Brian O Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I was checking out Pac-Man 4K and I think it's such a great version of Pac-Man. I was wondering if it would be possible, using the graphics from the 4K version, to create an 8K version that includes the Cut Screens and Title Screen? If so, are there any plans to do so? Thanks, Brian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2008 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 That would rock! Although, agreed Pac-Man 4K already rocks (can't wait to get one!), but it would be super cool to have the cut scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FujiSkunk Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Look up Hack 'Em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian O Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 Look up Hack 'Em. I love Hack'Em. Looking for that game is actually what first brought me to AA. But I really like the look/feel of the 4K version. That with a nice title screen and cut screens would be perfect, in my opinion. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 This could certainly be done, certainly not in 4K of space. I'll point Dennis Debro to this thread. ..Al 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian O Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 This could certainly be done, certainly not in 4K of space. I'll point Dennis Debro to this thread. ..Al Agreed. I'm surprised that what Dennis has created even fits into 4K! Thanks for passing along, Al. Hopefully he'll take up the challenge -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I heard back from Dennis. Here's what he had to say, I had originally planned to do an 8K version with variable flicker, intermissions, and title screen but quickly lost interest. My motivation was to get something faithful within 4K. I'm okay with someone picking up my source code (I released it in 2007... I think) and modifying it as long as they give credit to the original and original author :-) So, there you go. Dennis isn't interested in doing it (and I don't really blame him, since his goal was a 4K game), but someone else is more than welcome to pick up the reigns as long as credit is given. ..Al 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian O Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 I heard back from Dennis. Here's what he had to say, So, there you go. Dennis isn't interested in doing it (and I don't really blame him, since his goal was a 4K game), but someone else is more than welcome to pick up the reigns as long as credit is given. ..Al Thanks again for following up, Al. -B 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Dang, I just ordered this awesome game from the web store, and now people want to make it better... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nukey Shay Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 This could certainly be done, certainly not in 4K of space.Actually, this can certianly be done in 4k...but certianly not faithfully to the arcade If Dennis has no objections (and the quote above seems to imply that), the progress made three years ago could be posted. Although it is true that it's not possible to incorporate all of the elements into 4k simultaniously...none of them subtract what is already present in the "final" version that was previously posted. I can safely say that Clyde's routine and the signature startup tune are two of them which would be more of a headache to remove at this point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Actually, this can certianly be done in 4k...but certianly not faithfully to the arcade If Dennis has no objections (and the quote above seems to imply that), the progress made three years ago could be posted. Although it is true that it's not possible to incorporate all of the elements into 4k simultaniously...none of them subtract what is already present in the "final" version that was previously posted. I can safely say that Clyde's routine and the signature startup tune are two of them which would be more of a headache to remove at this point Well, I'm talking about being faithful to the arcade. I wouldn't really want to go backwards on the excellent game he's made. If the game is going to be added to, I'd prefer that the jump to 8K be made instead. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduecrum Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 It would be funny to see the "Acts" implemented in the original Atari 2600 pacman style. Of course, the acts would have to be largely unrelated to the arcade originals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 While they are at it, they might as well throw in a "Teddy Bear" mode as well. I heard that Pacman 4k (4 ghosts) is just a little tougher than Atari Ms Pacman, but easier than Jr. I usually play Ms Pacman with 3 ghosts, and Jr Pacman with 1. Yeah, the ghosts are that relentless on Jr Pacman. It's like their hypered up on go-go juice or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nukey Shay Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Well, I'm talking about being faithful to the arcade. I wouldn't really want to go backwards on the excellent game he's made.Not backwards (as mentioned, nothing was removed from the current game...just optimized a bit more to save space). I got pretty close - No SuperPac in the first act and the first act is repeated for the third, tho. It also lacked the intermission tune, so I repeated the starting jingle until more space was found. IIRC, the rest of the additions to the 4k game are: Clyde's AI restored Fruit point value bonuses displayed Pink door above the monster pen There were some additional options in the assembly I threw in which had to be deactivated while working on the intermissions (a seperate startup icon, etc). Only 4 bytes remained, so I gave it to the trigger start option. Give it a whirl. If the game is going to be added to, I'd prefer that the jump to 8K be made instead.So do I. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to get the multiplex routine back in (and pasting all the changes to the multiplex demo would take quite a lot of work that I no longer have time for). Unfortunate...since the 1k title screen he made looked -really- nice Pacman4k(intermission)ntsc.bin Pacman4k(intermission)pal.bin Pacman4k(intermission)pal60.bin IntermissionPacman4K.asm 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Was any of this stuff incorporated into the Atariage Pacman 4k cart? Because I'm gonna be kicking myself for buying so early it if a better version comes out. I'll definitely have to load this in my Harmony cart later this evening; thanks for the update regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Thanks, Nukey Shay! The Store video has start music using 2 channels, so there is a difference right there. Also the eaten fruit doesn't show point values. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) Okay, I just saw the store video. I swear the video was not up in the store last time I posted. That game looks freakin' sweet!!! I'm going to plug this into my Atari now while my cart floats about in postal limbo... EDIT: Man, I need to work on my game. I just barely managed to get to the first intro screen. I noticed that you can select the start fruit, but do the difficulty switches do anything? Edited October 23, 2012 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nukey Shay Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Nope. Tho maybe they ought to. The Store video has start music using 2 channels, so there is a difference right there.The (final) version does not have music at all...so there is a difference right there Dennis was working on the "bassline" option as I was adding in the fruit point code in a seperate build...which is why they don't appear together. I gather that the video was made from that one. I'll look into adding that to this once I find the assembly. Now that I think of it, I ought to simplify the intermission routine...since it is not complete anyway. This will yield enough romspace to enable ALL the new added options with a bit of room to spare. There still should be some kind of (visual?) cue left in when an intermission would have appeared tho...so the player is alerted to when the bluetimes are extended. Or should it be musical only (as Jr. does)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FujiSkunk Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Music only would be a good compromise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skud Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I'm not sure whether I need to get pal50 or pal60 version cart for my region, I live in New Zealand, I'm pretty sure its the same pal that Australia uses if that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I'm not sure whether I need to get pal50 or pal60 version cart for my region, I live in New Zealand, I'm pretty sure its the same pal that Australia uses if that helps PAL TVs normally run at 50Hz, but many are capable of displaying 60Hz fine. If you want 60Hz without the slowdown associated with PAL releases, then get PAL 60. Otherwise, for maximum compatability with older TVs, you will need PAL 50. But don't buy NTSC games for your PAL Atari. The game will be playable, but the colors will be all wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skud Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 PAL TVs normally run at 50Hz, but many are capable of displaying 60Hz fine.is there a way of testing if it runs ok at 60Hz without actually buying a 60Hz cart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nukey Shay Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Apparently...the version IN the store already has the music present. Those who bought it do not need to worry. ** Abandoning project ** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 is there a way of testing if it runs ok at 60Hz without actually buying a 60Hz cart? I take it you don't have a Harmony flash cart? If you have a DVD player, try messing around in settings and switching the output to NTSC or PAL 60Hz. Most PAL players are capable of playing region-free NTSC discs and many offer the 60Hz/480 option to avoid scaling artifacts. If your TV can handle the signal, you will be fine with PAL60. BTW, most video games were developed in NTSC region (US or Japan) and then converted to PAL. As a result, most VCS, 8-bit, and 16-bit generation games were unoptimized and ran slower in PAL territories. VCS actually controls the number of active scanlines, wheras nearly all other consoles the scanlines were fixed in hardware. Typically on later systems, the audio pitch was corrected but tempo and game speed weren't. I've actually got an NES Mario/Tetris/World Cup multicart from Europe, and the timings were updated for PAL in this release, so it's like playing my favorite games on steriods when I plug it into my lockout-modded NTSC NES! For years, PAL gamers never knew they were getting duped with slower games and just accepted it. Also, if your not that skilled, playing the game at 50Hz may allow you to survive longer. Many tooth-and-nail tough games were probably slightly easier in PAL land as a result. I hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) Apparently...the version IN the store already has the music present. Those who bought it do not need to worry. ** Abandoning project ** Please don't give up! I was hoping a Ms Pacman version could someday be developed. A 16kb ROM would be more than adequate. Here's a lazy, unoptimized way to do it: you could copy the entire program across all four banks, and just update the maze data once for each bank. That way, you'd only have to worry about bank-switching in between the boards or when the level select switch is toggled. The data for the cut-scenes could even be scrapped in favor of a fruit-bouncing algorithm. Or expand the game to 32k, and the title screen plus each of the three intermissions each get their own private banks! So what if the program is bloated an redundant? These days, a 32k cart is no more expensive to produce than a 4 or 8k one. Audio and sprites should not be difficult to update, and a purple Sue would be awesome! Edited October 25, 2012 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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