SwordQuest FireWorld Contest Cart Finally Dumped

[RecordManiac12]

By way of introduction, I am Rick Davidson and was one of the 50 contestants at the Fireworld playoffs.

 

Thanks to the loan from Charles Wieland of equipment to dump my FIREWORLD PLAYOFF EProm, and the acquisition of a PAL  version of FIREWORLD, I have finally been able to compare all 3 versions of FIREWORLD. See attached photos. I have found that the standard commercial cart and the playoff cart both start with the objects in the same identical rooms. The objects in the playoff cart have to placed in different rooms than the standard cart in order to get the onscreen clues. The rooms in the PAL cart are not he same color as the other two carts, and the PAL objects are in different starting locations (rooms).

     I can't find my riddle sheet from the playoff, so I'll be using the trial and error method to create a walkthrough  of the contest cart, and that may take quite a while. Bare with me.

[+Yurkie]

Very cool.

 

In your post you seem to contradict yourself.

 

Saying in part "I have found that the standard commercial cart and the playoff cart both start with the objects in the same identical rooms. The objects in the playoff cart have to placed in different rooms than the standard cart in order to get the onscreen clues."

 

 

[+jeremiahjt]

26 minutes ago, Yurkie said:

Very cool.

 

In your post you seem to contradict yourself.

 

Saying in part "I have found that the standard commercial cart and the playoff cart both start with the objects in the same identical rooms. The objects in the playoff cart have to placed in different rooms than the standard cart in order to get the onscreen clues."

 

 

The objects start in the same room in both games, but each game has different target rooms for the objects.

 

This is pretty cool. Always like seeing someone from those old contests pop up.

[RecordManiac12]

     Let me try to clarify. Although the objects start out in the same rooms in both the commercial game and the playoff game, they have to be placed in different rooms in each of the games to get onscreen clues.

     In the PAL game, the objects do not start in the same rooms as in both of the other games.

     I hope this has helped. If not, I'll try to answer any other questions anyone has.

 

                                                                         - Rick

[+Yurkie]

Thank You for the explanation. Are you going to post the roms?

[RecordManiac12]

     I'm attaching the three versions of SwordQuest FireWorld that I have. Play them, compare them, and share them. Just leave my name on the playoff version so that I can see how far it spreads. ENJOY!!!

 

                                                                        _- RICK DAVIDSON -_

SwordQuest - Fireworld (1982) (Atari) (PAL) [!].a26 SwordQuest - Fireworld (1982) (Atari).a26 Swordquest - FIREWORLD finalist EProm dumped from RICK DAVIDSON'S cart.bin

[+Mitch]

For some reason I thought it was the Canadian NTSC version that was the same as the contest version. Or am I thinking of Earthworld?

 

Mitch

[RecordManiac12]

I didn't know there was another version out there. Do you have the Canadian ROM ?

[+jeremiahjt]

Do you remember what you put in your essay to become one of the 50?

 

What does the contest cartridge look like?

[+Mitch]

9 hours ago, RecordManiac12 said:

I didn't know there was another version out there. Do you have the Canadian ROM ?

Nope. It is a rumor that is unconfirmed. But it might be earthworld  that I am thinking of.

 

Mitch

[RecordManiac12]

I can't say anything about the EarthWorld playoff cart. I solved the game, but it was too late to enter the contest.

 

                  rick

[Omegamatrix]

52 minutes ago, Mitch said:

Nope. It is a rumor that is unconfirmed. But it might be earthworld  that I am thinking of.

 

Mitch

Yep, it's Earthworld cart you're thinking of. I've bought a few and dumped them but never was able to find one that is similar to the PAL version. However I'm not sure if Torr had a PAL and thought it was NTSC. He did say the colors were correct though.

[Omegamatrix]

I have disassembled and re-assembled all three Fireworld Roms:

 

Fireworld(all).zip

 

The main difference in the Tournament rom is colors and objects needed for clues. Here is a summary of clues:

 

Spoiler

;--------------------------
;     TOURNAMENT ROM
;--------------------------
CLUE_0:
    CHALICE, AMULET, TALLISMAN, WARRIORS_SWORD
CLUE_1:
    DAGGER
CLUE_2:
    TALLISMAN
CLUE_3:
    ROPE, GRAPPLING_HOOK
CLUE_4:
    OIL_LAMP, FOOD
CLUE_5:
    CLOAK, SHOES
CLUE_6:
    DAGGER, WARRIORS_SWORD, SHORT_SWORD
CLUE_7:
    AMULET, TALLISMAN, RING, WATER
CLUE_8:
    ROPE, AMULET, TALLISMAN, GRAPPLING_HOOK
CLUE_9:
    SHIELD

;--------------------------
;     NTSC ROM
;--------------------------
CLUE_0:
    SHOES, OIL_LAMP, RING, FOOD
CLUE_1:
    CLOAK, TALLISMAN, WATER, GRAPPLING_HOOK
CLUE_2:
    CHALICE, LEATHER_ARMOR, TALLISMAN, GRAPPLING_HOOK
CLUE_3:
    SHIELD, OIL_LAMP, RING, SHORT_SWORD
CLUE_4:
    ROPE, OIL_LAMP, RING, FOOD
CLUE_5:
    AMULET, LEATHER_ARMOR, TALLISMAN, WARRIORS_SWORD
CLUE_6:
    SHIELD, DAGGER, OIL_LAMP, SHORT_SWORD
CLUE_7:
    ROPE, DAGGER, OIL_LAMP, FOOD
CLUE_8:
    DAGGER, LEATHER_ARMOR, OIL_LAMP, TALLISMAN
CLUE_9:
    CHALICE, AMULET, LEATHER_ARMOR, TALLISMAN

;--------------------------
;     PAL ROM
;--------------------------
CLUE_0:
    SHOES, TALLISMAN, FOOD, LEATHER_ARMOR, ROPE
    DAGGER, SHORT_SWORD, SHIELD, AMULET, CHALICE
CLUE_1:
    SHOES, TALLISMAN
CLUE_2:
    SHOES, TALLISMAN, FOOD
CLUE_3:
    SHOES, TALLISMAN, FOOD, LEATHER_ARMOR
CLUE_4:
    SHOES, TALLISMAN, FOOD, LEATHER_ARMOR, ROPE
CLUE_5:
    SHOES, TALLISMAN, FOOD, LEATHER_ARMOR, ROPE, DAGGER
CLUE_6:
    SHOES, TALLISMAN, FOOD, LEATHER_ARMOR
    ROPE, DAGGER, SHORT_SWORD
CLUE_7:
    SHOES, TALLISMAN, FOOD, LEATHER_ARMOR
    ROPE, DAGGER, SHORT_SWORD, SHIELD
CLUE_8:
    SHOES, TALLISMAN, FOOD, LEATHER_ARMOR, ROPE
    DAGGER, SHORT_SWORD, SHIELD, AMULET
CLUE_9:
    SHOES

 

Thank you Rick for providing the rom. This was honestly a great thing as I fear if you had not done it than it would likely have been lost forever. It gives great insight to that particular day, and is something to remember it by.

 

 

[Omegamatrix]

For sake of completeness, here are my disassemblies of Earthworld and Waterworld. All that is missing is Airworld which seems to have vaporized...

 

SwordquestEarthworld.asm

 

WaterWorld.asm

 

 

[Tempest]

So if the comic book was never translated into other languages, how did people figure out the game over in PAL countries?  Was there a hint sheet included like with the contest?

[Omegamatrix]

Wow, I just read that John-Michael Battaglia died back in 2016.

 

https://buffalonews.com/obituaries/john-michael-battaglia-freelance-film-producer-writer/article_402ae9a9-2b2b-5ee2-b45e-c119ae1c7f84.html

 

He wrote the contest clues for Earthworld and the manual for Waterworld amongst other things. I thought we emailed each other years ago but I can't find it. He had a PCBA of the Earthworld contest cart and was interested in finding a programmer to do updates to the rom. His website seems to be gone. I did find an interview here:

 

http://www.ataricompendium.com/archives/interviews/john-michael_battaglia/interview_john-michael_battaglia.html

 

 

[RecordManiac12]

     I don't remember my essay word for word. I just spread it on really thick about how compelling and addictive and enjoyable the game was, and how obsessed I was till I got it figured out.

     Thanks for the disassemblies of the other games. And thanks for all the interest in this topic everybody.

    

     Here are pics of the cart and the T-Shirt.

 

 

[Tempest]

So they gave you a lab loaner cart with the contest version on it?  Interesting.

[hhwolfman]

On 7/4/2021 at 10:11 AM, RecordManiac12 said:

     I don't remember my essay word for word. I just spread it on really thick about how compelling and addictive and enjoyable the game was, and how obsessed I was till I got it figured out.

     Thanks for the disassemblies of the other games. And thanks for all the interest in this topic everybody.

    

     Here are pics of the cart and the T-Shirt.

 

 

That shirt. ?

[Rom Hunter]

On 7/4/2021 at 2:45 PM, Tempest said:

So if the comic book was never translated into other languages, how did people figure out the game over in PAL countries?  Was there a hint sheet included like with the contest?

Nope.

I searched high and low for the comic books for several years back then.

Was way before the internet, so I examined all comic book and second hand book stores in and around Amsterdam.

Alas to no avail.

Weird times.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

On 7/4/2021 at 8:07 AM, Omegamatrix said:

I have disassembled and re-assembled all three Fireworld Roms:

Do the changes between NTSC and PAL look intentional? Why would they do that? 

On 7/4/2021 at 8:07 AM, Omegamatrix said:

Thank you Rick for providing the rom. This was honestly a great thing as I fear if you had not done it than it would likely have been lost forever. It gives great insight to that particular day, and is something to remember it by.

/signed

[Omegamatrix]

2 hours ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Do the changes between NTSC and PAL look intentional? Why would they do that? 

They are 100% intentional. As to why... It's a secret to everybody.

[RecordManiac12]

     I think the reason for the change is the same reason for so many other things in the world. MONEY! Just think, if they make a few changes in an old game, they open up a "NEW" game market without very much effort. People familiar with the original game will buy the "NEW" game just to see the changes, and everybody else would buy it for the usual reasons.

     So, more money; less effort.

[Tempest]

So if there was no comic and no hint sheet, how did people play the game?   Or did they include the comic and just not translate it?

[RecordManiac12]

Atari as a company was all but dead. They just put the PAL version out there to get what little they could out of it. The buyers just had to play it blind. Trial and error was the only method they had to get the onscreen clues. Since the contest was over, the clues didn't matter except the for thrill of finding them, so that made it OK.