Albert Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 In case you missed this thread, Thomas Jentzsch has discovered hidden code in Activision's River Raid to display Tanks! He has patched the code so the tanks are now visible when you destroy a bridge. Here are before and after shots: Original Game: With Tanks: You can download the binary here. Enjoy! ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTClaus Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 Thank you! That's what I was waiting for. And now the BALLOONS... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 Thomas Jentzsch has discovered hidden code in Activision's River Raid to display Tanks What the heck are tanks doing in MY River Raid? Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 Thank you! That's what I was waiting for. And now the BALLOONS... Sorry, but there aren't any balloons hidden in the 2600 version. Maybe I could add them by removing some other code (e.g the just "discovered" tanks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 Wow! Do the tanks shoot? And to think some of you guys didn't believe him... tsk tsk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted June 30, 2002 Author Share Posted June 30, 2002 Wow! Do the tanks shoot? They didn't seem to in the version I tried, but we should defer to Thomas. Maybe he can find some hidden Tank Shooting code in there. Maybe this is why they were pulled out, since the shooting code wasn't done? Seems silly to put tanks on the road if they're not going to shoot at the player as he or she goes by the bridge he or she just destroyed. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 They didn't seem to in the version I tried, but we should defer to Thomas. Maybe he can find some hidden Tank Shooting code in there. Sorry, I haven't located that Tank Shooting code yet. But I'll continue searching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 WOW! I thought that prior thread was a farce! Is this for real, or did Thomas add new code? Well, I see by reading that you actually found the tank code. I guess 4K wasn't enough to have tanks & shots. I always thought the tanks in the 5200/8bit version were an awesome idea. The shots are like Missile Command explosions, I would think they are a player. Maybe that's why the shots couldn't be put into RR2600 -- the jet is one player, and the enemies seem to be comprised of the other player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 WOW! I thought that prior thread was a farce! Me too! I tried it out on emulation this morning! Tanks appear and move .. but don't fire .. Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA (My God! It's full of TANKS!" 2001 - a Tank Odyssey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitfall Harry Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 Thomas, I'm sorry I ever doubted you. What an Awesome find! I can't figure why the tanks were 'inadvertantly' left out. Even though the tanks don't fire, the animation is cool and helps liven up the game's relatively spartan backdrop. BTW: Your ticket to Atari 2600 God-dome has already been punched. So, you can stop showing off. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Slocum Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 I still don't believe it! :wink: -Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris++ Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 Yeah, I evidently owe you an apology as well, Thomas. (It's hard to tell when threads on here are spoofs sometimes!) -- Humbled Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Destructo Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 So, the tanks were set to hide until river 1,024? It might seem like a bug at first but, as Occam says, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one. Assuming the tank code was left unfinished due to lack of budget, time, or ROM space, the easiest and least intrusive way to disable it would be setting the tanks' "starting wave" impossibly high. I always thought the tanks in the 5200/8bit version were an awesome idea. The shots are like Missile Command explosions, I would think they are a player. Maybe that's why the shots couldn't be put into RR2600 -- the jet is one player, and the enemies seem to be comprised of the other player. In the 8-bit version, the explosion appears below the tank without overlapping it. If the 2600 version were the same, that would allow displaying both using one player. The vertical area taken up by the bridge, plus the blank space beneath it, seems tall enough to accomodate. And, yes, the explosion looks just like 8-bit Missile Command: color cycling at a constant, high brightness. Same defense contractor? The tanks in 8-bit River Raid drive towards the riverbank to touch it before shooting. No matter how slowly I fly or how quickly I shoot the bridge in Thomas' hacked version, the tank never reaches the river before going off-screen. Could that be why it's not shooting? Perhaps the tank could be placed nearer the bridge, or on a wider stretch of river. Excellent find, either way. Thomas' place in the Atari constellation of demi-gods is assured! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 I still don't believe it! :wink: Hm, and if I would say, I found the balloons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffy Arensmeyer Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Thomas, where do the graphics for the tanks appear in the binary file? I've decompiled River Raid before, but I've never noticed the tanks in there. Can you point me to the memory locations where the tanks are stored? ò¿ó Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Hm, and if I would say, I found the balloons? Did you find balloons? I'm a believer! Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Thomas, where do the graphics for the tanks appear in the binary file? Can you point me to the memory locations where the tanks are stored? Sure, if you look into the binary above, they are at $0ed1..$0ee6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Monkey Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Thomas, where do the graphics for the tanks appear in the binary file? Can you point me to the memory locations where the tanks are stored? Sure, if you look into the binary above, they are at $0ed1..$0ee6. Ah... so it'll be a few days before we get to see the code with the newly "discovered" balloons? :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris++ Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 ...Moycon? Could you clarify these edible "balloons" graphically for us? CF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Ah... so it'll be a few days before we get to see the code with the newly "discovered" balloons? :wink: Sure, Albert already got a preview from me. We are just deciding on which bridge the game should start. What about 1024? ...Moycon? Could you clarify these edible "balloons" graphically for us? The new River Raid balloons look really tasty, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Has anyone asked Carol Shaw about the famous Invisible Tanks? She might be interested in all of this. Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian M Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 This is all very good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callipygous Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Thomas, Great and tanks alot , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 So, it looks as finally some people start to believe me. Hmm, I would not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Monkey Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 Thomas... You are doing unbelievable (literally!) work. I am currently attempting to comment Space War for a project and I can't change *@$# without breaking the kernel. To me, the fact that you have been able to do this with River Raid (and successfully) is just amazing... especially considering how much Carol's code was already doing! I really hope you've got a new homebrew on the go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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