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Keystone Kapers II Found


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I thought I'd provide an update for everyone following the news on this highly anticipated game! :-)

 

I'm happy to announce that ZeroPage Homebrew will be exclusively debuting TWO new WIP games from Dan Kitchen on an upcoming Twitch livestream!!

 

1) Keystone Kapers 2 (aka Keystone Cannonball): The game will be written completely from scratch with a new name. "The train will be a runaway circus train with various exotic animals to avoid. Each level ends when the player locates a varying number of engine parts that have been scattered in and around the train cars and makes their way to the locomotive to stop the train before time runs out."

2) Bon Voyage: "Activision-style game where the player pilots the Titanic from Southampton to the Americas"

 

You can check out the links in my signature to keep updated on the details as I get them from Dan. :-) I'm really looking forward to playing these two work-in-progress games for you live on an upcoming episode of ZeroPage!!

 

Exciting development. Keep us posted. :grin: :thumbsup:

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Lovely! Dan actually dropped by Digital Press on Saturday to present the prototype to the NVGM, but I missed him by a few minutes!

 

Oh wow, that would have been amazing to have been there for, too bad you missed it!

 

Nice! I hope you will let us know when the games are finished and ready for sale.

 

Yes, I will definitely keep everyone updated as Dan passes me the new builds of the games for livestreaming on my Twitch channel!

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Oh wow, that would have been amazing to have been there for, too bad you missed it!

 

 

Yes, I will definitely keep everyone updated as Dan passes me the new builds of the games for livestreaming on my Twitch channel!

Don't let him disappear like others.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Dan Kitchen here. I want to thank everyone in the forum for their accolades and comments regarding the discovery of my Keystone Kapers II ROM! Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about that game and any others I've developed over the years. I'll be posting information about my new Keystone game in the very near future.

 

All the best,

 

Dan

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Great to see you here, Dan. Lets get the obvious questions out of the way:

1) When do you anticipate Keystone Kapers 2 and Bon Voyage to be available to purchase?

2) Will they be complete box/cartridge/manual releases?

3) Do you ever plan to release the ROM for the original Keystone Kapers 2, for us collectors that are interested in it from a historical perspective?

4) Were you working on any other games that werent released, or did you have ideas for games you never had the time to begin programming for?

 

Welcome!

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Hey Greenfuzz,

 

Nice to meet you!

 

In answer to your questions:

 

1) When do you anticipate Keystone Kapers 2 and Bon Voyage to be available to purchase?
DK - I expect Keystone Kapers 2 to be available for purchase in November of this year. Bon Voyage before Christmas.
2) Will they be complete box/cartridge/manual releases?
DK - Yes, I plan to have the games available in complete boxes with manuals. I'll also have Activision-style patches available for high score plateaus.
3) Do you ever plan to release the ROM for the original Keystone Kapers 2, for us collectors that are interested in it from a historical perspective?
DK - Yes, after Keystone 2 is released I'll make the prototype ROM image available.
4) Were you working on any other games that weren't released, or did you have ideas for games you never had the time to begin programming for?
DK - Yes actually. At Activision I had a complete game we called the "Levee Game". Keystone Kelly appeared in a yellow rain slicker running around ladders and platforms repairing cracks that would appear in a background Hoover Dam-style image complete with warning lights and a beautiful sun setting on the distant reservoir . The screen kernels were written such that I could change the background color on every scan line so the entire screen would slowly fill up with water if the player couldn't cement the cracks in time. There was also a mechanic to "empty" the water on the player's side of the dam to keep the game going. I'm hopeful that I can locate a ROM of that game in the future.
I do have other games I plan to release early next year and will have information about these next titles later in the year.
Thanks again for your interest and questions!
Mahalo!
Edited by TikiDan
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Wow, Dan Kitchen! What an honour to have you here, can't wait to see what's in store. Just one question, ok, a few!...after such a long time away from programming for the VCS, what was it like to get back into it? Fun, frustrating, bit of both? One of the things I loved about that era was how literally one programmer could be responsible for a game in its entirety...something almost unheard of today. Do you think that if some of the other OGs from back then decided to program new games for the VCS, could lightening strike twice? I know I would surely support something like that. Thanks again!

Edited by atarilovesyou
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Hi atarilovesyou!

 

Thanks for sending me a comment and thank you for all your accolades!

 

Programming the VCS is "just like riding a bike". I was amazed at how quickly I remembered the system considering I've programmed many other games for other systems in the last 35 years. (I can't believe it's been that long!!!).

 

It was a unique time in video game history where one programmer could do everything. That's possible these days only if one is creating a very simple mobile app, but once graphics are involved, an artist is required. However, I did work with one chap in the late 1980's who was so talented he drew all the graphics for the Nintendo Game Boy game he programmed.

 

I have been speaking to a few of the original designers about possibly joining me at TikiVision to revive the 2600 with new games. I'm hopeful some will jump in.

 

Thanks again for all your interest!

 

Dan

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Dan,

 

Thank you so much for joining us here at AtariAge and for being so open to us & our community in this way. It truly is a privilidge to have this level of access to you and to be able to discuss your games & ask you questions.

 

I loved Keystone Kapers. It was one of my favorite 2600 games back in the day and it remains one of my go to games whenever I play Atari today. I was quite surprised when the news broke regarding it having had an intended sequel of sorts. Surely, it too, would have been well received had it been released. And I look forward to playing it in the near future.

 

I would like to ask you a couple of Activision game questions, just in case you might know some additional information and can shed some light on the subject.

 

In your time at Activision, did you know about or ever see a game called Hard Hat, or perhaps know the programmer who was working on it?

 

http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/unknown2/unknown2.htm

 

And, well, the same question for this unknown game:

 

http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/unknown1/unknown1.htm

 

Lastly, regarding Keystone Cannonball, did you or anyone else at Activision ever work on any preliminary artwork of any kind, that may have eventually been used for the retail packaging, such as the cart sticker, instruction manual, or game box? And would it have been a 1984 release, such as the Beamrider / Pitfall II / Private Eye / HERO layouts were done?

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Dan,

 

Thank you so much for joining us here at AtariAge and for being so open to us & our community in this way. It truly is a privilidge to have this level of access to you and to be able to discuss your games & ask you questions.

 

I loved Keystone Kapers. It was one of my favorite 2600 games back in the day and it remains one of my go to games whenever I play Atari today. I was quite surprised when the news broke regarding it having had an intended sequel of sorts. Surely, it too, would have been well received had it been released. And I look forward to playing it in the near future.

 

I would like to ask you a couple of Activision game questions, just in case you might know some additional information and can shed some light on the subject.

 

In your time at Activision, did you know about or ever see a game called Hard Hat, or perhaps know the programmer who was working on it?

 

http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/unknown2/unknown2.htm

 

And, well, the same question for this unknown game:

 

http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/unknown1/unknown1.htm

 

Lastly, regarding Keystone Cannonball, did you or anyone else at Activision ever work on any preliminary artwork of any kind, that may have eventually been used for the retail packaging, such as the cart sticker, instruction manual, or game box? And would it have been a 1984 release, such as the Beamrider / Pitfall II / Private Eye / HERO layouts were done?

 

Hard Head, not Hard Hat (that's another video game).

 

8)

Edited by Rom Hunter
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