Why does Jungle Hunt go left?

[Lord Thag]

So you're saying that prior to 1985 games limited scrolling to one direction were more or less equally scroll-left and scroll-right? If so, I don't think that's right. The side-scrolling early hits nearly all seem to feature the player "moving" left to right. Scramble, Moon Patrol, Vanguard (for side-scrolling stages), Super Cobra, Circus Charlie, Gradius. On the 2600 there's Steeplechase, Dragster, Grand Prix, Stampede.

 

We have Jungle Hunt. Am I missing some big counter examples?

No, sorry, that isn't quite what I meant, should have phrased it better. What I was getting at was that the standards for how games work (keyboard usage, scrolling, button layouts, menus etc) hadn't been established yet in the early 80s, and a lot of the early games just did whatever the programmer came up with on their own. It feels very strange nowadays to play games from that era because they use conventions that no one nowadays does. Try an early 80s RPG like Temple of Apshai. The button layout will make you punch your own face. Jungle Hunt always made me feel the same way, it was just... odd.

 

It was still pretty rare to get a left scrolling game though.

[Gunstar]

 

You're right—I forgot that it switched between levels. D'oh!

Yes, but you are right in bringing it up because it is not bi-directional, it still only scrolls one way at a time, just changing with each level.

Edited December 14, 2018 by Gunstar

[Rybags]

Here is the verswion of Jungle Hunt I've been playing since it was done...is this your version Rybags?

That's my one.

[Heaven/TQA]

Interesting thread.

 

Maybe just by random? Our place where we played Jungle hunt (with Tarzan), asteroids, centipede, hyper olympics and Lady bug I still remember the music and the rope sound...

[Andromeda Stardust]

Not that it was in the Atari 8-Bit but SkyKid is the first game I think of for Right-to-Left scrolling games. Great game as well;

 

Arcade Version;

 

NES Version;

I need to get this game!

[Gunstar]

Not that it was in the Atari 8-Bit but SkyKid is the first game I think of for Right-to-Left scrolling games. Great game as well;

 

Arcade Version;

 

NES Version;

Looks like a game that is ripe for conversion to the 8-bit Atari.

[Level42]

Ok, so a Taito System SJ, basically a 4 MHz Z80 plus a sound system consisting of four AY chips and its own Z80 to run them. I don't know how graphics are generated, are those CPU driven or some graphics chip not named on that site? One of the other games listed to be using the same hardware platform is Sea Fighter Poseidon from 1984, which scrolls more traditionally from right to left, which probably should eliminate any technical reasons for the left to right scrolling.

 

Arcade hardware didn't have graphic chips....because they didn't exist, OR they weren't powerful enough (I guess that's why Atari's arcade department never used GTIA and ANTIC.

So, for about every game they re-created the graphics section as good as they could, fitting to the game and using a shit-load of TTL chips.

Graphic chips started to be used maybe late 80's or so.

 

People mention Mario as an influence for the left to right scrolling....but what game was Mario inspired on ? Yes: Pac Land.......and that's left to right too.

 

Mmmm, gotta try that Pirate Pete hack.... I played Jungle Hunt and Jungle King on arcade machines, but never Pirate Pete. If you have the arcade game it's a simple ROM swap AFAIK.

 

I's still like to see the Jungle King hack done....there's lots of graphics hacking going on already

[adam242]

I loved that!

 

Thanks, man! Sorry to go so far off topic, but that's the first thing this topic made me think of. Remy's hilarious.

[adam242]

Shall we talk about games that scroll from the bottom up instead of top down? I don't recall any of those either... Is there a version of Downfall on the A8? Though Downfall is a modern clone of an older game that may be on the A8? Maybe the original was called Fall down? I forget. I remember now that Caverns of Mars or Phobos or both scroll bottom up.

 

Not A8, but there is the most excellent Man Goes Down for the 2600.

[Supergun]

I guess it must be psychological. Because I never really thought anything odd about Jungle Hunt scrolling right to left because that was how I first experienced it. Same thing with regards to Choplifter, Sky Kid, & Kung Fu. I just played the game & didnt think twice about it.

 

However, the one that I actually still remember to this day that did throw me for a loop was Ninja Gaiden 3. It was just so out of place for me. Probably because the first few stages are normal left to right, and then suddenly out of nowhere, the next stage begins right to left.

[+wongojack]

I think Defender was most influential in the Americas. Scrolling games seemed to often be bi-directional for a while (Pitfall, Choplifter, Maze a Tron, Major Havoc). Then there was no real standard - then player moves to the right until the end of the 2d era.

[Gunstar]

I never really thought anything odd about Jungle Hunt scrolling right to left because that was how I first experienced it. Same thing with regards to Choplifter, Sky Kid, & Kung Fu. I just played the game & didnt think twice about it.

 

 

This has been the same for me, right up until today, or yesterday, when it suddenly occurred to me, and then I was curious as to what others did the same that I hadn't noticed for 30-40 years. So I started this thread.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Gunstar

[NE146]

Just something interesting if you weren't aware.. in Mame (e.g. MameUI) you can easily flip the screen left-right. Of course, you'd have to reconfigure your controls as well but the point is if for some reason you were interested in playing Jungle King/Hunt going right, or Moon Patrol going left, you can.

 

 

 

[Level42]

About top to bottom scroller.............don't tell me we have forgotten about the brilliant Caverns of Mars and it's cousin games ?

 

OK, at one point it reverses, but it starts top to bottom

Edited December 15, 2018 by Level42

[Level42]

Sorry double post....

Edited December 15, 2018 by Level42

[Level42]

Just something interesting if you weren't aware.. in Mame (e.g. MameUI) you can easily flip the screen left-right. Of course, you'd have to reconfigure your controls as well but the point is if for some reason you were interested in playing Jungle King/Hunt going right, or Moon Patrol going left, you can.

 

image2.jpg

image1.jpg

 

 

 

 

Suddenly, that looks strangely more natural....LOL

 

I think it definitely has to do with the fact that Jungle King (Hunt) was a Japanese game and their writing system. This makes it more natural for them then for westerners I guess.

But I guess I'm with Supergun here...I think I may have thought it was awkward the very first time I saw it (the A8 version was the first I ever played) but that may have lasted a few seconds and then I just went for it.

 

Another possible factor could be trying to make it a bit more difficult ?

[Rybags]

I tried it mirrored in Mame... though using keyboard so not quite what you'd get from it if it was the real deal.

 

Vines, no difference though you don't use the stick there.

River and mountain it doesn't feel quite the same, final screen doesn't feel different.

 

But with a stick on the arcade machine I feel that the way it's done lends better to those wanting to use right handed stick operation - which is opposite to most arcade games of the time.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Rybags

[leech]

Was there ever a flipped hack for it? Maybe my rusty old brain is remembering it wrong. I mean it has been 30 some odd years since I played it.

Then again, I am still convinced that Donkey Kong on the Nintendo Online is wrong in the level order, since on the Atari it always had rhe barrel jumping stage, then the building with rivets, then the elevator / spring stage. On the Nintendo Switch, the spring stage is second...

[Rybags]

I'd say highly unlikely. Computer, arcade, 2600 would all be a case of significant program changes.

[carlsson]

Bottum up is easy, more or less every slalom game ever made (e.g. Olympic Skier), plus a few simple racing games and cave dwellers like Caverns of Mars as Level42 already mentioned.

[NE146]

I am still convinced that Donkey Kong on the Nintendo Online is wrong in the level order, since on the Atari it always had rhe barrel jumping stage, then the building with rivets, then the elevator / spring stage. On the Nintendo Switch, the spring stage is second...

 

The original arcade version from Japan had the levels in a simple repeating 1-2-3-4 order (with "1" being ramps, "2" being the Pie Factory, etc.). The US version spiced the order up a little with 1-4, 1-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-1-3-4, 1-2-1-3-1-4 (repeats).

One offshoot of that is it meant that US players NEVER got to see the Pie Factory, nor the Elevators levels at their "level 1" easy difficulty. 'Course these days with Mame and DK on the Switch, it's available for all to see.

Edited December 15, 2018 by NE146

[Heaven/TQA]

Isnt donkey Kong worst 2600 port ever? With only 2 stages?

[miker]

Also there was Warlok going left:

 

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-warlok_5715.html

 

Well, at least partially, because you have to return "home" going right.

 

Pretty unplayable, though.

[Gunstar]

Also there was Warlok going left:

 

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-warlok_5715.html

 

Well, at least partially, because you have to return "home" going right.

 

Pretty unplayable, though.

Holy crap! I can't believe I forgot that game goes left! I really like it and play it often, but not in past months. I suck at it though and so never got far enough yet to find out you go back right again to return home. But you still can't go left and right in-game at will, it forces you left or right, so it's not really bi-directional game even if it has the ability to scroll bi-directionally, so I'd say it counts just like Kung Fu, but this is one we have on our Atari's!

[carlsson]

A bit of necroposting, but in the current round of the High Score Club we're playing a selection of random games including Collision Course (Zimag) which happens to be another one of the rare left scrolling games.