Pitfall Map/Guide?

[swandy]

WAY BACK WHEN, when I had the 2600 for the first time (actually an Atari VCS), I remember reading that it was impossible to make a complete cycle of Pitfall within the 20 minutes unless you used the lower/scorpion levels. Someone had actually mapped out a guide telling when to drop into the tunnels as so many were dead ends or you missed a prize.

Anyone have any ideas of where I can get one of these - assuming they are still available to read/download?

Also, was a map/guide ever made public for Pitfall II???

 

(My 22 year old son walked in this evening, watched me play Mountain King for a few minutes, turned to see if my P4 3.5 computer was still working and just did not understand............)

[Mindfield]

Graphical Pitfall! map and strategy tip

Pitfall II map

 

I can understand your son's confusion -- it's pretty common. Some people just don't understand what it's all about -- but then at 22 your son missed the best years of Atari. :-)

[swandy]

He was just a little baby, but my daughter (27) and her fiancee thought the idea of collecting this stuff again was "way cool".

 

BTW - thanks to the links for the maps.

Edited July 1, 2005 by swandy

[davepesc]

Awesome maps, thanks!

[krupkaj]

And here is also map of seconf level

http://maps.atari8.info/pitfall2.php

 

BTW Peter has great maps on his site

[bradhig]

anyone ever map pitfall with screenshots?

[durden26]

I guess at 23 I missed the best years of Atari, too. But now I'm catching up!

[arlo]

Wow, those are great, thanks for the links. I had pitfall as a kid, but I think I was just too young to be good at it, and realize just how big the area was.

[Mindfield]

anyone ever map pitfall with screenshots?

915032[/snapback]

 

That would probably be a little confusing due to the way the underground passages work, though I'm sure someone could map it out by going entirely above ground.

[shadow460]

I'm almost 30, and I remember pretty much every VCS game my daddy had when I was a kid.

A friend of mine who is two years younger than me is "not as well versed" in Atari.

 

The nice thing is that a working Atari 2600 will keep even today's kids entertained.

[Ferris]

I'm 23 and this is all I've ever cared to play.

[SeaGtGruff]

Graphical Pitfall! map and strategy tip

Pitfall II map

883964[/snapback]

 

Here's a map I made of Pitfall! II using Atari 2600 screenshots (on an emulator). I guess it's sort of redundant now, since it's basically the same as the map from the Commodore 64 version-- but I'm posting it just in case any Atarians want to see the "real thing"!

 

I started to make a screenshot map for Pitfall!, but never finished. Maybe one day I'll revisit that project.

 

Michael Rideout

[DParker]

Excellent maps folks - especially SeaGT's map.

 

Pitfall 2 was the first game I ever "finished" and what a rush to see the entire map 20 some years later.

 

Although, somehow it all seemed so much bigger back then <:

[SeaGtGruff]

Excellent maps folks - especially SeaGT's map.

920034[/snapback]

 

Thank you! After a nice compliment like that, I may just have to get cracking on the map for the first Pitfall!

 

Pitfall 2 was the first game I ever "finished" and what a rush to see the entire map 20 some years later.

 

Although, somehow it all seemed so much bigger back then <:

920034[/snapback]

 

Believe me, it only *seems* so much smaller when you see all of the screens put together like that. When you're playing the game-- and especially if you're trying to capture each screen and then paste them together into a map-- it seems very big, indeed!

 

However, I understand there was a version for the 800 computer that included an additional area to explore, after you rescued the cat-- but I haven't played it, so I don't really know anything about that.

 

Michael Rideout

[rbudrick]

Wow! Are all of Peter's maps there for the atari 8 bit computers? I really didn't recognize most of those titles, but they sure look cool...I really want to play a lot of them now...

 

I just love maps to old games...especially those that most people have never seen a map to before (rarer maps, basically).

 

I rememeber some time in 97 or 98 I mapped all of Pitfall out on graph paper, since in 15 years I hadn't beaten it (not even close). I wasn't sure until that very point how the caverns worked (they simply bring you 3 screens over). Once I mapped out each screen, and where the treasures were, a "best path" was easy! I always thought the problem with the game was the number of lives, but it's not...it's the time limit! It was weird, after I mapped it, I beat it in a day or two...I guess I just had a really defeatist attitude for 15 years, because I thought the game was impossible. Once I knew how to do it, I suddenly got extremely good at the game...I really don't know how else to explain it...

 

-Rob

[NE146]

However, I understand there was a version for the 800 computer that included an additional area to explore, after you rescued the cat-- but I haven't played it, so I don't really know anything about that.

 

krupkaj posted a link above to a graphical map for the 2nd level. Also AA has a hand drawn one here:

 

http://www.atariage.com/5200/archives/stra...l?SystemID=5200

[D.Yancey]

Wow!  Are all of Peter's maps there for the atari 8 bit computers?  I really didn't recognize most of those titles, but they sure look cool...I really want to play a lot of them now...

 

I just love maps to old games...especially those that most people have never seen a map to before (rarer maps, basically).

 

I rememeber some time in 97 or 98 I mapped all of Pitfall out on graph paper, since in 15 years I hadn't beaten it (not even close).  I wasn't sure until that very point how the caverns worked (they simply bring you 3 screens over).  Once I mapped out each screen, and where the treasures were, a "best path" was easy!  I always thought the problem with the game was the number of lives, but it's not...it's the time limit!  It was weird, after I mapped it, I beat it in a day or two...I guess I just had a really defeatist attitude for 15 years, because I thought the game was impossible.  Once I knew how to do it, I suddenly got extremely good at the game...I really don't know how else to explain it...

 

-Rob

923184[/snapback]

 

If you think 3 lives is difficult, just think how bad it would have been if David Crane hadn't changed it at the last minute.  He originally allowed only one life.  Zoinks!!!

 

 

Also if you'd like to try a Pitfall! clone without using the tunnels, you should try Tom Boy if you can find the Rom. You'll surely run out of time on this one, but what's the most points you can get. It won't be 114,000. I may have to try a serious run on it one day.

Edited September 1, 2005 by D.Yancey

[+Nathan Strum]

Here's a map I made of Pitfall! II using Atari 2600 screenshots (on an emulator).

 

Nice! I'd like to see the Pitfall one if you ever decide to complete it.

[supercat]

If you think 3 lives is difficult, just think how bad it would have been if David Crane hadn't changed it at the last minute.  He originally allowed only one life.  Zoinks!!!

923434[/snapback]

 

IMHO, the game might have been better if rather than having three lives, dying cost the player some amount of time (say 3 minutes) on the clock.

[Dr. Morbis]

If you think 3 lives is difficult, just think how bad it would have been if David Crane hadn't changed it at the last minute.  He originally allowed only one life.  Zoinks!!!

923434[/snapback]

 

IMHO, the game might have been better if rather than having three lives, dying cost the player some amount of time (say 3 minutes) on the clock.

924202[/snapback]

That's the exact same thing as having only one life. If you lose 3 minutes after your first death, collecting all the treasures becomes impossible. The only way to beat the game under your proposed conditions would be to do a no-death run.

[D.Yancey]

If you think 3 lives is difficult, just think how bad it would have been if David Crane hadn't changed it at the last minute.  He originally allowed only one life.  Zoinks!!!

923434[/snapback]

 

IMHO, the game might have been better if rather than having three lives, dying cost the player some amount of time (say 3 minutes) on the clock.

924202[/snapback]

That's the exact same thing as having only one life. If you lose 3 minutes after your first death, collecting all the treasures becomes impossible. The only way to beat the game under your proposed conditions would be to do a no-death run.

924210[/snapback]

That's right because the world record for a perfect Pitfall!-most time remaining is 1 minute and 1 second. My best on tape is 59 seconds remaining. If you lost 3 minutes then you'd have to reset.