Games with bugs

[ParanoidLittleMan]

After dealing with and digging in several hunderts of games, I gained some, I think interesting infos :

 

Games with bugs

 

This should be list of known bugs in game originals.

Bugs like:

Not possible to finish game - probably the worst case.

Diverse errors ocasionaly - like graphic ones - but it may happen only on

certain configs, TOS versions.

Not working on STE - but not because TOS version.

Not working on specific configs or emulators - because silly bug.

Not working with more RAM in machine.

Bad files, corrupted data on original floppies - some releases of game involved.

Other.

 

 

Iron Lord: not possible to finish maze - no stairs down from 6th level.

Additionally, single floppy English release (Action 16) has corrupted file, and game will

crash after winning battle.

 

Crazy Cars 2 - after doing all routes, driving thru final location makes nothing

- instead some message, congrat. you can only drive further.

 

Dyter-07 - game crashes at final level (descent to end boss). Code/data bug.

After some hacking I reached and defeated end boss, and may say that it is

poorest of all them - just to mention.

 

Trantor - one version of game tend to crash after some playing.

Recogniseable by 45283 bytes long executable.

 

 

 

 

Bad release:

 

Tetra Quest - US release has corrupted last 2 files on floppy.

 

Iron Lord, action 16 release - corrupted file, crashes after winning battle.

 

 

 

 

 

Not working on STE - because bugs:

 

Grand Monster Slam: palette writing overshot - on STE will see lines instead graph.

 

Hyperforce - same as above.

 

Nightdawn - writing into video pointer crashes on STE. (On ST does nothing).

 

 

 

 

Not working in Steem with current Pasti.dll :

 

Rubicon - there is silly bug in code (forgotten #), what causes both floppy

drives beeing selected at once. On real HW, with solo floppy drive it harms

not, and likely not on 2 drive configs, when second drive is empty. If Pasti is

inactive, it works in Steem.

 

 

Not working on higher TOS versions - but not from usual reasons like more

low RAM occupied or Timer-C problem - caused by bugs in code.

 

Deflector - stoopid bug with address register: copy (w instead l) in game.

 

Heimdall - graphic bug appears by running on higher TOS versions. Because

some silly code part.

 

 

 

Not working on specific configs or emulators - because (silly) bug:

 

Pro Tennis Tour - will crash on 2MB TT, if going straight in tournament - because

uninitialised var. - then try to access RAM area between 2-4MB, what on ST(E) does

nothing, but on TT with 2MB causes bus error.

Well, this is really very specific error, and likely only few people, or even

only me noticed it - but is interesting, and needed some time to track down.

 

Technocop - crashes on TT, Falcon because silly bug with sr setting.

 

Rick Dangerous II - '0FFF' bug - and it is present in some others. Makes trouble on

TT only - surely, the reason is mistype by coding, so we have something like: $FFF8800 instead $FFFF8800 or $FF8800 . Problems only with 32-bit address bus.

 

Ivanhoe - '0FFF' bug - see above.

 

EPIC - If play with mouse on Falcon, will loose controls after little time. The reason is some

strange code (in traps) activated periodically if 68030 is detected - but it does nothing useful.

I guess that because game is released in 1992, they planned Falcon support, but since it delayed game is published without testing on Falcon.

 

 

Not working with more RAM in machine:

There is many. For instance Sidewinder.

 

 

 

 

 

Other:

 

Wolfenstein 3D - this is not commercial game, and is not really finished. I found diverse bugs and

partially fixed it. But some levels still make problems. According to coder, he placed crucial parts of code in low 32K RAM, for extra speed. But that area is TOS workspace, so what works under one TOS version, may crash under other. Bad idea for TOS calling game.

 

Crossland - in audio code IR level is lowered, what may cause activating IR again, before current is finished - and it causes crash. On ST(E) it happens very rare, but on TT for instance after few seconds.

 

Shiftrix - I don't know on what they tested it, because there is extremely silly bug at start: enabling interrupt before setting it's vector !

 

Nicky 2 - even it game self needs only 512KB, it crashes with 512K RAM only. Because bug in code.

 

 

 

Special cases, affecting mostly hard disk adaptations (with exit to Desktop opt.) :

 

Sometimes RAM area above 512KB is intentionally cleared, but there are cases that it is because bugs:

 

Prehistoric Tale - mistype d7 instead d0 in code.

 

In many games, mostly graphic code has overshots, writing in higher RAM - Vroom for instance.

 

IKBD coding seems as big problem - there is a lot of games with bad IKBD code. Usually, playing on regular HW, from floppy you will not notice it. But if doing exit to Desktop from game strange things may happen, if IKBD chip is driven nut. Bad IKBD code may cause problems in Steem too - which has not perfect IKBD emulation. I guess that lack of good documentation is the reason for many bad coding.

 

 

If someone of game coders, publishers accidentaly reads this, and has some objections, corrections, infos about updated versions, feel free to write here.

 

And of course, I expect users that write here own experiences.

[+DarkLord]

Thanks for the information, appreciated.

 

About Iron Lord - does the "fix" of replacing that one file with the French version fix the maze as well?

 

Also, are you going to make your improved version of Wolf 3D available for download?

 

Thanks!

[ParanoidLittleMan]

Fix - replaced with french v. file of Iron Lord solves only crash after winning battle. Maze bug is present in Fr. version too.

 

Wolf 3D with some fixes is already for DL: http://atari.8bitchip.info/SCRSH/wolf3d.html

 

On hard disk adapts DL page you can get fixed versions of Dyter-07 and Iron Lord - with some hacks to can finish. Floppy versions here: http://atari.8bitchip.info/ASTGA/astgam.php

[+DarkLord]

Coolness - thanks!

[Stefan_L]

James Pond 2: Robocod lock up when you press esc button... i think it is ment to restart level or go to title screen again but on my ST so does it just lock up?

 

Also entering the second door at the beginning and at the exit on that level so are you able to stretch yourself from beneath it and when you let go so does the game bug out and locks up :-)

 

Here is a video i recorded showing that:

http://arcade.ym2149.com/files/sc500n1/atari/bugs/

[Stefan_L]

And another buggy game is "Trantor - The Last Stormtrooper"... the sound is all messed up, heard very well during the intro and the menu, strangly so does the music seem to play fine during gameplay even if it is the same music as the menu music?

 

I have done a video recording from my STFM using an original copy of the game:

http://arcade.ym2149.com/files/sc500n1/atari/bugs/trantor_buggy_sound_atarist_20120916195522.AVI

 

I dont know what is the cause of this... i havent checked other TOS versions though, i mean it is an old game so maybe it needs an old TOS?

[+rdemming]

Games with bugs

 

Here are some more games with bugs

[ParanoidLittleMan]

And another buggy game is "Trantor - The Last Stormtrooper"... the sound is all messed up, heard very well during the intro and the menu, strangly so does the music seem to play fine during gameplay even if it is the same music as the menu music?

 

I have done a video recording from my STFM using an original copy of the game:

http://arcade.ym2149...20916195522.AVI

 

I dont know what is the cause of this... i havent checked other TOS versions though, i mean it is an old game so maybe it needs an old TOS?

 

Very unlikely that TOS version causes bad sound.

Really recorded from STFM ? Seems rather like emulator capture I don't see noise at all.

[Stefan_L]

Yes it is from my STFM and also the Robocod recording is from my STFM

 

Both Robocod and Trantor are from the original releases and maybe these bugs was fixed in budget releases? Although i have not checked any other releases myself of these two games.

 

BTW: The SNDH file rip of the Trantor music play fine in any SNDH player, but i am kind of used to the messed up sound the game produce already... especially the intro music sound better in the game IMHO

[ParanoidLittleMan]

I don't hear something too bad in Trantor intro - but it's maybe only me And Trantor has some serious bug in gameplay, at least one version. It would be good that you make Pasti image of your original, so we can see is it updated version, which can be really played - and you played it, I guess.

 

Robocod: I started to deal with it. Use Pasti from Gamebase ST + AM . It would be good, if you can post here exact version - publisher, year.

[Stefan_L]

My copy of Trantor has the 45283bytes executable... so i guess it is the bugged version. I will try an make a Pasti of it later (been many years since i last used Pasti).

 

Robocod is the first release,1991, Millenium.

[ParanoidLittleMan]

I played little Robocod. Escape is OK - it restarts whole game - goes to title/intro. Likely, you have problems because it jumps right to protection check. Possible that your original floppy is not in good shape anymore, and sometimes protection check fails.

As I see bug by stretching happens only when stretch over teleport. So, don't do it In any case, warning should be added.

Anyone knows how to activate cheat mode for Robocod (it offers more than usual unlimited lives and similar) ? Amiga codes aren't good for ST v.

[Stefan_L]

Yes it only happen when you stretch in Robocod and i think that exit is the only one you can do it that way at all... well anyway it is a bug

I downloaded the Robocod diskimage from atari mania and tried in Steem (with pasti DLL) and it did lock up just like on my ST when pressing ESC?

[Stefan_L]

I played thru "Monster Business", an cracked version with trainer and i used the trainer to actually complete the game and the possible bug would be that the game did not play the ending music at the end?

 

ok.. as it was not an original copy i played so might it been because of the crack/trainer that caused this but if you have time to check it out on an original please do do

I dont rememebr who cracked it and i think i played it on my STE.

[ParanoidLittleMan]

This seems as missing side B - many games contain gameplay code and data on side A, and optional music data on B, so people with SS drives can play, but only DS owners can hear music (for instance Carrier Command). Some cracks just missing that side B. I will check it.

[ParanoidLittleMan]

Actually, only STX of Monster Business available is dual format - ST and Amiga, where Amiga part is on side B. So, no music there. I dealt with it about 1 month ago, and finished game. As remember, there was no music at finale. Maybe some another version (release) has it ?

[ParanoidLittleMan]

There is music at end, actually. And only simple txt. about defeating evil. And music at end is very simple, similar to ingame music.

[Stefan_L]

Yes there is music at the end but not the actual "ending music" :-) the end tune is in the SNDH rip but never play in the game (unless it is the the crack/trainer that makes it not to play for me) I checked a longplay from the Amiga version on youtube and there it played the ending music. The ST version just play the same music that plays in the levels.

 

hmm... this makes me think the Monster Business music that was ripped for the SNDH archive was not ripped from the game but maybe from a demo wich also had those musics and the final game version had the end music left out? Or is it in the game files?

 

I'ts tune #7 in the SNDH that should be the ending music.

[ParanoidLittleMan]

Possible that there are 2 versions/releases of game. And then end music was on side B instead Amiga version. Pasti please

[Stefan_L]

I was playing the version on Automation 504.

[Stefan_L]

Just stumbled upon another game bug.. this time in "Double Dragon"

 

I happened on stage 2 when i killed an enemy and he fell down the hole but returned flickering and immortal :-/

 

And i just happened to do a video recording of it as i was testing some stuff: http://arcade.ym2149...20930000359.AVI (happens at around 4:15 in the video)

 

From an original copy of Double Dragon, playing on my STFM.

 

(the highscores seen in the video is not mine but from the previuosly owner)

Edited September 29, 2012 by Stefan_L

[Stefan_L]

Found an bug in "Wrath of the Demon".... in the dark tower level... if you dont pick up the potion from when you kill the little stone throwing goblin (or whatever it is?) so does not the game progress and you have to restart the computer. So make sure you always pick it up

 

Also another bug i think? i never managed to get out of pause mode whenever i paused (P button).

[ParanoidLittleMan]

I played Wrath of the Demon at least 5 times until end, and did not notice bug(s).

Maybe unpause is some complete different key

 

And I forgot to talk about Dyter-007 :

 

http://atari.8bitchip.info/SCRSH/dyter07.html

 

http://atari.8bitchip.info/ASTGA/D/dyter07.php

 

At links above is description of bug and DL of fixed floppy and hard disk versions.

[OBO]

I got one yesterday in Sly Spy (yes, I know... but I like this game)

 

With your cheat to have unlimited energy , one cannot kill the boss at the end of the boat stage. It seems like he cannot be hit, but can hit the player who then loses energy !

 

But it does not matter as I can finish this game without cheating with one life only.

[Stefan_L]

Well.. i did find a bug in WOTD and if you try yourself i am sure it will happen for you also, i tried it twice just to be sure it was a bug, i dont think i have early version of the game or so?

If you dont know which is the dark tower level so do i have an youtube video showing parts of WOTD and the dark tower level is at 21:40

 

The pause button problem... well i tried pushing every button on the keyboard to unpause but it never works? the manual says you unpause by pressing "P" again.

 

Also Grazey ripped all music from WOTD and it has lot's of unused digital music (i think only 2 or 3 is actually used in the game)... thats not a bug just fun info