. At the same time I was thinking of ways to thank certain groups of people who had helped me along the way. What could I do for others that would be on par with saving my life? Put them in a video game of course! Both my surgery and treatments were in a different state than the one I reside in. Level 1 is dedicated to our best friends who allowed us to live with them during the seven weeks of radiation/chemotherapy treatments. The playfield is their wooded yard and the dog is their dog, Tinker, who does run wildly around the yard. Level 2 is dedicated to my surgeon and radiation oncologist. The playfield is a hospital waiting room. And yes, there is a gong that radiation patients strike after they complete their treatment plan. Also, I was visited by a therapy dog twice after my surgery. The game premise of level 2 is that the therapy dogs have banded together and are on strike in the waiting room. Level 3 is dedicated to my employer who not only kept me employed, but provided benefits with full pay while I was away from work. My family didn’t have to worry about money and that was a good thing. The setting for level 3 is a manufacturing plant that makes “hot dog” heaters. Some of the hot dogs have come to life and are running around sabotaging the fork trucks and machines. Those are flames coming off of their backs (my kernel was limited to one color for the dogs and that was the best I could do for flames with the limited frames I had for the sprite). The recipient, Dwight, is jumping from machine to machine trying to fix the machines. Your goal is to deliver spare parts ordered for overnight delivery to him. I am not a technology guy. I am not comfortable in online chats or forums (this is the first one I have ever participated in and I am sure I am doing things wrong). I don’t text. I do have a cell phone in case my car breaks down, but believe it or not, I don’t know my own phone number. I am just a guy that likes to code and happens to be an Atari 2600 fan. I thank everyone for allowing me to be a very small part of this community and I especially appreciate all of the positive feedback on the game. The response has been such that I may even consider making another one.

I echo James's comments regarding the face graphics and mouth animation. Surround and Tapeworm are some of my favorite original games. Anything resembling a Tron Light Cycle is cool in my book. I look forward to the final version which I plan to put on my Harmony cart for some on demand Atari therapy when I need some downtime after a tough day at work or when my lawn mower won't start.

I would have to study up on what it would take make a PAL version, not to mention convince my wife I need to spend more time on this game. Since my score display ended up being a little on the short and fat side, I consciously made the zero round to visually help distinguish it from an eight.

As Karl G pointed out, petting Crazy Culvert Kitty earns you a power-up that can be triggered by the fire button. The first version of the game had the randomly chosen power-up become active immediately. One of my first playtesters suggested being able to trigger the power-up on demand and be rewarded for not using it. I agreed and decided to add the power-up icons to let you know what power-up is stored. I thought this modification added to the potential game play strategies. One of my favorites is to activate the double package power just as I am about to deliver a package, allowing it to count as two packages. I am then usually able to go get another package and deliver it before the power-up ends. So, you end up getting four packages delivered for the price of two. But if you are interested in maximizing your score, be sure to hold on to a power-up in Hank's power pocket to get the 1000 point bonus at the start of the next level.

Doggone It! 4K – NTSC & PAL60– Assembly – One player 7/5/2020 - Added binary for PAL60 version. 1/2/2021 - Added .pdf files for manual and Nathan Strum review as well as .jpg files for notepad and box images. After growing up with the Atari 2600 in the 80’s, I rediscovered it a while back. I obtained a Light Sixer from a local gaming store and started collecting games. Soon, I became curious to see what it would take to make a game. I had an idea for one based on some real life events. Once I stumbled upon the Atari homebrew scene, I took the plunge and decided to make the game. To pay homage to those early developers that brought me so much joy as a kid, I decided to make it in Assembly and limit the size to 4K. After teaching myself Assembly, adjusting game mechanics as I learned the programming limitations, and more than just a few screen rolls later, I would like to share my game, Doggone It!, with the AtariAge community. After having an inner circle of game testers play the game and a few revisions already taken place, I am considering this version to be a final release candidate. I welcome any feedback, suggestions, and of course, discovery of any bugs/issues. Also, I would be interested in your best scores. While there is a story behind the game and my AtariAge display name, I would rather focus on the gameplay for now. My graphic designer is currently working on developing artwork and a manual that will include more background on the game’s story. In the meantime, I have thrown together a quick start guide, included in this post, presenting a condensed version of the essential information. If there are any game elements that are not clear, I will certainly attempt to address them in this forum. Thanks and enjoy. - Andrew a.k.a. “Armscar Coder” Doggone_It!.bin Doggone It! quick start guide.pdf Doggone_It!_PAL60.bin Packaging Files (added 1/2/2021): Doggone It! Manual.pdf Doggone It! Nathan Strum Review.pdf