Cyplix

[Atari Charles]

Cyplix available for download:

 

http://beepbopboop.com/

[Cootster]

Wait, you make a really cool hack . . . And you decide to use what is quite possibly the worst 2600 game ever made as a base? You jump off the platform, you die, repeat . . . Seriously, as awful as Bugs and Sssnake are, BiBi/Sea Hunt/Fisher Price is worse, IMO.

 

I mean I know your site is about "bad" games, but this isn't just a "bad" game. . . It's a BAD game . . . Your graphics rock the hizzouse, but it's unsalvageable . . .

 

Were you the same guy who hacked Karate?

[CPUWIZ]

Were you the same guy who hacked Karate?

 

[Atari Charles]

Yes, the game Bi! Bi! is even worse than Sea Hunt, but the game appealed to me and is hard to play. Using the hideous blocky Pac-Man and those Ghosts made the combination complete. I didn't want to do a millionth hack of asteroids or some other game commonly hacked, so for me this was a good choice. There are two levels to the game(the second level can be quite hard to get to).

 

And how can you not want to rescue E.T.?(See manual and storyline.)

 

Jumping off the playform is almost an artform, but once you get the hang of it, you can jump of the platform without getting eaten, then you can kill those Sea Ghosts with the power pellet you shoot out of your mouth.

 

Thanks for the compliments on the graphics. The game is salvageable and enjoyable, but you have to get the hang of it.

[Brad2600]

I'm going to be blunt here.

 

I think this hack SUCKS.

 

Don't get me wrong man. It's unplayable. It makes E.T look like a work of genius.

 

I thought E.T was annoying but this hack just plain SUCKS.

[Atari Charles]

The game is difficult as it is meant to me. It is difficult for Pac-Man to jump in the sea without getting eaten. You have to jump at the right time in order to avoid getting eaten. Yes, the game is difficult and challenging.

 

I guess Kepone thinks physics and math sucks because he can't get it right away too!

 

And Kepone, don't dismiss the game as unplayable just because it is difficult. And to out and out say that the game sucks on the first day it is posted and by you playing it one or two times, makes your opinion irrelivant. Why don't you actually try and get good at the game before you give your opinion of it.

 

So I guess, according to Kepone, anything that is a challenge sucks.

 

So I take it Kepone thinks:

 

Math sucks.

Physics sucks.

Programming sucks.

Chess sucks.

Assembly language sucks.

and so on.

 

 

 

I found this game really hard myself, until I learned how to play it as well. Now it is challenging. Oh and reading the manual certainly helps.

 

If you think that all there is to the game is jumping in the water and getting eaten by one of the ghosts is all there is to the game, then you are totally wrong. Again, this is a hard game that takes time to get good at.

 

Kepone, your post is insulting and I believe you intended it to be. Hence your use of the word "sucks."

 

Cootster's were meant to be constructive and honest. However, Kepone's comments were meant to be insulting, condescending, and to piss me off.

 

I remember when I was in junior high and highschool, and there would always be kids who would say something stupid like "School Sucks." These same kids, due to their bad attitude and their dislike of anything difficult, ended up not graduating highschool and ended up either in jail or working some deadend job in some cheese factory or the like. See how this ties in. Kepone's comments that this game sucks is as meaningless as these highschool kids back in the day.

 

Constrictive criticism is fine, but I think Kepone stepped over the line of what is constructive criticism and being an ass.

 

So Kepone, I await your contribution to the hobby. I await your hack or your homebrew to humble my crappy and sucky attempt at a game.

[Brad2600]

You could pick a better game to hack next time.

 

And if you cannot handle the honesty of others, then perhaps hacking is not for you.

[Atari Charles]

Hello Kepone,

 

I chose this game because of its difficulty and the fact that the game is fun once you start getting good at it, it is really challenging, and the fact that the terrible sounds of this game match the horridness that is the 2600's version of Pac-Man.

 

Again, constructive criticism is fine. ie: telling me what you think should be changed about the game; what is good about the game; what is bad about the game; and so on.

 

All you did was say that the game sucks. That is all. This is not constructive criticism at all, but you acting like a jerk.

 

Tell me what you don;t like about the game. That is what I want to hear. You saying the "game sucks" is like those highschool kids saying "school sucks." Get my point?

 

When stating an arguement, you need to state a proper thesis, (ex: This game sucks because Pac-Man is to easily and quickly killed when diving into the water.") What you stated, "I think this hack sucks" is simply an opinion. If the game sucks, tell us why? If you had given some actual reasons, then I could look at your opinion( it isn't even an arguement(thesis) yet) and take what you have to say seriously.

 

An opinion tells me that you haven't thought anything through. Well, how could you in such a short period of time?

 

You said, "That I could have picked a better game to hack." Do you mean better as in easier or just a better made game? I chose this game because of it's origins, it's hard gameplay, it suited what I wanted to do, and because it is obscure.

 

So, again, I await your arguement(not opinion) and your reasons why you think this game sucks.

 

Sincerely,

Charles

[Robert M]

When I try to run this hack in Stella the screen rolls. Something isn't quite right with it.

 

Cheers!

[Atari Charles]

Hi,

 

Use the Z26 emulator. That is what I used to test the game and I have found it to be the best emulator so far.

 

Here is the link:

 

http://www.whimsey.com/z26/z26.html

 

 

And here is the tutorial on the Z26

 

http://atariage.com/2600/emulation/z26_tutorial/

 

 

Thanks,

Atari Charles

[Cootster]

At what point does one jump off the platform and have a less than 100% chance of touching a ghost before you have a chance to fire?

 

Give us a strategy tip here, Charles.

 

If you can actually get past the first screen of this game, you should be trying to break all of Todd Rogers' records instead . . . Hell, I'll bet he hasn't even done it.

 

There's a difference between "hard" and "unplayable".

[Atari Charles]

Hi.

 

I just played a round of Cyplix and rescued ET and the gang.

 

Here are some tips in order to make it safely into the sea.

 

--watch the actions of the Sea Ghosts. This is very simple AI and they do watch what you are doing. But wait until the two smaller ghosts are to the right of the platform. Then jump left(over vise versa). Once firmly in the ocean, you'll be able to fire a power pellet or move around them to get a better shot.

 

--You can move around on the platform itself, so position yourself to the extreme edge of the platform beofre jumping.

 

--The big ghost is slow and not too smart. He is easier to avoid than the smaller Sea Ghosts.

 

--Shoot the Sea Ghosts on the lower half of their bodies. This is where they are vulnerable(You'll get the hang of it)

 

 

--This game is difficult, but does have lots of ongoing playability.

 

--Once all three ghosts are killed(you can figure out the best place to shot at any new ghosts created), quickly go into their Ghosts creation chamber and push your joystick down. Pac-Man will then go towards the ocean floor and then into Level two which is the Sea Ghosts Lair.

 

 

***When I first played this game, I had a hard time getting into the ocean without getting killed, but I got good at the game, and now it is easy.

 

***Before I hacked it, I didn't even know their was a second level. I kept on dying because my oxygen would run out. Read the manual. It is very usefull and explains the mechanics and what to do in the game.

 

***I like challenging games and this game is definitely challenging. I think the limited AI of the ghosts makes it so as well as what Pac-Man has to do while he has oxygen. The game has many different aspects and skills a person will have to get good at before doing really well at the game. Again, if you have patience and are willing to learn the game(which can be fun in itself), the learning process and getting good at the game can be really fun.

 

***Cyplix is probably the hardest game(from the get-go) for the Atari 2600. And maybe that's why some people have dismissed it and its previous incarnations as too difficult right off the bat.

 

***I don't want to give too much away. And I do feel that the manual provided with Cyplix has a lot of very useful information that will help you.

 

***Patience Young Jedi. Do not let anger and frustartion consume you. Use the strength of your mind. Know what the Sea Ghosts are doing and their intentions. Reading the manual and watching the Sea Ghosts' behavior will give you the information you need.

 

Note: I have had a few Atarittes and Commodorittes(8 in total) from my home city(Edmonton) try this game before I released it. I guess they were my game testers. Anyways, they brought up some of the same concerns as some of you did. But as they learned the strategy of the game, they began to enjoy it more and more. They gave the thumbs up, and that's when I released it.

 

Note2: This is not a plug and play game like Asteroids where you don't have to really think and can get good at it in a few minutes. Cyplix does require skill in movement, analysis, and patience figuring out what you need to do. If you like a challenge, then this game will fit your bill.

 

 

This is my last post on the Cyplix Game. The people who want to figure out the strategy for the game will, and will have fun doing, and realize the game isn't impossible and can be a lot of fun. Also, I appreciate the feedback(good and bad) as this will let me know what the current Atari population wants for future hacks and homebrews.

[Cootster]

Hi.

 

I just played a round of Cyplix and rescued ET and the gang.

 

Here are some tips in order to make it safely into the sea.

 

 

--Shoot the Sea Ghosts on the lower half of their bodies. This is where they are vulnerable(You'll get the hang of it)

 

Actually' date=' the last line on the bottom of the Sea Ghosts is a no-hit zone, too . . . Aim between the eyes and the pleats where it's a solid block . . . Took me a while to realize the bottom wasn't a good spot to aim for.

 

 

 

 

Note: I have had a few Atarittes and Commodorittes(8 in total) from my home city(Edmonton) try this game before I released it. I guess they were my game testers. Anyways, they brought up some of the same concerns as some of you did. But as they learned the strategy of the game, they began to enjoy it more and more. They gave the thumbs up, and that's when I released it.

 

Note2: This is not a plug and play game like Asteroids where you don't have to really think and can get good at it in a few minutes. Cyplix does require skill in movement, analysis, and patience figuring out what you need to do. If you like a challenge, then this game will fit your bill.

 

 

This is my last post on the Cyplix Game. The people who want to figure out the strategy for the game will, and will have fun doing, and realize the game isn't impossible and can be a lot of fun. Also, I appreciate the feedback(good and bad) as this will let me know what the current Atari population wants for future hacks and homebrews.[/quote']

 

 

Yes, I finally enjoy this game . . . Maybe it's not worse than Bugs after all . . . And, I suspect the original programmer (whether it was Heiden at Froggo or, more likely, someone at Suntek Software in Taiwan) didn't actually care as much about it . . . Shame we'll never get it on a cart, because this puppy cries out for a high score contest . . .

 

Speaking of the score . . . It doesn't calculate until you actually complete the level, right?

[Atari Charles]

Hi.

 

I said my last post was going to be my lost post on Cyplix. But here I am to answer a few questions and to give an update.

 

-To get your score, you must return the the Cyplix statue(the platform).

 

***There are two levels to this game, so when you destroy all three Sea-ghosts, rush into their creation chamber(home) and push your joystick down. This will take you to the second level where E.T. E.T. Junior, and Ms. Pac-Man are. They are worth a lot of points.

 

-I call Ms. Pac-Man, Mrs. Pac-Man as I assume that she has(had) gotten married to Pac-Man by now.

 

 

*I would love to put this on a cart, so if anyone up up to the task, or if Atari Age is interested, they can PM me or email me.

 

You can still have high score contests via the emulator, so if anyone wants to start up a contest, feel free to.

 

I have contacted a very famous video game player to try out the Cyplix game. Hopefully he gets back to me. If he plays Cyplix, I'll post his findings, comments, etc. on either Atari 2600 Duds or if O.K. with the webmaster of Beep! Bop! Boop! soemwhere there.

 

And Cootster, thanks for giving the game another try.

[Brad2600]

To be fair, one of the majors that I'm considering in college has a little bit of C+ coding in it. I might end up touching on the basics of it but my heart is more in web design right now. I couldn't design a game Charles because I'm not good at math. I can't believe I'm taking a Statistics course in the Spring and yet, I failed Basic Algebra. According to the college's assessments, a 60 is high enough to take Statistics.

[CPUWIZ]

To be fair, one of the majors that I'm considering in college has a little bit of C+ coding in it.

 

'C' or 'C++', there is no 'C+'!

 

[Atari Charles]

Statistics is easy but IMO really boring. You should be fine.

 

A little advice. For a major, take something that you like and are(or can be) good at. The career that you go into later should be something that encompases both interest and skill.

 

I'm alright with math. And I still haven't really figured out assembly langauge as much as I'd like to. For me, making games or hacks for the Atari 2600 is a hobbie as are computers. I know way more about Creative writing and English Lit.

 

Good luck with school.

[uosipa llamxew]

After reading this thread, I've learned to enjoy a game that, before, I probably would not have given a second chance. Sea Hunt really isn't that bad once you get the hang of it. :-) Thanks for sharing, Ataricharles.

[Cootster]

After reading this thread, I've learned to enjoy a game that, before, I probably would not have given a second chance.  Sea Hunt really isn't that bad once you get the hang of it.  :-)  Thanks for sharing, Ataricharles.  

 

There's a high score contest over in Contests . . . Enter, so someone doesn't win by default.