macdlsa Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 I already wrote in the "Atari 2600 Homebrew" FB group... and I also write it here, right now. It's almost 30 years I hope that someone will come out with the idea of making a 2600 porting of the arcade coin-op version of "Pitfall II - The Lost Caverns" (Sega, 1985). Since I cannot hack a game nor programming one from scratch, I made (but it's since 10 years...) some mockups of the game, a full-map, closely related to Crane's original, artworks (one of them it's the boxart), and many, many other things... I already played on the SG-1000/ColecoVision version (emulated): it is a good attempt to re-create the arcade game but...HEH !!! ... I really can't play on it because it has almost no elements of the gameplay of the Sega coin-operated game ! Believe me, since I think I know almost every aspect, even the "hidden" ones, of this game ! And it's since the 1985, when I used to play it in a local arcade, in which I owned the top-score (my best is around 2 million points... not so far from the World Record, and, of course, I got several 1.9 million point games recorded, and officially confirmed, with WolfMame). [CLIP = best score on Retrogaming History Arcade Competition 2013. Not my best but enough... ] And here it is the "Underground map" of the arcade game.I made it by editing and putting together hundreds of Mame screenshots... [PIC] Just to show you how "big" is the arcade game... Now, the full-map development of Crane's Pitfall II is 29 horizontal levels/platforms x 8 "columns" , for a total of 232 "locations". The arcade game's "lost caverns" underground section develops for 28 platforms x 8 "columns", and it also has a first section which is 2 levels x 32 screens, but apart from this last the two games' developments are pretty "near" ! Then, if someone would want to "hack" the original Pitfall II he can surely maintain the development of the game area !He should give up only one of the levels of the ''underground section"(I have already made a" full map "and, knowing the game, I realized what platform can easily removed) and as many as 24 horizontal screens of the "first section", but it is a sacrifice that I believe can be done ![ PIC(left) = original map of Pitfall II for the C=64. It differs from the VCS' version only for graphic details... ALL the rest is the same ! ] [ PIC(right) = VCS' "Pitfall II - Arcade" mockup map, taken from the original map and filled/completed with almost all the elements of the arcade version ] ... what do you think'bout it ? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDS Games Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Good work with the math and mockup. Looks like you'd need new code to handle Harry walking up or down ramps though. Maybe you could make room for it by deleting some other movement routine that is unneeded? Otherwise it might be tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 (edited) Thanks, CDS !Movements are exacly the same as VCS' original game, except for the "Indiana Jones cart sequence": Harry has to travel placed inside some mine carts which movements are left, right and also diagonal. For this last, I thought about Harry's movement routine when he jumps diagonally from a platform into the void.And, also grabbing the ropes in the first section has to be added... may it be necessary a "deep hack" ? Edited January 15, 2017 by macdlsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 (edited) Edited January 15, 2017 by macdlsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDS Games Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 Hmm....possibly. Though it seems a little more complicated than a diagonal fall, as Harry has to be able to go up or down depending on which way he is headed and which direction the floor is oriented. Some versions of Donkey Kong flatten the ramps for this reason. Mine carts would be another issue. Probably wouldn't be too hard to draw a sprite of Harry in a mine cart and swap it in, but then you need a whole new routine for mine cart movement. One idea to try would be doubling the cart size and then handle all the mine cart movement in the second set of banks. You'd just need enough room to switch banks as soon as he jumps into the cart, and then in that second set of banks you can replace all the regular movement routines (walking, climbing ladders) with new ones (mine rolling forward, Harry jumping in cart, grabbing ring). Then when he exits the cart again, you bankswitch back and he's back to normal movement. It'd definitely be a deep hack...good term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 Hmm....possibly. Though it seems a little more complicated than a diagonal fall, as Harry has to be able to go up or down depending on which way he is headed and which direction the floor is oriented. Some versions of Donkey Kong flatten the ramps for this reason. Mine carts would be another issue. Probably wouldn't be too hard to draw a sprite of Harry in a mine cart and swap it in, but then you need a whole new routine for mine cart movement. One idea to try would be doubling the cart size and then handle all the mine cart movement in the second set of banks. You'd just need enough room to switch banks as soon as he jumps into the cart, and then in that second set of banks you can replace all the regular movement routines (walking, climbing ladders) with new ones (mine rolling forward, Harry jumping in cart, grabbing ring). Then when he exits the cart again, you bankswitch back and he's back to normal movement. It'd definitely be a deep hack...good term. Heh, as I said I'm not a programmer, but I understand the point of doubling the cartridge memory to switch the whole new routines on the added ROM... Then, 32K... with the new Melody boards (and so the DPC+ support) shouldn't be a problem to put it on a real cartridge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 (edited) At least, I see this in the Store :https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1130 Definitely a good game, but I think, as I already said before, that it is a good attempt to re-create the arcade game but it has almost no elements of the gameplay of the Sega coin-operated game ! To be clear, I don't want to dispute or criticize (I haven't the power to do it, coz' I'm not a programmer), but out of the SG-1000 conversion, it could have been done much better, with the potential of the ColecoVision ! ... and, OBVIOUSLY, our VCS could do such a game ! Edited July 14, 2018 by macdlsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjchamp3 Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 I Woud love to see it great box art btw I already wrote in the "Atari 2600 Homebrew" FB group... and I also write it here, right now. It's almost 30 years I hope that someone will come out with the idea of making a 2600 porting of the arcade coin-op version of "Pitfall II - The Lost Caverns" (Sega, 1985). Since I cannot hack a game nor programming one from scratch, I made (but it's since 10 years...) some mockups of the game, a full-map, closely related to Crane's original, artworks (one of them it's the boxart), and many, many other things... PitfallII_Arcade_BOX(Activision).jpg I already played on the SG-1000/ColecoVision version (emulated): it is a good attempt to re-create the arcade game but...HEH !!! ... I really can't play on it because it has almost no elements of the gameplay of the Sega coin-operated game ! Believe me, since I think I know almost every aspect, even the "hidden" ones, of this game ! And it's since the 1985, when I used to play it in a local arcade, in which I owned the top-score (my best is around 2 million points... not so far from the World Record, and, of course, I got several 1.9 million point games recorded, and officially confirmed, with WolfMame). [CLIP = best score on Retrogaming History Arcade Competition 2013. Not my best but enough... ] And here it is the "Underground map" of the arcade game.I made it by editing and putting together hundreds of Mame screenshots... [PIC] Pitfall II - The Lost Caverns (coin-op) - map levels 02-03-04.jpg Just to show you how "big" is the arcade game... Now, the full-map development of Crane's Pitfall II is 29 horizontal levels/platforms x 8 "columns" , for a total of 232 "locations". The arcade game's "lost caverns" underground section develops for 28 platforms x 8 "columns", and it also has a first section which is 2 levels x 32 screens, but apart from this last the two games' developments are pretty "near" ! Then, if someone would want to "hack" the original Pitfall II he can surely maintain the development of the game area !He should give up only one of the levels of the ''underground section"(I have already made a" full map "and, knowing the game, I realized what platform can easily removed) and as many as 24 horizontal screens of the "first section", but it is a sacrifice that I believe can be done ![ PIC(left) = original map of Pitfall II for the C=64. It differs from the VCS' version only for graphic details... ALL the rest is the same ! ] [ PIC(right) = VCS' "Pitfall II - Arcade" mockup map, taken from the original map and filled/completed with almost all the elements of the arcade version ] Pitfall_II_regular_MAP.jpgPitfall_II_ARCADE_MAP_Var29levels.jpg ... what do you think'bout it ? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted May 12, 2022 Author Share Posted May 12, 2022 Update: after years of "personal controversy", I decided to send my High Score of Pitfall II - The Lost Caverns, arcade coin-op version, made and officially recorded on WolfMame0.106, to Twin Galaxies... https://www.twingalaxies.com/showthread.php/244670 https://www.twingalaxies.com/game/pitfall-ii-lost-caverns/mame 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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