27 replies to this topic

[sandmountainslim]

Got my Phanton II Cart today and worth the wait!!
I ordered the game because Phantom looked so cool but turns out I like Pirate even better, awesome game I have never played anything quite like Pirate on the VCS before.
Now if anyone learns how to unlock the bonus game just drop me a PM, I swear I won't rat ya out
WP

[s0c7]

sandmountainslim, on Tue Jan 9, 2007 7:15 PM, said:

Now if anyone learns how to unlock the bonus game just drop me a PM, I swear I won't rat ya out

If you look hard enough, the manual will point the way.

[sandmountainslim]

s0c7, on Tue Jan 9, 2007 9:02 PM, said:

sandmountainslim, on Tue Jan 9, 2007 7:15 PM, said:

Now if anyone learns how to unlock the bonus game just drop me a PM, I swear I won't rat ya out

If you look hard enough, the manual will point the way.

Found it!
BTW What was the wizard game called in it's previous existance? I have never saw it before.
WP

[s0c7]

sandmountainslim, on Tue Jan 9, 2007 8:14 PM, said:

BTW What was the wizard game called in it's previous existance? I have never saw it before.

Bits came together from a couple of demos I did. The bulk of the code is from this, which of course could never be released.

http://www.atariage....howtopic=83249#

Edited by s0c7, Tue Jan 9, 2007 7:33 PM.

[sandmountainslim]

It would be cool to see Pirate get the "Hunchy Treatment" and be expanded and given it's own cart, sort of a "Pirate DeLuxe" with an island twice as big
WP

[jbanes]

sandmountainslim, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:19 PM, said:

It would be cool to see Pirate get the "Hunchy Treatment" and be expanded and given it's own cart, sort of a "Pirate DeLuxe" with an island twice as big

Indeed. If you ever consider doing it sc07, PM me. I've got a few ideas about how we could make the sequel a rather impressive game.

[s0c7]

Well... I've been working on what became the Phantom II cart for over a year off and on. I'm going to take a break for a little while. But I'll be keeping a hand in and doing some experiments. You never know what might eventually pop up one day.

[sandmountainslim]

What was the coin-op version of Phantom II like?
Was it also a timed game?
WP

[s0c7]

sandmountainslim, on Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:11 PM, said:

What was the coin-op version of Phantom II like?
Was it also a timed game?
WP

Yes, like a lot of games from that era it was timed. The main difference was there were 2 enemy jets instead of one in the arcade game and if you collided you would get a new jet instead of it ending the game.

The UFO, bomber, tanker, & color mode are not in the arcade game.

KLOV entry - http://www.klov.com/...r=&game_id=9001

EDIT: Forgot to mention, you can try out the arcade version in MAME.

Edited by s0c7, Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:40 PM.

[sandmountainslim]

No UFO, Bomber or Tanker stages?
Then this is actually an improvement over the original Midway version much like Seawolf is an improved version of an old arcade game.
WP

[fire!fire!]

Glad I ordered this game, it has been really fun. I didn't know what to expect by the description...I never played the Arcade version of Phantom II.

[sandmountainslim]

fire!fire!, on Sun Jan 14, 2007 5:25 PM, said:

Glad I ordered this game, it has been really fun. I didn't know what to expect by the description...I never played the Arcade version of Phantom II.

Have you been playing Pirate as much as Phantom , as I have?
WP

[fire!fire!]

Yeah I have mostly played Pirate. I like that there's no time limit and I can watch the games that are on and play. Been trying to develop a strategy for not getting lost. Seems pretty well-organized and intuitive once you get several games under your belt. I haven't figured out the "other" game - or located it. I'm pretty dense, tho, so that's OK.

[sandmountainslim]

fire!fire!, on Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:50 PM, said:

I haven't figured out the "other" game - or located it. I'm pretty dense, tho, so that's OK.

Believe me it is REALLY easy to find if I found it! I only wish the "other game" had a name so I would know how to refer to it. It may be called "Fonzalf and the Magic Staff" but I am unsure.
WP

[fire!fire!]

I got Hunchy 2 also and been playing a lot of it. The game has a really addictive rhythm.

I would like to see a MacGyver game..is that close enough to Henry Winkler/ Fonz?

[s0c7]

sandmountainslim, on Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:23 PM, said:

I only wish the "other game" had a name so I would know how to refer to it.

Back when I was discussing its inclusion on the cart with the AtariAge Illuminati it was referred to as "Wizard". But feel free to call it whatever you want. * Name this game *

[jbanes]

s0c7, on Sun Jan 14, 2007 11:45 PM, said:

Back when I was discussing its inclusion on the cart with the AtariAge Illuminati it was referred to as "Wizard". But feel free to call it whatever you want. * Name this game *

Bob.

Bob's a good name, don't you think? I like Bob. I wonder what the secret code is to access Bob?

[s0c7]

For those still looking for the 3rd game, one final hint.



Mr. Owl, how many ________ does it take to get to the hidden game?

Let's find out.

One.... Two.... Three....

Three.

[Propane13]

Ok, I just got Phantom/Pirate.
And... I like it.

I want to review Pirate, so here it is.

###############################################
### NOTE-- SPOILERS/GAMEPLAY TECHNIQUE DISCUSSED BELOW ###
###############################################

What's weird is that I find myself liking Pirate. A lot.

It's strange-- games are quick, but for some reason, they're fun. It doesn't take a lot of brainpower to play. When I got to the first "ending sequence", I couldn't see the letters (the blue is too dark for my crazy-old TV screen), so I had to turn up the brightness. Then, it all worked out well. Graphic-wise, that's my only complaint-- the blue is a shade too dark. All other graphics/colors are very cool.

Gameplay is interesting, but I don't see any startup combination for Pirate that's really unbeatable.
1) Walk around the 7x7 grid, avoid going in the hut or killing any snakes or Leduc.
2) Pick up any items on the way (of course that aren't under snakes)
3) If you get the shovel, find your way to the treasure. If Leduc is there, do another 7x7 search for the shovel, and try again. Don't fight LeDuc. Never fight LeDuc.
4) Find the X first before getting the shovel. Plot a course.

If you do that, for 95% of the cases, you'll get the treasure without issue.
If the sword ends up under a snake, it doesn't matter unless the shovel is underneath something too.
If the shovel ends up under a snake, get the sword, kill all snakes first, and then if you must, kill the woman in the hut.

There are only 2 real ways that I can see someone dying-- and that's if the shovel is under the priestess in the hut, and she's got a lot of hit points (and you're unlucky), or if the shovel AND the sword are hidden under a snake or the priestess, and you have to fight the snakes bare-handed. And, these 2 situations don't come up much. I haven't had an item appear under a snake yet, and I see no real reason to ever battle LeDuc (except for fun).

There are a few things which would add a ton of replay value:
--it would be interesting if bumping into LeDuc when you had no shovel had him take your sword instead. And, if he ever touched you, the snakes would reset (come back to the screen). And, if he touched you when you had nothing, he took away a hit point. Then killing LeDuc would be a more valid goal. I just see LeDuc as an annoyance, and not a real avoidable threat. The penalty of touching him is very small.

Yet, even though this game is so very easy in concept... I keep playing it. I don't know why.
Maybe this game kind of reminds me of Minesweeper in a way. If I do something stupid, I'll end up on a bomb and go "oh man! That was stupid. I should have known better". And then I'll play again. It's a very quick game that has a nice feel to it, and I like it.

So, though this may be a weird review, I do enjoy Pirate overall. I've killed LeDuc and the Voodoo priestess for fun, and that was a nice touch to be able to do.

Oddly, I yearn for more. If it got more challenging as I the game went on... wow! I'm sure I'd play this thing till level 70. If there were more "things that you need in order to get other things", that would be cool-- sort of like a strange memory game with disastrous consequences for using the wrong item in the wrong place. Or, if the grid was bigger with more snakes. I'm not sure-- I am hoping for a Pirate II. I would buy it.

Note that I don't play games very much anymore, so that should be taken as a huge compliment.

-John

[s0c7]

Propane13, on Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:18 PM, said:

Note that I don't play games very much anymore, so that should be taken as a huge compliment.

-John

And I appreciate it very much! You seem to have gotten what I was trying to do with the game.

The game was designed so that it could be won without fighting (barring a few situations). Killing LeDuc, the priestess, and the snakes becomes sort of a side quest that you can either attempt or not.

The only thing I would add to your strategy tips is if you are losing a fight with anyone other than the priestess, break away and utilize the flower.

And so the Pirate II bandwagon grows. We'll see......

[jboypacman]

I need to pick this game as soon as i can.Sounds awesome!

[fire!fire!]

Propane13, on Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:18 PM, said:

and I see no real reason to ever battle LeDuc (except for fun).

Yeah and he kills me every time!

Great review!

[s0c7]

Early Valentine's gift to the Pirate fans out there. Pirate Special Edition.

What's new:
hmmmm.....

The earliest proto versions of Pirate had a move counter. This has been reintroduced. It also doubles as your health display (green, yellow, red).
I used Propane13's suggestion and made it where if you run away from LeDuc he will steal the shovel, sword, or land a hit on you depending on your current inventory.
Greater likelihood that things will be guarded by snakes.
Slightly better fight odds when carrying weapons.

Attached Files

•  pirate_se.bin   16K   77 downloads

[WIZZARD77]

This game rocks. Pirate II would definately be cool.

[sandmountainslim]

WIZZARD77, on Thu Feb 8, 2007 2:56 PM, said:

This game rocks. Pirate II would definately be cool.

Any new news out their on a possible Pirate II or Pirate Deluxe in cart form?
WP