Is there a Pac-Man 5200 to 8Bit conversion?

[SS]

 

When I have time, I really want to do some code forensics.

 

That really should help to answer some questions.

 

My gut feeling is that it is a WIP prototype. I do know that features like the intermissions and attract screen were originally part of the A8 game but were trimmed out in order to make it fit on an 8K cartridge as a cost cutting measure. That doesn't explain the change in the eating sound though.

Edited October 9, 2017 by SS

[Bryan]

I do know that features like the intermissions and attract screen were originally part of the A8 game but were trimmed out in order to make it fit on an 8K cartridge as a cost cutting measure.

Do you remember where you heard that?

[SS]

Do you remember where you heard that?

Good grief, who knows? Somebody mentions it here :

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/161982-pac-man/?p=1996001

but I know that I've heard the claim elsewhere as well. I *think* that Glenn The 5200 Man makes reference to it in his ANTIC podcast interview but it's been a while since I listened to it so I might be mistaken on this point. You hear so many stories and rumors over the years that it's hard to keep track exactly where you first came across them.

[Bryan]

Just found this old thread. I'd forgotten I was disassembling the 5200 version at one point:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/43934-easter-egg-found-in-5200-pac-man/

 

So, we have A8/5200 PacMan attributed to Joe Hellesen/James Andreason, although it seems obvious that James started with Joe's program.

 

I wonder if Joe is still around and what he might know about this version.

[Bryan]

One more thing. This version seems very similar. It has the Atari copyright message, the slow ghosts, and all the 5200 extras:

 

[SS]

One more thing. This version seems very similar. It has the Atari copyright message, the slow ghosts, and all the 5200 extras:

 

 

I have that version on my UNO Cart too. It is very similar to the one that you posted but it doesn't have the four extra characters on the side of the screen. Other than the Atari copyright, I find it almost exactly like the Datasoft release. I feel that this is probably a copy of the file that Datasoft was provided with for their 1985 disk release of Pac-Man.

 

Give me a minute and I'll zip up all of the various A8 Pac-Man versions that I have on my UNO Cart so you can do your own comparisons.

[SS]

A8 Pac-Man.rar

 

Here are all of the A8 Atari and Datasoft Pac-Man files from my UNO Cart. I haven't included the US Gold version because it is exactly the same as the Datasoft release but without the copyright screen. The version that Bryan posted earlier I have labeled as "Pac-Man (ALT-3 ATARI).XEX".

[Goochman]

Back when Pac Man was released I got to play a disk version that had the intermissions. My memory might be foggy but Im pretty sure I was told it was 14k and the intermissions were trimmed to make it fit on an 8k cart for release.

 

I def played Pac Man on my 800 with intermissions way back but cant tell you anything different about the game as I wasnt a Pac Man fan.

[Kr0tki]

It's only about 14K, while the A8 version is 8K and the 5200 version occupies about 23K out of a 32K cart.

Umm, 5200 Pac-Man is a 16K cartridge, your image is an overdump.

[tep392]

If the 5200 conversion doesn't exist or has been lost, I'll volunteer to do the conversion. I think a 16k car image would be a good format for it.

[Bryan]

Umm, 5200 Pac-Man is a 16K cartridge, your image is an overdump.

Ah, I just grabbed it from the AA archives and didn't look at it too closely.

[Bryan]

If the 5200 conversion doesn't exist or has been lost, I'll volunteer to do the conversion. I think a 16k car image would be a good format for it.

I'd like to make an image with either the A8 or 5200 ghost logic selectable at the menu screen.

[tep392]

I successfully completed the first step of relocating the code to $8000-$BFFF, the 400/800 cart space. I fixed the dot eating sound as well. Still running in 5200 mode. Next step is to make all the mods for the 400/800.

[+CharlieChaplin]

I successfully completed the first step of relocating the code to $8000-$BFFF, the 400/800 cart space. I fixed the dot eating sound as well. Still running in 5200 mode. Next step is to make all the mods for the 400/800.

 

And then do not forget to add the hacker notice "NOT by Glenn, the 5200 man!" ;-)

[tep392]

 

And then do not forget to add the hacker notice "NOT by Glenn, the 5200 man!" ;-)

I've changed the easter egg message already.

[tep392]

Is there a bug where the ghost stick in "scared" mode? I was just rolling thru the screens using a cheat, and at after reaching one of the higher levels, they stay blue until eaten.

 

edit: Just checked again, and it first happens on the 5th key screen. The 6th key is ok but it returns from the 7th on.

 

edit2: I get it now. Those are the levels that should have zero blue time. They apparently messed up the implementation. At least they tried.

[SS]

If the 5200 conversion doesn't exist or has been lost, I'll volunteer to do the conversion. I think a 16k car image would be a good format for it.

 

Thanks, this is fantastic!

 

If you are doing a "fixed" one, though, can you also post the "unfixed" version as well?

Edited October 10, 2017 by SS

[tep392]

Thanks, this is fantastic!

 

If you are doing a "fixed" one, though, can you also post the "unfixed" version as well?

I can do one that is completely original and a fixed version.

[SS]

I can do one that is completely original and a fixed version.

 

SWEET! Thanks so much for doing this!

[TemplarXB]

If the 5200 conversion doesn't exist or has been lost, I'll volunteer to do the conversion. I think a 16k car image would be a good format for it.

You did an arcade conversion for the *8bit that is the same as your 5200 arcade version, right? I have the one you did for the 5200 and it's my favorite version of Pac-man. Would this one be more like the original 5200 version that Atari put out?

[+darryl1970]

Is there a bug where the ghost stick in "scared" mode? I was just rolling thru the screens using a cheat, and at after reaching one of the higher levels, they stay blue until eaten.

 

edit: Just checked again, and it first happens on the 5th key screen. The 6th key is ok but it returns from the 7th on.

 

edit2: I get it now. Those are the levels that should have zero blue time. They apparently messed up the implementation. At least they tried.

 

Yes. I remember the continuous blue/white monsters. I later read an article that discussed this, and I believe they may have explained how the glitch got into the final release.

 

Here are a couple other glitches that I found back in the day. In this example, I tried to combine the two into one video. It is also possible to get the brown monster (Clyde) to do the same thing as the blue monster (Inky). I just died before I had a chance to set it up again.

 

Funny thing is that I have a Hangly-Man cabaret machine. Every so often, one of the monsters will do the same thing. I do not know how to make it happen though, but it's a glitch I have also seen in MAME (so it's not a failing RAM chip on my machine). It seems the Hangly-Man glitch happens more around the escape route area.

 

Pac-Man 5200 Monster glitch video (Youtube).

 

 

Update... I just searched through my Google Photos. I knew I had this. I guess it's not so close to the escape route. I do not know how to recreate this, but I notice it happens when all the monsters change direction/mode.

Hangly-Man glitch (Google Photots)

 

With sound

 

Note: Pac-Man isn't stuck. He will stop in the vertical tunnel if the joystick is pressed to the right.

[tep392]

 

Yes. I remember the continuous blue/white monsters. I later read an article that discussed this, and I believe they may have explained how the glitch got into the final release.

 

Here are a couple other glitches that I found back in the day. In this example, I tried to combine the two into one video. It is also possible to get the brown monster (Clyde) to do the same thing as the blue monster (Inky). I just died before I had a chance to set it up again.

 

Funny thing is that I have a Hangly-Man cabaret machine. Every so often, one of the monsters will do the same thing. I do not know how to make it happen though, but it's a glitch I have also seen in MAME (so it's not a failing RAM chip on my machine). It seems the Hangly-Man glitch happens more around the escape route area.

 

Pac-Man 5200 Monster glitch video (Youtube).

 

 

Update... I just searched through my Google Photos. I knew I had this. I guess it's not so close to the escape route. I do not know how to recreate this, but I notice it happens when all the monsters change direction/mode.

Hangly-Man glitch (Google Photots)

 

With sound

 

Note: Pac-Man isn't stuck. He will stop in the vertical tunnel if the joystick is pressed to the right.

That's an interesting glitch. It might be related to the monster changing form scared to normal mode as it's exiting the pen.

 

I figured out the bug that causes the monsters to never exit scared mode and know how to fix it. The bug causes the monsters to flash white 128 times and then stay white. They never exit scared mode after that.

I also learned that the game resets to level 1 after you finish level 256.

[tep392]

Here's are .bin and .car files. Let me know if you find any bugs.

 

pacman5200conv.zip

[SS]

Thank you so much for doing this, Tep392!

 

As far as I can tell, this is the completely "unfixed" 5200 version of Pac-Man? I ran it on a real 800XL via my UNO Cart and so far everything looks and plays great. It's fantastic to finally be able to play the 5200 Pac-Man with a CX-40 stick but, man, this game really *is* a good bit harder than the A8 version!

[tep392]

Thank you so much for doing this, Tep392!

 

As far as I can tell, this is the completely "unfixed" 5200 version of Pac-Man? I ran it on a real 800XL via my UNO Cart and so far everything looks and plays great. It's fantastic to finally be able to play the 5200 Pac-Man with a CX-40 stick but, man, this game really *is* a good bit harder than the A8 version!

Your welcome. Your right that this is unfixed. I've made no changes to game or sound. After this has been tested enough to be sure there isn't any lingering bugs, I'll post a version with improved munch sound and fixed monster blue time bug. I'll also post the source code so people can make their own hacks if they want to.