7800 Missing in Action

[ubersaurus]

Unfinished or no, I'd still put in a bit of money towards a collective effort to pick it up.

[shadow460]

True, and plus the money goes to help Joe get set up for something game related anyway. In a way, contributing to such a fund would help the gaming community in general in more ways than one.

 

I don't know if 5,000 people around here would be willing to commit a buck to buy the proto or not, though.

[Trip_Cannon]

So is the bug fixable?

[Bruce Tomlin]

I'd consider buying it, I just don't know how to dump it. If I buy it will someone produce it?

 

Cousin Vinnie

Dumping is not a problem. I've dumped 7800 games in the past, and I still can. (I may even have been the original source of the NTSC Sentinel/Klax dumps that everyone has.) I don't normally use my dumper unit because the pull-up resistors I use are somehow incompatible with the CC2, but its board is handy, I just checked. (someday I should rewrite it to not need pull-ups for size detect, but it's not really worth that much trouble)

 

Ve haff vays uff making zem talk.

 

And I have circuit boards which can do bank-switching, as long as it doesn't use RAM, which it probably doesn't. I recall hearing that they gave some bullshit about "not being able to make it work on a real cartridge", but I don't believe it. Oh yeah, that's right, this proto isn't even a physical proto, it's code that you load into an Atari dev cart, right?

 

Then there may not even be a need to dump it. Still, I'd like a chance to make it work in a real cartridge, especially since now I actually do have the time for things like this.

 

EDIT: I just read the other thread. Okay, so there is a real cartridge of this after all. I can make this work, though if the cartridge is openable (or if it's a bare board), that will make things a little easier for me.

 

And hey, Atariboy already has a label for it. So of course we can do it.

 

EDIT: looks like I missed page 3 of this thread. I'd still love to see it work, but I'm not sure that I have the tech to track down 7800 crashes or I'd have already fixed the crashes in my HSC Desert Falcon hack. A 6502 ICE is really useful for stuff like that, and they're not easy to come by.

Edited October 13, 2006 by Bruce Tomlin

[jpfalcon2003]

Glad to hear that there is still hope to e able to enjoy this great cart one day soon.

[+Mitch]

I may even have been the original source of the NTSC Sentinel/Klax dumps that everyone has.

 

Yes, you are.

I've always been meaning to ask you, are the Sentinel and Klax protos that you dumped from your collection or did someone else allow you do dump theirs?

 

Mitch

[Bruce Tomlin]

I may even have been the original source of the NTSC Sentinel/Klax dumps that everyone has.

Yes, you are.

I've always been meaning to ask you, are the Sentinel and Klax protos that you dumped from your collection or did someone else allow you do dump theirs?

 

Mitch

Matt Pritchard in Dallas. He used to work for Ensemble/Microsoft Games, but he's freelance now. We hooked up back in the rgvc days. He has a really nice shrinkwrapped 7800 collection, but it's basically in storage since he's in the "raising a family" stage of life right now. He got those around the time I got my 7800 dumper working. It really annoyed me when I couldn't get it working on a hacked up Hat Trick board, but I didn't know about "low mode" back then (bank 6 to $4000), and Hat Trick didn't use that kind of board.

Edited October 14, 2006 by Bruce Tomlin

[Schmutzpuppe]

Seeling unfinished games for $5000 sounds like a good business model to me

[+Mitch]

John Hardie contacted me and asked me to post the following, regarding the completeness of 7800 MIA.

 

Mitch

 

7800 MIA

 

There are five different stages each with 2-3 sub-levels to them. For the most part, it's a beat-em-up although you do get a gun once in a great while. In one of the stages you are driving a gunboat. There's a boss at the end of some levels although not all of them.

 

There are two "cheats" or more likely debugging options. The left difficulty switch sets your character to invincible (which is how I played most of the game) and the right difficulty switch scrolls through all the levels in the game. With the right difficulty switch moved to the left, it will scroll through all the levels... once it gets to the level you want to play, you move it to the right and that level will begin.

 

The left fire button kicks, the right fire button punches. Pressing the left fire button when there is no enemy near you causes you to jump in the direction you are moving. Moving the joystick up causes you to jump straight up. Pulling the joystick down causes you to crouch where you can do some sort of leg sweep kick also.

 

This game has one of the funniest things I've ever seen in ANY VIDEOGAME! The last boss is some kid (he looks like a kid anyway) in a red jacket. He has about ten times as much health as any of the other enemies but he just stands there and every few seconds a little sign comes up next to him that says "Drugs Joe?". Funniest shit I've ever seen.

 

I played through all the levels and the game does seem to be complete. I didn't notice any graphical glitches nor did I experience and lockups or freezes. The game does have an ending. After you beat the "Drugs Joe?" dude, it goes on to thank you for freeing all the hostages and "Making the world safe from the vietnamese drug czar". There is even an "attract mode" that plays if you don't start the game right away. I'd estimate that the game is 100% complete except for the debug stuff that hasn't been removed, but it can be played normally by setting the difficulty switches correctly.

[Tempest]

John Hardie contacted me and asked me to post the following, regarding the completeness of 7800 MIA.

 

Mitch

 

7800 MIA

 

There are five different stages each with 2-3 sub-levels to them. For the most part, it's a beat-em-up although you do get a gun once in a great while. In one of the stages you are driving a gunboat. There's a boss at the end of some levels although not all of them.

 

There are two "cheats" or more likely debugging options. The left difficulty switch sets your character to invincible (which is how I played most of the game) and the right difficulty switch scrolls through all the levels in the game. With the right difficulty switch moved to the left, it will scroll through all the levels... once it gets to the level you want to play, you move it to the right and that level will begin.

 

The left fire button kicks, the right fire button punches. Pressing the left fire button when there is no enemy near you causes you to jump in the direction you are moving. Moving the joystick up causes you to jump straight up. Pulling the joystick down causes you to crouch where you can do some sort of leg sweep kick also.

 

This game has one of the funniest things I've ever seen in ANY VIDEOGAME! The last boss is some kid (he looks like a kid anyway) in a red jacket. He has about ten times as much health as any of the other enemies but he just stands there and every few seconds a little sign comes up next to him that says "Drugs Joe?". Funniest shit I've ever seen.

 

I played through all the levels and the game does seem to be complete. I didn't notice any graphical glitches nor did I experience and lockups or freezes. The game does have an ending. After you beat the "Drugs Joe?" dude, it goes on to thank you for freeing all the hostages and "Making the world safe from the vietnamese drug czar". There is even an "attract mode" that plays if you don't start the game right away. I'd estimate that the game is 100% complete except for the debug stuff that hasn't been removed, but it can be played normally by setting the difficulty switches correctly.

 

Sounds about right. I remember the gun boat stage (it's hard, I kept flipping it over) and the Drug Kid (didn't know he was the last boss though).

 

Tempest

[shadow460]

I can't help but wonder if the kid was talking to Joe at DP...

Edited October 14, 2006 by shadow460

[Gregory DG]

I've seen maybe two screen shots of the game. If we can't have the game, it'd be nice to at least get to SEE what it looks like.

[shadow460]

Yeah, I've seen a shot of the title screen. It was well detailed.

Edited October 14, 2006 by shadow460

[Tempest]

I've seen maybe two screen shots of the game. If we can't have the game, it'd be nice to at least get to SEE what it looks like.

 

Unfortunately I don't have any screenshots, but I can tell you what I remember about the boards.

 

The first stage you start out hanging upside down with a sack over your head in some kind of prison camp. After you struggle out of it you make your way through the camp with guys on the ground and in towers shooting at you. After that there were a few stages and then a stage that was a big waterfall where the screen scrolled vertically. After that there was a boat stage where you piloted a boat down a river. After that there were a few more stages and finally the warehouse stage with that drug kid. That's honestly all I remember.

 

Tempest

[ubersaurus]

Hm, then I wonder why joe said it froze up for him. Maybe it didn't fit in the 7800 all the way?

[DracIsBack]

He might get more takers if he posted some screen shots or movies of the game.

[Shawn]

it's complete!! OMFG!! I need this game!! Not want, NEED!! Now where the hell do I get $5k from? Doubt I can

[+Allan]

it's complete!! OMFG!! I need this game!! Not want, NEED!! Now where the hell do I get $5k from? Doubt I can

 

There's no way that game was complete. It was close but it definetly had some graphic glitches.

 

Allan

[Atari Dogs]

it's complete!! OMFG!! I need this game!! Not want, NEED!! Now where the hell do I get $5k from? Doubt I can

 

There's no way that game was complete. It was close but it definetly had some graphic glitches.

 

Allan

 

Say it ain't so, Joe. I got really excited when it was stated the game was 100% complete. We need you to sit down and play the game for a couple hours. Then let us know. You never know when someone here may have nothing better to do than buy and release prototypes. (someone, please please please.)

 

Legalwise, we should not have a problem with the name. If we have to change it, why not "MIA". The movie is called "Missing in Action." If there are still name problems why not "MIA/POW"?

[Shawn]

it's complete!! OMFG!! I need this game!! Not want, NEED!! Now where the hell do I get $5k from? Doubt I can

 

There's no way that game was complete. It was close but it definetly had some graphic glitches.

 

Allan

 

Say it ain't so, Joe. I got really excited when it was stated the game was 100% complete. We need you to sit down and play the game for a couple hours. Then let us know. You never know when someone here may have nothing better to do than buy and release prototypes. (someone, please please please.)

 

Legalwise, we should not have a problem with the name. If we have to change it, why not "MIA". The movie is called "Missing in Action." If there are still name problems why not "MIA/POW"?

 

Missing In Action is the title and so it should be. I would really like to get a fund going to buy this cart. I have some money to start it off, anyone else in to start this build up to $5k?

[Atari Dogs]

it's complete!! OMFG!! I need this game!! Not want, NEED!! Now where the hell do I get $5k from? Doubt I can

 

There's no way that game was complete. It was close but it definetly had some graphic glitches.

 

Allan

 

Say it ain't so, Joe. I got really excited when it was stated the game was 100% complete. We need you to sit down and play the game for a couple hours. Then let us know. You never know when someone here may have nothing better to do than buy and release prototypes. (someone, please please please.)

 

Legalwise, we should not have a problem with the name. If we have to change it, why not "MIA". The movie is called "Missing in Action." If there are still name problems why not "MIA/POW"?

 

Missing In Action is the title and so it should be. I would really like to get a fund going to buy this cart. I have some money to start it off, anyone else in to start this build up to $5k?

If I put money in, I get a free cart, right? Yeah, count me in too.

[Shawn]

 

If I put money in, I get a free cart, right? Yeah, count me in too.

 

 

I dunno about the free cart part, I suppose that would all depend on how much you chip in. God only knows, we might need to pay to get a special PCB made. I hope not, but you never know. Detailed pictures of the proto PCB would help out alot cause you could near trace it out just from a good pic.

 

If your reading this John will you take some pics of the board?

[Rik]

"MISSINIG IN ACTION,"looks like it would have been a cool f#$%^&g game to me!!!!!!

[Cousin Vinnie]

Again, I would invest in this project the full amount, I would just like the str8 info. I mean, the man who owns it says its glitches and not complete. In fact he said he KNEW it wasnt complete. My heart wants to believe John Hardie, my wallet wants to believe Joe.

 

Is it possible Joe at DP doesnt know what he has?

 

CV

[Albert]

I may have taken some video of this game being played. Unfortunately the DV tapes are boxed up and I won't be able to get at them for about a month or so.

 

..Al