DK Arcade 2600 - Playable Demo!

[iesposta]

I first realized a 4 screen Basic version could probably work when I joined here and the batari Basic DPC+ kernel had just released, allowing 10 single line, multi-colored sprites and single line playfields. So it all flickers badly at the top, it's fun and on the ancient 2600! Carefully planning the fact that Playfield color changes have to be every other line. I was great with layout, graphics and music (music and sounds are hard and always harsh), but I did way better than the 7800's version sound which uses the same sound chip and it so terrible, most won't play it or play it with the sound off!

 

After shelving it for a bit, I had learned enough to get your player to climb and fall in Level 4. I probably would have had sliding fireballs back and forth like the Coleco version, and a score, but had no clue how to have both a score and the countdown timer.

 

It would have been a nice batari Basic game from me alone, but it became more than I ever planned when Byte Knight wanted to see it finished and he worked on game logic, along with Rev Eng helping and squashing some bB bugs and adding to bB, and Bogax who can turn simple code into data sets and his optimization teaching. All of a sudden fireballs were roaming randomly all over, then Level 1 had barrels randomly choosing to go down ladders, and hammers (which I had planned to just be a simple yardstick (missile object). Later on we were using more cycles than allowed for a stable screen, so it was suggested a simple batari Basic hack would give more overscan for processing, another hack would take out the new, unneeded scrolling for 200 some bytes in Bank 1, then an idea that if the screen was a few scanlines taller, the flicker at the top could reduced if the bottom of The Lady object were 7 scanlines away from the barrels. Making The Lady shorter and adding scanlines was super easy thanks to Rev Eng's knowledge.

 

if I remember correctly, the pie/cement factory was next and straightforward to code, except for the single double triple sprite juggling so they appear like the arcade, but I again ended up amazed with sliding Kong back and forth, and how the barrel spits out fireballs. It is a quite simple level in the arcade to finish playing which is probably why the American released put it way out on the 7th board.

 

The layout of the elevators just came to me and I had it done out in a single day. Programming the player to climb, jump and ride the elevators was another extremely hard thing to program for Byte Knight, and you can still do some jumps that should be safe that end up in falling. A ladder was moved and a section removed to make it easier to program and harder to complete, but the arcade's bypass jump off elevator 2 to a platform near the top remarkably works, if timed just right. Insert another amazing, I can't believe it!

 

With so much that had to be changed or cut out that is in the real arcade game, it still, to me, plays remarkably close to the arcade game, all in 20K of coding and 4K of graphics, with the rest of the 32K being batari Basic and DPC+ kernel. Nearly filled all ROM space up. No "cycles" or "sprites" left for Level 1 fireballs or blue throw barrels or bonus collecting items (bonus items would cause a flicker that even I refuse to play), and no rebounding off the sides, and more player animation would have been fun. No sprites left for bonus items in the rivet Level 4 (too much flicker) and it could be done if the player flickered, but that was a thing I wanted - no flicker transparent player. No flicker Player 0 and the no flicker Playfield with everything else being reused Player 1 is what "just works best" for a complex game like this in batari Basic.

[Mountain King]

I was absolutely blown away with this game and what you guys have accomplished. I am so looking forward to seeing this game in cartridge form.

[roryjr]

Is DK23 from the first post the latest (and final) version? And is this on the list for the next batch of carts coming out?

[Papa]

FUN! Love it! Great work!

[iesposta]

Is DK23 from the first post the latest (and final) version? And is this on the list for the next batch of carts coming out?

Actually no.

The 2 ROMs above (Easy / Hard) play like the final version in Japanese screen order:

ROM easy 1=ramps, 2=pie, 3=elevator, 4=rivets, and the hero gets Kong's captured,

ROM hard 1 (5th level), 2 (6th), 3 (7th), and 4 (8th).

 

Sorry it is confusing.

[iesposta]

As to "is it next to come out", we haven't started talking to AtariAge.
I know AtariAge plans to release this and the new Assembly one, and that AtariAge is my publisher choice.

It is a very tough call because it breaks the rules of "avoid using" (there's a thread) in its attempt to copy sound, art, and existing companies property (debatable, but would never get to a laywyer), even though it is our artistic interpretation and we will never profit from it.

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

This is absolutley amazing!! I hope there will be a cart release soon. I will jump on it!

[1982VideoGames]

Beautiful job!

 

Maybe we can get that completed and on a cartridge soon.

[Jinroh]

This is absolutley amazing!! I hope there will be a cart release soon. I will jump on it!

 

Me too, I'd be down for one as well. Hopefully all goes smoothly.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Jinroh

[+sramirez2008]

I would pay for a cart as well.

[LutzfromOz]

incredibly faithful port, even though homebrew, if Atari's programmers knew of these programming loopholes, this 2600 dk would have had the authentic true port, but then again coleco owned the rights to the 2600's port of donkey kong, I do have a conspiracy theory that the 2600's port was deliberately intended to be obsolete to the colecovisions

[Andromeda Stardust]

Sign me up!

[Breakpack]

Wow, OK I found the this thread. I bumped the other thread in the batari foru...my bad. I can't wait to play the final version on my Harmony!

[iesposta]

Wow, OK I found the this thread. I bumped the other thread in the batari foru...my bad. I can't wait to play the final version on my Harmony!

Nothing bad. We both made the game. We both have our own threads.

Same demo content in both threads.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Wow, OK I found the this thread. I bumped the other thread in the batari foru...my bad. I can't wait to play the final version on my Harmony!

There are two very different D★nkey K★ng projects in the works. VCS D★nkey K★ng and D★nkey K★ng Arcade. VCS scrolls and Arcade runs full screen. Colors and sprites are slightly better in VCS, but Arcade is slightly more accurate. They are both awesome ports, and I wich I could get them as a double ender. Even a 2-in-1 would be hard to do as they use different mappers. Edited June 12, 2015 by stardust4ever

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Got it downloaded on my 2600.emu emulator on my android playing by bluetoothed wiimote. This game packs a challenge. I like Mario/Jumpman's jumping physics and changing direction mid air. Better to play with a 2600 controller. Clings easily on ladders using the wiimote. Other than that. Great job and did an excellent job!!

Edited June 22, 2015 by Retrogamer81081

[Andromeda Stardust]

Got it downloaded on my 2600.emu emulator on my android playing by bluetoothed wiimote. This game packs a challenge. I like Mario/Jumpman's jumping physics and changing direction mid air. Better to play with a 2600 controller. Clings easily on ladders using the wiimote. Other than that. Great job and did an excellent job!!

Mario won't climb up or down if you actuate a diagonal as left/right take precedence.

[groundtrooper]

I just found this. Wowwza. I loved the arcade DK. When I got the 2600 cart via mail order back in the d*y I was so disappointed. I would definitely pay for the ROM to put on my Harmony.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I just found this. Wowwza. I loved the arcade DK. When I got the 2600 cart via mail order back in the d*y I was so disappointed. I would definitely pay for the ROM to put on my Harmony.

It gets more confusing in that there are two versions of DK in simultaneous development.

 

DK Arcade and DK VCS: both are excellent ports but run totally different engines. :cool;

[MissCommand]

Donkey Kong Arcade is to Donkey Kong as 8K Pac-Man is to Pac-Man! By that I mean the 2600 definitive version of DK... although a lot harder!

 

You guys did a great job and I can't believe it was all done through Batari Basic and not Assembly... which I think just makes it that much more impressive.

 

I know I can't only be only number three of the Atari women here, but thanks for making the playable Pauline. She is too cute and about time she did the rescuing!

[iesposta]

Donkey Kong Arcade is to Donkey Kong as 8K Pac-Man is to Pac-Man! By that I mean the 2600 definitive version of DK... although a lot harder!

 

You guys did a great job and I can't believe it was all done through Batari Basic and not Assembly... which I think just makes it that much more impressive.

 

I know I can't only be only number three of the Atari women here, but thanks for making the playable Pauline. She is too cute and about time she did the rescuing!

Thank you so much, that really made my day / week / month!

I started coming to AtariAge in 2011 when the Basic DPC+ kernel was beginning, so I learned to use that first along with learning all the (limited) things the 2600 system can do.

I am much better at art / design / layout / music, so when I was offered help with the game logic it went from a mock-up to a challenging game that I did not have the skill to program.

The Arcade game _is_ still much harder.

 

I wish there were less places where you can lose a life, but where you should be safe.

You just have to figure out what works, and avoid what ends up killing you.

The changing directions mid-jump can help with close barrels.

 

I love finding behavior that wasn't ever programmed. Jumping a fireball over a rivet can trap the fireball, it then sometimes will float up off the screen!

 

I always loved that there was a dad that reprogrammed the Arcade game because his little girl asked why she couldn't play as the girl. It was a simple option to add, and I'm glad that it is there.

 

I regret having to scrap the opening "stomp the girders".

If this were all assembly, and the "run, jump, climb, etc." wasn't duplicated in 2 different banks, or there was an option to use more than 32K, the "stomp the girders" would be in there. It really adds to the game having a story line.

[MissCommand]

Thank you so much, that really made my day / week / month!

I started coming to AtariAge in 2011 when the Basic DPC+ kernel was beginning, so I learned to use that first along with learning all the (limited) things the 2600 system can do.

I am much better at art / design / layout / music, so when I was offered help with the game logic it went from a mock-up to a challenging game that I did not have the skill to program.

The Arcade game _is_ still much harder.

 

I wish there were less places where you can lose a life, but where you should be safe.

You just have to figure out what works, and avoid what ends up killing you.

The changing directions mid-jump can help with close barrels.

 

I love finding behavior that wasn't ever programmed. Jumping a fireball over a rivet can trap the fireball, it then sometimes will float up off the screen!

 

I always loved that there was a dad that reprogrammed the Arcade game because his little girl asked why she couldn't play as the girl. It was a simple option to add, and I'm glad that it is there.

 

I regret having to scrap the opening "stomp the girders".

If this were all assembly, and the "run, jump, climb, etc." wasn't duplicated in 2 different banks, or there was an option to use more than 32K, the "stomp the girders" would be in there. It really adds to the game having a story line.

 

I looked up the story about the Dad reprogramming the game for his daughter... such a sweet story! Mike deserves Dad of the Year for that.

 

The opening stomping animation would have been icing. I just realized there is another great version, DK VCS... it does have the opening stomping animation. Plus, DK VCS really nailed the music and sound effects. With the limited music ability of the TIA, kudos for that.

 

Two great versions of Donkey Kong to add to our 2600 libraries.

[David Alexander]

I am in for a copy of this on a cart

[PhoenixMoonPatrol]

Am I the only one that is getting a scrambled image when playing this on Stella?

Is there a setting I'm missing? Hmm.

[fluxit]

Am I the only one that is getting a scrambled image when playing this on Stella?

Is there a setting I'm missing? Hmm.

Which binary(s?) Which version of Stella?

 

DK23Arcade2600.bin and DK20141011BcDemoH.bin both work just fine here on Stella 4.7.2.