2 versions of Winter Games?

[Tempest]

Well Tom is listed as the Producer on Winter Games according to his site, and he did do some coding on other games.

 

Tempest

[Albert]

If my memory serves me correctly, the cart board is also different between the two version. I should verify that though. Still not the easiest way to tell though.

That's better than nothing, though, and unless the game is NIB, you could always ask the seller to take pictures for you.

 

..Al

[PacManPlus]

I've just acquired another loose copy of Winter Games today, and it is the one with the sounds. I will gladly swap it with someone here who has one *without* the sounds, as all I want is the 32KRAM Chip inside it, and I'd rather cannibalize the one without the sounds in it.

 

Label is in very good condition.

 

First one to PM me that has a 'soundless' one to swap with me will get it.

 

Thanks,

Bob

[+Mitch]

I've just acquired another loose copy of Winter Games today, and it is the one with the sounds. I will gladly swap it with someone here who has one *without* the sounds, as all I want is the 32KRAM Chip inside it, and I'd rather cannibalize the one without the sounds in it.

 

Label is in very good condition.

 

First one to PM me that has a 'soundless' one to swap with me will get it.

 

Thanks,

Bob

 

All I want is the date code off of the ROM chip. If you end up reusing the cart can you take a pic for me?

 

Mitch

[PacManPlus]

No problem, Mitch - I have not opened it yet, but if I have no takers for this version...

 

Boib

[Trebor]

*RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE*...IMHO, it's worth it.

 

Besides the sound differences mentioned in the OP, there is a significant graphics difference. All graphics in the game are identical, except in the skiing portion of the Biathlon.

 

First, there is a considerable huge upgrade to the skier sprite:

 

 

The darker blue used for the sky and upper portion of the water may have been easy to overlook, but pretty surprising the skier sprite was not noticed.

 

Secondly, going back to the first screen, this time we'll capture it from the middle of the event, after the START and before FINISH signs are in place, to perhaps make it stand-out a bit more:

 

 

The initials "AK" on the screen. Somebody may have caught that and wasn't too happy for the game to make it out to the masses that way. Or then again, maybe the initials were not noticed.

[Tempest]

I'm starting to think that the version with the missing sounds and different skier was a beta that accidentally got released.

[Trebor]

I'm starting to think that the version with the missing sounds and different skier was a beta that accidentally got released.

 

Perhaps Arthur Krewat will see the update and have something more concrete for us. Those are his initials in the screen captures, and he did mention earlier recalling a version provided "that didn't include all the music."

 

Seeing the graphics comparisons maybe will help jog his memory a bit further.

 

Coincidentally, several years ago, he was looking for a possible update to MESS to include "RAM around $4000-$5FFF or $6000-7FFF while there is actual non-banked code in other areas", and recent versions of MAME have that (And more, it actually covers RAM $4000 thru $7FFF without bank-switching); properly supporting the Rescue on Fractalus prototype.

 

If the early dev version of California Games surfaces that was mentioned, it may be possible to have it work under MAME as well to further development. Per AK, it "uses memory in the $2600-$27FF range".

[toiletunes]

Trebor: Please add this to your ROMPack

[Trebor]

Trebor: Please add this to your ROMPack

 

Already a part of a revision that will be posted, along with ~20 new or updated homebrews, hacks, and demos.

[Rogerpoco]

Another necrobump on this one, would love to hear @krewat  's opinion, but I imagine that won't happen, been gone a while.

(I'd be a fanboy, I'm addicted to the Games games right now...).

 

Besides the sounds and graphics, from a scoring perspective I'm also pretty sure the games have different potential scores as well.

I have an APB out for the version with sound, mine is w/o, so I can a/b the two.

My Ski Jump score is much higher than anything I've seen anywhere-I am a good Ski Jumper, C64 version W/R, but it's several digits higher, lol, yay me.

I'm also OFF by about four seconds on the Bobsled, and I'm a decent sledder as well, I KNOW I'm not leaving four seconds on the table.

 

Like I said, looking for the other version with sound to A/B them, but I've just been trained well on scoring, and Occam's Razor is already making me feel pretty confident about my suspicions.