flicky Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Hi everyone I found this cartridge today: I can't find any reference to this game in the NES list in the Digital Press Guide. I think it might be a prototype cartridge of a previously unreleased game. I've never seen a NES proto before, could this be one? I found the cartridge here in the UK, and when I tried it on my UK NES, the title screen flashes (which is what usually happens with NTSC carts). The title screen states "Published by.." but then there's just blank space. The bottom of the title screen mentions Nintendo of America. So I think it's likely that it's NTSC format. I believe that Beam Software programmed the 8-bit computer versions of this game, so it's plausible that they would have worked on a NES version. But until I can get access to a NTSC NES machine, or a suitable adaptor for my machine, I can't say how far they got with this. If anyone's got any thoughts on this, that would be great. Thanks Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uosipa llamxew Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 (edited) I believe Andrew Davie (a member and moderator here at Atariage) programmed the game. He would probably have more information for you about the game itself. link link link Atariage member, theredeye, might be able to help if you wanted the ROMs dumped. Tempest, another Atariage moderator, is also a good prototype guy to go to, although I don't think he usually deals much with NES stuff... then, I've been wrong before. --- Just found this in the old Stella BigList Archives: Andrew:It just occurred to me... *I* wrote Exploding Fist on the NES Never released, I believe... but hell.... I sure do remember writing it!! Russ Perry Jr: Hey, was this pretty much complete? Who was it for? And why wasn't it released? Am I asking too many questions? Andrew: Yes it was complete. It was made in-house by Melbourne House / BEAM Software. It wasn't released because it was targeted at a really small ROM size (hence all the headaches I had) and by the time it was started / dropped / restarted / finished, it was considered uncommercial to release it. A Interesting find, for sure! I just hope Andrew peeks in to say hello. Edited May 4, 2006 by mojofltr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 I recall WOTEF being one of my favorite C-64 games. This was when the fighting genre was just taking off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uosipa llamxew Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 (edited) I thought I would mention that this is cross-posted at Digital Press. This way, anyone interested can get whatever information pops up. Edited May 5, 2006 by mojofltr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 This might sound kinda dumb, but what about calling the phone number on the cart? I'm not sure if it would get you in trouble or not but if it didn't and it wasn't a dead number maybe the guy named would know more about it? Also as soon as Andrew Davie pops his head in this thread I'm sure he will be able to tell if it's the game he made or not. And he might even know who the Dick fellow is odds would have it. Best of luck with your new game and congrats on the great score!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicky Posted May 6, 2006 Author Share Posted May 6, 2006 I opened up the cart this evening and have now uploaded some pictures of the circuit board here: http://jon-legg.magix.net/ Cheers Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Looks legit to me. Just hope it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicky Posted May 21, 2006 Author Share Posted May 21, 2006 Hi everyone I'm posting this message to the forums at both Digital Press and Atari Age. This weekend I had a gaming get together at my place, and we managed to get Way of the Exploding Fist up and running! Mat (Mayhem) adapted my PAL machine to play NTSC titles, and we managed to get a stable picture when we plugged the cartridge in. We've taken some photos (variable quality I'm afraid), and I've now posted 4 of them here: http://jon-legg.magix.net/ [click on My Hobby] These show 1. the intro screen when you turn the macine on 2. the title screen where you can choose the number of players (1, 2 or 3) 3. an in-game screen 4. the high score table showing my user ID and the programmer's name! Screens 1, 2 and 4 above are stable on my TV, but screen 3 suffers from a *lot* of graphical glitches. The basic game seems to play fine, you can move left and right, punch, kick and jump. When you hit an opponent, you can also see stars above their head on the screenshot I've posted. I discussed the glitch problem with the others (Mayhem, Steve Rich - Jobf, and Keith Ainsworth). The consensus was that either the game has the glitches as it's not fully developed, or it would need an actual NTSC machine to run 100%, rather than a modded PAL unit. So now, I am wanting to get the ROM dumped asap, and get hold of a US machine to test this further. Does anyone know of any NES collectors living in the UK who would have the ability to dump the ROM for me? I would much prefer to do this than risk sending it overseas. Cheers Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRedEye Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 (edited) Well, I'm ready to send dumping stuff when Flicky is, I'm still waiting for a reply to my PM though. Edited May 26, 2006 by TheRedEye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uosipa llamxew Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 And now for something scatological: ... and probably unfunny, but I spent 15 minutes on it. It would seem a waste to just delete it or, in this case, flush it down the toilet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 Hi everyone I found this cartridge today: [Jon TOTALLY AWESOME!!! I wrote this. I thought it was lost forever, as I don't have a copy of the binary. I'll be happy to answer questions. It was a speculative project, with no publsher. I took too long in development, and as there was no buyer, it was canned. I still remember a bit about how it was programmed. Dick Lehrberg was BEAM's USA rep. He probably carried this cart around with him to publishers, trying to find a buyer. It's possible he left it with one on loan, and it just got forgotten, and eventually dumped. I have to say, I'm *really stoked* that this has shown up after all these years. Cheers A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 (edited) Yes, at a blustery Preston flea market! If you trace journies, I really wonder how it got there. The game does pretty much seem complete aside from the graphical glitching, I assume it was finished when handed to Dick? Hopefully Jon can get this baby dumped in the near future... Edited May 27, 2006 by MayhemUK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 Yes, at a blustery Preston flea market! If you trace journies, I really wonder how it got there. The game does pretty much seem complete aside from the graphical glitching, I assume it was finished when handed to Dick? Hopefully Jon can get this baby dumped in the near future... The glitching is almost certainly a PAL/NTSC issue. There's no reason Dick would have had a PAL version in his hands, and the display system was *very* timing-critical. It bankswitches on 10 consecutive character-lines. Each character-line therefore had 256 characters available, into which every frame of the fighter's graphics (for that line) was super-packed. It was an interesting task. The switching of banks occurs at the end of the last scanline of the character, and obviously had to happen very quickly. I can't wait for Jon to send me the cart and, finally, to have that baby back in my hands again! Cheers A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uosipa llamxew Posted May 27, 2006 Share Posted May 27, 2006 @Andrew: I just read the entire thread over at DP. (Anyone who hasn't read it, should go now!) I wasn't sure of whether you were being entirely serious or not (seen the quirky sense of humor here on occasion), but I think you made some interesting points along the way. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keiyentai Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 Wow cool find. So did Andrew ever get his little bundle back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 He wasn't being serious btw (unless he suddenly decides to change his mind ) Anyhow, the cart has been dumped out and is ready for unveiling at Eurocon in two months time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicky Posted September 4, 2006 Author Share Posted September 4, 2006 Hi everyone I thought I'd let you know what I'm going to do with the Exploding Fist cartridge. As Mat has said, the game will be on display for the first time at a convention we're co-organising here in the UK, Eurocon 2006 (www.sincil.co.uk/eurocon2006) After this, the ROM will be made generally available. Now for the big news: I intend to sell the cartridge - but on the condition that I keep it until Eurocon has ended, and the ROM has been released. The main reason I am doing this is that I have always wanted to get a classic arcade machine, and I see this find as enabling me to raise the cash to finally afford one. I would ideally like a cocktail cabinet from before 1985 or so. The best scenario for me would be to agree a sale before Eurocon, enabling me to get hold of an arcade machine BEFORE Eurocon 2006 takes place, so I can take it along to the convention. I am announcing this now, as I am open to offers for the Exploding Fist cart from now onwards (please send these privately). I'm not going to set a deadline on this at this stage. However, any offers which will in any way make it easier for me to get hold of an arcade machine within the next 2 months will get preference. A trade or part exchange would be particularly welcome! Please LMK if you have any questions about any of this. Cheers Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Wow cool find. So did Andrew ever get his little bundle back? No. I can't discuss this further, as the whole thing is now in the hands of my lawyers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Has Eurocon come and gone? Just curious, as I was wanting to check out the ROM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Eurocon is at the end of the month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~~NationalGameDepot Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Are the ROM's yet available for this game? I have been pumped about playing this ever since I heard about it? I know Eurocon is over and I know the game was indeed sold. Would love to be able to get ahold of the ROMs though, I would even toss in a few bucks if that would make a difference. ~~NGD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uosipa llamxew Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Um... bump! I noticed this on Mayhem's YouTube account and thought I'd post it here for anyone who was interested: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MausGames Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Was this rom ever made available to the general public? Is it a knockoff of Fist Of The North Star or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Oberhäuser Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Is it a knockoff of Fist Of The North Star or what? You don't know Exploding Fist? Check this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 This game caused quite a stir when it was released for the Spectrum, although that version was very easy to beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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